Jake Paul wants Nate Diaz to be his opponent when "El Gallo" makes his cagefighting debut under the new MVP-PFL banner in early 2027. Probably because Diaz is 41 and held together by duct tape and Popsicle sticks. In addition, Paul already whooped Diaz in their DAZN boxing match in Dallas.
Paul's MMA debut was also "official" back in 2023 and never came to fruition.
"I've been talking about MMA and doing it for a long time, but it's official," Paul said in a social media video. "Now with this new partnership, I'm going to get into the cage. Nate Diaz, stop ducking. We need to make this happen for sports, to change the world, to change the history, and the landscape of combat sports forever. But don't worry, I am still boxing. Everyone's asking me, 'Jake, when are you coming back?' And it is as soon as possible. We are in contract talks and negotiations with multiple opponents, so it's time to box, and then kick Nate Diaz's ******* in MMA."
Diaz already turned down a $15 million offer to fight Paul in summer 2024.
Paul, 29, helped MVP merge with PFL for a combat sports entity that will allow fighters to box and fight MMA under the same banner. The new-look promotion does not yet have a TV or streaming deal in place but is expected to make an announcement on that front in the coming weeks, if not sooner.

#banner #already #official

RAPID CITY — The Watertown Area Swim Club and the Aberdeen Swim Club each again recorded strong performances in the 2026 South Dakota Long Course Swim Championships.
The WASC Dolphins finished second in the meet for the eighth straight year with 3,514 points, and the ASC again finished fourth with 2,398 points.
The meet was held Friday through Sunday, July 24-26, at Rapid City.
20 FAVORITES WASC SWIMMERS: Swimmers, others who have left their mark on the Watertown Area Swim Club since 1984
The Sioux Falls Swim Club again won the state championship with 6,066.5 points.

#swim #club #swimmers #finished

We're on to Friday at the 2026 Rocket Classic.
Peter Malnati paces the field at Detroit Golf Club after an opening 9-under 61, Michael Brennan dang near tied the PGA Tour mark for consecutive birides and there's a big chasing pack with plenty of notables names in the mix after the opening day in the Motor City.
Here's a look at Friday's second-round tee times and TV information for the Rocket Classic:
All times listed are ET.
First tee

#rocket #Friday #peter #detroit

Real Madrid have important decisions to take from a squad-planning perspective, with sales likely to be considered in the coming weeks.
According to journalist Jorge C. Picon, Los Blancos have established a clear group of untouchable players as they continue shaping the squad for the new season, with only four names considered completely off limits in the transfer market.
The club view Thibaut Courtois, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe as their only truly non-transferable players.
It is clear that Los Blancos believe these four stars form the foundation of their long-term sporting project.
Courtois remains one of the world's elite goalkeepers and continues to provide leadership from the back.

#courtois

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Rams training camp on July 29, 2026 at Loyola Marymount University and The Sporting Tribune's Ric Tapia was there to capture the following images.
Jordan Whittington #88 of the Los Angeles Rams runs after the catch during training camp at Loyola Marymount University on July 29, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Ric Tapia - The Sporting Tribune
Jordan Whittington #88 of the Los Angeles Rams runs after the catch during training camp at Loyola Marymount University on July 29, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Dean Connors #33 of the Los Angeles Rams runs with the ball during training camp at Loyola Marymount University on July 29, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

#angeles #loyola #university

Detroit Lions star running back Jahmyr Gibbs might be in the midst of a hold-in as he seeks a new contract.
According to ESPN's Eric Woodyard, Gibbs, who did report to training camp, did not take part in the team's first practice on Wednesday.
Gibbs' absence, which is not believed to be injury-related, according to Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit, comes amid he and the Lions trying to hammer out a contract extension.
"(Gibbs) was not listed on the team's Physically Unable to Perform or Non-Football-Injury list to start camp, suggesting his absence is not injury related," Reisman wrote.
MORE: Dan Campbell just sent Jahmyr Gibbs' fantasy football value soaring

#detroit #jahmyr #contract #camp

Manchester City will travel to east Asia for Enzo Maresca's first games in charge as manager
Some players remain on holiday after a gruelling FIFA World Cup campaign in North America
City face Inter, K-League All Stars XI & Atletico Madrid before ***** nal in the Community Shield
Manchester City are set to travel to east Asia with a stronger-than-expected squad as Enzo Maresca takes charge of his first pre-season tour as manager.
The 46-year-old has been working with an initial group at the City Football Academy since pre-season training began on 20 July, with the extended rest periods required for World Cup participants from four nations shaping the composition of the squad available for the trip considerably.

#asia #travel #manager

When Anna Moesch matriculated at the University of Virginia in 2024, she had long-term goals to swim personal bests and make the Olympic team in four years.
Todd DeSorbo, her new coach in Charlottesville, had something more in mind.
"He told me my first year that he thought I could break the American record in the long course 100m free," Moesch said.
Moesch, who had just tied for eighth in the 100m free at the 2024 Olympic Trials, wasn't quite that confident.
"I kind of was like, yeah, OK, sure," she said.

#anna #virginia #desorbo #charlottesville

Ryan Clark's firing from ESPN is still sending shockwaves across the industry of NFL media after being informed on Monday of their decision.
Some significant departures have been sanctioned from ESPN over the course of this week, with established names like Tom Pelissero also let go.
The 2026 NFL season is now just weeks away from getting underway and Clark, like many others, is now left looking for his next opportunity in the industry.
Now the dust has settled, the 46-year-old former NFL safety has broken his silence on his firing from ESPN.
Stephen A. Smith has defended Clark against ESPN along with a number of other famous names.

#pelissero

La Liga outfit Villarreal are closing on an imminent addition to the club's goalkeeper ranks. This comes amid the understanding that Péter Gulácsi is on the verge of taking his talents to Castellón.
Villarreal are fresh off bidding farewell to a member of the club's shot-stopper setup earlier this week.
After several weeks of negotiations, the Yellow Submarine agreed to sanction the departure of Diego Conde to La Liga rivals Real Betis.
The brass at La Cerámica, in turn, spent recent days ramping up efforts to add fresh blood between the posts in new manager Iñigo Pérez's squad.
Amid this search, the name of the aforementioned Péter Gulácsi quickly came to the fore as a leading option.

#castell #diego #conde

AC Milan is delighted to announce the renewal of Francesco Camarda's contract until 30 June 2031, plus a one year club option.
A product of the Rossoneri youth academy, which he joined at the age of 7, Francesco completed his development with the Primavera and Milan Futuro sides, before making his First Team debut. Last season, on loan at Lecce, he played in Serie A, making 23 appearances, scoring 1 goal and providing 1 ******* ist, before returning to AC Milan.
AC Milan and Francesco Camarda will continue their journey together, with the ambition to grow and reach new milestones.

#Milan #francesco #primavera #futuro

Former Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski has on Thursday sent a message of congratulations the way of some of his ex-teammates in Catalunya's capital.
This of course comes after no fewer than eight members of Hansi Flick's squad were crowned world champions last weekend.
Owing to a 1-0 extra-time downing of Argentina, Spain emerged triumphant at the 2026 World Cup. Luis da la Fuente's ranks were packed with Barcelona players, with all of Joan García, Eric García, Pau Cubarsí, Pedri, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres having made the trip to North America.
The latter even notched the decisive goal in Sunday's final.
Spotted celebrating in the aftermath of Ferran's extra-time strike in New York was the aforementioned Robert Lewandowski, fresh off bringing a close to his Blaugrana stint earlier this summer.

#World #extra #hansi

SRYACUSE 5, SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 4 (BOX)
Syracuse went down early in this game, trailing 2-0 after one. That 2-0 deficit held until the fourth, where a three run inning powered by a Ronny Marucio solo home run, an Eric Wagaman RBI ground out, and a run scoring throwing error gave them a lead. The RailRiders would tie it in the bottom of the frame and take a 4-3 lead in the sixth, but a two run single by Wagaman gave the Mets a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning that would stick.
SS Ronny Mauricio: 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR (8), RBI, E (6)
DH MJ Melendez: 0-2, 2 R, 2 BB, K
LF Nick Morabito: 0-2, R, 2 BB, SB (31)

#lead #scranton #wilkes

Jasper Philipsen admitted he had been feeling the pressure before sprinting to a dominant victory from a reduced bunch at the end of the Tour de France's Alpine 17th stage on Wednesday, to end a "horrible" run of near misses.
Set up by a strong lead-out from team-mate Mathieu van der Poel, Philipsen surged several bike lengths clear of Mauro Schmid and Olav Kooij, who had each already won a stage at the Tour.
This was an 11th Tour stage victory overall for the 28-year-old Belgian, who won the sprinters' green points jersey in 2023.
It meant that he has won at least one stage in each of the last five editions of the Tour.
He had come close on several other sprint stages this year, finishing five times in the top five.

#jasper #alpine

Mets receiving trade interest in $70M outfielder despite .628 OPS originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Mets are heading towards the August 3, 2026, MLB trade deadline as clear sellers. It's not what the Mets wanted to be, but selling is the only real course of action at the deadline that makes sense for the franchise.
As sellers, the Mets are sure to field plenty of trade interest in Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes, Luke Weaver, Francisco Alvarez, A.J. Minter, and Brooks Raley. But an unexpected name has popped up as someone already garnering interest.
According to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Mets are seemingly garnering interest in $70 million, .628 OPS outfielder Luis Robert Jr. ahead of the deadline. This is an unexpected, but welcome, development for the Mets.
"Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who just returned from the injured list Monday after missing more than two months with a spine issue, is generating preliminary trade interest from multiple teams, according to a person briefed on the situation," Sammon and Rosenthal report.

#METS #deadline #luis

England youngster Jacob Bethell has opened up about the unforgettable experience of opening the batting alongside Virat Kohli at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during his stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), describing the atmosphere as unlike anything he had experienced before.

Bethell, who joined RCB after being signed in the 2025 IPL mega auction, shared the dressing room with Kohli during the franchise's back-to-back ******* le-winning campaigns in 2025 and 2026. Although the young all-rounder had a mixed season with the bat, he said the opportunity to walk out alongside one of the game's modern greats remains a career highlight.
Speaking on the Super Over podcast on YouTube, Bethell admitted he was overwhelmed by nerves before his first home appearance in Bengaluru.

"That was crazy. I remember being really nervous before. It was only my first game in front of home fans. I was nervous to say the least. But as soon as I got onto the ground, I just felt a sense of excitement. I ran drinks for quite a lot of the competition. Looking at the atmosphere and wanting to get a piece of it,'' Jacob Bethell said.

"We were walking out to bat. I can only hear myself think... the place is bouncing, there is no gap in it. You feel like they are on top of you. Luckily enough, we managed to put on a few runs; I scored a few, he scored a few. I remember I hit my second ball for four and I have never heard a sound that loud," he added.
Bethell also shed light on Kohli's personality away from the spotlight, saying the former RCB captain is far more relaxed than his fiery on-field persona suggests.

"Away from cricket and off the field, he's actually a very chilled individual. Great to talk to, great to spend time around. But it's just that ability to then flip into that competitive nature in and around cricket or training, " Bethell revealed

Bethell's IPL 2026 campaign yielded 163 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 140.52, but the England all-rounder has previously credited Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Dinesh Karthik in a video posted by RCB on their official handle for helping him improve his game, particularly against spin, during his time with the Bengaluru franchise.

#england

JAKARTA, INDONESIA - OCTOBER 21: Leanne Wong of Team United States reacts after competing in the balance beam during the Women's qualification on day three of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at Indonesia Arena on October 21, 2025 in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
Next stop: Hartford, Connecticut. The 2026 U.S. Classic competition caps the final stretch ahead of August's U.S. Championships, and many of the nation's top female gymnasts will take the stage from July 17-18 to vie for medals, gain competitive experience and qualify for nationals.
With the 2028 LA Olympics just two years away, this year's field is significantly stronger than the last, and recent comeback announcements point to more competitive battles ahead. From Olympic gold medalists to up-and-coming rookie stars, here are the top athletes to watch at the 2026 U.S. Classic.
Watch the 2026 U.S. Classic: TV channel, streaming, and start times.
Two-time NCAA Champion, UCLA Gymnastics star, and former Olympic hopeful Katelyn Ohashi is in the midst of a comeback that few saw coming. Ohashi announced her return to the sport in June and made her comeback days later at the American Classic, marking her first elite gymnastics routine in over 13 years.

The Baltimore Ravens are coming off an extremely disappointing season that saw them miss out on winning the AFC North and making the playoffs after missing a last-second 44-yard field goal. It appears that one playoff without two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson is all it’s taken for the general public, and even Jackson’s peers, to forget just how dynamic he is when he’s healthy.
A year after he finished second on the NFL’s Top 100 list, in which the players themselves vote on the top 100 players in the league, Jackson came in at the 69th spot for the 2026 offseason. On Tuesday, Colin Cowherd said openly that he doesn’t trust Jackson anymore.
“Now remember, this is voted on by players. Those are his peers. That’s always been his number one support group. Anytime there was criticism about him and I defended him forever. It was always his peers, his teammates,” Cowherd said of Jackson’s 67 spot fall on Tuesday’s episode of The Herd.
“There’s other franchise quarterbacks I like— Drake Maye now, and Caleb Williams, and Bo Nix,” Cowherd added. “And there’s just more good young quarterbacks coming into the league. I mean, about the only quarterback who I think is like declining— and it’s hard to say Matt Stafford is declining, but he’s old— that’s about it. There’s just too many good young quarterbacks. So I mean, Lamar Jackson as a starter used to average 10 rushes a game. Last year it was 5.”
Cowherd was not shy in his **** sment: Jackson has already begun his physical decline.

Nebraska football extended an offer to three-star offensive tackle Aiden Owolabi. The tackle is the 35th overall player at his position and the 27th overall player in the 2028 class from the state of California, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.
His recruitment is rising steadily, as he has several offers from big-time programs. California, Stanford, UCLA, Minnesota, and BYU are all schools that have extended offers his way. Owolabi measures at six-foot-six, 280 pounds.
His recruitment is still very much growing, especially as programs continue to finish and fill out their 2027 classes. Currently, the Huskers have no commitments in their 2028 class. However, they have been extending offers and doing their due diligence on several top-level prospects.
The program has done a solid job of recruiting the offensive line, particularly in the 2026 class. They were able to snag six commitments. Now, they're continuing to build out the group, and Owolabi will be a player to watch, especially since offensive line coach Geep Wade has had a high success rate on the recruiting trail.
Contact/Follow us CornhuskersWire (https://twitter.com/Cornhu... on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page onFacebook (https://www.facebook.com/C... to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.

There are few players in the England and **** nal squads who receive as much criticism as Noni Madueke, but the attacker continues to push forward despite the attention surrounding him.
When he was close to joining **** nal, some supporters launched an online petition in an attempt to prevent the club from signing him during the previous transfer window. Despite that reaction, Madueke completed his move to the Emirates Stadium after Mikel Arteta decided that he was the right player for his squad.
The forward went on to help **** nal win the **** le during his first season at the club, demonstrating that he could make a positive contribution despite the doubts expressed by some fans.
Thomas Tuchel has also shown confidence in the England international by selecting him during the World Cup, while Bukayo Saka has been working his way back to full fitness. Saka remains widely regarded as the stronger player, and it would be difficult to argue against that **** sment based on his performances.
However, Madueke's qualities should not be overlooked. The former PSV player offers different attributes and has shown that he can provide a direct attacking threat when given opportunities to contribute.

The week of July 5-11 saw regional softball competition kick into high gear for teams from the Ames area.
Roland-Story, the No. 12 team in Class 3A, advanced to the 3A Region 1 championship game with wins over Iowa Falls-Alden (2-0) and Pella Christian (13-1). Ames saw its season come to a close with an 8-0 setback against No. 10 Des Moines Roosevelt in the 5A Region 3 semifinals on July 11 in Des Moines.
Gilbert defeated Nevada in the 4A Region 2 quarterfinals, 2-1, before dropping an 11-9 slugfest to Newton in the semifinals. Ballard also reached the 4A Region 2 semifinals, earning a 6-1 win over Webster City in the quarterfinals before suffering a 12-4 setback to No. 2 Carlisle in the semifinals.
Collins-Maxwell saw its season come to a close with an 11-5 loss to No. 3 St. Edmond in the 1A Region 3 semifinals. The Spartans defeated North Mahaska in the quarterfinals, 9-5, on July 8.
Colo-NESCO fell to North Mahaska by a 12-0 score in the 1A Region 3 first round on July 6.

'ECB wasted six months': Delayed Brendon McCullum sacking as Test head coach blamed for Ben Stokes early retirement originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Reports claim Ben Stokes wanted Brendon McCullum removed after the 2025-26 Ashes.
The ECB allegedly delayed the decision for six months despite concerns over England's performances in Test cricket.
Stokes reportedly grew frustrated before announcing his retirement.
McCullum has now left the Test role but will continue as England's white-ball coach.

The Oklahoma Sooners appear to have many of the ingredients needed to contend for a national championship. After going 10-3 and returning to the College Football Playoff last season, expectations are rising in Norman. Oklahoma also returns much of its core, tying for No. 12 nationally in returning production.
Those factors typically give teams a legitimate opportunity to compete for a national ***** le. The biggest obstacle is Oklahoma's schedule, which ranks as the second-toughest in college football, trailing only the Arkansas Razorbacks. Some of the key games include road games against the Michigan Wolverines and the Georgia Bulldogs, a neutral-site game against the Texas Longhorns, and home games against the Ole Miss Rebels and the Texas A&M Aggies.
Those are all teams that have College Football Playoff aspirations, and three of them made the field last season. So, the question now is what chances does Oklahoma have at winning its eighth national championship? ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI), a measure of a team's strength meant to be the best predictor of its performance going forward for the rest of the season, gives the Sooners a 2% chance to win it all.
How does the SEC stack up in ESPN Football Power Index rankings?
That ranks Oklahoma No. 12 in college football and No. 6 in the SEC, behind Texas, Georgia, the Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, and Texas A&M. Three of which the Sooners play. Despite Oklahoma's returning production and momentum from last season, ESPN's projection suggests the Sooners remain a tier below the sport's top championship favorites entering 2026.

A Montgomery, Texas native, Shane Sdao attended Lake Creek High School in Montgomery, a school that opened in 2018 due to overcrowding at the city’s primary school, Montgomery High School. The left-hander helped turn the school’s fledgling baseball program into a winner. In their first year of existence, the Lions went 7-7 on the season. In 2021 and 2022, the two years that Sdao lettered and pitched for the varsity team, they went 20-12-1 and 23-6, respectively, advancing to the Texas Region III-5A quarterfinals both times. In both years, the left-hander was named to the First All-District Team, the Second All-Greater Houston Team, and was the Texas District 5A All-State honorable mention pitch in his senior year.
Despite the accolades, Sdao was far from a draft follow. The left-hander garnered very little attention from scouts and evaluators due to his relatively uninspiring repertoire and advanced age. The southpaw already had a commitment to Texas A&M in place, and after no MLB teams called his name in the 2022 MLB Draft, Sdao attended the College Station institution.
The left-hander appeared in 22 games in his freshman season with the Aggies, starting two games and coming out of the bullpen for the remaining 20. In total, the 19-year-old posted a 4.78 ERA in 43.1 innings, allowing 54 hits, walking 15, and striking out 46. He was used in a similar manner in his sophomore season, starting 5 games and coming out of the bullpen for the remaining 15. Sdao was better in virtually every regard, posting a 2.96 ERA in 48.2 innings, allowing 42 hits, walking 9, and striking out 55. The Aggies made it to the 2024 College World Series finals, losing to the University of Tennessee, but they did so without the left-hander, who injured his elbow starting against the University of Oregon in the Super Regionals.
Sdao’s injury turned out to be the worst-case scenario: a UCL tear that required Tommy John surgery to fix. The left-hander redshirted in 2025, missing the entire season. Despite being injured, Sdao received numerous financially lucrative bonus offers from multiple MLB teams who were looking to float a deal with him while he recovered from surgery. He ended up rejecting those offers and decided to return to Texas A&M in 2026.
The results were not exactly there for Sdao in his redshirt junior season. More important than anything else, he was able to take the mound and his stuff was more or less where it was before the Tommy John surgery, but the results were ugly. Appearing in 17 games, starting 13 of them, Sdao posted a 7.03 ERA in 71.2 innings, allowing 98 hits, walking 20, and striking out 83. In particular, the longball was a problem; he allowed 16 home runs over the course of the season.

The Milwaukee Brewers have snapped their six-year streak of selecting a college hitter in the first round of the MLB draft.
But, they were still able to snag an expected first-round talent at No. 66 overall with their selection of TCU outfielder Sawyer Strosnider on Saturday, July 11.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Cincinnati native had been linked to the Brewers in many mock drafts as their potential first-round pick, and the board ended up working in their favor as they landed a player who is considered by many to be one of the best overall athletes in the 2026 class.
He was ranked as the No. 13 overall prospect by Baseball America and No. 22 by MLB.com.
More: Brewers pick Trey Ebel, brother of prospect Brady, in MLB draft first round

Former Georgia Bulldogs first-round 2025 NFL draft pick Mykel Williams is under pressure to perform in his second year in the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers drafted Williams with the No. 11 pick in the draft, but he suffered a torn ACL midway through his rookie season.
Williams posted 20 tackles and one sack as a rookie with the 49ers, who need him to improve in Year 2 even though Williams is coming off a significant injury. San Francisco suffered an enormous amount of injuries on defense last season and needs to have a healthier 2026 season.
Pro Football Focus names Williams as one of their 10 second year players under the most pressure to perform. Williams is a former first-round pick, so he has high expectations. PFF's Bradley Locker adds that San Francisco is hoping Williams will "boost a unit that placed 25th in PFF pass-rushing grade" last season.
The 49ers are counting on Williams to take on a larger role and to be available to play. Williams is a strong run defender and will be needed as San Francisco tries to battle in the NFC West, which is one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.
Last season, San Francisco made the playoffs, but their injuries proved too much to overcome. The division rival Seattle Seahawks demolished the 49ers in the Divisional Round and beat the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC championship en route to a Super Bowl ****** le.

If you're only only interested in the baseball happenings, you can skip down to the section **** led 'The Actual Game Recap'
If you've been around here at the Snakepit for long enough, you should already be familiar with the now traditional cannabis themed recape or 'weedcaps' every April 20th. For those who haven't been around for that long or are just unfamiliar with how that works, a weedcap consist of me recapping the game while also consuming and reviewing different cannabis products and various accessories. Sadly this tradition was broken in 2026, as April 20th was an off day for the D'Backs, so instead we're doing the other weed holiday, which just so happens to be today, the 10th of July. If you aren't familiar, July 10th has become the holiday where cannabis concentrate are celebrated, and that's entirely because 7/10 reads as OIL upside down. (Apologies to the Europeans who use date/month instead of month/date). Links helpfully provided to either define what I'm talking about or to the appropriate business' website.
During the 2026 season, I've often referred to the 'Rally Rig' in the comment section, taking 'dabs' of concentrates in the superstitious hope that it rallies the team.
This piece was actually part of the Daily High Club's April "420 stoner party" subscription box, which you can purchase here, if so desired. Pictured below is the full subscription box contents. I looked all over for a baseball related piece for the specific purpose of this article, but sadly couldn't find much. Thankfully I already had this.
I've actually built up a fairly impressive collection of glass pieces thanks to them and I've largely been satisfied. However, I wouldn't reccomend actually subscribing to the boxes, as it is mildly annoying unsubcribing. If you like cool pieces, or are looking for a gift for the resident stoner/medical marijuana patient in your life, I would absolutely recommend giving their website a look.

Will Kyle Schwarber be joining Bryce Harper for the 2026 MLB Home Run Derby in front of a home crowd at Citizens Bank Park on July 13?
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly appeared to have leaked that the MLB home run leader's plans to participate in the event following the Phillies' 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on July 9.
"I'm glad he's doing it, especially in Philly. Him and Kyle both, right?" Mattingly said when asked by a reporter about his thoughts on Harper participating in the Home Run Derby.
2026 MLB Home Run Derby field: Who is competing in Philly? Who isn't?
Based on Mattingly's reaction that followed, it appears he jumped the gun a bit: Schwarber has not announced whether he is adding the Home Run Derby to his All-Star Game schedule. Mattingly tried to backtrack his original statement by the time the next question was asked in Great American Ballpark.

Atlético de Madrid and Sporting Clube de Portugal have struck an agreement over the Lisbon side's captain Morten Hjulmand, according to reports in Spain and Portugal.
Rubén Uría was the first to report that Denmark international Hjulmand will arrive in a €40 million transfer, with Sporting able to secure another €5 million based on the amount of games Hjulmand plays, in addition to how far Atleti progress in the UEFA Champions League. The player last week signed off on a five-year contract to 2031, and he arrived in Madrid on Thursday to undergo a medical; his signing should be announced before Atleti's preseason training camp begins on Monday.
Hjulmand will take a big leap in his career following spells in Austria (with Admira Wacker) and Italy (Lecce) as well as Portugal, where he won two league ******* les with Sporting and helped the Leões reach the Champions League quarterfinals in 2025/26. The 27-year-old scored three goals and provided four ******* ists across 27 appearances in the Primeira Liga last season.
Hjulmand is regarded as a superb positional midfielder, a pivot with good ball progression and a strong stride that helps him cover ground and recover the ball at a high rate. His traits complement both Pablo Barrios and Johnny Cardoso, and he should offer Diego Simeone a genuine alternative to his long-serving captain Koke, who last week renewed his contract for one more season. Hjulmand has suffered only a few injuries in his career
Hjulmand will need to adjust to the faster pace of LaLiga relative to the Primeira Liga, and his proclivity for picking up yellow cards could limit his effectiveness. He was booked 40 times in 114 league appearances for Sporting (though he received just one red card) and ended last season with 14 yellows across 37 appearances in the league and the Champions League. Hjulmand will have to be more careful in Spain, knowing how referees here love to make the game about themselves.

The rubber game of Dodgers vs Rockies is upon us. What late-game weirdness is in store for us tonight?
Teams: Dodgers vs. Rockies
Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
Start time: 7:10 p.m.
TV: SportsNet LA