CLEVELAND (AP) — Geraldo Perdomo and Gabriel Moreno had back-to-back RBI singles off Erik Sabrowski in a four-run eighth inning, lifting the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 4-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night.
Ketel Marte also singled home a run in the eighth as the Diamondbacks won their third straight game and moved into sole possession of the second wild-card spot in the National League. Arizona, which didn't advance a runner past second base in the first seven innings, is an NL-best 13-5 since July 9.
Jonathan Loaisiga (3-3) pitched a scoreless seventh for the win. Brandyn Garcia worked the ninth for his third save, wrapping up a combined three-hitter that began with rookie Mitch Bratt throwing five innings.
Guardians starter Tanner Bibee (4-11) allowed two runs and three hits in 7 1/3 innings. Sabrowski entered with two runners aboard and issued a walk to Corbin Carroll before Perdomo and Moreno both delivered.
Carroll scored on Moreno's base hit when right fielder Angel Martínez committed a fielding error.

#moreno #diamondbacks

From an unbiased point of view, there really was no reason for Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to have the best season of his career in 2025. The MVP winner was clearly the NFL's best quarterback and decision-maker, but he entered the season with a schedule that put him against the league's top defenses, while being 37 years old with a back issue that forced him to miss training camp and almost put him on injured reserve to start the season.
Despite those looming hurdles, Stafford was simply brilliant, leading the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns. A primary reason is the players around him. While star receivers Davante Adams and Puka Nacua continue to dominate headlines, the Rams' offensive line has quietly been one of the league's best, which comes as a surprise due to how it was ******* embled.
Recently, Stafford spoke on The Athletic Football Show about a variety of topics, with the quarterback praising his line's ability to pick up pressure, especially on blitzes.
"You can't do anything if you're not protected and you got to find ways to get those protections done," Stafford said. "There was a great play—a great job of communicating from our entire group up front—relaying a call out, getting a back out in Carolina.
"I hit Davante on my left on like an in-cut versus a crazy overload blitz that we did a great job using the cadence. We got it shown, we flipped over the whole [protection], slid the line, did the whole thing, and it takes everybody. You know, that's what you realize. You can't sit there and go, 'Man, Matthew, great throw.' I was like, 'Yeah, well, I was able to stand in there and throw it.'"

#great #quarterback #season #matthew

WASHINGTON (AP) — Shakira Austin scored a season-high 28 points and had 10 rebounds, Kiki Iriafen added 22 points and nine rebounds and the Washington Mystics beat the Dallas Wings 81-75 on Friday night.
Washington (16-12) has won four straight for the first time since September 2020.
Cotie McMahon made Washington's final field goal with 2:50 remaining in the fourth quarter for a 71-68 lead. Then, the Mystics closed it out by going 10 of 10 at the free-throw line.
Sonia Citron finished with 16 points for Washington despite going 3 of 18 from the field. Citron went 10 of 10 at the free-throw line, while Dallas only attempted 13.
Paige Bueckers led Dallas (18-11) with 23 points. Arike Ogunbowale scored 14 of her 20 points in the first half. The Wings have lost three of their last four games.

#mystics #citron #rebounds

The Rays entered Friday's game with a three-game lead in the AL East, after the Yankees beat the Cubs in an afternoon affair at Wrigley Field, By the end of Friday's game, which saw the division lead cut to 2.5, the last completed trade was AJ Minter to the Twins. There is now less than three days until Monday's 6 pm deadline.
Nick Martinez took the mound for the Rays, and it wasn't a night to remember for the All-Star pitcher. He gave up six runs over six innings, all of them coming on four White Sox home runs. It's a scary thought to think about Martinez, who doesn't have overpowering stuff, facing teams like this in a postseason setting. There's still time to bolster this rotation, Erik.
The one bright spot for the Rays on Friday night was Junior Caminero hitting his 30th home run of the season. He's on pace to reach the 40 mark for a second straight season.
Alex Cook, who replaced Shane McClanahan on the active roster, made his Major League debut, pitching the seventh and eighth innings. Cook walked a pair and didn't record any strikeouts, but kept the White Sox off the board in his two innings of work. He leaned on his fastball, throwing it 76% of the time, occasionally mixing in a slider and changeup.
In Durham this season, Cook has thrown 33.1 innings with a 3.78 ERA.

#rays #martinez

This is about where we sat. But we weren’t looking through a fish-eye lens.
Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images
Tonight's Mariners starter is RHP Bryce Miller, who was promising in his rookie season, stellar in 2024, struggled with control last year and is stellar again this year. Turns out he was playing through elbow inflammation most of last season, and his arm's good now. He throws a 96-ish fastball, a split and a slider; all of which are well above-average pitches. He mixes in a handful of other things too just to eff with you.
Apparently in 2024 he did regular "social media" posts about a tagged shark and the places it swam. They looked like this because all of the world watches gunky-looking videos now:
The Twins playing in Seattle brings back a lot of memories, some good, some bad. We'll start with a bad one.

#stellar #otto

The SEC generally, and Georgia's schedule specifically is absolutely full of elite players. Along with the other preview series we're running here at Dawg Sports as fall practice looms, I thought it would be instructive to look at the ten best players the Red and Black will see this season. We begin with a Vandy defensive back who's going to have a lot on his shoulders this year.

Martel Hight, CB, Vanderbilt (vs. Vanderbilt, Oct. 3)
With Diego Pavia gone to the NFL, Vanderbilt's defense becomes the more proven side of the ball, and Hight is its anchor. In 2025 he led the SEC in interceptions among defensive players, finishing with four picks and 35 tackles despite Vanderbilt not placing any defenders on the All-SEC teams.
Hight has been a steady piece of the Vanderbilt secondary since his true freshman year, when he played in all 12 games and accounted for 38 tackles and an interception. As a sophomore he added 33 tackles, two interceptions, four passes defended, and a forced fumble, while also handling return duties. He was chosen to represent the program at SEC Media Days entering his senior season, a sign of the trust the staff has in his leadership as the Commodores transition to a new quarterback.
In 2025 the Commodore staff gave Hight a look at receiver, where he'd been a standout in high school. The move made sense with Diego Pavia at QB but question marks surrounding Vandy's receiving corps. Getting Hight, among the best athletes on the roster, more snaps to be explosiive made sense on paper.
On the field it was less of a winner. Hight was targeted just 11 times out of 55 offensive snaps, catching just 7 ***** and accounting for just 64 yards and no touchdowns. Hight played more than 10 offensive snaps in three of Vanderbilt's first four games, then never got that level of usage again. Just one throw went Hight's way after week four, as the staff seems to have realized his highest and best use is at corner.

#hight #vanderbilt #staff #pavia

Professional Fighters League (PFL) continues its Summer Series later TONIGHT (Fri., July 31, 2026) as PFL New York goes down from inside UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. Headlining the event will be a Lightweight ***** le fight as division kingpin, Usman Nurmagomedov, defends the strap against Archie Colgan.
Nurmagomedov (21-0) is looking to lock down his second-ever ***** le defense, with his first coming against Alfie Davis earlier this year, submitting him via triangle choke at PFL Dubai (see it again here). As for Colgan, he is undefeated (13-0) and is 2-0 under PFL's banner. Prior to that, Colgan had racked up a record of 7-0 under Bellator MMA's banner.
Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action, as the main card kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on the ESPN App and ESPN2. Feel free to leave a comment (or several) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it's always a lot of fun!
In the co-main event, striking superstar, Dakota Ditcheva, returns after a rare year-long layoff in an effort to improve on her mint record of (15-0, 10-0 PFL), taking on long-time combat veteran, Denise Kielholtz, in a women's Flyweight (cough, squash) match. The two were set to throw down at PFL Dubai earlier this year, but the bout had to be rescheduled after Ditcheva withdrew with an injury (more details here).
155 lbs.: Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Archie Colgan – Nurmagomedov wins via first-round knockout
125 lbs.: Dakota Ditcheva vs. Denise Kielholtz -Ditcheva wins via unanimous decision – HIGHLIGHTS!
155 lbs.: Amru Magomedov vs. Angel Alvarez – Magomedov wins via second round TKO
205 lbs.: Moustapha Diakhate vs. Zacharia Nishimwe – Diakhate via first-round TKO
135 lbs.: Raufeon Stots vs. Lazaro Dayron – Dayron wins via split-decision
135 lbs.: Sean Gauci vs. Alan Begosso – Gauci wins via unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Jonathan Piersma vs. Omar El Dafrawy – Dafrawy wins via unanimous decision
125 lbs.: Montana De La Rosa vs. Tatiana Postarnakova- Postarnakova wins via split-decision
155 lbs.: Chamy Delva vs. Levan Khabalaev – Khabalaev wins via first-round TKO

#decision

Kim Kardashian recently bonded with her sister Kourtney Kardashian's 14-year-old daughter, Penelope.
On Thursday, July 30, the Skims founder, 45, posted an Instagram carousel with photos from the family's trip to the lake, which included enjoying some time on the water with Penelope.
In the cover shot, the reality TV personality and the teenager sit on a paddleboard together, each holding an oar in one hand and throwing up a peace sign with their other hand. Kim donned a simple black bathing suit, black shades and wore a bandana in her hair. Meanwhile, Penelope sported a white bathing suit and left her brown hair down.
The All's Fair actress shared a video of her paddleboarding solo, showing off her skills. The mom of four — who shares North, 13, Saint, 10, Chicago, 8, and Psalm, 7, with ex-husband Kanye West — also included a selfie with Penelope and Chicago.
"lakemaxxing," Kim captioned her post.

#bathing

The New England Patriots wrapped up Day 6 of training camp practice on Friday with another impressive showing by the offense.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and company won the day through the air, even managing to finally push the ball downfield at points. It was an impressive showing when throwing into the teeth of one of the best secondary units in the NFL.
The ongoing training camp battles between star receiver A.J. Brown and cornerback Christian Gonzalez also continued to heat up on the field. In only two practices in pads, it's clear that the Patriots' offense has taken another step ahead of the 2026 season. Only time will tell how far that takes them.
Here were the eight standouts from Day 6:
It's crazy how quickly things can change. It was only a few days ago that people were worrying themselves over the shaky connection between A.J. Brown and Drake Maye.

#training

Tua Tagovailoa spoke Friday about his desire to keep bringing good vibes to the Atlanta Falcons as he addressed reporters during a training camp news conference. Throughout the 10-plus-minute media session, he beamed a smile.
Tagovailoa appeared relaxed, despite the fact that he's in the midst of a quarterback competition with Michael Penix Jr. and regardless of his recent injury. But Tagovailoa referred to the adage of focusing on controlling what you can control and noted that he believes the Falcons are holding him out of full practices out of precaution early in training camp.
That back tightness occurred sometime last week, according to the former Miami Dolphins signal-caller, who said the problem stems from a "flare up."
Both Tagovailoa and Penix were limited participants in Friday's practice. Tagovailoa, a 28-year-old one-time Pro Bowler coming off a six-season run with the Dolphins, took part in individual drills with other quarterbacks and completed a half-speed walkthrough with the offense late in practice, per ESPN, which reported that Tagovailoa didn't go through 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 sessions. Penix, a 26-year-old third-year pro still working his way back to 100% from a partially torn ACL that required season-ending surgery last year — his fifth season-ending injury in the span of eight seasons between his college and NFL careers — was in for individual drills and 7-on-7s on Friday, according to ESPN.
"I feel good," Tagovailoa said. "It feels good to be out there with the guys, be able to get some reps out there a bit, get some 1-on-1 reps, still be able to throw it to the guys."

#penix #good #dolphins

Before Matthew Stafford became one of the NFL's most dangerous downfield passers with the Los Angeles Rams, his game underwent a pivotal evolution with the Detroit Lions under former offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
Earlier in his career with the Lions, Stafford told The Athletic's Robert Mays that Detroit's offensive schemes prioritized horizontal efficiency to protect the quarterback. But when Bevell arrived in 2019, he completely altered Stafford's mindset regarding sack avoidance.
"In the offenses before that, sack avoidance was a huge thing and being efficient and all that," Stafford explained. "And the way that we did that in that offense was get the ball out of your hand fast. Let's get it underneath, let's try to catch and run... And I think when I played in Bev's offense, sack avoidance was, 'Hey, if it's not there, check it down.' Those were the things that kept the sticks moving rather than just calling things underneath and then every once in a while giving an opportunity to throw."
Stafford's yards per passing attempt increased by almost two years between his 2018 season in Jim Bob Cooter's offense and the 2019 season with Bevell. And while Stafford only spent two seasons with Bevell before his 2021 trade to the Rams, he averaged 8.0 yards per attempt versus 7.1 in the previous 10 seasons. Stafford also averaged 9.4 intended air yards per attept under Bevell after averaging just 6.9 under Cooter.
Bevell encouraged Stafford to push the ball downfield aggressively on unexpected downs, leveraging his elite arm strength to manipulate deep zone coverages. Stafford recalled a pivotal moment during a matchup against the Raiders in Oakland that exemplified this shift.

#downfield #pivotal

The first day of padded practice for the San Francisco 49ers also included the team's first fight of training camp.
The dustup was initiated when Fred Warner and tight end Jake Tonges got into a heated shoving match after a play according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. However, it was linebacker Dre Greenlaw and running back Christian McCaffrey who ignited the fuse for a scuffle.
Greenlaw, per the SF Standard's Lombardi, shoved McCaffrey to the ground after the veteran RB caught a pass. That led to McCaffrey throwing the ball at Greenlaw and shoving him back. While things were heated between the two veterans, nothing escalated beyond that shoving.
A few plays later it was Warner and Tonges mixing it up to with Colton McKivitz and Dre Greenlaw catalyzing a kerfuffle that eventually involved the entire roster, per Wagoner.
Typically these types of fights happen well into camp when players have spent several days in the heat hitting their own teammates during their on-field workouts. That the 49ers are already getting into it on the first day with pads on is a sign that their intensity level may be ratcheted up a little higher than normal.

#first #tonges #back

Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa spoke about the back issue that has limited him in practice this week for the first time on Friday.
Tagovailoa said at a press conference that he started feeling "just some tightness" in his back sometime last week and that led to the decision for him to sit out Wednesday's opening practice of training camp. Tagovailoa has done limited practice work the last couple of days and said that the current plan is to continue taking things slow because of where they are in the calendar.
"I think just right now, it's just a precaution thing early on in camp and then we'll work through that," Tagovailoa said. "I feel great right now. Like I said, it feels good to be out there with the guys, be able to throw, continue to hear the plays, get in the huddle with the guys. All of that."
Tagovailoa said this is the first time he's experienced the back issue and that he's done a lot of work in a pool with the training staff to relieve the tension he's been under.
As of now, there's no timetable for when Tagovailoa will move up to a full practice workload but there wasn't much sign of concern from him or head coach Kevin Stefanski about how long it will be until that time arrives.

#tagovailoa #limited

The San Francisco 49ers are putting the pads on in full for the first time on Friday. Defensive tackle Alfred Collins will take part, as he's recovered from shoulder surgery. Last Saturday, John Lynch anticipated Collins returning in the second window as long as Collins hit the markers he needed to return, which he apparently did.
The 49ers need Collins to take a second-year jump, especially with Mykel Williams still on the Active/PUP. Collins is a former top-50 pick. He was a dominant run defender as a rookie. That'll go a long way for the 49ers, who need to get to passing downs.
Still, with Garcen Halton dealing with a bone bruise, the interior pass rush took a hit. The 49ers could use Keion White in that role, but Collins needs to bring something to the table as a pass rusher. That was not a strength as a rookie.
He had a pressure rate under 4% and only batted one pass. If you're not going to push the pocket, at least get your hand up in a throwing window. We'll see if Collins can change that in 2026.

#francisco

Welcome back to our weekly position breakdown series. We've already explored the quarterback situation. Now the spotlight shifts to a running back room that's been through one of the more dramatic offseasons of any position group on the roster. Old faces gone. A national-level newcomer arrived. The depth chart is essentially being redrawn from scratch.
For two seasons, Iowa's offense has been evolving under offensive coordinator Tim Lester. In year one, we expected to see a revolution and instead saw the same singular, run-first identity. Of course, at the time Iowa was handing the ball off to Kaleb Johnson en route to 1,537 yards (third-most in school history) and a program best 21 rushing touchdowns. Things were the same, but better.
Fast forward a year and once again, we expected a shift away from the run with the introduction of college football's all-time winningest QB in Mark Gronowski.
Again we were wrong, but again it was in perhaps the best imaginable way. Gronowski certainly did not light the world on fire throwing the ball and again Iowa was near the bottom of the country in virtually every passing stat. But the offense was vastly improved as Gronowski became an extension of the running game and set the Big Ten record for rushing TDs by a QB with 16.
Now, entering year three under Lester, the question is how the offense will evolve to fit the personnel the Hawkeyes have in 2026. The aforementioned Gronowski is off to the NFL, but Iowa returns loads of production in the RB room and one of their top incoming transfer portal additions comes to a position group that was already a strength for the offense.

#iowa #running

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer is coming off an inconsistent first season in Norman. Mateer joined the Sooners after a stellar season with the Washington State Cougars.
He was one of the most sought-after players in the portal before ultimately following offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to Norman. He got off to a great start, throwing for 1,215 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions, while rushing for 190 yards and five scores in the first four games. The Sooners went 4-0 in that stretch, and Mateer was one of the leaders for the Heisman Trophy.
Mateer would suffer an injury to his throwing hand in that fourth game. That would require him to wear a brace on his thumb the rest of the season. He struggled, throwing for 1,670 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions, while rushing for 241 yards and three scores in the final eight games of the season.
Despite those struggles down the stretch, ESPN's Paul Finebaum revealed he's a fan of Mateer.
"You know, (I) saw Mateer the other day, and I'm a fan," Finebaum said on WWLS The Sports Animal. "And if he can, you know, stay healthy, if (he) gets, you know, some protection and some weapons, which they didn't really have last year."

#season

ONE Championship is capping off a spectacular month with a pair of high-octane events at "The Madison Square Garden of the East."
The world's largest martial arts organization will broadcast The Inner Circle 24 and ONE Friday Fights 164 live in Asia primetime from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, this Friday, July 31.
In the headline attraction of The Inner Circle 24, which streams exclusively on live.onefc.com, Netflix's Physical: Asia star Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu will make his first ONE Bantamweight MMA World ****** le defense against undefeated challenger Elbek Alyshov.
Plus, 19-year-old sensations Johan "Jojo" Ghazali and Ramadan "The Scorpion" Ondash will put their friendship aside and throw down in a flyweight Muay Thai co-main event showdown.
Then, get ready for ONE Friday Fights 164. In the main event, surging Thai veteran Watcharaphon Laochokcharoen will go head-to-head with three-time ISKA Kickboxing World Champion Akram "La Pépite" Hamidi.

#thai

New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown is expected to move the needle for the team in 2026.
ESPN's Matt Bowen ranked Brown No. 2 overall in his annual ranking of the top impact signings, trades and draft picks of the year, in regards to the on-field impact that players are expected to have.
"The Patriots acquired Brown to give quarterback Drake Maye a true No. 1 target at every level of the route tree," Bowen said. "More specifically, Brown gives New England the chance to scheme more one-on-one throws on the perimeter."
Brown has the talent to produce for the Patriots in all three phases of the field. Stefon Diggs transformed New England's receiving game last season with the 1,000-yard season that he had. Brown has the potential to further that transformation in 2026 with electric play.
The Patriots are anticipated to be a stronger team in 2026 with Brown as their No. 1 receiver, whether as a high-volume target, in a leading role or with a workload in the ballpark of 100 or so targets.

#receiver #impact #field

Under former head coach Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M's wide receiver rotations struggled to find any consistency, no matter who was throwing the ball, and even after landing five-star Evan Stewart and four-star Noah Thomas in the historic 2022 recruiting class, injuries, a lack of development, and poor usage derailed both players' careers in College Station.
Stewart, who transferred to Oregon after the 2023 season, is currently a redshirt senior with the Ducks, while Noah Thomas transferred to Georgia after three seasons with the Aggies, appearing in 35 games and recording 73 receptions for 934 yards and 15 touchdowns, serving as A&M's starting X receiver during his final season, which was by far his most productive.
Why Thomas decided to transfer to Georgia is still surprising to this day, appearing in 10 games with the Bulldogs and recorded just 16 receptions for 264 yards and four touchdowns. Even after landing transfer wide receivers Mario Craver and KC Concepcion, Thomas would have still seen extensive playing time as the X receiver, especially after Jerome Myles' injury before the 2025 season.
The Aggies lacked size, which became an issue late in the year after starting 11-0, but after adding Alabama transfer WR Isaiah Horton this offseason, who is 6'4" and 215 pounds, A&M has likely solved its size issue, while Noah Thomas, who went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, is looking to stand out with the Cincinnati Bengals during NFL Training Camp.
On Thursday, Thomas made the "catch of the day," which was captured by local Bengals media, as the rookie's physicality and concentration were on full display, pulling down the catch against veteran cornerback D.J Ivey. Thomas certainly possesses the traits to make an NFL roster.

#receiver #aggies #bengals

July 31 (UPI) -- FIFA on Friday said it would proceed with consultations on its proposed private-investment plan after soccer's governing body in Europe voted to boycott all FIFA competition if the proposal remained under consideration.
"Nobody is selling football," FIFA said in a statement. "This is not something FIFA would ever entertain."
The international soccer community was thrown into turmoil Wednesday when FIFA announced that it was considering creating a FIFA Forward Enterprise subsidiary to house its commercial and event operations, including the World Cup.
FIFA said it would invite third parties "to make minority, non-controlling investments in FFE."
The response from the soccer world was swift, with the Union of European Football ***** ociations on Thursday saying it and its 55 member ***** ociations "unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA's proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors."

#World #associations #Soccer #Europe

We at Sherdog provide regular, in-depth preview coverage for allmajor events, including our oft-praised preview column along withour "Sheehan Show" handling all sorts of related matters includingbetting. With those official sources for picks handled, we wouldlike to take the edge off here and get a bit lighter with one finalbreakdown.

The industry of sports betting is exploding before our very eyes,with billions of dollars pumping in since legalization stateside.Oftentimes, those driving the lines are right on the money withtheir openings, valuations and ***** yses. Occasionally, they are wayoff, or otherwise merit some additional conversation. That is wherewe come in with this reinvigorated series of Prime Picks, where,swiping a line from game show host Sam Reich, we hold hands andjump into the abyss together for the Ultimate Fighting Championship's maiden voyageto Serbia on Saturday. Try it out.
JanBlachowicz (+260)
OR
MarcinTybura (+280)
Why Not Both Total: (+1268)

First off, we are not suggesting that one should go out on a limbfor both Blachowicz and Tybura, but rather that one should choosetheir poison. The most daring, optimistic bettors might be temptedto throw a few bucks on the flier, but we see that as just a way topad the betting company's bank account. One or the other, however,could pull off the upset as elder statesmen in their respectivedivisions of light heavyweight and heavyweight. The "fightinguncle" movement is still very much in play.

Having turned 43 in February, former champ Blachowicz isunquestionably on the tail end of his UFC career. The last time hewon a fight, GloverTeixeira held the belt in their weight class and future starPaddyPimblett just picked up his second win under the UFC banner.There is an age cliff that every athlete encounters, and thatincludes Yoel Romeroeven as he draws Darren Tillsoon without gloves on. With that gloom-and-doom surrounding thePolish vet's tenure out in the open, there are still ample ways hecan pick up the win. After all, if a top-10 BogdanGuskov—whom he drew with in December—is the worst loss he hassuffered in that stretch, who is to say how "washed" he is againstburgeoning talent?

Blachowicz is an equal opportunity finisher despite his reputationof "Polish Power," with that expectation looming so large that mostforget he posts an equal number of subs to knockouts. It has notbeen since 2018 that he landed one, and it is not the implicationthat he will put NavajoStirling in danger with offensive submission grappling, butrather that he has demonstrated a wherewithal in the field to addanother wrinkle to his game. Additionally, Blachowicz serves ***** neakily effective takedown artist, practically shutting downIsraelAdesanya in a performance that at the time seemed shockingwhile in hindsight might have been predictable. Blachowicz canspoil the record of the unbeaten upstart in a variety of ways, aslong as he does not keep his chin on the proverbial gunnery rangehoping to s

Meta's stock is tumbling as its AI bets wipe out most of its free cash flow.
One ******* yst said its latest AI rollouts feel like "throwing spaghetti on the wall."
Meta says its AI investments are accelerating its core business, and there's much more to come.
Meta's AI strategy is, once again, worrying investors.
The social media giant's stock tumbled 10% on Wednesday after it disclosed that its capital expenditure growth far outpaced revenue growth.

#tumbling #bets #flow

The Chicago Bears beat reporters were all pretty much in agreement in their praise for the offense on day two of training camp practice.
"Good day overall for the offense," shared Bear Reports' Zack Pearson, who had a nice recap thread about the day.
"Massive day for Luther Burden, he was the most targeted receiver on the field," wrote FOX32's Devan Kaney. "Caleb Williams looked great, completing the majority of his passes."
CHGO's Adam Hoge shared that it was "One of Caleb Williams' better practices. Well over 70% today. Only 4 incompletions all day in 7-on-7/team, and two were tipped at the line."
The Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs highlighted a "Nifty diving catch by Colston Loveland with LB Devin Bush in tight coverage for 20 yds in 11/11. Dart of a throw by CW."

#Chicago #caleb

Longtime Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) CEO Tim Cook will host his final earnings conference call after the bell on Thursday, July 30. While Cook was not the same type of innovator as his predecessor, Apple founder and legendary CEO Steve Jobs, he did a great job of nurturing Apple's core strengths. He will leave as Apple is the largest company in the world, with a market cap of $5 trillion. The question, though, is whether the stock is still a buy with him ready to depart.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
When Apple reports its fiscal third-quarter results, investors should expect much of the same. iPhone sales should be solid, with the company reportedly seeing a 3% increase in shipments during the quarter and gaining its highest-ever global market share at 20%, according to Centerpoint Research. This should then feed into its high-margin service revenue, which has consistently grown at a mid-teen rate.
Cook leaves Apple as having one of the best business models on the planet, making it easy for its next CEO to get off to a running start. The beauty of Apple is its closed ecosystem, which helps lock in customers. Once someone buys an iPhone, the cost of switching becomes increasingly difficult with each photo taken, subscription bought, and app downloaded. Users then become a part of Apple's huge service revenue machine. Apple is getting a high-margin revenue stream every time someone clicks on a search ad (as it gets a 36% revenue cut from Alphabet's Google), uses Apple Pay, buys cloud storage, or purchases a subscription or app.
Meanwhile, Apple just increased prices for several devices and certain service plans. This should be a nice revenue driver in the coming quarters after Cook leaves, giving incoming CEO John Ternus a solid revenue tailwind as he takes the reins. Ternus will also have time to execute a more comprehensive AI strategy for the company. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Cook's decision to sit back and not throw huge amounts of money into chasing AI models proves to be a smart one.

#revenue #signal #same

CINCINNATI (AP) — Elly De La Cruz scored on fielder's choice in the ninth inning to lift the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night in the opening game of a four-game series.
Cincinnati loaded the bases against Gregory Soto (5-3) with one out. Lowe grounded softly to second for a potential game-ending double play but beat the throw as De La Cruz scored easily. De La Cruz hit three doubles, stole two bases and had an RBI.
Emilio Pagan (3-1) got the win.
Pirates opener Yohan Ramírez pitched two scoreless innings allowing one hit with a walk and four strikeouts in his first career start after 208 relief appearances, the most by a Pirates pitcher before making a start.
The previous franchise mark was set by Michael Feliz who made his first start in 2019 after 156 relief appearances.

#cincinnati #pirates #bases #first

Muay Thai, a combat style with roots in close-quarter fighting from 7th Century Southeast Asia, has evolved over two millennia into a brutally effective means of self-defense. Today, it's often called "the Art of Eight Limbs." The wealth of diversity that started flourishing in Northern California in the wake of the Vietnam War meant that an array of Muay Thai masters were now living and teaching in cities from San Francisco to Stockton. Gyms fine-tuning the method's array of punches, kicks, knee-strikes and elbow-strikes have become plentiful enough – including in Northwest Nevada – that a robust competition circuit has become increasingly popular in the Sacramento Valley. On Saturday night, Hard Rock Live in Wheatland, working with World Fighting Championships and Rising Stars Muay Thai, will bring the first-ever, lightning-placed Muay Thai throw-down to the Yuba-Sutter Region.
The action starts at 7 p.m.
The night's main event is a championship match between Antonio Martinez (12-4) of Monster Muay Thai in Flagstaff, Arizona, and Eddie Abasolo (11-7) of Combat Sports Academy in Dublin, California. The winner will walk away with the WFC Professional Muay Thai Championship.
The co-main event will see undefeated Garrett Boyer (5-0) of Vital Force Muay Thai taking on Sacramento's Alberto Montano (11-2), with the victor getting crowned both the WFC Amateur Muay Thai Champion and Rising Stars Muay Thai Amateur Champion.
Organizers say the professional undercard features several compelling matchups, including Caley Scott (0-1) of Omni Movement taking on Sacramento's Cy Hanson (0-0) of Sit Thongsai, as well as undefeated Joe Kimbrough (4-0) of Black Flag Kickboxing facing hometown fighter Marcos Jimenez (1-0) of Collective Combat Academy.

#thai #amateur

Another day down, and the Colts second training camp practice of the season in as many days. Only this time around, we arguably saw a crisper Daniel Jones among other tidbits from the day:
Colts Day 2: Daniel Jones sharp.Opens 3/3 in team, 5/5 in 7 on 7,
Daniel Jones makes his first mistake of camp. Doesn’t see Austin Ajiake and throws it right to him. Would’ve been a pick 6.

Great pressure from Laiatu Latu on this play also.
Daniel Jones with a really nice thrown deep ball intended for Josh Downs. Excellent play by Justin Walley in coverage to break it up. Really nice to have him back healthy.

Remember he was a standout during last year’s Training Camp as a rookie before an injury. WTHRcom
DC Lou Anarumo on Justin Walley’s early impact in camp:

“Walley’s picked up where he left off from last year. You know, I’m a big Walley fan.” pic.twitter.com/Qbbx7HxH9p

#walley #justin

Jonah Tong is beginning to string together quality starts with Triple-A Syracuse.
The Mets right-hander pitched five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out seven batters Thursday night against Rochester.
It was a relatively easy night for Tong, who scattered every baserunner against him. The only inning where Rochester threatened to score was in the fourth when Tong gave up a leadoff double. Tong bounced back to strike out the next three batters.
As SNY's prospect writer Joe DeMayo points out, of Tong's 89 pitches (56 strikes) thrown, the right-hander generated 14 swing and misses and topped out at 97.9 mph.
Over Tong's last six starts, he's pitched to a 3.52 ERA with 32 strikeouts across 30.2 innings.

#tong #jonah

Most startups need a product, paying customers and a believable path to profitability before investors start throwing billions of dollars their way.
Safe Superintelligence (SSI) appears to need none of the above.
Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one
Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake — here's what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP
Millionaires under 43 hold only 25% of their wealth in stocks. Here's where their money is actually going

#need #jeff

CHICAGO — Ten years ago Scott Harris was the 29-year-old director of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs, doing whatever it took to win a championship.
That involved eating copious amounts of cake in the front-office suites at Wrigley Field, at the direction of his boss, then-Cubs President Theo Epstein.
As ESPN's Wright Thompson wrote: "Their world up there has its own set of rules and superstitions, and central to the canon is this: If the team needs offense, Theo makes Scott Harris, the director of baseball operations, take out a loaf of plain bread and start eating. When Harris eats carbs, the Cubs score. One game, when the White Sox were no-hitting them, Theo got an entire chocolate cake from the passing dessert cart on the suite level. Harris ate more than half of it and the Cubs won.
" 'Harris,' Theo says, taking a bag of bread and throwing it to Scott, knowing that the Cubs always need hot bats against the Cardinals. 'Just start eating.' "
Harris had his cake and ate it too.

#Baseball #operations