c Page 982 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
MLB’s Parity Problem? There Isn’t One — Unless You’re Incompetent
No teams on a 100-win pace. Half the playoff field would be mid-markets. The game is working. But that won’t stop Rob Manfred and MLB owners from crying poor in 2027....
Friday July 25th Best MLB Betting Picks: Shohei Ohtani HR Prop & More
Shohei Ohtani looks to break a Dodgers record at Fenway, the Braves spiral toward selling, and the Padres trust Nick Pivetta to keep them in the wild-card race. Here's how to bet Friday’s MLB action....

QB Michael Penix: Falcons' offense should be 'best in league'
Michael Penix Jr. has high hopes ahead of his first full season as the Atlanta Falcons' starting quarterback.,How high? Well, consider what Penix had to say on Thursday.,"Potential? We should be the best in the league," the 25-year-old said. "You know, with the guys we got around us. You know we got...

Browns starting LB Jordan Hicks announces retirement
Cleveland Browns starting linebacker Jordan Hicks announced his retirement over social media on Friday.,A veteran of 10 NFL seasons, Hicks missed the first two days of training camp with what the team referred to as a personal matter.,"Football has given me more than I could have ever imagined," Hic...

Whitecaps vie to regroup vs. visiting Sporting Kansas City
The Vancouver Whitecaps endured a stretch of five straight MLS road matches and now look to focus on their pursuit of first place when they host Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.,The Whitecaps (12-5-6, 42 points) are one point behind first-place San Diego FC in the Western Conference. The two ...

Brad Stuver, Austin FC seek success vs. struggling D.C. United
Brad Stuver and Austin FC will try to come down off the high of the 2025 MLS All-Star Game played in their home stadium when they return to league action at D.C. United on Saturday night.,Stuver earned the start in goal for the MLS team against LIGA MX on Wednesday and made two saves in his 34 minut...

Hurricanes F Jackson Blake signs 8-year, $45M extension
Carolina Hurricanes forward Jackson Blake has signed an eight-year, $45 million contract extension with the team.,The deal, announced late Thursday night, will begin in the 2026-27 season. ,Blake, who will turn 22 on Aug. 3, will play the final season of his entry-level deal in 2025-26. He could hav...

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba in question vs. FC Cincinnati
Inter Miami will host FC Cincinnati in a matchup of two of the top five teams in the Eastern Conference on Saturday night in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,FC Cincinnati (15-6-3, 48 points) blanked Inter Miami 3-0 on July 16 and surged to the top spot in the conference following a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake...

A's pursue second straight win over banged-up Astros
One of the foremost challenges facing Houston Astros manager Joe Espada and his injury-strapped roster is utilizing the revolving door of players recalled from the minors or acquired off waivers.,In the opener of a four-game series against the Athletics on Thursday, the Astros started three players ...

Orioles, after skid-stopping win, open homestand vs. Rockies
The Baltimore Orioles ought to have a somewhat rosy outlook after winning again.,And as a bonus, they return home for a Friday night game against the major-league-worst Colorado Rockies.,The Orioles have gone 2-5 since the All-Star break, including three straight losses before winning 4-3 on Thursda...

Julio Rodriguez's homer, steal steer Mariners past Angels
Julio Rodriguez made baseball history with a home run and a stolen base and Randy Arozarena and Jorge Polanco also went deep to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday in Anaheim, Calif.,Rodriguez became the first player in major league history to garner 15...

OpTic prevail in CoD Black Ops 6 opener at Esports World Cup
OpTic Gaming earned a pair of 3-0 sweeps on Thursday and clinched a playoff berth at the Call of Duty Black Ops 6 event as part of the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.,The Vancouver Surge, KOI and Team Heretics also advanced with two group-stage wins apiece on Thursday.,The $1.8 million to...

FaZe Clan nip Liquid for IEM Cologne group-stage spot
FaZe Clan recorded a 2-1 win over Team Liquid on Thursday to clinch a group-stage berth at the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne event in Germany.,Ninjas in Pyjamas and GamerLegion also won their upper-bracket second-round matches on Thursday to advance. Ninjas in Pyjamas dumped 3DMAX 2-0, and GamerLegi...

Napheesa Collier looks to strengthen MVP resume as Lynx host Aces
How does Courtney Williams size up Minnesota Lynx teammate and Most Valuable Player candidate Napheesa Collier?,"Aura, man. Everybody knows she's a bonafide superstar," Williams said. "That's why she's one of one. You don't really find superstars that give it up the way she (does). The most humble p...

Cardinals ride second-inning explosion to win over Padres
Brendan Donovan and Willson Contreras hit three-run homers to power the St. Louis Cardinals past the visiting San Diego Padres 9-7 Thursday.,Ivan Herrera was 3-for-4 with a homer, two runs and two RBIs for the Cardinals, who won for just the second time in seven games since the All-Star break. That ...

Skylar Diggins returns and nets 21 as Storm overwhelm Sky
Skylar Diggins scored a game-high 21 points and Dominique Malonga had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds as the visiting Seattle Storm routed the Chicago Sky 95-57 on Thursday.,Playing the opener of a three-game trip, Seattle (15-10) won for the third time in its past four road games. The ...

Athletics pounce on former teammate to put away Astros
Rookie Nick Kurtz recorded his fourth career three-hit game while Luis Severino carried a shutout into the seventh inning as the visiting Athletics claimed a 5-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Thursday.,The Athletics opened the four-game series by banging out 12 hits, with 11 coming against form...

Mariners acquire 1B Josh Naylor from Diamondbacks
The Seattle Mariners acquired first baseman Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday in exchange for left-handed pitcher Brandyn Garcia and right-hander Ashton Izzi.,The move gives Seattle an offensive upgrade at first base, where incumbent Luke Raley was hitting .220 with four homers a...

Big Ten media days: Nico Iamaleava wants UCLA vying for titles
Nico Iamaleava spoke publicly Thursday for the first time since his April transfer saga and claimed money was not his primary motivator for leaving Tennessee for UCLA.,Closing out Big Ten media days in Las Vegas, the quarterback also shared some lofty goals for a Bruins football program that has not...

Reports: Mariners acquire 1B Josh Naylor from D-backs
The Seattle Mariners acquired first baseman Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks, multiple media outlets reported on Thursday.,Although the news was not yet confirmed by the teams, reports indicated that the Mariners would send left-handed pitcher Brandyn Garcia and right-hander Ashton Izzi to ...