Sports Shop: Deals, Sales & Returns
08/27/2021By: Jeff Yoder
Happy Friday
The August grind is finally over and the weekend watch-list is packed again. From the Little League World Series finals to more PGA Playoffs and the unofficial start of the college football season, sports are back.
Letter Rip!
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SOCCER
Transfer Window Mega-Deals
Photo: Jean Catuffe / Getty Images
Real Madrid Closing in on Kylian Mbappe; Manchester City Nearing Deal With Cristiano Ronaldo
Europe’s soccer transfer window is drawing to a close (Aug. 31), and a few superstars could are on the move. Lionel Messi’s exit from Barcelona in favor of PSG started the chaos. Now, PSG is about to send their 22-year-old winger, Kylian Mbappe, to La Liga. Real Madrid had been after Mbappe for the last few weeks, increasing offers until finally piquing PSG’s interest. Hours later, Manchester City reportedly have a deal with Cristiano Ronaldo, although the contract is not finalized Here’s the latest with four days left in the transfer window.
Transfer Rumors
Kylian Mbappe → Real Madrid
Real Madrid upped their bid for Kylian Mbappe to €180 million ($212 million) and appear to have finally gained interest from PSG. It’s been reported that PSG are seeking a figure closer to $260 million, but a deal is finally nearing a consensus.
Cristiano Ronaldo → Manchester City
Manchester City are close to reaching a deal with Cristiano Ronaldo after CR7 spent his three seasons with Juventus. Ronaldo hasn’t played in the Premier League since 2009 (Manchester United), but the defending Premier League champs are about to reload.
Harry Kane → Tottenham
The Ronaldo storyline (above) picked up traction after Manchester City failed to secure Tottenham striker Harry Kane with a $137 million bid. Kane has since told Spurs he plans to stay with the club this season.
The transfer window closes next Tuesday (Aug. 21).
Additional Storylines
The Athletic: Real Madrid Make 2nd Bid for Kylian Mbappe as PSG Negotiations Ongoing
ESPN: Man. City Nearing Deal for Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo in Stunning EPL Return
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MLB
Flash Sale: The Immaculate Inning
Photo: Media News Group / Boston Herald via Getty Images
Red Sox Ace Chris Sale Ties MLB Record With 3rd Career Immaculate Inning
Have a night, Chris Sale! The Red Sox 32-year-old lefty was dealing on Thursday night in Fenway as Boston blew out the Twins (12-2) in the series finale. Sale tossed 5.1 innings with eight strikeouts, two hits and two earned runs, but the real magic came in the third inning. Sale struck out all three batters on nine pitches — all strikes — for his third career immaculate inning. That’s noteworthy because only one other pitcher in MLB history has ever tallied three immaculate innings (Sandy Koufax).
Watch: Chris Sale Ks 3 in 9 Pitches of Immaculate Inning
MLB Quick-Hitters
Yankees Streak Hits A Dozen: Make it 12 in a row for the Yankees! After surrendering a 6-0 lead to the A’s on Thursday, New York tallied the go-ahead run on an RBI single from Aaron Judge in the 9th to keep the streak alive.
Scherzer Ks 10: Max Scherzer shouldered the load for the Dodgers in Thursday’s win against the Padres (4-0), striking out 10 with just two hits in 7.2 innings. L.A. swept San Diego in the three-game series.
Giants Sweep Mets: The best team in baseball boosted their win streak to five games on Thursday with their third straight win against the Mets in a sweep at Citi Bank Field. The Giants got a home run from Kris Bryant and a go-ahead RBI from Darin Ruf in the 8th inning for a 3-2 win. San Fran sits atop the league with 83 wins.
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PGA
Rory Returns to Form at BMW
Photo: Ben Jared / Getty Images
McIlroy, Rahm & Burns (-8) on Top After Round 1 of BMW Championship
The opening round of the BMW Championship saw a number of low scores on Thursday, but one familiar name made headlines with a resurgent run to the top of the leaderboard. Rory McIlroy (-8) is back in contention after an unsteady 2021 season that yielded just one victory for the former World No. 1 golfer. He’s joined by Jon Rahm and Sam Burns at 8-under. Numerous players carved up Caves Valley Golf Club, though, leaving just seven of the 70 players in the field above even par after Round 1. McIlroy’s top-notch performance certainly adds intrigue heading into the weekend.
BMW Championship Leaderboard
R. McIlroy (-8)
J. Rahm (-8)
S. Burns (-8)
S. Garcia (-7)
P. Cantlay (-6)
A. Ancer (-6)
Notable Scorecards: W. Simpson (-5), H. Varner III (-5), D. Johnson (-5), X. Schauffele (-5), T. Finau (-5), H. Matsuyama (-5), S. Im (-5), P. Mickelson (-4), B. DeChambeau (-4), J. Thomas (-4), B. Koepka (-2), J. Spieth (-1), C. Morikawa (E)
Watch: BMW Championship Round 1 Highlights
Additional Storylines
Golf Digest: Why the BMW Championship Boasts the High Stakes That a Hefty Purse Can’t Buy
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THE STORYLINES
️ 2021-22 UEFA Champions League Draw
The UEFA Champions League groups have been drawn for the group stage starting next month, and we were treated with some of the most intriguing matchups imaginable. Here are all eight groups ranked from worst to best. (CBS Sports)
️ 5 Facts About the Wildest MLB Game of the Year
The Los Angeles Dodgers outlasted the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Petco Park, winning 5-3 in 16 innings against their NL West rivals. The game was 1-1 after nine innings and nobody scored until the 15th… Here are some of the wildest facts from Wednesday game. (USA Today)
Predicting the Biggest Fantasy Draft-Day Steals
With the start of the regular season only two weeks away, managers should keep an eye on several players who could fall past the fourth round but provide top-notch fantasy value. Most of these players have established resumes, though early drafters have slightly underestimated them. (Bleacher Report)
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THE HEADLINES
Dodgers-Padres 16-Inning Thriller Was Longest MLB Game Since Pandemic Began
(SI)
Titans QB Ryan Tannehill Placed on COVID-19 List
(ESPN)
ESPN Removes Rachel Nichols From NBA Programming, Cancels ‘The Jump’
(Yahoo! Sports)
Manchester City’s Benjamin Mendy Charged With 4 Counts of Rape
(SI)
Phillies Rhys Hoskins to Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
(CBS Sports)
Bryson DeChambeau & Brooks Koepka Agree to Halt Fued for Ryder Cup
(USA Today)
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WEEKEND SCHEDULE
The Must-Watch List
PGA Tour (FedEx Cup Playoffs)
BMW Championship Rounds 2-4
Little League World Series
South Dakota vs. Ohio (Sat. 12:30 pm)
Hawaii vs. Michigan (Sat. 3:30 pm)
Little League HR Derby (Sun. 1:00 pm)
LLWS Final — TBD (Sun. 3:00 pm)
College Football (Saturday)
Nebraska at Illinois (1:00 pm)
Hawaii at UCLA (3:30 pm)
NFL Preseason (Week 3)
Vikings at Chiefs (Fri. 8:00 pm)
Packers at Bills (Sat. 1:00 pm)
Bears at Titans (Sat. 7:00 pm)
Chargers at Seahawks (Sat. 10:00 pm)
Patriots at Giants (Sun. 6:00 pm)
Browns at Falcons (Sun. 8:00 pm)
Full Preseason Week 3 Schedule
MLB (Regular Season)
Cubs-White Sox Series
Braves-Giants Series
Yankees-Athletics
Soccer
EPL: Man. City vs. Arsenal (Sat. 7:30 am)
EPL: Liverpool vs. Chelsea (Sat. 12:30 pm)
MLS: LAFC vs. LA Galaxy (Sat. 7:00 pm)
MLS: Sounders vs. Timbers (Sun. 10:30 pm)
WNBA
Sparks at Sun (Sat. 7:00 pm)
Sky at Storm (Sun. 6:00 pm)
NASCAR Cup Series
Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Sat. 7:00 pm)
*All Times Eastern
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POLL RESULTS
Question of the Day
Yesterday, we asked: Which NFL quarterback on a new team do you think will have the best season in 2021?
The Sportsletter team has spoken! It’s Rams QB Matthew Stafford by a landslide…
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