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π¨ Headlines
π Pac-12 expansion: Yahoo Sports sources say Utah State could join the Pac-12, with UNLV next in line. The conference is also keeping an eye on Gonzaga.
βΎοΈ Goodbye, Oakland: Athletics owner John Fisher sent a farewell letter to fans ahead of the team’s final series in Oakland this week, saying “we did our best” to keep the team in town. (Fact check: No, that wasn’t the case.)
π HOME UNDERDRAW: No. 4 Alabama is currently a 1.5-point underdog heading into Saturday’s home game against No. 2 Georgia. If that holds, it will be the first time since 2007 that Alabama has not been favored in Tuscaloosa and will extend that streak to 90 straight games.
β½οΈ Blowout: Manchester City’s star midfielder Rodri is likely to miss the rest of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal, ESPN reports.
π Bush files NIL lawsuit: Reggie Bush, who reinstated his 2005 Heisman Trophy in April, is suing the NCAA, USC and the Pac-12 over the past use of his name, image and likeness.
π No punts, no turnovers
(Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
The Commanders’ 38-33 win over the Bengals on Monday night was historic: for the first time since 1940, an NFL game featured zero punts and zero turnovers.
First quarter:
Second quarter:
Bengals miss FG
Commander TD
Bengals FG
Commander TD
Bengals FG
Commander’s Half End
Third quarter:
Fourth quarter:
Commanders FG
Bengals TD
Commander TD
Bengals TD
Commander’s Game Over
Tonight’s star: Jayden Daniels was nearly perfect through the air (21-of-23 for 254 yards and two touchdowns) for the highest completion percentage by a rookie QB in NFL history, and also used his legs for 39 yards and a touchdown — not bad for just his third career game.
Fellow LSU Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow was impressive despite the loss (29-of-38, 324 yards, 3 touchdowns), becoming just the second QB to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns this season.
Unfortunately, the Bengals are 0-3, which is kind of fatal in this league: Since 1979, only six NFL teams have made the playoffs after losing their first three games.
Must-see pass: Daniels, the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, threw a beautiful 27-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin to beat the Bengals. According to Next Gen Stats, the pass had a 10.3% success rate, making it the most unlikely touchdown of the season.
If you’re standing two feet away, it’s going to be hard to put the ball in a better spot…
(Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
A hot offensive line: The Commanders are the first team in the Super Bowl era to play back-to-back games without a punt or a turnover. The Commanders scored on 13 consecutive drives (not including knee-downs) and converted eight field goals and five touchdowns.
Not a bad job…Commanders punter Tres Way, who hasn’t punted since Week 1, will make $3.4 million this season, which equates to $200,000 per game, meaning he’s made nearly $500,000 the past two weeks just waiting on kickers.
πΊπΈ Photos from across America
(Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA β The Phillies are National League East champions for the first time since 2011, clinching the division title with a 6-2 win over the Cubs in front of a sellout crowd on Monday night.
(Brian M. Bennett/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Are the Bills the best team in football? After a thumping 47-10 win over the Jaguars, it’s hard to deny that claim. The Bills are now 3-0 and boast the NFL’s best scoring offense (37.3 ppg) and seventh-best scoring defense (16.0 ppg).
President Biden walks with former Gotham FC captain Ali Krieger (Kevin Deitch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC β President Joe Biden welcomed NJ/NY Gotham FC to the White House on Monday to celebrate their championship in 2023. This is the first time in the NWSL’s 11-year history that a team has received an invitation from the White House.
(Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES β LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards and Domantas Sabonis attended the premiere of “Starting Five” at the Egyptian Theatre on Monday. The 10-episode Netflix series, which follows NBA stars in the 2023-24 season, will premiere on Oct. 9.
π Robin Hood Trio: Heat, Grizzlies, Wizards
(Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Robinhood put its logo on the Wizards’ uniforms last season, and now the financial services company has jersey patch partnerships with two teams: the Heat (announced this morning) and the Grizzlies (announced last week).
Zooming out: Jersey patches are a relatively new phenomenon in major North American sports, and Robinhood is upping the ante by investing in multiple teams in one league. For the Heat, we can only hope this works out better than their last partnership with a trading platform (RIP, FTX Arena)…
πββοΈ This guy just swam 87 miles nonstop
Agius emerged from the water on Monday. (Jonathan Borg via Times of Malta)
With all due respect to Jayden Daniels, the Athlete of the Week award goes to Neil Agius, who just set a world record for swimming 140 kilometers (about 87 miles) non-stop around the island of Malta. I’m having a hard time comprehending this one…
From The Malta Times:
The 38-year-old emerged from the water 52 hours later, walked to a chair and waved to well-wishers after beating his own world record of 125.7kg set in 2021, to a lengthy round of applause from the large crowd.
“This wasn’t a swim for me, it was a swim for Malta,” Agius said in a brief comment, looking surprisingly healthy after three days and nights in the water — his swim now has to be approved by the World Open Water Swimming Association.
A man on a mission: Agius used his swims to raise awareness of Malta’s marine habitats and coordinated beach clean-ups around the tiny Mediterranean country, removing thousands of pounds of waste.
π September 24, 1920: Ruth reaches “half century”
Ruth before the Yankees’ home opener at the Polo Grounds in 1920. (Bettman Archives/Getty Images)
104 years ago today, Babe Ruth hit his 50th and 51st home runs in a doubleheader against the Washington Senators, becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs in a season.
Anticipating the shot: No, this wasn’t his iconic “anticipating the shot,” but the Babe had made it known that he was aiming for 50 extra-base hits in his first season with the Yankees.
A year earlier, in his final season with the Red Sox, he had 29 hits, breaking a record of 27 that had stood for more than 30 years.
After breaking this record in July 1920, he said his goal was to achieve a “half century.” Experts said he was “drunk in the attic.” Two months later, the “King of Swat” retracted their words.
A man among boys: Ruth finished the season with 54 home runs, 35 more than the runner-up, George Sisler (19), and more than the second, third and fourth place finishers combined (51).
50-Home Run Club: 32 players have eclipsed 50 home runs in a season, with 10 of them doing it more than once.
4x: Ruth, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa
3x: Aaron Judge, Alex Rodriguez
2x: Jimmie Foxx, Ken Griffey Jr., Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Ralph Kiner
Meanwhile, in Illinois…that very day, testimony was given to a Cook County, Illinois grand jury and the conspiracy to throw out the 1919 White Sox World Series was made public for the first time.
πΊ Watchlist: Division Rivalries
The big series begins tonight at Dodger Stadium. (Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Tonight on TBS, the American League East and National League West division rivals go head-to-head, with both games having playoff implications.
Orioles at Yankees (7:05 p.m. ET): New York (92-64) can clinch the division with a win. Baltimore (86-70) is four games out of the running for the first wild-card spot.
Padres at Dodgers (10:10 p.m.): San Diego (90-66) can beat Los Angeles (93-63) to move into a tie for the division lead with three games to play.
See also:
π WNBA Playoffs: Dream* vs Liberty (7:30 p.m., ESPN); Storm* vs Aces (9:30 p.m., ESPN)
π NHL preseason: Capitals vs Bruins (7 p.m., NHL), Kraken vs Canucks (10 p.m., NHL)
*Win or lose: The Dream and Storm need to win tonight’s away game to avoid elimination and advance to a winner-take-all Game 3.
π NHL Trivia
(Carl Lesine/Getty Images)
10 days until the NHL season…
Which “Original Six” NHL teams made up the entire league from 1942 to 1967?
Hint: four in the US, two in Canada.
The answer is at the bottom.
π “Vinsanity” joins exclusive club
(Otto Gruehle Jr./All Sports via Getty Images)
Vince Carter’s No. 15 jersey has been retired for the second time this season, meaning the Raptors will join the Nets in honoring a franchise legend.
Exclusive Club: Carter becomes the 17th NBA player to have his jersey number retired by multiple teams, joining Bill Russell (league-wide), Kobe Bryant*, Wilt Chamberlain, Pete Maravich, Michael Jordan, Nate Thurmond, Bob Lanier, Charles Barkley, Earl Monroe, Clyde Drexler, Oscar Robertson, Moses Malone, Julius Erving, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dikembe Mutombo.
*The Lakers retired both of Bryant’s jersey numbers (No. 8 and No. 24), and the Mavericks decided to retire No. 24 on the day he tragically passed away.
Trivia answers: Bruins, Blackhawks (it was two words back then), Red Wings, Rangers, Canadiens, Maple Leafs
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