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Good Morning 👋
Back to the grind! Mondays are often known as a sports news hangover following a busy weekend, but yesterday was an extra-long recovery day. The Olympic meal is over, but we have leftovers in the fridge. Plus, we’ll catch up on MLB races and look at the first preseason AP Poll for college football.
Letter Rip! |
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The Bronze Medal Boomerang 🥉 |
Photo: Anadolu / Getty Images |
How USA Gymnast Jordan Chiles Went From 5th to Bronze & Back Again… And It’s Not Over Yet
The 2024 Paris Olympics have come to a close, but one Team USA athlete saw her medal hopes drag on this week. Jordan Chiles, one of the star members of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team, went through a turbulent journey of technicalities. Chiles initially placed fifth in the women’s floor exercise last week, but Team USA coach Cecile Landi requested a scoring appeal. That appeal was granted, and it corrected a scoring error that put Chiles in third place for the bronze medal. She was brought to tears in one of the best and most emotional moments of the entire Olympic Games. Chiles stood on the podium alongside USA’s Simone Biles (silver) and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade (gold). Ana Barbosu of Romania was relegated from third to fourth in the process. But that wasn’t the end of this saga…
Chiles was forced to give back her bronze medal because the appeal came four seconds too late.
Reversing the Reversal: More than a day later, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that Team USA contested the outcome four seconds after the one-minute time limit allowed for scoring appeals (a total of 1 minute, 4 seconds). The bronze medal was reallocated to Barbosu since the scoring inquiry was deemed invalid. The two athletes traded moments on social media — Chiles posted broken hearts while Barbosu attempted to encourage her for a great performance.
The Final Attempt: USA Gymnastics reportedly provided video evidence that showed Landi first signaled for an appeal 13 seconds before the one-minute deadline, but CAS insisted the bronze remain with Barbosu. This could turn into months of legal back-and-forth over a small but significant gymnastics technicality unlike any in the sport’s history.
The bronze boomerang… We’ll keep following it. Here’s a thought: Can they both have bronze? Read More
FOX News: USA Gymnastics Vows to Take Jordan Chiles’ Bronze Medal Fight to Swiss Court
NBC News: Rules Don’t Allow Reconsideration of Decision Stripping Jordan Chiles’ Bronze Medal |
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Power Rankings (50 Days to October) |
Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn / Getty Images
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What Happened in MLB During the Olympics? What Will Happen in the Final 50 Days? Let’s Catch Up…
It’s been two weeks since we’ve given baseball more than a check-swing in the newsletter. A lot has happened since the Olympics hijacked our coverage, but we're on a full infield shift toward October. Six teams are at 70 wins or knocking on the door by week’s end — low-90s wins marks the estimated gatekeeper for making the postseason. The next 50 days will set the stage for the playoffs, so these games matter a little more. Some tough questions for this week’s power rankings:
Is There A Clear No. 1 in the AL? Just when it looked like the Guardians were ready to capture No. 1, Cleveland hit a skid. The Twins and Royals are on their heels in the AL Central. The Yankees and Orioles are neck-and-neck in the East at 70 wins apiece. The Mariners and Astros aren’t in contention for the top five yet, but both are clicking after the trade deadline out West.
Can Anyone Catch the NL Leaders? Don’t count on it. All three leaders — Dodgers, Phillies and Brewers — have been atop their divisions for the entire summer. Three other NL teams are red-hot at the moment in search of wild-card pushes. The Diamondbacks (66-53), Padres (66-53), and Cubs (59-60) all entered Monday winners in 8 of their last 10. The Braves and Mets keep trading swings, but everyone’s chasing the big three.
MLB Power Rankings 1. Dodgers (70-49) —
2. Yankees (70-50) ↑3 3. Orioles (70-49) ↑1 4. Guardians (70-49) ↓1
5. Phillies (69-49) ↓2 6. Brewers (67-51) — 7. Padres (67-53) ↑2
8. Twins (66-52) — 9. Royals (65-54) ↓2 10. Astros (63-55) ↑4 Teams 11-20: 11. Diamondbacks (67-53), 12. Mariners (63-56), 13. Braves (62-56), 14. Mets (61-57), 15. Red Sox (62-55), 16. Cardinals (60-59), 17. Giants (61-60), 18. Cubs (59-61), 19. Rays (59-59), 20. Reds (58-61)
Teams 21-30: 21. Rangers (55-64), 22. Tigers (56-63), 23. Pirates (56-62), 24. Nationals (54-65), 25. Blue Jays (55-64), 26. Angels (52-67), 27. Athletics (50-69), 28. Marlins (44-75), 29. Rockies (44-76), 30. White Sox (29-91)
This Week’s Series to Watch Dodgers-Brewers, Royals-Twins, Red Sox-Orioles & Braves-Giants
Read More MLB: Power Rankings: New No. 1 Team, New Entry in the Top 5 CBS Sports: MLB Power Rankings: Does Anyone Deserve Baseball’s No. 1 Spot? |
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AP Poll: Preseason Dawg Days |
Photo: Scott Cunningham / Getty Images
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Georgia (1), Ohio State (2), Oregon (3), Texas (4) & Alabama (5) Lead 1st College Football AP Poll
It’s that time! The first preseason AP Poll of the college football season was conveniently released yesterday afternoon, just in time for our shift away from the Olympics and back to the gridiron. Few surprises appeared in the top-10, but three teams who failed to reach the four-team College Football Playoff last season sit at the top. Georgia received 46 of the 62 first-place votes while Ohio State garnered 15 and Oregon got one. Michigan, last year’s champion, starts at No. 9 following Jim Harbaugh’s departure. Notre Dame (No. 7) has been admired by many analysts thanks to the hype around QB Riley Leonard. And there's a lot to like about this Ole Miss team (No. 6).
Reminder: This will be the first iteration of the 12-team playoff. The door is open for a college football underdog. Looking at you, Deion Sanders (Colorado received just one vote for top-25 consideration). Preseason AP Poll (Voting Points) 1. Georgia (1532) 2. Ohio State (1490) 3. Oregon (1403) 4. Texas (1386) 5. Alabama (1260) 6. Ole Miss (1189) 7. Notre Dame (1122) 8. Penn State (1060) 9. Michigan (995) 10. Florida State (971) Rest of Top-25: 11. Missouri, 12. Utah, 13. LSU, 14. Clemson, 15. Tennessee, 16. Oklahoma, 17. Oklahoma State, 18. Kansas State, 19. Miami, 20. Texas A&M, 21. Arizona, 22. Kansas, 23. USC, 24. NC State, 25. Iowa Read More
ESPN: AP Top 25 Reaction: The Biggest Early-Season Games for Every Team
CBS Sports: AP Top 25 Reactions: Michigan Starts Low for Champion, Keep an Eye on Miami
AP: Ohio State Extends Record AP Top 25 Streak, Ole Miss Has Best Preseason Ranking Since Archie Manning |
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🏅 24 Moments From the ’24 Games
Sixteen days of spectacular performances, once-in-a-lifetime athletic accomplishments, epic battles on a global stage and, thankfully, a return to full-fledged Olympics hype. Millions traveled to France to witness it all. (CBS Sports) 🏁 Controversy at Richmond Raceway
Austin Dillon snagged a spot in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs in controversial fashion as he wrecked both Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on the final lap Sunday at Richmond Raceway. “I did what I had to do to cross the finish line first.” (FOX Sports) 🏈 The NFL Roster Cuts Bubble
While the preseason is undoubtedly exciting for players, it can also be a stressful period. Many of them face the real possibility of being left off a roster when final cuts are due on August 27. Some of the names might surprise you. (Bleacher Report) |
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⚾️ MLB Cardinals at Reds (6:40 pm ET, MLBTV)
Royals at Twins (7:40 pm ET, MLBTV) Dodgers at Brewers (8:10 pm ET, TBS) Pirates at Padres (9:40 pm ET, MLBN) Braves at Giants (9:45 pm ET, MLBN)
⚽️ Leagues Cup Columbus Crew vs. Inter Miami (7:30 pm ET, AppleTV)
LAFC vs. San Jose (10:30 pm ET, AppleTV) *WNBA, NFL Preseason & Golf Return Thursday (Aug. 15) |
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