In today's edition: Dodgers and Mariners take early leads, ranking the NBA's superstars, NFL in photos, Aces cement dynasty, Cape Verde's historic feat, and more.
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π¨ Headlines
πβΎοΈ Coaching changes: Penn State fired James Franklin after yet another embarrassing loss; the Titans fired Brian Callahan, who went 4-19 in Tennessee; Padres manager Mike Schildt, 57, retired after two years in San Diego.
π Week 8 rankings: Indiana climbed to a program-best No. 3 ranking in the latest AP poll after beating Oregon on the road, while USC (No. 20) and Texas (No. 21) both re-entered the top 25 after wins over Michigan and Oklahoma.
π Preseason rankings: Purdue is No. 1 in the preseason poll for the first time ever, while Houston, Florida, UConn and St. John's round out the top five. The season tips off in three weeks (Nov. 3).
πΎ Four Americans: For the first time in over 20 years, four Americans have qualified for the WTA Finals. Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys will be among the eight players competing for the season-ending title.
π The Antetokounmp-bros: Alex Antetokounmpo will join his older brothers, Giannis and Thanasis, on the Bucks after signing a two-way deal with the franchise. They're the first trio of brothers to play on the same NBA team at the same time.
βΎοΈ LCS: Mariners, Dodgers out front
ALCS: The Mariners have played 7,757 games in their history. They are now two wins away from their first-ever World Series after taking Games 1 and 2 in Toronto.
Game 1: Mariners 3, Blue Jays 1
Game 2: Mariners 10, Blue Jays 3
Man of the hour: With another clutch home run, Mariners 2B Jorge Polanco, known to his teammates as "George Bonds," is ascending to October legend status.
From Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz:
For a fan base that has endured so much torment, so many fruitless nights and vacant Octobers, this must all feel completely surreal, inconceivably easy. Suddenly, the only franchise to never play in a World Series is just two wins away from the ultimate stage.
That is thanks, in large part, to Polanco, who has emerged as this postseason's most improbable yet inevitable main character. While he has just eight hits across Seattle's seven playoff games, three of those knocks have been homers, and many, including Monday night's long ball, have come in big spots.
"Yeah, I love those situations," Polanco admitted after Monday's game. "I don't know what to say, man. I'm clutch. But I'm just trying to keep it simple."
What's next: Game 3 is Wednesday in Seattle, where George Kirby (10-8, 4.21 ERA this regular season) will get the start for the Mariners against former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber (4-2, 3.57 ERA).
NLCS: Blake Snell tossed his second straight postseason gem (8 IP, 1 H, 10 K) and the Dodgers survived a ninth-inning scare to beat the Brewers, 2-1, in Monday's series opener.
From Yahoo Sports' Russell Dorsey:
The 10 strikeouts marked a postseason career high for Snell and made him the first pitcher in MLB postseason history with at least 10 strikeouts, one or fewer hits allowed and zero walks in a start of at least eight innings. It was also the first postseason start in which a pitcher faced the minimum number of batters through eight innings (24) since Don Larsen's legendary World Series perfect game in 1956.
"You're not going to see too many performances like that, certainly in the postseason. This was pretty special," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "I think it's the most dominant performance against us. And I've been here 10 years," added Brewers manager Pat Murphy.
πΏΒ Must-see play: The Brewers robbed the Dodgers of sure runs with one of the wildest double plays in baseball history. You have to see it to believe it.
π NBA superstars, ranked
The ideal NBA lineup has a superstar, a deferential co-star, a third star who owns that role, a fourth option and a fifth starter to tie it all together. Today, Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach ranks the No. 1 options.
Top 10:
Nikola JokiΔ (Nuggets)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
Luka DonΔiΔ (Lakers)
Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
Stephen Curry (Warriors)
Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)
Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
Honorable mention: Paolo Banchero (Magic), Kevin Durant (Rockets), Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Anthony Davis (Mavericks), Ja Morant (Grizzlies)
π In photos: NFL Week 6
Landover, Maryland β A year ago, the Commanders stunned the Bears with a last-second Hail Mary. On Monday, Chicago got its revenge with a last-second field goal by Jake Moody, who was added to the roster just hours earlier. Final score: 25-24.
Meanwhile, in Atlanta: The Falcons upset the Bills, 24-14, in Monday's other game, handing Buffalo its second straight loss. Star of the night? Bijan Robinson (238 total yards, TD), who became the second player ever with 450 rushing yards and 300 receiving yards through five games.
Tampa, Florida β The Buccaneers beat the 49ers, 30-19, to improve to an NFC-best 5-1 behind the continued brilliance of Baker Mayfield, who's playing like an MVP with 12 touchdowns against just one interception and a laundry list of highlight reel plays.
Injury bug bites again: The Niners already lost Nick Bosa (ACL) and have been without Brock Purdy (toe, shoulder), Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Brandon Aiyuk (knee) for large chunks of the season. Now star linebacker Fred Warner (broken and dislocated ankle) is likely out for the year.
Kansas City, Missouri β You didn't really think the Chiefs would start 2-4, did you? Kansas City (3-3) snapped Detroit's four-game win streak with a 30-17 victory on "Sunday Night Football," where Patrick Mahomes dazzled (4 TDs) and tempers flared in a post-game fight.
Branch suspended: Lions safety Brian Branch, who started the brawl when he shoved Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, has been suspended one game without pay. This is nothing new for the young defender, who has already been fined 14 times (!!) since entering the league in 2023.
Indianapolis, Indiana β The Colts rallied to beat the Cardinals, 31-27, and improve to 5-1 for the first time since 2009. Jonathan Taylor (137 yards, TD) starred once again and now leads the league with 8 TDs and ranks third with 750 scrimmage yards.
Offensive explosion: The Colts have scored 194 points already, which leads the NFL and is the most any Colts team has ever scored through six games. Peyton Manning's 2007 team had the previous record with 193 points. Danny Dimes quite literally one-upped him.
More from Week 6:
Pats are rolling: The Patriots beat the Saints, 25-19, to match their win total from each of the last two seasons (4). The buzz in New England? Drake Maye's ascent to stardom. It's about time this team had a franchise QB.
Steelers take control: The Steelers shut down the Browns, 23-9, to improve to 4-1 and take complete control of the AFC North, where the other three teams are a combined 4-14.
Jets remain winless: Different country, same result. The Jets flew to London and lost to the Broncos, 13-11, to fall to 0-6 for the third time in franchise history.
Quick links: Scores | Stats | Standings
π Aces cement dynasty status
The Aces finished off their WNBA Finals sweep of the Mercury on Friday, winning their third title in four years to cement their status as one of the league's great dynasties.
The star of the show: A'ja Wilson was named Finals MVP after averaging 28.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal in the four-game series, capping off an all-time great season in which she'd already won the scoring title, MVP and DPOY.
"You have your Mount Rushmore, and she's sitting alone on Everest. By the time it's all said and done, she will be the greatest to ever do it."
β Aces head coach Becky Hammon on Wilson (via ESPN)
Long road to success: The Aces franchise was a founding member of the WNBA but had just seven winning seasons across 21 years as the Utah Starzz (1997-2002) and San Antonio Stars/Silver Stars (2003-17). Everything changed in 2018, when new owners moved the team to Sin City.
The dynasty: It's no mistake that the turnaround began when it did, as the first draft pick of the Vegas era was none other than Wilson, selected No. 1 overall in 2018. The Aces went a modest 14-20 that inaugural season, but have reached at least the Final Four every year since.
2019 (21-13): Made their first semifinal appearance since 2008, losing to the eventual champion Mystics.
2020 (18-4): Advanced to the Finals in the "bubble," where they lost to the Storm. Wilson won her first MVP.
2021 (24-8): Suffered a narrow defeat in the semifinals, and head coach Bill Laimbeer retired shortly after.
π 2022 (26-10): The first title in franchise history came in head coach Becky Hammon's first season. Wilson won her second MVP and first DPOY.
π 2023 (34-6): Became the first back-to-back champs since the Sparks in 2001-02. Wilson won her second DPOY.
2024 (27-13): Fell short of the three-peat with a semifinal loss to the eventual champion Liberty. Wilson won her third MVP.
π 2025 (30-14): After starting 14-14, they rattled off 16 straight wins before romping to their third title. Wilson won her fourth MVP and third DPOY.
Sound investment: In 2021, Raiders owner Mark Davis expanded his Vegas sports empire by purchasing the Aces for $2 million. Four years and three championships later, the franchise is worth $310 million, an increase of 15,400%.
πΊ Watchlist: Tuesday, Oct. 14
βΎοΈ Dodgers at Brewers | 8pm ET, TBS
The NLCS continues tonight in Milwaukee, where the Dodgers will look to take a 2-0 lead before heading home for Game 3. Freddy Peralta (17-6, 2.70 ERA in the regular season) takes the mound for the home team, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-8, 2.49 ERA) gets the ball for the visitors.
β½οΈ USMNT vs. Australia | 9pm, TNT
The U.S. didn't exactly look like world beaters in Friday's 1-1 draw against Ecuador, but the Americans at least showed signs of life as Mauricio Pochettino's World Cup vision began coming into focus. They'll look to build on that tonight in Colorado.
More to watch:
π NHL: Lightning at Capitals (7pm, ESPN); Wild at Stars (9:30pm, ESPN) β¦ Early conference clashes among four 2025 playoff teams.
π NCAAF: New Mexico State at Liberty (7pm, CBSSN); Arkansas State at South Alabama (7:30pm, ESPN2); FIU at WKU (8pm, ESPNU) β¦ Tuesday night lights.
π NBA Preseason: Thunder at Bucks (8pm, Peacock) β¦ One week until the season tips off.
π NFL trivia
The last four QBs taken No. 1 overall have seen their head coach fired during their rookie season, with Cam Ward being the latest after the Titans axed Brian Callahan.
Question: Can you name the three QBs before Ward? (Bonus points: Can you name the three coaches who were fired?)
Hint: Two NFC, one AFC.
Answer at the bottom.
β½οΈ Congrats, Cape Verde!
Cape Verde, an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands off the coast of Africa, qualified for the 2026 World Cup on Monday. Not bad for a country with fewer people than America's least-populated state.
Historic achievement: Cape Verde (population: 525,000) is the second-smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup, trailing only Iceland (pop: 405,000). For reference: Wyoming, America's least-populated state, has 588,000 people.
From BBC News:
Cape Verde gained independence from Portugal in 1975 and first attempted to reach the 2002 World Cup hosted in Japan and South Korea.
The Blue Sharks have punched above their weight in the Africa Cup of Nations in recent years, reaching the quarter-finals on debut in 2013 and again in 2023, and currently sit 70th in the world rankings.
Cape Verde has a growing tourism sector but rarely hits the headlines for its sporting achievements β with the nation only securing its first ever Olympic medal at Paris 2024 when boxer David de Pina won bronze in the men's flyweight category.
Trivia answer: Caleb Williams and Matt Eberflus (2024 Bears); Bryce Young and Frank Reich (2023 Panthers); Trevor Lawrence and Urban Meyer (2021 Jaguars)
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Category: General Sports
