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🏆 Five things to know Monday
- For the second time in history, Spain is a World Cup champion. It took until the second half of extra time for them to break through, but Spain finally found the back of the net on a decisive goal from Ferran Torres. That was all they needed in a 1-0 victory over Argentina to win their second World Cup and first since 2010. Lionel Messi and Argentina fell short in their world title defense and did not even get a single shot off until the 117th minute as Spain recorded their seventh clean sheet in eight matches -- a tournament record. And the scary thing is that the 2030 co-host may only be getting started. The day prior, England defeated France in a 6-4 thriller for the bronze medal, souring Kylian Mbappé's day after he became the World Cup's all-time leading goal scorer and locked up the Golden Boot race.
- Ryan Fox pulled off a legendary comeback to win The Open. Fox nearly joined the likes of Matt Fitzpatrick and Wyndham Clark in missing the cut but narrowly kept himself in contention heading into the weekend at even par. He then posted an 8-under 62 on Saturday to become the third player of the tournament to tie the men's major record for the lowest single-round score, and he stayed hot on Sunday to complete the best score over the final 36 holes in Open history. In going from 52nd to first over the span of two rounds, Fox now owns the largest 36-hole comeback by position to win a men's major. The $3.2 million payout is the cherry on top.
- Lu Dort is headed to the Hawks by way of a three-team trade. Dort and Ryan Nembhard are Atlanta-bound while the Mavericks receive Zaccharie Risacher in the deal. The Thunder picked up draft capital in the form of second-round picks in 2027, 2031 and 2032. It is a sensible transaction all the way around, according to our draft grades. The Thunder cleared up some necessary cap space, the Hawks continued to pile up defensive standouts on affordable contracts and the Mavericks bought low on a former No. 1 pick.
- It was another dramatic and historic weekend in the WNBA. The league's biggest young stars remain both incredibly talented and prone to controversy. Most significantly over the weekend, Angel Reese was on the receiving end of what the WNBA called an "inappropriate comment" made by Tempo coach Sandy Brondello, which led the latter to receive a one-game suspension. Also, NBA commissioner Adam Silver joined the Caitlin Clark discourse when he lamented that the Fever superstar has become a "political football in this country." Clark, by the way, broke out of her slump in emphatic fashion on Friday when she set a career high in scoring, broke the Fever's single-game points record and became the first player in WNBA history to record a 40-point, 10-assist game. Meanwhile, Paige Bueckers left the Wings' game Sunday after hitting the ground hard in a scary collision with Nneka Ogwumike. The team has yet to announce the extent of her apparent head injury.
- The stakes were high at Saturday Night's Main Event. The evening prior, on SmackDown, Gunther and Sami Zayn learned that if they won their tag team match against CM Punk and Cody Rhodes, they would join the SummerSlam WWE title match. Nick Aldis took out Gunther at Saturday Night's Main Event, though, to erase the chances of a fatal four-way. Also, Jalen Brunson, Karl Anthony-Towns and Tyrese Haliburton made cameos at Madison Square Garden.
⚾ Do not miss this: MLB's top 50 players of 2026
The second half of the season is underway, and before we get too deep into the playoff hunt, we ought to highlight the 50 best players in MLB thus far. From Opening Day to the All-Star Break, these standouts played integral roles in fueling the multiple dominant National League teams and keeping surprise squads alive in the wide-open American League pennant races.
You won't find injured players like Aaron Judge (who is still not cleared for baseball activities) in these rankings, even though he is clearly one of the 50 most talented stars in the sport when he is on the field. And another disclaimer: These are not predictive rankings. Those who made the cut were the most impactful players of the first half, not those who could make an impact moving forward.
With that, let's acknowledge the No. 2 player in our rankings: Pete Crow-Armstrong. The young Cubs star improved his plate discipline and power this year to turn himself into a real MVP challenger. Oh, and his glove is pretty nice, too. Here's our Dayn Perry on PCA:
- Perry: "PCA is the best defensive center fielder in MLB and one of the most valuable fielders at any position. At the plate, he's also been better than ever, thanks in part to a significantly improved walk rate. He's got an outside shot at a 40-40 season (and a 10-WAR season). He's also a threat to snatch the NL MVP award away from Shohei Ohtani."
Unsurprisingly, the best teams accounted for the most top-50 players.
- Five players: Dodgers
- Four players: Phillies
- Three players: Marlins, Nationals, Rays, Tigers, Yankees
🏀 NBA Summer League grades
Summer League offers the first look at each year's draftees in NBA uniforms and indicates how they might fare as rookies. The 2026 edition delivered an immediate blockbuster with the battle between top two picks AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, and while both of them shined, that was always the expectation. Perhaps the more eyebrow-raising showing came from No. 10 pick Brayden Burries.
Burries was the only player outside the top four picks to receive an "A" grade on his Summer League report card. Our Cameron Salerno explained how one of the Bucks' first-rounders looked like a potential draft steal.
- Salerno: "There is a case to be made that Burries played as well as anybody in Las Vegas and could receive some summer league MVP consideration. Burries did a little bit of everything, which is exactly the role he played during his freshman season at Arizona. He can shoot, defend, playmake and rebound. Burries also adds versatility because of how well he plays on or off the ball."
Most of the lottery picks showed their teams exactly what they wanted to see. A couple of them will have to wait until the regular season to prove their first-round value, though. These two in particular left us wanting just a little more:
- Keaton Wagler, Clippers: C+
- Nate Ament, Bucks: C+
📈 Red Sox climb in AL East and MLB Power Rankings
The Red Sox entered the All-Star Break as the hottest team in baseball, and a few days off the diamond has not halted their momentum. Boston rolled past the Rays for a four-game sweep in its first series back and all of the sudden own the franchise's longest winning streak since 1948.
What recently looked like one of the worst teams in the league is now suddenly two games above .500, merely six games back of first place in the AL East and all the way up to No. 10 in this week's MLB Power Rankings.
In a year where the American League has been weak across the board, the AL East is now a bright spot thanks to Boston's surge. Our Matt Snyder shed light on what is quickly becoming a competitive division race.
- Snyder: "It's entirely possible that all five teams could remain in contention all season here and, further, it's possible the AL East could end up with all three AL Wild Card teams. … The Rays have the best AL record with the Yankees second and the Red Sox hold the third Wild Card. The Orioles are only two games out of a Wild Card. The Red Sox and Orioles would only need to squeeze past the Guardians (who are currently three games ahead of the Orioles) to give the East four of the six playoff teams on the AL side."
Here is where every AL East team stands in our latest power rankings:
- Rays: No. 5 (↓2)
- Yankees: No. 6 (↓1)
- Red Sox: No. 10 (↑5)
- Orioles: No. 18 (↑2)
- Blue Jays: No. 22 (--)
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
- Indiana secured the first commitment from a five-star recruit in program history. Monshun Sales, the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2027 class, is going to be a Hoosier.
- Conor McGregor confirmed that he tore his ACL and meniscus at UFC 329.
- Saquon Barkley and his family are unharmed after they were victims of an attempted home invasion.
- Some fans thought LeBron James might have dropped a hint about his destination, but he quickly shut down that narrative. That leaves everyone hanging, including Adam Silver, who explained why he wants James to make up his mind soon.
- Almost everyone in the Mets' clubhouse is on the market heading into the trade deadline, and teams are lining up for pitchers Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes. Meanwhile, across town, the Yankees are expected to be buyers and have interest in All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman.
- Dricus du Plessis defeated Kamaru Usman by unanimous decision in a fight between two former UFC champions.
- The Dodgers pushed back Shohei Ohtani's next pitching start until further notice as he manages a knee injury.
- Kyle Bradish signed a five-year, $90 million extension with the Orioles. Here's why Baltimore made the aggressive move.
- Our college football strength of schedule rankings are in. These 10 teams have the easiest paths.
- U.S. Soccer outlined its long-term plan to contend at a high level on the world stage.
- The NFL suspended a Cardinals executive indefinitely for violating the league's gambling policy.
- Connor Bedard landed a huge five-year, $75 million extension with the Blackhawks to become the third-highest-paid player in the NHL for next season.
- These 10 college football teams boast the strongest offensive lines for the upcoming season.
- Roger Goodell said Japan is one of about 10 new countries in which he wants to hold an NFL game.
- SEC Media Days kick off today, and we have questions for all 16 teams in attendance.
- You gotta see this: Anthony Rizzo grabbed a home run ball as a spectator at the Cubs game on Saturday.
📺 What we're watching Monday
⚾ Dodgers at Phillies, 7:10 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Aces at Tempo, 8 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
🤼 WWE Raw, 8 p.m. on Netflix
🏀 Lynx at Storm, 10 p.m. on USA Network
⚾ Cardinals at Angels, 10:10 p.m. on ESPN
