HOF LB Brian Urlacher joins 'The Insiders', shares what he's looking forward to during '25 season
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Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The repack wars escalate, plus Allen Iverson won't sign about practice, and Messi art sells for nearly $2M
Collectors, I'm getting increasingly excited about heading to The National next week. If you are heading to Rosemont, IL. for the show, drop us a line and let us know when you'll be there, and what you'll be hunting for. Me? With a newborn at home, I've only been granted 24 hours shore leave, so my plan is to pack it in on Thursday, July 31st. I'll be sprinting through the aisles looking for playing days Sandy Koufax autos, and if I'm lucky, I'll add another card or two in my quest to complete the Adam Wharton rainbow for Panini Select Premier League '24/'25 (holding the Jade Dragon Scale /48 or Tessellation /15? I'm a buyer). The Athletic: Allen Iverson Isn't Writing About Practice: What Athletes Won't Sign at The National Inscriptions are taking center stage at this year's National, with collectors shelling out big for personalized flair. Want Lawrence Taylor to write 'LT was a Bad Mother F—er'? That'll be $105. David Ortiz offers a menu of phrases like 'Curse Reversed' and 'This is our F'N City,' while Ricky Williams will lean into his brand with cannabis-themed quips for $49. But not every legend is game; Allen Iverson won't touch 'practice,' Bo Jackson's got a blacklist longer than a CVS receipt, and Albert Pujols is dodging HOF talk altogether. If you're heading to The National and looking to score a unique inscription in the Autograph Pavilion, give this piece a thorough read before you go. Sports Collectors Digest: PSA, CardsHQ Look to Curb Repack Scams with New Graded Grails Repack Certification Service Repacking is the talk of the card industry, and it's starting to feel like every company in the space has their own take on it. Yesterday, the repack game got even more crowded as PSA and CardsHQ teamed up to launch Graded Grails, the first PSA-certified repack product. The move targets long-standing concerns in the hobby, like chase cards that mysteriously never make it into boxes or shop owners reserving hits for insiders. With PSA now certifying full checklists, verifying pack odds, and overseeing the sealing and randomization process, buyers should be able to rip with confidence. It's a bold step toward transparency in a space that's often felt like the Wild West, and one that could set the standard for how repacks are done moving forward. cllct: Ripping Packs on Your Phone? New Courtyard App Offers the Experience Courtyard, the digital collectibles marketplace known for its vending machine-style pack rips (see graph above…), launched its first mobile app this week. The platform allows users to digitally open packs of graded Pokémon cards, sports cards, and comic books, with the option to redeem physical slabs or sell them instantly on the marketplace. Courtyard claims to price packs at expected value and offers immediate buy-backs at 90% fair market value. With $50M in monthly GMV and over 1M Pokémon packs sold, the app aims to elevate the ripping experience through features like haptic feedback, bringing that dopamine hit of cardboard crack straight to your phone. The Athletic: Digital Artwork of Lionel Messi's Favorite Goal Sold for $1.87M to Mystery Buyer 'A Goal in Life,' a digital artwork by Refik Anadol inspired by Lionel Messi's iconic 2009 Champions League header, sold at Christie's for $1.87M. Created using AI and 3D tech to reimagine Messi's favorite goal, the piece was displayed at Christie's New York and attracted thousands of fans before selling to an undisclosed buyer. Proceeds will benefit the Inter Miami CF Foundation and UNICEF education programs across Latin America and the Caribbean. The immersive 20-by-12 piece now enters private hands, though how they'll display the work is anyone's guess. Mantel: Topps Chrome's Biggest 2025 Rookie Chase Has Been Pulled Early—Now What? Pre-release breaking is once again stirring controversy, as 2025 Topps Chrome hit some collectors' mailboxes days ahead of schedule this week. While individuals tearing early packs are hard to police, professional breakers face serious risks: those with direct allocation from Topps or Fanatics could lose access entirely. Still, some rolled the dice, using third-party middlemen to get product early and capitalize on the demand surge. The damage? It dilutes launch-day hype, deflates market value for pre-ordered breaks, and frustrates collectors chasing grails like the Jacob Wilson superfractor, which was pulled two days before the official product launch. Until stricter enforcement arrives, the integrity of release day remains on shaky ground. Complex: Pharrell Williams' Joopiter Auction House Launches Luxury Watch Bidding Extravaganza Joopiter's 'Rare & Coveted Watches' auction breaks from tradition with a 27-lot lineup that skips the usual Paul Newman Daytonas in favor of the eccentric, ultra-rare, and design-forward pieces. Highlights include a lapis-dial platinum Rolex Day-Date, a coral-dial crafted by Piaget for a Cartier Tank, and a playful trio of '90s Franck Mullers. Even cult Japanese maker Otsuka Lotec makes a cameo. The catalog spans from a Zenith-powered Ebel chronograph to a gem-set AP Royal Oak Concept, with estimates ranging from four to six figures. For collectors tired of blue-chip reruns, this drop serves up pedigree with a twist. NYT: A Professor's Hunt for the Rarest Chinese Typewriter After decades of searching, Stanford historian Tom Mullaney has finally located the MingKwai — the long-lost prototype of the only Chinese typewriter designed by famed linguist Lin Yutang. Invented in 1947 in Manhattan, the machine ingeniously combined character components to display multiple options in a 'Magic Eye' window, offering a solution to typing tens of thousands of Chinese characters with only 72 keys. The machine vanished after a failed demo and was presumed scrapped, until it resurfaced in a Long Island basement in 2025. Now acquired by Stanford Libraries, the 50-pound relic may finally reveal the mechanical and linguistic genius behind a pivotal moment in Chinese tech history. WSJ: Why People Are Buying $8,000 Lifelike Baby Dolls We don't judge what people collect here at Mantel. Just last week we wrote about collectors shelling out nearly $10K on intricate puzzles, remember? But I can't say I understand every collectible. Case in point: The Journal this week wrote about collectors of 'reborn' dolls, which sell for as much as a fancy puzzle! These eerily lifelike dolls, which can cost up to $10,000, have become the center of a devoted community, with collectors treating them like real babies: dressing them, pushing them in strollers, even outfitting them with sound machines and pacifiers. I will say… as the father of a newborn, I love the idea of a baby that doesn't cry… Lastly, huge congratulations to Mantel member @theBoovier, who took the top spot from me on the Mantel Points Leaderboard. I had sat in P1 since we launched the board last year, which was inevitable because, as the first person to join Mantel, I was posting and accruing points long before most of our users had ever heard about the app. I couldn't be happier to get knocked down a rung, as it's a clear sign that our community loves what we built and are as active on it as the team behind the product. And even better, @theBoovier posts nothing but HEAT, always with a story or bit of information behind the piece, and he does it all while being a fun, supportive and positive member of our growing crew. Hats off. Your collection deserves a community. Download Mantel today.
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Where do all 30 teams stand one week from the MLB trade deadline?
Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning. 🚨 Headlines ⚽️ MLS wins All-Star Game: Despite Lionel Messi's absence, the MLS All-Stars beat the Liga MX All-Stars, 3-1, in Austin for their third win in four tries under this format. Philadelphia forward Tai Baribo, who scored the game-winning goal, was named MVP. ⚾️ Ohtani homers again: Shohei Ohtani homered in his fifth straight game, tying six other Dodgers for the longest such streak in franchise history. And just like that, he holds the outright NL lead with 37 bombs. ⚽️ Spain moves on: Spain beat Germany, 1-0, in extra time to advance to Sunday's Women's Euro final, where they'll face defending champion England in a rematch of the 2023 World Cup final, which Spain won. 🏈 Training camp headlines: "[Russell Wilson] is our starter," said Giants coach Brian Daboll; Daniel Jones got more reps than Anthony Richardson as the Colts' QB1; Terry McLaurin, Micah Parsons and Trey Hendrickson are among the seven most notable holdouts (or hold-ins). ⚾️ Rare occurrence: The Pirates became the first team since 1980 to get swept by the worst team in a league (White Sox) and then sweep the best team in that league (Tigers) in back-to-back series after the season's midpoint. ⚾️ MLB trade deadline: Where do all 30 teams stand? The 2025 MLB Trade Deadline is one week from today (July 31). Where does each team stand? Below, Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz puts all 30 clubs into tiers based on their outlook. Full buy Teams with legitimate World Series aspirations, who, like all of us, could use a little bit of extra support. 9 teams: Cubs (60-42), Astros (60-42), Blue Jays (60-42), Dodgers (60-43), Mets (59-44), Phillies (58-44), Yankees (56-46), Padres (55-47), Mariners (54-48) The Brewers and Tigers Outstanding ballclubs with strong farm systems that should be all-in, but given their transactional track records and organizational DNA, it's unlikely that the chips go flying into the pot. 2 teams: Brewers (61-41), Tigers (60-43) Stand pat/thread the needle Clubs likely to either sit on their hands or participate in a little buy/sell dribble-drabble. They're too good to full sell but not good enough to full buy, so they'll do neither or both. 5 teams: Giants (54-49), Rangers (53-50), Rays (53-50), Reds (53-50), Angels (49-53) The Red Sox Given the roller coaster that has been their season thus far, the Red Sox exist in their own tier. What the hottest baseball soap opera of 2025 will do at the deadline is anyone's guess. 1 team: Red Sox (55-49) The teams with the keys Clubs that, if they decide to pull the plug, have enviable assets to sell. How they perform over the next week will likely determine their course of action at the deadline. 5 teams: Cardinals (52-51), Guardians (51-10), Diamondbacks (50-53), Royals (50-53), Twins (49-53) Light sell You can't have an estate sale with an empty house. These subpar teams simply don't have many expiring contracts to trade and would prefer to hold on to anybody who can help them in 2026. 5 teams: Marlins (48-53), Braves (44-57), Athletics (42-62), Nationals (41-61), Rockies (26-76) Obvious full sell Anything and everything must and will go. 3 teams: Orioles (44-57), Pirates (42-61), White Sox (37-66) More from Yahoo Sports: The top 26 players who could be traded (Russell Dorsey) The most glaring needs for top contenders (Jordan Shusterman) 🎧 Fresh podcast: Deals we'd like to see (Baseball Bar-B-Cast) 🏈 Could Saban return to the NFL to coach Manning? I'm a sucker for a juicy sports rumor, and it's hard to get much juicier than this: Could Nick Saban return to the NFL next season to coach Arch Manning? Here's Colin Cowherd on Wednesday's episode of "The Herd" on FS1: This is the worst kept secret in the South. Jimmy Haslam, owner of the Browns — huge SEC, Tennessee booster, leans heavily on the Manning family. Very close to the Manning family. Arch Manning is part of the Manning family. Nick Saban is incredibly close not only to Jimmy Haslam, but to the Manning family as well. And so Saban, if he could land, I'm told, a top quarterback — like Harbaugh going to the Chargers for [Justin] Herbert — he would take a phone call from the NFL. And there are two teams guaranteed to be awful this year in the NFL: Cleveland and the Saints. Nick Saban has coached in Cleveland with the Browns … and he coached at LSU. The Mannings are royalty in New Orleans … and the Mannings are royalty to Jimmy Haslam. Haslam's circle of trust, according to an article in The Athletic last year, is the Manning family and Jimmy Sexton. Sexton is Nick Saban's agent. … This story is a poorly kept secret. The Mannings. Haslam. Jimmy Sexton. Nick Saban. … Saban's not going to college. He would take a call in the NFL. … This is not a conspiracy theory. To recap: Arch Manning could be a top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the Browns and Saints could be candidates to select him. The Mannings have connections to both franchises, as does Nick Saban, who is close to the Mannings. Could that result in Saban returning to the sidelines next season with Arch as his signal-caller? Let the speculation begin. ⛳️ Ryder Cup standings Golf's major season is over, and while the race for the FedEx Cup playoffs continues today at the 3M Open in Minnesota, the more intriguing race is for the 24 coveted spots at the Ryder Cup in September. How it works: The top six Americans in the Ryder Cup rankings following the BMW Championship on Aug. 17 will automatically make the team, as will the top six Europeans following the Betfred British Masters on Aug. 24. The final six players on each side will then be chosen by the captains. Below, the current top 12 for each team… 🇺🇸 USA Just two players have guaranteed their spots so far: Scottie Scheffler, whose lead is insurmountable, and Bryson DeChambeau, who has been guaranteed a spot by captain Keegan Bradley. Top 6: Scheffler (32,420 points) Xander Schauffele (13,384) J.J. Spaun (12,479) Russell Henley (11,624) DeChambeau (10,775) Harris English (10,386) 7-12: Justin Thomas (10,208); Collin Morikawa (9,744); Ben Griffin (8,605); Bradley (8,039); Maverick McNealy (7,414); Brian Harman (7,008) What to watch: Bradley is playing some of the best golf of his life and must decide whether he wants to make himself the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. 🇪🇺 Europe Rory McIlroy has already made the team. The other 11 spots are still up for grabs, but some believe captain Luke Donald will pick almost exactly the same roster that dominated the Americans two years ago in Rome. Top 6: McIlroy (3,441) Robert MacIntyre (1,345) Tommy Fleetwood (1,315) Tyrrell Hatton (1,279) Shane Lowry (1,234) Sepp Straka (1,227) 7-12: Rasmus Højgaard (1,135); Justin Rose (1,020); Ludvig Åberg (1,007); Viktor Hovland (930); Thomas Detry (780); Matt Wallace (753) 📊 By the numbers ⚾️ 220 games later The Rockies beat the Cardinals, 6-0, on Wednesday for their first shutout in 220 games, snapping the longest streak without one in MLB's modern era (since 1900). Their last shutout was an 8-0 victory over the Padres on May 15, 2024. Signs of improvement: The Rockies have gone from historically atrocious (9-50 start to the season) to regular bad (17-26 since), and currently sit at 26-76. They'll need to win at least 15 of their remaining 60 games to avoid breaking the modern MLB record for losses in a season (121). ⚽️ 120,000 viewers MLS commissioner Don Garber revealed that Apple TV+'s MLS Season Pass is averaging 120,000 unique viewers per match. The good news: That's a 50% increase over last year, per Garber. The bad news: That's not a very big number. ESPN reportedly averaged 343,000 viewers for MLS matches during the 2022 season, the last in which the league aired games outside of Apple. 🏈 $432.6 million The NFL's 32 franchises each reportedly received a record $432.6 million in revenue sharing payouts over the last fiscal year. That's up from roughly $400 million last season and means the total handed out was a whopping $13.8 billion. 📺 Watchlist: Thursday, July 24 🎾 DC Open | 11am ET, Tennis On Tuesday, Venus Williams stunned world No. 35 Peyton Stearns for her first tour-level singles victory since 2023. Today, the 45-year-old will face an even stiffer test against No. 24 Magdalena Fręch in the Round of 16 (7:30pm). Plus: Grand slam champions Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka square off in the first women's match of the day (1pm). More to watch: 🚴 Tour de France: Stage 18 (6am, Peacock) … 107 miles from Vif to Courchevel. 🏀 WNBA: Aces at Fever (7pm, Prime) … Indiana will debut a "Stranger Things" inspired uniform in celebration of the Netflix series' final season, coming out later this year. ⛳️ PGA: 3M Open (7:45am, ESPN+; 4pm, Golf) … The penultimate event of the regular season tees off at TPC Twin Cities. Today's full slate → ⚾️ MLB trivia 42 years ago today, Royals legend George Brett unleashed one of baseball's most memorable tirades after umpires overturned his ninth-inning home run and ruled him out for having too much pine tar on his bat, ending the game. Question: Who were the Royals playing when the "Pine Tar Incident" occurred? Answer at the bottom. 📸 Photo finish Washington's Jacob Young scaled the wall in Nationals Park on Wednesday to rob Cincinnati's Will Benson of a two-run blast. It was Young's third incredible home run robbery this season. Trivia answer: Yankees We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Liverpool hint at Hugo Ekitike's future Liverpool number
Hugo Ekitike is here, and he's perfect. He's Liverpool's seventh new arrival in the window, counting in Giorgi Mamardashvili, who technically agreed to join the Reds last summer but only completed his move this year. LFC Kits Shop Now LFC x New Era Shop Now LFC Signed Merch Shop Now LFC x Titleist Shop Now Alongside him, there's also Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Armin Pecsi and Freddie Woodman. The Reds are not done yet. However, much of their activity will be determined by outgoings before they look to bring in more reinforcements. Who those reinforcements may be remains to be seen. Alexander Isak is still on the club's radar, meanwhile, a centre-back is also needed before the window shuts close. For now though, Liverpool will be just delighted they solved a major headache in the no.9 position, where Arne Slot has always wanted to reinforce his options. In Ekitike, Liverpool have gotten a really exciting forward, too. Someone who the club will believe can go very far in the game. His potential is limitless and he is a really good fit for the way Slot wants to play football. Ekitike is dynamic and he thrives inside the box but he's multifaceted in the sense that he can also create chances for his teammates, run into the channels and take players on one vs one. Undoubtedly when there's a new signing one of the most exciting aspects about their arrival is finding out what number they are going to wear. For Ekitike, just like every other new Liverpool signing this summer, there's going to be a wait.
