📰🏟️ No Sho on the mound
Plus: Unpacking the Michigan-WMU controversy...
Good afternoon. Welcome back to another week full of top sports stories. Let’s get you up to speed.
—Kyle
1) SMU outlasts Florida St. to cap CFB Week 1
#19 SMU beat Florida St. 27-24 last night on a last-minute field goal, with Mustangs QB Kevin Jennings (430 YDs, 3 TDs) shaking off a pair of INTs to engineer the game-winning drive.
- SMU’s victory came after the game’s start was pushed back by ~1.5 hrs due to a power outage shortly before scheduled kickoff at 6:30 pm CT.
- The game began with limited lighting and electronics—the clock was initially kept on the field, players went without helmet comms, and officials lacked instant replay review.
- It ended hours ahead of the AP’s first regular-season Top 25 poll, which drops at 1 pm CT this afternoon.
📣 FULL-COURT PRESS
Headlines across the sports world
- ⚾ Brewers Triple-A pitcher Thomas Pannone, 32, threw a perfect game for the Nashville Sounds yesterday, marking the first full perfect game by a single pitcher in the minors since 2017.
- 🏟️ Philadelphia 76ers and Flyers unveil the first renderings of a new shared arena in South Philly that’ll open in 2030.
- 🤵♂️ NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell agreed to a 4-yr extension through the 2030 season. Contract details for Goodell, who reportedly made ~$64M/yr in 2020-21, aren't currently known.
2) Ohtani returns from injury, but shuts down pitching
Shohei Ohtani returned to the Dodgers’ lineup Monday (0-3, 1 BB, 2Ks) after missing 4 games amid a series of nagging injuries, with the 2-way superstar also saying he’s “most likely” finished pitching this season
- Ohtani, who hasn’t pitched since July 3 while dealing with biceps and knee issues, will likely finish 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and 95 Ks across 85⅔ IP.
- He’ll instead focus on hitting down the stretch, with the Dodgers currently holding a 1st-rd playoff bye—by 2 games over Atlanta—and a 10.5-game lead in the NL West.
🌐 WEB GEMS
Interesting things to click
🏈 This is gonna be our year: One bold prediction for every NFL team heading into Week 1.
⏱️ Time to unpack the controversy: Why did the Michigan-WMU refs use a game clock no one else could see for their pivotal review?
⚾ Which city is next?... Breaking down 6 candidates for MLB's next expansion teams, from Salt Lake City to Montreal.
3) Patriots’ Gonzalez resets the cornerback market
New England Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez agreed to a record 4-yr $135M extension this morning ($102M guaranteed), tying up the 24-y.o. through 2031, per multiple reports.
- It slightly edges out Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon’s new 4-yr, $132M deal as the richest cornerback contract in NFL history.
- Gonzalez earned 2nd-team All-Pro honors in 2024 and his 1st Pro Bowl nod last season, helping New England reach Super Bowl LX.
- He’ll kick off the NFL season tomorrow night when the Patriots face Witherspoon's Seahawks, in a rematch of last February’s title game.
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