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⚾ Good morning everyone. Especially…
New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers
It’s not often you get to celebrate two wins on a day when you only play one game, but the Yankees and Brewers are happy to be rare exceptions. Qualified for the playoffs Milwaukee National League Central Division ChampionsThey became the first two teams to officially advance to the postseason.
The Yankees clinched the championship with a 2–1 win over the Mariners in the 10th inning. Anthony Rizzo scored two runs for the Bronx Bombers and hit a game-winning double in the 10th inning. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto put up historic numbers, Gerrit Cole excelled at the top of the starting rotation, and rookies Austin Wells and Luis Gil also made key contributions.
The Cubs lost a day game to the Athletics, clinching the championship for Milwaukee. The Brewers continued their winning streak with a 2-1 walk-off win over the Phillies, with Jake Bauers hitting the game-winning hit.
It was a truly wonderful year. Unsettled offseason They’ve had plenty of troubles this season, most notably a season-ending injury to Christian Yelich, but rookies Jackson Chorio and Joey Ortiz have been thriving offensively along with mainstays Willy Adames and William Contreras, and a talented bullpen has held down the fort.
Both teams are well accustomed to the playoffs, but neither has had much success recently. The Yankees are going to their seventh World Series appearance in nine seasons but haven’t won since 2009, which is an eternity for the team with the most titles in the sport. Milwaukee is going to their sixth appearance in seven seasons but hasn’t won a playoff series since 2018.
👍 Honorable Mention
👎 Not so honorable mentions
🏈 NFL college football QB power rankings have a new leader
No one would be happy to see a change in leadership, with Cody Benjamin taking over as the new head coach. NFL QB Power Rankings Tom Fornelli’s College Football QB Power Rankings.
Among the pros, Josh Allen has risen to the top of the list. He ranks in the top five in passing completion percentage, expected points per dropback, yards per attempt and completion percentage. Oh, and he’s doing it all with a reworked receiver corps. Here’s the top five:
Josh Allen (previously: 2)CJ Stroud (4)Patrick Mahomes (1)Lamar Jackson (3)Brock Purdy (5)
Derek Carr is only 14th in Cody’s rankings, and I think there’s an argument to be made that he should be #1.
Turning to the college rankings, the Texas point guard is still No. 1, but it’s a different Longhorn. Last week it was Quinn Ewers, but when he got injured, Arch Manning took the throne. Here are the top five:
Archie Manning (Last time: Unranked) Jalen Milroe (4) Cam Ward (3) Niko Iamareva (5)
Jackson Dart (6)
You’ll notice there are four SEC quarterbacks. Georgia’s Carson Beck dropped from No. 2 to No. 8 after the low-scoring win over Kentucky, but is still one of the best in the country. Brad Crawford is An explosion of quarterback talent in the SEC.
Crawford: “Since the SEC expanded to 12 teams in 1992, only three times has the conference had three quarterbacks throw 30-plus touchdown passes in a season. This fall, we could have five playmakers who surpass that total. This conference has more stars than it’s ever had, and that’s no exaggeration.”
Finally, Miller Moss may only have received an honorable mention in Tom’s rankings, but That can change a lot USC takes on Michigan this weekend, writes Cameron Salerno.
Salerno: “Overcoming the odds against Michigan would mark a new era for USC. The Trojans are 2-15 in their last 17 road games against ranked opponents, losing by an average of 10.5 points. Riley is 4-7 against Top 25 teams with the Trojans. Michigan has won 22 straight conference games and is 13-0 against Big Ten opponents in Ann Arbor since 2021. … Something will have to happen on Saturday. If the latter streak ends, it could be the perfect opportunity to get on the ‘Moss for the Heisman’ bandwagon.”
🏀 The top story from the final night of the WNBA regular season, plus a team in Portland!
The WNBA regular season concludes tonight, with a lot at stake across the league. Let’s take a look at the standings and playoff scenarios:
Liberty (32-7, 1st seed confirmed) Lynx (30-9, 2nd seed confirmed) Sun (27-12, 3rd seed confirmed if they beat the Sky or lose to the Aces) Aces (26-13, 3rd seed confirmed if they beat the Wings or lose to the Sun) Storm (24-15, 5th seed confirmed) Fever (20-19, 6th seed confirmed) Mercury (19-20, 7th seed confirmed)
Dream (14-25, beat Liberty and get the 8th seed, or lose to Liberty, lose to Mystics, lose to Sky, or lose to Liberty, win Mystics, lose to Sky) Mystics (13-26, beat Fever, lose to Dream, beat Sky and get the 8th seed) Sky (13-26, beat Sun, lose to Dream, lose to Mystics and get the 8th seed)
Got it? Good for you. (By the way, Wings and Sparks are out.)
Soon, more teams will join the fun: The WNBA announced Wednesday that Portland will become the league’s 15th team, beginning play in 2026. The league will also add the Golden State Valkyries in 2025 and a to-be-named Toronto team in 2026.
The Portland franchise is owned by Lisa Vassal Merage and Alex Vassal. The Vassal family also owns the NWSL’s Portland Thorns and are investors in the Sacramento Kings. Portland’s WNBA team will play at the Moda Center, where the Trail Blazers play, and will mark the return of the Rose City to the WNBA, having been home to the Fire from 2000-2002.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert previously said: League expected to expand to 16 teams by 2028Expanding to Portland is the next step toward that goal.
⚽ UEFA Champions League: Manchester City and Inter play to goalless draw, full results
After a flurry of goals on Tuesday, things were a little quieter in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League action, making the ball in the back of the net all the more important.
In the headliner, Manchester City and Inter Milan played out a 0-0 draw despite numerous chances. James Benge Citizens have problems at both ends of the pitch..
Benge: “The balance was off. When City had the ball, they had to position too many players high up the pitch and at times it looked like they had six men lined up close to Erling Haaland. Inevitably, Inter created chances without the ball and Pep Guardiola’s team were extremely lucky to keep a clean sheet on the night. … Their opening league schedule was quite favourable but their vulnerability on the counter was obvious to those watching City closely.”
PSG managed to score, albeit just in time. The French powerhouse beat Girona 1-0 thanks to a terrible late error by Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga. It may not have been the most beautiful victory, but PSG remain a big threatJonathan Johnson writes.
Elsewhere…
📺 What to watch on Thursday
⚽ Watch the UEFA Champions League on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network. Here’s how.
🏀 Fever at Mystics, 7pm on Prime Video
🏀 Dream at Liberty, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
⚽ Phillies vs. Mets or Diamondbacks vs. Brewers, 7:15 p.m. on FOX
🏈 South Alabama vs. Appalachian State, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Patriots vs. Jets, 8:15 p.m. on Prime Video