The most interesting man in college football, plus NFL trades
Good morning! Don't give up on that fly ball today.
College football seems to change by the month, or week even. Even to the most astute viewer, it's hard to remember which team plays in which conference now, or which rules apply to anyone at any given time. But there are flashes when you realize how this sport has truly changed at the granular level.
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I can tell you a crystal one for me: Stanford's firing of former coach Troy Taylor, which came last March amid a bullying investigation. It wasn't Taylor's dismissal itself that stuck, it was who made the call: general manager Andrew Luck.
At some schools, the general manager is a ceremonious one, given to a program's famous alumnus who can help gin up interest and money. Luck fit that profile at Stanford, but he also had real power … much like an NFL GM would.
I filed that moment away then, and it's a perfect window today into Zak Keefer's interview this morning with Luck, which I found compelling on multiple levels. Two quick things:
The full story is really great. Read it here.
Scheffler gobbles up another win
What's left to say about Scottie Scheffler these days? We've written at length about his Tiger Woods-like presence on Sundays, and yesterday's BMW Championship was no different, as Scheffler erased a four-shot deficit against poor Bob Macintyre to win his 18th career PGA Tour title. It's also his fifth win of the season, which includes two majors. What a year. Read more on his electric performance — including a chip-in — here.
An NFL transactions flurry
It was surprisingly busy on the NFL trade market yesterday, as the Texans sent wide receiver John Metchie III to the Eagles, a source told The Athletic, in exchange for tight end Harrison Bryant and a fifth-round pick. Metchie is a big talent who has not broken out yet, as leukemia kept him off the field for his rookie year. In other possible trade news yesterday: Cincinnati is listening to offers on Pro Bowl pass rusher Trey Hendrickson as the two sides continue to spar over a contract extension. 👀
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Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee pulled off what I can only call a Little-League catch yesterday, and I meant that as a high compliment. Just look at this:
It's Little-League because he missed the initial catch: It's also Little-League because he somehow kept his focus and trapped the ball between his knees. Still counts!
Speaking of Little League baseball:
📺 LLBWS: Latin America vs. Japan
1 p.m. ET on ESPN
Once again, here's a placeholder for an entire day's worth of Little League action on ESPN. Four consecutive games ending with the 7 p.m. window.
📺 EPL: Everton at Leeds
3 p.m. ET on USA
Need more Premier League soccer after a great first weekend? Leeds has a ton to prove after earning a promotion to the EPL last season, and coach Daniel Farke might have the most pressure of anyone, as Phil Hay told us Friday. Nerves make for good matches.
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📺 MLB: Mariners at Phillies
6:45 p.m. ET on MLB Network
Seattle sits tied atop a tight AL wild-card race right now while Philadelphia maintains a solid but loseable lead in the NL East (5 games). Good stretch game here.
Get tickets to games like these here.
After The Athletic's excellent investigative series on the stalking of sports figures last week, reporters Carson Kessler and Nathan Fenno shared their takeaways. Make time for this one.
Chris Vannini unveiled his preseason ranking of all 136 FBS teams today, with a comment on every single one. Whew.
Despite the U.S. women's loss in the flag football final at the World Games yesterday, it's worth familiarizing yourself with star receiver Isabella Geraci and her meteoric rise.
Another fun one from last week: The Atlanta Dream are now the only WNBA team without a mascot, so Steven Louis Goldstein shared a few ideas for them.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our interview with Greg Olsen on the state of youth sports. He was spitting fire.
Most-read on the website yesterday: The Spike Lee story mentioned above.
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