Oklahoma's softball dynasty ends, plus Deion speaks out on Shedeur
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Good morning! Win a chess match today, and watch for projectiles.
We must start this morning on the softball diamond, where a change of power happened last night with a sacrifice fly. It ended a thrilling game — and one of the most impressive streaks you'll see in organized sports.
Quickly:
The Red Raiders start their title series tomorrow against Texas, which beat Tennessee 2-0 yesterday.
We'll have more on the college tournaments this week. Away we go:
Boisson's big break
Last year was supposed to be a dream for French tennis player Loïs Boisson. A torn ACL the week before the French Open, to which she had earned a wild-card entry, broke her heart. How did she respond? The dream was merely delayed, as Boisson's stunning upset win over women's world No. 3 Jessica Pegula yesterday sent Boisson to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. The crowds should be roaring for Boisson, 22, tomorrow. Also from Paris: Coco Gauff is moving on, while Jack Draper is done.
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Intoxicated bettor sends death threats
Houston police identified an overseas man as the culprit behind death threats against Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and his family after a bad outing last month. The man told authorities he was 'frustrated and inebriated' when he posted the threats on social media. 'I understand people are very passionate and people love the Astros and love sports,' McCullers said after the game. 'But threatening to find my kids and murder them is a little bit tough to deal with.' No charges have been filed yet. More details in our report.
Deion 'hurt' by Shedeur reports
In a podcast interview, Colorado coach Deion Sanders said the draft narratives surrounding his son, Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, 'hurt' and called them 'foolish stuff.' More Sanders: 'Anybody who knows my son understands he's a professional. He's going into a meeting with headphones on? C'mon, man.' See his full comments here.
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We have chess drama this week, which is not a typo. We've periodically checked in on both Magnus Carlsen, the world's No. 1 player/jeans supporter, and Gukesh Dommaraju, the sport's favorite wunderkind.
The two played each other Sunday, which led to this:
OH MY GOD 😳🤯😲 pic.twitter.com/QSbbrvQFkE
— Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) June 1, 2025
That's Carlsen realizing he's just lost to Dommaraju, 19, for the first time in a classical match. There appeared to be plenty of angst in the chess world over Carlsen's antics, but both players seemed fine afterward, according to Chess.com. As you can see, Carlsen quickly apologized, while Dommaraju told the publication he's 'banged a lot of tables in my career.'
Read our full story on the incident here. I know chess is a … proper sport, but that was actually electric.
📺 MLB: Guardians at Yankees
7:05 p.m. ET on TBS
We have a real New York-centric glut of national TV games this week (Mets-Dodgers is your other option tonight), but I'm interested in Cleveland, a good team unfortunate to exist in baseball's deepest division. Good game.
📺 Soccer: USWNT vs. Jamaica
8 p.m. ET on TNT/Max
This here is a friendly, and seeing Naomi Girma back in an American kit is a friendly sight. Let's see if Emma Hayes' squad can build on a nice 3-0 win against China over the weekend.
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📺 WNBA: Mercury at Lynx
8 p.m. ET on ESPN 3
Minnesota is one of two undefeated teams in the W, and by my count — apologies, Liberty — should be the favorite to actually win a title this year. Phoenix has been good, though, at 5-2 and could prove to be a foil. Another good game.
Get tickets to games like these here.
It's June, which means it's Pride Month. Steve Buckley talked to the athletes whose coming-out announcements made a huge impact on the sporting world. Worth your time today.
When Rams coach Sean McVay was at his lowest, Chris Petersen — the former Boise State and Washington coach — cold-called McVay. The olive branch reset McVay's career.
Grace Raynor had the unenviable job of picking the best No. 1 college football recruits of the 21st century. She came down to two options.
Simmering on the NHL backburner: Mitch Marner's free agency, which will be the story of the summer. James Mirtle ranked all 32 potential landing spots.
Yes, the State of Hockey is in Florida, just as the hockey gods predicted. Joe Smith and Michael Russo digested how it happened.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Matt Baker's story on Bill Belichick's buyout change. Catch up here.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Our update on Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo choosing Manchester United for his next stop. Talks are ongoing.
Ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
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