College football kicks off in a few days. How will things play out? Here's the first edition of our bowl projections predicting the postseason.
Giants are ‘built to win big' despite second-half collapse, per Brewers manager
Giants are ‘built to win big' despite second-half collapse, per Brewers manager originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Giants’ playoff hopes certainly have faded, but they still are more than capable of going toe-to-toe with MLB’s best teams.
Let their road series win over the league-best Milwaukee Brewers this weekend serve as evidence.
And even on an emotional day for Brewers manager Pat Murphy’s squad, and the entire Milwaukee organization, who honored late broadcasting legend Bob Uecker in a pregame celebration of life ceremony, San Francisco was able to steal a thrilling come-from-behind 4-3 win that sealed a series victory.
Murphy, speaking to reporters postgame, gave the Giants their flowers.
“I didn’t think there was any way that the baseball gods would bestow this on us, but you know, you look at the Giants, they’re built to win,” Murphy said. “They were built to win big. It didn’t work out for them yet, but they’re playing with some freedom. They’re really talented.” (h/t MLB.com’s Maria Guardado)
San Francisco, which once was tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West on June 13, has gone 23-39 since and has plummeted out of playoff contention.
Despite the Giants’ immediate future not looking so bright, it’s clear some around the league still believe San Francisco will contend again in the near future.
College football coaching hot seat has 9 prime candidates at start of season
Several coaches have job security concerns ahead of the start of the college football season. Here's nine that begin on the hottest of hot seat.
Hernández: Repeat champions or October duds? Dodgers identity crisis keeps everyone guessing
When he was finished rounding the bases at Petco Park on Sunday, Shohei Ohtani made a detour on his return to the Dodgers' bench.
Seated by the visiting dugout was a fan in a San Diego Padres cap and brown Fernando Tatis Jr. jersey. The spectator had spent most of the afternoon reminding Ohtani of how much he’d stunk in the three-game series.
Ohtani initiated a high-five with his tormentor, who playfully bowed in deference.
Manager Dave Roberts howled with delight. Teoscar Hernández showered Ohtani with sunflower seeds.
These were like scenes from the good old days, the Dodgers hitting bombs and laughing as they celebrated.
But was this a mirage?
Read more:Dalton Rushing and Freddie Freeman help revive Dodgers' offense in win over Padres
Even after avoiding a sweep by the Padres with an 8-2 victory, even after moving back into a tie with them for the lead in the National League West, the Dodgers continued to be an enigma.
Who were they? The team that trampled the Padres in the series finale? Or the team that rolled over in the two previous games of the series?
“They’re gettable,” said a scout from a rival NL team who was in attendance.
The kind of game the Dodgers played on Sunday, however, prompted the same scout to attach this qualifier: They can’t be counted out.
One of baseball’s worst offensive teams over the last two months, the Dodgers blasted four home runs, including two by Freddie Freeman. The Dodgers claimed the lead on a three-run blast in the seventh inning by Dalton Rushing.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto did his part on the mound, picking up his 11th win by limiting the Padres to two runs over six innings.
The Dodgers have 31 games remaining in the regular season and they expect a number of their injured players to return over that period. The form they take will dramatically affect their chances in October.
Winning their division could position them to secure a top-two seed in the NL, which would grant them a first-round bye. Failing to do so would subject them to a dangerous best-of-three wild-card series.
Because of the alarming number of injuries they have sustained this season, the Dodgers have already cycled through a variety of identities, from a team without starting pitching to a team without a reliable bullpen to, most recently, a team without a consistent offense.
In their previous two games, the Dodgers scored a combined two runs, leading Roberts and some players to question the team’s collective approach at the plate.
Just a week earlier, the division race looked as if it could be over. The Padres entered a three-game series at Dodger Stadium as the hottest team this side of Milwaukee. The Padres had bolstered their lineup, rotation and top-ranked bullpen at the trade deadline while the Dodgers did almost nothing.
The Dodgers still swept them.
Read more:News Analysis: The Dodgers have an outfield problem. But do they have the options to fix it?
But their inconsistency on offense kept them from protecting the two-game lead they’d built. They inexplicably dropped two of four games against the last-place Colorado Rockies. By Saturday, after their second loss to the Padres in as many days, they were in second place.
Just as the Dodgers looked as if they could be written off, just as they looked as if they could relinquish control of the division to the Padres, they responded with a performance worthy of their $320-million payroll.
“Today was a game we couldn’t drop no matter what,” Yamamoto said in Japanese, “so I went into the game with more focus than usual.”
The hitters also went into the game with a heightened focus, resulting in more extended at-bats that gradually wore down the Padres’ pitchers. The Dodgers scored seven of their runs in the last four innings.
The Dodgers don’t play the Padres again this season but Freeman said his team should be more concerned about their improvement rather than what its division rivals do.
Asked when he would start to scoreboard watch, Freeman replied, “Maybe in mid-September.”
Reminded only 31 games remain in the regular season, Freeman replied, “It is a sprint. I’ll be honest with you there. It’s a sprint now. You can’t worry about other teams if, like the last couple games, we don’t fix our offense, how our at-bats were going the last couple days. We fixed it today, we did better today. If you’re worrying about other things, that’s just not conducive, it’s not going to lead to quality things in the clubhouse. So maybe mid-September. When I turn 36, we’ll start scoreboard watching, all right?”
Freeman’s birthday is on Sept. 12. Will the Dodgers know who they are by then?
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Medvedev’s match-point meltdown sparks chaotic scenes at US Open
Match halted for six minutes after photographer incident
Russian enraged by umpire decision in first-round exit
The US Open descended into chaos on Sunday when a photographer came on to the court as Daniil Medvedev faced match point, bringing the first-round match to a standstill and sparking a spectacular meltdown from the Russian.
Medvedev, the 2021 champion, was eventually knocked out 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 0-6, 6-4 by France’s Benjamin Bonzi, who threatened to walk off the court at one point and called for the Russian to be disqualified.
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
Richarlison and Martín Zubimendi are changing things up at Spurs and Arsenal while Graham Potter needs to get ugly
Ruben Amorim has been a highly successful Manchester United manager against continental opposition and promoted Premier League clubs. He’s been respectable against the top teams in England, with a win at the Etihad, a draw at Anfield and a win on penalties against Arsenal. But he’s been hopeless when faced with opponents from mid-table. Last season, after taking over in November, Amorim supervised 14 league games against clubs that ended up between seventh and 17th. United won two, drew two and lost 10, scraping eight points out of a possible 42. One of those two wins was at Craven Cottage, a streaky 1-0. Here, again, they needed luck to take the lead as Leny Yoro got away with a two-hands push on Calvin Bassey; this time they blew it, and they couldn’t complain. United had been the better team for 20 minutes, Fulham for about 75. Tim de Lisle
Match report: Fulham 1-1 Manchester United
Match report: Everton 2-0 Brighton
Match report: Crystal Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Match report: Manchester City 0-2 Tottenham
Match report: Arsenal 5-0 Leeds
Amorim tells United to ‘grow up’, Fernandes says referee triggered penalty miss
Match report: Brentford 1-0 Aston Villa
Continue reading...NRL player Brandon Smith hit with drug supply and betting charges
South Sydney star issued with summons by Queensland Police
29-year-old hooker set to appear in court on 18 September
NRL star Brandon Smith has been charged with drug supply and using inside knowledge for betting.
The South Sydney hooker was questioned by police when he arrived in Queensland ahead of their 10 August clash with Gold Coast, but released without charge.
Ahead of AFL finals sign up for our free weekly newsletter
Continue reading...What Role Will Kevin Hayes Have On The Penguins This Year?
The Pittsburgh Penguins have a few spots open in their forward lineup for this season, which will make training camp a lot of fun to follow when it starts in a few weeks.
Kevin Hayes is one of the forwards who will be jockeying for one of the spots after finishing the 2024-25 season with 13 goals and 23 points in 64 games. He was a healthy scratch at some points last season and was also banged up at times, but still put up decent numbers in a bottom-six role. It was his first season with the Penguins after they acquired him, along with a second-round pick, from the St. Louis Blues on June 29 of last year. He was excited about the move to Pittsburgh because he felt he didn’t play his best hockey with St. Louis during the 2023-24 season.
"I felt like last year, I couldn't really find a role in St. Louis and didn't play my best hockey,” Hayes said last year, via THN’s Lou Korac.
Although Hayes didn't win with the Penguins last year, as they missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season, he still demonstrated his ability to play in the NHL. It was his 11th season in the league, and he has now played for the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Winnipeg Jets, the Blues, and the Penguins. In 777 career NHL games, Hayes has compiled 181 goals and 438 points.
Hayes even got to spend some time on the top power play unit with the big guns last season, including team captain Sidney Crosby. Four of his 13 goals came on the man-advantage, along with three of his ten assists, and he finished the year with 118 minutes on the PP. It was the sixth straight year that Hayes finished with 100+ minutes on the man-advantage. Former head coach Mike Sullivan, who is now the head coach of the Rangers, liked using Hayes on the PP due to his vision and how big he is around the net.
At 5v5 last year, Hayes’s most common linemates were Philip Tomasino and Drew O’Connor (before O’Connor got dealt to the Vancouver Canucks with defenseman Marcus Pettersson). Tomasino will also be back for the Penguins next year after re-signing with them on July 1, so he and Hayes could get some minutes together again if Muse likes what he sees during training camp and the preseason. He could also potentially get some minutes with fellow veteran forward Justin Brazeau, whom the Penguins just signed as a free agent in July. They appreciate the skill Brazeau demonstrated and think he will be a good fit after finishing last year with 11 goals and 22 points in 76 games.
When it comes to a role for Hayes, he will be seen as someone who can chip in at times for the Penguins, but he will still have to earn his minutes. He will be competing against veterans and younger players who want to make the jump and be full-time NHLers. He’s best served for a bottom-six role but can also play further up in the lineup for a few games if injuries occur. Hayes also has the flexibility to play center and wing after spending time at both positions last year. If he’s not playing, his impact will definitely be felt in the locker room. He’ll be someone that some of the other players can rely on as a leader.
Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2025: Don't Sleep On This Russian WingerHeading into the 2025-26 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have shifted the focus to youth and development.
Hayes is one of several Penguins players who will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 season. Considering where the Penguins are in their rebuild, they could flip him to a contender at the trade deadline if he produces well enough. Stanley Cup contenders are always looking for more scoring at the deadline since you need four scoring lines if you want to win it all. There will be nights when the stars don’t have it, and the depth pieces have to carry the load.
Not many fans expected much from Hayes last season, but he went out and had himself a fine season. It would benefit the Penguins if he can repeat that success this year when their 2025-26 season starts on October 7 against the Sullivan's Rangers.
(Data via Dobber's Frozen Tools and Natural Stat Trick).
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Carr hopes to add to family’s football legacy after winning starting QB job at No. 6 Notre Dame
CJ Carr grew up in a football family. His father, Jason, was a quarterback at Michigan and his grandfather, Lloyd, led the Wolverines to a perfect season and the 1997 national championship as their head coach.
Ohtani high-fives a heckler after his homer to cap Dodgers’ comeback rivalry win over Padres
SAN DIEGO — A heckler next to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ dugout spent his entire Sunday giving an earful to the visitors, including a nonstop barrage of digs and chirps at Shohei Ohtani for his hitless performance in a portentous weekend series against the San Diego Padres.
When Ohtani crushed his 45th homer and delivered the knockout blow in the ninth inning of the Dodgers’ 8-2 victory, the normally decorous three-time MVP detoured on his way back to the dugout to slap hands — and get the last word — with the chagrined Padres fan.
The Dodgers loved to see it, along with just about everything else that transpired in the final four innings of a win that evened the NL West race yet again with 31 games left.
“It was very out of character from Shohei, (but the heckler) was wearing him out the whole game,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So it was good to see Shohei initiate a high-five from him. That was great. That was fun. It was good to see Shohei show his personality.”
Ohtani didn’t speak to reporters afterward, but he didn’t need a loudmouth fan to tell him that he was 0 for 10 with two walks in the series before his 409-foot homer off Yuki Matsui.
His fellow Dodgers had already delivered by then, with rookie Dalton Rushing’s tiebreaking three-run shot in the seventh inning sandwiched between clutch homers in back-to-back innings by Freddie Freeman.
“I think he was just kind of talking to Shohei the whole game, so I’m glad Shohei was able to give him a little something else to cheer about,” Freeman said with a grin.
Freeman and the rest of the Dodgers heard plenty of yapping from the stands during the weekend in the latest chapter of what might currently be the liveliest rivalry in the sport. The noise intensified as Los Angeles lost the first two games while managing just five combined hits — but the defending champs still managed to head home smiling and even with the Padres at 74-57.
When asked if the rivalry is the best in baseball, Rushing replied: “I think so. I think it’s pretty safe to say. You see the atmosphere we play in, whether it’s here or in LA. I think it’s pretty special. There’s something to it. There’s a lot of superstars on the field, and it’s fun to play in these games.”
Both teams could find reasons to be optimistic after wrapping up the regular season matchups between two World Series contenders that have also met in three of the past five postseasons, with the Dodgers winning two of those matchups.
The Dodgers have already won the season series with San Diego 9-4, giving them the tiebreaker if the clubs are still even 31 games from now.
San Diego still took two of three on the weekend with phenomenal starting pitching from a club that already has a bullpen that could be the best in the majors — its poor performance Sunday notwithstanding, of course.
Jeremiah Estrada gave up a homer in his second consecutive game when Rushing connected, while Wandy Peralta and Matsui also surrendered late homers.
But Yu Darvish, Nestor Cortes and Nick Pivetta combined to allow just four hits and three runs by the Dodgers over 18 innings. In a short October series, the Padres are confident they’ve got the arms to match Ohtani, Freeman and the Dodgers’ powerful lineup.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled,” San Diego manager Mike Shildt said. “We’re playing outstanding baseball, so I don’t tend to get too caught up in today. Today we were disappointed. Didn’t happen for us. We couldn’t be more thrilled. We’re tied for our division lead and expect to go win it.”
The division race means something to both teams — and not just because they’d both prefer not to play a perilous wild card playoff series in early October.
The Dodgers have won 11 of the last 12 NL West titles, while the Padres haven’t won the division since 2006. San Diego is closing in on its fourth playoff berth in six seasons during the longest run of sustained success in team history.
While the rivals won’t meet again in the regular season, both teams acknowledge they’ll be watching what the other does down the stretch.
“We’re going to treat the next however many games until the regular season is over like we’re neck-and-neck with them,” Rushing said. “Whether we’re tied in the division or we’re eight games out, we’re going to treat it like it’s the same, and I think it’s a good thing. You hold a competitive edge finishing out the regular season, and that’s what you kind of carry into the postseason.”
NHL Hockey News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games 2025-08-25 19:33:06
Novak Djokovic gets US Open campaign under way with battling first-round win
Serb manages physical issues to beat Learner Tien 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2
Djokovic is aiming for a record 25th grand slam title
In his first competitive outing after a six-week hiatus, there were times when an increasingly frustrated Novak Djokovic looked dead on his feet. However, in the most important moments of his turbulent first round match against American teenager Learner Tien, Djokovic worked through his physical discomfort and then held his nerve in the decisive moments to win 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2 and reach the second round of the US Open.
Even at 38 years old, Djokovic has been the third best player at the grand slam tournaments this year, reaching the semi-final of all three prior events. However, his ageing body has struggled to handle the physicality required to succeed in the best of five sets format. After his straight sets loss to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon, Djokovic cast doubt on his ability to remain fresh and healthy deep in the grand slam tournaments at his age.
Continue reading...Trent Grisham, Jazz Chisholm Jr. combine for four home runs in Yankees' 7-2 win over Red Sox
The Yankees salvaged the final game of a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night by winning 7-2.
Here are the takeaways...
-Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr. each had themselves a day, finishing a combined 4-for-6 with four home runs and six RBI. Chisholm got New York started with a two-run shot in the second inning before Grisham joined in with a solo bomb in the third.
Grisham added another homer to lead off the sixth inning to put the Yanks up 5-0 after Jose Caballero had a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Chisholm hit his second of the night in the bottom of the eighth to make it 7-2.
The home runs gave Grisham and Chisholm 25 and 24 home runs, respectively, on the season -- good for second and tied for third on the team, behind Aaron Judge (40).
-Carlos Rodon earned the victory, improving to 14-7 on the season with 5.2 innings pitched, allowing just one hit and two earned runs while striking out three and walking five. It was a crucial bounce-back performance for the Yankees' rotation.
Still, Rodon's 24 walks since the All-Star break are the most by any MLB pitcher during that span.
-Sunday's win marked the Yankees first against Boston this season, as the team had previously lost eight consecutive games to the Red Sox to begin the season, being outscored 48-22 over that stretch. The Yankees entered this series with a disappointing 1-8 record against Boston in 2025.
-In a notable lineup decision, Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe was removed from the starting lineup, with manager Aaron Boone citing his 1-for-28 slump and league-leading 17 errors as factors in the decision. Caballero started at shortstop in Volpe's place.
-Boston managed only five hits in the loss, with their lone offensive highlight coming in the sixth inning when Nathaniel Lowe delivered a two-run single to center field, scoring Alex Bregman and Romy González. Dustin May took the loss for Boston, falling to 7-10 after allowing five earned runs on five hits over 4.1 innings.
Game MVP: Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm Jr.
They both get the honor after hitting two home runs each.
Highlights
Trent Grisham deep into the night! pic.twitter.com/SF8HyhEiyQ
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 24, 2025
Trent Grisham has liftoff again! pic.twitter.com/UgJdPojWa3
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 25, 2025
Jazz for the second time! pic.twitter.com/ghGnDqNHRG
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 25, 2025
What's next
The Yankees continue their homestand with a three-game series against the Washington Nationals starting on Monday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
RHP Cam Schlittler (1-2, 3.22 ERA) goes up against RHP Brad Lord (4-6, 3.46 ERA).
Red Wings Players To Watch In 2025-26: Marco Kasper
When Steve Yzerman returned to the Detroit Red Wings in April 2019 to take over the role of general manager, he didn’t have much to work with in terms of enticing prospects, but since then he has built one of the most highly regarded prospect pools in the NHL.
One of the prospects that has already begun making a considerable impact for the Red Wings is forward Marco Kasper, whom Yzerman made Detroit's Round 1 selection in 2022.
While Kasper began the 2024-25 NHL season in the American Hockey League with the Grand Rapids Griffins, he would eventually be called up to the team in late October 2025. Naturally, there was a learning curve for him stepping into the most talented League on the planet.
Soon, Kasper was showing that he belonged in the NHL, and his production began to especially take off once the Red Wings hired Todd McLellan in place of Derek Lalonde, who was relieved in late December.
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Starting on January 10 through the end of the season, Kasper's 17 goals led all first-year NHL players. What's more, he finished fifth overall in total rookie scoring during that time.
Tic-tac-GOAL!
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 16, 2025
Marco Kasper's 13th of the season. #LGRWpic.twitter.com/RdEpZw4sJa
Thanks to his accomplishments in his rookie season, Kasper was named the club's Rookie of the Year by the Detroit Sports Media.
Kasper the Friendly ROTY. 👻
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 10, 2025
More » https://t.co/nGdvj2ra8lpic.twitter.com/LUnlvylAKj
Kasper spent the majority of the season's second half centering Detroit's second line alongside future Hall of Fame forward Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat.
“I personally feel like I had a pretty good year, but it’s going to be really hard to come back and do just like that and even improve what I want,” Kasper said of his rookie season. “I always talk about how I’m trying to get better every day. It’s something I’m going to focus on this summer.”
Kasper also skated for his native Austria in the 2025 World Championship, ultimately tying for the team lead in goals with four during the tournament.
The 20-year-old sophomore forward will likely begin the upcoming 2025-26 NHL season once again flanked by Kane and DeBrincat on his wings.
“It’s a skill to be able to play with top players and go to the net and score around the net and he’s scored a lot of his goals in the blue paint, a huge way to create offense in this league,” Kane said in April of Kasper's play. “He pushes the pace up the middle. Great skater, good both ways. And when you get to the net like that, you’re going to get rewarded.”
The Red Wings are less than a month from gathering in Traverse City, Mich. for Training Camp, which will be followed by their annual Red & White Game. This time, the game will be played at Van Andel Arena, the home venue of the Griffins, on Sunday, Sept. 21.
From that point on, Kasper and the Red Wings will begin the exhibition portion of their schedule against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sept. 23 at Little Caesars Arena.
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Michigan reportedly names star freshman Bryce Underwood its starting QB ahead of season opener
Bryce Underwood was the top-ranked recruit in his class coming out of high school, and flipped his commitment to Michigan from LSU last fall.