The Sportsletter - Livin' The Dream ⚾️

BY JEFF YODER

AUG. 12, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 🙌

Baseball shined in Iowa last night while the FedEx Cup Playoffs and NFL preseason kickstarted the weekend. Have you missed football? Let the NFL action commence...

Letter Rip!

MLB

Livin' The Dream ⚾️

Photo: Michael Reeves / Getty Images

Cubs Beat Reds (4-2) in Iowa ‘Field of Dreams’ Game

Back to Dyersville we go! The Field of Dreams ballpark played host to its second MLB game on Thursday night, and the sights and sounds were once again magnificent. Modeled after the 1989 film with Kevin Costner and a host of star actors, the Iowa park hosted a crowd of 8,000 to see the Reds and Cubs. Players emerged from the cornfield before introductions, and the father-son duo of Ken Griffey Jr. and Ken Griffey Sr. kicked things off with a game of catch in the outfield to mimc the final scene from the movie.

In the game itself, the Cubs got on the board with a three-run 1st inning. Nick Madrigal (3-for-5) and Ian Happ (2-for-4) led the bats while pitcher Drew Smyly tossed five scoreless innings. The Reds tacked on two runs in the 7th, but neither team hit a home-run into the corn. A magical night in Iowa, and a Cubs’ win for the record books.

Watch: Cubs-Reds Field of Dreams Highlights

Additional Storylines

MLB: Sweet Dreams: The Top Moments From an Enchanting Field of Dreams Game

USA Today: Big 1st Inning Leads Cubs to Victory Over Reds in Field of Dreams Game

PGA

Bring On The Playoffs ⛳️

Photo: Ben Jared / Getty Images

FedEx Cup Playoffs Tee Off With St. Jude Championship

The three-week PGA Tour postseason is officially underway. The FedEx Cup Playoffs teed off on Thursday at the St. Jude Championship from TPC Southwind in Memphis. The field of 125 made for a lot of low numbers in Round 1. The playoff format will cut the field to 70 for the second weekend (BMW Championship) and just 30 players for the Tour Championship. Thursday’s Round 1 at St. Jude saw two surprise players — Si Woo Kim and J.J. Spaun — fire 8-under scorecards. It’s the beginning of a three-week stretch with a $15 million prize at the end…

Leaderboard (Round 1)

S.W. Kim (-8)

J.J. Spaun (-8)

S. Theegala (-7)

J.T. Poston (-6)

T. Finau (-6)

Other Notable Scorecards: R. Fowler (-5), J. Day (-5), A. Scott (-4), J. Thomas (-3), J. Rahm (-3), C. Morikawa (-3), P. Cantlay (-3), X. Schauffele (-2), J. Spieth (E), R. McIlroy (E) | Full Leaderboard

Watch: St. Jude Championship Round 1

Playoffs Schedule | Field Size

FedEx St. Jude | 125 Players (This Weekend)

BMW Championship | 70 (Aug. 18-21)

Tour Championship | 30 (Aug. 25-28)

Additional Storylines

Yahoo! Sports: Who Is On The Bubble This Week at the St. Jude Championship?

CBS Sports: J.J. Spaun and Si Woo Kim Lead Early as FedEx Cup Playoffs Get Underway

NFL

Preseason Kickoff 🏈

Photo: Scott Taestch / Getty Images

Ravens & Giants Win Preseason Week 1 Openers

Football is back! We won’t have another weekend without the NFL until February, and that’s a beautiful sight. Two games kicked off Week 1 of the preseason on Thursday, but there’s more to come on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Many starters aren’t dressed, which means rookies and backups get the spotlight. That was evident on Thursday with the Titans starting rookie QB Malik Willis. Ravens backup QB Tyler Huntley was the star of Thursday (16/18, 109 yards, 1 TD). He also scampered for 17 yards. In the early game between the Giants and Patriots, New York won it on a last-second, chip-shot field goal by Graham Gano.

Five games hit the television tonight before a full weekend of football. It may not matter, but if you’ve waited six months to see your team in action, it’s a start.

Thursday Highlights (Preseason Week 1)

Ravens def. Titans (23-10)

Giants def. Patriots (23-21)

Tonight’s Schedule

Falcons at Lions (6:00 pm ET)

Browns at Jaguars (7:00 pm ET)

Cardinals at Bengals (7:30 pm ET)

Jets at Eagles (7:30 pm ET)
Packers at 49ers (8:30 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

NFL: What We Learned From Thursday’s Preseason Games

B/R: Preseason NFL Week 1 Takeaways: Malik Willis Shines in Titans Debut

NFL PRESEASON STORYLINES

🏈 Fantasy Players to Watch in Preseason

While some NFL fans would prefer to skip the preseason, fantasy football managers should watch these games and draft accordingly. (Bleacher Report)

🏈 Top-10 Must-See Rookies in Preseason

This week in August brings a full slate of NFL preseason action. Now's the time to look back on draft crushes and pinpoint rookies I'm most excited to see during the preseason. (CBS Sports)

🏈 Preseason Preview: QBs in the Spotlight

Why We’ll Be Watching Trevor Lawrence, Daniel Jones, Malik Willis and Baker Mayfield. Plus, the Patriots blocking scheme, Jets offensive line woes and more. (Sports Illustrated)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Patriots Running Back & Super Bowl LI Hero James White Retires After 8 Years (NFL)
• Golden Knights Goaltender Robin Lehner Out for 2022-23 Season With Hip Surgery (ESPN)
• Bears WR N’Keal Harry to Miss 8 Weeks With Ankle Surgery (Yahoo! Sports)
• Top-Ranked RB Recruit Cedric Baxter Commits to Texas (SI)
• Tom Brady Steps Away From Bucs Camp for Non-Football Reasons (CBS Sports)

• Vanessa Bryant Leaves Court Room During Crash Photos Testimony (USA Today)

• NBA to Retire Bill Russell’s No. 6 Jersey Following Legend’s Death (ESPN)

🗓️ WEEKEND SCHEDULE

The Must-Watch List

Welcome back, football! The NFL preseason gets rolling this weekend with games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We won’t have weekends without the NFL until February, and that’s worth celebrating. Plus, the PGA's FedEx Cup Playoffs are underway, and the WNBA playoff races bring must-win games. Enjoy!

PGA Tour (FedEx Cup Playoffs)

St. Jude Championship (All Weekend)

NFL Preseason (Week 1)

Packers at 49ers (Fri. 8:30 pm)

Panthers at Commanders (Sat. 1:00 pm)

Seahawks at Steelers (Sat. 7:00 pm)

Full Preseason Week 1 Schedule

MLB

Yankees-Red Sox Series

Phillies-Mets Series

Brewers-Cardinals Series

Full MLB Schedule

WNBA

Liberty at Dream (Fri. 7:30 pm)

Lynx at Sun (Sun. 1:00 pm)

Dream at Liberty (Sun. 2:00 pm)

Sky at Mercury (Sun. 5:00 pm)

Full WNBA Schedule

Soccer

EPL: Chelsea vs. Tottenham (Sun. 11:30 am)

*All Times ET

Support The Sportsletter Team

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Content Intern: Marissa Kasch

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

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