Collin ***** ton has already made his mark on the Los Angeles Lakers in just four games with them this season. He's averaging 12 points in 17.8 minutes a game this season, but his impact has gone beyond his numbers.
He has been an igniter for them off the bench thanks to his ability to get buckets, handle the ball, create pace and get others involved. He has also sparked them defensively with his relentless pressure on the ball and his willingness to shadow opposing ball-handlers up and down the court. The guard has helped force turnovers, even when he hasn't been credited with a steal.
Coach JJ Redick said after Sunday's 132-123 win over the Utah Jazz that ***** ton has a "level of insanity" to him that helps the team. ***** ton explained after Wednesday's 16-point victory over the Los Angeles Clippers that he takes on a special mindset when he is on the court.
"Honestly, I would say when I step into one of those lines, it's us against them," ***** ton said. "I'm going to be doing whatever my team needs. For me, I feel like I turn into a different person when it's time to go. And I think my teammates know that. So they try to talk to me a little bit, but they know I'm in the zone and ready to go to war. And that's how I look at it. Whenever I step into those lines, it's wartime."
Off the court, ***** ton seems like an easy-going man who radiates a positive attitude of gratitude. On the court, he is ultra-aggressive, and that type of on-court attitude can be very contagious. This season's Lakers roster boasts several players who have a can-do spirit and seem willing to embrace their specific roles for the good of the team.

#sexton #team #lines

The Green Bay Packers have won three straight games, but their running game is still waiting to catch up. Now, Matt LaFleur believes the return of Josh Jacobs could help change that.
Green Bay defeated the Dallas Cowboys 23-13 on Sunday night, improving to 4-2 despite gaining just 57 rushing yards on 26 attempts. Even against a Dallas defense that entered the game ranked last in the NFL against the run, the Packers struggled to move the ball on the ground.
Jacobs is eligible to return next week against the Detroit Lions, and LaFleur is optimistic about what the veteran could bring. He isn't promising an immediate turnaround, though.
After Sunday's victory, LaFleur was asked whether Jacobs can help revive Green Bay's struggling ground attack. His answer carried both optimism and a degree of caution.
"Time will tell. But I do have a lot of confidence that he can provide a spark," LaFleur said, via The Leap's Jason B. Hirschhorn.

#jacobs #Help #ground #matt

Across our area, local children are hopping on bikes to develop a lifelong passion.
The goal of Independence Youth Cycling is to uplift members of their various teams.
When they set out on the trail with their peers, they're always in for a great ride.
"Our nonprofit supports teams that operate in different leagues and series across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 65 or more coaches that support our organization...Our teams would not be here if it wasn't for the amazing green ***** es and trail systems that we have in Philadelphia and Montgomery County," said President and Founder of Independence Youth Cycling, John Raisch.
"It's been an amazing ride and we just want to see it continue into the future and be a strong, impactful organization," he continued.

#ride #pennsylvania

PASADENA -- San Diego State's defense did practically everything they could to keep the Aztecs in the game against UCLA. They just needed the offense to come along for the ride.
Despite the defense largely holding UCLA's offense in check, SDSU's offense managed just 189 yards and one touchdown — coming effectively in garbage time — in a 28-10 loss to the Bruins at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
"Inefficiency on offense led to a bunch of snaps for the defense," head coach Sean Lewis said. "Starting three and out there constantly, we were behind in the field position game. So I think just the culmination of snaps, the inefficiency on offense. It starts with the play calling, with myself, the leadership throughout the course of the week, so that we can have more success and flip the field."
Nowhere was SDSU's offensive struggle more apparent than in the passing game. The Aztecs completed just six passes for 45 yards, and several deep shots by quarterback Jayden Denegal were wildly off-target.
"[We] felt like we had good matchups on the edge," Lewis said. "There was a lot of single-high coverage. Again, those are good, calculated shots downrange. We got ***** on hands that we didn't catch. We had other guys wide open that we missed."

#yards #shots

WEST HAVEN – Cheshire senior kicker Tim Reinhard was feeling good in warm-ups, drilling kicks through the uprights from 50 yards away. Reinhard felt he would get his opportunity during the game.
Reinhard came through, capping a furious second half rally by the Rams, when he nailed a 44-yard field goal with 1 minute, 55 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to lift Cheshire football to a 15-13 victory over West Haven in a Southern Connecticut Conference contest at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven Friday evening.
"I'm so grateful to have a team to put me in a position to go help win a game," Reinhard said. "Nothing is possible without my team helping me."
After trailing 13-0 at the half and accumulating less than 20 yards of offense in the first half, Cheshire turned the game around in the third quarter by taking advantage of two West Haven miscues.
On West Haven's first offensive snap of the third quarter, the ball sailed out of the end zone for a Cheshire safety. The Rams then marched 44 yards in six plays and got within 13-10 on a Michael Chopak 15-yard touchdown run, and the conversion run by Shane Jerome.

#quarter

Updating a previous report, San Francisco 49ers WR De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle) will not return to the Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams after exiting with an ankle injury.
SOURCE: San Francisco 49ers
Why it Matters: With Stribling officially ruled out for the remainder of the opener, fantasy owners now have to wonder if he will miss extended time. Expect Demarcus Robinson and Deebo Samuel to be among the main beneficiaries if Stribling has a prolonged absence.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: De'Zhaun Stribling won't return to opener

#de 'zhaun #return #week

USA FIBA Women's World Cup schedule 2026: Channel, live stream to watch every United States basketball game live originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The U.S. women's basketball team will attempt to win gold for the fifth straight tournament. It may be possible, as some of the top WNBA stars compete in the 2026 FIBA World Cup.
Team USA has won 11 of its 19 tournaments. This year, the team has recruited the future of basketball, with a loaded roster that includes Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese.
Though A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum (injured) were removed from the roster, Team USA will also have veterans and other young guns to rely on during the group stage in Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Sonia Citron, Jackie Young and more.
Here is everything you need to know about the FIBA World Cup, including TV and streaming options for Team USA during the group stage.

#here #live #roster

GREEN BAY, WI —Third-year Notre Dame football safety Brauntae Johnson and sixth-year defensive tackle Jason Onye headed to the locker room late in the first half with undisclosed injuries.
Johnson gave up a third-and-5 reception on the previous series that went for a 20-yard gain by Wisconsin wide receiver Eugene Hilton Jr.
Johnson missed the tackle and landed hard on his chest.
Former walk-on Luke Talich took Johnson's place at safety on the next series to close out the first half as Notre Dame held a 13-10 lead as a heavy favorite in the season opener.
Homecoming: An emotional Green Bay homecoming ahead for Notre Dame's James Flanigan

#notre

SUNDAY
BASEBALL
10a
Atlanta at Philadelphia KNTV (11) KCRA (3) KSBW (8)
10:30a

#Baseball

Chad Tracy Gives Injury Update on Ceddanne Rafaela After Missing Game vs. Orioles originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Red Sox would like to claim the AL's top wild-card spot, but their focus appears to be squarely on getting as healthy as possible for the postseason.
Roman Anthony is back after a long absence and already hitting like a superstar, but a new injury concern popped up Thursday night when Ceddanne Rafaela was held out of Boston's lineup.
After the 6-5 win over the Orioles, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy gave an update on Rafaela that should have concerned fans breathing somewhat of a sigh of relief.
Here's what Tracy had to say and when Rafaela could return.

#tracy #chad #update #like

Kevin Kisner has admitted that he would be furious with the PGA Tour if he was Brandt Snedeker over the choice of golf course for the 2026 Presidents Cup.
Being captain of the US Presidents Cup team is probably quite a thankless task given that the International side have managed to win on just one occasion since the tournament began in 1994.
While it feels important for the event that there is a close match this year, Snedeker will know what a win for the International Team would mean for his reputation.
It is unlikely to do his chances of being a Ryder Cup captain in the future many favours.
Returning to Medinah may concern some American fans, given that it was the site of one of the greatest comebacks in Ryder Cup history in 2012.

#presidents #kisner

The New York Yankees called up shortstop George Lombard Jr. last month as he officially made his long-awaited debut on August 4 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Since then, Lombard has had a roller-coaster month. He started off strong, dazzling with the glove and the bat, but started to falter as August came to a close.
The 21-year-old has already committed seven errors on the season and now owns a .253 batting average, .310 on-base percentage and .677 OPS across his first 79 big-league at-bats. Regardless, that is too small of a sample size to judge the former first-round pick and top Yankees prospect.
MORE: Former Yankees All-Star lands new opportunity with National League contender
Unfortunately, Lombard has missed three straight games due to right knee discomfort. He suffered the injury last Saturday during a game against the Boston Red Sox, causing him to leave early and he has not played since.

#month

Coco Gauff returned to the scene of her grand slam breakthrough on a rain-lashed Tuesday night and safely cleared the first hurdle toward another, launching her pursuit of a second US Open ******* le in four years with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez beneath the closed roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 22-year-old American, seeded fourth in New York, arrived with momentum and expectation running particularly high, fresh off her first ******* le of the year in Cincinnati and having shown encouraging signs that the serve which has so often dictated the rest of her game is becoming a more reliable weapon. Now, three years after she first lifted the trophy here, both a third major championship and the world No 1 ranking are within her reach.
Gauff got off to a confident start before a buzzing crowd, crunching a pair of early aces in a love hold, but the 54th-ranked Sonmez held her own in the muscular baseline exchanges throughout the opening five games. Gauff took control in the sixth, breaking her opponent's serve without dropping a point, then steadied herself through an uneven service game to move to the brink of the set at 5-2. Sonmez held to prolong it, but Gauff calmly served it out after 33 minutes as the heavy rainfall pounding the roof overhead reverberated through Ashe like the inside of a bass drum.
The second set was less straightforward. Gauff broke immediately and appeared poised to pull away, but Sonmez responded by attacking the net and taking advantage of a sudden dip in the American's level, breaking back for 2-all with a searing backhand winner. Gauff then had to dig out of a marathon 16-point service game at 2-3, saving three break points before finally escaping with a 115mph ace down the middle to complete the hold for 3-all. "I knew if I could hold that game, I felt confident breaking the next game," Gauff said.
That proved prescient. Sonmez double-faulted twice in the next game to surrender the critical break, before Gauff consolidated for 5-3 and shortly after held at love to close the show after 1hr 20min.

#hold #title

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Vaughn Grissom drove in four runs, rookie Walbert Ureña pitched seven strong innings and the Los Angeles Angels ended a seven-game losing streak with a 10-1 victory over the sloppy New York Yankees on Monday night.
Mike Trout had a two-run single and Christian Moore drove in a pair of runs as the Angels won at home for the first time since Aug. 15. Ureña (9-9) gave up five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts.
Elmer Rodríguez (0-3) failed to make it out of the fourth for the Yankees, allowing four runs and four hits with three walks over 3 2/3 innings. It was the shortest of his six career starts since making his major league debut in April.
Spencer Jones homered for the Yankees, who committed three errors after scoring a combined 25 runs in consecutive wins over the rival Boston Red Sox at home last weekend. New York is three games ahead of Boston for the top American League wild card and 4 1/2 games behind first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.
The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the third on Grissom's run-scoring single. Zach Neto had an RBI single in the fourth after both Oswald Peraza and Tyler Heineman were hit by pitches from Rodríguez with two outs.

#york

Back home.
After days of speculation, Franck Kessié's return to Atalanta Bergamo is now official!
Available on a free transfer since the end of his contract with Al-Ahli, the Ivorian midfielder had made Serie A his top priority for the next step in his career.
Although Juventus were also among the interested clubs, the 29-year-old ultimately chose Atalanta Bergamo, where he had already played from 2015 to 2017.
It was during that first spell, in fact, that he made his name in European football, which quickly earned him a move to AC Milan, where he notably won the Italian ***** le.

#kessi #ahli #serie

La Liga giants Barcelona will again be forced to make do without the contributions of midfield star Gavi in the club's next outing. This comes amid the understanding that the youngster has not yet been cleared for competitive action.
Gavi of course set alarm bells sounding across the Barcelona fanbase last weekend. En route to the Blaugrana's 5-0 opening day drubbing of Elche, the Spanish international was forced off with a knee complaint.
After a round of medical tests back at the Ciutat Esportiva the following day, all of a Barca persuasion breathed a sigh of relief, as it was confirmed that Gavi had suffered only bruising.
The 22-year-old was nevertheless left out of Hansi Flick's squad to face Athletic Club on Thursday, yet to return to group training in Catalunya's capital.
And if the latest word stemming from the media on Friday is anything to go by, then a comeback this weekend also appears to have been all but ruled out. As per a report from journalist Moises Llorens of ESPN:

#gavi #elche #ciutat #esportiva

Over the summer, the basketball world sadly lost a legendary figure. Former NBA player, coach and Hall of Famer Don Nelson passed away at the age of 86-years-old in early August. While the NBA world is still mourning the loss of the coaching visionary and five-time champion, the Warriors will pay tribute to their former coach when they suit up for the 2026-27 NBA season.
On Wednesday, the Warriors announced they would be wearing a special band on their jerseys for every game during the 2026-27 NBA season featuring the word "NELLIE". The patch will sit near Golden State's jersey sponsor on one of the shoulders.
Via warriors on X:
Nelson played 14-years in the NBA, winning five championships with the Boston Celtics before starting a legendary coaching career. The former Iowa Hawkeye went on to coach a total of 31 seasons in the NBA, including two stints with the Warriors over 11 seasons. Prior to joining the Warriors bench, Nelson coached 10 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Nelson then joined the Warriors in 1988, leading Golden State to the postseason behind Chris Mullin, Mitch Richmond and Tim Hardaway. Nelson then went on to coach the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks. Nelson returned to the Bay Area in 2006, leading the Warriors back to the playoffs with the "We Believe" Warriors featuring Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Matt Barnes and Al Harrington.

#Warriors #nelson #golden #Coaching

The Santiago Bernabeu reopened its gates for the first time this season on Wednesday night as Real Madrid took on Real Sociedad in what should have been their first game of the season.
Jose Mourinho made no changes to his starting lineup on the night and preserved the exact core that won against Espanyol – thereby rewarding the XI with continuity.
The players, needless to say, did not let the manager down as they finished the game with a 4-1 win and a dominant show.
Kylian Mbappe netted a wonderful hat-trick while Vinicius Jr. added the cherry on top with a simple finish. All in all, however, the men in white delivered a complete performance across all departments.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Madrid 4-1 Real Sociedad.

#madrid #first #night #wednesday

Bayern Munich have confirmed that Felipe Chavez has joined 1. FC Magdeburg on loan.
The 19-year-old youth prospect will spend the 2026/27 campaign with the 2. Bundesliga club as he looks to gain more regular first-team experience.
"'Pippo' Chávez took the next step in his development with his outings for 1. FC Köln and should now gain more regular playing time at Magdeburg," said FC Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund.
"We have extended his contract because we are convinced of his potential for the future."
Chavez has made two appearances for Bayern's first team.

#bayern #chavez #felipe

The Boston Red Sox (72-59) and the Miami Marlins (67-65) continue their respective postseason pushes tonight when they take the field at loanDepot Park in Miami. The Red Sox won the series opener last night, 4-2, to stay within six games of first place Tampa Bay in the AL East and further strengthen their hold on the second Wild Card spot in the American League. Miami is third in the NL East at 67-65 but they remain 9.5 games behind the Braves in the division race and four back of the final Wild Card spot in the National League.
Last night's game remained tight throughout primarily because Boston managed just a single hit in 14 at bats with runners in scoring position. Miami struck first in the second inning when Otto Lopez drove home Jakob Marsee with a sacrifice fly, giving the Marlins a 1-0 lead. Boston answered in the fifth when Jarren Duran doubled and later scored on Mickey Gasper's RBI double to tie the game. The Marlins regained the lead in the seventh on Xavier Edwards' RBI single, but once again, Boston answered. Wilyer Abreu doubled in the eighth and eventually scored on a wild pitch, knotting the game at 2-2. The game was decided in the ninth. Anthony Seigler, who entered the game with only 12 RBIs on the season, delivered the biggest hit of the night, lining a go-ahead RBI triple to right field. Nick Sogard followed with an RBI single to provide an insurance run and give Boston a 4-2 advantage. Aroldis Chapman closed the door for his 30th save of the campaign. The Sox have now won four in a row.
Rookie Payton Tolle (8-6, 3.08 ERA) gets the ball today for the Sox. The southpaw takes the mound after six days of rest. In four August starts, Tolle has allowed six earned runs (25 innings pitched). Boston lost against the Diamondbacks in his last start (5 IP, 3ER) after wining in his seven previous starts. Tyler Phillips (3-6, 3.67 ERA) will be on the ******* p for Miami. The righthander gave up one run in two innings in Philadelphia last Tuesday after giving up four in 5.1 innings in his previous outing. The Marlins have lost his last three starts.
Lets dive further into today's game and find a sweat or two.
We've got all the info and ******* ysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

#boston #last

Barcelona star Alejandro Balde was not expecting the decision of manager Hansi Flick to drop him entirely from matchday duties for the club's opening fixture of the new campaign.
Barca, of course, are fresh off a spectacular opening to the defence of their La Liga ******* le on Sunday night. After making the trip to Alicante to take on Elche, the Blaugrana ran riot to the tune of a 5-0 triumph.
For the aforementioned Balde, however, from an individual standpoint, Sunday proved an evening to forget…
Amid mounting speculation surrounding his future in Catalunya's capital heading into the final week of the summer transfer window, the Spaniard was omitted from Barcelona's travelling squad bound for the Estadio Martínez Valero.
And this call, it has since been revealed, left Balde somewhat taken aback. As per a report from journalist Helena Condis of COPE:

#flick

Former Australia opener Justin Langer has slammed the increasing frequency of Test matches ending inside two days, calling the trend "unacceptable" after Australia wrapped up an innings-and-51-run victory over Bangladesh in Mackay on Sunday.

Australia needed only 750 ***** to complete the second Test, bouncing back from their shock nine-wicket defeat in Darwin to level the two-match series 1-1. The result also marked the third Test involving Australia in their last seven to finish inside two days, raising fresh concerns over the health of the longest format.

"Two-day Test matches (are) unacceptable. It's no good for the game for so many reasons. Last year was disappointing for the crowds, for the kids who get to watch their heroes on TV or listen on the radio or get to the ground," Langer said on SEN Radio.
Langer, who played 105 Tests for Australia, also highlighted the financial consequences of matches ending prematurely.

"Economically it's a disaster for Cricket Australia who put money into grassroots cricket. And you know we're talking about very well-paid professionals now, and you get tired of hearing 'Oh it's just the pitches, oh it's the curators, it's the ball moves a bit'," he said.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 64 in their first innings and 95 in their second, while Mitchell Starc claimed 10 wickets in the match. Langer, however, believes the problem goes beyond pitch conditions and points towards shortcomings in batting fundamentals.

"I think a lot of it is down to basic batting technique. Take this test match alone. Almost every dismissal has been batters; their front foot has not gone past the front line. It's just basic technique, and it's footwork patterns.

"I coach young guys now, and I've just come back from England; there are a couple of batters who are in our Hundred team who are also wanting to become Test players. And you have some hits with them, and you say some things to them which are so basic for us in the game, and their eyes light up like you're teaching them magic for the first time," he added.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto admitted his side did not produce their best performance but said the series would provide valuable lessons.

"Yeah, obviously I think we all know how good they are and, as I said in the press conference, they have been experienced for almost 50, more than 50 years. So yeah, they played, they showed their character, and as the Bangladesh Test team, we didn't play our best match," Shanto said.

He acknowledged the challenging conditions in Mackay, where extra bounce and movement made batting difficult.

"Yeah, obviously I think this is a different condition, and there is a little bit more extra bounce and swing in the air. So it's challenging for us. But as a team, if we want to go forward, we need to adjust to this condition, and I hope this experience will help going forward," he said.

Shoriful Islam's 7/48 was a major positive for Bangladesh, while Sha

Michael Olise scored a goal and created another as Bayern Munich won 2-1 at old foes Borussia Dortmund in the season-opening German Supercup on Saturday.
After a starring role with France at the World Cup, Olise was Bayern's most dangerous attacker, regularly tearing down the right flank.
He found makeshift midfielder Nathaniel Brown for Bayern's 28th-minute opener and then scored one of his own just before the break.
A late goal for former Wolverhampton striker Fabio Silva brought Dortmund closer and the hosts could have levelled deep into stoppage time but Maximilian Beier scuffed a golden chance when through on goal.
Bayern were rusty and barely resembled the barnstorming side which lost just once domestically last season but had enough quality to see off a rebuilding Dortmund team playing in the season opener for the first time since 2021.

#dortmund #michael

Angel Reese is getting a lot of love online after her historically efficient performance in the Atlanta Dream's latest win. There was one particular run she went on that fans enjoyed most.
Angel Reese is a superstar a lot of WNBA fans sometimes love to hate. The Atlanta Dream player has often dealt with criticism for her on-court performances, and specifically her efficiency.
Well, Reese took the first step in ending all those conversations on Thursday night. In the Dream's 124-88 blowout win against the Los Angeles Sparks, Reese was so efficient that she made WNBA history.
Angel did not miss a single shot all night, going 9-9 from the field. At one point, the 'Bayou Barbie' went on a personal 10-0 run, a video of which is going viral on social media.
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

#angel #night

FC Barcelona have officially announced the signing of Joao Cancelo.
The Portuguese player has terminated his contract with Al Hilal and is set to begin a new chapter with Barcelona. This time on a permanent deal.
It could not be confirmed this past Wednesday in time for Joao to be officially presented to the Barça fans at the Joan Gamper Trophy, which sparked his anger, but it has been done this Thursday.
His versatility will strengthen both full-back positions, and he will provide strong competition for both Jules Koundé and Alejandro Balde.
He is expected to be presented in the coming hours.

#cancelo

Montorie Foster Jr. is having himself a summer to remember. Less than a year removed from getting his real estate license thinking his football career was on the brink, the former Michigan State football wide receiver has been getting a lot of buzz for his play during the Seattle Seahawks' training camp. The Seahawks are currently being featured on HBO's Hard Knocks, and in this week's episode, Foster was heavily featured as one of the stars.
The Hard Knocks crew captured a lot of Foster's story, which includes substitute teaching and real estate licenses, before showing several coaches and players gushing about his play this offseason, which started at a strong performance in spring minicamps, and parlayed into a strong training camp performance.
The segment culminated in the Seahawks' preseason game, where Foster caught a touchdown pass in the first quarter. You can watch some of the clip here:
Contact/Follow us The SpartansWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter IAmBrewster.
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Former Michigan State wide receiver featured on HBO's Hard Knocks

#state #knocks

There isn't much that Philadelphia 76ers star Jaylen Brown can't do on the basketball court. He is a scoring machine as somebody who can make tough shots as well as find ways to get easy looks at the basket. He is a physical player with a ton of talent and should be a key factor in the Sixers getting over the hump in the coming season.
Brown averaged 28.7 points per game in the 2025-26 season with the Boston Celtics and will bring that scoring mentality to Philadelphia. He has a decorated resume that includes winning the finals MVP award in 2024 when the Celtics knocked off the Dallas Mavericks for the franchise's 18th championship.
To prepare for his first season in Philadelphia, Brown is back in the gym working on his ball-handling in order to help the Sixers move forward in the coming season.

#boston

Western North Carolina fall sports are finally back, with most sports beginning on Aug. 10.
After one week of action, it's time to vote for this week's Ingles Western North Carolina boys Athlete of the Week.
Vote for the boys athlete who had the best performance last week. The poll closes on Thursday at noon.

#north

WESTFIELD — Colts special teams coordinator Brian Mason will coach the two remaining preseason games from the press box on the orders of head coach Shane Steichen.
Mason suffered multiple torn ligaments in his left knee when two players rolled up his leg on the final play of the Colts' preseason tie against the Patriots. Indianapolis team doctors realized immediately that Mason was dealing with something significant.
But the Indianapolis special teams coordinator waved off the cart and walked off the field at Gillette Stadium, and he immediately returned to practice when the Colts were back on the field Saturday. From the sounds of it, Mason is not planning to have surgery on the joint.
"He's pretty tough," Steichen said. "Obviously, he's back out here in a brace. I think, right now, he's going to let that thing heal. He has some serious injuries, which is wild, but he's going to be up in the box for these next two preseason games, just for precautionary reasons."
Mason has coached from the field the last two days, wearing a sizable brace on his left leg.

#colts #field #special

Candace Parker didn't pick up a basketball with aspirations of on day joining the hall of fame.
The Lady Vols legend's career started at a park near her home in Naperville, Illinois, where she spent hours playing with her two older brothers, who were her heroes.
Parker fell in love with the game, which took her all over the world. But when she looks back on her career, the places that stick out in her mind aren't the flashy arenas or the championship parades routes. It's that park or the fitness center in Naperville where she first dunked, and Stokely Athletic Center, where she got in extra work before Tennessee's new practice facility was opened her senior year.
Parker may not have dreamed of being a first-ballot hall of famer, but she looked up in the rafters every day with the Lady Vols, determined to hang more banners and the rest would take care of itself.
It arrived for Parker with her second hall of fame induction in less than three months. Parker was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Aug. 15 at Symphony Hall in in Springfield, Massachusetts. She was inducted to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in June, entering both in her first year of eligibility.

#lady #vols