Why Phillies No. 4 and No. 5 starters are 'X-Factors' in NL East postseason hunt originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Philadelphia Phillies have won seven games in a row entering play on Saturday, August 22, and there is some significant optimism about the team.
But to make not only a push for the postseason in general, but maybe even steal the National League East from the Atlanta Braves, they're going to need two players to really step up down the stretch.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic highlighted two players who are the Phillies' "X-Factors" this season. They are No. 4 and No. 5 starters Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter. The reason why is very simple: if they're good, this rotation might be unbeatable.
"If the Phillies are going to hold on to win a wild-card berth, they're going to have to win more games started by Nola and Painter," Bowden writes. "The Phillies are just 3-7 in Nola's last 10 starts and are 3-13 in Painter's last 16 starts. If they can just win half the games that duo starts, there is no doubt the Phillies can punch their ticket to the playoffs."

#starts #bowden #nola

Florida State and the National Football Foundation will honor Peter Warrick and his recent induction into the College Football Hall of Fame during the Seminoles' Oct. 31 game against Clemson at Doak Campbell Stadium.
It's part of the NFF's On Campus Hall of Fame salute. Each electee returns to his respective school to accept an NFF Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution, and it gives the home crowd an opportunity to recognize the player.
Warrick was one of the most dynamic players not only in FSU history, but in college football. He played from 1996-99 after redshirting in 1995 and was a two-time consensus All-American. He holds the FSU record for career receiving touchdowns with 32, and he compiled a 45-4 overall record during his time in Tallahassee.
A 1999 National Champion, Warrick's 3,517 career receiving yards were the most in ACC history and ranked second on FSU's all-time list. He also ranked second in program history with 207 receptions, 15 100-yard receiving games and an average of 4.81 receptions per game.
Announced in January as FSU's 12th Hall of Fame electee. He joins his former head coach Bobby Bowden (inducted in 2006) and teammate Warrick Dunn (2024) in the College Football Hall of Fame. FSU's other inductees include Marvin Jones (2022), Terrell Buckley (2019), Derrick Brooks (2016), Deion Sanders (2011), Ron Simmons (2009), Charlie Ward (2006), head coach Darrell Mudra (2000), Fred Biletnikoff (1991) and Ron Sellers (1988).

#history #game

It's so hard to consistently win college football games, especially in an age of mega-conferences, talent spread out everywhere, and the pressure of everything possibly collapsing with a small losing streak.

Some schools, though, aren't supposed to lose. They're expected to be college football superpowers with national ***** le dreams to make their respective rabid fan bases happy, and it's a problem when they're not.

Continuing with our 26 for 2026 series, here are the five programs under the most pressure - actually, it's the four powerhouse schools that need to win, and another new FBS member that has the world on its shoulders, but in a different way.
26: Winningest Programs Yet To Make the CFP
25: ACC Key Questions
24: Big 12 Key Questions
23: Big Ten Key Questions
22: Top 2027 NFL Draft Prospects
21: SEC Key Questions
20: What's Next in Realignment?
19. Ranking all 30 New Head Coaches
18. Who Has the Easiest Schedules?
17. Who Has the Hardest Schedules?
16. Who Might Be the Next Indiana?
15. Group of Six Teams with Best CFP Shot
14. 5 Teams Headed For a Letdown
This had better freaking work.

This is either going to be a trailblazing moment that changes how college sports operate, or it's a massive misfire that will turn into a huge financial loss for the university.

Sacramento State is paying a total of $23 million over five years to be part of the MAC. Not only that, but it has to pay for teams to travel to Sacramento, and even wilder, the school doesn't get anything from the media rights deals.

This is strictly a move to raise the profile of the school. Considering the lack of out-of-state students - under 5% - the faster the football team can generate interest, the sooner this might work.
- Sacramento State 2026 Team Preview
Florida State was among the consistently great football powerhouses for close to two decades under Bobby Bowden. Jimbo Fisher revived the brand name and the program in the mid-2010s, but he left for Texas A&M after the 2017 season.

Since then, the Seminoles have suffered through six losing seasons in eight years - FSU went from 1977 to 2018 without a losing campaign, and has just 16 losing seasons in 77 years of playing college football.

Miami almost won the national ***** le last season, Florida has the new-coach energy with Jon Sumrall taking over, and after going 7-17 over the last two seasons, this is when Florida State needs to take a big step to reestablish itself as a Sunshine State school that can win big again.
- Florida State 2026 Team Preview
The Volunteers need more of a tweak than a total overhaul.

There isn't anything disastrously wrong, but the national ***** le season of 1998 is now close to three decades ago. For a football-mad school with all the will and resources to win big, it could use a huge season to show that it's not far away from taking that one extra step.

#Florida #school #teams

Reds blasted by ex-MLB GM for 'very disappointing' trade deadline originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Cincinnati Reds had one of the quieter trade deadlines of any team around Major League Baseball. Only the Athletics can compare with how lackluster their deadline was.
While other teams bought and sold at the deadline, the Reds really didn't do a whole lot. After not really upgrading the team nor selling off all their expiring ***** ets, the deadline came and went for the Reds with some clear, underwhelming results.
But, after the deadline passed, former MLB GM Jim Bowden for The Athletic blasted the Reds organization, calling them out for a "very disappointing" deadline that the Reds punted away for no good reason.
"Worst job of standing pat: Cincinnati Reds. The Reds didn't buy and didn't sell; they just punted," Bowden writes. "An organization that had so many needs at the major-league level wasn't able to add anything to help this year's team, nor improve it for future years. Very disappointing."

#reds #team #didn 't

How Cubs inadvertently helped Dodgers trade for Tarik Skubal originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Chicago Cubs' path to the World Series just got a lot harder this season, as their top competition, the Los Angeles Dodgers, acquired Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers.
It was a blockbuster trade, and one that, while shocking, wasn't a total surprise given how strong the link between Skubal and the Dodgers was. But, from the Cubs' perspective, this trade is a bad one for a few reasons.
Obviously, their road to the World Series is more challenging, but as Jim Bowden of The Athletic highlighted, the Cubs actually helped the Dodgers land Skubal. But, how? It's simple: the top prospect the Dodgers gave up for Skubal initially came from the Cubs.
"So the Dodgers acquired Zyhir Hope from the Cubs for Michael Busch and River Ryan from the Padres for Meatt Beatty and drafted Brady Smith in the 3rd round of '23 and turned them into Tarik Skubal. Got it," Bowden writes.

#Dodgers

The Chargers signed long snapper Peter Bowden on Tuesday.
we’ve signed LS peter bowden + released G ben cleveland
The signing comes after the team announced that they released veteran offensive guard Ben Cleveland.
The NFL's transaction report showed that the Chargers released Cleveland on Monday; however, they shared the news via X for the first time on Tuesday.
Bowden, 25, will enter his second stint with the Chargers. He finished the 2025 season with the Chargers before being waived in mid-May of this year.

#released

Mets 'most likely' trade deadline prediction would result in a fire sale originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Mets are having a nightmare 2026 season, as many of their best players have gotten hurt, with Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, along with Francisco Alvarez, Luis Robert Jr., and Jorge Polanco, all missing significant time.
While Nolan McLean has been good this season, overall, the Mets are a disaster. Now, the Mets are likely to be trade deadline sellers. The only question left is how far the Mets go.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic is predicting that the Mets are MLB's "most likely" team to conduct a fire sale this summer and tear this team down to the studs.
"I will go with the New York Mets as the team most likely to do the most selling at the trade deadline," Bowden writes.

#team

The New York Yankees' offense is missing some key bats right now, but their starting rotation is still one of the best in baseball.
Cam Schlittler, Max Fried and Gerrit Cole are an elite trio to have in a rotation. Carlos Rodón will return soon as well, but the Yankees may be interested in making the group even better. According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Detroit Tigers are "super close" to making Tarik Skubal available, and MLB insider Jim Bowden has been told the Yankees would pursue him.
"If the Tigers were to trade Tarik Skubal, (the Yankees) will play there," Bowden said on the Foul Territory Network.
A rotation featuring Skubal, Schlittler, Fried and Cole would be a nightmare for any team in a postseason series. Pair that with a healthy offense that has Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton, and the Yankees are favorites in the American League.
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#schlittler #fried

Cubs linked to Giants 3.33 ERA lefty as 'perfect' trade target by ex-MLB GM originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
With the MLB trade deadline under two weeks away, the Chicago Cubs need to figure out who they should pursue to upgrade their rotation and bullpen.
There are some obvious options, like Tarik Skubal and Mason Miller, but both will be expensive. Instead, the Cubs could look elsewhere for more realistic trade targets who would still be huge upgrades.
Former MLB GM Jim Bowden of The Athletic identified San Francisco Giants left-handed Robbie Rays as the team's "perfect" trade target this summer to upgrade the starting rotation.
"The Cubs need to keep trying to upgrade their rotation," Bowden writes. "Ray will be a free agent this offseason and would be a solid get for Chicago."

#upgrade

Football might not be the first sport that comes to mind when the ACC is mentioned. But while the conference is perhaps more closely identified with basketball, most league members can point to some level of gridiron success over their lengthy histories. Florida State and Clemson combined for three national ******* les in the 2010s. Miami had major success before joining the league and made the College Football Playoff championship game last season.
Some have enjoyed more than others, of course, which is where we come in with this exercise. Any effort to rank programs will be somewhat arbitrary, depending upon which factors a particular pundit chooses to emphasize. As such, this list will almost certainly spark disagreement. But fans love debates almost as much as they like watching the games themselves.
So with all that out of the way, here's our attempt to rank the football programs of the ACC from 1 through 17.
To paraphrase a mantra from another league, football just means more at Clemson among the ACC's founders. The Tigers' return to national prominence in the 2010s with two national ******* les under Dabo Swinney is just a small part of the program's rich legacy that includes 24 conference ******* les and nearly 800 wins.
FSU does not have the century-plus history of other schools in the region, having a football program that only dates to 1954. But legendary coach Bobby Bowden built the program into a household name, and the Seminoles' invitation to join the ACC in 1992 proved mutually beneficial to both institution and conference, elevating the league's profile in the sport while keeping FSU competitive in the national conversation.

Mariners linked to 'one big trade' for two Mets veterans that would be a terrible idea originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Seattle Mariners are trying to win the AL West and make a push for the World Series in 2026. This team has great potential, but they could use a bit more help at the 2026 MLB trade deadline.
While there are some needs on the team, two stick out as the ones the Mariners should address this summer: a high-leverage reliever and a right-handed hitter.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic identified those two as the Mariners' biggest needs, but also linked them to a trade idea with the New York Mets involving veterans Jorge Polanco and Huascar Brazoban that would be a terrible idea for Seattle this summer.
"Best fit: Jorge Polanco, DH/1B, and Huascar Brazoban, RHP, New York Mets," Bowden writes. "Securing a reunion with Polanco, who is currently on rehab ******* ignment with the Mets, and acquiring right-handed reliever Huascar Brazoban in one big trade would be a strong move for Seattle."

Pirates get Aroldis Chapman trade update that includes Mets' 1.95 ERA reliever originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a chance to break an extended postseason drought that dates back to 2015.
To accomplish the feat, they may need to add another arm or two to their bullpen.
The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote Monday that could be the Pirates' main focus as the trade deadline nears.
"The Pirates are concentrating on improving their run prevention, specifically by beefing up the bullpen with a difference-making back-end reliever," Bowden wrote.

The Jacksonville Jaguars experienced a massive culture shift under head coach Liam Coen's leadership, and has largely been praised by current and former players alike. While some of the coaching staff was retained, there were numerous new hires to help usher in the change last offseason.
This includes Edgar Bennett, hired as the Jaguars' wide receivers coach after coaching the same position for the Las Vegas Raiders since 2018. He had previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Bennett's path to becoming a wide receivers coach may seem unusual, given that he was a running back in college and in the NFL, where he most notably won a Super Bowl playing with the Packers in 1996.
After his playing career ended, he began coaching, and in 2005, switched from a running backs coach to a wide receivers coach under Mike McCarthy, and never looked back. With his experience as both an NFL player and coach, Bennett has spent decades around winning organizations, and recognizes many of the same team-first principles in the culture Coen is building.
"I think in my journey, I think it all kind of helps me become the person that I want to continue to grow to be," Bennett said. "And I think I did play an important role because I know the mindset going back there is no different than the mindset here with Coach Coen. I mean, it's all about being a good teammate and putting your team first.
Bennett continued, "And our receivers here, they have that mindset where we got to block. If you want the rock, as they say, you got to block, you got to do your part, being a good teammate. And it dates back to, like I said, maybe during the days of Coach Bowden until the current right now, here and now with the Jags. And so I'm excited that Coach gave me this opportunity to be a part of something special. And his philosophy, his ability to set the culture here and make it about guys understanding why Jags help Jags and the culture here is just phenomenal."

Red Sox have 'open-minded' trade deadline objective originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox have been one of the worst offensive teams in the Majors this season, sporting a .695 OPS as of Thursday morning.
That ranks 25th in baseball and is a significant reason for their struggles in 2026. Willson Contreras leads the club with 16 home runs, and Jarren Duran is the only other hitter with more than 10.
The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote Thursday that the Red Sox will look for offensive upgrades at the trade deadline, but there's a catch.
"The Red Sox are looking for offense in all of their trade discussions at this point and are open-minded in terms of what they have to deal," Bowden wrote.

Astros' 3X Gold Glove first baseman is 'perfect fit' for Guardians originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Cleveland Guardians will be without an MVP-caliber hitter for several weeks.
Third baseman Jose Ramirez underwent surgery to repair a broken hamate bone. Ramirez is the clear leader of Cleveland's offense. Who will step up in his absence?
The Guardians could also search for offensive upgrades at the trade deadline. The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote Thursday that the front office will also look to add at least one power bat.
"The Guardians ideally need another impact power bat with first base or designated hitter the most logical spots," Bowden wrote. "If the Astros decide to trade first baseman Christian Walker, Cleveland would be the perfect fit in a deal."

Cubs reveal 'top priority' for MLB trade deadline originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Chicago Cubs have a clear need for this season's trade deadline.
And the front office knows it.
The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote Thursday that the Cubs' "top priority" over the next month and change will be to add starting-pitching depth.
"The Cubs have made it clear to opposing front offices that trading for starting pitching is their top priority, and they’ve been making those calls and texts for weeks," Bowden wrote.

Pirates 'concentrating' on this area of their roster at MLB trade deadline originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been one of the best stories in baseball in 2026.
They spent the offseason improving their offense, adding impact bats like Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn.
Of course, the Pirates can beat anyone when Paul Skenes is on the mound. But there are areas of the roster the NL Central club would like to improve at this year's trade deadline.
"The Pirates are concentrating on improving their run prevention, and that includes improvements to both their defense and bullpen quality and depth," The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote Thursday.

This morning we look back at the time Georgia broke Auburn’s cheatin’ little hearts. Again.
The 1994 season will not go down as one of the highlights in the pantheon of Georgia Bulldog football. In many ways it was the epitome of the pre-Mark Richt era at Georgia. The Bulldogs began the season by beating South Carolina and getting waxed by Tennessee. Ray Goff’s Dawgs beat Ole Miss, but then lost a one point game on the road at #11 Alabama.
And that, as they say, is when the ship hit the sand. After beating Clemson the Red and Black found a way to lose at home by two touchdowns to Vanderbilt. Then they went down to Gainesville and. in their only post-WWII appearance in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, took an absolute shellacking at the hands of the Florida Gators, 52-14.
And so it was a battered, bruised, and rightfully unranked Bulldog team that limped into Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 12, 1994 to take on Terry Bowden’s undefeated and #3 ranked Auburn Tigers.
True to expectation the Tigers jumped out to a 23-9 lead and appeared set to cruise to victory before heading into a top five Iron Bowl showdown with Alabama. Then the strangest thing happened: the Athenians decided to wake up and play ball. Cornerback (and future tailback) Robert Edwards picked off Plainsmen QB Patrick Nix to stall the Tiger offense. Then this happened:

Two top seeds won openers and a third didn't during the 2026 South Dakota State High School Softball Tournaments on Thursday, June 4 at Aberdeen and Sioux Falls.
In Class B, No. 1 seed Castlewood (19-4) advanced with a 7-3 opening-round win over No. 8 Freeman-Marion/Freeman Academy at the Players Softball Complex in Aberdeen.
SODAK 16 SOFTBALL: Castlewood, Florence-Henry, Redfield & Sioux Valley softball teams qualify for state
In the Class AA tourney at Augustana University's Bowden Field in Sioux Falls, No. 1 Sioux Falls Jefferson improved to 21-0 with 3-0 win over No. 9 Sioux Falls Lincoln.
In the Class A tourney, which is also being played at the Players Softball Complex in Aberdeen, No. 8 Elk Point-Jefferson (10-6) knocked off No. 1 Madison 3-1.