(MIZ)—Coach Drinkwitz has answered what arguably is the number one question at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Florida that started yesterday: What’s up with Ahmad Hardy?
For the first time, we learn that the bullet that hit Hardy’s leg hit a bone. But Drinkwitz says Hardy has been cleared to prepare for the upcoming season. He has said it would take five to eight weeks for Hardy could play—he was shot in May—and Drinkwitz says it’s hard to know how he would play—if he returns. But, said Drinkwitz at the first Media Day, “My anticipation of what I’ve seen, the way he’s attacked his rehab, he’s going to be a better Ahmad Hardy when than when he was before.”
Drinkwitz is looking to new quarterback Austin Simmons to add explosiveness to the offense. He says Mizzou hasn’t had had kind of quick strike capability for a while.
“I think we have done a really good job in the past of really being proficient on the run game, but in games of need, we weren’t able to complete passes and create explosives the way we needed to…You look at some of the tough losses that we’ve had in the last two years, we weren’t able to push the ball down the field when we needed to. That’s something that’s got to change. You got to run to win, but you got to throw to be explosive. When the game’s on the line, you got to be able to execute. That’s a combination of wideouts, protection, (and) quarterback play calling.”
But a good quarterback needs a good offensive line to protect him. Drinkwitz told reporters, “I’ve never seen an offensive line work as hard as our offensive line works right now… The offensive line sets the mentality for intolerance and the standard for your football team.”
A key player on that offensive line is questionable as the Tigers head toward the opening of practice for the coming season. Josh Atkins, projected to be the starting right tackle, has had a setback in recovering from a leg injury in spring practice. Drinkwitz told reporters Atkins might not be available until September of October.
(BOVA)—Catching up on Bo Pribula, who jumped ship in Columbia after the 2025 season. He’s been named the starting quarterback for Virginia. This is his third stop in his campus career. He played his first two years for Penn State.
(Royals)—The Royals lost to the Diamondbacks Sunday 19-2 less than a month since the White Sox beat them 22-1. That set us off to check the number of games in which Royals opponents have scored ten or more runs.
We were surprised to see the Royals were only 7-9 in those games.
They have won games 13-9, 12-7, 14-6,12-5, 15-1, and 16-12.
They have lost games 10-2, 10-9, 13-4, 15-1, 10-8, 12-10, 22-1, 10-4, 19-2. They started this week 40-60. Only the Angels (39-61) are worse in the American League. Opponents have scored 99 more runs than the Royals have scored through their first 100 games.
The Royals started the second part of the season with some roster moves, none of them falling into the “major” category. Pitcher Stephen Kolek has gone on the 15-day DL with a right flexor strain. Outfielder Randy Martin Junior has been sent to the Orioles for cash. Left-hander Scott Alexander has been acquired from the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League and pitcher Nick Mears has been moved from the 15-day IL to the 60 day list.
(Cardinals)—The Cardinals have split eight games in which at least one team scored in double figures. Their losses have been 11-6, 11-9, 14-6, and 12=10. Their wins have been 11-7, 10-5, 10-3, and 12-1. They began the first full week after the All-Star Game break 51-47. Only five teams have better records in the National League. The Cardinals are plus-4 in runs scored through their first hundred games.
The Redbirds started the second half of their season with some roster moves. Reliever JoJo Romero is on the 15-day disabled list because of appendicitis. How that affects his trade value is unknown but he had been discussed as trade bait. Replacing him on the roster for now is right-hander Scott Blewett.
Leaving, perhaps, is catcher Yohel Pozo, who has been designated for assignment, an odd man out on a team loaded with catchers. He was one of four catchers in Spring Training. The Cardinals sent JimmyCrooks down to Triple-A and made Pedro Pages and Ivan Herrera their to catchers with Pozo coming off the bench as a pinch hitter. But he hasn’t been in a game since May 27.
Speeding along—
(NASCAR)—Don’t look now, but NASCAR’s strongest road warrior is adapting to ovals.
Shane Van Gisbergen racked up his second straight top six finish on an oval Sunday night at North Wilkesboro. He has four of them this year and has strengthened his grasp on a playoff position with five races to go before the ten-race runoff for the Cup. SVG also led 49 laps, his first laps lead on an oval, and almost won the first stage of the race.
Joey Logano won the race on a sweltering, humid evening that left several drivers drained at the end. It was the first NASCAR Cup race at the old speedway in thirty years. Logano held off Denny Hamlin, who could get to his bumper but couldn’t find a path past him. The victory ends a 45-race winless streak for Logano. It’s his 38th career win and most importantly, it moves him into the top 16 drivers eligible for the Cup championship.
Logano has a new look this year because he has been dealing for some time with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that attacks hair follicles and causes hair to fall out in patches. He has used hair replacement systems in the past after first noticing the condition six years ago. When the condition returned during the offseason he decided just to shave it all off.
Nothing to worry about as far as his overall health, he says.
He has had a generally mediocre year with only seven top ten finishes and only three podium races in the 21 points races this year but the old Wilkesboro track was his playground Sunday night. He led 320 of the 450 laps.
Van Gisbergen’s post-race reaction to the heat and the intensity of racing on a .625 mile track with 36 other drivers illustrated the physical challenge of the race. He said he was “just soaked the whole time…I felt fine but when I stopped, I went…I’m pretty cooked.”
(INDYCAR)—It was the humidity, not the heat, that caused cancellation of Sunday’s IndyCar race in Nashville. 100% humidity, twice, that washed out an opportunity to run. The heat yesterday prompted IndyCar to cut the length of the race from 300 miles to 225.
The track temperature during the race reached 140 degrees.
Alex Palou withstood the heat as well as the late-race assault by the three Penske drivers—Josef Newgarden, David Malukas, and Scott McLaughlin–to win his fifth race of the year and strengthen his points lead to 83 points over Malukas with six races left in the season.
Palou led the last 95 laps and turned the fastest lap of the race eight laps before the end to give team owner Chip Ganassi his 150th IndyCar win. Malukas, who started last in a backup car after crashing his primary car in practice, came close to being the first drivers since Simon Pagenaud in 2020 to start last and get the win. He finished third behind teammate Newgarden and commented afterward, “I’ve never driven so hard in my life.”
(Photo credits: Drinkwitz—nathan ray Seeback Imagn image; Van Gisbergen—NASCAR; Logano—Instagram; Palou—Bob Priddy at Indianapolis)
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