📰🏟️ Star struck
Plus: Fastest Tour de France stage ever…
Good afternoon. Today’s edition brings you the top news from around the sports world. Let’s rock and roll.
—Kyle
1) Spain advances to World Cup final
Spain beat France 2-0 in their FIFA World Cup semifinal in Arlington, TX, yesterday, thanks to a first-half penalty goal from Mikel Oyarzabal and an early second-half strike by Pedro Porro.
- It marks Spain’s 2nd World Cup final appearance after winning the 2010 title, and also ends France's hopes of becoming the 3rd team to make 3 straight World Cup finals.
- The Spaniards will face the winner of the 2nd WC semifinal between defending champs Argentina and England, which kicks off this afternoon (2 pm CT).
- France will head to the 3rd-place game against the loser of Argentina-England.
Relive yesterday’s WC action
2) AL shuts out NL in All-Star Game
The American League dominated the National League in Philadelphia last night, with their 4-0 win marking the 10th-ever shutout in the MLB All-Star Game.
- It was arguably the best pitching performance in ASG history, with 11 AL pitchers combining to allow 3 hits (T-2 fewest) and strike out 15 NL batters (2nd-most in 9 innings).
- The AL scored 3 runs in the 1st inning, with Yankees OF Cody Bellinger (the game MVP) knocking a 2-run single, while White Sox 3B Miguel Vargas added a solo HR in the 8th.
Analysis, takeaways from 2026 ASG
3) Tour de France delivers fastest stage in history
Norwegian sprinter Søren Wærenskjold won stage 11 of the ongoing Tour de France with a blistering avg speed of 31.6 MPH, beating the previous Tour record set in 1999 (31.3 MPH).
- Overall race leader Tadej PogaÄŤar remains 3 mins 36 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard in the general classification standings, with 10 stages remaining.
- PogaÄŤar has a strong grip on what would be a record-tying 5th yellow jersey for winning the Tour, with four other cyclists currently in that elite club.
How Tour de France history was made
4) NBA commish wants Kawhi probe done “this summer”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver met with media following the league’s annual Board of Governors meeting, where he said he expects a ruling on Kawhi Leonard before next season.
- Silver’s comments come as the NBA's investigation into Leonard's no-work, $28M+ endorsement deal with a climate company with financial ties to the LA Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer has reportedly expanded.
- The league’s probe—led by law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz—now includes a second unreported endorsement deal Leonard had with a different company, per The Athletic.
- Leonard's pending trade from the Clippers to the Toronto Raptors can’t be completed until the 10+-month-long investigation has concluded.
The latest on NBA’s Kawhi probe
5) Steve Yzerman abruptly exits as Red Wings GM
Former Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman stepped down as general manager this morning after 7 disappointing seasons in Detroit, where he spent all 19 seasons of his Hall-of-Fame playing career.
- After helping build a championship roster in Tampa Bay through NHL draft success and strong player development, Yzerman left in 2019 looking to restore luster to a down Red Wings franchise.
- But his "Yzerplan” failed to produce a single playoff appearance in 7 years for Detroit, leading to a recent trade request from star captain and homegrown talent Dylan Larkin.
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