Tom Brady ends 11-day break, rejoins Buccaneers for practice
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady has returned to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ending what has been described as an 11-day, prearranged break from training camp for personal reasons. The seven-time Super Bowl champion didn’t address the media after practicing Monday. Teammates and coach Todd Bowles said the 45-year-old quarterback was sharp throwing the ball and essentially took up where he left off before leaving the team on Aug. 11. Brady missed two preseason games that Bowles said he wouldn't have played in even if he had been with the team. The coach said it hasn't been determined if Brady might play in this weekend's preseason finale at Indianapolis.
Mariota, Ridder solid for Falcons in 24-16 loss to Jets
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Marcus Mariota led Atlanta to scores on two of his three drives in the Falcons’ 24-16 loss against mostly New York Jets backups. Mariota strengthened his hold on the starting job by going 6 of 10 for 132 yards and a touchdown to Olamide Zaccheaus before giving way to rookie Desmond Ridder with a 10-0 lead in the second quarter. Ridder went 10 of 13 for 143 yards and leading the Falcons to two field goals in three series. Fourth-stringer Chris Streveler led the Jets on two late touchdown drives to give New York the victory. The Jets' Bradlee Anae returned a fumble 30 yards for a score.
Judge 47th HR, Yanks top Scherzer, Mets 4-2 in Subway Series
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge connected off Max Scherzer for his major league-leading 47th home run, Andrew Benintendi drove in two runs and the New York Yankees withstood a botched popup by rookie Oswaldo Cabrera to beat the Mets 4-2 for their first Subway Series win this season. The Yankees, in a historic skid with 14 losses in 18 games coming into the game in the Bronx, built a 3-0 lead on DJ LeMahieu’s first-inning sacrifice fly, Judge’s home run in the second and doubles by Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Benintendi in the fifth. The Yankees ensured they would end a streak of six straight series losses. The
Pujols homers as Montgomery, Cardinals blank Cubs 1-0
CHICAGO (AP) — Albert Pujols hit career homer No. 693, Jordan Montgomery pitched a one-hitter and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 for their season-high eighth straight victory. Pujols led off the seventh with a drive to left-center for his seventh homer in his last 10 games and No. 14 overall in his final big league season. There was a noticeable round of cheers from the Wrigley Field crowd of 29,719 as the three-time NL MVP rounded the bases on his second hit of the night. That one run was all Montgomery needed. The left-hander struck out seven and walked none in his first career complete game,
Pick Six: Critical games dot the schedule as 2022 commences
The college football schedule offers a weekly selection of marquee games between top teams, and some will hit the ground running this year. Two September 3 showdowns will shuffle the preseason Top 25 quickly as No. 5 Notre Dame and new coach Marcus Freeman play at No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Georgia, the defending national champion, plays No. 11 Oregon in Atlanta. Reaching across Power Five lines ends, eventually, and then long-held bitter rivalries take over later as teams grapple for championships and bowl positioning. Here are some of the premier matchups to anticipate.
Yanks' Cashman backs Boone to turn `slings' into 'bouquets'
NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman responded to his team's funk with some flowery language and belief in manager Aaron Boone, the coaches and players. Hours after he spoke, the Yankees beat the New York Mets 4-2. Their AL East lead had stood at eight games, down from 15 1/2 games in early July, going into Monday night's start of the two-game Subway Series at Yankee Stadium. Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner were booed during Sunday’s ceremony to retire Paul O’Neill’s No. 21. Cashman held a news conference, endorsing the team’s coaching staff and Boone, the fifth-year manager. Cashman says: “You get the bouquets come your way when things are flying high and you get the slings and arrows when things aren’t going well."
QB Mayfield starting for Panthers in Week 1 against Browns
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Baker Mayfield will start the Carolina Panthers’ Sept. 11 regular-season opener against his former team, the Cleveland Browns. Panthers coach Matt Rhule made the announcement on the team’s website Monday. Mayfield, acquired in a trade with the Browns earlier this offseason, beat out incumbent starter Sam Darnold for the job. Both quarterbacks are expected to play Friday night in the preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills.
Gary Gaines, coach of 'Friday Night Lights' fame, dead at 73
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Gary Gaines, coach of the Texas high school football team made famous in the book and movie “Friday Night Lights,” has died. He was 73. Gaines’ family says the former coach died in Lubbock after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Gaines made many stops in West Texas during a 30-year coaching career. He was best known for a four-year stint leading the highly successful program at Odessa Permian. His 1988 team was chronicled in Buzz Bissinger’s bestselling book. It portrayed a program that favored football over academics but had a sympathetic view of Gaines.
Mets' banker-turned-pitcher Fisher cut day after sweet debut
NEW YORK (AP) — Banker-turned-reliever Nate Fisher found out the hard way that baseball really is a numbers game. A day after a sparkling major league debut that brightened the sports world, Fisher was cut by the New York Mets on Monday. The NL East leaders made the move heading into the two-game Subway Series against the New York Yankees. Fisher was in the Mets’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium when he was designated for assignment. Now completely off the 40-man roster, Fisher could be traded or placed on waivers during a seven-day period. If unclaimed, he could be assigned outright back to the minors with the Mets. On Sunday, the 26-year-old lefty who was working at a Nebraska bank last summer threw three scoreless innings of one-hit relief as the Mets beat Philadelphia.
Man United springs back to life with 2-1 win over Liverpool
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United delivered a performance of intensity and spirit against a backdrop of protests against the club’s ownership to beat fierce rival Liverpool 2-1 and finally claim its first points in the Premier League this season. Composed finishes by Jadon Sancho in the 16th minute and Marcus Rashford in the 53rd earned a victory that will bring some respite for under-pressure manager Erik ten Hag. He made a huge statement in his team selection by dropping star striker Cristiano Ronaldo and club captain Harry Maguire and was validated. Suddenly the heat is on Liverpool with Jürgen Klopp’s team still waiting for a win after three games and now languishing behind United.