A crash course for new collectors, and a 70-yard stunner
Good morning! Take up a new hobby today.
Last week, I was one of more than 100,000 people packed into the National Sports Collectors Convention just outside of Chicago. It's an annual, five-day event that's basically the Super Bowl for the sports card hobby, where collectors from around the world come together to buy, sell and trade cards all day and all night (seriously — there were stories of police clearing out hotel lobbies full of collectors and deals being done until 3 a.m.).
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I saw tables completely covered in stacks of $100 bills that would soon be spent on cards. I saw Rob Gronkowski inadvertently spike a football to himself. I even saw Adam West's full Batman costume. It was wild.
You can catch up on The Athletic's coverage of The National here. But all that might sound overwhelming. We thought it would be prudent to give some tips to help you ease into what can be a very confusing, yet fun hobby:
Follow The Athletic's collectibles coverage for recommendations and the latest industry news. And for more of the basics, check out our answers to our colleagues' questions.
(The card on the left is Caitlin Clark's 2024 Panini Prizm base card, and the one on the right is her far more limited silver parallel, which is a little bit shinier.)
Jags kicker drills would-be-record FG
Jaguars kicker Cam Little stole the spotlight from Travis Hunter's NFL debut by nailing a 70-yard field goal during last night's game against the Steelers. Had it not happened during the preseason, Little's boot would've broken Justin Tucker's NFL record … by four yards. The kick had room to spare, too. It's just a matter of time before someone hits a 70-yarder in a real game. My money is on Brandon Aubrey.
Pawol breaks MLB barrier
Jen Pawol officially became the first female umpire in MLB history yesterday. It took more than a century of baseball for a woman to get the opportunity, and Pawol had certainly paid her dues, working more than 1,200 games across a decade of umpiring in the minor leagues. Pawol and crew chief Chris Guccione had some excellent quotes on the magnitude of the moment. Read that story here.
More news:
Former Yankees closer Mariano Rivera tore his Achilles in the team's Old-Timers' Day game yesterday. The Yankees' bullpen might actually be cursed.
Lions safety Morice Norris, who left the field in an ambulance Friday night after a frightening injury, said he is 'all good' in a social media post yesterday.
Speaking of frightening injuries, NASCAR's Connor Zilischbroke his collarbone after falling off his car while celebrating a victory. The definition of a freak injury. (Again, free to read.)
Earlier this week at the Little League World Series, the head coach of a team from Kentucky walked to the mound for a talk with his team after his starting pitcher had loaded the bases. 'Do you know why a koala bear is a marsupial and not a bear?' coach Jake Riordan asked his suddenly perplexed players.
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'It doesn't have the koala-fications.' The players cracked a smile and Riordan walked back to the dugout. His job was done.
Rustin Dodd's story on the viral moment has been a favorite at The Athletic this weekend. But the comments may be even better than the story itself (sorry, Rustin):
Trust us. If you need some fresh material, head to the comments section here. And reply to this email with your lamest Dad jokes.
📺 Golf: FedEx St. Jude Championship, Final Round
Golf Channel/NBC until around 6 p.m. ET
The real competition is at the back of the pack here, as the top 50 advance to next week's BMW Championship. But Tommy Fleetwood, seeking his first win on Tour, has the solo lead through three rounds.
📺 MLB: Blue Jays at Dodgers
4:10 p.m. ET on MLB.TV
Two teams at the top of their respective divisions fending off rapidly approaching challengers. The playoff race is already starting to heat up.
📺 U.S. Gymnastics Championships
7 p.m. ET on NBC
If you're like me and need to scratch your Olympics itch this summer, we have some high-level gymnastics on TV tonight with the U.S. senior women in action. Last year's surprise Olympian Hezly Rivera leads the field through one day of competition.
Get tickets to games like these here.
What makes a great teammate? Rustin Dodd talked to one of baseball's best clubhouse guys to find out.
If I can be a homer and a company man, listening to 'The Athletic Football Show' with new co-host David Helman has been a joy. Dave is one of my closest friends, and he makes what was already a great show even better. They've been pumping out great stuff in the lead-up to football season. — Chris Branch
Need something else to watch in the last few weeks before real football starts? Check out these seven new sports documentaries.
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This story on Brian Flores' bewildering Vikings defense is so fun. 'What they see, they don't think that's what it is. And so sometimes, what they see is what it is.' — Jason Kirk
I enjoyed Dan Shanoff's 'trade grades' for ESPN and the NFL after their flurry of moves this week. It's a great lens to look at the business side of this. See who won.
We previously recommended espresso tonics, but I recently did espresso in ginger beer (an Espresso Mule, apparently) and it was another excellent summer afternoon pick-me-up. — Torrey Hart
We saw tons of interest this week in our Savannah Bananas content. If you missed it, catch up with Britt Ghiroli's dispatch from a Bananas gamethis week. Fun and insightful.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Rustin Dodd's story on the now-famous dad joke at the Little League Word Series.
Most-read on the website yesterday: How Manchester United pulled off a transfer that seemed unlikely quite recently.
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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