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🚨 Headline
⚾️ New captain: The White Sox will hire former MLB outfielder and Rangers associate manager Will Venables as their new captain after a 121-loss season.
🏈 NFL Recap: Colts bench Anthony Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco, Texans WR Stefon Diggs (torn ACL) out for the rest of the season, Ravens acquire WR Diontae Johnson from the Panthers .
🏀 Flagg signs with Gatorade: Duke freshman superstar Cooper Flagg has signed with Gatorade, joining Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins as the only college basketball players affiliated with the brand.
🏀 “Starting 5” Cast: The second season of the Netflix docuseries features Kevin Durant, Jaylen Brown, James Harden, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Tyrese Haliburton during the 2024-25 NBA season.
⚾️Volpe plays a hometown hero
Anthony Volpe had the best swing of his life in Game 4. (Sarah Steer/Getty Images)
On Tuesday night, the Yankees’ offense finally came alive, defeating the Dodgers 11-4, avoiding a sweep and earning the right to play at least one more game.
Quick summary: Los Angeles took an early lead with another home run from the white-hot Freddie Freeman (his home run in six straight World Series games is an MLB record), but it was young who took the biggest swing of the night. He was a Yankee.
Hometown hero: Anthony Volpe, a 23-year-old shortstop who grew up in Manhattan and whose childhood bedroom was stuffed with all things Yankee, hit three grand slams to give New York its first lead since Game 1 and lead the way. I achieved an incredible dream.
“I think I almost blacked out as soon as I saw the ball go over the fence,” Volpe, who attended the Yankees’ 2009 World Series parade with his family 15 years ago, said after the game.
The Dodgers got within one after a few innings, but the Yankees added six more runs in the final three frames to put the game on ice.
What happens next: History says Tuesday’s victory only delayed the inevitable. Of the 40 MLB teams to date, only one team lost a best-of-seven series 0-3 and ultimately came back to win the series. But you have to start somewhere.
“We started this year with four straight wins,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said.
“So, hopefully we can finish the year with four wins in a row. That’s what we have to do to be champions.”
Game 5 will be played tonight at 8:08pm ET on Fox.
🏈 Graph: Starting QBs of the Century
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)
Jameis Winston made his first start for the Browns on Sunday, becoming the franchise’s 38th starting quarterback this century, by far the most of any team.
What about the rest of the teams in the league? We crunched the numbers.
Revolving door (20+ QBs): Browns (38), Bears (30), Commanders (28), Dolphins (26), Rams (26), Cardinals (25), Broncos (25), Raiders (24), Vikings (24), Cowboys (23), Panthers (22), Jets (21), Texans (21), Titans (20)
Middle of the Pack (11-19 QB): 49ers (19), Bills (19), Ravens (19), Colts (18), Jaguars (18), Chiefs (17), Buccaneers (17), Lions (16), Steelers (15), Falcons (14), Saints (14), Eagles (14), Bengals (13), Giants (12), Seahawks (11)
Stability under center (10 or fewer QBs): Patriots (10), Chargers (9), Packers (8)
Let’s take a closer look. I’ve created a complete list of all starters, but it’s full of players I’d completely forgotten about (Seneca Wallace, Craig Krenzel, Gus Frelot, Marquez Tuiasosopo, Spergon Wynn, Elvis Grbac, Brooks Bollinger!). Click here to find your team.
🏀 NBA Power Rankings: Check out the early season vibe
(Taylor Siebert/Yahoo Sports)
The Celtics and Thunder, who play tonight on ESPN, are atop the inaugural NBA Power Rankings, courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Ben Rohrbach.
Top 10:
Celtics (4-0): After Boston tied the NBA’s single-game three-point record in the opening game, Fox Sports’ Nick Wright called the league as if it were “terrible TV.” He asked for a rule change. The current champion seems too strong for this match.
Thunder (3-0): Alarmed by the fact that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is once again an early MVP candidate, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said, “We could have multiple players.” . Chet Holmgren may not be there yet, but you get the point: OKC is already making itself felt.
Cavaliers (4-0): Wins over Raptors, Pistons, and Wizards. A grueling seven-game series awaits. As Donovan Mitchell said, “Here we’ll see where we are as a group and whether our habits continue against tougher opponents and tougher games.”
Magic (3-1): Paolo Banchero “challenged everyone to change the level” of the Magic, hitting a 50-burger against Indiana and playing them in another stratosphere to start the season. Banchero is here. Orlando has arrived.
Lakers (3-1): LeBron James declared, “I’m going to play every game.” This is good news, until it becomes bad news. How long can the Lakers rely on a 40-year-old player that much? We’re about to find out that that’s “actually crazy,” as coach JJ Redick admitted. In a good way?
Suns (3-1): “Dude, this son of a bitch is really talented.” Kevin Durant tells Mark Medina how to categorize his career compared to other all-time greats He said that. Imagine being good enough to say that about yourself. And that’s correct. Did you see him shut out the Lakers?
Mavericks (3-1): Klay Thompson on Luka Doncic: “It doesn’t make sense because what we’re taught as kids…you’ve got to jump the highest and run the fastest.” But Luka ignores that. He plays with his speed and manipulates the game better than anyone I’ve ever seen. ”
Timberwolves (2-2): Anthony Edwards & Co. told rookie Julius Randle, “Don’t fit around us, we’ll fit around you.” That contributed to wins against the Kings and Raptors. Not so much against the Lakers. Be careful what you wish for. Following Randall is a dangerous game.
Grizzlies (2-2): “They’ll figure it out,” Ja Morant declared before the season, preparing for a return to superstardom. He delivered on that promise most of the time when he was available. But minute limits and thigh pain prevented him from letting loose.
Nuggets (2-2): “Coming into the season, shooting was a concern for me,” admitted Michael Malone after his team’s 0-2 start. Nikola Jokic added: “We’re not a very good shooting team.” The manager and the superstar haven’t completely dispelled rumors of friction with the front office.
Full Rankings: Teams 11-30
🇫🇷 In photos: 2025 Tour de France
Young fans will carry French flags at this year’s race. (Anne Christine Pujara/AFP via Getty Images)
The route for the 2025 Tour de France was announced on Tuesday, and while the past three editions started overseas, next summer’s race will be held entirely within France for the first time since 2020.
In this year’s race, Tadej Pogačar will lead the way through the Col du Tourmalet. (Anne Christine Pujara/AFP via Getty Images)
Get ready to climb: Stages 12-14 are three consecutive mountain ranges in the Pyrenees, ending at the infamous ‘Circle of Death’. This series of grueling climbs was so named by the press because it was the hopeful site of the Tour de France more than 100 years ago. Victory leads to death.
A peloton passing through Mont Ventoux in 2021. (Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Riders please be careful. The 16th stage climbs the lunar-like landscape of Mont Ventouz. It was here that British cyclist Tom Simpson died in 1967 of heatstroke (aggravated by alcohol and amphetamines). French philosopher Roland Barthes called this punitive interval “the god of evil that must be sacrificed.”
Team Jumbo-Visma poses for a photo on the Champs-Elysées at the end of the 2022 Tour de France. (Stefan Manti/Getty Images)
Back to Paris: The 2024 Tour de France will end outside Paris for the first time since 1905 to avoid the Olympics. Next year’s finish line will return to that famous location, with the race ending on the iconic Champs-Elysées for the 50th time.
📆 October 30, 1954: Shot clock debuts
Knicks and Royals during a 1954 game. (Hy Peskin/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Seventy years ago today, the 24-second shot clock made its NBA debut in the Rochester Royals’ 98-95 victory over the Celtics.
Change was needed: In the early days of the NBA, teams often used stalling tactics that halted offensive play. The lowest point came in 1950, when the Pistons defeated the Lakers 19-18 in the lowest-scoring game in league history.
“I remember those days, even if you give me a six-point lead in the last quarter, they’ll never catch me. You’d go out there and play catch all day, and the fans So I said, “What?” Are you going to pay to see it? ”
— Celtics manager Red Auerbach, 1996
Vintage shot clock and ball. (Stephen Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Why 24 seconds? Syracuse Nationals (now 76ers) owner Danny Biazon, who supported the change, used some basic math to arrive at that number.
“I looked at the box scores of games that I enjoyed, games that didn’t miss or stall. I noticed that each team took about 60 shots, which means they took 120 shots per game. That’s 2,880 seconds (48 minutes), divided by 120 shots, which is 24 seconds per shot.
Direct Impact: Throughout the league’s first eight seasons, no NBA team averaged more than 84.1 points per game. That number jumped to 93.1 the first year the shot clock was introduced and hasn’t fallen below 91 in the 70 years since. “I think that saved the game,” Auerbach said.
📺 Watchlist: Game 5
The Yankees’ outfield celebrates their Game 4 victory. (Daniel Shiley/MLB Photo via Getty Images)
The Yankees will try to avoid elimination again tonight against the Bronx (8:08 p.m. ET, Fox). There, Gerrit Cole and Jack Flaherty will start the final game of the season at Yankee Stadium — and if the Dodgers win, it will be the final game of the season. .
Also noteworthy:
🏀 NBA: Celtics vs. Pacers (7 p.m., ESPN). Spurs vs. Thunder (9:30 p.m., ESPN)
🏒 NHL: Golden Knights at Kings (10 p.m., TNT)
🇺🇸Friendly Game: USWNT vs. Argentina (7 p.m., TNT) … at Louisville.
⚽️ EFL Cup*: Tottenham vs. Manchester City (4.15pm, Paramount+) … Round of 16.
🏈 NCAAF: Jacks State at Liberty (7 p.m., CBSSN)
*What is the EFL Cup? Similar to the FA Cup, but more exclusive. Only the top four levels will take part, rather than the entire English football system. Preston North End, who currently play Arsenal, are the only non-Premier League team still in existence.
🏈 NFL Trivia
(Taylor Siebert/Yahoo Sports)
As we approach the midway point of the season, Commanders’ rookie QB Jaden Daniels has the fifth-best odds to win MVP (+1000 at BetMGM).
Question: Who is the only rookie to win NFL MVP?
Hint: Not the QB.
The answer is at the bottom.
🏀 Current situation: Pay disparity
(GIFFY)
We all know that NBA players make far more money than WNBA players. But it’s still shocking to see this contradiction.
Crazy stat: 100 NBA players made as much money this year as the entire WNBA made last season ($17.26 million).
Consider this. Celtics guard Jaylen Brown will be paid more than twice as much as the highest-paid WNBA player (~$250,000) all of last season ($49.2 million per year) in tonight’s game on ESPN / 82 games = $600,000).
Trivia Answer: Browns RB Jim Brown (1957)
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