LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels said he would be ready to play a game now. Coach Lance Leipold and the Jayhawks just need him to be ready for the season.

Daniels missed most of last season because of a back injury, playing in only three games before the end of September.

“I try not to ask Jalon Daniels more than once a week how is he doing because I know everybody asks him that,” Leipold said Wednesday during Big 12 media days. “He wouldn’t be here today if we didn’t think he was going to be ready to go for this season. I can tell you that.”

The Jayhawks were picked fourth in the Big 12 preseason media poll, much of that certainly based on the expectation of Daniels being healthy. They open the season Aug. 29 at home against FCS team Lindenwood.

Daniels threw for 2,014 yards with 18 touchdowns and ran for another seven scores in 2022, but was limited to 705 yards and five TDs passing with none on the ground last season.

“I’m excited to see what Jalon will do this season for us," Leipold said. “He’s doing everything that doctors, trainers, strength coaches are having him do, and I can’t wait to get to August.”

West Virginia coach Neal Brown and his team remembers being picked last year to finish at the bottom of what was then a 14-team league.

The Mountaineers instead went 9-4 overall, with a 6-3 record in the Big 12.

“There’s no question we rallied around that. I stood up here a year ago, and we were picked 14th and I said we wouldn’t be there. And our team proved me right,” Brown said Wednesday. “And I said that a year ago because I knew what we had on both fronts.”

West Virginia, which finished last season on a three-game winning streak, is now picked seventh in the expanded 16-team Big 12.

The coach believes people may be underestimating his team once again.

“Now it’s similar .... with a team that finished strong last year that returns a lot of production, that has one of the most dynamic players in all of college football in (quarterback) Garrett Greene,” Brown said. “I think there’s a similar dynamic that works with this team, too. And, more importantly, to me on a personal level, I believe some of our players are undervalued.”

Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young and Heisman Trophy winners Robert Griffin III and Andre Ware are among 32 former student-athletes who will make up the first Big 12 Alumni Council.

The council announced Wednesday includes two former athletes, one man and one woman, from each of the 16 schools that will make up the league when Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah officially become Big 12 members at the start of August.

“As we enter into a new chapter as a 16-team league, the insights and perspectives of the Big 12 Alumni Council will be an incredible resource," Commissioner Brett Yormark said.

Other council members include gold medal-winning softball pitcher Jennie Finch, who was part of a Women’s College World Series championship at Arizona, and Cincinnati alumnus Kevin Youkilis, who won two World Series with the Boston Red Sox.

Before Young was a three-time Super Bowl champion with the San Francisco 49ers, he threw for 7,733 yards and 56 touchdowns in 34 games for BYU from 1981-83. Ware was the 1989 Heisman winner with Houston after throwing for 4,699 yards and 46 TDs that season. Griffin took home that award at Baylor in 2011, when he had 4,992 total yards and 47 touchdowns (37 passing/10 passing).

The Big 12 said council members will provide guidance and insights on a variety of topics, including but not limited to brand building, athlete relations, storytelling and digital content.

New Houston coach Willie Fritz is already getting requests for tickets when he gets to play a Big 12 game close to home.

The Cougars play Oct. 19 against Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs. That stadium is less than 20 miles from Shawnee Mission, Kansas, where Fritz was born and attended high school.

“Well, it’ll be fun. I’ve had, I don’t know how many people ... I just got back from Kansas City a few weeks ago, and I’ve had hundreds of requests for tickets when we go up there and play," Fritz said. “I’m sure that’ll be a busy weekend for my wife doling out all the tickets.”

Fritz has been a head coach for 31 years, the last eight at Tulane, but now at 64 is coaching in a power conference for the first time. He replaced Dana Holgorsen, who was fired by Houston after a 4-8 record in the school's inaugural Big 12 season.

“I went to Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, and they were also nicknamed the Cougars. I guess this was going to come to be one way or the other,” he said.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels said he would be ready to play a game now. Coach Lance Leipold and the Jayhawks just need him to be ready for the season.Daniels missed most of last season because of a back injury, playing in only three games before the end of September.“I try not to ask Jalon Daniels more than once a week how is he doing because I know everybody asks him that,” Leipold said Wednesday during Big 12 media days. “He wouldn’t be here today if we didn’t think he was going to be ready to go for this season. I can tell you that.”The Jayhawks were picked fourth in the Big 12 preseason media poll, much of that certainly based on the expectation of Daniels being healthy. They open the season Aug. 29 at home against FCS team Lindenwood.Daniels threw for 2,014 yards with 18 touchdowns and ran for another seven scores in 2022, but was limited to 705 yards and five TDs passing with none on the ground last season.“I’m excited to see what Jalon will do this season for us," Leipold said. “He’s doing everything that doctors, trainers, strength coaches are having him do, and I can’t wait to get to August.”Mountaineers finish betterWest Virginia coach Neal Brown and his team remembers being picked last year to finish at the bottom of what was then a 14-team league.The Mountaineers instead went 9-4 overall, with a 6-3 record in the Big 12.“There’s no question we rallied around that. I stood up here a year ago, and we were picked 14th and I said we wouldn’t be there. And our team proved me right,” Brown said Wednesday. “And I said that a year ago because I knew what we had on both fronts.”West Virginia, which finished last season on a three-game winning streak, is now picked seventh in the expanded 16-team Big 12.The coach believes people may be underestimating his team once again.“Now it’s similar .... with a team that finished strong last year that returns a lot of production, that has one of the most dynamic players in all of college football in (quarterback) Garrett Greene,” Brown said. “I think there’s a similar dynamic that works with this team, too. And, more importantly, to me on a personal level, I believe some of our players are undervalued.”Big 12 Alumni CouncilPro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young and Heisman Trophy winners Robert Griffin III and Andre Ware are among 32 former student-athletes who will make up the first Big 12 Alumni Council.The council announced Wednesday includes two former athletes, one man and one woman, from each of the 16 schools that will make up the league when Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah officially become Big 12 members at the start of August.“As we enter into a new chapter as a 16-team league, the insights and perspectives of the Big 12 Alumni Council will be an incredible resource," Commissioner Brett Yormark said.Other council members include gold medal-winning softball pitcher Jennie Finch, who was part of a Women’s College World Series championship at Arizona, and Cincinnati alumnus Kevin Youkilis, who won two World Series with the Boston Red Sox.Before Young was a three-time Super Bowl champion with the San Francisco 49ers, he threw for 7,733 yards and 56 touchdowns in 34 games for BYU from 1981-83. Ware was the 1989 Heisman winner with Houston after throwing for 4,699 yards and 46 TDs that season. Griffin took home that award at Baylor in 2011, when he had 4,992 total yards and 47 touchdowns (37 passing/10 passing).The Big 12 said council members will provide guidance and insights on a variety of topics, including but not limited to brand building, athlete relations, storytelling and digital content.Homecoming for FritzNew Houston coach Willie Fritz is already getting requests for tickets when he gets to play a Big 12 game close to home.The Cougars play Oct. 19 against Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs. That stadium is less than 20 miles from Shawnee Mission, Kansas, where Fritz was born and attended high school.“Well, it’ll be fun. I’ve had, I don’t know how many people ... I just got back from Kansas City a few weeks ago, and I’ve had hundreds of requests for tickets when we go up there and play," Fritz said. “I’m sure that’ll be a busy weekend for my wife doling out all the tickets.”Fritz has been a head coach for 31 years, the last eight at Tulane, but now at 64 is coaching in a power conference for the first time. He replaced Dana Holgorsen, who was fired by Houston after a 4-8 record in the school's inaugural Big 12 season.“I went to Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, and they were also nicknamed the Cougars. I guess this was going to come to be one way or the other,” he said.

Kansas QB Jalon Daniels ready to play after missing most of '23 with back injury

AMERICAN LEAGUEEast DivisionW	L	Pct	GBBaltimore	57	35	.620	—New
York	56	38	.596	2Boston	50	41	.549	6½Tampa
Bay	45	47	.489	12Toronto	42	50	.457	15Central DivisionCleveland	57	34	.626	—Minnesota	53	40	.570	5Kansas
City	51	43	.543	7½Detroit	44	49	.473	14Chicago	27	68	.284	32West DivisionSeattle	51	43	.543	—Houston	48	44	.522	2Texas	44	49	.473	6½Los
Angeles	38	54	.413	12Oakland	35	59	.372	16NATIONAL LEAGUEEast DivisionW	L	Pct	GBPhiladelphia	60	32	.652	—Atlanta	51	40	.560	8½New
York	46	45	.505	13½Washington	42	51	.452	18½Miami	32	60	.348	28Central DivisionMilwaukee	54	39	.581	—St.
Louis	48	44	.522	5½Pittsburgh	44	48	.478	9½Chicago	44	49	.473	10Cincinnati	44	49	.473	10West DivisionLos
Angeles	55	38	.591	—San
Diego	49	47	.510	7½Arizona	46	47	.495	9San
Francisco	45	48	.484	10

MLB Standings

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Salvador Perez homered in both games and MJ Melendez added a solo shot in the nightcap to help the Kansas City Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-5 for a sweep of a day-night doubleheader Wednesday.

Kansas City took the opener 6-4. The Royals have won three in a row to improve to 51-43 — a season after winning just 56 games.

Michael Wacha (6-6) went five innings for the victory in the second game. He pitched seven seasons in St. Louis (2013-2019) and was the MVP of the 2013 NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This was his first start in St. Louis since leaving five years ago.

“There were definitely some emotions there,” Wacha said. “It was hard to treat it like just another start.”

Lars Nootbaar homered for St. Louis in the second game to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead in the second.

Closer James McArthur picked up his 17th save of the season and second of the day. McArthur had not pitched over the previous six days and was ready for the two-game challenge.

“It was just one of those things where you just throw and see how you’re feeling,” McArthur said.

Perez led off the sixth with his 16th of season to pushed the lead to 6-4.

“He makes us go,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said about Perez. “The middle of the order is big for us and no one is bigger than Salvy.”

Perez was 3 for 7 with two homers and four RBI in the doubleheader. It was the second time in his career that he went deep in both games of the doubleheader. The first came on May 21, 2017 against Minnesota.

Melendez began the third with his 10th of the season.

Wacha gave up four runs on seven hits over over five innings. He had allowed two earned runs or fewer in his previous eight starts.

Kyle Isbel added a solo homer leading off the ninth for the Royals, who were playing their first day-night doubleheader since July 15, 2023.

Isbel says the group proved a point with the road sweep.

“It shows what kind of team that we have,” Isbel said. “It was a long day and you just have to stay locked in at all times.”

Bobby Witt Jr. highlighted Kansas City’s a two-run outburst in the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly.

St. Louis rookie Gordon Graceffo (0-1) allowed four hits and three runs over 3 1/3 innings in his first start and second big league appearance.

Nootbaar returned to the lineup on Monday after missing 36 games with an oblique strain.

“At the end of the day, the wins would make you feel a lot better,” Nootbaar said.

Garrett Hampson drove in two runs with a double in the opener, while Hunter Renfroe added two hits for the Royals. Nolan Arenado, Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt homered for the Cardinals in the first game.

Alec Marsh (7-6) gave up three runs and three hits in six innings to earn the victory. He struck out eight and walked one. Marsh retired the last 11 batters he faced

McArthur got the save after giving up a one-out solo home run to Goldschmidt and a two-out single to Arenado in the ninth inning.

Andre Pallante (4-4) pitched 6 1/3 innings, his longest outing this season. He took the loss, allowing four runs and six hits with five strikeouts and no walks.

Perez, who will play in the All-Star Game next week, hit a 424-foot homer onto the grass in center field with one out in the sixth, giving the Royals a 4-3 lead.

Royals: Recalled left-hander Walter Pennington from Triple-A Omaha to serve as their 27th man for the doubleheader. The 26-year-old made his big-league debut last week in Colorado, retiring both batters he faced.

Cardinals: Recalled right-hander Gordon Graceffo from Triple-A Memphis to serve as their 27th man for the doubleheader.

Cardinals: C Iván Herrera (lower back tightness) caught a full nine innings Tuesday at Triple-A Memphis. He also hit a home run.

Royals: Will open a three-game series at Boston on Friday. Neither team has announced a starter.

Cardinals: RHP Sonny Gray (9-5, 3.30) will open a four-game series at home against the Chicago Cubs on Friday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720690844164.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;Kansas City Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino (9) and Freddy Fermin celebrate an 8-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of a baseball doubleheader Wednesday, July 10, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Kansas City Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino (9) and Freddy Fermin celebrate an 8-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of a baseball doubleheader Wednesday, July 10, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)</figcaption>
 </figure>ST. LOUIS (AP) — Salvador Perez homered in both games and MJ Melendez added a solo shot in the nightcap to help the Kansas City Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-5 for a sweep of a day-night doubleheader Wednesday.Kansas City took the opener 6-4. The Royals have won three in a row to improve to 51-43 — a season after winning just 56 games.Michael Wacha (6-6) went five innings for the victory in the second game. He pitched seven seasons in St. Louis (2013-2019) and was the MVP of the 2013 NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This was his first start in St. Louis since leaving five years ago.“There were definitely some emotions there,” Wacha said. “It was hard to treat it like just another start.”Lars Nootbaar homered for St. Louis in the second game to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead in the second.Closer James McArthur picked up his 17th save of the season and second of the day. McArthur had not pitched over the previous six days and was ready for the two-game challenge.“It was just one of those things where you just throw and see how you’re feeling,” McArthur said.Perez led off the sixth with his 16th of season to pushed the lead to 6-4.“He makes us go,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said about Perez. “The middle of the order is big for us and no one is bigger than Salvy.”Perez was 3 for 7 with two homers and four RBI in the doubleheader. It was the second time in his career that he went deep in both games of the doubleheader. The first came on May 21, 2017 against Minnesota.Melendez began the third with his 10th of the season.Wacha gave up four runs on seven hits over over five innings. He had allowed two earned runs or fewer in his previous eight starts.Kyle Isbel added a solo homer leading off the ninth for the Royals, who were playing their first day-night doubleheader since July 15, 2023.Isbel says the group proved a point with the road sweep.“It shows what kind of team that we have,” Isbel said. “It was a long day and you just have to stay locked in at all times.”Bobby Witt Jr. highlighted Kansas City’s a two-run outburst in the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly.St. Louis rookie Gordon Graceffo (0-1) allowed four hits and three runs over 3 1/3 innings in his first start and second big league appearance.Nootbaar returned to the lineup on Monday after missing 36 games with an oblique strain.“At the end of the day, the wins would make you feel a lot better,” Nootbaar said.Garrett Hampson drove in two runs with a double in the opener, while Hunter Renfroe added two hits for the Royals. Nolan Arenado, Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt homered for the Cardinals in the first game.Alec Marsh (7-6) gave up three runs and three hits in six innings to earn the victory. He struck out eight and walked one. Marsh retired the last 11 batters he facedMcArthur got the save after giving up a one-out solo home run to Goldschmidt and a two-out single to Arenado in the ninth inning.Andre Pallante (4-4) pitched 6 1/3 innings, his longest outing this season. He took the loss, allowing four runs and six hits with five strikeouts and no walks.Perez, who will play in the All-Star Game next week, hit a 424-foot homer onto the grass in center field with one out in the sixth, giving the Royals a 4-3 lead.EXTRA PLAYERSRoyals: Recalled left-hander Walter Pennington from Triple-A Omaha to serve as their 27th man for the doubleheader. The 26-year-old made his big-league debut last week in Colorado, retiring both batters he faced.Cardinals: Recalled right-hander Gordon Graceffo from Triple-A Memphis to serve as their 27th man for the doubleheader.TRAINER’S ROOMCardinals: C Iván Herrera (lower back tightness) caught a full nine innings Tuesday at Triple-A Memphis. He also hit a home run.UP NEXTRoyals: Will open a three-game series at Boston on Friday. Neither team has announced a starter.Cardinals: RHP Sonny Gray (9-5, 3.30) will open a four-game series at home against the Chicago Cubs on Friday.

Royals sweep Cardinals with 6-4 and 8-5 victories

LAS VEGAS (AP) —
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels says he could be ready to play a
game now. Coach Lance Leipold and the Jayhawks just need him to be
ready for the season. Daniels played only three games in September
before missing the rest of the season because of a back injury.
Leipold said Wednesday during Big 12 media days that Daniels is doing
everything he's being asked to do and wouldn't have been in Las Vegas
if the Jayhawks didn't think he would be ready for this season.
Kansas is picked fourth in the Big 12 preseason media poll,

LAS VEGAS (AP) —
Colorado coach Deion Sanders took some time at the start of his first
Big 12 media days appearance to give props to some of the other
coaches in the league. Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the
coach’s son, was recruited by Gus Malzahn when the current UCF
coach was still at Auburn. The younger Sanders played in high school
for current Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire. Deion Sanders said
Wednesday that he was highlighting some coaches that have been so
kind and considerate to him. Colorado is returning to the Big 12
after the past 13 seasons in the Pac-12.

IRVING, Texas (AP) —
Big 12 newcomer Utah has been picked to finish first in the expanded
16-team football conference this fall. The Utes got 20 of 61
first-place votes in the poll released Tuesday from the votes of
media who cover the league. Kansas State got 19 first-place votes and
was picked second, with last year’s Big 12 runner-up Oklahoma State
third with 14 first-place ballots. Pac-12 teams Arizona, Arizona
State, Colorado and Utah officially became Big 12 members this week,
at the same time that reigning Big 12 champion Texas and Oklahoma
joined the Southeastern Conference. Colorado and coach Deion Sanders
were picked 11th in the Big 12 preseason poll, with Arizona State
picked 16th.

ST. LOUIS (AP) —
Salvador Perez homered in both games and MJ Melendez added a solo
shot in the nightcap to help the Kansas City Royals beat the St.
Louis Cardinals 8-5 for a sweep of a day-night doubleheader
Wednesday. Kansas City took the opener 6-4. The Royals have won three
in a row to improve to 51-43 — a season after winning just 56
games. Former Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha (6-6) went five innings
for the victory in the second game. Closer James McArthur picked up
his 17th save of the season and second of the day. Alec Marsh (7-6)
win the opener, giving up three runs and three hits in six innings.

NEW YORK (AP) —
Adolis García will represent the host Texas Rangers in Monday
night’s Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, and
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández completed the
eight-man field. García was knocked out by Tampa Bay’s Randy
Arozarena last year in the first round at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.
The New York Mets’ Pete Alonso, Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm,
Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson, Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna,
Cleveland’s José Ramírez and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr.
previously committed to the competition. García, last year's AL
Championship Series MVP, is the only player in the derby who wasn't
selected to the All-Star Game.

LAS VEGAS (AP) —
For USA Basketball, the road to the Paris Olympics has started with a
win. Anthony Davis scored 13 points, Stephen Curry added 12 and the
United States opened its tune-up schedule for the Paris Games by
topping Canada 86-72 on Wednesday night. Jrue Holiday scored 11
points and Anthony Davis finished with 10 for the U.S., which has
four more exhibitions before getting to France. RJ Barrett scored 12
points for Canada, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dillon Brooks each
had 10. President Barack Obama was at the game, as were many NBA
coaches and dozens of USA Basketball dignitaries in town for the
federation’s 50th anniversary celebration.

LAS VEGAS (AP) —
Derrick White has been named to the U.S. men’s basketball team for
the Paris Olympics as a replacement for Kawhi Leonard. The
announcement Wednesday from USA Basketball marked the first shakeup
to a roster that was announced in the spring. Leonard missed 12 of
the Los Angeles Clippers’ final 14 games this past season with
right knee inflammation, though he said in recent days that he felt
fine and the knee was doing well. USA Basketball said it, along with
the Clippers, made the decision on Leonard’s status for Paris. He
was replaced by White, who averaged 15.2 points and 5.2 assists for
the NBA champion Boston Celtics this past season.

UNDATED (AP) — The
NBA has agreed to terms on its new media deal, an 11-year agreement
worth $76 billion that assures player salaries will continue rising
for the foreseeable future and one that will surely change how some
viewers access the game for years to come. A person familiar with the
negotiations told The Associated Press that the networks have the
terms sheets, with the next step being for the league’s board of
governors to approve the contracts. The deal sets NBA records for
both its length and total value and goes into effect for the 2025-26
season.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)
— Jefferson Lerma scored in the 39th minute, and Colombia played a
man short the entire second half in a 1-0 win over Uruguay to reach
the Copa America final against Lionel Messi and Argentina. Daniel
Muñoz was ejected in first-half stoppage time for his second yellow
card, but Colombia held on to reach the championship for the first
time since winning its only Copa title as host in 2001. Colombia
extended its unbeaten streak to a team record 28 games. Players from
both teams pushed and shoved on the field at the final whistle and
some players went into the stands to scrap with fans.

NEW YORK (AP) —
Gregg Berhalter was fired as U.S. men’s soccer coach, nine days
after his team’s first-round exit from the Copa America flamed
doubts he was the right person to remain in charge for the 2026 World
Cup. Berhalter’s second term as coach was cut short 10 months after
he returned to the bench with high hopes and proclaimed the team’s
goal was “to change soccer in America forever.” The U.S. had
seven wins, six losses and one draw in his second stint, leaving his
overall record at 44 wins, 17 losses and 13 draws.

DORTMUND, Germany
(AP) — England has reached a second straight European Championship
final by beating the Netherlands 2-1 thanks to substitute Ollie
Watkins’ stoppage-time winner. Watkins came on for captain Harry
Kane in a bold call by coach Gareth Southgate. He turned and smashed
a fierce shot into the bottom corner in the first minute of added-on
time. It was a late goal that left King Charles III on the edge of
his seat. England will play Spain in Sunday’s final in Berlin. It
will be the nation’s first title match on foreign soil having won
the World Cup in 1966 and lost to Italy in the Euro 2020 final.

DORTMUND, Germany
(AP) — Dutch fans came to the stadium in a rousing march, 100,000
strong. It will feel like a long journey home. Ollie Watkins’
added-time goal sealed a 2-1 win for England over the Netherlands in
the Euro 2024 semifinals on Wednesday and ended the orange-clad Dutch
fans’ dream of a first European Championship title since 1988. The
journey home will not be without some bitterness after a hotly
disputed penalty decision in England's favor after Dutch defender
Denzel Dumfries made contact with Harry Kane while trying to block a
shot.

LONDON (AP) —
Lorenzo Musetti has reached his first Grand Slam semifinal by
eliminating Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon and will face Novak Djokovic
next. The 25th-seeded Musetti beat the 13th-seeded Fritz 3-6, 7-6
(5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. It was the 37th
five-setter at the All England Club this year, the most at any Grand
Slam tournament. Djokovic’s trip through the bracket was made even
easier when he moved into a record-tying 13th semifinal at the
tournament via a walkover. Alex de Minaur withdrew before the match
with a hip injury. Elena Rybakina and Barbora Krejcikova earned spots
in the women's semifinals. Rybakina won Wimbledon in 2022. Krejcikova
won the 2021 French Open.

NORTH BERWICK,
Scotland (AP) — Rory McIlroy's recovery from a devastating U.S.
Open loss was to walk the High Line in Manhattan. He says it allowed
him to be alone in his thoughts. That follows a final hour in the
U.S. Open where he says he got out of his own world and started
thinking too much about Bryson DeChambeau. McIlroy is at the Scottish
Open this week. It's his first time speaking about the two short
putts he missed at Pinehurst No. 2. He doesn't see the British Open
next week at Royal Troon as a chance for redemption. It's just
another chance to end a decade without a major.

NEW YORK (AP) —
Former NBA player Jontay Porter has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to
commit wire fraud in a federal criminal case. The charge is tied to
the betting scandal that got Porter banned from the league. The
former Toronto Raptors center entered the plea Wednesday at his
arraignment in a New York federal court. Porter admits he agreed to
withdraw early from games so that co-conspirators could win bets on
his performance. He says he's undergone inpatient treatment for a
gambling problem and remains in therapy. The former center is free on
$250,000 bond while awaiting his sentencing Dec. 18.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718617262520.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>LAS VEGAS (AP) —
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels says he could be ready to play a
game now. Coach Lance Leipold and the Jayhawks just need him to be
ready for the season. Daniels played only three games in September
before missing the rest of the season because of a back injury.
Leipold said Wednesday during Big 12 media days that Daniels is doing
everything he's being asked to do and wouldn't have been in Las Vegas
if the Jayhawks didn't think he would be ready for this season.
Kansas is picked fourth in the Big 12 preseason media poll,LAS VEGAS (AP) —
Colorado coach Deion Sanders took some time at the start of his first
Big 12 media days appearance to give props to some of the other
coaches in the league. Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the
coach’s son, was recruited by Gus Malzahn when the current UCF
coach was still at Auburn. The younger Sanders played in high school
for current Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire. Deion Sanders said
Wednesday that he was highlighting some coaches that have been so
kind and considerate to him. Colorado is returning to the Big 12
after the past 13 seasons in the Pac-12.IRVING, Texas (AP) —
Big 12 newcomer Utah has been picked to finish first in the expanded
16-team football conference this fall. The Utes got 20 of 61
first-place votes in the poll released Tuesday from the votes of
media who cover the league. Kansas State got 19 first-place votes and
was picked second, with last year’s Big 12 runner-up Oklahoma State
third with 14 first-place ballots. Pac-12 teams Arizona, Arizona
State, Colorado and Utah officially became Big 12 members this week,
at the same time that reigning Big 12 champion Texas and Oklahoma
joined the Southeastern Conference. Colorado and coach Deion Sanders
were picked 11th in the Big 12 preseason poll, with Arizona State
picked 16th.ST. LOUIS (AP) —
Salvador Perez homered in both games and MJ Melendez added a solo
shot in the nightcap to help the Kansas City Royals beat the St.
Louis Cardinals 8-5 for a sweep of a day-night doubleheader
Wednesday. Kansas City took the opener 6-4. The Royals have won three
in a row to improve to 51-43 — a season after winning just 56
games. Former Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha (6-6) went five innings
for the victory in the second game. Closer James McArthur picked up
his 17th save of the season and second of the day. Alec Marsh (7-6)
win the opener, giving up three runs and three hits in six innings.NEW YORK (AP) —
Adolis García will represent the host Texas Rangers in Monday
night’s Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, and
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández completed the
eight-man field. García was knocked out by Tampa Bay’s Randy
Arozarena last year in the first round at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.
The New York Mets’ Pete Alonso, Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm,
Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson, Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna,
Cleveland’s José Ramírez and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr.
previously committed to the competition. García, last year's AL
Championship Series MVP, is the only player in the derby who wasn't
selected to the All-Star Game.LAS VEGAS (AP) —
For USA Basketball, the road to the Paris Olympics has started with a
win. Anthony Davis scored 13 points, Stephen Curry added 12 and the
United States opened its tune-up schedule for the Paris Games by
topping Canada 86-72 on Wednesday night. Jrue Holiday scored 11
points and Anthony Davis finished with 10 for the U.S., which has
four more exhibitions before getting to France. RJ Barrett scored 12
points for Canada, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dillon Brooks each
had 10. President Barack Obama was at the game, as were many NBA
coaches and dozens of USA Basketball dignitaries in town for the
federation’s 50th anniversary celebration.LAS VEGAS (AP) —
Derrick White has been named to the U.S. men’s basketball team for
the Paris Olympics as a replacement for Kawhi Leonard. The
announcement Wednesday from USA Basketball marked the first shakeup
to a roster that was announced in the spring. Leonard missed 12 of
the Los Angeles Clippers’ final 14 games this past season with
right knee inflammation, though he said in recent days that he felt
fine and the knee was doing well. USA Basketball said it, along with
the Clippers, made the decision on Leonard’s status for Paris. He
was replaced by White, who averaged 15.2 points and 5.2 assists for
the NBA champion Boston Celtics this past season.UNDATED (AP) — The
NBA has agreed to terms on its new media deal, an 11-year agreement
worth $76 billion that assures player salaries will continue rising
for the foreseeable future and one that will surely change how some
viewers access the game for years to come. A person familiar with the
negotiations told The Associated Press that the networks have the
terms sheets, with the next step being for the league’s board of
governors to approve the contracts. The deal sets NBA records for
both its length and total value and goes into effect for the 2025-26
season.CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)
— Jefferson Lerma scored in the 39th minute, and Colombia played a
man short the entire second half in a 1-0 win over Uruguay to reach
the Copa America final against Lionel Messi and Argentina. Daniel
Muñoz was ejected in first-half stoppage time for his second yellow
card, but Colombia held on to reach the championship for the first
time since winning its only Copa title as host in 2001. Colombia
extended its unbeaten streak to a team record 28 games. Players from
both teams pushed and shoved on the field at the final whistle and
some players went into the stands to scrap with fans.NEW YORK (AP) —
Gregg Berhalter was fired as U.S. men’s soccer coach, nine days
after his team’s first-round exit from the Copa America flamed
doubts he was the right person to remain in charge for the 2026 World
Cup. Berhalter’s second term as coach was cut short 10 months after
he returned to the bench with high hopes and proclaimed the team’s
goal was “to change soccer in America forever.” The U.S. had
seven wins, six losses and one draw in his second stint, leaving his
overall record at 44 wins, 17 losses and 13 draws.DORTMUND, Germany
(AP) — England has reached a second straight European Championship
final by beating the Netherlands 2-1 thanks to substitute Ollie
Watkins’ stoppage-time winner. Watkins came on for captain Harry
Kane in a bold call by coach Gareth Southgate. He turned and smashed
a fierce shot into the bottom corner in the first minute of added-on
time. It was a late goal that left King Charles III on the edge of
his seat. England will play Spain in Sunday’s final in Berlin. It
will be the nation’s first title match on foreign soil having won
the World Cup in 1966 and lost to Italy in the Euro 2020 final.DORTMUND, Germany
(AP) — Dutch fans came to the stadium in a rousing march, 100,000
strong. It will feel like a long journey home. Ollie Watkins’
added-time goal sealed a 2-1 win for England over the Netherlands in
the Euro 2024 semifinals on Wednesday and ended the orange-clad Dutch
fans’ dream of a first European Championship title since 1988. The
journey home will not be without some bitterness after a hotly
disputed penalty decision in England's favor after Dutch defender
Denzel Dumfries made contact with Harry Kane while trying to block a
shot.LONDON (AP) —
Lorenzo Musetti has reached his first Grand Slam semifinal by
eliminating Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon and will face Novak Djokovic
next. The 25th-seeded Musetti beat the 13th-seeded Fritz 3-6, 7-6
(5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. It was the 37th
five-setter at the All England Club this year, the most at any Grand
Slam tournament. Djokovic’s trip through the bracket was made even
easier when he moved into a record-tying 13th semifinal at the
tournament via a walkover. Alex de Minaur withdrew before the match
with a hip injury. Elena Rybakina and Barbora Krejcikova earned spots
in the women's semifinals. Rybakina won Wimbledon in 2022. Krejcikova
won the 2021 French Open.NORTH BERWICK,
Scotland (AP) — Rory McIlroy's recovery from a devastating U.S.
Open loss was to walk the High Line in Manhattan. He says it allowed
him to be alone in his thoughts. That follows a final hour in the
U.S. Open where he says he got out of his own world and started
thinking too much about Bryson DeChambeau. McIlroy is at the Scottish
Open this week. It's his first time speaking about the two short
putts he missed at Pinehurst No. 2. He doesn't see the British Open
next week at Royal Troon as a chance for redemption. It's just
another chance to end a decade without a major.NEW YORK (AP) —
Former NBA player Jontay Porter has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to
commit wire fraud in a federal criminal case. The charge is tied to
the betting scandal that got Porter banned from the league. The
former Toronto Raptors center entered the plea Wednesday at his
arraignment in a New York federal court. Porter admits he agreed to
withdraw early from games so that co-conspirators could win bets on
his performance. He says he's undergone inpatient treatment for a
gambling problem and remains in therapy. The former center is free on
$250,000 bond while awaiting his sentencing Dec. 18.WEDNESDAY SCORESMAJOR LEAGUE
BASEBALLINTERLEAGUEFinal	Kansas
City	6	St. Louis	4	Final	Seattle	2	San
Diego	0	Final	Chicago
Cubs	4	Baltimore	0	Final	Kansas
City	8	St. Louis	5	Final	Houston	9	Miami	1	Final	Toronto	10	San
Francisco	6	AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Chicago White
Sox	3	Minnesota	1	Final	Minnesota	3	Chicago
White Sox	2	Final	Detroit	5	Cleveland	4	Final	N.Y.
Yankees	2	Tampa Bay	1	Final	Oakland	5	Boston	2	Final	L.A.
Angels	7	Texas	2	NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	N.Y.
Mets	6	Washington	2	Final	Philadelphia	4	L.A.
Dodgers	3	Final	Colorado	6	Cincinnati	5	Final	Milwaukee	9	Pittsburgh	0

Thursday Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

LAS VEGAS – Kansas State hit the media circuit on Tuesday afternoon during the first day of the 2024 Big 12 Football Media Day held at Allegiant Stadium. Linked above is Coach Klieman's press conference and breakout with ESPNU, in addition to Avery Johnson's Interview with ESPNU. A transcript of Coach Klieman's press conference is below. For more content, please visit the K-State Football social media pages on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and YouTube)

CHRIS KLIEMAN: It's great to be out here in Vegas. Thanks to Commissioner Yormark for getting this all set up, and we're excited to get things started here at the end of July.

We're excited about our football team. We've got a lot of returning guys, but as everybody does, we've got a lot of new guys as well. So it will be nice to mesh those guys together come August.

Competitive league, as usual. Great parity with the amount of schools and new schools we have, especially the ones we play. We're excited about the challenge.

Q. You obviously came from North Dakota State. There's been a few other notable coaches that have come from FCS, Division II, even NAIA with Kalen DeBoer and his success after his time at Sioux Falls. What does it mean to see these guys getting these opportunities, and do you think those guys tend to be overlooked sometimes?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: I've said this since the day I arrived in Manhattan, and football is football, and you just need opportunities, and when you get opportunities, and if you're having success, you're going to get those opportunities. And I've known Kalen for a while. I was so excited for him with the run they made last year.

There's a lot of good football coaches at all different levels. And I think you're going to continue to see coaches from NAIA, Division II, FCS, so forth, get opportunities.

Q. The esteemed voters of the Big 12 preseason poll picked you guys second but they put none of your guys on the All-Conference team. How do you rectify those two decisions?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: Don't pay a whole lot of attention to it, to be honest with you. Everybody sees it, but it's not something that we talk about an awful lot. I hope it shows people the overall depth and value of our roster and how important our role players are and how important our players are as far as if you're a successful team, individual honors at the end of the season are going to come.

I'm sure that our players, if you asked them, they probably saw both polls, and I don't know if they're excited, disappointed, but I know they were aware that there was nobody from K-State on one of those teams, but you still have to perform, and we've got a lot of work to do before we get to the end of August.

Q. Hiring Matt Wells, comes in as co-offensive coordinator, huge history with quarterbacks, specifically 2018 Jordan Love at Utah State. What does he bring to Avery Johnson, and what led you to bring him in?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: Matt and I have been friends for more than a decade, always talked, even when he was at Tech and I was here at K-State, when he went to Oklahoma. He and I have always stayed in contact.

It was maybe the right time for him to get back on the field and truly coach. We talked all through  that bowl prep, and he was the one who I wanted to hire. He was just trying to get through that bowl time, and it worked out.

But a wealth of experience and a wealth of knowledge with quarterbacks, and I've already seen, in a short period of time, just the second semester, the value of him being with Avery.

There's a great mesh there. There's a great comfort between the two guys. They are on the same page an awful lot. And I know that Avery, as well as our offensive staff, coaches, Coach Riley, our offensive coordinator, are excited about some of the things that Coach Wells will bring to K-State, especially the pass game. And everybody wants to know what the heck we'll do, but we'll wait until

But super excited to have Matt and his family in Manhattan.

Q. The secondary returns a lot of talent this past year. How important is it as you transition into the season with a fairly similar defensive structure?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: It's really important. There's such talented offenses in this league and skilled players, for us to have bookend corners back in Keenan Garber and Jacob Parrish is really important for us. Those guys have played a lot of football. And then to have most of our safeties, VJ Payne and Marques Sigle played a lot of football, Colby McCalister has played a lot.

And then we've got some freshmen that are ready to step up as redshirt freshmen, a couple of transfers, a kid named Jordan Riley that I think people will learn and know an awful lot about by the end of the season.

But you need to have great depth in the secondary, and we feel that that's an area that we have done a really good job of recruiting and developing talent and then sprinkling in a transfer because you need to be really good in the secondary in this league.

Q. You kind of have the unique nature of playing 10 conference games with the Arizona game not counting towards it. Was there any discussion of pushing that off because of the fact that they're in the league now?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: I think it was probably too late when everything got finished up with scheduling. And I'm glad that we're playing Arizona. They're a terrific football program, and it's a great early-season game for the Big 12 to get on national TV on a Friday night. So that excites us, and I know it excites Arizona. There's really good talent on both teams.

I'm hoping that we ultimately get to an even number of conference games so that we're not in the nine, five away, four at home, that it's more of a four and four split of eight games, or even a ten, because if you have to play a Power Five, you might as well play it in your league and get five

But, no, it's going to be a great game. It's going to be a great showcase for the Big 12 in early September.

Q. I believe you play five teams that are either new to the conference or second year in the Big 12. To what extent, if any, did that mean any extra work in preparation for your coaching staff?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: Yeah, it definitely gave us a lot more work in the summer. The month of June is already busy enough with recruiting and camps, and now we don't have the database like you'd have with a Tech or a Baylor or a TCU. We've got five new schools, or even BYU and Cincinnati have been in our league, but we didn't play them last year, so we don't have much data on them. Then we've got the two Arizona schools and Colorado.

So a lot of extra work. I think it's excitement, though, for the fans, for both schools, as far as whether it's us going to Provo and seeing a great environment, because I've been there and I know it's a phenomenal environment, to us going to Boulder and seeing a great environment, or those other schools potentially coming to our place and seeing a great environment in Manhattan.

I think the fan base of all the schools are going to be excited because they're going to see really good football, and they're going to see some different teams that they haven't seen throughout the year.

Q. You lose a lot of senior leadership in (Cooper) Beebe, what he meant to the offensive line, and the offensive line, the quarterback's best friend. How have you kind of just this offseason tried to get the O-line to embody his spirit, and when will he be put in the ring of honor?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: I don't probably make that decision, but Beebs had a phenomenal career. He'll be in the ring of honor for sure.

But it's interesting, we lost four really good senior offensive linemen, but we have four really good senior offensive linemen returning.

And that's something that maybe goes overlooked a little bit, the value of what Conor Riley does for our offense and for our program and for that room and the offensive line room, to lose the amount of seniors that we had and then still return the amount of seniors. Hadley Panzer, Taylor Poitier, Carver Willis have really taken over the reins from those guys that have left and have tried to kept that engine running.

And we've always been really, really good up front, and it's due to Coach Riley. But it's those guys that have been in the program that want to stay and want to be developed and not want to get in the transfer portal just because they don't play in their first year.

The offensive line is a different deal. It takes sometimes a few years to develop. We've got Hadley and Carver back that have played a lot. T.P. has played a lot. Andrew Leingang is going to play a lot of football that's been around. Sam Hecht will play a lot of football that's been around.

We have experienced guys that have been with our program, they're just going to gain on-field experience quickly in the non-con.

Q. Going from the offensive line to the defensive line here, how important will the physicality and experience up front defensively be, given the talent of the ground games in this conference as well as the importance of the pass rush?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: We've been really fortunate that we've always had a lot of depth in our defensive line. Coach Tui and Coach Wyatt do a great job, and we're probably going to have eight or nine deep on the defensive line, and we've always rotated guys really well.

But we've got two six-year defensive ends in Brendan Mott and Cody Stufflebean coming back that have been in the program for a long time. And those young kids will play a lot to a high standard, to high expectations.

But I'm really comfortable and excited about the amount of defensive linemen we have that have played a lot of Big 12 football, as well as some of the new guys we have coming on, some freshmen that will be redshirt freshmen that I think can really be effective pass rushers. And there's no doubt about it, you've got to be able to stop the run, and you've got to be able to get a good rush on the passer.

Q. You guys played Oklahoma State last year when Ollie Gordon was just getting going. You obviously know what really good running backs look like at K-State. I'm curious, just what impresses you about him, and obviously in Manhattan this year, what's the challenge of handling him?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: He's a tremendous talent. He's got really good speed. He's a home run hitter, as well as he can run through arm tackles. He a breakout season and it started around our game and he continued to elevate. He's a terrific football player, and we're glad we play him in Manhattan and not Stillwater.

We've struggled in Stillwater and we've played better in Manhattan. But that's the nature of our league. You're going to face really talented running backs each week. You'll face talented quarterbacks, and you've got to stay healthy and you've got to do a great job of trying to eliminate explosive plays and last year Ollie got us on a couple of big ones, and we've got to prevent that.

Q. You have one of the most talented running backs in this league in DJ Giddens. Last season he split carries with Treshaun Ward. Do you plan on giving him more of a workload this year or how will that work out?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: It will probably be similar in the fact that DJ can carry it 30 times, and he did that a few times for us last year. He can carry it 20 times. DJ is an every-down back and underrated in our league.

DJ is just a phenomenal football player that's a great kid, great pass protection, great out of the backfield catch the ball. He's going to have a dynamite year for us. We've surrounded him now with some more talent that we don't have to rely on him that much. There are some games we are. We're going to give it to him, and he'll be ready for it. There's other games where we've got to spread it around more. We've got to throw the ball a little more so that the offensive or the running game does open up.

So we've got another tailback in Dylan Edwards that's a really good complement to DJ with some speed as well as electricity elusiveness in the open field that's probably the thing that excites us the most offensively we have a lot of guys around Avery.

Q. For the four new teams to the conference that maybe aren't familiar with Kansas State. How would you describe your brand of football?

CHRIS KLIEMAN: Consistent. Don't beat themselves. Try to play really good defense. Try to rush the football. Try to not turn the ball over and hit the explosive plays when you have the opportunity. But hopefully a physical brand of well-disciplined kids that play the game the right way, and I'm excited because of all those teams, we're going to find out a lot about them, too, because there's really talented football teams coming into this league, and that's why it's so hard to predict how any order of finish could be with all the new teams that are coming in.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720637067786.jpeg" alt="K-State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>K-State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>LAS VEGAS – Kansas State hit the media circuit on Tuesday afternoon during the first day of the 2024 Big 12 Football Media Day held at Allegiant Stadium. Linked above is Coach Klieman's press conference and breakout with ESPNU, in addition to Avery Johnson's Interview with ESPNU. A transcript of Coach Klieman's press conference is below. For more content, please visit the K-State Football social media pages on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and YouTube)CHRIS KLIEMAN: It's great to be out here in Vegas. Thanks to Commissioner Yormark for getting this all set up, and we're excited to get things started here at the end of July.We're excited about our football team. We've got a lot of returning guys, but as everybody does, we've got a lot of new guys as well. So it will be nice to mesh those guys together come August.Competitive league, as usual. Great parity with the amount of schools and new schools we have, especially the ones we play. We're excited about the challenge.Q. You obviously came from North Dakota State. There's been a few other notable coaches that have come from FCS, Division II, even NAIA with Kalen DeBoer and his success after his time at Sioux Falls. What does it mean to see these guys getting these opportunities, and do you think those guys tend to be overlooked sometimes?CHRIS KLIEMAN: I've said this since the day I arrived in Manhattan, and football is football, and you just need opportunities, and when you get opportunities, and if you're having success, you're going to get those opportunities. And I've known Kalen for a while. I was so excited for him with the run they made last year.There's a lot of good football coaches at all different levels. And I think you're going to continue to see coaches from NAIA, Division II, FCS, so forth, get opportunities.Q. The esteemed voters of the Big 12 preseason poll picked you guys second but they put none of your guys on the All-Conference team. How do you rectify those two decisions?CHRIS KLIEMAN: Don't pay a whole lot of attention to it, to be honest with you. Everybody sees it, but it's not something that we talk about an awful lot. I hope it shows people the overall depth and value of our roster and how important our role players are and how important our players are as far as if you're a successful team, individual honors at the end of the season are going to come.I'm sure that our players, if you asked them, they probably saw both polls, and I don't know if they're excited, disappointed, but I know they were aware that there was nobody from K-State on one of those teams, but you still have to perform, and we've got a lot of work to do before we get to the end of August.Q. Hiring Matt Wells, comes in as co-offensive coordinator, huge history with quarterbacks, specifically 2018 Jordan Love at Utah State. What does he bring to Avery Johnson, and what led you to bring him in?CHRIS KLIEMAN: Matt and I have been friends for more than a decade, always talked, even when he was at Tech and I was here at K-State, when he went to Oklahoma. He and I have always stayed in contact.It was maybe the right time for him to get back on the field and truly coach. We talked all through that bowl prep, and he was the one who I wanted to hire. He was just trying to get through that bowl time, and it worked out.But a wealth of experience and a wealth of knowledge with quarterbacks, and I've already seen, in a short period of time, just the second semester, the value of him being with Avery.There's a great mesh there. There's a great comfort between the two guys. They are on the same page an awful lot. And I know that Avery, as well as our offensive staff, coaches, Coach Riley, our offensive coordinator, are excited about some of the things that Coach Wells will bring to K-State, especially the pass game. And everybody wants to know what the heck we'll do, but we'll wait untilthe fall to unveil that.But super excited to have Matt and his family in Manhattan.Q. The secondary returns a lot of talent this past year. How important is it as you transition into the season with a fairly similar defensive structure?CHRIS KLIEMAN: It's really important. There's such talented offenses in this league and skilled players, for us to have bookend corners back in Keenan Garber and Jacob Parrish is really important for us. Those guys have played a lot of football. And then to have most of our safeties, VJ Payne and Marques Sigle played a lot of football, Colby McCalister has played a lot.And then we've got some freshmen that are ready to step up as redshirt freshmen, a couple of transfers, a kid named Jordan Riley that I think people will learn and know an awful lot about by the end of the season.But you need to have great depth in the secondary, and we feel that that's an area that we have done a really good job of recruiting and developing talent and then sprinkling in a transfer because you need to be really good in the secondary in this league.Q. You kind of have the unique nature of playing 10 conference games with the Arizona game not counting towards it. Was there any discussion of pushing that off because of the fact that they're in the league now?CHRIS KLIEMAN: I think it was probably too late when everything got finished up with scheduling. And I'm glad that we're playing Arizona. They're a terrific football program, and it's a great early-season game for the Big 12 to get on national TV on a Friday night. So that excites us, and I know it excites Arizona. There's really good talent on both teams.I'm hoping that we ultimately get to an even number of conference games so that we're not in the nine, five away, four at home, that it's more of a four and four split of eight games, or even a ten, because if you have to play a Power Five, you might as well play it in your league and get fiveand five.But, no, it's going to be a great game. It's going to be a great showcase for the Big 12 in early September.Q. I believe you play five teams that are either new to the conference or second year in the Big 12. To what extent, if any, did that mean any extra work in preparation for your coaching staff?CHRIS KLIEMAN: Yeah, it definitely gave us a lot more work in the summer. The month of June is already busy enough with recruiting and camps, and now we don't have the database like you'd have with a Tech or a Baylor or a TCU. We've got five new schools, or even BYU and Cincinnati have been in our league, but we didn't play them last year, so we don't have much data on them. Then we've got the two Arizona schools and Colorado.So a lot of extra work. I think it's excitement, though, for the fans, for both schools, as far as whether it's us going to Provo and seeing a great environment, because I've been there and I know it's a phenomenal environment, to us going to Boulder and seeing a great environment, or those other schools potentially coming to our place and seeing a great environment in Manhattan.I think the fan base of all the schools are going to be excited because they're going to see really good football, and they're going to see some different teams that they haven't seen throughout the year.Q. You lose a lot of senior leadership in (Cooper) Beebe, what he meant to the offensive line, and the offensive line, the quarterback's best friend. How have you kind of just this offseason tried to get the O-line to embody his spirit, and when will he be put in the ring of honor?CHRIS KLIEMAN: I don't probably make that decision, but Beebs had a phenomenal career. He'll be in the ring of honor for sure.But it's interesting, we lost four really good senior offensive linemen, but we have four really good senior offensive linemen returning.And that's something that maybe goes overlooked a little bit, the value of what Conor Riley does for our offense and for our program and for that room and the offensive line room, to lose the amount of seniors that we had and then still return the amount of seniors. Hadley Panzer, Taylor Poitier, Carver Willis have really taken over the reins from those guys that have left and have tried to kept that engine running.And we've always been really, really good up front, and it's due to Coach Riley. But it's those guys that have been in the program that want to stay and want to be developed and not want to get in the transfer portal just because they don't play in their first year.The offensive line is a different deal. It takes sometimes a few years to develop. We've got Hadley and Carver back that have played a lot. T.P. has played a lot. Andrew Leingang is going to play a lot of football that's been around. Sam Hecht will play a lot of football that's been around.We have experienced guys that have been with our program, they're just going to gain on-field experience quickly in the non-con.Q. Going from the offensive line to the defensive line here, how important will the physicality and experience up front defensively be, given the talent of the ground games in this conference as well as the importance of the pass rush?CHRIS KLIEMAN: We've been really fortunate that we've always had a lot of depth in our defensive line. Coach Tui and Coach Wyatt do a great job, and we're probably going to have eight or nine deep on the defensive line, and we've always rotated guys really well.But we've got two six-year defensive ends in Brendan Mott and Cody Stufflebean coming back that have been in the program for a long time. And those young kids will play a lot to a high standard, to high expectations.But I'm really comfortable and excited about the amount of defensive linemen we have that have played a lot of Big 12 football, as well as some of the new guys we have coming on, some freshmen that will be redshirt freshmen that I think can really be effective pass rushers. And there's no doubt about it, you've got to be able to stop the run, and you've got to be able to get a good rush on the passer.Q. You guys played Oklahoma State last year when Ollie Gordon was just getting going. You obviously know what really good running backs look like at K-State. I'm curious, just what impresses you about him, and obviously in Manhattan this year, what's the challenge of handling him?CHRIS KLIEMAN: He's a tremendous talent. He's got really good speed. He's a home run hitter, as well as he can run through arm tackles. He a breakout season and it started around our game and he continued to elevate. He's a terrific football player, and we're glad we play him in Manhattan and not Stillwater.We've struggled in Stillwater and we've played better in Manhattan. But that's the nature of our league. You're going to face really talented running backs each week. You'll face talented quarterbacks, and you've got to stay healthy and you've got to do a great job of trying to eliminate explosive plays and last year Ollie got us on a couple of big ones, and we've got to prevent that.Q. You have one of the most talented running backs in this league in DJ Giddens. Last season he split carries with Treshaun Ward. Do you plan on giving him more of a workload this year or how will that work out?CHRIS KLIEMAN: It will probably be similar in the fact that DJ can carry it 30 times, and he did that a few times for us last year. He can carry it 20 times. DJ is an every-down back and underrated in our league.DJ is just a phenomenal football player that's a great kid, great pass protection, great out of the backfield catch the ball. He's going to have a dynamite year for us. We've surrounded him now with some more talent that we don't have to rely on him that much. There are some games we are. We're going to give it to him, and he'll be ready for it. There's other games where we've got to spread it around more. We've got to throw the ball a little more so that the offensive or the running game does open up.So we've got another tailback in Dylan Edwards that's a really good complement to DJ with some speed as well as electricity elusiveness in the open field that's probably the thing that excites us the most offensively we have a lot of guys around Avery.Q. For the four new teams to the conference that maybe aren't familiar with Kansas State. How would you describe your brand of football?CHRIS KLIEMAN: Consistent. Don't beat themselves. Try to play really good defense. Try to rush the football. Try to not turn the ball over and hit the explosive plays when you have the opportunity. But hopefully a physical brand of well-disciplined kids that play the game the right way, and I'm excited because of all those teams, we're going to find out a lot about them, too, because there's really talented football teams coming into this league, and that's why it's so hard to predict how any order of finish could be with all the new teams that are coming in.

K-State Previews 2024 Season at Big 12 Football Media Day

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer

Brett Yormark believes the Big 12 has clearly solidified itself as one of the nation's top three conferences in a period of drastic change in college athletics, and the commissioner said the expanding league is more relevant than it has ever been in its nearly three-decades history.

“We are truly a national conference in 10 states, four time zones, and all eyes are now on the Big 12 for all the right reasons,” Yormark said at the start of league's football media days Tuesday in Las Vegas.

While the league's past national champions, Oklahoma and Texas, left for the Southeastern Conference, a move that became official last week, Yormark touted the additions of the Four Corners schools from the Pac 12: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. Those schools are participating in media days before their Big 12 membership formally begins at the start of August to make it a 16-team league for the first time.

“On the football front, we will be the deepest conference in America. Every week will matter,” Yormark said, then repeating that for emphasis before moving on. “We have star power and parity. We boast some of the top players and coaches in the game. November will be incredibly exciting and we will brand it as a race to the championship.”

The SEC and Big Ten, the wealthiest and most powerful conferences, have worked together and at one point this year had proposed multiple automatic bids for their conferences in the College Football Playoff, which expands from four to 12 teams this season.

Yormark, going into his third year as the Big 12 commissioner after years in the entertainment industry, including a stint as CEO of Roc Nation, said his only thought each day is making the Big 12 the best version of itself. The Big 12 in 2022 extended its media rights deal with ESPN and Fox Sports through the 2030-31 school year, a move that came with two years left on the old deal and created stability and clarity for the league.

“Everything else doesn't really matter. And if we take care of business, we're going to be just fine,” he said. “Not only have we had a great 24 months, but we continue to get better.”

The Big 12 last month announced that the 14 schools that participated in the 2023-24 academic year shared a record $470 million of revenue distribution, an increase of about $30 million from the previous year. Without giving specific numbers, Yormark said the Big 12's sponsorship business grew 79% in the first year after that was streamlined to be handled directly by the conference instead of outside parties and that ticket sales grew 23% across the league.

Yormark said the league's top priority as a business is growth and creating value for its schools.

“As we build our brand, we will continue to build our business,: he said. ”We will not stumble into this new era following settlement. In fact, we will be aggressive and very proactive."

That settlement is the agreement in May by the NCAA and the nation’s five biggest leagues to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims. That decision sets the stage for a groundbreaking revenue-sharing model that could start steering millions of dollars directly to athletes, expected to be more than $20 million per school per year, as soon as the 2025 fall semester.

“We are going through a change, but I would rather call it a necessary reset," Yormark said. “In 10 years, I think we look back at this period as a positive moment in collegiate athletics history."

The commissioner said the settlement provides a very “crystal clear future and path forward” for college athletics and the Big 12.

“I often refer to our league as a mature startup,” Yormark said. “This means our brand can be younger, more progressive, and innovative compared to some of our peers.”

Yormark said the league is exploring all options, including Big 12 naming rights and private equity. But he didn't want to get into a conversation about private equity, then later said nothing is imminent on naming rights.

When he became the Big 12 commissioner two summers ago, Yormark was an executive with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and a former CEO of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. He spent almost 15 years with the Nets and previously was with NASCAR, where he oversaw a $750 million agreement with Nextel Communications for naming rights to the circuit’s top racing series.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720604572554.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark speaks during Big 12 NCAA college football media days in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark speaks during Big 12 NCAA college football media days in Las Vegas Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier)</figcaption>
 </figure>By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports WriterBrett Yormark believes the Big 12 has clearly solidified itself as one of the nation's top three conferences in a period of drastic change in college athletics, and the commissioner said the expanding league is more relevant than it has ever been in its nearly three-decades history.“We are truly a national conference in 10 states, four time zones, and all eyes are now on the Big 12 for all the right reasons,” Yormark said at the start of league's football media days Tuesday in Las Vegas.While the league's past national champions, Oklahoma and Texas, left for the Southeastern Conference, a move that became official last week, Yormark touted the additions of the Four Corners schools from the Pac 12: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. Those schools are participating in media days before their Big 12 membership formally begins at the start of August to make it a 16-team league for the first time.“On the football front, we will be the deepest conference in America. Every week will matter,” Yormark said, then repeating that for emphasis before moving on. “We have star power and parity. We boast some of the top players and coaches in the game. November will be incredibly exciting and we will brand it as a race to the championship.”The SEC and Big Ten, the wealthiest and most powerful conferences, have worked together and at one point this year had proposed multiple automatic bids for their conferences in the College Football Playoff, which expands from four to 12 teams this season.Yormark, going into his third year as the Big 12 commissioner after years in the entertainment industry, including a stint as CEO of Roc Nation, said his only thought each day is making the Big 12 the best version of itself. The Big 12 in 2022 extended its media rights deal with ESPN and Fox Sports through the 2030-31 school year, a move that came with two years left on the old deal and created stability and clarity for the league.“Everything else doesn't really matter. And if we take care of business, we're going to be just fine,” he said. “Not only have we had a great 24 months, but we continue to get better.”The Big 12 last month announced that the 14 schools that participated in the 2023-24 academic year shared a record $470 million of revenue distribution, an increase of about $30 million from the previous year. Without giving specific numbers, Yormark said the Big 12's sponsorship business grew 79% in the first year after that was streamlined to be handled directly by the conference instead of outside parties and that ticket sales grew 23% across the league.Yormark said the league's top priority as a business is growth and creating value for its schools.“As we build our brand, we will continue to build our business,: he said. ”We will not stumble into this new era following settlement. In fact, we will be aggressive and very proactive."That settlement is the agreement in May by the NCAA and the nation’s five biggest leagues to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims. That decision sets the stage for a groundbreaking revenue-sharing model that could start steering millions of dollars directly to athletes, expected to be more than $20 million per school per year, as soon as the 2025 fall semester.“We are going through a change, but I would rather call it a necessary reset," Yormark said. “In 10 years, I think we look back at this period as a positive moment in collegiate athletics history."The commissioner said the settlement provides a very “crystal clear future and path forward” for college athletics and the Big 12.“I often refer to our league as a mature startup,” Yormark said. “This means our brand can be younger, more progressive, and innovative compared to some of our peers.”Yormark said the league is exploring all options, including Big 12 naming rights and private equity. But he didn't want to get into a conversation about private equity, then later said nothing is imminent on naming rights.When he became the Big 12 commissioner two summers ago, Yormark was an executive with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and a former CEO of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. He spent almost 15 years with the Nets and previously was with NASCAR, where he oversaw a $750 million agreement with Nextel Communications for naming rights to the circuit’s top racing series.

Commissioner says Big 12 has solidified itself as one of nation's top 3 conferences

UNDATED (AP) — Big
12 Commissioner Brett Yormark believes the league has clearly
solidified itself as one of the nation’s top three conferences.
While the league’s past national champions Oklahoma and Texas left
for the Southeastern Conference, Yormark touted the additions of
Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah that make the Big 12 a
16-school league. He says it's the deepest football conference in the
nation. Yormark said at football media days in Las Vegas on Tuesday
that the league’s top priority as a business is growth and creating
value for its schools.

LAS VEGAS (AP) —
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy says NCAA rushing champion Ollie
Gordon II will not miss any games because of his recent arrest for
suspicion of driving under the influence, then later had to clarify
what he meant when discussing his decision. Gundy said Tuesday during
Big 12 football media days that he made decisions based on what he
thought was best for Oklahoma State, the football team and Gordon.
The preseason Big 12 offensive player of the year posted a public
apology on social media Monday, and attended Big 12 media days as
scheduled. Gordon says it was important for him to face everything
and not leave it to others to answer questions about him.

LAS VEGAS (AP) —
Utah has won 26 conference championships in five different leagues,
most recently capturing two Pac-12 titles and appearing in four
championship games during its 13 seasons in that league. Now the Utes
are favored to win the Big 12 in their inaugural season in the
league, according to the preseason media poll. Utah coach Kyle
Whittingham said Tuesday at the league's media days that it's much
different now for the Utes than when they went into the Pac-12 in
2011. He says they weren't on an even playing field then when going
from the Mountain West to a Power Five league.

NEW YORK (AP) —
Cleveland’s José Ramírez has become the sixth member of the
eight-man Home Run Derby field. The New York Mets’ Pete Alonso,
Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm, Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson, Atlanta’s
Marcell Ozuna and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. previously committed
to the July 15 event at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Alonso
will participate in his fifth straight Home Run Derby, trying to win
for the third time.

SANTO DOMINGO,
Dominican Republic (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco
was formally charged by prosecutors in the Dominican Republic with
sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. The prosecutors decided to press
charges four days after the initial deadline expired on July 5, six
months after a judge ordered that Franco be investigated in
connection with sexual and psychological abuse of the minor. The
attorney general’s office spokesperson Nairobi Viloria confirmed to
The Associated Press that the prosecutors presented before a judge
the final and formal accusation, but she declined to provide further
details.

UNDATED (AP) —
Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning has announced his likeness will
be used in EA Sports College Football 25 following reports he had
declined the game developer’s offer to be featured in it. Manning
is the grandson of former Saints QB Archie Manning and nephew of
Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning. He posted Tuesday on
social media a video of Eli reading him a phony play call while he
threw a touchdown pass in the video game. The video was captioned,
“I’m IN the game.” Multiple outlets had reported Manning
initially declined EA Sports’ offer. He was the highest-profile
player to reportedly opt out.

MUNICH (AP) —
Spain has reached the European Championship final with a 2-1 victory
over France with 16-year-old Lamine Yamal becoming the youngest-ever
scorer in the history of the tournament. France took an early lead
when Randal Kolo Muani headed in a cross from Kylian Mbappé, who
played without a mask, before Yamal’s moment of brilliance in the
21st minute. Dani Olmo scored what was to prove the winner four
minutes later. Spain, which is chasing a record fourth European
Championship title, will play England or the Netherlands in the final
on Sunday in Berlin.

LONDON (AP) —
Top-seeded Jannik Sinner has been beaten in the Wimbledon
quarterfinals by Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3. The
fifth-seeded Medvedev's victory Tuesday moved him into a semifinal
against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. They also met in the final
four at the All England Club last year, and Alcaraz won that one.
Alcaraz advanced Tuesday by eliminating Tommy Paul 5-7, 6-4, 6-2,
6-2. Sinner was treated by a trainer in the third set against
Medvedev. It was not immediately clear what was wrong with the
22-year-old from Italy. Medvedev won the 2021 U.S. Open.

UNDATED (AP) —
John Force is moving to a rehabilitation center closer to his home in
California and the NHRA great was able to celebrate by leaving his
Virginia hospital room to take his daughter for ice cream on her
birthday. Force suffered a traumatic brain injury in a fiery, 300-mph
crash at the Virginia Nationals last month. The 75-year-old was first
in neurological intensive care and then moved into acute neuro care
at the Virginia hospital. Among his other injuries is a fractured
sternum. Force’s car had a catastrophic engine failure at the
finish line and his dragster slammed driver-side into the left
concrete guard wall and then careened back into the right wall.

DALLAS (AP) — Klay
Thompson believes he could be the missing piece for the Dallas
Mavericks after leaving his longtime NBA home in Golden State.
Thompson is joining young superstar Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving
after they led the Mavs to the NBA Finals. Dallas lost to Boston in
five games. Thompson is a four-time champion after spending his first
13 seasons with the Warriors. The Mavs appeared to need a more
dangerous third scoring option even as they advanced to the NBA
Finals for the first time since winning the franchise's only title in
2011.

BATON ROUGE, La.
(AP) — Gymnast Livvy Dunne will return for a fifth season at LSU,
saying on social media she’s “not Dunne yet.” The decision
brings back one of college sports’ most marketable athletes to a
Tigers program coming off its first national championship. The
21-year-old from New Jersey read a statement in a video montage
posted on Instagram on Monday in which the All-American says, “No
matter how many opportunities come my way off the mat, there’s just
something about LSU” and being part of a squad that made school
history. Dunne is one of the top earners in name, image and likeness
compensation and has a massive social media following.

Kansas City	at	St.
Louis	1:45 p.m.	(Postponed)

Minnesota	at	Chi
White Sox	5:55 p.m.	(Postponed)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718617262520.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>UNDATED (AP) — Big
12 Commissioner Brett Yormark believes the league has clearly
solidified itself as one of the nation’s top three conferences.
While the league’s past national champions Oklahoma and Texas left
for the Southeastern Conference, Yormark touted the additions of
Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah that make the Big 12 a
16-school league. He says it's the deepest football conference in the
nation. Yormark said at football media days in Las Vegas on Tuesday
that the league’s top priority as a business is growth and creating
value for its schools.LAS VEGAS (AP) —
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy says NCAA rushing champion Ollie
Gordon II will not miss any games because of his recent arrest for
suspicion of driving under the influence, then later had to clarify
what he meant when discussing his decision. Gundy said Tuesday during
Big 12 football media days that he made decisions based on what he
thought was best for Oklahoma State, the football team and Gordon.
The preseason Big 12 offensive player of the year posted a public
apology on social media Monday, and attended Big 12 media days as
scheduled. Gordon says it was important for him to face everything
and not leave it to others to answer questions about him.LAS VEGAS (AP) —
Utah has won 26 conference championships in five different leagues,
most recently capturing two Pac-12 titles and appearing in four
championship games during its 13 seasons in that league. Now the Utes
are favored to win the Big 12 in their inaugural season in the
league, according to the preseason media poll. Utah coach Kyle
Whittingham said Tuesday at the league's media days that it's much
different now for the Utes than when they went into the Pac-12 in
2011. He says they weren't on an even playing field then when going
from the Mountain West to a Power Five league.NEW YORK (AP) —
Cleveland’s José Ramírez has become the sixth member of the
eight-man Home Run Derby field. The New York Mets’ Pete Alonso,
Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm, Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson, Atlanta’s
Marcell Ozuna and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. previously committed
to the July 15 event at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Alonso
will participate in his fifth straight Home Run Derby, trying to win
for the third time.SANTO DOMINGO,
Dominican Republic (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco
was formally charged by prosecutors in the Dominican Republic with
sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. The prosecutors decided to press
charges four days after the initial deadline expired on July 5, six
months after a judge ordered that Franco be investigated in
connection with sexual and psychological abuse of the minor. The
attorney general’s office spokesperson Nairobi Viloria confirmed to
The Associated Press that the prosecutors presented before a judge
the final and formal accusation, but she declined to provide further
details.UNDATED (AP) —
Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning has announced his likeness will
be used in EA Sports College Football 25 following reports he had
declined the game developer’s offer to be featured in it. Manning
is the grandson of former Saints QB Archie Manning and nephew of
Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning. He posted Tuesday on
social media a video of Eli reading him a phony play call while he
threw a touchdown pass in the video game. The video was captioned,
“I’m IN the game.” Multiple outlets had reported Manning
initially declined EA Sports’ offer. He was the highest-profile
player to reportedly opt out.MUNICH (AP) —
Spain has reached the European Championship final with a 2-1 victory
over France with 16-year-old Lamine Yamal becoming the youngest-ever
scorer in the history of the tournament. France took an early lead
when Randal Kolo Muani headed in a cross from Kylian Mbappé, who
played without a mask, before Yamal’s moment of brilliance in the
21st minute. Dani Olmo scored what was to prove the winner four
minutes later. Spain, which is chasing a record fourth European
Championship title, will play England or the Netherlands in the final
on Sunday in Berlin.LONDON (AP) —
Top-seeded Jannik Sinner has been beaten in the Wimbledon
quarterfinals by Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3. The
fifth-seeded Medvedev's victory Tuesday moved him into a semifinal
against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. They also met in the final
four at the All England Club last year, and Alcaraz won that one.
Alcaraz advanced Tuesday by eliminating Tommy Paul 5-7, 6-4, 6-2,
6-2. Sinner was treated by a trainer in the third set against
Medvedev. It was not immediately clear what was wrong with the
22-year-old from Italy. Medvedev won the 2021 U.S. Open.UNDATED (AP) —
John Force is moving to a rehabilitation center closer to his home in
California and the NHRA great was able to celebrate by leaving his
Virginia hospital room to take his daughter for ice cream on her
birthday. Force suffered a traumatic brain injury in a fiery, 300-mph
crash at the Virginia Nationals last month. The 75-year-old was first
in neurological intensive care and then moved into acute neuro care
at the Virginia hospital. Among his other injuries is a fractured
sternum. Force’s car had a catastrophic engine failure at the
finish line and his dragster slammed driver-side into the left
concrete guard wall and then careened back into the right wall.DALLAS (AP) — Klay
Thompson believes he could be the missing piece for the Dallas
Mavericks after leaving his longtime NBA home in Golden State.
Thompson is joining young superstar Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving
after they led the Mavs to the NBA Finals. Dallas lost to Boston in
five games. Thompson is a four-time champion after spending his first
13 seasons with the Warriors. The Mavs appeared to need a more
dangerous third scoring option even as they advanced to the NBA
Finals for the first time since winning the franchise's only title in
2011.BATON ROUGE, La.
(AP) — Gymnast Livvy Dunne will return for a fifth season at LSU,
saying on social media she’s “not Dunne yet.” The decision
brings back one of college sports’ most marketable athletes to a
Tigers program coming off its first national championship. The
21-year-old from New Jersey read a statement in a video montage
posted on Instagram on Monday in which the All-American says, “No
matter how many opportunities come my way off the mat, there’s just
something about LSU” and being part of a squad that made school
history. Dunne is one of the top earners in name, image and likeness
compensation and has a massive social media following.TUESDAY SCORESMAJOR LEAGUE
BASEBALLNTERLEAGUEKansas City	at	St.
Louis	1:45 p.m.	(Postponed)Final	Chicago
Cubs	9	Baltimore	2	Final	Houston	4	Miami	3	Final	San
Francisco	4	Toronto	3	Final	Seattle	8	San
Diego	3	AMERICAN LEAGUEMinnesota	at	Chi
White Sox	5:55 p.m.	(Postponed)Final	Tampa
Bay	5	N.Y. Yankees	3	Final	Cleveland	9	Detroit	8	Final	Boston	12	Oakland	9	Final	Texas	5	L.A.
Angels	4	NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Philadelphia	10	L.A.
Dodgers	1	Final	N.Y.
Mets	7	Washington	5	Final	Cincinnati	12	Colorado	6	Final	Pittsburgh	12	Milwaukee	2

Wednesday Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

Great Bend Youth Cheer Registration (Deadline July 14th)

-Will cheer in coordination with GB youth football home games(2-3).

-$64 Will cover the cost of equipment and apparel.

-All registration will be handled online at links below.

-You will need personal insurance policy information.

-Equipment will be checked out on a later date.

-We will also be looking for parent sponsors to help.

Jordyn Kennedy jordynbecker23@gmail.com

Sarah Burkhead sjburkhead1@gmail.com

<a href="http://www.greatbendyouthfootball.com">http://www.greatbendyouthfootball.com</a>

Great Bend Youth Cheer Registration (Deadline July 14th)-Grade levels 3rd- 6th.-Will cheer in coordination with GB youth football home games(2-3).-Early September thru October.-$64 Will cover the cost of equipment and apparel.-All registration will be handled online at links below.-You will need personal insurance policy information.-Equipment will be checked out on a later date.-We will also be looking for parent sponsors to help.Jordyn Kennedy jordynbecker23@gmail.comSarah Burkhead sjburkhead1@gmail.comCody Kelly 620-797-4750Rex Kern 620-791-8464<a href="http://www.greatbendyouthfootball.com">http://www.greatbendyouthfootball.com</a>

Great Bend Youth Cheer Registration Information

Great
Bend Youth Football Registration

-$208.50
Registration fee(additional jersey fee later, player keeps)

-All
registration will be handled online at links below.

-You
will need personal insurance policy information.

-You'll
also need a physical for the current athletic season, it will need to
be completed before the registration.

-Equipment
will be checked out on a date set later through your coach.

Mike
Ringo 620-282-7164(3rd grade)

Cody
Kelly 620-797-4750(4th grade)

Clint
Pangburn 620-617-7940(5th grade)

Great
Bend Youth Football Registration-$208.50
Registration fee(additional jersey fee later, player keeps)-All
registration will be handled online at links below.-You
will need personal insurance policy information.-Birth
certificate-You'll
also need a physical for the current athletic season, it will need to
be completed before the registration.-Equipment
will be checked out on a date set later through your coach.Mike
Ringo 620-282-7164(3rd grade)Cody
Kelly 620-797-4750(4th grade)Clint
Pangburn 620-617-7940(5th grade)JC
Stroup 308-882-1735(6th grade)Zack
Kaiser 620-786-8874Rex
Kern 620-791-8464<a href="http://www.greatbendyouthfootball.com">http://www.greatbendyouthfootball.com</a>

Great Bend Youth Football Registration deadline July 14th

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. announced in an X post Monday afternoon that he will be part of the Home Derby competition next Monday in Arlington, Texas. He will join Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm, and Mets first baseman Pete Alonso.

Since being drafted second overall by Kansas City in 2019, Witt Jr. has become the face of the Royals franchise. With a .324 batting average and 15 home runs in the 2024 season, his invitation to the popular sporting spectacle comes as no surprise.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. announced in an X post Monday afternoon that he will be part of the Home Derby competition next Monday in Arlington, Texas. He will join Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm, and Mets first baseman Pete Alonso.Since being drafted second overall by Kansas City in 2019, Witt Jr. has become the face of the Royals franchise. With a .324 batting average and 15 home runs in the 2024 season, his invitation to the popular sporting spectacle comes as no surprise.

Bobby Witt Jr. to participate in Home Run Derby

The Cardinals have announced that Tuesday night's 6:45 p.m. CT game against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium has been postponed due to inclement weather.

The two teams will make up Tuesday's postponed game Wednesday, July 10, at 12:45 p.m. CT at Busch Stadium as part of a split doubleheader before the originally scheduled 6:45 p.m. CT game.

The Cardinals have announced that Tuesday night's 6:45 p.m. CT game against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium has been postponed due to inclement weather.The two teams will make up Tuesday's postponed game Wednesday, July 10, at 12:45 p.m. CT at Busch Stadium as part of a split doubleheader before the originally scheduled 6:45 p.m. CT game.

Royals-Cards rained out Tuesday; doubleheader Wednesday

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Lawyers for retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre will ask a federal appeals court Tuesday to revive a defamation lawsuit Favre filed against a fellow Pro Football of Fame member, former tight end Shannon Sharpe, amid the backdrop of a Mississippi welfare scandal that is one of the state's largest public corruption cases.

A federal judge in Mississippi threw out the lawsuit in October, saying Sharpe used constitutionally protected speech on a sports broadcast when he criticized Favre’s connection to the welfare misspending case.

Favre hopes the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will reinstate the lawsuit.

Sharpe said during a September 2022 broadcast of the Fox Sports show “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed” that Favre was “taking from the underserved,” that he “stole money from people that really needed that money” and that someone would have to be a sorry person “to steal from the lowest of the low.”

Mississippi State Auditor Shad White has said that from 2016 to 2019, the Mississippi Department of Human Services misspent more than $77 million from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program — funds intended to help some of the poorest people in the U.S.

Among White's findings was that Favre improperly received $1.1 million in speaking fees from a nonprofit organization that spent TANF money with approval from the Department of Human Services. The money was to go toward a $5 million volleyball arena at The University of Southern Mississippi, which he attended and where his daughter was playing the sport.

Favre has paid back $1.1 million, but White said in a February court filing that the former quarterback still owes $729,790 because interest caused growth in the original amount he owed.

Favre, who lives in Mississippi, has denied wrongdoing and is not facing criminal charges. He is among more than three dozen people or companies being sued by the state Department of Human Services.

U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett's October ruling said Sharpe's remarks about the case were constitutionally protected “rhetorical hyperbole.”

“Here, no reasonable person listening to the Broadcast would think that Favre actually went into the homes of poor people and took their money — that he committed the crime of theft/larceny against any particular poor person in Mississippi,” Starrett wrote.

Favre's attorneys said in a brief that the ruling mischaracterized Sharpe's remarks. “Here, a reasonable listener could and would have interpreted Sharpe’s repeated statements to the effect that Favre ‘stole money’ from ‘the underserved’ as factual assertions about Favre,” they said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720531486163.jpeg" alt="FILE - Former NFL football quarterback Brett Favre speaks with reporters prior to his induction to the Mississippi Hall of Fame, Aug. 1, 2015, in Jackson, Miss. Lawyers for retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre will ask a federal appeals court Tuesday, July 9, 2024, to revive a defamation lawsuit Favre filed against a fellow Pro Football of Fame member, tight end Shannon Sharpe, amid the backdrop of a Mississippi welfare scandal. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>FILE - Former NFL football quarterback Brett Favre speaks with reporters prior to his induction to the Mississippi Hall of Fame, Aug. 1, 2015, in Jackson, Miss. Lawyers for retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre will ask a federal appeals court Tuesday, July 9, 2024, to revive a defamation lawsuit Favre filed against a fellow Pro Football of Fame member, tight end Shannon Sharpe, amid the backdrop of a Mississippi welfare scandal. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Lawyers for retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre will ask a federal appeals court Tuesday to revive a defamation lawsuit Favre filed against a fellow Pro Football of Fame member, former tight end Shannon Sharpe, amid the backdrop of a Mississippi welfare scandal that is one of the state's largest public corruption cases.A federal judge in Mississippi threw out the lawsuit in October, saying Sharpe used constitutionally protected speech on a sports broadcast when he criticized Favre’s connection to the welfare misspending case.Favre hopes the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will reinstate the lawsuit.Sharpe said during a September 2022 broadcast of the Fox Sports show “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed” that Favre was “taking from the underserved,” that he “stole money from people that really needed that money” and that someone would have to be a sorry person “to steal from the lowest of the low.”Mississippi State Auditor Shad White has said that from 2016 to 2019, the Mississippi Department of Human Services misspent more than $77 million from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program — funds intended to help some of the poorest people in the U.S.Among White's findings was that Favre improperly received $1.1 million in speaking fees from a nonprofit organization that spent TANF money with approval from the Department of Human Services. The money was to go toward a $5 million volleyball arena at The University of Southern Mississippi, which he attended and where his daughter was playing the sport.Favre has paid back $1.1 million, but White said in a February court filing that the former quarterback still owes $729,790 because interest caused growth in the original amount he owed.Favre, who lives in Mississippi, has denied wrongdoing and is not facing criminal charges. He is among more than three dozen people or companies being sued by the state Department of Human Services.U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett's October ruling said Sharpe's remarks about the case were constitutionally protected “rhetorical hyperbole.”“Here, no reasonable person listening to the Broadcast would think that Favre actually went into the homes of poor people and took their money — that he committed the crime of theft/larceny against any particular poor person in Mississippi,” Starrett wrote.Favre's attorneys said in a brief that the ruling mischaracterized Sharpe's remarks. “Here, a reasonable listener could and would have interpreted Sharpe’s repeated statements to the effect that Favre ‘stole money’ from ‘the underserved’ as factual assertions about Favre,” they said.Sharpe's attorneys argued in briefs that Starrett got it right, referring to Sharpe's remarks as “loose, figurative language between media commentators about a significant public controversy important to the discourse of our nation.”