The Sportsletter - Diamond Diary & QR Helmets

BY JEFF YODER

AUG. 21, 2024 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

It’s a short mid-week edition before we crank it up tomorrow and Friday. Week 3 of the NFL Preseason, the U.S. Open and more golf playoffs are just around the corner. But first, it was a whacky night in baseball parks across America. Plus: Is putting QR codes on helmets such a good idea?

Letter Rip!

  MLB  

The Diamond Diary 💎

Photo: Mike Stobe / Getty Images

Balls in Fences, Payroll Remorse & AL Powers Collide for Season's Longest Game in Baseball’s Wild Night

Most summers include a dozen days or more where sports highlights are a wash, dominated solely by weird and wild moments on the diamond. Remember that bee delay at Chase Field? We can top it. This summer gave us an Olympics respite (thanks, Paris!), but yesterday was one of those whacky days in baseball. Before we get amped for our fantasy football drafts and an exciting two weeks of the U.S. Open and FedEx Cup Playoffs to round out the week, it’s time for another edition of "The Diamond Diary" — goofy stories from ballparks across America.

Off the Wall? In the Wall!

The Astros may have lost for (what feels like) the first time this month — defeated by the Red Sox (6-5) — but Houston rookie Shay Whitcomb rocked a line drive into the wall in center field… and stuck it. Yep. The baseball was lodged in the fence for an automatic ground-rule double. Whitcomb was called up to the big leagues this week, too. Just when we think we’ve seen it all.

McCann Makes Mets Pay (Literally)

The Mets are technically still paying catcher James McCann despite trading him to the Orioles back in 2022. McCann made his first return to Citi Field last night and paired a home run with a 3-RBI night to beat the team that still writes his checks. Priceless. The Orioles beat the Mets (9-5). Imagine paying your competitor to beat you. Only the Mets.

Guardians Win Season's Longest Game

The longest game of the 2024 MLB season (4 hours, 5 minutes) needed 12 innings in the Bronx before the Guardians rang up a six-run 12th to beat the Yankees (9-5). This game was everything fans could’ve asked for. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto hit back-to-back home runs, but Lane Thomas’ pinch-hit RBI double opened the floodgates in the 12th. The Guards (73-52) now own the best record in the AL (for the moment).

The Banged-Up Braves Are Still Breathing

At this point, you’d think Atlanta would roll over and die already (or just sleep until 2025). They’ve already lost Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, Max Fried and Austin Riley to injuries, but they just keep hanging around in the NL East. The Braves beat the first-place Phillies (3-1) last night thanks to Marcell Ozuna’s 37th home run and 10 Ks from Reynaldo Lopez. How is this team still clinging to a wild card spot?

More MLB Stories & Highlights

• Dodgers’ Gavin Lux’s HR Rolls Back Under Fence
• George Springer Launches 2 HRs in Blue Jays’ Rout
• Jurickson Profar Lifts 8th-Inning HR for ANOTHER Padres Comeback

Full MLB Scoreboard

  CFB  

Scan or Scandal? Meet the 1st Helmet QR Code 🔳

Photo From Oklahoma State Athletics 

Oklahoma State Football Becomes 1st CFB Team to Wear QR-Coded Helmets for NIL Donations

We’ve gone from NIL scandals to NIL scans. The latest twist of innovation in the ever-changing landscape of college sports has just been introduced in Stillwater, of all places, just one day after head coach Mike Gundy blasted players for wanting more NIL money. Oklahoma State football will wear QR codes on the back of their helmets this season, allowing fans to scan the code and donate directly to the program’s NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) student-athlete fund. The move is a stroke of creative genius, especially for a program notorious for recruiting scandals. The Cowboys served a one-year NCAA probation in 2015. What could go wrong?

“This is a revolutionary step forward to help keep Oklahoma State football ahead of the game. It gives a chance for everyday fans across the world to have a real impact when it comes to supporting the NIL efforts for Cowboy football. I’m thrilled about this opportunity for our players.” — Oklahoma State Coach Mike Gundy (Team Statement)

It’s the first time a college sports team will give fans direct access to support athletes through a jersey-worn QR code. If the results prove worthwhile (they will) and scandal-free (they won't), expect other programs to follow suit. 

Read More

Yahoo! Sports: Oklahoma State Football Helmets to Have QR codes for NIL Donations

FOX Sports: Oklahoma State Debuts NIL QR codes One Day After Mike Gundy’s Anti-NIL Rant

  HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

🏀 WNBA

Sun def. Sparks (69-61)

Sparks Shoot Just 10.5% From 3 (2-for-19)

Liberty def. Wings (94-74)

Breanna Stewart (26 pts), NYL Win 7th Straight

Storm def. Mystics (83-77)

Nneka Ogwumike (24 pts, 8 rebs) Leads Storm

⚾️ Little League World Series

Venezuela def. Aruba (2-1)

Hawaii def. Pennsylvania (3-1)

Mexico def. Cuba (6-4)

Florida def. New York (6-1)

  STORYLINES    

🏈 The 12-Team CFB Playoff Predictor

The 2024 college football season will look unlike any other before it, especially when it comes to the College Football Playoff. The CFP has expanded from four to 12 teams, opening up the field of contenders. Make your picks and see what the ‘Playoff Predictor’ foretells. (ESPN)

🏀 WNBA Power Rankings

The Liberty are the top dogs, the Aces are the two-time defending champions, and the Lynx won the WNBA’s Commissioner Cup, but Caitlin Clark and the Fever look like a threat. The last leg of the WNBA season brings some shifts to the power rankings. (CBS Sports)

⚾️ MLB’s 2024 All-Overpaid Team

Money cannot buy happiness, but it does buy regret for a lot of MLB teams. There are 166-plus rostered players making at least $10 million in 2024, and many aren’t producing. Meet the 28-player All-Overpaid Team, earning a combined total of $628 million this season. (Bleacher Report)

  NEWS   📰 

⚾️ Braves Sign Gio Urshela to Fill 3B Hole in Wake of Austin Riley Injury (CBS Sports)

🎾 World No. 1 Jannik Sinner Won’t Face Suspension After 2 Failed PED Tests (B/R)

🏈 Aaron Rodgers Calls Jets’ Camp One of the Most Taxing in Many Years (ESPN)

🏒 Blue Jackets Trade Former Top-5 Draft Pick Patrik Laine to Canadiens (SI)

🇺🇸 United States Announces 225-Member Paralympics Team Heading to Paris (Yahoo! Sports)

🎮 Popular Video Game ‘Backyard Sports’ Making Return With Expansion to TV, Film & More (Sporting News)

🏈 Delaware State Football Team Misses 11-Hour Flight to Hawaii for Season Opener (USA Today)

🏈 Brian Flores Responds to Comments From Tua Tagovailoa About Past Relationship (B/R)

  SCHEDULE   🗓️

Today's Must-Watch List

⚾️ MLB

Orioles at Mets (1:10 pm ET, MLBN)

Red Sox at Astros (2:10 pm ET, MLBN)

Guardians at Yankees (7:05 pm ET, PRIME)

Brewers at Cardinals (7:20 pm ET, FS1)

Mariners at Dodgers (10:10 pm ET, MLBN)

⚾️ Little League World Series

Quarterfinals (1:00 pm — 7:00 pm ET, ESPN)

⚽️ Leagues Cup

Columbus vs. Philadelphia (7:30 pm ET, AppleTV)

LAFC vs. Colorado (10:00 pm ET, AppleTV)

🏀 WNBA

Lynx at Aces (9:30 pm ET, ESPN)

  ON THIS DAY   

Lloyd Strikes Gold 🏅

Photo: Koji Watanabe / Getty Images

On This Day in Sports History: USWNT Legend Carli Lloyd Strikes the Gold-Medal Winner in 2008 Olympics

August 21, 2008 — The U.S. Women’s National Team won the gold medal soccer game in the 2008 Beijing Olympics thanks to Carli Lloyd’s iconic extra-time goal (96’) from 20 yards out. The USWNT beat Brazil (1-0) on a night where star goalkeeper Hope Solo notched a brilliant clean sheet. Lloyd’s gold medal strike was arguably the most significant goal in her legendary career for U.S. Soccer. She retired in 2021 with two gold medals and two World Cups. Only Mia Hamm (158) and Abby Wambach (184) have more goals than Lloyd (134) in USWNT history.

Editor’s Note: Yesterday we asked if you wanted to see more “On This Day” in Sports History. It was a resounding yes (91%). We’ll shuffle between history and polls at the bottom of each edition depending on the day. Thanks!

  POLL RESULTS   📊

Rookie QB Predictor

Yesterday, we asked: Which 1st-Round QB Will Have the Best Rookie Season? The response for Caleb Williams wasn’t surprising, but Bo Nix has certainly earned the respect of football fans in two preseason games.

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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