The Sportsletter - The Bronx Awakens & NFL Power Rankings

BY JEFF YODER

OCT. 30, 2024 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

Baseball ain't done yet! The Yankees stepped on the gas in Game 4 to extend the World Series for another night. We’ve also got NFL Week 9 Power Rankings with a twist. But first, some early Halloween candy... 🎃 We’re dishing out treats for multiple readers in today’s contest catch-ups. Back to business (just the news) starting tomorrow.

Letter Rip!

  SPORTS  

The Sports Equinox 🌔

We celebrated Monday's Sports Equinox with a 23-game parlay and a shot at greatness. One player rose above the field with 20 correct (no one else hit more than 18).

Winner: Ross Krantz (20/23 Picks) 👏

Ross, that was something special. Check your email later today for details. We’ll also be emailing our random drawing winner shortly. Thanks to everyone who played along!

  NFL PICKS  

NFL Pick 'Em Leaderboard

Congrats to Abby Corbet! Abby was one of 20-plus players with 13/15 correct NFL picks this weekend, but she won the tiebreaker. Check your email for more info later today, too.

NFL Pick ‘Em Winners (Week 8)

1. Abby Corbet (13/15)

2. Tim Poland (13/15)

3. Arthur Alowitz (13/15)

4. James Wallis (13/15)

5. Tony Burciago (13/15)

NFL Pick ‘Em Week 9 Available Tomorrow

  WORLD SERIES  

Game 4: The Bronx Awakens

Photo: Daniel Shirey / Getty Images

Anthony Volpe’s Grand Slam Keeps Yankees Alive in Game 4 Win (11-4) — Dodgers Lead World Series (3-1)

No sweep in this Fall Classic! The Yankees bats had been held in check with just seven runs combined in the first three games of the World Series, but that changed on Tuesday. After the Dodgers took an early 2-0 thanks to yet another Freddie Freeman home run, Anthony Volpe crushed a score-flipping grand slam in the third. New York never looked back from there, tacking on five more runs in the eighth and rolling to an 11-4 win. There was history in bunches on Tuesday, but the Yankees delayed the celebration (for now).

Freddie’s Frenzy Continues: If you’ve been following along, you’ll notice that Dodgers 1B Freddie Freeman has hit a home run in all four World Series games. He actually hit home runs in the previous two WS games back in 2021 when he played for the Braves. He’s the first player in MLB history to homer in six consecutive World Series games. Chill out, Fred.

Volpe’s Slam Makes History: Oh, more history? Volpe’s third-inning slam was the sixth grand slam of the 2024 postseason (an MLB record). It was also the first time since 1964 that both teams hit grand slams in the World Series. Volpe grew up in Manhattan, so that’s a special moment for the native New Yorker in the Bronx.

Fan Drama in Right Field: Late in the first, there was an incident between fans and Mookie Betts. Betts was tracking a foul ball before catching it in the first row, but two Yankees fans — later ejected — tried to pry the ball out of his glove. Wild scene.

Watch: Volpe’s Slam Helps Yankees Delay End of World Series in Game 4 (11-4)

World Series Schedule (Tonight)

G5: Dodgers at Yankees (8:00 pm ET, FOX)

LAD Leads World Series (3-1)

Read More

Sporting News: Volpe’s Grand Slam in Game 4 Breathes Life Into New York

Yahoo! Sports: Freddie Freeman Homers in Record 6th Straight World Series Game

ESPN: Yankee Stadium Fans Ejected for Interfering, Prying Ball From Mookie Betts’ Glove

  NFL  

Power Rankings: Level-Up Lions 🦁

Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

Despite Kansas City's Perfect Record, Lions Replace Chiefs at No. 1 in the Week 9 NFL Power Rankings

It felt blasphemous. How dare we knock the undefeated team from the top spot? If you’ve been watching the Detroit Lions lately, you'll understand. They look like the most complete, overwhelming and untouchable team in football. Detroit put up 52 points in three quarters on Sunday without even throwing for 100 yards. Offense. Defense. Special teams. They’re a nightmare for everyone in all three phases. Patrick Mahomes’ QB Rating in October — 79.3. Jared Goff’s QB Rating in October — 149.8. Case closed. The Lions are averaging 43.3 ppg over their last three wins. These are some “Greatest Show on Turf” numbers.

NFL’s Top-5 Scoring Teams: Lions (33.4 ppg), Ravens (30.3 ppg), Commanders (29.5 ppg), Buccaneers (29.4 ppg), Bills (28.8 ppg) | Full List

Week 9 Changes: There are a lot of ‘em. The Bills and Eagles (winners) have risen in place of the Ravens and Vikings (losers). The Cowboys are one loss away from joining the Jets in the cellar. I’m not sure what to make of the NFC South anymore, but I keep rooting for Kirk Cousins each week. Enjoy.

Top 10

1. Lions (6-1) | ↑1

2. Chiefs (7-0) | ↓1

3. Bills (6-2) | ↑5

4. Steelers (6-2) | ↑1

5. Commanders (6-2) | ↑1

6. Packers (6-2) | ↑1

7. Eagles (5-2) | ↑3

8. Texans (6-2) | ↑1

9. Ravens (5-3) | ↓6

10. Vikings (5-2) | ↓5

Teams 11-20

11. Falcons (5-3) | ↑3

12. 49ers (4-4) | —

13. Buccaneers (4-4) | ↓2

14. Broncos (5-3) | ↑4

15. Bears (4-3) | —

16. Seahawks (4-4) | ↓3

17. Chargers (4-3) | ↑3

18. Cowboys (3-4) | ↓2

19. Colts (4-4) | ↓2

20. Rams (3-4) | ↑2

Teams 21-32

21. Cardinals (4-4) | —

22. Bengals (3-5) | ↓3

23. Dolphins (2-5) | ↑5

24. Browns (2-6) | ↑6

25. Jaguars (2-6) | ↓1

26. Giants (2-6) | —

27. Raiders (2-6) | —

28. Patriots (2-6) | ↑3

29. Jets (2-6) | ↓6

30. Saints (2-6) | ↓5

31. Titans (1-6) | ↓2

32. Panthers (1-7) | —

Other NFL News

• Colts Bench QB Anthony Richardson After “Tired" Excuse
• Texans WR Stefon Diggs Out for Season With Torn ACL
• Ravens Acquire WR Diontae Johnson in Trade With Panthers
• Vikings Add LT Cam Robinson in Trade With Jaguars

  HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

🏀 NBA

Nuggets def. Nets (144-139, OT)

Nikola Jokic (29 pts, 18 rebs, 16 ast)

Mavericks def. Timberwolves (120-114)

Kyrie Irving (35 pts) / Anthony Edwards (37 pts)

Kings def. Jazz (113-96)

Domantas Sabonis (28 pts, 11 rebs)

Warriors def. Pelicans (124-106)

Buddy Hield (28 pts, Seven 3s) / Zion Williamson (31 pts)

🏒 NHL

Kraken def. Canadiens (8-2)

Brandon Montour Notches Hat Trick in Blowout

Senators def. Blues (8-1)

Stutzle, Tkachuk & Gaudette (2 Goals Each)

Capitals def. Rangers (5-3)

Alex Ovechkin Scores 2 Goals

Full NHL Scoreboard

  STORYLINES   

🏈 Updated NFL Draft Order

The Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans have established themselves as the two worst teams in the NFL through Week 8. Who else is in the mix for a top overall pick come April 2025? (Bleacher Report)

🏀 NBA Week 1 Overreactions

The first week of the NBA season is in the books. Who won the week? What are we overreacting to? Our writers break down the best and the worst of the season so far. (Yahoo! Sports)

🏒 NHL Early Power Rankings

We are just over two weeks into the NHL season. Frozen Frenzy is in the books, and in the distance is the triumphant return of best-on-best international hockey at the 4 Nations Face-Off. (ESPN)

  NEWS   📰 

🏀 Jazz’s Taylor Hendricks Out for Season After Suffering Gruesome Broken Leg on Monday (ESPN)

⛳️ PGA Tour Players Propose Adjusted Field Sizes & More Rule Changes for 2026 Season (B/R)

🏀 Duke Freshman Cooper Flagg Becomes First Men’s College Basketball Player to Sign NIL Deal With Gatorade (SI)

🏈 49ers’ Nick Bosa Could Face NFL Punishment for Wearing Political Hat During Postgame Interview (CBS Sports)

🏀 Rudy Gay, 38, Announces Retirement From NBA After 17 Seasons With 5 Different Teams (Yahoo! Sports)

  SCHEDULE   🗓️

Today's Must-Watch List

⚾️ MLB (World Series)

G5: Dodgers at Yankees (8:00 pm ET, FOX)

🏀 NBA

Lakers at Cavaliers (7:00 pm ET, NBALP)

Celtics at Pacers (7:00 pm ET, ESPN)

Knicks at Heat (7:30 pm ET, NBALP)

Spurs at Thunder (9:30 pm ET, ESPN)

🏒 NHL

Lightning at Avalanche (9:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

Golden Knights at Kings (10:00 pm ET, TNT)

⚽️ Carabao Cup

Brighton vs. Liverpool (3:30 pm ET, CBS/Par+)

Newcastle vs. Chelsea (3:45 pm ET, CBS/Par+)

Tottenham vs. Man. City (4:15 pm ET, CBS/Par+)

⚽️ Soccer (Women’s Friendly)

🇺🇸 USWNT vs. 🇦🇷 Argentina (7:00 pm ET, TNT)

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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