Postcards From Paris
07/29/2024
By: Jeff Yoder
Welcome Back!
Did you catch the opening weekend in Paris? Our newsletter will look a little different these next two weeks. We’ll miss some stories (there’s a lot), but we’ll give it our best effort. It’s the first of many rapid-fire Olympic highlight reels. Try to keep up…
Today’s Must-Watch: Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic will meet this morning in Round 2 of the men’s tennis bracket (shortly after 7:30 am ET).
Letter Rip!
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MEDAL TRACKER
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OLYMPICS
Team USA Flying High
Team USA: Men’s Basketball & Women’s Soccer Put Early Stamps on Postcards From Paris
Opening weekend in Paris featured a blistering start for Team USA by all early measures. Men’s basketball, women’s soccer, and a whole host of individual tennis, swimming and gymnastics stars all lived up to the hype on opening weekend. Among the top stories were the two Team USA flag bearers — LeBron James and Coco Gauff — putting their early stamps on the postcard from Paris. Let’s dive in.
MBB: Team USA Rolls Serbia (110-84)
Team USA men’s basketball got off to a flying start on Sunday in Paris. Reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic (20-8-5) and Serbia threw a quick punch with a 10-2 run to begin the Olympic opener with the U.S., but LeBron James and a healthy Kevin Durant owned the last three quarters. LeBron was once again in bulldozer mode, getting to the rim at will and tallying a near-triple-double (21 pts, 9 ast, 7 reb) on 9-for-13 shooting. Durant came off the bench for a team-high 23 points on five 3s (5-for-5). The U.S. cruised to a 26-point win, and the gold medal quest is on.
WSOC: USWNT Downs Germany (4-1)
Two matches, two resounding wins for the U.S. women’s soccer team. Mallory Swanson (1 goal) and Sophia Smith (2 goals) were at it again in the USWNT’s most important match of the group stage against Germany on Sunday. Both Swanson and Smith scored in the opening match last week, too. Lynn Williams added a late insurance strike for a 4-1 win over the Germans, and the USWNT has already guaranteed themselves a spot in the knockout rounds this weekend.
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OLYMPICS
Stars Back in the Spotlight
Coco Gauff Wins Olympic Tennis Debut & Simone Biles Shines in Gymnastics Return
Coco Gauff and Simone Biles are two of the brightest women’s sports stars shining at this year’s Games for Team USA, and they each have an interesting “redemption arc” to follow. Gauff had to drop out of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to a positive COVID-19 test. Biles, on the other hand, pulled out of the 2021 Olympics due to mental health concerns and a condition called “the twisties” (similar to “the yips”). Both are back in 2024 — one debut and one epic return — and they’re off to flying starts.
WTEN: Coco Gauff Cruises in Debut
After a long wait for her first Olympic action, Coco Gauff swung a straight-set victory in her opening match with Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic (6-3, 6-0). Gauff, the No. 2 overall seed, won in just 57 minutes. The American women all started 4-0 in singles play with Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro and Danielle Collins all first-round winners.
GYM: Simone Biles Dazzles in Qualifying
In a scene that felt eerily similar to three years ago, Simone Biles disappeared from view with a calf injury suffered early in her qualifying gymnastics events. This time, she returned taped leg and all, and put up the top qualifying score on both floor and vault. The overall score for Team USA gymnastics led all nations, too. With a variety of events to win or lose, Biles is up for the challenge.
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OLYMPICS
Pool Party: A Swim Sweep
WSWIM: Team USA Goes 1-2 in Butterfly
Torri Huske (Gold, Left) and Gretchen Walsh (Silver, Right) pictured above finished 1-2 in the women’s 100m butterfly just 0.04 seconds apart.
MSWIM: Dressel Anchors 4×100 Relay Gold
The first gold of the Games for Team USA swimming belonged to the men’s 4×100 relay with Olympic legend Calaeb Dressel anchoring the win.
MSWIM: France’s Marchand Thrills in 400 IM
French swimmer Leon Marchand dominated the men’s 400m IM and set a new Olympic record (4:02:95) with a breakaway win in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.
Other Olympics Highlights & Stories
- Rafael Nadal Wins Opener, Faces Novak Djokovic in Round 2 Today
- USA’s Haley Batten Wins Silver in Mountain Biking Despite Broken Wheel
- Americans Lee Kiefer (Gold) & Lauren Scruggs (Silver) Make History in Fencing Finals
- LeBron James’s Emphatic Dunk Leads to Iconic Photo
- Steve Kerr Explains Why Jayson Tatum Didn’t Play in Opener
- South Sudan Stuns Puerto Rico in Basketball for 1st Ever Olympic Victory
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MLB
MLB Trade Tracker
MLB Trade Deadline (Tomorrow, 6:00 pm ET)
It’s been anything but quiet leading up to the MLB trade deadline. A total of 14 deals were made over the weekend, and there’s plenty of time left. The biggest trade? Randy Arozarena is heading to Seattle. And while we don’t know how every team fits in the “buyers” and “sellers” categories following a lot of rotational moves, one thing is clear: It’s a firesale in Tampa. The Rays have shipped off six players in July alone, including four in the past four days, and one superstar in Arozarena. Here’s the latest with 36 hours until the trade deadline.
MLB Trade Tracker
- Mariners Acquire OF Randy Arozarena (Rays)
- Yankees Acquire OF Jazz Chilsholm Jr. (Marlins)
- Cubs Acquire 3B Isaac Paredes (Rays)
- Mets Acquire OF Jesse Winker (Nationals)
- Orioles Acquire RHP Zach Eflin (Rays)
- Red Sox Acquire LHP James Paxton (Dodgers)
Read More
The Athletic: The Rays Are Running a Clinic on How to Sell at the Trade Deadline
CBS Sports: MLB Trade Deadline: Every Major Move as Yankees Land Chisholm, Arozarena Heads to Mariners
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MLB
Paul Goldschmidt Hits Walk-Off HR for Cardinals
Elly De La Cruz Swipes 4 Bases in Reds’ Loss
Marlins Rookie SS Xavier Edwards Hits for Cycle
White Sox Suffer 14th Straight Loss
Golf
Jhonattan Vegas (-17) Birdies Final Hole to Win 3M Open
1st PGA Tour Win in 7 Years
UFC 304
Belal Muhammad Upsets Leon Edwards by Decision
Becomes New UFC Welterweight Champion
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STORYLINES
Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic has been the final of 29 different tennis tournaments, including all four Grand Slams. In the 2024 Paris Olympics, it will be a second-round match — this morning — in a clash between all-time talents. (Yahoo! Sports)
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa grabbed the mic at practice on Sunday to thank Miami and quote the famous line from Jerry Maguire: “Show me the money!” Tagovailoa got a four-year, $212 million extension. All is well in South Beach. (ESPN)
Track & Field Athletes to Watch
The track and field portion of the Olympics will begin on August 1st. While we wait for one of the Games’ biggest draws at Stade de France, here are some of the best stories and athletes to watch when speed and strength take the stage. (Forbes)
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NEWS
Lewis Hamilton Wins Belgian GP After George Russell DQ’d for Illegal Car (Yahoo! Sports)
Jaylen Brown Responds to Grant Hill’s Comments About Team USA Roster ‘Conspiracy Theories’ (CBS Sports)
Simone Biles Suffers Calf Injury During Qualifying Route, Still Participating (B/R)
Jon Rahm Finally Wins 1st LIV Golf Event, Defeating Teammate in England (SI)
French Fans Boo Joel Embiid During Game Over Choice to Play for USA Instead of France (ESPN)
USA Women’s Mountain Biker Haley Batten Grabs Silver Medal Despite Broken Wheel (USA Today)
USA Women’s Rugby Star Ilona Maher Draws Derrick Henry & Marshawn Lynch Comparisons With Viral Run (Sporting News)
USA Swimmer Nic Fink, Balancing 9-to-5 Job, Wins Silver in Paris (NBC News)
Cowboys Lose DE Sam Williams for Season With Torn ACL (ESPN)
Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony Draws 28.6 Million US Viewers, Most Since 2012 (Reuters)
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SCHEDULE
Today’s Olympic Must-Watch List
Olympics
MTEN: R. Nadal vs. N. Djokovic (TBD)
WRUG: USA vs. France (9:30 am)
WBB: USA vs. Japan (3:00 pm)
Other Sports: Badminton, Beach Volleyball, Volleyball, Boxing, Canoeing, Cycling, Diving, Equestrian, Fencing, Field Hockey, Gymnastics, Handball, Judo, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Surfing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Water Polo
*All Times ET / Coverage on NBC & Peacock
Other Sports
MLB
Yankees at Phillies (6:40 pm, MLBN)
Mariners at Red Sox (7:10 pm, NESN)
Twins at Mets (7:10 pm ET, SNY)