Eli Drinkwitz may have lied in his opening statement postgame
The Missouri football coach, after a comfortable opening night that saw his team open the 2026 season with a 54-14 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, said that his "only disappointment for the night (was) I didn't get to meet Sheryl Crow," who sang the national anthem before the Thursday night opener in Columbia.
But by the time he left the lectern a little less than 10 minutes later, he'd identified a few more frustrations than just missing out on a meet and greet with the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.
"We ended up pulling some guys pretty quickly to try to mitigate risk and injury. Very disappointed in the third quarter from an overall intensity standpoint, a coaching standpoint," Drinkwitz said. "It was a perfect night for me to be able to be excited in the first half and really mad in the second half, so I've got a lot of things to coach on."
More: Missouri football score: Simmons shines in debut, Tigers cruise to 1-0

#night #Football

All last weekend, my kid told me that it was going to be Labor Day that next Monday. I kept telling her no, it was next Monday. I mean, like 10 or 12 times. Then I told this to the wife. She was very quiet, then asked "it's not Labor Day tomorrow?" Because she kept telling our kid it was, then I kept breaking her heart. So if you're broken hearted to hear that there's no game today, I apologize.
What is going on then? The Brewers and Cubs are kicking off shortly. The Cubs are 9 back of the Brewers, but they're not out of it. The Cardinals can complete a sweep of the Dodgers at 10 pm Eastern.
The mutant form of college football is going on tonight as well. Missouri and Utah look poised to devour their opening week cupcakes of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Idaho, respectively. That's going on at 7pm and 8pm.
Are you guys and gals going to the beach? Ima sit at home and broil myself. The next trip we take will be either to a sick relative's or to Atlanta for a playoff game. Hopefully, the family can pull through and the Braves can be victorious.
Do we want to debate what the Braves playoff position will be? I'm thinking the Braves might slide into that #2 slot if the Dodgers keep slipping up. Let's go take care of Philadelphia first.

#kept #Monday #Cubs #Dodgers

The time for talking is finally over, as the Southeastern Conference kicks off the 2026 season this weekend, with games slated for Thursday through Sunday.
Missouri gets the conference started in Week 1, hosting a non-conference contest against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which opened its season with a 35-15 win over Morehouse. The Tigers will be without Ahmad Hardy, but the offensive unit still has plenty of playmakers to dominate the Golden Lions.
The Oklahoma Sooners moved their season opener against UTEP to Friday, giving them an extra day to prepare for a road trip to the "Big House" next weekend. Meanwhile, 13 teams in the conference are slated to kick off on Saturday, with Ole Miss wrapping things up against No. 20 Louisville at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday evening.
Here are picks, score predictions and where you can watch every SEC football matchup of Week 1:
Game prediction: Missouri 63 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff 7

#week #bluff #weekend #slated

Week 1 of the college football season starts Thursday night, and there are some good games on the schedule.
Thursday's action will get underway at 6 p.m. ET with a matchup between Massachusetts and Rutgers. That game will air on the Big Ten Network.
After that, a handful of games begin at 7 p.m. ET, including Akron-Wake Forest on the ACC Network. There are a few games that start at 8 p.m. ET, including Colorado-Georgia Tech and Arkansas-Pine Bluff-Missouri.
MORE: College Football SEC power rankings entering Week 1
Finally, there are even a couple of games that begin at 9 p.m. ET.

#network

New year, new starter.
Austin Simmons will debut as Missouri football's new starting quarterback in the Tigers' Week 1 game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m Thursday, Sept. 3, on Faurot Field in Columbia.
More: 'A powerful step for us': Behind the scenes of Missouri football's $250M stadium upgrade
More: Game-by-game predictions for Missouri football in 2026 season
Mizzou signed the left-handed QB from Ole Miss this past offseason to replace outgoing transfer Beau Pribula, who is now the starter at Virginia.

#game #austin #week #pine

Farrah Abraham was not bluffing when she announced her run for city council in Austin, Texas. The former Teen Mom star was spotted attending her first meeting ahead of the November election.
"I'm Farrah Abraham running for District 5. So please support. I appreciate your vote and I am an advocacy for action," Abraham, 35, can be heard saying in the video from the meeting, which she shared via Instagram on Tuesday, September 1. "So I look forward to hearing everyone's concerns, figuring out the best touch point pipeline in getting that done. Thank you."
The 16 and Pregnant alum captioned her post, "It's true, I'm here. Farrah Abraham running for City Council District 5 is officially on my 2026 bingo card. Here we are, it just got reality star real and transparent against the fake news reports and other upset candidates."
Instagram/Farrah Abraham
Abraham — who first moved to the Texas capital in 2013 — added, "Who knew I was born for this with my mom taking me to city council meetings since age 5 and her being president of the historical preservation alliance, it has helped me see the reality of how aligned I am for city council or any position I'm blessed by God to be in Austin, Texas for."

#texas #Instagram

College football season may have just begun. But college basketball season is only two months away! On Monday, USC men's basketball announced its nonconference schedule for the 2026-2027 season.
Following three exhibition games, the Trojans will open up the season on November 2 at Galen Center against Milwaukee. They will then travel up to Northern California to face Wichita State in Lake Tahoe, before visiting Cal in an old Pac-12 showdown.
After that, USC will return home for matchups with Arkansas Pine Bluff, Tarleton State, and Louisiana. Eric Musselman's team will then spend Thanksgiving in Palm Springs, California at the Acrisure Series, where they will take on South Carolina and Utah State.
USC's final road games of nonconference play will be at San Diego on December 8 and against Texas Tech in Fort Worth, Texas on December 13. The Trojans will wrap up their nonconference slate with home matchups against Jacksonville and Western Michigan on December 19 and 22, respectively.
After that, USC will get into the heart of Big Ten play. The Trojans' conference schedule will be announced at a later date.

#college #Basketball #announced

Missouri Tigers football is just two days away from kicking off its 2026 season, and that means Tiger Talk is also back at Harpo's in Columbia.
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz and team captains Dominick Giudice and Santana Banner sat down with Mike Kelly to talk the team's season opener coming up Thursday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Here's what they had to say about the 135th team in program history:
On the anticipation of the season opener: "Really looking forward to Thursday night: that new north end zone, and just the excitement that's been building for us to be sold out again. And 'Kickoff in CoMo', what a cool tradition that we've developed here at the University of Missouri."
On the weather expected Thursday (projected temp at kickoff is 92 degrees): "Advantage us. We're ready for the weather: our guys have practiced in it, our guys have attacked it. We'll be hydrated. It's football season, it's time to play. And I know fans, you're going to need to make sure you hydrate, take care of yourself, and don't peak too soon with the alcohol. It's going to be a great night; don't let that weather affect you."
On the team's fall camp: "I was very impressed with the way our guys handled themselves throughout camp. I was impressed with how physically demanding we were able to make it on them, while also keeping our guys relatively healthy and pushing us to the point of, I think, being prepared and ready for the opportunity."

#kickoff #Football

There's no Coaches Poll after Week 0, so what will the Coaches Poll Top 25 be after the first big weekend of games? Here's our call on what the rankings will be (and we'll change on Monday night – the next Coaches Poll will be released on Tuesday, September 8).
Along with projecting all the seemingly obvious Week 1 games, this looks ahead, predicting what might happen with LSU facing Clemson, Louisville dealing with Ole Miss, and SMU going to Florida State.

Top 5 Predicted Others Receiving Votes: Virginia, Arizona, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Auburn
Preseason AP Ranking: (29)
Week 1 Opponent: UAB
Predicted Record After Week 1: 1-0
Preseason AP Ranking: (27)
Week 1 Opponent: Florida Atlantic
Predicted Record After Week 1: 1-0
Current Coaches Poll Ranking: 25
Week 1 Opponent: Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Predicted Record After Week 1: 0-1

#ranking #Florida

High school football is back in the Gadsden area starting this week and the action is starting up Thursday, Aug. 27.
The AHSAA season officially got started last week, but a few Gadsden-area teams waited until this week to get going. That group is led by Hokes Bluff, which starts with Southside on Thursday, and Westbrook Christian, which travels down to Ashville. Cherokee County and Sand Rock both get started with traditional rivalries with Piedmont and Spring Garden, respectively.
The season runs through October before the playoffs start in November. The AHSAA Football championships are December 1-5 in Mobile, one of many changes this season. The biggest shakeup was the public-private split and ensuing fallout that created two classes and got rid of 7A.
Keep up with coverage closer to kick off on Thursday and Friday.

#area

I have a confession to make. This whole season, I have been waiting for the other proverbial shoe to drop for Eduardo Rodriguez. I had a difficult time believing the same pitcher who had posted consecutive seasons with ERAs north of five could somehow transform himself into a legitimate Cy Young candidate. There were some legitimate reasons for that doubt too between his whiff percentage, strikeout rate, and chase rate all leave something to be desired – to say nothing of expected stats that paint an even worse picture. But at some point, you have to throw out all the other pieces of evidence and recognize that however he's doing it, Rodriguez is putting together one of the best pitching seasons in franchise history. And at a time in the season where every win is crucial, he delivered once more with an absolute gem against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday afternoon. In seven innings of scoreless work, Rodriguez racked up nine strikeouts and allowed just five baserunners all game, inducing a whopping 18 swings and misses along the way.
It was a fairly dominant performance for the veteran lefty, but it wasn't all smooth sailing. In the visiting half of the sixth, Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was mostly contained in the series, stroked a leadoff double down the line and then moved over to third on Seiya Suzuki's groundout. After a shallow flyout from Alex Bregman wasn't deep enough for PCA to score, he decided to take matters into his own hands and bluffed a straight steal of home by sprinting halfway down the third base line. That move unsettled Rodriguez enough for him to shuffle off the pitching rubber before delivering to James McCann behind the plate. The entire Cubs dugout clamored for a balk call, but after a quick umpire consultation, it was declared not a balk – much to PCA's chagrin as he charged directly at the third base umpire and had to be held back by his coaches. After a few replays of the incident, I do think (as does Bob Brenly) that it probably was a balk. E-Rod clearly takes his left foot off the rubber before coming home with the ball, which would be very deceiving to a baserunner and which has always been the intent behind the balk rule. The play also highlighted the fact that every play should be reviewable as other angles show enough that the Cubs at least had an argument and when the margin is so thin, the call should be correct. It's worth watching the whole sequence for yourself to see where you fall on the decision:
View Link
For what it's worth, Chicago starter Matthew Boyd nearly matched Rodriguez zero for zero as the veteran journeyman allowed the same number of baserunners (five) in six innings of work and continued the excellent starting pitching the Cubs had in the series. His only mistake was a hanging changeup that Jordan Lawlar just lifted over the right field fence for the only run allowed by a Cubs starting pitcher. The D-Backs added an insurance run in the eighth when consecutive leadoff singles from McCann and La

Four years after David "Mad Dog" DeMarco left the Lansing airwaves, he's back with a television show and podcast, both through WLNS.
DeMarco, who hosted a sports talk radio show in Lansing for 26 years before leaving town in 2022, has returned with a regular podcast and weekly TV show, both ***** led "Beyond the Playbook, with Dave 'Mad Dog' DeMarco".
The television show airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WLAJ and at 9:30 a.m. Thursdays on WLNS. He's taped seven episodes so far. The podcast, also from the WLNS studios, also drops once a week.
DeMarco, 66, described plans for the TV show as "Carson-esque" in its style, each show with a guest that he interviews. The podcast "is more Mad Dog-ish than anything," he said. Those who used to listen to his radio show on WVFN 730-AM will understand what that means in terms of listening experience.
DeMarco and his wife, Carole, left Lansing in 2022 for Cedar Bluff, Alabama, building a home next to his brother and sister-in-law. There, DeMarco worked in radio news at WEIS.

#years #left

They'll spot a football for a counting game in Columbia in less than 10 days.Missouri football wrapped up its fall camp work this past weekend, and the Tigers are now moving on to gameweek preparations ahead of their season-opening matchup against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday, Sept. 3, on Faurot Field.
The Tigers' two-deep is more or less set at this point. The last remaining handful of position competitions have been ironed out, and we have a good idea of which players will play the most snaps in 2026.
We're almost done with the offseason. At the time of this publishing, nine days remain until Mizzou's players — some of whom have forced their way into the rotation with strong fall camps — return to action.
Here are seven Mizzou players whose stock has gone up in the past handful of weeks:
Mizzou has a lot of strong options at its two linebacker positions this year.

#mizzou #strong

August is here, which means football is near.
Florida A&M has an action-packed 2026 schedule, featuring the newly hired head coach and the school's Hall of Fame quarterback, Quinn Fordham Gray Sr.
The 12-game slate includes old foes such as South Carolina State, the defending Black College Football National Champions, in Miami's Orange Blossom Classic and the Rattlers' former Atlanta Classic rival, Tennessee State, for out-of-conference games.
The Rattlers will also look to play spoiler against top Southwestern Athletic Conference teams, Alabama State and Jackson State, who are hosting FAMU for their homecoming games. FAMU's own homecoming will be against Arkansas-Pine Bluff
And Orlando's Florida Classic is not to be forgotten as FAMU seeks revenge against Bethune-Cookman after a last-second loss in 2025 in one of the oldest rivalries in football.

#classic #games #august

The tax man is coming for ETFs… eventually. This week's ETF Zoo digs into the recent action from the Treasury looking into newer ETF structures that include box spreads and 351 exchanges, what Goldman Sach's acquisition of NEOS says about the broader options income category, and why the struggling consumer matters less and less to markets. ETF.com hosts Dave Nadig, President and Director of Research, and Sumit Roy, Senior ETF ***** yst, are joined this week by Brent Sullivan, Editor of Tax Alpha Insider and Todd Sohn, Chief ETF Strategist at Baird Strategas.
You can also find this episode on our YouTube channel, as well as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Goldman Sachs just dropped $2.3 billion on NEOS, its second major ETF acquisition after Innovator, vaulting the bank into the top ten issuers with roughly $130 billion on platform. The Zoo crew believes it's a straight-up bet on retiring boomers hungry for income and downside protection. But the real intrigue is under the hood, where NEOS's covered-call funds lean heavily on return-of-capital distributions (untaxed, tax-efficient income) via 1256 contracts, a structure that's genuinely different from rivals like JEPI/JEPQ. While they're great products, tune in to find out what concerns the crew had.
From there the conversation zooms out to the bigger income-obsession story eating the market. Options income ETFs are going parabolic even as the S&P grinds higher and 30-year Treasury yields sit near multi-decade highs. Todd Sohn's theory: these products are quietly stealing market share from boring old dividend ETFs, especially with younger investors looking to add something more dynamic to their portfolios. Meanwhile, there's something strange happening in the market. Consumer stocks have practically vanished from index influence, with tech (and AI subscriptions) soaking up the wallet share that used to go to staples and discretionary names. Equal-weight and small-/mid-cap stocks are having a surprise moment, potentially riding the AI wave's downstream productivity gains rather than getting crushed by it.
The back half got spicier on taxes: Brent Sullivan previewed a coming reckoning as Treasury scrutinizes aggressive structures, including 351 exchanges, box spreads, dividend-avoidance ETFs. When the cards are on the table, we'll find out who's been bluffing. He expects enforcement to start with the most public, most obviously aggressive cases, though a timeline is anyone's guess. The group also piled on a Bloomberg feature that used Cliff Asness as the poster child for tax-aware long/short strategies, finding a strange scapegoat in Asness and the criticism unnecessarily pointed. Things then close on a cautionary tale of a Market Wizards-famous manager's ETF that's down a brutal 96-97% year-to-date after leaning into short-dated QQQ options. Investors would do well to remember that in this corner of the ETF world, someone's always selling you something.

#etfs #market #neos #brent

Denny Hamlin's brake situation at Iowa Speedway appeared so dire on Sunday prior to the race that he effectively forced NASCAR to call his bluff.
Hamlin, alongside fellow Toyota alliance stablemates Chase Briscoe, Riley Herbst and Bubba Wallace, each spent extended time in the garage to make pre-race changes. Those changes were detailed in the stories below.
Read Also:
What was the deal with Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe's Iowa brakes?
JGR and 23XI scramble as Toyota battles brake issues at Iowa

#brake #race

While talking season is in full swing, only 40 days remain before the preseason predictions cease and SEC football officially begins.
Five head coaches in the league are set to make their debuts with their new respective squads, as they attempt to usher in a new era by rebuilding and revamping. Others, like Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby and South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer, are on the hot seat if they can't turn things around and improve from last season's efforts.
Outside of coaching headlines, major quarterback battles are occurring at Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama, as they look to find their starter for the upcoming campaign. Meanwhile, established gunslingers like Trinidad Chambliss and Arch Manning are looking to exceed expectations and bring hardware to the SEC once again.
That's just a small glimpse of all the storylines set to unfold in a few short weeks. The time for talking is almost over, with Missouri opening the season for the SEC against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on September 3.
Based on talent, coaching staff and scheduling, here are my predictions of where each SEC team will finish the 2026-27 season:

#head #predictions #like

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Two-time champion Jerry Kelly shot a 5-under 65 on Thursday at Firestone Country Club to take the first-round lead in the Kaulig Companies Championship, a stroke ahead of Darren Clarke and Mike Weir.
The 59-year-old Kelly has 13 victories on the PGA Tour Champions, winning the major championship in 2020 and 2022 on the South Course.
“I love a tree-lined golf course. It’s what I grew up on up in Wisconsin at Maple Bluff Country Club,” Kelly said. “It gives me a visual, that’s why I’ve always been able to shape it both ways because I’ve had to shape it with the size of the trees that we have out there. So it’s very similar to home, just a lot longer.”
Clarke was six senior victories. He's 57.
“Anytime you shoot under par at Firestone is a pretty good day,” Clarke said. “I managed to shoot 4 today. Got to keep on swinging the way I am and hopefully give myself more chances.”

The Tennessee Sports Writers ******* ociation boys and girls all-state teams have been released for the 2026 TSSAA track and field season.
Pole Vault: Tyler Bailey, Happy Valley, Sr.; Jullian Pate, Happy Valley, Sr.; Elijah Spence, Gatlinburg-Pittman, Sr.
Long Jump: Adrian Crawford, Union City, Sr.; Dayon Cooper, South Pittsburg, Jr.; Jackson Savarese, Gatlinburg-Pittman, Jr.
Triple Jump: Miles Helton, Memphis Middle College, Jr.; Kohl Ward, Tyner Academy, Jr.; Stephen Saulter, Pearl-Cohn, Jr.
High Jump: Adrian Crawford, Union City, Sr.; Miles Helton, Memphis Middle College, Jr.; Kamron Mitchell, Bluff City, Sr.

The Tennessee Sports Writers ******* ociation boys and girls all-state teams have been released for the 2026 TSSAA track and field season.
Pole Vault: Tyler Bailey, Happy Valley, Sr.; Jullian Pate, Happy Valley, Sr.; Elijah Spence, Gatlinburg-Pittman, Sr.
Long Jump: Adrian Crawford, Union City, Sr.; Dayon Cooper, South Pittsburg, Jr.; Jackson Savarese, Gatlinburg-Pittman, Jr.
Triple Jump: Miles Helton, Memphis Middle College, Jr.; Kohl Ward, Tyner Academy, Jr.; Stephen Saulter, Pearl-Cohn, Jr.
High Jump: Adrian Crawford, Union City, Sr.; Miles Helton, Memphis Middle College, Jr.; Kamron Mitchell, Bluff City, Sr.

Bill Belichick and UNC football signed a top-20 recruiting class ahead of the 2026 season, bringing in a group of nearly 40 players to aid the Tar Heels' hopes of a turnaround.
After posting a 4-8 record in 2025, UNC loaded up on the high school recruiting trail with players Belichick said "will be the foundation for our program" moving forward.
As of July 1, the Tar Heels have 17 commits in the 2027 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 46 according to 247Sports. Wide receiver Amare Patterson from Bluffton, S.C., is currently the only four-star recruit in the group.
Here's a look at the high school football players committed to join Belichick and UNC ahead of the 2027 season.
Amare Patterson, WR, Bluffton (S.C.)

Celtics Reportedly Want To Move Jaylen Brown 'Soon' originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Celtics are reportedly open to trading Jaylen Brown, and plenty of teams are showing interest in the 2024 Finals MVP.
The Celtics reportedly tried trading Brown for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but failed. However, in the aftermath of that, other teams started making calls on Brown. Although Brad Stevens expressed confidence in Brown and Jayson Tatum as a duo, he left the door open for Brown to be traded during a press conference on June 23.
The Celtics are still taking calls and getting a better idea of what his trade value is. He is under contract for three more seasons and is extension-eligible. There is reportedly some belief that the Celtics are bluffing, but ESPN's Vincent Goodwill reports that the Celtics want to make a move on him "soon."
"Execs believe the Celtics are canvassing the league to figure out what Brown's true value is, as he has three years left on his contract," wrote Goodwill on Monday. "There's a small pocket of execs and agents who believe the Celtics are bluffing with Brown, but the prevailing thought is they want to move on this -- soon."

DANA POINT, Calif. — Mauricio Pochettino is sitting in his makeshift office at the U.S. World Cup team's hotel, the French doors opened to a patio overlooking the sun stubbornly dipping over the Pacific.
Four lemons sit in a bowl, a practice the 54-year-old Argentine believes absorbs negative energy. An unused surfboard leans in the corner, decorated in ocean-themed designs by the hotel's executive sous chef, who is also an artist.
Down the bluff and in the blue water, surfers are catching the day's last waves before darkness descends. Even the seagulls seem happy.
This isn't heaven, but it's just around the corner from it.
Pochettino's 20-month coaching project is also in a state of bliss. His U.S. squad began the World Cup with two impressive victories and clinched first place in Group D with one match to spare. The Americans will play winless Turkiye on Thursday at SoFi Stadium before facing a third-place team in the round of 32 on July 1 in Santa Clara, California.

It's time to vote for the fan choice Gadsden area High school golfer of the year.
The Gadsden Times All-area team was announced Wednesday, June 10 with Hokes Bluff's Makayla Bearden earning the top girls honor and Fort Payne's JP Groat earning the top boys honor Now we are turning the vote over to you.
The nominees are coming from the all area nominations from around Northeast Alabama. There are 38 nominees from across the area.
The poll expires Monday, May 22 at noon CT. You can vote once a day.

Legendary Washington coach Joe Gibbs remembers Monte Coleman

While the NFL world has focused on the 2026 NFL Draft this week, it's been a difficult few days for the Washington Commanders. On Sunday, Washington lost a franchise legend when former linebacker Monte Coleman died. He was 68.
An 11th-round pick back in the 1979 NFL Draft, Coleman would go on to play 16 NFL seasons — all with the Redskins. He played on four Super Bowl teams and was a three-time Super Bowl champion. Coleman wasn't just on those teams; he was a key defender for years. Coleman was one of the NFL's most athletic linebackers throughout his career. That type of skill set would make him valuable in today's NFL.
The loss of Coleman has impacted Washington fans and several legendary former Redskins. Tributes have poured in for Coleman, including from Commanders Wire. It's almost impossible to encapsulate what Coleman meant to many of his former teammates, coaches and the fans. Not only was Coleman a terrific player, but an honorable man.
On Wednesday, Hall of Fame Washington coach Joe Gibbs weighed in on Coleman's passing.
"Monte meant so much to the Washington community," Gibbs wrote. "He was a fan favorite. He played his entire 16-year career with us, and only Darrell (Green) played in more games in franchise history. He was a key part of all our Super Bowl teams. He was really respected by his teammates, leading by example through his preparation and his workout routines. He really had a tremendous work ethic. He applied all those same qualities into his coaching at University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. But more impressive than all of that is the type of person that Monte was. He truly was well liked by everyone he came into contact with. We are praying for his wife, Yvette, and his children."

https://commanderswire.usa...

Scientists have sequenced the oldest-ever RNA from a 39,000-year-old woolly mammoth named Yuka, whose remains were found frozen on a bluff in northeastern Siberia.

The research opens a new window on past life.