KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday there has been no communication with Chris Jones, one day after the All-Pro defensive tackle indicated on social media that his contract holdout could stretch well into the regular season.

Jones is entering the final year of a four-year, $80 million deal. The Chiefs had been talking with his representatives about a long-term contract, but those negotiations have seemingly grown more contentious as the sides dig in, and with their Super Bowl title defense beginning in a little more than two weeks against the Lions.

“There's been no communication so I don't know what's going to happen there,” Reid said after the last practice open to reporters before the Chiefs' preseason finale Saturday against the Browns. “The game goes on. That's how it works.”

Jones posted a photograph of a chalkboard on social media Tuesday with the message, “If it's out of your hands, it deserves freedom from your mind also.” That led to a back-and-forth with fans, and when one asked how long he was willing to stay away from the team, Jones replied that he could make an appearance around Week 8 — nearly halfway through the season.

Jones has been piling up daily fines of $50,000 for missing a mandatory minicamp over the summer along with all of training camp, and he has proven his willingness to forfeit his game check of about $1.1 million for each game he is absent.

When one fan brought up the hefty bill, Jones replied: “I can afford it.”

Jones has not stated publicly what he is demanding, but the assumption is that he wants to be the second-highest paid defensive tackle in the league behind the Rams' Aaron Donald, who is working on a three-year, $95 million deal.

The price of defensive tackles has skyrocketed since the end of last season. The Giants' Dexter Lawrence and the Commanders' Daron Payne each signed four-year, $90 million extensions, the Titans' Jeffrey Simmons signed a four-year, $94 million deal, and the Jets signed Quinnen Williams to a four-year, $96 million extension.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said he's been in touch with Jones, but that his contract situation is rarely discussed.

“I don't think anyone expected him to not be here now,” Mahomes said, “but that's part of the negotiations. I'm not looking down on him for that. He has some stuff he's trying to get done and that he feels like he needs to get done right now.”

The 29-year-old Jones is coming off the best season of his seven-year career. He matched a career best with 15 1/2 sacks, forced two fumbles and recovered one while starting every game. And Jones might have been even better in the playoffs, especially the AFC title game against the Bengals, when he hit quarterback Joe Burrow five times and had his first two postseason sacks.

“We stay in contact with him all the time. He's in good spirits,” Mahomes said. “He's a guy that loves football, loves playing for the Chiefs. It's a hard time for all players whenever this stuff comes up. You want to play. You want to be out there. But at the same time, you want to take care of your family.”

In the meantime, the Chiefs are treating Jones' absence as if he was injured, rotating several defensive tackles into his spot during practice. They got some help when Turk Wharton returned to practice after dealing with some swelling in the knee, and veterans Derrick Nnadi and Danny Shelton along with sixth-round pick Keondre Coburn have been in the mix.

But none of them has the pass rushing impact of Jones, whose 65 sacks are fifth most in franchise history, and that puts the Chiefs in a bind. They released Frank Clark in the offseason to free up salary cap space, but his replacement, Charles Omenihu, is suspended for the first six games of the regular season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.

That means the Chiefs' pass rush must lean even more heavily on second-year defensive end George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah, their first-round pick out of Kansas State, who missed most of the offseason because of thumb surgery.

“You have to have depth everywhere. You have to have guys that step up when their number is called,” Mahomes said. “Yeah, you want to have great players like Chris, but you have to be ready to step up.”

Asked whether the holdout would affect Jones' standing in the locker room, where he is one of the longest-tenured Chiefs and a leading voice on the defense, Mahomes replied: “It doesn't hurt his relationship with any of us.”

"When he comes back," Mahomes said, “we'll welcome him with open arms.”

Even if that doesn't happen until Week 8.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday there has been no communication with Chris Jones, one day after the All-Pro defensive tackle indicated on social media that his contract holdout could stretch well into the regular season.Jones is entering the final year of a four-year, $80 million deal. The Chiefs had been talking with his representatives about a long-term contract, but those negotiations have seemingly grown more contentious as the sides dig in, and with their Super Bowl title defense beginning in a little more than two weeks against the Lions.“There's been no communication so I don't know what's going to happen there,” Reid said after the last practice open to reporters before the Chiefs' preseason finale Saturday against the Browns. “The game goes on. That's how it works.”Jones posted a photograph of a chalkboard on social media Tuesday with the message, “If it's out of your hands, it deserves freedom from your mind also.” That led to a back-and-forth with fans, and when one asked how long he was willing to stay away from the team, Jones replied that he could make an appearance around Week 8 — nearly halfway through the season.Jones has been piling up daily fines of $50,000 for missing a mandatory minicamp over the summer along with all of training camp, and he has proven his willingness to forfeit his game check of about $1.1 million for each game he is absent.When one fan brought up the hefty bill, Jones replied: “I can afford it.”Jones has not stated publicly what he is demanding, but the assumption is that he wants to be the second-highest paid defensive tackle in the league behind the Rams' Aaron Donald, who is working on a three-year, $95 million deal.The price of defensive tackles has skyrocketed since the end of last season. The Giants' Dexter Lawrence and the Commanders' Daron Payne each signed four-year, $90 million extensions, the Titans' Jeffrey Simmons signed a four-year, $94 million deal, and the Jets signed Quinnen Williams to a four-year, $96 million extension.Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said he's been in touch with Jones, but that his contract situation is rarely discussed.“I don't think anyone expected him to not be here now,” Mahomes said, “but that's part of the negotiations. I'm not looking down on him for that. He has some stuff he's trying to get done and that he feels like he needs to get done right now.”The 29-year-old Jones is coming off the best season of his seven-year career. He matched a career best with 15 1/2 sacks, forced two fumbles and recovered one while starting every game. And Jones might have been even better in the playoffs, especially the AFC title game against the Bengals, when he hit quarterback Joe Burrow five times and had his first two postseason sacks.“We stay in contact with him all the time. He's in good spirits,” Mahomes said. “He's a guy that loves football, loves playing for the Chiefs. It's a hard time for all players whenever this stuff comes up. You want to play. You want to be out there. But at the same time, you want to take care of your family.”In the meantime, the Chiefs are treating Jones' absence as if he was injured, rotating several defensive tackles into his spot during practice. They got some help when Turk Wharton returned to practice after dealing with some swelling in the knee, and veterans Derrick Nnadi and Danny Shelton along with sixth-round pick Keondre Coburn have been in the mix.But none of them has the pass rushing impact of Jones, whose 65 sacks are fifth most in franchise history, and that puts the Chiefs in a bind. They released Frank Clark in the offseason to free up salary cap space, but his replacement, Charles Omenihu, is suspended for the first six games of the regular season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.That means the Chiefs' pass rush must lean even more heavily on second-year defensive end George Karlaftis and Felix Anudike-Uzomah, their first-round pick out of Kansas State, who missed most of the offseason because of thumb surgery.“You have to have depth everywhere. You have to have guys that step up when their number is called,” Mahomes said. “Yeah, you want to have great players like Chris, but you have to be ready to step up.”Asked whether the holdout would affect Jones' standing in the locker room, where he is one of the longest-tenured Chiefs and a leading voice on the defense, Mahomes replied: “It doesn't hurt his relationship with any of us.”"When he comes back," Mahomes said, “we'll welcome him with open arms.”Even if that doesn't happen until Week 8.

Chiefs' Andy Reid: 'no communication' with All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones

By TODD MOORE Barton Sports Info

A pair of early strike goals got the 14th ranked Barton Community College women's soccer team off to a good start in picking up a season opening 3-1 win Wednesday night at Dodge City Community College.

Doubling as the conference opener as well, Barton remains in KJCCC play on Saturday in hosting 7th ranked Butler Community College in a 10:00 a.m. kick. The Grizzlies, having opened their season with a 2-all tie at 8th ranked Seminole State College, slipped in their conference opener 1-0 to Coffeyville Community College Wednesday night in El Dorado.

The Cougars pinned two tallies on the board within 39 seconds of each other, the first coming 8:20 into the contest.

Lining up a free-kick 42 yards from goal, Hinata Kojima's send-in to the box was met in air by Aya Saiki whose perfectly placed header crossed far side rattling the net upper-90 for her 15th career goal.

Saiki keyed the next tally in winning the ball on the defensive side of the midfield, sending a deep pass towards the Conquistador net. Outdueling the defense, last season's nation leading goal scorer Nina Norshie chipped over the Conquistador keeper to net her 44th career goal ranking 4th in program history.

The margin held until 12:31 left in the game as the Conquistadors' Maria Scopino played a chipped pass into the box where Femke Wiedeman quickly fired far post in beating a full laid-out Mio Tanaka in net.

Ivanna Faria closed out the scoring with 1:24 remaining, winning the battle amongst a pair of Conquistadors defender in rebounding her own shot towards goal to register her 9th career goal.

Barton outshot the Conquistadors 7-2 through first half action, finishing at a 16-8 advantage including an 8-2 shots on goal edge to win their 11th straight in the series.

Tananka earned her first collegiate goal in net, turning back the two Conquistador shots on frame and orchestrating a stout defense for most of the night.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692874210457.jpeg" alt="Barton Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Barton Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>By TODD MOORE Barton Sports InfoA pair of early strike goals got the 14th ranked Barton Community College women's soccer team off to a good start in picking up a season opening 3-1 win Wednesday night at Dodge City Community College.Doubling as the conference opener as well, Barton remains in KJCCC play on Saturday in hosting 7th ranked Butler Community College in a 10:00 a.m. kick. The Grizzlies, having opened their season with a 2-all tie at 8th ranked Seminole State College, slipped in their conference opener 1-0 to Coffeyville Community College Wednesday night in El Dorado.The Cougars pinned two tallies on the board within 39 seconds of each other, the first coming 8:20 into the contest.Lining up a free-kick 42 yards from goal, Hinata Kojima's send-in to the box was met in air by Aya Saiki whose perfectly placed header crossed far side rattling the net upper-90 for her 15th career goal.Saiki keyed the next tally in winning the ball on the defensive side of the midfield, sending a deep pass towards the Conquistador net. Outdueling the defense, last season's nation leading goal scorer Nina Norshie chipped over the Conquistador keeper to net her 44th career goal ranking 4th in program history.The margin held until 12:31 left in the game as the Conquistadors' Maria Scopino played a chipped pass into the box where Femke Wiedeman quickly fired far post in beating a full laid-out Mio Tanaka in net.Ivanna Faria closed out the scoring with 1:24 remaining, winning the battle amongst a pair of Conquistadors defender in rebounding her own shot towards goal to register her 9th career goal.Barton outshot the Conquistadors 7-2 through first half action, finishing at a 16-8 advantage including an 8-2 shots on goal edge to win their 11th straight in the series.Tananka earned her first collegiate goal in net, turning back the two Conquistador shots on frame and orchestrating a stout defense for most of the night.

No. 14 Barton women open season with 3-1 win at Dodge City

AMERICAN LEAGUEEast DivisionW	L	Pct	GBBaltimore	78	48	.619	_Tampa
Bay	77	51	.602	2Toronto	70	57	.551	8½Boston	67	60	.528	11½New
York	61	65	.484	17Central DivisionMinnesota	65	62	.512	_Cleveland	60	66	.476	4½Detroit	58	69	.457	7Chicago	50	77	.394	15Kansas
City	41	88	.318	25West DivisionTexas	72	54	.571	_Houston	72	56	.563	1Seattle	71	56	.559	1½Los
Angeles	61	68	.473	12½Oakland	36	91	.283	36½NATIONAL LEAGUEEast DivisionAtlanta	82	44	.651	_Philadelphia	69	58	.543	13½Miami	65	63	.508	18New
York	59	69	.461	24Washington	58	69	.457	24½Central DivisionMilwaukee	70	57	.551	_Chicago	66	60	.524	3½Cincinnati	67	61	.523	3½Pittsburgh	57	70	.449	13St.
Louis	56	72	.438	14½West DivisionLos
Angeles	76	48	.613	_Arizona	66	61	.520	11½San
Francisco	66	61	.520	11½San
Diego	61	67	.477	17Colorado	48	78	.381	29

MLB Standings

By BRANDON SMITH Barton Sports Info

The 11th ranked Barton Community College men's soccer team strung together a pair of second half goals to capture a 2-0 road victory in its season opener against Dodge City Community College Wednesday evening at Memorial Stadium.

In the midst of a three-game road trip to open the season, the Cougars will travel north to Council Bluffs, Iowa to take on former Barton head coach Mike Brown's 5th ranked Iowa Western Community College Reivers squad at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Outshooting the Conquistadors, 5-2 in the opening 45-minutes, the Cougars remained in attack mode throughout the second half holding an 11-2 advantage in shots. Forcing the pressure on the Conquistador defense, Barton would benefit behind a Dodge City double yellow card resulting in a red card gifting the Cougars a man advantage over the final 27:03.

Freshman Loic Kanku broke the stalemate in the 77th-minute sneaking a shot inside the right post cleaning up Lucas Dos Santos deflected throw in pass initially sent inside the 18' giving Barton the 1-neil advantage.

Remaining on the offensive attack, Wilmont Manneh placed the final touches on the scoreboard 7:20 later striking the nets off Keishun Kanesaka's setup pass.

The Barton defense limited the Conquistadors to just two shots on frame and four total shots to help goalkeeper Dennis Bottcher secure his sixth career shutout.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692873923779.jpeg" alt="Barton Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Barton Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRANDON SMITH Barton Sports InfoThe 11th ranked Barton Community College men's soccer team strung together a pair of second half goals to capture a 2-0 road victory in its season opener against Dodge City Community College Wednesday evening at Memorial Stadium.In the midst of a three-game road trip to open the season, the Cougars will travel north to Council Bluffs, Iowa to take on former Barton head coach Mike Brown's 5th ranked Iowa Western Community College Reivers squad at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.Outshooting the Conquistadors, 5-2 in the opening 45-minutes, the Cougars remained in attack mode throughout the second half holding an 11-2 advantage in shots. Forcing the pressure on the Conquistador defense, Barton would benefit behind a Dodge City double yellow card resulting in a red card gifting the Cougars a man advantage over the final 27:03.Freshman Loic Kanku broke the stalemate in the 77th-minute sneaking a shot inside the right post cleaning up Lucas Dos Santos deflected throw in pass initially sent inside the 18' giving Barton the 1-neil advantage.Remaining on the offensive attack, Wilmont Manneh placed the final touches on the scoreboard 7:20 later striking the nets off Keishun Kanesaka's setup pass.The Barton defense limited the Conquistadors to just two shots on frame and four total shots to help goalkeeper Dennis Bottcher secure his sixth career shutout.

Pair of second half goals lift 11th ranked Cougars over Dodge City

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Cole Ragans matched a career high with 11 strikeouts in six scoreless innings, Bobby Witt Jr. hit his 26th home run and the Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics 4-0 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep.

Ragans (5-4) limited the A’s to two singles, improving to 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in six starts since being traded from Texas on June 30. The left-hander has struck out 47 and walked 10 in 34 2/3 innings with the Royals.

“I just tried to attack today, go at the guys, No walks was, I think, the biggest thing for me. I didn’t give up any free baserunners. I made them earn their thing and trust my defense behind me and go from there,” Ragans said.

“That was probably one of the best performances we’ve seen all season on the mound," Oakland manager Mark Kotsay added. "You face that type of stuff and it’s a tough day. We really didn’t get any good swings off today.”

Dairon Blanco hit his first career homer off A's starter Adrián Martínez in the third inning to put Kansas City ahead.

“I’m really happy for him,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “He really got into that ball, a slider. That guy is tough on righties, too. For him to get that, I really feel good for him.”

Martínez (0-2) allowed one run on three hits and a walk, striking out three in 2 1/3 innings.

Drew Waters added to the lead with an RBI triple in the fourth. Maikel Garcia followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.

Witt homered in the fifth. He also singled and walked to help the Royals snap a four-game losing streak.

Oakland loaded the bases with one out in the eighth inning, but Carlos Hernández retired Seth Brown and Zack Gelof to maintain the shutout.

“Bases loaded, there’s no room for error,” Quatraro said. “He continued to execute good pitches. His fastball was lively today, and he mixed his curveball and slider in, so they had to respect all three.”

Hernández also pitched the ninth inning to record his third save in six opportunities.

Gelof went 0 for 4, ending a 19-game on-base streak. The A’s were seeking their third series sweep of the season.

“Any time you win a game, you feel good for the guys,” Quatraro said. “We were in all three of these games and we were able to come out with this one. It’s better to go into an off-day feeling that way than getting swept, for sure.”

The Athletics selected LHP Sean Newcomb from Triple-A Las Vegas and optioned LHP Hogan Harris. Newcomb was acquired from the Giants on Tuesday for minor league OF Trenton Brooks and pitched a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout and a walk. Oakland transferred LHP Richard Lovelady (strained left forearm) to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster.

Royals: Following an off-day, RHP Brady Singer (8-9, 5.04 ERA) opens a three-game series at Seattle on Friday opposite Mariners RHP Bryce Miller (8-4, 3.78).

Athletics: LHP Ken Waldichuk (2-7, 5.91) opens a four-game road series against the White Sox on Thursday. Chicago counters with RHP Jesse Scholtens (1-6, 3.79).

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Cole Ragans matched a career high with 11 strikeouts in six scoreless innings, Bobby Witt Jr. hit his 26th home run and the Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics 4-0 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep.Ragans (5-4) limited the A’s to two singles, improving to 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in six starts since being traded from Texas on June 30. The left-hander has struck out 47 and walked 10 in 34 2/3 innings with the Royals.“I just tried to attack today, go at the guys, No walks was, I think, the biggest thing for me. I didn’t give up any free baserunners. I made them earn their thing and trust my defense behind me and go from there,” Ragans said.“That was probably one of the best performances we’ve seen all season on the mound," Oakland manager Mark Kotsay added. "You face that type of stuff and it’s a tough day. We really didn’t get any good swings off today.”Dairon Blanco hit his first career homer off A's starter Adrián Martínez in the third inning to put Kansas City ahead.“I’m really happy for him,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “He really got into that ball, a slider. That guy is tough on righties, too. For him to get that, I really feel good for him.”Martínez (0-2) allowed one run on three hits and a walk, striking out three in 2 1/3 innings.Drew Waters added to the lead with an RBI triple in the fourth. Maikel Garcia followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.Witt homered in the fifth. He also singled and walked to help the Royals snap a four-game losing streak.Oakland loaded the bases with one out in the eighth inning, but Carlos Hernández retired Seth Brown and Zack Gelof to maintain the shutout.“Bases loaded, there’s no room for error,” Quatraro said. “He continued to execute good pitches. His fastball was lively today, and he mixed his curveball and slider in, so they had to respect all three.”Hernández also pitched the ninth inning to record his third save in six opportunities.Gelof went 0 for 4, ending a 19-game on-base streak. The A’s were seeking their third series sweep of the season.“Any time you win a game, you feel good for the guys,” Quatraro said. “We were in all three of these games and we were able to come out with this one. It’s better to go into an off-day feeling that way than getting swept, for sure.”ROSTER MOVESThe Athletics selected LHP Sean Newcomb from Triple-A Las Vegas and optioned LHP Hogan Harris. Newcomb was acquired from the Giants on Tuesday for minor league OF Trenton Brooks and pitched a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout and a walk. Oakland transferred LHP Richard Lovelady (strained left forearm) to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster.UP NEXTRoyals: Following an off-day, RHP Brady Singer (8-9, 5.04 ERA) opens a three-game series at Seattle on Friday opposite Mariners RHP Bryce Miller (8-4, 3.78).Athletics: LHP Ken Waldichuk (2-7, 5.91) opens a four-game road series against the White Sox on Thursday. Chicago counters with RHP Jesse Scholtens (1-6, 3.79).

Cole Ragans strikes out 11 as Royals blank A’s 4-0

Thursday August 24 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day&nbsp;&nbsp; Friday August 25 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day 8:30PM&nbsp;1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Kansas City @ Seattle Saturday August 26 11:00AM B104 - Chiefs Preseason Football - Cleveland @ Kansas City 2:30PM&nbsp;1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Kansas City @ Seattle Sunday August 27 2:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Kansas City @ Seattle 6:00PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - MLB - Atlanta @ San Francisco&nbsp; Monday August 28 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day 6:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Pittsburgh @ Kansas City Tuesday August 29 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day 6:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Pittsburgh @ Kansas City Wednesday August 30 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day 6:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Pittsburgh @ Kansas City&nbsp;&nbsp; Thursday August 31 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day&nbsp;&nbsp; Friday September 1 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day&nbsp; 6:30PM&nbsp; &nbsp;1590KVGB/95.5 - Jayhawk Football - Missouri State @ Kansas 6:30PM B104 - Panther Football - McPherson @ Great Bend 6:30PM KHOK - Cardinal Football - Hesston @ Hoisington 6:30PM KBGL - Indian Football - Pratt @ Larned Saturday September 2 10:30AM 1590KVGB/95.5- College Football - Virginia @ Tennessee 5:30PM&nbsp;1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Boston @ Kansas City Sunday September 3 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Boston @ Kansas City 6:00PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - College Football - LSU @ Florida State Monday September 4 (Labor Day) 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Chicago White Sox @ K.C. Tuesday September 5 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day&nbsp; 6:00PM 1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Chicago White Sox @ K.C.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Thursday August 24 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day&nbsp;&nbsp; Friday August 25 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day 8:30PM&nbsp;1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Kansas City @ Seattle Saturday August 26 11:00AM B104 - Chiefs Preseason Football - Cleveland @ Kansas City 2:30PM&nbsp;1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Kansas City @ Seattle Sunday August 27 2:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Kansas City @ Seattle 6:00PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - MLB - Atlanta @ San Francisco&nbsp; Monday August 28 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day 6:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Pittsburgh @ Kansas City Tuesday August 29 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day 6:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Pittsburgh @ Kansas City Wednesday August 30 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day 6:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Pittsburgh @ Kansas City&nbsp;&nbsp; Thursday August 31 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day&nbsp;&nbsp; Friday September 1 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day&nbsp; 6:30PM&nbsp; &nbsp;1590KVGB/95.5 - Jayhawk Football - Missouri State @ Kansas 6:30PM B104 - Panther Football - McPherson @ Great Bend 6:30PM KHOK - Cardinal Football - Hesston @ Hoisington 6:30PM KBGL - Indian Football - Pratt @ Larned Saturday September 2 10:30AM 1590KVGB/95.5- College Football - Virginia @ Tennessee 5:30PM&nbsp;1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Boston @ Kansas City Sunday September 3 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Boston @ Kansas City 6:00PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - College Football - LSU @ Florida State Monday September 4 (Labor Day) 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Chicago White Sox @ K.C. Tuesday September 5 12:30PM 1590KVGB/95.5 - Sports Day&nbsp; 6:00PM 1590KVGB/95.5-Royals Baseball - Chicago White Sox @ K.C.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Eagle Radio and Hull Broadcasting PBP Schedule

KANSAS CITY, Mo.
(AP) — Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday there has been no
communication with All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, who is in
the midst of a contract holdout. Reid spoke one day after Jones
indicated on social media that he could take the holdout as far as
Week 8 of the regular season. The 29-year-old Jones is entering the
final year of a four-year, $80 million deal, and he wants to be among
the highest-paid defensive tackles in the game. Jones has been piling
up daily fines of $50,000 for missing a mandatory minicamp over the
summer along with training camp, and he will forfeit game checks of
about $1.1 million for each he is absent.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)
— Cole Ragans matched a career high with 11 strikeouts in six
scoreless innings, Bobby Witt Jr. hit his 26th home run and the
Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics 4-0 on Wednesday to
avoid a three-game sweep. Ragans limited the A’s to two singles,
improving to 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in six starts since being traded
from Texas on June 30. The left-hander has struck out 47 and walked
10 in 34 2/3 innings with the Royals. Dairon Blanco hit his first
career homer off A’s starter Adrián Martínez in the third inning
to put Kansas City ahead.

PITTSBURGH (AP) —
Richie Palacios had a career-best three hits and drove in two runs,
and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 to avoid
a three-game sweep. Palacios capped a three-run first inning with a
two-run double, singled in his next two at-bats and walked in the
ninth. The 26-year-old had his first three-hit performance in 61
major league games. The last-place Cardinals had lost six of seven
and were outscored 17-4 in the first two games of the series. Winning
pitcher Zack Thompson gave up two runs on six hits with five
strikeouts in five innings. His outing was ended by a 92-minute rain
delay.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.
(AP) — Brandon Lowe hit a game-ending single leading off the 10th
inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied from another late deficit to
beat the Colorado Rockies 6-5 on Wednesday night. Lowe’s hit to
right off Brent Suter (4-2) scored automatic runner Osleivis Basabe.
Yandy Díaz tied it at 5-all with a two-run single in the ninth off
Rockies closer Justin Lawrence, who blew his sixth save in 16
chances. The AL batting leader went 2 for 4 and raised his average
from .328 to .329.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)
— Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch for the rest of the season because of
a torn ligament in his right elbow, Los Angeles Angels general
manager Perry Minasian said Wednesday night. The Angels don’t yet
know whether the major league homers leader and 10-game winner will
need surgery to repair the UCL ligament nearly five years after the
two-way superstar had his first Tommy John surgery in late 2018
following his AL Rookie of the Year season. Ohtani left the mound
abruptly Wednesday in the second inning of his start against
Cincinnati in the opener of a doubleheader. The injury will have a
massive effect on baseball’s free agent market this winter with
Ohtani headed to free agency.

NEW YORK (AP) —
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says this season has “been a
disaster.” New York is 61-65, on track for its worst season in more
than 30 years. Cashman is promising a search to find out the cause.
The Yankees are 9 1/2 games back for the AL’s third and final wild
card. Cashman says all options will be examined in looking at
injuries, evaluation and underperformance. He says those evaluations
will include the status of himself and manager Aaron Boone. New York
ended a nine-game skid by beating Washington 9-1 on Wednesday night
behind three homers from Aaron Judge.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP)
— Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark isn’t hiding his favoritism
for teams that will be staying in the conference. Yormark says he
plans to be at 11th-ranked Texas’ final regular-season game as a
Big 12 member when it hosts Texas Tech the night after Thanksgiving.
But the commissioner also told second-year Red Raiders coach Joey
McGuire to take care of business like they did last year in beating
the Longhorns at home. Texas and Oklahoma are going into their final
Big 12 season before moving next year to the Southeastern Conference.

UNDATED (AP) —
During the final season of the College Football Playoff’s four-team
format, the empires will strike back. Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State
and Oklahoma dominated CFP appearances and their conferences for
seven years, but combined to earn two playoff bids the past two
seasons while Georgia and Michigan have been on the rise. To predict
a national title for anyone other than the two-time defending
champion Bulldogs feels like just trying to be different. Then again,
no team has ever won three straight. And Alabama has never gone more
than three seasons without a title under Nick Saban.

UNDATED (AP) — The
Atlantic Coast Conference is making progress toward an expansion that
could grab Stanford and California from the sinking Pac-12, a person
with direct knowledge of the ACC’s potential move told The
Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because
the conference was not making its internal discussions public. Two
weeks ago, the ACC gathered its full board of university leaders to
consider adding Stanford, Cal and possibly SMU, the Dallas-based
American Athletic Conference school. They never took an official
vote, but Commissioner Jim Phillips and a small group of conference
leaders has continued to work on sticking points.

EAST RUTHERFORD,
N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants say tight end Tommy Sweeney is
stable and alert after collapsing during practice and being carted
away from the field. The Giants say Sweeney “had a medical event"
and was “conversant” while under the care of physicians. The
former Boston College standout is now in his fourth NFL season and
first with the Giants. He spent his first three seasons with Buffalo.
In 2020 he was diagnosed with myocarditis after contracting COVID-19.
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart. Sweeney was cleared to
resume playing the following offseason. It’s not immediately clear
whether there’s a connection between Sweeney’s health history and
Wednesday’s episode.

MANILA, Philippines
(AP) — Plans for the start of the Basketball World Cup in Okinawa,
Japan, were unaffected Thursday after a North Korean rocket launch
prompted an alert ordering some residents to evacuate. Press
conferences and practices for the eight teams that are beginning
World Cup play in Okinawa went on as scheduled Thursday. The
tournament begins Friday, also in the Philippines and Indonesia.
There were no reports of damage. Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic
plays for Slovenia and says he had trouble sleeping after the alarm.
Doncic says the episode was “a little scary.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691404624657.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo.
(AP) — Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday there has been no
communication with All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, who is in
the midst of a contract holdout. Reid spoke one day after Jones
indicated on social media that he could take the holdout as far as
Week 8 of the regular season. The 29-year-old Jones is entering the
final year of a four-year, $80 million deal, and he wants to be among
the highest-paid defensive tackles in the game. Jones has been piling
up daily fines of $50,000 for missing a mandatory minicamp over the
summer along with training camp, and he will forfeit game checks of
about $1.1 million for each he is absent.OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)
— Cole Ragans matched a career high with 11 strikeouts in six
scoreless innings, Bobby Witt Jr. hit his 26th home run and the
Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics 4-0 on Wednesday to
avoid a three-game sweep. Ragans limited the A’s to two singles,
improving to 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in six starts since being traded
from Texas on June 30. The left-hander has struck out 47 and walked
10 in 34 2/3 innings with the Royals. Dairon Blanco hit his first
career homer off A’s starter Adrián Martínez in the third inning
to put Kansas City ahead.PITTSBURGH (AP) —
Richie Palacios had a career-best three hits and drove in two runs,
and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 to avoid
a three-game sweep. Palacios capped a three-run first inning with a
two-run double, singled in his next two at-bats and walked in the
ninth. The 26-year-old had his first three-hit performance in 61
major league games. The last-place Cardinals had lost six of seven
and were outscored 17-4 in the first two games of the series. Winning
pitcher Zack Thompson gave up two runs on six hits with five
strikeouts in five innings. His outing was ended by a 92-minute rain
delay.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.
(AP) — Brandon Lowe hit a game-ending single leading off the 10th
inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied from another late deficit to
beat the Colorado Rockies 6-5 on Wednesday night. Lowe’s hit to
right off Brent Suter (4-2) scored automatic runner Osleivis Basabe.
Yandy Díaz tied it at 5-all with a two-run single in the ninth off
Rockies closer Justin Lawrence, who blew his sixth save in 16
chances. The AL batting leader went 2 for 4 and raised his average
from .328 to .329.ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)
— Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch for the rest of the season because of
a torn ligament in his right elbow, Los Angeles Angels general
manager Perry Minasian said Wednesday night. The Angels don’t yet
know whether the major league homers leader and 10-game winner will
need surgery to repair the UCL ligament nearly five years after the
two-way superstar had his first Tommy John surgery in late 2018
following his AL Rookie of the Year season. Ohtani left the mound
abruptly Wednesday in the second inning of his start against
Cincinnati in the opener of a doubleheader. The injury will have a
massive effect on baseball’s free agent market this winter with
Ohtani headed to free agency.NEW YORK (AP) —
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says this season has “been a
disaster.” New York is 61-65, on track for its worst season in more
than 30 years. Cashman is promising a search to find out the cause.
The Yankees are 9 1/2 games back for the AL’s third and final wild
card. Cashman says all options will be examined in looking at
injuries, evaluation and underperformance. He says those evaluations
will include the status of himself and manager Aaron Boone. New York
ended a nine-game skid by beating Washington 9-1 on Wednesday night
behind three homers from Aaron Judge.LUBBOCK, Texas (AP)
— Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark isn’t hiding his favoritism
for teams that will be staying in the conference. Yormark says he
plans to be at 11th-ranked Texas’ final regular-season game as a
Big 12 member when it hosts Texas Tech the night after Thanksgiving.
But the commissioner also told second-year Red Raiders coach Joey
McGuire to take care of business like they did last year in beating
the Longhorns at home. Texas and Oklahoma are going into their final
Big 12 season before moving next year to the Southeastern Conference.UNDATED (AP) —
During the final season of the College Football Playoff’s four-team
format, the empires will strike back. Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State
and Oklahoma dominated CFP appearances and their conferences for
seven years, but combined to earn two playoff bids the past two
seasons while Georgia and Michigan have been on the rise. To predict
a national title for anyone other than the two-time defending
champion Bulldogs feels like just trying to be different. Then again,
no team has ever won three straight. And Alabama has never gone more
than three seasons without a title under Nick Saban.UNDATED (AP) — The
Atlantic Coast Conference is making progress toward an expansion that
could grab Stanford and California from the sinking Pac-12, a person
with direct knowledge of the ACC’s potential move told The
Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because
the conference was not making its internal discussions public. Two
weeks ago, the ACC gathered its full board of university leaders to
consider adding Stanford, Cal and possibly SMU, the Dallas-based
American Athletic Conference school. They never took an official
vote, but Commissioner Jim Phillips and a small group of conference
leaders has continued to work on sticking points.EAST RUTHERFORD,
N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants say tight end Tommy Sweeney is
stable and alert after collapsing during practice and being carted
away from the field. The Giants say Sweeney “had a medical event"
and was “conversant” while under the care of physicians. The
former Boston College standout is now in his fourth NFL season and
first with the Giants. He spent his first three seasons with Buffalo.
In 2020 he was diagnosed with myocarditis after contracting COVID-19.
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart. Sweeney was cleared to
resume playing the following offseason. It’s not immediately clear
whether there’s a connection between Sweeney’s health history and
Wednesday’s episode.MANILA, Philippines
(AP) — Plans for the start of the Basketball World Cup in Okinawa,
Japan, were unaffected Thursday after a North Korean rocket launch
prompted an alert ordering some residents to evacuate. Press
conferences and practices for the eight teams that are beginning
World Cup play in Okinawa went on as scheduled Thursday. The
tournament begins Friday, also in the Philippines and Indonesia.
There were no reports of damage. Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic
plays for Slovenia and says he had trouble sleeping after the alarm.
Doncic says the episode was “a little scary.”WEDNESDAY SCORESINTERLEAGUEL-A
Dodgers	at	Cleveland	12:10 p.m.	Final	Chicago
Cubs	6	Detroit	4	Final	Milwaukee	8	Minnesota	7	Final	Cincinnati	9	L.A.
Angels	4	Final	Tampa
Bay	6	Colorado	5	Final	N.Y.
Yankees	9	Washington	1	Final	Cincinnati	7	L.A.
Angels	3	AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Chicago White
Sox	5	Seattle	4	Final	Kansas
City	4	Oakland	0	Final	Baltimore	7	Toronto	0	Final	Boston	7	Houston	5	NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	St.
Louis	6	Pittsburgh	4	Final	San
Diego	4	Miami	0	Final	San
Francisco	8	Philadelphia	6	Final	Atlanta	7	N.Y.
Mets	0

Thursday Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College


- Kansas Pre-Game Magaizine
Publisher John Baetz


- Voice of the Fort Hays State
Tigers Gerard Wellbrock

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660823675526.jpeg" alt="Wednesday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark, and Mike Hesher" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark, and Mike Hesher</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ETlyQA9hWFQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
- Kansas Pre-Game Magaizine
Publisher John Baetz
- Voice of the Fort Hays State
Tigers Gerard Wellbrock
- On the Prowl with Mike
Courson
- Wednesday Sports Headlines
- Sounds of the past 24-hours

Wednesday on Sports Day (Watch)  

By MIKE COURSON Great Bend Post

Expectations are usually high for the Great Bend High School cross country teams. With a full roster of Lady Panthers back from last year's team that finished fifth at state - and a few new faces in the mix - those expectations will remain high for the 2023 season.

"We didn't lose anybody and we're going to add Makenzie Premer for a few meets," said coach Lyles Lashley. "She's right in there with a pack of girls right out of the chute. She should help us a bunch."

The roster includes two all-state returners in junior Marissa Boone, an eighth-place finisher at state, and senior Addy Nicholson, who ran 15th at state. Senior Eliana Beckham and sophomore Sienna Smith also had top-50 finishes at Rim Rock, and senior Morgan Beckwith and junior&nbsp; Kate Welcher also return.

"They had a really good summer," Lashley said. "Morgan, especially, had a really good summer. She's back to where she was a few years back."

Freshman Teegan Guerra makes the switch to cross country after playing soccer this summer. She's joined by classmates Bella Long and Teah King.

"We should have 10 solid girls, which will really help our depth," said Lashley. "Every day you're competing against each other for a varsity spot. That adds to the competitiveness. You have to bring your 'A' game every day."

Three private schools took the top-three spots at state last October, and Topeka Seaman finished fourth. Just three of last year's top 22 runners at state have graduated, including Seaman's Bethany Druse and Kapaun's Addie Curtis. St. James, with all runners back, is expected to be one of the top teams across all classifications this fall.

"Our goal is to try to run with them," Lashley said. "Each day we're talking about it and trying to make the effort to get there. Obviously, the goal down the road is to get a team trophy, but we'd like to make a run at them."

Esfeld graduates after decorated career While the Lady Panthers return a full roster of runners, the Panther boys lose a staple in Kaiden Esfeld, who set a Lake Barton Course record early in the season and went on to finish 11th at state.

Great Bend will have a full team of runners, however. Sophomore Tavon Stroup and seniors Braylon Moore and Brayden Suppes all return with varsity experience. Senior Alex Galindo has run at the state track meet and will be a nice addition to the cross country team this fall. Sophomore Ismael Ramirez will run in several meets, and Lashley gets two incoming freshmen in Parker Coleman and Anthony Lawrence.

"We have seven strong," said Lashley. "Just a nice, solid group of guys. We're looking forward to it. A lot of them had good summers. They showed up a lot so that should help them. We're looking forward to seeing what they can do."

The Panthers host 19 schools at Lake Barton on Aug. 31. The meet will feature 13 schools in the large classification, including Bishop Carroll, Maize, and Liberal. Six schools from smaller classifications will compete in the other race.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664486805000.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By MIKE COURSON Great Bend PostExpectations are usually high for the Great Bend High School cross country teams. With a full roster of Lady Panthers back from last year's team that finished fifth at state - and a few new faces in the mix - those expectations will remain high for the 2023 season."We didn't lose anybody and we're going to add Makenzie Premer for a few meets," said coach Lyles Lashley. "She's right in there with a pack of girls right out of the chute. She should help us a bunch."The roster includes two all-state returners in junior Marissa Boone, an eighth-place finisher at state, and senior Addy Nicholson, who ran 15th at state. Senior Eliana Beckham and sophomore Sienna Smith also had top-50 finishes at Rim Rock, and senior Morgan Beckwith and junior&nbsp; Kate Welcher also return."They had a really good summer," Lashley said. "Morgan, especially, had a really good summer. She's back to where she was a few years back."Freshman Teegan Guerra makes the switch to cross country after playing soccer this summer. She's joined by classmates Bella Long and Teah King."We should have 10 solid girls, which will really help our depth," said Lashley. "Every day you're competing against each other for a varsity spot. That adds to the competitiveness. You have to bring your 'A' game every day."Three private schools took the top-three spots at state last October, and Topeka Seaman finished fourth. Just three of last year's top 22 runners at state have graduated, including Seaman's Bethany Druse and Kapaun's Addie Curtis. St. James, with all runners back, is expected to be one of the top teams across all classifications this fall."Our goal is to try to run with them," Lashley said. "Each day we're talking about it and trying to make the effort to get there. Obviously, the goal down the road is to get a team trophy, but we'd like to make a run at them."Esfeld graduates after decorated career While the Lady Panthers return a full roster of runners, the Panther boys lose a staple in Kaiden Esfeld, who set a Lake Barton Course record early in the season and went on to finish 11th at state.Great Bend will have a full team of runners, however. Sophomore Tavon Stroup and seniors Braylon Moore and Brayden Suppes all return with varsity experience. Senior Alex Galindo has run at the state track meet and will be a nice addition to the cross country team this fall. Sophomore Ismael Ramirez will run in several meets, and Lashley gets two incoming freshmen in Parker Coleman and Anthony Lawrence."We have seven strong," said Lashley. "Just a nice, solid group of guys. We're looking forward to it. A lot of them had good summers. They showed up a lot so that should help them. We're looking forward to seeing what they can do."The Panthers host 19 schools at Lake Barton on Aug. 31. The meet will feature 13 schools in the large classification, including Bishop Carroll, Maize, and Liberal. Six schools from smaller classifications will compete in the other race.

Lady Panther cross country team returns full roster, adds newcomers

UNDATED (AP) — LSU coach Brian Kelly summed up the challenge confronting college football's top programs these days: Catching up with Georgia.

The two-time defending national champion and preseason No. 1 Bulldogs are Alabama's successor as the annual “team to beat” overall and in a powerful Southeastern Conference that has three teams opening in the top five. The Crimson Tide checks in at No. 4 heading into what amounts to a potential rebound season for Nick Saban's team.

Then there's LSU one spot back and very much in the mix after Kelly's promising debut season and progress in rebuilding the talent level. Is the roster on par with Georgia? Not yet, he says.

“But if we continue to do what we’re doing, we’re going to have a roster that can compete against Georgia, and then it’s just a matter of getting it done on the playing field so everybody then can assess they’ve closed the gap,” Kelly said.

Kirby Smart's Bulldogs are aiming at the first national three-peat of the Associated Press poll era dating to 1936. They will be without quarterback Stetson Bennett and three first-round NFL draft picks, among others. Smart has picked Bennett's backup, Carson Beck, as the starter going into the season.

“The threat for us is complacency,” said Smart, a former Saban disciple who has built his own powerhouse. “The first thing you have to do is acknowledge that it’s a threat. Like if you acknowledge the complacency is a threat, it’s the first step toward stomping it out.”

Alabama, which has won six national titles since 2009, must replace No. 1 NFL draft pick Bryce Young at quarterback, along with linebacker Will Anderson Jr. (the third pick).

No. 12 Tennessee, a resurgent former power like LSU, turns to Joe Milton to replace its own star passer, Hendon Hooker. Jayden Daniels, who helped lead LSU's resurgent offense after transferring from Arizona State, returns for an encore.

Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia: Perhaps the nation's top tight end, Bowers has 119 catches for 1,824 yards and 20 touchdowns in his first two seasons. Last season, he was a finalist for the Lombardi Award given to the nation's top lineman.

Daniels, QB, LSU: The Arizona State transfer proved one of the league's most important transfer pickups. He passed for 2,913 yards and 17 touchdowns against just three interceptions while also setting LSU rushing records for a quarterback with 885 yards and 11 scores.

KJ Jefferson, QB, Arkansas: The dual-threat veteran has started 24 games the last two seasons. Being able to hand off to Raheim Sanders certainly doesn't hurt.

Quinshon Judkins, RB, Mississippi: Set school records as a freshman with 1,567 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. A preseason AP All-American, Judkins was SEC newcomer of the year.

Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB/RS, Alabama: The Tide's latest shutdown corner and highly rated NFL prospect. McKinstry, a preseason AP All-American, had 16 pass deflections last season and also averaged nearly 16 yards per punt return.

LBs Harold Perkins Jr., LSU; Dallas Turner, Alabama, Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia: All three are rising stars trying to replace Anderson as the league's top linebacker. Perkins and Dumas-Johnson, a Butkus Award finalist last season, are preseason first-team AP All-Americans and Turner is a second-teamer.

Sedrick Van Pran, C, Georgia: The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder, another preseason All-American, has started 30 consecutive games since his redshirt season,

Mississippi State has a new coach in Zach Arnett, promoted from defensive coordinator after the death last December of offensive guru Mike Leach. Auburn brought Hugh Freeze back to the SEC to revive a stagnant program. ... There's plenty of other new but familiar quarterbacks arriving as transfers. The biggest names are Kentucky's Devin Leary (North Carolina State) and Mississippi's Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma State) but ex-Notre Dame starter Tyler Buchner is a candidate to start for Alabama and Michigan State's Payton Thorne is set to start the opener for Auburn.

Texas A&amp;M coach Jimbo Fisher has $77 million worth of protection since that would be his buyout if fired after this season. But the Aggies are desperate for positive signs after a 5-7 season.

“We live under pressure every day,” Fisher said. “We put more pressure on ourselves than anybody out there ever puts on us, so there’s no added pressure because what good does that do? Does worrying make you any better? No.”

Eliah Drinkwitz's seat could be warming up with a 17-19 record entering his fourth season at Missouri.

Sept. 3, No. 5 LSU vs. No. 8 Florida State in Orlando; Sept. 9, No. 11 Texas at No. 4 Alabama; Sept. 30, No. 5 LSU at No. 22 Mississippi; Oct. 28, No. 1 Georgia vs. Florida in Jacksonville; Nov. 4, No. 5 LSU at No. 4 Alabama; Nov. 18, No. 1 Georgia at No. 12 Tennessee.

East: Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Vanderbilt

West: Alabama, LSU, Texas A&amp;M, Mississippi, Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi State

UNDATED (AP) — LSU coach Brian Kelly summed up the challenge confronting college football's top programs these days: Catching up with Georgia.The two-time defending national champion and preseason No. 1 Bulldogs are Alabama's successor as the annual “team to beat” overall and in a powerful Southeastern Conference that has three teams opening in the top five. The Crimson Tide checks in at No. 4 heading into what amounts to a potential rebound season for Nick Saban's team.Then there's LSU one spot back and very much in the mix after Kelly's promising debut season and progress in rebuilding the talent level. Is the roster on par with Georgia? Not yet, he says.“But if we continue to do what we’re doing, we’re going to have a roster that can compete against Georgia, and then it’s just a matter of getting it done on the playing field so everybody then can assess they’ve closed the gap,” Kelly said.Kirby Smart's Bulldogs are aiming at the first national three-peat of the Associated Press poll era dating to 1936. They will be without quarterback Stetson Bennett and three first-round NFL draft picks, among others. Smart has picked Bennett's backup, Carson Beck, as the starter going into the season.“The threat for us is complacency,” said Smart, a former Saban disciple who has built his own powerhouse. “The first thing you have to do is acknowledge that it’s a threat. Like if you acknowledge the complacency is a threat, it’s the first step toward stomping it out.”Alabama, which has won six national titles since 2009, must replace No. 1 NFL draft pick Bryce Young at quarterback, along with linebacker Will Anderson Jr. (the third pick).No. 12 Tennessee, a resurgent former power like LSU, turns to Joe Milton to replace its own star passer, Hendon Hooker. Jayden Daniels, who helped lead LSU's resurgent offense after transferring from Arizona State, returns for an encore.TOP PLAYERSBrock Bowers, TE, Georgia: Perhaps the nation's top tight end, Bowers has 119 catches for 1,824 yards and 20 touchdowns in his first two seasons. Last season, he was a finalist for the Lombardi Award given to the nation's top lineman.Daniels, QB, LSU: The Arizona State transfer proved one of the league's most important transfer pickups. He passed for 2,913 yards and 17 touchdowns against just three interceptions while also setting LSU rushing records for a quarterback with 885 yards and 11 scores.KJ Jefferson, QB, Arkansas: The dual-threat veteran has started 24 games the last two seasons. Being able to hand off to Raheim Sanders certainly doesn't hurt.Quinshon Judkins, RB, Mississippi: Set school records as a freshman with 1,567 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. A preseason AP All-American, Judkins was SEC newcomer of the year.Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB/RS, Alabama: The Tide's latest shutdown corner and highly rated NFL prospect. McKinstry, a preseason AP All-American, had 16 pass deflections last season and also averaged nearly 16 yards per punt return.LBs Harold Perkins Jr., LSU; Dallas Turner, Alabama, Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia: All three are rising stars trying to replace Anderson as the league's top linebacker. Perkins and Dumas-Johnson, a Butkus Award finalist last season, are preseason first-team AP All-Americans and Turner is a second-teamer.Sedrick Van Pran, C, Georgia: The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder, another preseason All-American, has started 30 consecutive games since his redshirt season,NEW FACESMississippi State has a new coach in Zach Arnett, promoted from defensive coordinator after the death last December of offensive guru Mike Leach. Auburn brought Hugh Freeze back to the SEC to revive a stagnant program. ... There's plenty of other new but familiar quarterbacks arriving as transfers. The biggest names are Kentucky's Devin Leary (North Carolina State) and Mississippi's Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma State) but ex-Notre Dame starter Tyler Buchner is a candidate to start for Alabama and Michigan State's Payton Thorne is set to start the opener for Auburn.ON THE HOT SEATTexas A&amp;M coach Jimbo Fisher has $77 million worth of protection since that would be his buyout if fired after this season. But the Aggies are desperate for positive signs after a 5-7 season.“We live under pressure every day,” Fisher said. “We put more pressure on ourselves than anybody out there ever puts on us, so there’s no added pressure because what good does that do? Does worrying make you any better? No.”Eliah Drinkwitz's seat could be warming up with a 17-19 record entering his fourth season at Missouri.GAMES TO WATCHSept. 3, No. 5 LSU vs. No. 8 Florida State in Orlando; Sept. 9, No. 11 Texas at No. 4 Alabama; Sept. 30, No. 5 LSU at No. 22 Mississippi; Oct. 28, No. 1 Georgia vs. Florida in Jacksonville; Nov. 4, No. 5 LSU at No. 4 Alabama; Nov. 18, No. 1 Georgia at No. 12 Tennessee.AP PICKS:East: Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, VanderbiltWest: Alabama, LSU, Texas A&amp;M, Mississippi, Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi StateChampion: Georgia.

Chasing Georgia: Alabama, LSU now trying to catch up to 2-time defending champs

Chayse Gruber - Great Bend Bat Cats

Grant Nottlemann - Great Bend Bat Cats

SS – Jalin Flores - Santa Barbara Foresters

3B – Rodric Black - Lonestar Baseball Club-North

Jaden Gustafson of/dh Hutchinson Monarchs

Tyler Cowan 2b/3b/ss Great Bend Bat Cats

Designated Hitter - Max Buettenback - Hutchinson Monarchs

Manager – Casey Lippoldt - Hutchinson Monarchs

Each of the All-Americans will receive a customized commemorative bat courtesy of Hook Bats.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692790414715.jpeg" alt="NBC World Series All-Americans" />
 <figcaption>NBC World Series All-Americans</figcaption>
 </figure>PitchersZane Petty - Santa Barbara ForestersBrady Pacha - Hutchinson MonarchsCaleb Heuertz - Five Tool KrakenChayse Gruber - Great Bend Bat CatsCatcherGrant Nottlemann - Great Bend Bat CatsInfielders1B – Sam Wiese - Hutchinson Monarchs2B – Case Pettis - Five Tool KrakenSS – Jalin Flores - Santa Barbara Foresters3B – Rodric Black - Lonestar Baseball Club-NorthOutfieldersPreston Curtis - Five Tool KrakenMax Belyeu - Santa Barbara ForestersWill Edmunson - Hutchinson MonarchsUtilityJaden Gustafson of/dh Hutchinson MonarchsTyler Cowan 2b/3b/ss Great Bend Bat CatsDesignated Hitter - Max Buettenback - Hutchinson MonarchsManager – Casey Lippoldt - Hutchinson MonarchsEach of the All-Americans will receive a customized commemorative bat courtesy of Hook Bats.

Gruber, Nottlemann , and Cowan NBC All-Americans

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals unveiled plans for two dramatically different locations for a replacement to the aging Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday, calling them on equal footing even as the team-issued date for a decision looms next month.

The first location, called the East Village, would consist of a ballpark anchoring a 27-acre development just blocks away from the thriving Power &amp; Light District, where T-Mobile Center already exists. The second location is a 90-acre tract across the Missouri River in Clay County, where the Royals would have more ability to develop commercial and residential properties.

Both plans were produced by Populous, the Kansas City-based sports architecture giant, which has been responsible for renovation or construction of more than 20 stadiums currently in use across Major League Baseball.

“We knew we were engaged in a generational decision. The K has been the home to the Royals for 50-plus years — been a great home — but it's time for a new one,” said Brooks Sherman, the Royals' president of business operations. “It's actually incredible that we have these two locations to even consider as a future home and sustain ourselves as a Major League city.”

The Royals announced plans to leave Kauffman Stadium about two years ago. But progress has been slow in deciding on a path forward, given the myriad factors involved in the proposed $2 billion-plus ballpark and entertainment district.

The Royals have long shared with the Kansas City Chiefs sales tax revenue from Jackson County for the upkeep of Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums, both of which reside in the Truman Sports Complex. But while the Royals intend to build elsewhere, the preference of Chiefs owner Clark Hunt is to remain at Arrowhead Stadium and renovate the existing NFL venue.

Further complicating matters is the fact that the Royals and Chiefs are both tied to a lease with Jackson County that does not expire until 2031. If the Royals decide on the downtown location, they would remain in Jackson County and the teams could seek to extend the lease; if they move to Clay County, some tricky politicking and negotiation would be necessary.

Regardless of the site, Sherman reiterated that the Royals are prepared to spend about $1 billion in private funds on the project, and they intend to move into their new stadium for opening day of the 2028 season.

“That's part of the equation is to ensure we're negotiating properly and having the proper back and forth with each set of governing bodies — the elected leaders — and we're doing that with both Clay County and Jackson County,” Sherman said.

The downtown site, which has long been viewed as the frontrunner, would lean into commercial and business possibilities to help drive the revenue that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has said is necessary for a small-market club to compete.

The proposed stadium, which Populous founder Earl Santee warned is not a final design, features swooping roof lines that are reminiscent of Kauffman Stadium. There is a homage to the fountains for which the existing park is known in right-center field and what Santee called “one of the most intimate seating bowls in all of baseball.”

Yet the stadium comes with drawbacks. Ingress and egress is already a challenge in the downtown corridor, and parking could be difficult, particularly for day games when existing parking is already taken up by those working in the area.

The location in North Kansas City would continue the revitalization of what was once a rundown industrial neighborhood.

The ballpark is meant to feel more “gritty,” Santee said, to better fit within the existing area. But a large number of buildings would be razed to make room for hotels and conference centers, residential buildings and parking pavilions, and a large park and lake that could serve as a year-round gathering space. There is even a proposed 4,000-seat performance venue.

Imran Aukhil with the economic advisory firm HR&amp;A said both projects would have about a $320 million impact on the region, not including the construction itself, which would spur at least 20,000 jobs and $2.8 billion in total economic output.

As the late-September date for a decision nears, the Royals are continuing to negotiate with political and business leaders involved with both proposed locations. They also are soliciting feedback from fans, many of whom have been lukewarm about the prospect of building a new ballpark for a team that is once again on pace to lose more than 100 games.

“We've got work to do on a number of fronts," Sherman said, “to get to our decision on this.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692787655856.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals unveiled plans for two dramatically different locations for a replacement to the aging Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday, calling them on equal footing even as the team-issued date for a decision looms next month.The first location, called the East Village, would consist of a ballpark anchoring a 27-acre development just blocks away from the thriving Power &amp; Light District, where T-Mobile Center already exists. The second location is a 90-acre tract across the Missouri River in Clay County, where the Royals would have more ability to develop commercial and residential properties.Both plans were produced by Populous, the Kansas City-based sports architecture giant, which has been responsible for renovation or construction of more than 20 stadiums currently in use across Major League Baseball.“We knew we were engaged in a generational decision. The K has been the home to the Royals for 50-plus years — been a great home — but it's time for a new one,” said Brooks Sherman, the Royals' president of business operations. “It's actually incredible that we have these two locations to even consider as a future home and sustain ourselves as a Major League city.”The Royals announced plans to leave Kauffman Stadium about two years ago. But progress has been slow in deciding on a path forward, given the myriad factors involved in the proposed $2 billion-plus ballpark and entertainment district.The Royals have long shared with the Kansas City Chiefs sales tax revenue from Jackson County for the upkeep of Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums, both of which reside in the Truman Sports Complex. But while the Royals intend to build elsewhere, the preference of Chiefs owner Clark Hunt is to remain at Arrowhead Stadium and renovate the existing NFL venue.Further complicating matters is the fact that the Royals and Chiefs are both tied to a lease with Jackson County that does not expire until 2031. If the Royals decide on the downtown location, they would remain in Jackson County and the teams could seek to extend the lease; if they move to Clay County, some tricky politicking and negotiation would be necessary.Regardless of the site, Sherman reiterated that the Royals are prepared to spend about $1 billion in private funds on the project, and they intend to move into their new stadium for opening day of the 2028 season.“That's part of the equation is to ensure we're negotiating properly and having the proper back and forth with each set of governing bodies — the elected leaders — and we're doing that with both Clay County and Jackson County,” Sherman said.The downtown site, which has long been viewed as the frontrunner, would lean into commercial and business possibilities to help drive the revenue that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has said is necessary for a small-market club to compete.The proposed stadium, which Populous founder Earl Santee warned is not a final design, features swooping roof lines that are reminiscent of Kauffman Stadium. There is a homage to the fountains for which the existing park is known in right-center field and what Santee called “one of the most intimate seating bowls in all of baseball.”Yet the stadium comes with drawbacks. Ingress and egress is already a challenge in the downtown corridor, and parking could be difficult, particularly for day games when existing parking is already taken up by those working in the area.The location in North Kansas City would continue the revitalization of what was once a rundown industrial neighborhood.The ballpark is meant to feel more “gritty,” Santee said, to better fit within the existing area. But a large number of buildings would be razed to make room for hotels and conference centers, residential buildings and parking pavilions, and a large park and lake that could serve as a year-round gathering space. There is even a proposed 4,000-seat performance venue.Imran Aukhil with the economic advisory firm HR&amp;A said both projects would have about a $320 million impact on the region, not including the construction itself, which would spur at least 20,000 jobs and $2.8 billion in total economic output.As the late-September date for a decision nears, the Royals are continuing to negotiate with political and business leaders involved with both proposed locations. They also are soliciting feedback from fans, many of whom have been lukewarm about the prospect of building a new ballpark for a team that is once again on pace to lose more than 100 games.“We've got work to do on a number of fronts," Sherman said, “to get to our decision on this.”

Royals unveil proposed ballpark and entertainment district plans for 2 locations

AMERICAN LEAGUEEast DivisionW	L	Pct	GBBaltimore	77	48	.616	_Tampa
Bay	76	51	.598	2Toronto	70	56	.556	7½Boston	66	60	.524	11½New
York	60	65	.480	17Central DivisionMinnesota	65	61	.516	_Cleveland	60	66	.476	5Detroit	58	68	.460	7Chicago	49	77	.389	16Kansas
City	40	88	.313	26West DivisionTexas	72	54	.571	_Houston	72	55	.567	½Seattle	71	55	.563	1Los
Angeles	61	65	.484	11Oakland	36	90	.286	36NATIONAL LEAGUEEast DivisionAtlanta	81	44	.648	_Philadelphia	69	57	.548	12½Miami	65	62	.512	17New
York	59	68	.465	23Washington	58	68	.460	23½Central DivisionMilwaukee	69	57	.548	_Chicago	65	60	.520	3½Cincinnati	65	61	.516	4Pittsburgh	57	69	.452	12St.
Louis	55	72	.433	14½West DivisionLos
Angeles	76	48	.613	_Arizona	66	61	.520	11½San
Francisco	65	61	.516	12San
Diego	60	67	.472	17½Colorado	48	77	.384	28½

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Shea Langeliers homered for the second consecutive day, and the Oakland Athletics spoiled the return of former Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke with a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.

Aledmys Díaz added three RBIs for the A’s, and Brent Rooker had two hits a day after hitting his second game-ending home run of the season.

The game between the two worst teams in baseball attracted a crowd of 4,021, with chants of “Sell the team” echoing throughout a mostly quiet Coliseum during much of the evening.

Langeliers drew a louder response from the crowd with his home run. The veteran catcher has quickly become a fan favorite in Oakland after being acquired from the Braves in March 2022 in exchange for slugger Matt Olson, who is tied with two-way Japanese star Shohei Ohtani for the majors lead with 43 home runs.

“We all know the power and the hit tool’s there,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “This isn’t easy at this level to come up here and have immediate success. We saw it with Sean Murphy in his first full season, and I think we’re seeing it with Shea as well. He’s really showing progress of working in the right direction.”

Greinke had been out for two weeks with a right elbow injury before being activated off the injured list prior to Tuesday’s game. A six-time All-Star who has 224 career wins and won the 2009 AL Cy Young Award, followed opener Angel Zerpa (1-2) and pitched out of the bullpen for the first time since doing so for the Houston Astros against the Chicago White Sox in Game 3 of the ALDS on Oct. 10, 2021.

The 39-year-old Greinke looked sharp while throwing 53 pitches and allowing two hits in four scoreless innings. He had five strikeouts and allowed one runner past first base.

“He looked like he was back to his normal form,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Got a bunch of swing and misses, soft contact. It was a really positive outing for him. It’s great to have him back.”

The last-place A’s have won two straight against the Royals and four of five overall this season, one of the few teams Oakland has been able to handle this season.

Hogan Harris (3-6) got the win despite an erratic outing when he allowed four runs in 3 2/3 innings. Trevor May worked the ninth for his 13th save.

Langelier’s home run leading off the second off Zerpa traveled 412 feet. All but two of the slugger’s 14 home runs have gone at least 400 feet.

“This year when I have hit them it seems like I’ve connected pretty good,” Langeliers said. “But it kind of feels like they’re few and far between. If I keep building this momentum and keep it going, it’d be nice.”

Harris is partners with Langeliers in a fantasy football league and said he always tries to stop and watch when his friend is batting.

“I gotta watch my boy,” Harris said. “I can’t not watch him, or he’ll yell at me. Him and I, since the very first time we met each other, we just kind of clicked well.”

Díaz made it 5-2 with a two-run double just inside the third base line. The ball rolled into foul territory past the A’s bullpen then bounced off the wall back onto the field.

Salvador Perez had a two-run single off Harris in the fifth, pulling the Royals within 5-4.

Zerpa struggled with his control early and hit the first batter in the first then walked the second. After Carlos Perez flew out, Rooker lined an RBI single into left-center. Zack Gelof scored on a sacrifice fly by Díaz, easily beating the off-target throw by Royals right fielder Drew Waters.

The Royals tied it on Kyle Isbel’s two-out, bases-loaded single in the second off Harris, who pitched in relief of opener Dany Jiménez.

Royals second baseman Michael Massey made a tremendous defensive play to rob Ryan Noda of a hit in the seventh inning. Massey fielded Noda’s sharp grounder up the middle with his glove hand then flipped the ball to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. who relayed to first for the 4-6-3 out as Noda stumbled over the bag.

Royals: RHP Dylan Coleman was optioned to Triple-A Omaha to make room for Greinke.

Athletics: RHP Tayler Scott was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas, clearing room on the roster for Harris.

Royals’ LHP Cole Ragans (4-4, 4.08 ERA) faces the A’s for the fourth time in his career in the series finale Wednesday at the Coliseum. Ragans is winless and has allowed 11 runs in 10 1/3 innings against the Oakland. The A’s have not announced a starter.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Shea Langeliers homered for the second consecutive day, and the Oakland Athletics spoiled the return of former Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke with a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.Aledmys Díaz added three RBIs for the A’s, and Brent Rooker had two hits a day after hitting his second game-ending home run of the season.The game between the two worst teams in baseball attracted a crowd of 4,021, with chants of “Sell the team” echoing throughout a mostly quiet Coliseum during much of the evening.Langeliers drew a louder response from the crowd with his home run. The veteran catcher has quickly become a fan favorite in Oakland after being acquired from the Braves in March 2022 in exchange for slugger Matt Olson, who is tied with two-way Japanese star Shohei Ohtani for the majors lead with 43 home runs.“We all know the power and the hit tool’s there,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “This isn’t easy at this level to come up here and have immediate success. We saw it with Sean Murphy in his first full season, and I think we’re seeing it with Shea as well. He’s really showing progress of working in the right direction.”Greinke had been out for two weeks with a right elbow injury before being activated off the injured list prior to Tuesday’s game. A six-time All-Star who has 224 career wins and won the 2009 AL Cy Young Award, followed opener Angel Zerpa (1-2) and pitched out of the bullpen for the first time since doing so for the Houston Astros against the Chicago White Sox in Game 3 of the ALDS on Oct. 10, 2021.The 39-year-old Greinke looked sharp while throwing 53 pitches and allowing two hits in four scoreless innings. He had five strikeouts and allowed one runner past first base.“He looked like he was back to his normal form,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Got a bunch of swing and misses, soft contact. It was a really positive outing for him. It’s great to have him back.”The last-place A’s have won two straight against the Royals and four of five overall this season, one of the few teams Oakland has been able to handle this season.Hogan Harris (3-6) got the win despite an erratic outing when he allowed four runs in 3 2/3 innings. Trevor May worked the ninth for his 13th save.Langelier’s home run leading off the second off Zerpa traveled 412 feet. All but two of the slugger’s 14 home runs have gone at least 400 feet.“This year when I have hit them it seems like I’ve connected pretty good,” Langeliers said. “But it kind of feels like they’re few and far between. If I keep building this momentum and keep it going, it’d be nice.”Harris is partners with Langeliers in a fantasy football league and said he always tries to stop and watch when his friend is batting.“I gotta watch my boy,” Harris said. “I can’t not watch him, or he’ll yell at me. Him and I, since the very first time we met each other, we just kind of clicked well.”Díaz made it 5-2 with a two-run double just inside the third base line. The ball rolled into foul territory past the A’s bullpen then bounced off the wall back onto the field.Salvador Perez had a two-run single off Harris in the fifth, pulling the Royals within 5-4.Zerpa struggled with his control early and hit the first batter in the first then walked the second. After Carlos Perez flew out, Rooker lined an RBI single into left-center. Zack Gelof scored on a sacrifice fly by Díaz, easily beating the off-target throw by Royals right fielder Drew Waters.The Royals tied it on Kyle Isbel’s two-out, bases-loaded single in the second off Harris, who pitched in relief of opener Dany Jiménez.WEB GEMRoyals second baseman Michael Massey made a tremendous defensive play to rob Ryan Noda of a hit in the seventh inning. Massey fielded Noda’s sharp grounder up the middle with his glove hand then flipped the ball to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. who relayed to first for the 4-6-3 out as Noda stumbled over the bag.ROSTER MOVESRoyals: RHP Dylan Coleman was optioned to Triple-A Omaha to make room for Greinke.Athletics: RHP Tayler Scott was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas, clearing room on the roster for Harris.UP NEXTRoyals’ LHP Cole Ragans (4-4, 4.08 ERA) faces the A’s for the fourth time in his career in the series finale Wednesday at the Coliseum. Ragans is winless and has allowed 11 runs in 10 1/3 innings against the Oakland. The A’s have not announced a starter.

A's top Royals 5-4 to spoil Zack Greinke's return from the injured list

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)
— Shea Langeliers homered for the second consecutive day, and the
Oakland Athletics spoiled the return of former Cy Young Award winner
Zack Greinke with a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals. Aledmys Díaz
added three RBIs for the A’s, and Brent Rooker had two hits a day
after hitting his second game-ending home run of the season. The game
between the two worst teams in baseball attracted a crowd of 4,021,
with chants of “Sell the team” echoing throughout a mostly quiet
Coliseum during much of the evening.

PITTSBURGH (AP) —
Andrew McCutchen’s two-run homer capped a five-run fifth inning
against struggling Adam Wainwright, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat
the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3. Wainwright remained stuck on 198 career
wins a day after accruing his 18th year of major league service time.
He is 0-8 with a 12.56 ERA in his last nine starts. St. Louis catcher
Willson Contreras and manager Oliver Marmol were ejected in the
seventh inning for arguing balls and strikes, and rookie Jordan
Walker was tossed in the eighth, his first career ejection. The
last-place Cardinals have lost six of seven.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.
(AP) — Osleivis Basabe hit a grand slam for his first major league
homer, capping off a nine-run eighth inning for the AL wild
card-leading Tampa Bay Rays, who beat the Colorado Rockies 12-4 on
Tuesday night. Basabe is filling at shortstop for Wander Franco, who
is on MLB’s administrative list while authorities in the Dominican
Republic investigate him for an alleged relationship with a minor.
After the Rays loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth against
Brent Suter (4-1), pinch-hitter Christian Bethancourt delivered an
RBI single to tie it before Yandy Díaz made it 5-4 on his
run-scoring base hit. Díaz went 3 for 5 in his career-best fifth
straight multi-hit game, raising his AL-leading average to .328.

NEW YORK. (AP) —
Wander Franco has been placed on administrative leave indefinitely by
Major League Baseball while authorities in the Dominican Republic
investigate the Tampa Bay Rays' All-Star shortstop for an alleged
relationship with a minor. The 22-year-old will be paid and receive
service time while on administrative leave under an agreement with
the players’ association that did not set a timetable for a
decision on whether he will be disciplined. Franco was placed on the
restricted list for a week on Aug. 14 while MLB launched an
investigation following social media posts suggesting he was in a
relationship with a minor. The AP has not been able to verify the
reported posts.

CHICAGO (AP) — The
Chicago White Sox have fired executive vice president Ken Williams
and general manager Rick Hahn, cutting ties with their leadership on
the baseball side amid another disappointing season. Williams was in
his 11th season in his position after serving as the club’s general
manager for 12 seasons. He was one of baseball's most prominent Black
executives. Hahn had been the GM since October 2012. The White Sox
are finishing a miserable season. They have dropped eight of 10 to
fall to 49-77 on the season. Chicago made the playoffs in 2020 and
2021, and then went 81-81 last year.

CLEVELAND (AP) —
Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona has had serious talks with
the organization about his future, hinting that this could be his
final season. The winningest manager in club history, the 64-year-old
Francona, who has dealt with major health issues in recent years, did
not announce his retirement and said any of those decisions will be
addressed later. Francona is in his 11th season with Cleveland. He
led the Boston Red Sox to two World Series titles before joining the
Guardians in 2013. The Guardians have made the playoffs six times and
had only one losing season with Francona. This has been an especially
challenging season for the defending AL Central champions because of
injuries.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.
(AP) — The Denver Broncos signed wide receiver Josh Hammond on
Tuesday after placing wide receiver Jalen Virgil on injured reserve.
Virgil tore the meniscus in his right knee while trying to score at
the end of a 50-yard catch-and-run just before halftime of the
Broncos’ preseason game against San Francisco on Saturday night.
His ACL wasn’t damaged but he’ll need surgery. Hammond is a
second-year pro from the University of Florida who entered the NFL
with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020 and played in two games for
them in 2021. He was on the DC Defenders for the 2023 XFL season,
catching 34 passes for 331 yards and a touchdown.

METAIRIE, La. (AP) —
Saints coach Dennis Allen says he expects tight end Jimmy Graham to
return this week to practice following what team officials have
described as a “medical episode” that led police in the Los
Angeles area to arrest the veteran player and take him to a hospital.
Saints team physician Dr. John Amoss has said Graham likely had a
seizure and was disoriented when he was picked up by authorities in
Orange County on Friday night. The Saints were in California last
week for joint practices with the Los Angeles Chargers in advance of
New Orleans’ 22-17 victory in both teams’ second preseason game
on Sunday night. Graham did not play in the game.

UNDATED (AP) — The
Basketball World Cup starts Friday, spread out across three countries
for the first two rounds before all the biggest games get played in
Manila to decide which nation will go home with gold medals and the
Naismith Trophy on Sept. 10. Spain is the defending champion, having
won in China four years ago. The U.S. was only seventh in that
tournament, its worst finish ever in a major international event. But
the Americans have high hopes, and enter as the tournament favorites.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691404624657.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)
— Shea Langeliers homered for the second consecutive day, and the
Oakland Athletics spoiled the return of former Cy Young Award winner
Zack Greinke with a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals. Aledmys Díaz
added three RBIs for the A’s, and Brent Rooker had two hits a day
after hitting his second game-ending home run of the season. The game
between the two worst teams in baseball attracted a crowd of 4,021,
with chants of “Sell the team” echoing throughout a mostly quiet
Coliseum during much of the evening.PITTSBURGH (AP) —
Andrew McCutchen’s two-run homer capped a five-run fifth inning
against struggling Adam Wainwright, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat
the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3. Wainwright remained stuck on 198 career
wins a day after accruing his 18th year of major league service time.
He is 0-8 with a 12.56 ERA in his last nine starts. St. Louis catcher
Willson Contreras and manager Oliver Marmol were ejected in the
seventh inning for arguing balls and strikes, and rookie Jordan
Walker was tossed in the eighth, his first career ejection. The
last-place Cardinals have lost six of seven.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.
(AP) — Osleivis Basabe hit a grand slam for his first major league
homer, capping off a nine-run eighth inning for the AL wild
card-leading Tampa Bay Rays, who beat the Colorado Rockies 12-4 on
Tuesday night. Basabe is filling at shortstop for Wander Franco, who
is on MLB’s administrative list while authorities in the Dominican
Republic investigate him for an alleged relationship with a minor.
After the Rays loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth against
Brent Suter (4-1), pinch-hitter Christian Bethancourt delivered an
RBI single to tie it before Yandy Díaz made it 5-4 on his
run-scoring base hit. Díaz went 3 for 5 in his career-best fifth
straight multi-hit game, raising his AL-leading average to .328.NEW YORK. (AP) —
Wander Franco has been placed on administrative leave indefinitely by
Major League Baseball while authorities in the Dominican Republic
investigate the Tampa Bay Rays' All-Star shortstop for an alleged
relationship with a minor. The 22-year-old will be paid and receive
service time while on administrative leave under an agreement with
the players’ association that did not set a timetable for a
decision on whether he will be disciplined. Franco was placed on the
restricted list for a week on Aug. 14 while MLB launched an
investigation following social media posts suggesting he was in a
relationship with a minor. The AP has not been able to verify the
reported posts.CHICAGO (AP) — The
Chicago White Sox have fired executive vice president Ken Williams
and general manager Rick Hahn, cutting ties with their leadership on
the baseball side amid another disappointing season. Williams was in
his 11th season in his position after serving as the club’s general
manager for 12 seasons. He was one of baseball's most prominent Black
executives. Hahn had been the GM since October 2012. The White Sox
are finishing a miserable season. They have dropped eight of 10 to
fall to 49-77 on the season. Chicago made the playoffs in 2020 and
2021, and then went 81-81 last year.CLEVELAND (AP) —
Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona has had serious talks with
the organization about his future, hinting that this could be his
final season. The winningest manager in club history, the 64-year-old
Francona, who has dealt with major health issues in recent years, did
not announce his retirement and said any of those decisions will be
addressed later. Francona is in his 11th season with Cleveland. He
led the Boston Red Sox to two World Series titles before joining the
Guardians in 2013. The Guardians have made the playoffs six times and
had only one losing season with Francona. This has been an especially
challenging season for the defending AL Central champions because of
injuries.ENGLEWOOD, Colo.
(AP) — The Denver Broncos signed wide receiver Josh Hammond on
Tuesday after placing wide receiver Jalen Virgil on injured reserve.
Virgil tore the meniscus in his right knee while trying to score at
the end of a 50-yard catch-and-run just before halftime of the
Broncos’ preseason game against San Francisco on Saturday night.
His ACL wasn’t damaged but he’ll need surgery. Hammond is a
second-year pro from the University of Florida who entered the NFL
with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020 and played in two games for
them in 2021. He was on the DC Defenders for the 2023 XFL season,
catching 34 passes for 331 yards and a touchdown.METAIRIE, La. (AP) —
Saints coach Dennis Allen says he expects tight end Jimmy Graham to
return this week to practice following what team officials have
described as a “medical episode” that led police in the Los
Angeles area to arrest the veteran player and take him to a hospital.
Saints team physician Dr. John Amoss has said Graham likely had a
seizure and was disoriented when he was picked up by authorities in
Orange County on Friday night. The Saints were in California last
week for joint practices with the Los Angeles Chargers in advance of
New Orleans’ 22-17 victory in both teams’ second preseason game
on Sunday night. Graham did not play in the game.UNDATED (AP) — The
Basketball World Cup starts Friday, spread out across three countries
for the first two rounds before all the biggest games get played in
Manila to decide which nation will go home with gold medals and the
Naismith Trophy on Sept. 10. Spain is the defending champion, having
won in China four years ago. The U.S. was only seventh in that
tournament, its worst finish ever in a major international event. But
the Americans have high hopes, and enter as the tournament favorites.TUESDAY SCORESINTERLEAGUEFinal	Tampa
Bay	12	Colorado	4	Final	Detroit	8	Chicago
Cubs	6	Final	Washington	2	N.Y.
Yankees	1	Final	Cleveland	8	L.A.
Dodgers	3	Final	Milwaukee	7	Minnesota	3	Final	Cincinnati	4	L.A.
Angels	3	Final	Arizona	6	Texas	3	AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Toronto	6	Baltimore	3	Final	Houston	7	Boston	3	Final	Seattle	6	Chicago
White Sox	3	Final	Oakland	5	Kansas
City	4	NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Philadelphia	4	San
Francisco	3	Final	Pittsburgh	6	St.
Louis	3	Final	Atlanta	3	N.Y.
Mets	2	Final	Miami	3	San
Diego	0

Wednesday Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

- Voice of the Kansas State Wildcats Wyatt Thompson

- Great Bend Panther Volleyball coach Shelly Duval

- Voice of the Hoisington Cardinals Cole Reif

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660823675526.jpeg" alt="Tuesday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark and Mike Hesher" />
 <figcaption>Tuesday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark and Mike Hesher</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QRqS4XoJKOY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>- Voice of the Kansas State Wildcats Wyatt Thompson- Great Bend Panther Volleyball coach Shelly Duval- Voice of the Hoisington Cardinals Cole Reif-Sounds of the past 24-hours- Tuesday Headlines

Tuesday on Sports Day (Watch) 

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Athletics has announced the dates and times for Hawk Talk with Kansas Football head coach Lance Leipold, which begins Monday, August 28 live from Johnny’s Tavern West Lawrence.

The hour-long show will feature Leipold, KU’s third-year head coach, alongside ‘Voice of the Jayhawks’ Brian Hanni. The duo will break down the upcoming game, recap recent happenings in Kansas Football and have interactive segments with Jayhawk fans in attendance.

The first show of the season premieres on Monday, August 28, at 6 p.m., and the first two shows will be held on Monday nights before shifting to Wednesdays for the following 10 weeks. The final show of the regular season will be held on Wednesday, November 15. Each show is scheduled for 60 minutes. The show dates and times are subject to change. Check your local listing for availability in your area.

Hawk Talk can be heard around the state of Kansas on the Jayhawk Radio Network affiliates, including "Hits 106.9" in Great Bend, KUAthletics.com and the Official Kansas Athletics app, which will also feature a live audio stream of the show. Fans can submit questions to Coach Leipold on KUAthletics.com. Television replays of the show will be available on Spectrum Kansas City, Cox Communications and ESPN+ the day after the show’s original airing date.

Kansas opens the upcoming season on Friday, September 1, taking on Missouri State at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Season tickets, mini plans and non-conference single game tickets are on sale now for the 2023 Kansas football season. Mini plans are designed to allow fans to pick the games that work the best for them. During the purchasing process, fans have the option to add a premium seatback to their order for less than $8 per game. To purchase tickets, and for more information, please click here.

2023 Hawk Talk with Lance Leipold Schedule

All shows will begin at 6 p.m. CT:

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Athletics has announced the dates and times for Hawk Talk with Kansas Football head coach Lance Leipold, which begins Monday, August 28 live from Johnny’s Tavern West Lawrence.The hour-long show will feature Leipold, KU’s third-year head coach, alongside ‘Voice of the Jayhawks’ Brian Hanni. The duo will break down the upcoming game, recap recent happenings in Kansas Football and have interactive segments with Jayhawk fans in attendance.The first show of the season premieres on Monday, August 28, at 6 p.m., and the first two shows will be held on Monday nights before shifting to Wednesdays for the following 10 weeks. The final show of the regular season will be held on Wednesday, November 15. Each show is scheduled for 60 minutes. The show dates and times are subject to change. Check your local listing for availability in your area.Hawk Talk can be heard around the state of Kansas on the Jayhawk Radio Network affiliates, including "Hits 106.9" in Great Bend, KUAthletics.com and the Official Kansas Athletics app, which will also feature a live audio stream of the show. Fans can submit questions to Coach Leipold on KUAthletics.com. Television replays of the show will be available on Spectrum Kansas City, Cox Communications and ESPN+ the day after the show’s original airing date.Kansas opens the upcoming season on Friday, September 1, taking on Missouri State at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Season tickets, mini plans and non-conference single game tickets are on sale now for the 2023 Kansas football season. Mini plans are designed to allow fans to pick the games that work the best for them. During the purchasing process, fans have the option to add a premium seatback to their order for less than $8 per game. To purchase tickets, and for more information, please click here.2023 Hawk Talk with Lance Leipold ScheduleAll shows will begin at 6 p.m. CT:Monday, August 28Monday, September 4Wednesday, September 13Wednesday, September 20Wednesday, September 27Wednesday, October 4Wednesday, October 11Wednesday, October 18Wednesday, October 25Wednesday, November 1Wednesday, November 8Wednesday, November 15