Category Archives: baseball

Sports: Seasons Begin; Seasons Winding Down; Seasons Ending 

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By Bob Priddy, Missourinet Contributing Editor

(MIZ)—When your university has more than five times the number of fulltime employees than the other school has students, it should not be a surprise that your football team would be able to put 74 players on the field for at least one snap when the two teams meet.  The Post-Dispatch and its analytical partner, Hudl IQ counted 41 defensive and 33 offensive players who got on the field against Arkansas-Pine Bluff Thursday night.

UAPB has 1,868 students.  MU has more than 11,000 employees in Columbia.

The victory over the overmatched Lions didn’t move Missouri in the polls. They remain 25th headed to the Kansas game in Lawrence Friday night.

Kansas beat Long Island University 51-6. LIU has slightly more students than KU has staff members.

(CHIEFS)—The Kansas City Chiefs finally are going to let Patrick Mahomes play a football game—next Monday night, the season opener against the Broncos at Arrowhead.  But one of his main protectors is out –left tackle Josh Simons. He’ll probably be replaced by undrafted rookie free agent Kahlil Benson.

Simmons’ rookie season last year was cut short with injuries. He was in only eight games last year after coming off a national championship season at Ohio State. He has a lower back injury.

Benson, who was with the Indiana national champions last year, has been competing with Jaylon Moore for the right tackle job during camp. Moore will stay on the right side and Benson will shift to the other side.

(CARDINALS)—The Cardinals started this week needing to make up four games on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the last 18 games of the regular season to make it to the playoffs. It’s  a distant possibility, but a real chance to play better than .500 baseball this year. A dozen wins will give them their best record since they went 93-69 in winning their division championship in 2022.

They started the week 72-72 with the first of six games against the Giants, who 59-85. They took two out of three from the Rockies during the weekend.

The Diamondbacks are 76-68.

The latest youngster brought up from the minors to make an impressive debut was pitcher Cooper Hjerpe, who came out of the bullpen to throw four innings, strikeout six and not allowed any baserunners. He is only the second pitcher in MLB history to throw four or more hitless innings with six or more strikeouts.  The only other one is former MU Tiger Max Scherzer.  He’s been a starter throughout his career but will fill a reliever’s role for the rest of the year.

The Cardinals have lost Hunter Dobbins for the rest of this year and probably most of next season.  He had right elbow surgery for the second time last week and has a one-year recovery period ahead of him.

He also had elbow surgery in 2025.

Dobbins had eight starts and three relief appearances this year and hits the shelf with a 3.67 ERA.

(ROYALS)—The Royals and the Diamondbacks waited until the tenth inning for all the fireworks.  Noah Cameron and relievers held the D-backs scoreless through nine before Arizona scored five in the tenth in the Labor Day Game.  The Royals got back four of those runs before the final out.

 

Cameron continued his late-season excellence with six innings of shutout ball, striking out seven and allowing only three hits. Arizona blew the game open against Craig Kimbrell with five in the tenth. Kansas City clobbered Gerardo Cabrillo with three earned runs in one-third of an inning and picked up another score before Dennis Santanna put out the fire.

The Royals flew into September after going 16-11 in August, thanks to Cameron and teammate Joe Caglionone who were the Ameircan League Pitcher and Player of the month, respectively, for August. This is first time the Royals have won both awards since Brett Saberhagen and George Brett won it in July, 1985, the year of the Royals’ first World Series win.

Cameron, in five August starts, allowed only seven runs in 33.2 innings including his complete game shutout against the Dodgers on August 16. He had a 1.87 ERA for the month. He led the American league by lasting an average of 6.2 innings per game.

Caglianone stormed through August, hitting .411 with six home runs and 33 other hits and 26 runs batted in.  The performance upped his season average to .282, with 23 homers, 26 doubles, and 67 RBIs.

Another reason for optimism as the Royals wind down their season is rookie catcher Carter Jensen, who has started 83 games as Salvador Perez works his way through a sore elbow. He has set a Royals record with six leadoff home runs, a team record.  Coming into September, he was hitting .252 with 38 extra base hits including 21 home runs.

On to the track:

(INDYCAR)—It’s all over for IndyCar for 2026. Scott McLaughlin won his first race in the last 37 starts in the final race of the year and celebrated his win while Alex Palou was getting his fifth championship trophy in the last six years.

McLaughlin dominated at Laguna Seca, starting P1, leading 87 of the 95 laps and beating Kyle Kirkwood to the finish line.  Former Indianapolis 500 winner  to lead Kyle Kirkwood across the line. Alexander Rossi finished third for his first podium finish of the year.  A second Penske driver, David Malukas, ran fifth for his third straight top five finish. He had four finishes in second place but will have to wait until next year to get his first win.

Kirkwood finished second in the race and overtook Christian Lundgaard for second in the point standings.  Lundgard was the only driver to complete every lap of every race this year—all 2,557 of them. He’s only the sixth driver in all of IndyCar history to do that.

The race ended Scott Dixon’s 25-year career with Chip Ganassi Racing.  He posted 58 wins and won six championships with Ganassi.  He’ll have a new team next year.  Only A. J. Foyt has more wins and more championships than Dixon.

The season might be past but the future of IndyCar will be on track for a couple of days this week. Alex Palou and Alexander Rossi will test the 2028 IndyCar prototype at Indianapolis tomorrow and Thursday, giving the new chassis it’s first high speed workout after road-course tests earlier.

The series also will have  a new engine formula in 2028.  The expectation is that the new car will break long-standing speed records, particularly at Indianapolis where Arie Luyendyk’s one lap record of 237.498 and a four-lap qualifying run at 236.986.

(NASCAR)—Christopher Bell picked a fine time to get his first win of the year and his first win at Darlington—the first of the 10 races that will decide the Cup Championship.

Bell’s four tire final pit stop helped him take the lead from Kyle Laron, who had gambled and stayed out while others went to the pits, with eleven laps left. Ty Gibbs and pole sitter Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney also got past Larson.

Regular season points champion Denny Hamlin finished 18th after a late-race incident with Michael McDowell..

Gibbs drove from 28th to second, just over one second behind Bell. Pole sitter Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson completed the top five.

Bell’s win ends a 33-race winless streak that has included seven second-place finishes. His win and Hamlin’s poor finish has cut Hamlin’s early points lead in half.

Round two of the playoff races will be next Sunday at St. Louis—-actually, Madison, Illinois, just across the Stan Musial Bridge at World Wide Technologies Raceway.

(Photo Credits: Hjerpe—PJ Maigi; Players of the Month: MLB; McLaughlin @ WWTR—Rick Gevers; New car—IndyCar; Bell at Indy—Bob Priddy)

The Phrase Becomes Real: A Political Football 

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By Bob Priddy, Missourinet Contributing Editor

We usually offer a roundup of the week’s Missouri sports news on Tuesdays but before we do that, we want to observe how Donald Trump is not the only person in Washington who thinks history needs to be re-written.

(MIZTHEN)—I was there that day the Missouri Tigers lost to the Kansas Jayhawks 23-7 at Memorial Stadium (it was not then Faurot Field).

But that’s not the way Congress and the NCAA record it. Congress has done something the sportswriters and the coaches did not do in 1960 when Missouri lost a game it later won, later won a conference championship it had lost, and until recently a national championship it could not reclaim.

Kansas and Missouri fought for superiority in the Big Eight Conference that year. Kansas temporarily won its first outright conference championship in thirty years.  The Jayhawks finished ranked 11th in the AP Sportswriters poll, only the second time the Jayhawks were ranked (the first time was 1947).

However—-KU running back Bert Coan, who scored the only two Kansas touchdowns that day was found to have been ineligible in games against Colorado and Missouri and on December 8, the Big Eight declared that KU big-bucks recruiter Bud Adams had illegally recruited Coan while he was at TCU. The two Kansas victories had to be forfeited.  The Big Eight and MU consider the Tigers record to be 10-0 in the regular season. But KU and the NCAA still consider the record is 9-1.

Coan later played seven years in the American Football League, six of those years with (it seems appropriate) the Kansas City Chiefs, the team right between the two states. He caught a 19-yard touchdown pass and ran for 37 yard TD in the Missouri game.

Coan and most of the other players from both sides in that 23-7 Kansas victory are gone now.  The AP and the competing UPI (United Press International) did not do polls after the bowl season—which concluded on January 2 in those years before the national championship playoff system came along.  The last polls put Minnesota first and Missouri 4th and 5th.

But the Golden Gophers lost to Washington in the Rose Bowl. Ole Miss, which went 10-0-1 and Iowa (also with one loss) also got some championship votes.

Missouri went to the Orange Bowl to face a Navy team that was ranked 4 and 6,  and starred Heisman Trophy winner Joe Belino.  The opening minutes were electrifying with Navy picking a fumble out of the air and returning it 98 yards for a touchdown. Navy threatened again until the Tigers’ Norm Beal ran a pick-6 back 90 yards for the tie.

CBS television had the game that year with one of the greatest pairs in the booth at the time making the calls—Ray Scott and Paul Christman.  Christman was Missouri’s first great star as a pre-war quarterback who later played for the Chicago Cardinals which he led to the NFL championship in 1947, the franchise’s only championship (they now play in Arizona after stop in St. Louis for a while). You won’t hear Christman but you can catch the game highlights with Scott making the calls:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zKUfYF84h8

(QB Ron Taylor hands off to Donnie Smith–who led the conference with 13 touchdowns—with Ed Mehrer (35) and Norm Beal (21) with Gordon Smith (89) looking to take out the right side of Navy’s defensive line)

Missouri stuffed Navy’s run game in the 1961 Orange Bowl while Dan Devine’s “student body right,” and “student body left” running game that featuring pulling guards and blocking backs ground out more than 200 yards and ate up a lot of clock.

The Tiger rush was led by Norris Stevenson and Mel West, the first two African-American Tiger football players.

Coach Devine always thought Missouri would have finished the year with the national championship if there had been a post-season poll, but the University has never claimed the national title.  Missouri finished 11-0* with the asterisk noting the game on the last day of the regular season, that they actually lost.

Well, if the University of Missouri and the now-Big 12 Conference won’t claim the national championship, it’s time for the politicians to get all huffy and fluffy about it these 66 years later and say, “Ignore the asterisk.”

One of our intrepid United States Senators, Eric Schmitt, has stepped boldly forth and introduced a Senate resolution declaring the Tigers were undefeated national champions. Such resolutions have no force of law and certainly have no authority over the Big 12, the NCAA, or the history of the game (which Missouri played poorly, by the way).  But the Senate has had bigger things to do than take time with this resolution and there were no objections, not even from Kansas’ Senators, so it stands as passed.

The University of Missouri will take the resolution for whatever value it has and will celebrate the 1960 national championship during its September 19 game against the Troy Trojans.  The halftime event also will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Memorial Stadium.

It would be greater fun if the celebration could be done when MU plays KU this year, but that game will be in Lawrence and the Jayhawks are not just about to let Missouri do any whoopeeing that day.

Memorial Stadium’s original capacity was 25,000. We were one of the 41,000 who watched Kansas win that loss in 1960.

With the new quarter-billion addition intended for use by high-roller Tiger supporters, the stadium will hold almost 65,000, including those sitting in 2,280 new premium seats, 628 loge box seats, 270 mezzanine club seats and mingling in 71 suites.

And in a few weeks there will be a celebration of a game that truly has become a political football.

(MIZZNOW)—The season kicks off Thursday night shortly after Mizzou alumnae Sheryl Crow sings the national anthem. The game is a sellout. Arkansas-Pine Bluff will give the Tigers someone wearing a different uniform to hit.

Ahmad Hardy won’t play but ESPN’s Pete Thamel says the Tigers hope he can be ready my mid-September.  After the Thursday game, Missouri plays Kansas in Lawrence on September 11 and then is at home against Troy on the 19th.  SEC play starts with Mississippi State on the 26th.

(MIZCUTS)—Twenty-five former Tigers will start the season on NFL 53-man rosters.  On3.com lists:

  • Kris Abrams-Draine – CB, Denver Broncos
  • Tyler Badie – RB, Denver Broncos
  • Nick Bolton – LB, Kansas City Chiefs
  • Larry Borom – OL, Detroit Lions
  • Luther Burden III – WR, Chicago Bears
  • Jaylon Carlies – LB, Indianapolis Colts
  • Kevin Coleman Jr. – WR, Miami Dolphins
  • Brady Cook – QB, Miami Dolphins
  • Jordan Elliott – DL, Tennessee Titans
  • Akayleb Evans – CB, Carolina Panthers
  • Javon Foster – OL, Cincinnati Bengals
  • Ty’Ron Hopper – LB, Green Bay Packers
  • Khalil Jacobs – LB, New England Patriots
  • Drew Lock – QB, Seattle Seahawks
  • Chris McClellan – DL, Green Bay Packers
  • Isaiah McGuire – DL, Cleveland Browns
  • Armand Membou – OL, New York Jets
  • Harrison Mevis – K, Los Angeles Rams
  • Toriano Pride Jr. – CB, Cleveland Browns
  • Ennis Rakestraw Jr. – CB, Detroit Lions
  • Darius Robinson – DL, Arizona Cardinals
  • Keagen Trost – OL, Los Angeles Rams
  • Josiah Trotter – LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Zion Young – EDGE, Baltimore Ravens

Players Waived or Released

  • Marcus Bryant – OL, New England Patriots (injured reserve)
  • Joshuah Bledsoe – S, Washington Commanders
  • Stephen Hall – CB, Houston Texans
  • Xavier Loyd – WR, Kansas City Chiefs
  • Albert Okwuegbunam – TE, Las Vegas Raiders
  • Cody Schrader – RB, Denver Broncos
  • Theo Wease Jr. – WR, Miami Dolphins

Injured Reserve

  • Jaylon Carlies – LB, Indianapolis Colts
  • Yasir Durant – CB, New England Patriots
  • Johnny Walker – WR, Denver Broncos

(TRAGEDY)—A William Jewell College football player who had; just scored the first touchdown of the year for his team collapsed on the sidelines Saturday and was pronounced dead at a Liberty hospital a short time later. MicahJo Barnett. He was 20, a business administration major.  The game was suspended and later canceled.

Barnett was a home-town boy, the captain of the Liberty Eagles when they won their first state championship when he was a senior. He ran for 1,450 yards, scored 20 touchdowns and made the all-state team that year.

(MIZBB)—Former Tiger basketball star Mark Mitchell might be a Tiger basketball star again.  He’s enrolled at the University of Missouri.  The court system will decide if he can have a fifth year of eligibility.

Mitchell went undrafted by the NBA after his all-SEC year last year. He played for the Denver Nuggets Summer League team and appeared to be headed to the Nuggets training camp before he changed his mind.

He’s one of several players—more than 25—who were not grandfathered in by the NCAA’s “five for five”  rule. His future is in the hands of a federal district judge in Colorado, Charlotte Sweeney, who has granted fifth years of eligibility in other cases before her. In all of those cases, the players had not signed a professional contract. The NCAA opposes such rulings and the SEC doesn’t like it either.

Financially, returning to Mizzou is a better deal.  He made $45,000 playing in the G-league last season and would get as much as $85,000 if he goes to camp. Sources indicate he’ll make more at Mizzou under the NIL system.

(BASEBALL)—Baseball seems to be eternal during the summer months and it is something akin to a shock to realize there are only 25 games left for our two teams. One has a slight chance of making the playoffs but it’s going to have to get its act together in a significant way to do it.

Our two teams seem to be headed in different directions again. It’s the Royals that have been hot for the last couple of weeks. Although they were hammered by the Guardians on Sunday, they have won 11 of their last 13, 13 of their last 16,  and remain in the playoff picture, as unlikely as that might seem. But they are playing in the weakest division in baseball.

Royals reliever John Schreiber, put on waivers during the weekend, was quickly snapped up by the New York Yankees. He had been in 55 games this year and had put up a 3.65 ERA. He held right-handed batters to a .143 average but lefties were hitting .326.   Schreiber likely on his way out anyway. He was going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

The Cardinals have dropped to two games under .500 again and now they’ve put J. J. Wetherholt on the IL.  He’s been dealing with tendinitis in his right wrist.  The Cardinals started the week 68-70.

One notable achievement, however—Alex Burleson, who was a much-discussed trade possibility in the offseason, has become the first left-handed Cardinals batter to drive in 100 runs since Jim Edmunds did it in 2004, with 111—a number Burlison has 23 games to beat.

He came into this week ranked number two among first basemen in all of baseball in batting , base hits, and doubles.

The Cardinals have decided during the weekend that Caleb Ferguson wasn’t such a good deal after all and cut him loose. He was designated for assignment three weeks after the Redbirds picked him up from Cincinnati. He pitched 8.1 innings in relief, gave up eight walks, 11 hits and eight earned runs in his short stint after doing pretty well for the Reds where he had 22Ks in 24.2 innings and a 4.01 ERA.

His roster spot will be taken by pitcher Hancel Rincon when rosters expand. Also coming up will be Leo Bernal. Rincon has spent eight years in the minors although he’s only 24. He’d been a starter but was moved to long relief this year. In 41 games this year in Memphis he has thrown 71.1 innings with a 4.04 ERA.

Bernal is a catcher prospect, a minor league gold glove winner last year and has been voted the best defensive catcher in the International League this year. He has hit .278 with 16 home runs and 77 runs batted in through 101 games. His callup leaves the Cardinals with some choices to make. Their roster already carries three catchers—Ivan Herrera, Padro Pages, and Jimmy Crooks.

—-Moving along, quickly:

TWO FOR PATO; FIVE FOR PALOU; AND A BIG ONE FOR PREECE

(NASCAR)—Somehow the NCAA Tournament phrase “Sweet Sixteen” isn’t appropriate for the field that will run for the NASCAR Cup Championship in the next ten races. But sixteen it is, the field established with a dramatic win Saturday night on the high banks of Daytona Saturday night with the sixteenth driver making it by winning while a big part of the field crashed behind him.

Ryan Preece had never won a Cup race until then. The win boosted him past Shane Van Gisbergen into the sixteenth and final playoff slot.  It’s his first win in 249 races covering eight seasons.

The race, run with a new aero package for the cars, was fairly sedate for a Daytona race until four laps from the finish when a crash and subsequent cleanup sent the race into overtime. Zane Smith led at the start but when he tried to block an oncoming Tyler Reddick, he was turned with the rest of the field bearing down upon him.  Preece got through the melee first and was leading when the caution flag was thrown, locking him into the position.

The sixteen drivers who will try to accumulate the most points in the next ten races to claim the cup are regular season champion Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, Daniel Suarez, Carson Hocevar, William Byron, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, and Preece.

The field includes the winners of the last seven championships: Logano in 2018, 2022, and 2024; Larson in 2021 and 2025, Blaney in 2023 and Elliott in 2020.

The Chase begins at Darlington next weekend.

(INDYCAR)— Two for O’Ward; Four of Five for Palou

Pato O’Ward has won both weekend IndyCar races on the Milwaukee Mile but he had to do it on the same day.  Saturday’s race was stopped by rain before the halfway mark, with O’Ward in the lead, forcing the race to be completed Sunday, after the regularly-scheduled Sunday race also went his way.

The day was a historic one for O’Ward, who became the first IndyCar driver to win two races on the same day since Rick Mears did it 45 years ago.  Only six other drivers in the series have achieved that distinction—and they’re pretty big names.  Mears, Mario Andretti, Al and Bobby Unser, Dan Gurney, and Johnny Rutherford.

 

“Those are heavy names. Then you hear mine, you’re like, ‘What?'” he said in a post-race interview. “I’m just writing my own story. I really don’t know what’s in store for my IndyCar career. So far I’ve dedicated my whole life to this. I always really dedicate myself to everything that I do to the best of my ability. I’m one hungry competitor. I love to go out there and compete and to challenge.”

His double victory was overshadowed by Alex Palou, who did not win but accumulated enough points to guarantee his fourth championship in a row, his fifth in six years. Only Scott Dixon, with six, and A. J. Foyt with seven, have more series championships than Palou, who is by far the youngest driver to win five.

 

“I never thought I would be, first of all, an IndyCar driver. Never thought I could make it. Never thought that I would have the chance to be a professional race car driver. That was my dream,” Palou said after the race. “When I had the opportunity to be an IndyCar driver, that was already a huge achievement for me. I was living the dream. I remember also then Chip (Ganassi) giving me that chance to drive for a championship-winning team at that moment. They just won in 2020 with Scott. That was mind-blowing. Since then I feel like I’ve been on this incredible cloud where everything has been so good for me… It’s just super fun.”

The last driver to win four straight titles was Sebastien Bourdais, who took his fourth one in 2007.

One race is left on the IndyCar schedule. It’s next week at Laguna Seca.

(Photo credits: Student Body Left—1961 Savitar; Stadium—MLR Group; Preece—Bob Priddy at Brickyard ’26; Palou—Rick Gevers, WWTR;  O’Ward—Bob Priddy, Indy, 2026; NASCAR playoff field—Facebook)

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A Start, A Streak, A Stumble, and a Race

By Bob Priddy, Missourinet Contributing Editor

(MIZ)—Fall camp is over at the University of Missouri. Arkansas-Pine Bluff will be the cannon fodder for the Thursday night opener.  APB is a school of 2100 students that has gone 9-27 in the last four years.

Coach Drinkwitz says Ahmad Hardy will not play. He says Hardy is “working is rear end off” but is still rehabilitating his wounded leg. Hardy has not practiced and will not be activated untoil he has completed two full weeks of practive at full speed before he will be activated.  Drinkwitz has no timetable for his return.

His replacement will be Jamal Roberts, who is hardly chopped liver.  He ran for 753 yards and six touchdowns last year, averaging 5.5 yards per carry in his three-year collegiate career,   eighteen inches less than Hardy’s career average. Teammates have voted him team captain.

The Tigers also have transfers Xai’Shaun Edwards and Malae Fonoti as backups.

Hardy’s status has not kept SEC coaches from making him one if four Tigers on the pre-season all conference team.  Joining him on the first team is LT Cayden Green. Long Snapper Brett LeBlanc is on the second team. LB Robert Woodyard Jr., is on the third team.

Missouri starts the season ranked 25 by the AP and the Coaches polls. (ZOU)

(CHIEFS)—The Chiefs are 0-2 with little sign of offense in their first two preseason games. The biggest highlight of the 16-15 loss to the Bucs was Harrison Butker’s 69-yard field goal with room to spare. The kick sent the Chiefs to the halftime locker room up 9-0.

But he missed a PAT and a potential game-winning kick near the end.

(ROYALS)—The hottest team in baseball has been the lowly Kansas City Royals, who won their 8th straight game Sunday, 11-7 against the Tigers, a game highlighted (with tongue in cheek) by a stolen base by Salvador Perez, who broke a five-year steal-less streak.  He now has seven in his career. The Royals have outscored opponents 47-27 in those games.

The streak is the Royals’ longest since May, 2024. Although they are now 16 games under .500, they are only 7.5 games out of the last AL playoff spot.

Stay tuned.

(CARDINALS)—The Cardinals have cooled off after last week’s surge and dropped back to .500 with their Sunday sweep loss to the  Phillies—a disastrous loss that resulted from the Phillies scoring six times in the ninth to snatch a 6-4 win. Kyle Schwarber his a 459 foot walk-off homer the first walk-off homer for the Phillies since he did it in July of ’23. Schwarber leads the major leagues with 39 homers.

Now, to the nation’s capital—-

(INDYCAR)—The first automobile race through the streets of the U.S. Capital was a huge hit with fans and drivers,  Kyle Kirkwood dominated the race, tightening his points chase with Alex Palou, who encountered problems throughout the race.

Event organizers counted 215,000 spectators in the two days and noted souvenir sales of almost one million dollars. Event chairman Bud Denker says the door is open for another run next year, that series owner Roger Penske and his friend Donald Trump will talk about a race in 2027. Washingtoh Mayor Muriel Bowser is upbeat.

Kirkwood’s win cuts Palou’s points lead to 31 with three races left. Christian Lundgard chased him trough the closing laps but could not get close enough to try pass. Kirkwood teammates Will Power and Marcus Ericsson gave the Andretti Global team three of the four positions.

The cost of the event—reportedly $35 million—might be discouraging for those hoping for another run next year, but the race was $25 million dollars cheaper than the UFC event at the White House last summer.

About 100,000 complimentary tickets were given away but some individual tickets cost $5,000 and rental of luxury suites cost a cool quarter-mil.  Organizers think they suffered a net loss of about $30 million because of all of the free tickets. The city thinks the race generated $100 to 200 million in revenues for it.

Regardless, the event was a major success for IndyCar, a major visibility boost for the series. And all it takes for a second one is another executive order from Roger Penske’s longtime friend.

(NASCAR)—The cream is rising to the top aa NASCAR’s regular season nears its end.  Ryan Blaney won his second straight race at New Hampshire Sunday, his third victory of the year.

Blaney is second in the point standings to Denny Hamlin, who locked up the regular season championship with his 7th place finish.  The win is his 20th career vicory,

The race started on rain tires after a heavy rain and cars were switched to the usual racing slicks during  the first round of pit stops. A two-tire change on the last stops gave him a lead he never relinquished.

Bubba Wallace chased him across the line, followed by Josh Berry, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs and Hamlin. Tyler Reddick, the pole winner, finished ninth, ahead of Ryan Preece.

Berry’s finish was his third straight on he podium and his fourth straight top ten, a run that his Wood Brothers team has not seen sine 1994 when Morgan Shepherd scored five straight top tens. Unfortunately for him, Wood Brothers had announced before the string began that he would be replaced in the 21-car next year.

Thirteen of the 16 drivers who will chase the championship during the next ten races are locked in. Five drivers will fight for the last three slots next Saturday night at Daytona: Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, Shane Van Gisbergen, Preece and Brad Keselowski.

A blown engine wiped out even the remote chance that Ross Chastain had to make the chase. He finished last, 36th.

(GORDON RETURNS, WINS)—Jeff Gordon is 55 years old now but the competitive fire still burns. 

Before the IndyCar race in Washington, the old IROC (International Race of Champions) was resurrected, using the Pontiac Firebirds used in the last years of the original IROC series that last ran twenty years ago.

Retired NASCAR champions Bill Ellott, Bobby Labonte and Rusty Wallace were joined by Indianapolis 500 winners Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves and road racer Tommy Kendall.   for a two-heat race.  Gordon smoked ‘em all. Both heats.  Gordon started last as the field was inverted for the second race, but he took the lead early in the second race and led the way home again.

 

 

Sports: A Big Start Before Reality Calls; Hardy Update; Guys Who Want to Play More (8/17/26)

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By Bob Priddy, Missourinet Contributing Editor

(CARDINALS)—Joshua Baez is a major leaguer and a record-setter at that, but it took only two games to show he has work to do.

Baez, who has a rep as a power hitter, showed it Saturday when he became the first major leaguer to hit three home runs in his first game.

He ripped the first pitch he saw from a major league pitcher 449 feet into the center field bleachers at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Next time up, he went 389 feet into the left field stands and the third time, the shot measured 368 feet to right.

In one game it appeared he had lived up to his promises in that Saturday game.  He had hit 34 home runs this year in Triple=A, driven in 90 runs and had a .256 average.

But on Sunday, the real world came calling.  He was hitless in five at bats and fanned three times—displaying a feature that has been worrisome throughout his minor league career.  He has struck out 547 times, better than 25% of the times he’s recorded an at-bat.

He helped the Cardinals win the weekend series against the Cubs and win their eighth game in their last dozen, to pull two games above .500 again and move back into the wildcard playoff hunt with about six weeks (39 games) left in the regular season.

Blaze Jordan’s baseball shoes are headed to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown—-because Baez had worn them for his historic day Saturday.

The Redbirds started the week yesterday with a doubleheader against the Reds in Cincinnati.  They recalled lefty Quinn Matthews from Memphis to start the first game with their leading pitcher, Andre Pallante looking for win number 13 in the second game.

Alec Burlison drove in both Cardinals runs in a 2-1 win in the opener, a makeup game for a rainout in May. Matthews made a solid start before leaving after four innings. He struck out seven. Burlison took over the National League RBI lead in that game. The win went to Luis Gastelum who struck out two of the three batters he faced in the fifth. Riley O’Brien cleaned up by striking out the side in the ninth to get save number 31 in 36 chances.

The Redbirds let the second game slip away from them. The Reds tied the game in the 9th. The Cardinals had two on in the top of the tenth and couldn’t get one across and the Reds sent the hometown fans home happy in the tenth. 6-5 Reds.

(MILES TO GO)—Former Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas might have reached the end of the road with the Washington Nationals designating him for assignment.

His work this year seems the lean against anybody picking him up for a stretch run. He made eleven starts and appeared in thirteen other games this year for Washington, has gone only 3-9 with an ERA of 5.89 through 113 innings. He’s given up 26 home runs while striking out only 56 batters. The last month and a half have been brutal as his ERA for July jumped to 6.62 and before his release, it was 8.18 for August.  He’s 37.

(ROYALS)—The Royals remain one of the worst teams in the majors this year but there have been flashes of promise, one being Noah Cameron’s performance Sunday against the Angels when he gave up only a bloop single in the seventh inning.  Cameron went on to pitch his first career complete game. He struck out eight, threw 115 pitches and struck out eight.

The win allowed the Royals to take their first series since they took two out of three against  June 4-7 against the Twins.

It’s the time of year for the Royals to make some personnel changes—as is the case with major league team in general at this point in the season. Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcie have come home after their rehab assignments. Pasquantino has been inactive since July 29 because of a sore right wrist.  Garcia has been missing since June 23rd because of a strained muscle in his left hand.  It’s been almost two months since the Royals had their regular starting lineup intact.

The Royals also have called up LHP Connor Thomas from Omaha. They claimed him from the Athletics roster earlier this month.

The addition of those three to the roster means three other guys had to do. Infielder Josh Rojas and RHP Jose Cuas have been sent down to Omaha and veteran outfielder Sterling Marte has been designated for assignment.

Marte hasn’t been used much—only 59 at-bats this year. He was hitting .242.

(CHIEFS)—The Kansas City Chiefs got their first shot against somebody not wearing red and yellow during the weekend and although Coach Andy Reid saw some things he liked, he also saw somethings that “we got to clean up.”  The Chiefs lost to the Rams 20-12, with the winning margin provided by former Missouri Tiger place kicker Harrison Mevis, who was good on two field goals and both LA extra points.

One of the biggest areas for cleaning up is the ongoing tendency to draw flags.  The Chiefs had the seventh-most penalties in the league last year with 119, almost evenly divided between the offense and the defense.  They had a dozen against the Rams.  Eleven of them were offensive, five before the snap.

(MIZZOU)—Ahmad Hardy has been on the field—but only as a spectator—as his Missouri Tiger teammates continue their work toward the opening game in a couple of weeks.  Reporters covering the drills say he was spotted on the sidelines last week with a black sleeve on his left leg.

Coach Eli Drinkwitz says there’s nothing new to report about his return to the field in pads. But he says there will be an update next weekend. Hardy has been in the work room and continued with speed training and walk-throughs but Drinkwitz says he’s still some time away from being ready for full contact.

(MOOKIE HOPES)—Former Tiger wide receiver Mookie Cooper hopes the United Football League has a place for him in 2027.  He was one of more than 250 players taking part in the UFL Showcase in St. Louis a few days ago.

He finished his Mizzou career early when he was sidelined with a season-ending injury in 2024. “I’m just chasing an opportunity,” he told a reporter.  He hopes he performed well enough to impress UFL coaches although he is not fully recovered from surgery for a double sports hernia.

Last year, he helped coach players at University High School. This year, he’s been coaching running backs at William Jewell College. “I just know at heart I’m a ballplayer,” he told are reporter at the UFL combine. “My heart is still in playing. I know I still can go.”

Cooper was a 5-foot-eight receiver who caught 92 passes in 44 games (11 of them starts) for 1,179 yards. His biggest game was against Auburn shortly before he was sidelined two years ago when he was on the scoring end of a 78-yard pass play.

(NOT READY TO  GO)—Former (for now) Tiger basketball star Mark Mitchell isn’t ready to leave college basketball.  He  has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA seeking a fifth year of eligibility, one of ten players who have filed suit in Louisville, Kentucky seeking a court order keeping the NCAA from blocking their fifth year. His lawsuit asks a judge to order the NCAA to  reopen the transfer portal which means he could play for somebody else if he wins—although a ruling from another court would let him return to Mizzou. Media reports, however, say Kentucky is prepared to offer one of the biggest financial packages in all of college basketball to get Mitchell.

Present NCAA rules bar him from talking to any coaches other than Missouri’s Dennis Gates. However, Gates already has a full roster of 15 players, the maximum number allowed.  Another question is whether Missouri could compete financially with Kentucky.

From the diamond to the oval—or the road course

(INDYCAR)—Marcus Ericsson charged to a win in the closing laps of the IndyCar race in Markham, Ontario, Canada with a bold late move to get past Will Power, Alex Palou, and leader Romain Grosjean and get his first IndyCar race since 2023.

The result slightly tightens the point standings with four races left on the schedule but Alex Palou remains on top with what is likely a big enough margin to withstand any competitor.

Ericsson was fifth after his last pit stop, his 13 second lead disappearing while he got fuel and fresh tires.  He had to pass teammate Will Power, points-leader Alex Palou, and leader Romain Grosjean to win the first race held at Markham.  Grosjean gave Dale Coyne Racing its first podium finish of the year. Power, who started 25th, got his fourth third-place of the year.

(NASCAR)—The door is closing on some big-name drivers outside the top 16 in season points standings with only two more races before the 16-driver playoff run begins.  The week in NASCAR showed a familiar face  making a familiar late-season charge toward the field of 16 and the move of a disappointing rookie to one of the sport’s superteams.

Joey Logano, who has languished around 20th most of the year, picked up his second win in the last four races Saturday night at Richmond. He has gained nine positions in the standings in the last six races and is now ninth in the standings, within one point of eighth and only 36 points out of sixth place.

This isn’t the first time Logano has spent the first part of the season with mediocre results only to catch fire down the stretch to the playoffs.  He has three Cup championships on his record.

The win is his 37th victory for Roger Penske, tying Missouri’s Rusty Wallce for most NASCAR wins for The Captain.  Logano has two other wins before joining Penske.  Wallace had eighteen wins for other teams, totaling 55 in his career.

Chase Brisco led 171 laps and had a two-second lead going into the last round of pit stops.  But Logano’s team got him out ahead of Briscoe and Logano got past Christopher Bell and into the lead with 24 laps left.

(Photo Credits—Baez—Instagram; Ericsson—Rick Gevers at WWTR; Logano—Bob Priddy at the Brickyard)

 

Sports: A Football Championship, A Tall Arm for KC; A coach returns; and a youngster shows he can run with his elders.

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By Bob Priddy, Missourinet Contributing Editor

We’ll talk about the Royals and the Cardinals  but not right now.  NOW we want to talk about the championship football team in St. Joseph.

Not the Chiefs—-they’re just practicing.

We’re talking about the ST. JOSEPH GOATS!

(GOATS)—The St. Joseph Goats beat the Arkansas Diamonds for the second time this year to win The Arena League football championship, ending the season the same way they started it—beating the Arkansas Diamonds.

The Goats started in Kansas City, a town whose history includes the long reign of political boss Tom Pendergast whose organization was known as the “Goats.”  Pendergast ran a cement company and one of the many projects of the Pendergast organization was the Municipal Auditorium where the Goats played their first games.

The other team in St. Joseph also is from Kansas City but they’ll go back there for their regular season, challenged by the Goats to do what they have done—win a championship.

Goats coach (say that real fast four or five times) Dorsey Golston told the St. Joseph News-Press, “It just feels amazing, accomplishment is what I feel right now.” Quarterback University of St. Mary grad Angelo Trujillo, a graduate of the University of St. Mary led the team from a 20-18 lead at the half to a 52-30 win.

The Goats don’t plan to go the White House. After their win the team celebrated at the Hi-Ho Bar and Grill in St. Joseph.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid was in the stands for the game. The team is owned by Travis and Jason Kelce and Chiefs legend Christian Okoye, the “Nigerian Nightmare” running back for six years in the late eighties and early nineties.

The Goats finished 8-2, outscoring opponents 556-400 with two wins over the Diamonds and the Nebraska Siege, and single games wins against the Ozark Lunkers, the Iowa Woo, andwhile splitting results with the Woo and taking two out of three form the Nebraska Siege—including a 57-55 heart-stopper to rech the championship game.

(CHIEFS)—Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is back with the team after a couple of weeks back home in Virginia, where his son is accused of shooting and seriously wounding Bieniemmy’ wife.  Bieniemy has been watching internet streams to keep up with the first week of practice with pads.

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The Chiefs started the week with good news—three players who have missed a lot of practices are healthy enough to be back on the field—Xavier Worthy, Ashton Gillotte, and Kristian Fulton.

Worthy’s return gets the receiving corps closer to full strength. Rookie WR Cyrus Allen was back last Friday after recovering from a bruised shin. Rashee Rice, still recovering from knee surgery between seasons is reportedly to be increasing his workload in practice.

The return of Fulton, a cornerback, strengthens the secondary while L’Jarius Sneed continues to recover from a knee problem.

Not in practice yesterday, however, were guard Trey Smith, DT Omarr Norman-Lott, LB Drue Tranquil and Sneed.

(ROYALS)—The Kansas City Royals opened a series in Los Angeles late last night our time the Dodgers, a team that had won as many games as the Royals had lost and had lost one fewer games than the Royals have won. They started the series with 44 games remaining.  They have to go 15-29 the rest of the way to avoid another 100-loss season, a winning percentage better than they had when they went to Los Angeles.

Any thoughts of playoffs evaporated weeks ago but there have been some recent highlights.

Bobby Witt returned to the lineup, with an impact, last week. And sophomore Jac Caglianone gave a powerful demonstration of his development as a second-year major leaguer.

Saturday night, he homered twice,  doubled twice and drove in four runs.  He is the first player in team history to have that combination of hits and the first to do it in the major leagues this year. Only six other players in franchise history have gotten four extra-base hits in a game. No Royals player in a decade had twelve total bases in a game.  His average home run distance of 418.2 feet is the best in baseball this year.

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The Royals made a big pickup last week who could become a big contributor to the relief corps—35-year old Luke Little, a 6-foot-8 inch left handed reliever the Cubs had put on waivers.  He’s in Omaha right now.

He has been in The Show briefly although he’s been in only three games in the past two years. Thirty of his forty game appearances came in 2024. In those forty games, he’s gone 3-1 with a 3.97 era  and 45 strikeouts in 36.2 innings.

In Double-A and Triple-A this year he’s 8-0 despite a 5.03 ERA. He has 44 K’s in 39.1 innings.

The Royals appear to have misread the tea leaves with another pitcher acquired at the trade deadline—Aaron Brummer who had two appearances totaling 1.1 innings, giving up six hits and six runs. A walk, a home run and never got a strikeout. He was offered a chance to go down to Omaha but has decided to become a free agent.

(CARDINALS)-The St. Louis Cardinals fought their way back to .500 by taking a series from the Rockies during the weekend.  They opened an important series against a team they have to get past to make the playoffs, the Phillies.

Wetherholt, one of the leading contenders for ROTY, has been picked for the Cardinals’ 2026 Heart & Hustle Award. Each team can name a player for the honor which is supported by the MLGB Players Alumni Association. The overall winner will be announced after the World Series.

Wetherholt went into the weekend hitting .248 with 16 homers, 43 runs bated in, a dozen stolen bases, 54 bases and a .248 average.

Taking another track—

(INDYCAR)—IndyCar has started intense final run to the end of the season with a seemingly constant face on the winner’s podium at Portland—Alex Palou, winning his sixth race of the year, the odds-on favorite to win his fifth IndyCar championship, the fourth in a row.

Palou, the 2025 Indianapolis 500 winner, crossed the finish line more than four seconds ahead of this year’s 500 winner, Felix Rosenqvist.  The win builds his lead in the points chase to 110 points over Kyle Kirkwood—the equivalent of two races. Only five races are left on the schedule this year.

Will Power, who had won the last two races at Portland, driving for Penske, crossed the line in his Ganassi-owned car third, equaling his best finishes of the year for his new team, Andretti Global.

Power was closing on the top two drivers when he missed a call to the pits for his last stop and lost time to Palou and Rosenqvist with the extra lap when he fell behind some slower cars.

Only A. J. Foyt with seven championships and Scott Dixon with six will have more IndyCar titles than Palou if he completes this year on top.  He would be far faster than either Foyt (32) or Dixon (38) reaching five championships. He will be only 29.

IndyCar Championships (by age of driver)

b.1935     b.1980       b. 1997

1   Foyt 25    Dixon  23   Palou 24

  1. Foyt 26   Dixon 28   Palou 26
  2. Foyt 28  Dixon  33   Palou 27
  3. Foyt 29  Dixon  35    Palou  28
  4. Foyt 32 Dixon 38     ?Palou 29
  5. Foyt 40 Dixon 40
  6. Foyt 44

(NASCAR)—The Next Gen Car might be a couple of years away for NASCAR but the next gen drivers have arrived.  Ty Gibbs, driving one of Grandpa Joe’s cars, won his second race of the year, holding off teammate (and slightly more experienced) Christopher Bell for the last twenty laps at the Iowa Speedway.

Two other teammates, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe finished fifth and sixth.

Bell was able to get close and tried running high and low to get past Gibbs, closing the gap to less than two seconds in the closing laps, but couldn’t find a way around him.

Gibbs is 23 and already in his third season with NASCAR’s top series. His win at Iowa has boosted him into second place in the points standings behind Hamlin, who is almost twice his age. Hamlin started 29th and “white knuckled” his car and its uncertain brakes to running in sight of Gibbs.  He continues to lead the points standings with three races left before the field of sixteen is set to run for the championship.

Tyler Reddick who started the season hot with five wins in the first six races has seen his season crumble and has dropped to fourth in the standings behind Hamlin, Gibbs, and Ryan Blaney.   Reddick and Erik Jones tangled early with Reddick assigned 36th, and last place. He has finished 30th or worse in five of his last  nine races.

Bell has finished second seven times this year, four times in the last five races.

(photos: Little—KC Royals; Caglianone—MLB via Getty Images; Goats shirt—St. Joseph Goats; Goats team—(Tucker Klamm—News Press NOW; Palou—Rick Gevers, Indianapolis 500; Gibbs—Bob Priddy, Brickyard 400)

 

Sports: A Good Start; Hardy Out For Now;  Key Injuries in St. Joseph, and a new IndyCar Car

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By Bob Priddy, Missourinet Contributing Editor

(TRADING DEADLINE)—-Kansas City Royals pitcher Kris Bubic has moved from the bottom to the top in the last hours of the MLB trading deadline.  The Royals have sent him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The Royals get right-handed pitcher Carlos Duran.

The deal was made although Bubic is on the 60-day injured list. He is a free agent after this season. He made nine starts before going on the DL with left elbow and shoulder soreness.

Duran will head to the Royals bullpen before the end of the year, probably.  He’s been in 37 games in the minors this year, posting a 3.38 ERA with a 12.9 strikeouts per inning in the minors this year.

“Noot” is going to Arizona.  The Cardinals had an active day on the last trading day. Fan Favorite Lars Nootbar, who’s been discussed as trade bait all season, has been sent to the Diamondbacks in return for one of Arizona’s top pitching prospects. The get right-handed pitcher Daniel Eagen, who is considered Arizona’s second-highest pitching prospect. He’s 24, a third-round pick in the 2024 draft out of Presbyterian College and is not pitching for Amarillo in Double-A.  He’s made twenty starts this year, has a 29.2% strikeout rate and his ERA is 16% better than the league-average pitcher.

Fans of the Springfield Cardinals might already have seen him. Amarillo and Springfield are in the same league.

The Cardinals sent Dustin May and JoJo Romero to the Brewers and got a couple of outfielder prospects in Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale.

They also picked up left-hander Caleb Ferguson from the Reds, giving up a to get an international player later.  Ferguson has given up two runs in his last four innings of work.

Ferguson is 30. He’s bounced around a bit, coming up with the Dodgers and going 7-2 with two saves in 29 games. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020, was traded to the Yankees in 2024 and moved to the Reds earlier this year.  He’s 25-17 in his career with a couple of saves and a career ERA of 3.69.

Rising Star Quin Matthews was impressive in his big league debut last weekend against the Blue Jays. Unfortunately, the Cardinals gave him no run support as they continue to fade out of the playoff picture.  They lost 5-1 although Matthews went 5.1 innings, gave up two runs on six hit. He walked and struck out three each.

Observers think he might become part of the rotation the rest of the way, particularly if the Redbirds peddle Dustin May.  He already has a major league player’s signature scrawl developed.

The Cardinals scored an uncharacteristic five runs Sunday to beat the Blue Jays 5-1, the first time they had scored five runs since July 25. Four of the runs scored in the ninth inning. The victory ended a three-game losing streak for St. Louis and a three-game winning streak for the Jays.

The win left the Cardinals two games under .500

Back down on the farm, young outfielder Tai Peete is raising some eyebrows in High-A Peoria. He hit for the cycle for the second time this year during the weekend. He also stole a couple of bases.  He’s flirting with .300 with a .983 OPS. Since returning from a concussion that cost him games in May and June, he’s been hitting .365. Although he still strikes out about 21 percent of the time, he’s getting better. He’d been near thirty percent before the injury.

Things are not so rosy, however for former top draft pick Tink Hence. To make room on the roster for Matthews, the Cardinals sent reliever Matt Svansn to Memphis, a move that crowded out Hence, who’s been designated for assignment.

Svanson has struggled this year. He’s made 41 appearances in the bigs and has a 7.27 ERA.

(ROYALS)—The Royals finished a ten game road trip with a loss Sunday to drop 21 games under .500. After a day off yesterday they open a series tonight against the Twins. They wasted a good start after the All-Star Game and are on a four-game losing streak, three of the games against the Rockies in which they were outscored 23-8. Twice during the streak they suffered walk-off defeats.

The Royals made a weekend trade they hope has long-term as well as short-term benefits. They sent outfielder Lane Thompson and left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter to the Braves to get pitcher Lucas Braun the Braves’ number eight prospect and  Carter Holton.

Braun is a Triple-A starter with a 3.53 ERA in 19 appearances, 17 of them starts in two minor league levels.  He’ll start his KC career in Ohama.

Thomas was on a one-year deal with Kansas City and would have been a free agent at the end of the season. Falter had been designated for assignment but nobody wanted him so he’s back in Omaha with a 13.97 ERA in 9.2 innings this year.

Braun has made 17 starts and two relief appearances in two minor league levels. He’ll start his KC career in Ohama. We might see him with the parent club because the Royals have a lot of arms out with injuries—Chris Bubic, Cole Ragans, Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek and Ben Kurdna.

Holton will go to Single-A Columbia. He has 41 strikeouts and a 4.32 ERA in the minors this year and the Royals think will develop.

The Royals also have picked up reliever Aaron Brummer from the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate. He’s a lefty who spent time with the Cubs before being released by the Braves.

(MIZ)—Ahmad Hardy will miss at least the first week of fall Missouri Tiger football practice. Coach Drinkwitz says he will take part in walkthroughs while he continues to rehab his injured leg. He says there will be another update in a couple of weeks.

The semi-good news is that Defensive Tackle Sterling Webb is eligible for the 2026 season after a Colorado judge granted a preliminary injunction letting the high school class of 2022, which includes Webb, to be able to play this year. Until the judge’s order, the NCAA had held he had finished his eligibility last year.

The ruling gives the Tigers some exceptional experience in the defensive line for 2026.  Webb had 20 tackles, 23 pressures and two sacks on 407 snaps last year. He’s the third fifth-year lineman suiting up this year, along with Marquis Gracial and Jalen Marshall.

Webb had not been counted on in Drinkwitz’s planning for the season. The coach says he’ll take some time to get acclimated to the program. He and Webb had had “zero contact” during the off-season.

One other injury update: Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Elias Williams is “tracking well” in his recovering from leg surgery after an injury in spring practice. Drinkwitz says it’s too soon to say if he’ll play this year. (ZOU)

CHIFS)—-The news in the Kansas Chiefs camp has to get better.

Patrick Mahomes looked pretty good in the non-contact drills last week in St. Joseph and says he feels stronger than ever when it comes to working out. “Now it’s just about getting the quarterback stuff down…moving in the pocket quick, making those quick movements, reacting and doing stuff like that.”

Mahomes thinks the injury has “kind of helped” him focus on “getting back to who I am.”

However—

Some worrying news is coming out of camp about the wide receiver corps.  Rashee Rice has not practiced at full speed and has left practice early to do more rehab work on his repaired right knee. The surgery was described as a “cleanup” procedure.

This is to be his fourth season with the team. But various problems on and off the field have allowed him to play in just twelve games during the last two years.

Xavier Worthy is still recovering from shoulder surgery. He told reporters last week that he “was never 100 percent (last year). I was never going to be 100 percent until I got the surgery. “

A reunion with Tyreek Hill is considered unlikely until mid-season, if then.  He continues to recover from surgery on his left knee that was badly injured—dislocated knee cap and multiple torn ligaments– in last year’s fourth game when he was with the Dolphins. He’s had two surgeries and reports he’s working to get his right leg back to full strength.

Hill is 32 now, easing out of the prime years for a wide receiver.

(ORIGINAL CHIEF)—One of original Kansas City Chiefs has died—defensive back Bobby Hunt was 85.  He was part of the team when it was in Dallas and stayed with them when they moved to Kansas City. He played both ways at Auburn where he was a quarterback and defensive back.

The then-Dallas Texans picked him in the 11th round of the 1962 American Football League Draft.  In his rookie season, he intercepted eight passes and make first team all-AFL. He was part of the AFL champion team before the franchise moved to Kansas City.  In 1964, he intercepted four passes in one game against the Houston Oilers, a record.  In 1966 he was among the league leaders with ten interceptions.  In his 112-game career he intercepted 42 passes, still a Chiefs record.

Hunt was a starter in the 1966 AFL-NFL Championship Game (before Lamar Hunt coined the phrase “Super Bowl”). He finished his career in 1968 and ’69 with the expansion Cincinnati Bengals then became a defensive back coach for the Bills for a couple of years before going into the apparel industry.

New Wheels—-

(INDYCAR)—Get a load of this, friends.  It’s the future face of IndyCar, the IR-28, that will hit the tracks in 2028. It’s designed to be faster, safer, and better in traffic in a sport already famous for its multiple lead-changes, even more passes for position during its races, in what IndyCar calls ‘the fastest racing on earth.”

The version you’re looking at is for road and street courses. The oval version (in the other photo) will have smaller wings that produce less drag but still produce adequate downforce in turns.  Designers suggest it might produce qualifying runs exceeding the speed records set by Arie Luyendyk in 1996 at just under 240 mph.

On-track testing started immediately with Indianapolis 500 winners Alexander Rossi and Alex Palou laying down some baseline laps on the Speedway road course.

Palou was so excited that he wished it would go into service next year instead of 2028. “When we saw it live for the first time,” he said, “ was shocked at how good it looked and how excited I was to give it a try.”

“I was having fun,” he said.

“It’s like Christmas morning,” said Rossi. He called the car “really rewarding to drive…It doesn’t do anything unpredictable and gives you good feedback and you kind of know what’s coming.”

The chassis is provided by Dallara, the company that has provided the DW-12 chassis for more than a decade. The new car will be about 100 pounds lighter than the present one, will have a new suspension system that reduces reliance on aerodynamic downforce while maintaining mechanical grip in traffic and a more powerful engine. Designers think tweaks to the body also will make the airflow coming off a leading car less of a problem for a car or cars behind it, allowing tighter racing and more passing opportunities.

The new car’s hybrid power system will use a new battery with 14 times the capacity of the present system, giving drivers more flexibility is their applications of power.

The cockpit is bigger and wider—-there have been complaints about the tight fit from bigger and wider drivers—and the protective aeroscreen that protects the driver is more streamlined, stronger, and provides better cockpit ventilation.

Designers are forecasting the car will break Arie Luyendyk’s 1996 records at IMS.

The car will go through more testing and refinements throughout 2027.

(NASCAR)—NASCAR had a rare off week this weekend. Missourians wanting to watch a NASCAR race can head to Iowa next weekend.

(photo credits: Matthews—Cardinals; Hunt—Alabama Spors Hall of Fame; Indy cars–IndyCar

 

Sports: Chiefs Tragedies; MLB Teams Headed Opposite Direction; History on the Track

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By Bob Priddy, Missourinet Contributing Editor

(CHIEFS)—The initial excitement that Patrick Mahomes is a full “go” for practice at the Chiefs training camp in St. Joseph, there is concern with news that the son of Assistant Coach Eric Bieniemy has been charged in Virginia with shooting his mother, Bieniemy’s wife, Mia.

She is reported in stable condition with multiple wounds. Their son, Elijah, is being held without bond on three felony charges in Loudon County, Virginia.  Coach Andy Reid to reporters in St. Joseph, “I can’t get into details on it, but things happen sometimes, and Eric will work through it. He has a great support group here, as does his family, as needed, and we’ll just let time take care of it from there…She’s a saint, we all know that, those of you that know her. One of God’s great blessings. But things happen. And you have to work through it. That’s where we’re at right now. Time will have to be involved in this to help heal.”

Pass game coordinator Joe Bleymaier and offensive line coach Andy Heck will take over his duties for now.

The Chiefs first full workout will be tomorrow.

(MORE CHIEFS TRAGEDY)—Former Chiefs offensive lineman Jordan Devey has committed suicide at the age of 38.

ESPN reports his mother says the family “believed that he suffered from CTE,” but the nature of his death left his brain unavailable to test for the neurodegenerative disease. Devey played seven years and 44 games in the NFL, wining a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in 2014.. He also played for the Bills, Raiders, and 49ers. He was with the Chiefs 2016-2019.

(CHIEFS FOOTBALL)—He vowed to be back by the first game of the year—and Patrick Mahomes has done more than that. He has rehabbed his double knee injury and is cleared for full activity at the Chiefs camp in St. Joseph.

But he’ll be 31 in September and we’ll see how the miles, the hits, and this injury affect his style of play.  This will be his ninth season.  The first chance fans will have to see how he looks is tomorrow. The team will break camp on August 20, three weeks before their regular season opened September 14 against the Broncos.

(MIZ)—We’re only a week away from the beginning of camp for this year’s Missouri Tigers.  Media day will be August 2 and the serious stuff starting the next day.

Mizzou will play its 1,380th game September 3 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, seeking their 732nd win against 596 losses and 53 ties, a winning percentage that ranks 67th in college football. Their 731 wins ranks 37th.

The Southeastern Conference football experts who make pre-season predictions think Missouri will finish tenth.

(BASEBALL)—Our MLB teams have gone different directions since the All-Star break.  The Cardinals have lost eight of eleven, including four of their first five after the break and the opening game of a home series against the Cubs last night that dropped them to .500..

The Royals start their week tonight against the Twins.  If they win all 55 of their remaining games, they’ll finish two games above break-even.

(Motoring along)

NASCAR—In its 76-year history through last year, NASCAR had never seen a car numbered 67 win in 2,786 races.  This year, it has happened twice in 22 races.

Part-time driver, Corey Heim put the car in victory lane after the road course win at the San Diego Naval Base in June and added the Brickyard 400 Sunday by hanging onto the lead despite veteran challengers waiting for him to make a mistake in the closing laps.

Heim, who is 24 and has been competing in increasingly bigger circles since he was about 16, will join 23XI Racing full time next year. One of those left in his wake Sunday was the co-owner of his team and the series points leader, Denny Hamlin.

He led the last 33 laps with Christopher Bell his major threat ahead of three-time NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe and Hamlin.  In all, he led 58 of the 160 laps around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  He also had the fastest lap in the race.

NASCAR is taking a week off before running at Iowa Speedway on August 9.

(INDYCAR)—IndyCar is idle until it takes to the streets of Toronto on August 19. It is the start of a five consecutive week run to the season finale at Laguna Seca on September 6.

A long-time part of IndyCAR is returning to a fulltime schedule next year. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has bought one of the charters from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. D&R has been competing in the Indianapolis 500 since pulling out of the full-time operation in 3012.  Negotiations for the return already were underway when team founder and owner Dennis Reinbold died June 13 at the age of 65.

Dreyer and Reinbold fielded a car in the Indianapolis 500 for the 27th year in May. Conor Daley finished 12th, just 2.7 seconds behind winner Felix Rosenqvist. In all, the company has run 57 cars in the 500.  But the team history at the 500 goes back to Floyd “Pop” Dryer, who was a mechanic for the great Duesenberg teams a century ago.

The team will announce is driver and other plans for 2027 later.

(Photo credits: (Bienemy son jpg)  (Photo Credits: Bienemy–Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office via AP; Devey—cyprus-mail.com; Heim—Rick Gevers)

Sports: Hardy update, Big Losses Pile Up, Heat and Rain on the Racetrack

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By Bob Priddy, Missourinet contributing editor

(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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Sports: Homer King, Draftees, Hall of Famers, and some speed

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by Bob Priddy, Missourinet Contributing Editor

(ALL-STAR GAME)—The All-Stars play tonight. But last night was reserved for the homer boys and the fourth guy from the left won it all.

(L-R: Ben Rice, Yankees; Wilson Contreras, Cardinals; Joe Caglianone, Royals; Jordan Walker, Cardinals; Murakami, White Sox; Caminero, Rays; Harper and Schwarber, Phillies.

Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker could be in line for some major endorsement money from the chewing gum company whose product he was enthusiastically working over last night when he beat one of the biggest home runs guys in baseball to become the first Redbird and the second youngest competitor  to win the All Star Game’s Home Run Derby.

Walker, watching his winning home run fly into the stands in Philadelphia, beat hometown star Kyle Schwarber 12-11 on his last swing to take home the trophy.  He had matched former Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras’ 13 home runs in the first round and won his second-round matchup 6-5 against Junior Campanero of the White Sox, setting up the final slugfest.  He cleared the fence with his last six swings to take the trophy—-and the $1 million prize, some $300,000 more than he is to earn from the Cardinals this year.

It would not be a surprise if some of that money was a tip for the guy who threw all of those fat pitches last night: Cardinals bullpen catcher Kleininger Teran.  Teran was no stranger to the job. He pitched to Albert Pujols, the last St. Louis participant in the event, in 2022.  He also has thrown a lot of batting practice to Walker in his still young career.

Walker faces real pitching tonight in the All Star game.

Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone had eight home runs in the first round, not enough to advance, but he put on an impressive power show.  He was the only competitor to hit the ball into the stadium’s upper deck with one of his shots measured at 477 feet.  His father was his pitcher.

(BABY BIRDS)—The St. Louis Cardinals have chosen two dozen futures in the MLB draft. They had the most picks—seven—in the first four rounds. None of these players is obligated to sign a contract and none is forever linked to the team. Some might want to wait another two or three years to finish their college education and improve their skills in hope of moving up in a future draft.

The first choice was Georgia high school outfielder Trevor Condon, the first high schooler taken as the number one pick by St. Louis since another Georgia player who has turned out pretty well—Jordan Walker. Condon finished his last high school season hitting .504 with nine home runs, 42 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. He has committed to playing college ball at Tennessee.

The second choice played for Tennessee this past season, Tegan Kuhns, a 6-3 righthander with a big curve and a 98 mph fastball.

The Redbirds’ third choice was Rocco Maniscalo, an Alabama high school shortstop who is only two months into his 17th year.  Scouting Director Randy Flores says he has “current” tools which puts him ahead of players drafted for their hope and projectionables.

Outfielder Andrew Williamson, was next. He played for Central Forida next year.

Other picks;

Kansas State shortstop Dee Kennedy, who hatted .357 with 10 homers in 114 college games.

Right-handed pitcher Dawson Montesa, who plans to skip his last year at West Virginia University to join the Cardinals system.

Left hander Luke Harrison from the University of Texas.

First Baseman Jack Gurevitch from San Diego State.

Southpaw Cade Crossland from Oklahoma; Righty Ethan Young from East Carolina; Hawaii outfielder Matthew Miura; Pitcher Payton Graham, a righty, from Gonzaga; Penn State shortstop ryan Weingartner; Third Baseman Michael Dattalo, who played for Dallas Baptist last season; Stetson University Ty Van Dyke, a right-handed pitcher; Texas shortstop Jalin flores; Northern Kentucky right-handed pitcher Kaden Echeman; Righty Jake Shelagowski from Saginaw Valley State.  Later choices are Iowa RHP Anthony Watts; Stanford SS Trevor Haskins, Kansas City right-handed pitcher Alex Breckheimer,  Austin Peay outfielder Cameron Nickens, right-handed pitchers Dylan Driessen from South Dakota State and Liam Best from Appalachian State and the final choice (number 624), Central Missouri catcher Chase Heath

(FUTURE ROYALTY)—Thirteen of the Kansas City Royals 16 picks are pitchers but their first choice was a surprise:

Louisville outfielder Zion Rose who is described as having “elite contact skills, speed, and power.”  He finished the recent hitting .417, two dozen stolen bases, six homers and 47 ribbies.  Rose had been listed 30th in MLB’s pipeline.

The second choice was the 40th-ranked prosect, Ole Miss right handed pitcher Taylor Rabe, who has a fastball of 96-100 mph and strong control.

Third was 17-year old Jack Slightom, who has committed to playing for Cincinnati University, followed by West Virginia lefty Maxx Yehl who is said to have an “MLB-ready arm.”  Their last pick in the first round was Oswego East High School (Illinois) left-handed hitting outfielder Dominic Battista. He missed part of his last high school season with a broken bone in his wrist but batted .242.  Scouts say he’s just coming into his own at the plate but “has defensive instincts and speed.”  He’s expected to forego his freshman year at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Kansas City started the second day with Arkansas lefty reliever Ethan McElvain, who went 6-0 this season with a 1.88 ERA and made the SEC second all conference team followed by Clemson left-handed pitcher Jack LeGuernie, who was on the national Pitcher of the Year watch list. 4.69 ERA in 19 appearances.

Others chosen by the Royals are Georgia right-hander Dylan Vigue, a junior starter for the Georgia team tied for third in the College World Series.  He was 4-1 in eighteen appearances including 16 starts—63 IP, 77K, 36BB, 4.43 ERA.

Florida Gulf Coast lefty Hunter Possehl went in the 8th round with Oklahoma third baseman Camden Johnson (.293, 9 HR, 48 RBI) picked up in the 9th round.

LSU right-hander Grant Fontenot went in the tenth round. Last year he was in 21 games (4 starts) got 42Ks in 32.1 innings. He was followed St. Mary’s outfielder Tanner Griffith who his .342 in his last season, had a .477 OBP, was an All-WCC second teamer. He plans to play his last collegiate year for TCU, though.

Others; College of Central Florida right handed pitcher Lance Hartley; Nicholls State righty dalton Hill; catcher Banks Wickersham of Fort Dorchester High School in South Carolina, a commit to the College of Charleston. In his senior year of high school he hit .459; Virginia Tech left hander Madden Clement from Virginia Tech; and Troy University Righty Dylan Alonso.

They finished up with right-handed pitcher Richie Roman of Houston; New Mexico southpaw Cooper Cockrean, who has announced he’s going to the University of Kentucky next year; Pitcher Hudson, a righty from Mooresville High School in Indiana, a commit to the University of Alabama, and—finally—Riley McDonald from the State College of Florida, a reliever.

(MIZZOUHOF)—Six former Tiger Athletes are the newest members of the MU Sports Hall of Fame—

Football players Nick Bolton of the Kansas City Chiefs and Drew Lock of the Seattle Seahawks, along with player and later coach Andy Hill as well as  softball player Ashley Fleming, wrestler Daniel Lewis and Nicki Weber Moore, who ran cross country and other track and field events. They’ll be honored during a ceremony October 9.

Now: Fast Times in Atlanta

(NASCAR)—A late, soggy nail-biter at Atlanta ended with Ryan Blaney dominating the race but needing every inch of his car’s nose to win the race that ended just before 2 a.m., Atlanta time.  Rain and lightning had stopped the race for three hours just before the halfway mark.

Blaney—who was racing to lead his 171st lap in the 263-lap race—Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, and Carson Hocevar came out of the last turn in a dogfight for the finish line and Blaney crossed the line just ahead of Wallace.

Wallace, however, saw his second place finish taken away by NASCAR, which penalized him for dropping below the yellow line marking the inside of the track on the last lap, and moved Wallace to 29th place as the official last car on the lead lap.  Wallace objected, noting he had been pushed below the line by teammate Bell and did not gain a position because of it.  But as of press time, the penalty stood.  Bell is officially second by less than seven-hundredths of a second.

Six races remain before the ten-race playoffs begin with the top 16 drivers in the points competing for the NASCAR Cup.  Wallace’s penalty, instead of solidifying his position well within the runoff field, puts him 13th in the points standings, 55 points ahead of three-time Cup champion Joey Logano, who is the first out at this point.

(INDYCAR)—The Silly Season has arrived for IndyCar in a big way with the Arrow McLaren team announcing that two of its drivers this year will be replaced by a couple of bigger names next year. Gone are Christian Lundgaard, a two-race winner this year  who is third in the points, and Nolan Siegel who is in his second year with the team. Siegel has yet to develop, never finishing higher than 23rd in the standings in his first two seasons. He is 21st in this, his third year, in IndyCar.

O’Ward won the most recent race with Lundgaard second.

Replacing them are two bigger names—this year’s Indianapolis 500 winner, Felix Rosenqvist, moving over from Meyer Shank Racing, and one of the sport’s most prominent figures—Scott Dixon.

Dixon is leaving Chip Ganassi Racing after 24 years of full-time racing, six series championships (second to A. J. Foyt’s seven), 59 wins (only Foyt has more, with 67) and the 2008 Indianapolis 500. It appears, however, that his longtime sponsor, PNC Bank, will stay with Ganassi. Team owner Chip Ganassi says he oftered Dixon a multi-year offer that would have let him finish his career with his team, but Dixon chose to go a different direction.

Dixon and Rosenqvist will be teamed with Pato O’Ward, one of the most popular drivers in the series.

(photo credits: Walker—Instagram; Condon—Condon family;  Rose—USA Network; Home Run Derby—MLB; Blaney—NASCAR; Dixon—Rick Gevers at Indianapolis)

Sports: The Sports Society Page; The top 100 in the NFL; The Three W’s as All-Star Selections, and our weekly dose of speed.  

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By Bob Priddy, Missourinet Contributing Editor

 

This has been the most famous kissing photo in New York history—Alfred Eisenstadt’s image of a sailor and a nurse celebrating in Times Square the end of WWII.  Now there’s a rival (although, not really. It’s just an image inspired by historic one.)

 

For the society-watchers, here are some details reported by various media of the wedding of the year so far, the Swift/Kelce nuptials held in a quaint little chapel called Madison Square Garden:

The officiating officer was comedian Adam Sandler whose 2025 movie sequel Happy Gilmore 2 included a cameo by Kelce, whom Sandler called “a gentle, nice guy, and funny as hell…a great actor and a real human.” He told TIME magazine Swift is “incredible” and “ridiculously nice to his children.”  They didn’t have a lot of maids of honor and male counterparts. Her brother, Ausin, was “man of honor,’ and Kelce’s brother, Jason, was the best man.

VARIETY reported Kelce’s boss, Andy Reid found the advice given the couple by Sandler to be “really touching.” (Sandler told them, “Kiss every chance you have. Every day. Whether  you’re going to bed or going to work. Whenever, go ahead and kiss her.”)

An immediate honeymoon does not appear to be on the horizon, according to knowledgeable Swift-Kelce constant observers.

So, it’s official. The All-American jock and the homecoming queen are no longer just a couple. They’re a MARRIED couple. We hope they have the strength to endure the heat of the spotlight and the expected tabloid headlines forecasting the worst.

Now we can get on with the less important stuff.

(CHIEFS)—-CBS Sports has put out a list of the 100 best players in the NFL. Kelce isn’t on it but the Chiefs have three percent of that list—Parick Mahomes, center Creed Humphrey, and Defensive Lineman Chris Jones.  Mahomes is number 7 on the list, Humphrey 23rd, and Jones is 62nd.

The list was put together by CBS’ Pete Prisco, who has covered the NFL for thirty years. He says of Mahomes, who was number one last year, “He’s still one of the best – if not the best – quarterbacks in the league.”

Humphrey, who allowed zero sacks and only seven pressures in 708 pass-blocking snaps last year “was the best center in the league again last season, displaying the ability to move people in the run game and excel in pass protection. Patrick Mahomes has to love having him as his center.”

Jones’ 63 quarterback pressures last year ranked him third in the NFL. He was 18th on last years list and Prisco comments, “He’s not the player he was a few years ago, but he’s still capable of being a force inside. The sack numbers have declined in recent years, and he hasn’t had double-digit sacks since 2023.”

His top five players are Rams Defensive End Myles Garrett (whose 23 sacks last year set a new record), Rams QB Matthew Stafford, the MVP last year, Bills QB Josh Allen, Cincinnati WR Ja’Marr Chase, and Bengals QB Joe Burrows, who, like Mahomes, missed a chunk of games las year with an injury.  The only other player rated above Mahomes is Detroit Offensive Tackle Penel Sewell

(HARDY)—The most recent report on Missouri Tiger running back from Coach Drinkwitz is that he is ahead of schedule in recovering from a gunshot wound to his leg but he still has a lot of recovering to do.

His situation has not kept him from being listed as a pre=season All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation. On the list with him is Kewan Lacey of Ole Miss, who started his college career at Mizzou before transferring in 2025.

The Tiger PR machine reminds us we are about 58 days away from the first game of the 2026 season opener with Arkansas Pine Bluff.

(UFL)—Almost two dozen players from the recently-finished United Football League season have been given a chance to make a National Football League roster.  Two of them are from the St. Louis Battlehawks—receiver Hakeem Butler, who led the league receiving yards, and Corner Back Sean Fresch Jr.  Both are going to get looks from the Denver Broncos.

Baseball—-

(ALL-STARS)—We are a week away from baseball’s All-Star team. Missouri’s teams have one position player starter, Kansas City shortstop Bobby Winn, and one reserve position player, Jordan Walker of the Cardinals.

Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha, a former Redbird, is on the AL pitching roster. Wacha is 5-6 for one of the worst teams in baseball this year. He’d have a much better record if he had better run support from a generally punchless lineup. His ERA is a decent 3.45. He has 91 strikeouts in 114.1 innings. He leads the league in innings pitched.

As always, there are those whose absence sparks some comment. The biggest might be former Cardinals pitcher Sonny Gray, who leads the American League in wins, at 10-1 and is second in ERA (2.61) to Tampa Bay’s Nick Martinez, who also didn’t make the AL roster.

Gray’s teammate from St. Louis also with the Red Sox, first baseman Willson Contreras, might make the team after all because chosen starter Vladimir Guerrero Jr., is having back issues and says he’ll sit out.

The Cardinals’ only representative on the National League All-Star roster is outfielder Jordan Walker, who ways he was near tears when manager Oliver Marmol announced to the team in the locker room that Walker had made the squad. Marmol says, “Part of the message wasn’t so much just the fact that he’s produced over three months, it’s three years of perseverance to get to this point.”

Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson is not on the National League roster although he started this week tied for third on the RBI list (four behind Jordan Walker’s 67). Some also think St. Louis DH Ivan Herrera should have made the team. He had ten homers and 58 RBIs at the start of this week.

The game is a week from tonight. It’s the 96th one. The American League leads 48=45 with two ties. The game will be in Philadelphia.

Moving along with those who move along—-

(NASCAR)—Joe Gibbs Racing rolled up a 1-2-3 finish at Chicagoland last weekend with Chase Briscoe outrunning Christopher Bell with Denny Hamlin getting the best view of their last lap fight.

Hamlin started from the pole

Briscoe, Bell, and Hamlin were joined by four other Toyotas in the top ten, the best 1=10 finish in Toyota’s history in NASCAR Cup races.

Briscoe’s remark in victory lane, “I feel so American winning in the Bass Pro Shop’s Red, White, and Blue car, 4th of July weekend, 250 years,” while driving a Japanese-badged car might seem a little odd to some. However, Toyota’s larges Camry manufacturing plant in the world is in Georgetown, Kentucky, where it had been producing cars for 38 years.

(INDYCAR)—The IndyCar title chase has tightened with Pato O’Ward’s win at Mid-Ohio ahead of teammate Christian Lundgaard, the first time Arrow-McLaren has finished 1-2 in its long IndyCar history.

O’Ward got past Lundgaard, who was headed for his second straight win, when Lundgaard went wide on a turn and O’Ward got under him. He stretched the lead to almost a full second at the end. At one time he had a 2.5 second lead on Lundgaard but ten laps later, with ten to go, the lead had been whittled to a second and a half.

O’Ward has ten wins in the series on nine different tracks and is only the second driver to win ten or more games for the team since Johnny Rutherford picked up 18 driving for the team 1973-79.

Kyle Kirkwood joined O’Ward and Lundgaard ont he podium. Points leader Alex Palou finished fifth and saw his lead over Kirkwood to shrink to  still-substantial 56 points after eleven of the 18 races IndyCar will run this year.

(Photo Credits: Times Square Kiss—Google Images; Wedding—JJ’s House; Walker, Witt and Wacha—MLB; Briscoe—NASCAR; O’Ward—Bob Priddy at WWTR