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🚨 Headlines
🇺🇸 Flag bearer: LeBron James was selected by his fellow players to be Team USA’s men’s flag bearer during the Opening Ceremony on Friday; the women’s flag bearer will be announced today.
🏀 USA 92, Germany 88: It was a big day for LeBron. He also led Team USA to a comeback win over Germany, scoring the final 11 points to finish the exhibition schedule with a 5-0 record.
🏈 The love continues: Jordan Love won’t attend Packers training camp until he signs a contract extension. By the end of this week, he could be the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
🏈 Owens is exempt: Bears safety Jonathan Owens missed training camp to compete in the Olympics and support his wife, Simone Biles.
❤️ Honoring Khyree: The Vikings will wear “KJ” stickers on their helmets this season in honor of Kyrie Jackson, a fourth-round pick who died in a car accident two weeks ago, and will pay Jackson’s entire contract bonus to his family.
⚾️ MLB Trade Deadline: 1 week away
There is one week left until the MLB trade deadline. With more than two-thirds of the league vying for a playoff spot, the next seven days could see some intense action.
current situation: Twenty-two of the 30 teams are within five games of (or currently in) the playoffs, 13 in the National League and nine in the American League. The championship-contenders will be bought, the last-place teams will sell, but the middle-of-the-pack teams will have to decide whether to improve, stay the course, or retool for the future.
buyer: The six teams at the top of their divisions (Orioles, Guardians, Astros, Phillies, Brewers and Dodgers) will naturally look to make some improvements, and the next six teams (and others) will likely do the same.
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Yankees (60-42): With Aaron Judge having another great year and Juan Soto becoming a free agent this offseason, the Bombers are expected to go all out in acquiring the 28th pick.
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Royals (56-45): Led by MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr., the ageless Salvador Pérez and a talented pitching staff, Kansas City could savor an end to its eight-year playoff drought.
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Braves (54-45): Atlanta acquired four players at the 2021 deadline who are crucial to a World Series run. What kind of magic will general manager Alex Anthopoulos create this year?
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Red Sox (53-46): Boston’s veterans are coming off back-to-back sub-.500 seasons and are hoping to acquire someone who can help them get back to the postseason.
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Mariners (53-49): Seattle has allowed the fewest runs in the AL, but also allowed the second fewest runs, and they need to add some hitting to their elite pitching staff.
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Padres (52-50): San Diego remains in wild-card contention, but with injuries to Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish, they may need a couple more pitchers down the stretch.
Most interesting sellers: Four teams that are underperforming (or just bad) have particularly attractive players who could be available for transfer.
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White Sox (27-75): The worst team in baseball has two of the best starting pitchers this year in Garrett Crochette and Eric Feddy, both of whom are in the top five in WAR.
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Marlins (35-65): Center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. was heading to a 20-20 season (13 home runs, 19 stolen bases), and left-handed relief pitcher Tanner Scott (1.27 ERA, 16 saves) was the team’s lone All-Star.
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Blue Jays (45-54): Toronto suffered an unexpected setback this season and the team could demand a huge transfer fee for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has a year and a half left on his contract.
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Athletics (40-62): Rookie closer Mason Miller has struck out 47 percent of the batters he has faced and could give the Athletics a treasure trove of prospects to bring to Las Vegas.
🎧 Baseball Barbie Cast: Yahoo Sports’ Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman preview the deadline
🌎 The world in pictures
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Michigan — Charlie Woods, playing in the opening round of the 76th U.S. Junior Amateur on Monday, has a follow-through that’s just like his father’s.
Causeway Coast, Northern Ireland — Divers jumped off the 87ft cliffs at Kinbane Castle during round 4 of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. Amazing photos!
Teaaupo, French Polynesia — American surfer Carissa Moore takes part in a training session ahead of the Paris 2024 surfing competition, which begins on Saturday.
Le Devoluy, France — This is probably my favorite shot from this year’s Tour de France.
📆 US sports calendar
What is your favourite month?
🏈 Fantasy corners: Who will be the WR1?
Who will finish the season as the No. 1 wide receiver in fantasy football? According to our experts, the top four contenders are:
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CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys): He finished last year as the WR1 after increasing his targets, receptions, yards and TDs for four straight years since his debut in 2020. Dallas loves to throw the ball, and Lamb is a tough slob, having missed just one game in his career.
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Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals): His production has dipped since his breakout rookie year in 2021 and his inconsistent play was highlighted last season with Joe Burrow (wrist) sidelined for an extended period, but he is expected to see more action in the slot this year, which is enticing in the fantasy world and his immense talent speaks for itself.
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Tyreek Hill (Dolphins): At 30 years old, he’s the oldest on this list (by five years!), but he still has the most potential: He’s coming off a year in which he led the league in receiving yards and touchdowns despite missing one game, and his sonic speed might be the NFL’s greatest weapon.
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Justin Jefferson (Vikings): The drop from Kirk Cousins to Sam Darnold as the quarterback is a hindrance, but he remains the most talented receiver in the NFL and was a monster last season without Cousins. Plus, he can play interior.
More Fantasy Football: Mock Draft 2.0 | Year 2 Breakout Potential
📆 July 23, 1996: Storg’s iconic safe
28 years ago today, Kelly Strug landed successfully on an injured ankle to win the gold medal for the U.S. women’s team gymnastics.
Front and rear: The team’s popularity and success that year led to them being dubbed the “Magnificent Seven,” which inspired a generation and gave birth to a powerhouse team. Prior to 1996, the U.S. women’s team had only won three medals in the team all-around competition. Since then, the team has won six consecutive Olympic medals.
Details for this day:
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⚾️ 2009: White Sox center fielder DeWayne Wise* prevented a home run in the ninth inning, preserving Mark Buehrle’s 18th perfect game in MLB history.
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⚾️ 2021: The Cleveland Indians announced they were the winner out of 1,200 options considered and would change their team name to the Guardians.
*Perfect timing: Wise, a weak-hitting outfielder, came in as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning and stole base against the first batter of the inning.
📺 Watch List: Team USA Women’s Final Preparations
USA team plays against Germany London this afternoon (3 p.m. ET, FS1) For final preparations before the Olympics.
Déjà vu? Team USA lost to Team WNBA in Saturday’s All-Star Game, but they also headed to Tokyo three years ago to win their seventh consecutive gold medal and are favored to win their eighth consecutive gold medal in Paris.
See also:
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⚾️ MLB: Mets vs. Yankees* (7:05 p.m., TBS)
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🏀 Basketball Tournament: Top 16 (7-9 p.m., FS1)
*Subway Series: This is the second and final series of the season after the Mets beat the Yankees for the second straight game last month.
🥇 Olympic Trivia
Only one country Which country has won the gold medal at every Summer Olympics?
Tips: Overall, only the United States and the Soviet Union have won more gold medals in the Summer Olympics.
Submitted by: Jordan W. (Canton, Ohio)
The answer is at the bottom.
⚾️ The hottest guy in baseball
Bobby Witt Jr. He has been one of the best players in baseball this season and is in top form at the moment.
By the numbers: Since returning from the All-Star break, the Royals shortstop is batting .800/.824/1.467 ERA (2.290 OPS) with two home runs, two doubles, one triple, six RBI and zero strikeouts.
Yahoo Sports Feature: The Story of Bobby Witt Jr.
Trivia answer: England
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