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Good morning! We have preseason football all day today. But first, baseball:
Table Setting: Time to lock in
To be frank, the chaos of the MLB trade deadline — hello, Minnesota and San Diego — left us dazed for a bit on the baseball front. Even as we sort through who’s even on the Twins’ 25-man roster, our focus must shift. The MLB stretch run is here, and it is juicy.
A quick rundown of the MLB races still in play with just under 50 games left in the season, with some predictions from The Windup’s Levi Weaver … woven in (sorry):
The AL East is tight. Toronto has a three-game lead on the surging Red Sox, with the fading Yankees 6 1/2 games back. The latter two teams still hold on to AL wild-card spots, though there are four teams (Guardians, Rangers, Royals and Rays) within five games of the final slot.
The AL West is, too. The interminable Astros, with Carlos Correa back in the fold, hold a slight (1 1/2-game) lead over the Mariners, who forever seem like the team picked to win this division that somehow never does. The Rangers are also just 5 1/2 games back.
- Levi offered this prediction in Monday’s Windup: Rangers make the playoffs, Yankees don’t. Can you imagine the turmoil in New York if that happens? Manager Aaron Boone probably gets fired and the team wastes another elite year of Aaron Judge. Womp.
Over in the NL, all three divisions are very much up for grabs:
- The Phillies hold a 3 1/2-game lead over the cratering Mets in the NL East, which might be a bad sign for the Phils. Not taking advantage of such a lull could backfire if the talented Mets turn things around.
- Milwaukee, much like Houston, refuses to be bad. The Brewers are the best team in baseball, but the Cubs (as we’ve mentioned this week) are only five games out. Cincinnati is 12 games back, but we’ll get to them in a second.
- The Dodgers, incredibly, cannot shake the Padres. Baseball’s most expensive team also feels lightly cursed injury-wise, but still has a three-game lead over those feisty Padres, who have been hot. This will be fun.
Levi predicts the Reds (3 1/2 games back of the final wild-card spot) make it in: “I’m sorry, it’s just that between the Cubs, Mets and Padres, I feel like one apocalyptic collapse is inevitable.”
Watching such a collapse is always entertaining. And remember that with baseball’s expanded playoff structure, six teams from each league make the playoffs, which means a lot of franchises are very much in contention right now.
See the full standings here. Let’s keep moving.
News to Know
Sanders shines in debut
One thing is for certain: Shedeur Sanders is already the best fourth-string QB in the NFL. Thanks to some injuries in the Browns’ QB room, the fifth-round rookie was given a golden opportunity in his preseason debut against the Panthers last night. And, for the most part, Sanders looked really good. He took the lion’s share of the Browns’ snaps under center, played mistake-free football and threw a pair of touchdowns. Talk about hitting a tight window:
Lions-Falcons game suspended after injury
The second of three NFL preseason games last night was suspended in the fourth quarter after Lions safety Morice Norris was taken off the field in an ambulance. Norris was attempting a tackle when his head snapped back upon colliding with Falcons running back Nathan Carter’s leg. Both teams agreed to snap the ball and let the clock run out before officials eventually halted play. Thankfully, the team announced Norris is in stable condition.
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More news:
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The Patriots unveiled a Tom Brady statue outside Gillette Stadium ahead of their preseason game last night. It’s gigantic.
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The Indiana Fever, still without the injured Caitlin Clark, lost two other guards to season-ending injuries in the same game Thursday. Absolutely brutal.
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Stefano Vukov, former coach of the No. 10-ranked tennis player Elena Rybakina, had his one-year ban for abuse lifted after an appeal. More details here.
Watch Guide
📺 NWSL: Washington Spirit at Gotham FC
Noon ET on ESPN
We’re going for the full day here as fall kicks into gear. We have NFL football (more on that below), but this is a good start. Washington sits third in the NWSL standings and has only lost one time since May.
📺 NFL: Texans at Vikings
4 p.m. ET on NFL Network
All eyes on Minnesota QB J.J. McCarthy here, who could be the most intriguing player in the NFL going into the season. We shouldn’t base too much on preseason performance — this is still practice, really — but his readiness will be highly scrutinized nonetheless. See today’s full NFL slate here.
📺 MLB: Phillies at Rangers
7:15 p.m. ET on Fox
As we mentioned above, these MLB games are so important at this juncture. Both of these teams need this one. Makes for good baseball.
Pulse Picks
A Little League coach went viral for a fantastic dad joke. Rustin Dodd says it taught a bigger lesson.
Life gets busy, so schedule one night a week for a random activity — maybe it becomes a date night, fantasy football draft or a trip to the movies to see “The Naked Gun.” I never regret carving the time out of the calendar. — Jacob Robinson
On the latest “No Offseason” podcast, Sabreena Merchant says WNBA players have become “dehumanized” and “the butt of the joke” amid the recent run of sex-toy incidents, and wonders why they were even the target of these “bad actors” in the first place. Watch it here.
This one’s for the pen-heads out there. You know those Precise V5s — the ones with the flat lids that are so good for writing, but are a ticking time bomb because you know one day you’re gonna look down and see they’ve leaked all over your hand? They have a click-pen version now. — Levi Weaver
I loved Mike Jones’ conversation with Shilo Sanders, who’s just trying to make the roster in Tampa. He’s impressively self-aware of, well, everything.
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I’m here for the resurgence of self-serve fro-yo, as detailed in this NYT piece. — Torrey Hart
Wet Hot American Summer,” one of my favorite movies ever, still holds up. Unmatched cast, nonstop laughs, absurdly silly. If you’ve never seen it, now’s the time. It’s on Netflix. — Alex Iniguez
We’re thrilled to have Andy Behrens at The Athletic now, and his first fantasy football column is full of useful nuggets as you plan your draft strategy. Must read.
I’ve never been much of an Aperol guy (sorry, mixologists), but I had a cocktail recently here in New Orleans that maybe changed that: bourbon, Aperol, honey and lemon. A perfectly balanced drink. Try it with a fancy ice cube and thank me. — Chris Branch
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on Joe Burrow’s nice preseason performance.
Most-read on the website yesterday: The dad joke on the mound.
Ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Top photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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Neymar comemora boa atuação e se coloca à disposição para o próximo jogo: ‘Certeza’
Neymar marcou um dos gols na vitória do Santos sobre o Sport (Photo: Mauricio De Souza/AGIF)O Santos venceu o Sport Recife por 3 a 0 na noite desta sexta-feira, na Vila Belmiro, pela 37ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. A vitória do Peixe o colocou fora da zona de rebaixamento. Além da importância da vitória, o torcedor do Santos ficou aliviado com a atuação de Neymar. Mesmo com uma lesão no menisco do joelho esquerdo, o craque entrou em campo e marcou um dos gols da partida. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEMuito feliz com a boa atuação, Neymar valorizou a importante vitória sobre o Sport Recife e deixou claro que a lesão não vai atrapalhar a reta final do Campeonato Brasileiro. Ele, inclusive, se colocou à disposição para o próximo jogo, contra o Juventude, em Caxias do Sul, nesta quarta-feira.“Fisicamente eu venho bem, estou […]
England pace bowler Wood set to miss second Ashes Test
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Futebol na TV hoje: Liberta, Brasileirão e europeus agitam sábado (29)
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West Ham academy graduate Potts realising his lifelong Hammers dream
When Freddie Potts starts for West Ham in the Premier League, they don't lose.Yes, the sample size is small, their last three games were against Newcastle, Burnley and Bournemouth, and many factors have contributed to West Ham’s turn in form, but Potts is certainly one of them. For Potts, one of those factors is more "fight", and he’s certainly had to battle to get himself in the first team. Loans to Wycombe and Portsmouth in the previous two seasons have turned the academy product from more than just a tidy footballer, but a player ready to hack it physically at the top level. Sunday 30th November 1:00pm Kick off 2:05pm Since coming into the team against Newcastle, no player has made more tackles for West Ham than Potts (9), and only El Hadji Malick Diouf has won more duels.Potts is […]
Torcedor do Palmeiras morre em Lima antes da final da Libertadores
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Stokes: England desperate to avenge ‘rubbish’ first Ashes Test performance
Ben Stokes believes some of the criticism of his England team has gone overboard, but would rather be called "rubbish" than "arrogant".A two-day defeat in the first Ashes Test in Perth last week led to plenty of difficult questions for the tourists, who have come under fire for their pre-series preparations, loose shot selection and the decision not to send senior players to this weekend's pink ball warm-up match in Canberra. Former Australia pace bowler Mitchell Johnson branded them "arrogant" in a strongly-worded column for the West Australian newspaper, which had previously branded Stokes "cocky captain complainer". Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player England captain Ben Stokes has urged his players not to dwell on their eight-wicket defeat to Australia in the Ashes opener at Perth Speaking before the first of five training sessions in Brisbane […]
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Neymar marcou um dos gols na vitória do Santos sobre o Sport (Photo: Mauricio De Souza/AGIF)O Santos venceu o Sport Recife por 3 a 0 na noite desta sexta-feira, na Vila Belmiro, pela 37ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. A vitória do Peixe o colocou fora da zona de rebaixamento. Além da importância da vitória, o torcedor do Santos ficou aliviado com a atuação de Neymar. Mesmo com uma lesão no menisco do joelho esquerdo, o craque entrou em campo e marcou um dos gols da partida. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEMuito feliz com a boa atuação, Neymar valorizou a importante vitória sobre o Sport Recife e deixou claro que a lesão não vai atrapalhar a reta final do Campeonato Brasileiro. Ele, inclusive, se colocou à disposição para o próximo jogo, contra o Juventude, em Caxias do Sul, nesta quarta-feira.“Fisicamente eu venho bem, estou […]
England pace bowler Wood set to miss second Ashes Test
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Libertadores é o mais esperado jogo de futebol na TV hoje (Foto: Action Plus Sports Images/Alamy Live News)Os fãs de bola na rede terão muita diversão assistindo a futebol na TV hoje. O sábado (29) tem atrações gigantes, como a final da Libertadores entre Palmeiras x Flamengo, às 18h (horário de Brasília). Essa partida terá transmissão da Globo em TV aberta, além da ESPN e os streamings ge tv e Paramount+. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEAlém disso, o Brasileirão realizará duas partidas da sua antepenúltima rodada. E como já é tradicional dos fins de semana, uma enxurrada de partidas dos campeonatos europeus tomam as telas. Timaços como Barcelona, Bayern de Munique, Manchester City e PSG entram em campo.Confira as partidas de futebol na TV hoje:ALEMÃO 2ª DIVISÃO PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE9h Eintracht Braunschweig x Kaiserslautern – OneFootball9h Greuther Fürth x Bochum – OneFootball9h Holstein Kiel […]
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Stokes: England desperate to avenge ‘rubbish’ first Ashes Test performance
Ben Stokes believes some of the criticism of his England team has gone overboard, but would rather be called "rubbish" than "arrogant".A two-day defeat in the first Ashes Test in Perth last week led to plenty of difficult questions for the tourists, who have come under fire for their pre-series preparations, loose shot selection and the decision not to send senior players to this weekend's pink ball warm-up match in Canberra. Former Australia pace bowler Mitchell Johnson branded them "arrogant" in a strongly-worded column for the West Australian newspaper, which had previously branded Stokes "cocky captain complainer". Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player England captain Ben Stokes has urged his players not to dwell on their eight-wicket defeat to Australia in the Ashes opener at Perth Speaking before the first of five training sessions in Brisbane […]
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