MLB
Boston’s Jarren Duran, the All-Star MVP, hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the fifth inning and the American League beat the National League 5-3 for its 10th win in the past 11 All-Star Games. Pittsburgh rookie Paul Skenes pitched a hitless first for the NL, twice hitting 100 mph, and Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer in the third for a 3-0 lead. Juan Soto hit a two-run double and scored on David Fry’s single for the AL to tie the score in the third, and Duran went deep off Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene. Oakland right-hander Mason Miller got the win after throwing a 103.6 mph fastball in his perfect inning. Hard-throwing Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase struck out two in the ninth for the save.
Country singer and four-time Grammy nominee Ingrid Andress says she was drunk during her widely panned performance of the national anthem at the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby. The singer posted a statement Tuesday that addressed her performance and says she will be seeking treatment. On Monday night, the 32-year-old singer-songwriter belted an a cappella version of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” an incredibly challenging song to sing. Clips of her less-than-popular rendition have made the rounds on social media, drawing comparisons to lackluster performances of the song by Rosanne Barr and Fergie in years past. The MLB said it would not comment. A representative for Andress says there will be no additional comment at this time.
Major League Baseball’s three-day amateur draft concluded on Tuesday, with the 30 teams blazing through 300 picks in less than 3 1/2 hours. There were some familiar last names selected on the final day, which consisted of rounds 11 through 20. The Los Angeles Angels took outfielder Lucas Ramirez in the 17th round. Ramirez is the son of 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez. (and) The Boston Red Sox selected D’Angelo Ortiz – the son of Hall of Famer David Ortiz. In the 20th round, the Toronto Blue Jays took USC shortstop Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek, who is the son of former All-Star Mark Grudzielanek.
NFL
The Chicago Bears have locked in their top two rookies, agreeing to four-year contracts with No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams and No. 9 selection Rome Odunze and avoiding any training camp drama with their prized quarterback and receiver. A person familiar with the deal confirmed the agreement with Williams to The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the contract. Williams gets a slotted $39.49 million fully guaranteed deal with a $25.5 million signing bonus. The Bears announced Odunze signed. The club has options for 2028 on both players. The Bears are banking on Williams to become the sort of franchise quarterback Chicago has craved for decades.
NBA
The NBA’s Board of Governors approved the league’s next media rights deals with Disney, NBC and Amazon Prime Video at its meeting Tuesday, moving the league one giant step closer to finalizing the 11-year agreements that will be worth about $76 billion. Now comes the next, and possibly final, step: seeing if Warner Bros. Discovery will match one of the deals in an effort to extend a relationship with the NBA that dates to the late 1980s. WBD has five days to match, that clock starting to run when it receives the contracts from the league.
Kyrie Irving has a broken left hand that required surgery after getting injured in an offseason workout. The Dallas Mavericks aren't providing a timeline for Irving's recovery. Irving and Luka Doncic led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals in their first full season together. Boston won the title series in five games. The 32-year-old Irving averaged 25.6 points in 58 games during the regular season while dealing with foot, heel and thumb injuries.
Jontay Porter, who has been banned from the NBA after admitting that he helped bettors by intentionally underperforming in games, asked a federal court Tuesday for permission to resume his playing career in Greece. Porter, in a letter sent by attorney Jeff Jensen, is asking that some conditions of his bond be modified so that he can get his U.S. passport back, be allowed to travel in Europe and to reside in Patras, Greece. Jensen told the court that Porter would play for the Greek club Promitheas BC. Prosecutors have no opposition to the request, Jensen wrote.
Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, the father of the late Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, has died, according to his alma mater, La Salle University. Bryant, who spent eight seasons in the NBA with three different franchises, was 69. Citing La Salle coach Fran Dunphy, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Joe Bryant recently had a massive stroke. He was the No. 14 pick by Golden State in the 1975 draft, and the Warriors wound up selling his rights to Philadelphia before the start of his rookie season. He played four years for the 76ers, three for the San Diego Clippers and one for the Houston Rockets, averaging 8.7 points in 606 games.
WNBA
The WNBA heads into its monthlong Olympic break following this weekend’s highly anticipated list of All-Star festivities. The Olympic team’s matchup with a squad of league standouts featuring Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will be one of the toughest contests the Americans will potentially play before or during the Paris Games. In 2021, the WNBA All-Star team beat Team USA behind the MVP performance of Arike Ogunbowale. It was the only loss that the Americans had en route to winning their seventh straight gold medal. Friday night's skills competition will feature a 3-point shooting contest. The field hasn't been announced, though Clark and Sabrina Ionescu could participate.
Sabrina Ionescu scored 30 points and the short-handed New York Liberty beat the Connecticut Sun 82-74 on Tuesday night. It was the last game before the month-long Olympic break for both teams. The game was tied heading into the fourth quarter before Ionescu hit a 3-pointer to start the final period and give New York back the lead it had held for the entire game. That sparked a 10-3 run which gave the Liberty a 73-66 lead midway through the period. Brionna Jones scored 17 points to lead Connecticut. Alyssa Thomas finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Sun.
Brittney Griner had 23 points and seven rebounds, Kahleah Copper scored 10 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Mercury beat the Washington Mystics 96-87. Copper scored six straight points in the fourth and Natasha Cloud capped the 8-0 run for an 82-72 score. Washington guard Ariel Atkins stole it from Diana Taurasi and raced the other way for a layup while being fouled. Atkins completed the three-point play with 2:43 left to get within 87-83 following an 8-0 run. But Phoenix made a shot on its next three possessions, capped by Sophie Cunningham’s 3-pointer for a 94-85 lead. Phoenix sealed it when Taurasi blocked a Myisha Hines-Allen shot and Copper converted a fast-break layup at the other end for a 96-87 lead with 22.6 left.
Jewell Loyd had 30 points and seven assists, Nneka Ogwumike added 23 points, 10 rebounds and six steals against her former team, and the Seattle Storm beat the Los Angeles Sparks 89-83. Seattle (17-8), which played a game on the road for the first time since June 19, closed the first half of the season by winning eight of 10 games. Loyd and Ogwumike combined to score 20 of Seattle’s 25 fourth-quarter points. Ogwumike, who played her first game in Los Angeles since signing with the Storm as a free agent in February, made a driving layup with 2:20 left in the fourth to move past Lisa Leslie for 12th on the WNBA career scoring list. Loyd reached the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season.
Chennedy Carter scored 34 points, Angel Reese had 13 points and 10 rebounds for her 16th double-double in the last 17 games, and the Chicago Sky beat the Las Vegas Aces 93-85. Chicago led 42-21 at the midway point of the second quarter and held the advantage until Megan Gustafson made a 3-pointer from the corner with 8:16 remaining in the fourth to give the Aces their first lead of the game at 72-71. A’ja Wilson had 28 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks for her sixth straight game this season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds for Las Vegas.
BRITISH OPEN
Royal Troon has some unique aspects but maybe most curious is the private house that sits in the middle of the championship course and has views of five holes for the British Open starting Thursday. It's known as “Blackrock House” and is located between the greens of holes No. 2 and No. 16. It's also close to the tees of No. 18 and two others. Originally built as one house, it was converted in the early 1970s into two dwellings. The Kelly family has owned the north side of the house since 1990 and has now put it up for sale. The asking price has not been announced yet.
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