The playoff-contending Kansas City Royals acquired veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen from the Texas Rangers on Monday in exchange for minor league left-hander Walter Pennington.

Lorenzen went 5-6 with a 3.81 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) for the Rangers after signing late in spring training and making his season debut April 15. In his final start for Texas on Saturday, Lorenzen allowed four runs and five hits while recording only two outs at Toronto. He then pitched again Sunday, and gave up one run over four innings in relief.

The 32-year-old Lorenzen was a first-time All-Star last season with Detroit, and threw a no-hitter for Philadelphia after being traded. He signed a $4.5 million, one-year contract with the reigning World Series champion Rangers on March 23. Primarily a starter the past three seasons, Lorenzen is 45-44 with a 4.08 ERA over 361 career games (87 starts) with Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Texas, the Los Angeles Angels and Detroit.

Kansas City went into Monday, a day before the trade deadline, in the American League's third wild card spot, one game ahead Boston. Texas was third in the AL West, and six games behind the Royals in the wild-card race, with four teams between them.

The Royals had two relievers exit Sunday's 7-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs after getting hurt. Right-hander John Schreiber tweaked his knee when covering first base after getting a grounder on the only pitch he threw. Right-hander Hunter Harvey, who they got in a trade with Washington two weeks ago, later left with a back spasm after throwing only seven of his 22 pitches for strikes.

Pennington made his big league debut July 5, when he struck out one of the two batters he faced at Colorado for the final two outs in an inning. The 26-year-old lefty is 6-3 with a 2.26 ERA in 37 appearances for Triple-A Omaha, with 79 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings. The Rangers assigned him to Triple-A Round Rock.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722274993195.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;Texas Rangers pitcher Michael Lorenzen works against Toronto Blue Jays during the the first inning of a baseball game in Toronto, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Texas Rangers pitcher Michael Lorenzen works against Toronto Blue Jays during the the first inning of a baseball game in Toronto, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>By The Associated PressThe playoff-contending Kansas City Royals acquired veteran right-hander Michael Lorenzen from the Texas Rangers on Monday in exchange for minor league left-hander Walter Pennington.Lorenzen went 5-6 with a 3.81 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) for the Rangers after signing late in spring training and making his season debut April 15. In his final start for Texas on Saturday, Lorenzen allowed four runs and five hits while recording only two outs at Toronto. He then pitched again Sunday, and gave up one run over four innings in relief.The 32-year-old Lorenzen was a first-time All-Star last season with Detroit, and threw a no-hitter for Philadelphia after being traded. He signed a $4.5 million, one-year contract with the reigning World Series champion Rangers on March 23. Primarily a starter the past three seasons, Lorenzen is 45-44 with a 4.08 ERA over 361 career games (87 starts) with Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Texas, the Los Angeles Angels and Detroit.Kansas City went into Monday, a day before the trade deadline, in the American League's third wild card spot, one game ahead Boston. Texas was third in the AL West, and six games behind the Royals in the wild-card race, with four teams between them.The Royals had two relievers exit Sunday's 7-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs after getting hurt. Right-hander John Schreiber tweaked his knee when covering first base after getting a grounder on the only pitch he threw. Right-hander Hunter Harvey, who they got in a trade with Washington two weeks ago, later left with a back spasm after throwing only seven of his 22 pitches for strikes.Pennington made his big league debut July 5, when he struck out one of the two batters he faced at Colorado for the final two outs in an inning. The 26-year-old lefty is 6-3 with a 2.26 ERA in 37 appearances for Triple-A Omaha, with 79 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings. The Rangers assigned him to Triple-A Round Rock.

Royals acquire RHP Michael Lorenzen from Rangers

LAWRENCE, Kan. – For the second straight season, Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels and running back Devin Neal have been named to the preseason watch list for Maxwell Award, which was announced Monday.

The Maxwell Award has been presented to the College Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert "Tiny" Maxwell, who was a former standout at Swarthmore College and a renowned sportswriter and football official.

Daniels is back for his senior season at Kansas after throwing for 705 yards and five touchdowns in three games in 2023. In 2022, Daniels was a breakthrough player as he led the Jayhawks to a 5-0 start and the program's first bowl game appearance since 2008. He was an All-Big 12 Second Team selection after completing 66.1 percent (152-of-230) of his passes for 2,014 yards and 18 touchdowns. Daniels capped off his sophomore season with a record-setting performance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, when he completed 37-of-55 passes for 544 yards and five touchdowns, while also rushing for a touchdown.

From Lawndale, California, Daniels enters his senior season ranked No. 9 in school history with 4,297 passing yards and No. 5 with 31 passing touchdowns. At his current career completion rate of 63.6 percent (365-of-574), Daniels would surpass the previous school record of 63.3 percent, set by Todd Reesing from 2006-09.

Neal enters his senior season after becoming the third player in Kansas football history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons. In 2023, Neal ran for 1,280 yards and 16 touchdowns on 203 attempts, averaging 6.3 yards per carry on his way to earning All-Big 12 Second Team honors. His 16 rushing touchdowns are tied for the second most in school history, while his 1,280 rushing yards is ranked No. 4 in school history for a single season.

A hometown native of Lawrence, Kansas, Neal is in position to pursue several school records at Kansas during his senior season. He enters the year ranked No. 4 on the career rushing list with 3,077 yards and No. 3 with 33 touchdowns. Neal has also accumulated 457 receiving yards, and he ranks No. 8 in school history with 3,534 all-purpose yards in his career.

Daniels and Neal are two of 15 players from the Big 12 Conference on the Maxwell Award Watch List, which features 80 players in total. Kansas is one of 17 schools with multiple representatives on the watch list.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722275664155.jpeg" alt="Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>LAWRENCE, Kan. – For the second straight season, Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels and running back Devin Neal have been named to the preseason watch list for Maxwell Award, which was announced Monday.The Maxwell Award has been presented to the College Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert "Tiny" Maxwell, who was a former standout at Swarthmore College and a renowned sportswriter and football official.Daniels is back for his senior season at Kansas after throwing for 705 yards and five touchdowns in three games in 2023. In 2022, Daniels was a breakthrough player as he led the Jayhawks to a 5-0 start and the program's first bowl game appearance since 2008. He was an All-Big 12 Second Team selection after completing 66.1 percent (152-of-230) of his passes for 2,014 yards and 18 touchdowns. Daniels capped off his sophomore season with a record-setting performance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, when he completed 37-of-55 passes for 544 yards and five touchdowns, while also rushing for a touchdown.From Lawndale, California, Daniels enters his senior season ranked No. 9 in school history with 4,297 passing yards and No. 5 with 31 passing touchdowns. At his current career completion rate of 63.6 percent (365-of-574), Daniels would surpass the previous school record of 63.3 percent, set by Todd Reesing from 2006-09.Neal enters his senior season after becoming the third player in Kansas football history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons. In 2023, Neal ran for 1,280 yards and 16 touchdowns on 203 attempts, averaging 6.3 yards per carry on his way to earning All-Big 12 Second Team honors. His 16 rushing touchdowns are tied for the second most in school history, while his 1,280 rushing yards is ranked No. 4 in school history for a single season.A hometown native of Lawrence, Kansas, Neal is in position to pursue several school records at Kansas during his senior season. He enters the year ranked No. 4 on the career rushing list with 3,077 yards and No. 3 with 33 touchdowns. Neal has also accumulated 457 receiving yards, and he ranks No. 8 in school history with 3,534 all-purpose yards in his career.Daniels and Neal are two of 15 players from the Big 12 Conference on the Maxwell Award Watch List, which features 80 players in total. Kansas is one of 17 schools with multiple representatives on the watch list.

KU duo on Maxwell Award watch list

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Pete Crow-Armstrong, who came into the game hitting .183, was 3 for 4 with a run and the go-ahead RBI as the Chicago Cubs defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-3 on Sunday.

While he was happy to contribute to the victory, Crow-Armstrong and many of his teammates were down about losing teammate Christopher Morel, who was traded during the game to the Tampa Bay Rays for Isaac Paredes.

“He's a special human,” Crow-Armstrong said of Morel. “We're going to miss his energy for sure, his smile. Reaching his full Christopher Morel potential every day is a guy showing up every day in the clubhouse.”

Crow-Armstrong got two of his three hits and his RBI off Royals starter Cole Ragans.

“I saw him pretty good,” he said. “I tend to see lefties relatively okay. He's a really good pitcher. I'm glad he doesn't use his change-up against lefties, because that's a good pitch. The Cubbies just had a really good offensive day.

"We want to try to have days like this every day to help have a winning season.”

The Cubs (51-56) are 12-8 in their last 20 games after going 3-9 in their previous 12.

Javier Assad (5-3) allowed three runs on five hits in six innings.

“It was an impressive outing,” Chicago manager Craig Counsell said of Assad's day. "I don't think Javi started out really well, (but) I think (catcher) Christian (Bethancourt) did a really good job of (sticking) with him, and I thought Javi did a good job of maybe doing things different than he's done in the past.

“We saw some more off-speed stuff today, and he got his off-speed stuff going, which was really fun to watch.”

Assad said he was just trying to go as far into the game as possible.

“I just tried to go out there and execute,” he said through an interpreter. “I started a little shaky, but I just went out there and attacked the zone.”

Ragans (7-7) took the loss, allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings.

“He gave us a good chance,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of his starter. “We were into the sixth inning and he gives us a chance. They put some good swings on him.”

Michael Massey led off the first with a walk before Bobby Witt Jr. extended his hitting streak to 10 games with an infield single. With two outs, Hunter Renfroe lined one to center, scoring both runners.

Nico Hoerner doubled in the third to tie it at 2-all.

The Royals (57-49) retook the lead in the fourth on a controversial home run. Freddy Fermin launched a long flyball down the left-field line that appeared headed to the foul pole. A fan wearing a Cubs hat reached over the railing from foul territory and caught the ball before left fielder Ian Happ had a chance. Fan interference was called, giving Fermin his fifth homer of the season.

The Cubs took their first lead in the sixth. Michael Busch hit a one-out double and then scored on David Bote's two-out double. Bote scored on Crow-Armstrong's single, ending Ragans' day.

“We got good production from the bottom of our lineup today,” Counsell said. “Bethancourt and Pete did some really good things today.”

Chicago added three insurance runs in the ninth, including Patrick Wisdom's second homer in as many days.

Royals OF MJ Melendez returned from his rehab assignment and was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. He had been on the IL since July 15 with a sprained left ankle. In a corresponding move, the Royals optioned OF Drew Waters to Triple-A Omaha following Saturday night's game. ... Royals RHP John Schreiber left the game with right knee patella discomfort. ... RHP Hunter Harvey left with left lower back spasms.

Cubs: Chicago continues a six-game road trip with the first of three games in Cincinnati. The Cubs will RHP Jameson Taillon (7-5, 2.96 ERA) to the mound to face Reds RHP Carson Spiers (3-2, 3.83 ERA).

Royals: Kansas City travels to Chicago for the first game in a three-game series with the White Sox. RHP Alec Marsh (7-7, 4.75) will face RHP Chris Flexen (2-10, 5.25) of the White Sox.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722246132542.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;Chicago Cubs pitcher Javier Assad delivers from the mound during the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Chicago Cubs pitcher Javier Assad delivers from the mound during the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Pete Crow-Armstrong, who came into the game hitting .183, was 3 for 4 with a run and the go-ahead RBI as the Chicago Cubs defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-3 on Sunday.While he was happy to contribute to the victory, Crow-Armstrong and many of his teammates were down about losing teammate Christopher Morel, who was traded during the game to the Tampa Bay Rays for Isaac Paredes.“He's a special human,” Crow-Armstrong said of Morel. “We're going to miss his energy for sure, his smile. Reaching his full Christopher Morel potential every day is a guy showing up every day in the clubhouse.”Crow-Armstrong got two of his three hits and his RBI off Royals starter Cole Ragans.“I saw him pretty good,” he said. “I tend to see lefties relatively okay. He's a really good pitcher. I'm glad he doesn't use his change-up against lefties, because that's a good pitch. The Cubbies just had a really good offensive day."We want to try to have days like this every day to help have a winning season.”The Cubs (51-56) are 12-8 in their last 20 games after going 3-9 in their previous 12.Javier Assad (5-3) allowed three runs on five hits in six innings.“It was an impressive outing,” Chicago manager Craig Counsell said of Assad's day. "I don't think Javi started out really well, (but) I think (catcher) Christian (Bethancourt) did a really good job of (sticking) with him, and I thought Javi did a good job of maybe doing things different than he's done in the past.“We saw some more off-speed stuff today, and he got his off-speed stuff going, which was really fun to watch.”Assad said he was just trying to go as far into the game as possible.“I just tried to go out there and execute,” he said through an interpreter. “I started a little shaky, but I just went out there and attacked the zone.”Ragans (7-7) took the loss, allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings.“He gave us a good chance,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of his starter. “We were into the sixth inning and he gives us a chance. They put some good swings on him.”Michael Massey led off the first with a walk before Bobby Witt Jr. extended his hitting streak to 10 games with an infield single. With two outs, Hunter Renfroe lined one to center, scoring both runners.Nico Hoerner doubled in the third to tie it at 2-all.The Royals (57-49) retook the lead in the fourth on a controversial home run. Freddy Fermin launched a long flyball down the left-field line that appeared headed to the foul pole. A fan wearing a Cubs hat reached over the railing from foul territory and caught the ball before left fielder Ian Happ had a chance. Fan interference was called, giving Fermin his fifth homer of the season.The Cubs took their first lead in the sixth. Michael Busch hit a one-out double and then scored on David Bote's two-out double. Bote scored on Crow-Armstrong's single, ending Ragans' day.“We got good production from the bottom of our lineup today,” Counsell said. “Bethancourt and Pete did some really good things today.”Chicago added three insurance runs in the ninth, including Patrick Wisdom's second homer in as many days.TRAINING ROOMRoyals OF MJ Melendez returned from his rehab assignment and was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. He had been on the IL since July 15 with a sprained left ankle. In a corresponding move, the Royals optioned OF Drew Waters to Triple-A Omaha following Saturday night's game. ... Royals RHP John Schreiber left the game with right knee patella discomfort. ... RHP Hunter Harvey left with left lower back spasms.UP NEXTCubs: Chicago continues a six-game road trip with the first of three games in Cincinnati. The Cubs will RHP Jameson Taillon (7-5, 2.96 ERA) to the mound to face Reds RHP Carson Spiers (3-2, 3.83 ERA).Royals: Kansas City travels to Chicago for the first game in a three-game series with the White Sox. RHP Alec Marsh (7-7, 4.75) will face RHP Chris Flexen (2-10, 5.25) of the White Sox.

Pete Crow-Armstrong hits go-ahead RBI as the Cubs defeat the Royals 7-3

KANSAS CITY, Mo.
(AP) — Pete Crow-Armstrong, who came into the game hitting .183,
was 3 for 4 with a run and the go-ahead RBI as the Chicago Cubs
defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-3. The Cubs won the three-game
series two games to one. The Cubs are 12-8 in their last 20 games
after going 3-9 in their previous 12. Javier Assad allowed three runs
on five hits in six innings. Cole Ragans took the loss, allowing four
runs in 5 2/3 innings.

ST. LOUIS (AP) —
Paul Goldschmidt hit a game-ending homer in the ninth inning, and the
St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals 4-3 to snap a
three-game skid. Leading off the ninth, Goldschmidt hit a 2-2 sinker
from Dylan Floro into the left field stands for his 16th homer of the
season and eighth career walk-off shot. It was the Cardinals’
second walk-off win of the season and first since Nolan Gorman
homered on April 22 against Arizona. Ryan Helsley got the win with a
scoreless ninth. Willson Contreras homered in the first inning for
St. Louis.

MILWAUKEE (AP) —
Miami’s Xavier Edwards became the second Marlins player ever to hit
for the cycle Sunday in a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Edwards
hit his first career homer on the opening pitch of the game, drew a
leadoff walk in the third, doubled in the fifth and tripled in the
seventh. He capped his afternoon by beating out an infield single
against two-time NL reliever Devin Williams with two outs in the
ninth inning. Luis Arráez became the first Marlins player ever to
hit for the cycle last year when he went 4 of 5 with two runs and a
pair of RBIs in an 8-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP)
— Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones sat out training
camp practice Sunday with a groin strain. Reid declined to specify
how much practice time Jones could miss but stressed Jones was
dealing with a legitimate issue. Jones observed practice without pads
or a helmet. Jones wasn’t the only Kansas City player out Sunday.
Receiver Hollywood Brown and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire also
missed practice because of an illness.

OXNARD, Calif. (AP)
— Dallas Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams suffered torn ligaments
in his left knee while taking part in special teams drills and will
need season-ending surgery. Williams got hurt during a blocking drill
with the Cowboys not yet in pads in Oxnard, California. He was tended
to by trainers for several minutes and didn’t put any weight on his
leg while being helped onto a motorized cart that took him off the
field. The 6-foot-4, 261-pound Williams was a second-round draft pick
out of Mississippi in 2022. He played in 32 regular-season games over
the past two seasons, including all 17 last year. He has 8 1/2 career
sacks.

NANTERRE, France
(AP) — Torri Huske thought she might have finally won her first
Olympic gold but couldn't yet be sure. Her American teammate and
reigning world-record holder Gretchen Walsh swam to her right and
they were millimeters apart over the fantastic finish in the
100-meter butterfly. Huske caught Walsh this time, something she
couldn’t do at the Olympic trials last month. Husked finished just
.04 seconds ahead of Walsh in a captivating 1-2 U.S. finish ahead of
Chinese bronze medalist Zhang Yufei.

PARIS (AP) —
Simone Biles posted an all-around total of 59.566 during Olympic
qualifying inside a packed and star-studded Bercy Arena in Paris
despite complaining of a left calf injury that had her limping. Biles
appeared to tweak the leg while warming up on floor exercise during
the second rotation. She had the ankle taped and then returned to put
on the kind of show-stopping performance that has long been her
signature.

PARIS (AP) —
Concerns about the water quality in the Seine River led officials to
call off the swimming portion of an Olympic triathlon training
session for a second straight day. Organizers overseeing the event at
the Paris Games are optimistic that triathletes will be able to swim
in the city’s famed waterway when the competition starts Tuesday.
The sport’s governing body, its medical team and city officials,
are banking on sunny weather and higher temperatures to bring the
levels of E. coli bacteria below the necessary limits to stage the
swim portion of a race that also includes biking and running.

NANTERRE, France
(AP) — With a flag-waving crowd cheering his every stroke, Léon
Marchand delivered a swimming gold for France with a dominating
victory in the men’s 400-meter individual medley. Marchand
fulfilled the hopes of his nation with a performance that sets him up
to be one of the biggest stars of the Paris Games. He came up just
short of his world record but set an Olympic mark with a winning time
of 4 minutes, 2.95 seconds — nearly six seconds ahead of everyone
else. In other finals on Day 2 of swimming, Torri Huske beat
world-record holder Gretchen Walsh in a 1-2 finish for the U.S. in
the 100 butterfly. And Adam Peaty's streak in the 100 breaststroke
came to an end when he tied for the silver with American Nic Fink,
just two-hundredths behind winner Nicolo Martinenghi of Italy.

VILLENEUVE-D'ASCQ,
France (AP) — LeBron James made his Olympic return after a 12-year
absence. Kevin Durant played for the first time this summer. And the
two most-experienced Olympians on this U.S. team opened the Paris
Games — not to mention a bid for a fifth consecutive gold medal for
the Americans — with a near-perfect show. Durant made his first
eight shots on the way to 23 points in less that 17 minutes, James
added 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the U.S. rolled
to a 110-84 win over Serbia in the Olympic opener for both teams on
Sunday. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 20 points for Serbia.

PARIS (AP) —
Rafael Nadal made a last-minute decision to play singles at the Paris
Olympics and won his first-round match against Marton Fucsovics 6-1,
4-6, 6-4. Sunday’s victory by Nadal sets up a blockbuster showdown
against rival Novak Djokovic on Monday. Nadal was greeted by a
standing ovation from spectators, many of whom used cameras on their
phones to capture the moment when he strode into Court Philippe
Chatrier. That's the same stadium where he has captured his record 14
French Open titles. There is a statue of Nadal outside, and fans
gathered around it Sunday morning, when it was still unclear whether
the 38-year-old Spaniard would be competing in the afternoon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718617262520.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo.
(AP) — Pete Crow-Armstrong, who came into the game hitting .183,
was 3 for 4 with a run and the go-ahead RBI as the Chicago Cubs
defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-3. The Cubs won the three-game
series two games to one. The Cubs are 12-8 in their last 20 games
after going 3-9 in their previous 12. Javier Assad allowed three runs
on five hits in six innings. Cole Ragans took the loss, allowing four
runs in 5 2/3 innings.ST. LOUIS (AP) —
Paul Goldschmidt hit a game-ending homer in the ninth inning, and the
St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals 4-3 to snap a
three-game skid. Leading off the ninth, Goldschmidt hit a 2-2 sinker
from Dylan Floro into the left field stands for his 16th homer of the
season and eighth career walk-off shot. It was the Cardinals’
second walk-off win of the season and first since Nolan Gorman
homered on April 22 against Arizona. Ryan Helsley got the win with a
scoreless ninth. Willson Contreras homered in the first inning for
St. Louis.MILWAUKEE (AP) —
Miami’s Xavier Edwards became the second Marlins player ever to hit
for the cycle Sunday in a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Edwards
hit his first career homer on the opening pitch of the game, drew a
leadoff walk in the third, doubled in the fifth and tripled in the
seventh. He capped his afternoon by beating out an infield single
against two-time NL reliever Devin Williams with two outs in the
ninth inning. Luis Arráez became the first Marlins player ever to
hit for the cycle last year when he went 4 of 5 with two runs and a
pair of RBIs in an 8-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP)
— Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones sat out training
camp practice Sunday with a groin strain. Reid declined to specify
how much practice time Jones could miss but stressed Jones was
dealing with a legitimate issue. Jones observed practice without pads
or a helmet. Jones wasn’t the only Kansas City player out Sunday.
Receiver Hollywood Brown and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire also
missed practice because of an illness.OXNARD, Calif. (AP)
— Dallas Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams suffered torn ligaments
in his left knee while taking part in special teams drills and will
need season-ending surgery. Williams got hurt during a blocking drill
with the Cowboys not yet in pads in Oxnard, California. He was tended
to by trainers for several minutes and didn’t put any weight on his
leg while being helped onto a motorized cart that took him off the
field. The 6-foot-4, 261-pound Williams was a second-round draft pick
out of Mississippi in 2022. He played in 32 regular-season games over
the past two seasons, including all 17 last year. He has 8 1/2 career
sacks.NANTERRE, France
(AP) — Torri Huske thought she might have finally won her first
Olympic gold but couldn't yet be sure. Her American teammate and
reigning world-record holder Gretchen Walsh swam to her right and
they were millimeters apart over the fantastic finish in the
100-meter butterfly. Huske caught Walsh this time, something she
couldn’t do at the Olympic trials last month. Husked finished just
.04 seconds ahead of Walsh in a captivating 1-2 U.S. finish ahead of
Chinese bronze medalist Zhang Yufei.PARIS (AP) —
Simone Biles posted an all-around total of 59.566 during Olympic
qualifying inside a packed and star-studded Bercy Arena in Paris
despite complaining of a left calf injury that had her limping. Biles
appeared to tweak the leg while warming up on floor exercise during
the second rotation. She had the ankle taped and then returned to put
on the kind of show-stopping performance that has long been her
signature.PARIS (AP) —
Concerns about the water quality in the Seine River led officials to
call off the swimming portion of an Olympic triathlon training
session for a second straight day. Organizers overseeing the event at
the Paris Games are optimistic that triathletes will be able to swim
in the city’s famed waterway when the competition starts Tuesday.
The sport’s governing body, its medical team and city officials,
are banking on sunny weather and higher temperatures to bring the
levels of E. coli bacteria below the necessary limits to stage the
swim portion of a race that also includes biking and running.NANTERRE, France
(AP) — With a flag-waving crowd cheering his every stroke, Léon
Marchand delivered a swimming gold for France with a dominating
victory in the men’s 400-meter individual medley. Marchand
fulfilled the hopes of his nation with a performance that sets him up
to be one of the biggest stars of the Paris Games. He came up just
short of his world record but set an Olympic mark with a winning time
of 4 minutes, 2.95 seconds — nearly six seconds ahead of everyone
else. In other finals on Day 2 of swimming, Torri Huske beat
world-record holder Gretchen Walsh in a 1-2 finish for the U.S. in
the 100 butterfly. And Adam Peaty's streak in the 100 breaststroke
came to an end when he tied for the silver with American Nic Fink,
just two-hundredths behind winner Nicolo Martinenghi of Italy.VILLENEUVE-D'ASCQ,
France (AP) — LeBron James made his Olympic return after a 12-year
absence. Kevin Durant played for the first time this summer. And the
two most-experienced Olympians on this U.S. team opened the Paris
Games — not to mention a bid for a fifth consecutive gold medal for
the Americans — with a near-perfect show. Durant made his first
eight shots on the way to 23 points in less that 17 minutes, James
added 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the U.S. rolled
to a 110-84 win over Serbia in the Olympic opener for both teams on
Sunday. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 20 points for Serbia.PARIS (AP) —
Rafael Nadal made a last-minute decision to play singles at the Paris
Olympics and won his first-round match against Marton Fucsovics 6-1,
4-6, 6-4. Sunday’s victory by Nadal sets up a blockbuster showdown
against rival Novak Djokovic on Monday. Nadal was greeted by a
standing ovation from spectators, many of whom used cameras on their
phones to capture the moment when he strode into Court Philippe
Chatrier. That's the same stadium where he has captured his record 14
French Open titles. There is a statue of Nadal outside, and fans
gathered around it Sunday morning, when it was still unclear whether
the 38-year-old Spaniard would be competing in the afternoon.SUNDAY SCORESMAJOR LEAGUE
BASEBALLINTERLEAGUEFinal	Tampa
Bay	2	Cincinnati	1	Final	Cleveland	4	Philadelphia	3	Final	Chicago
Cubs	7	Kansas City	3	Final	Baltimore	8	San
Diego	6	Final	L.A.
Dodgers	6	Houston	2	AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Toronto	7	Texas	3	Final	Minnesota	5	Detroit	0	Final	Seattle	6	Chicago
White Sox	3	Final	L.A.
Angels	8	Oakland	6	Final	N.Y.
Yankees	8	Boston	2	NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Atlanta	9	N.Y.
Mets	2	Final	St.
Louis	4	Washington	3	Final	Milwaukee	6	Miami	2	Final	San
Francisco	5	Colorado	4

Monday Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

By
The Associated Press (All times Eastern)

Schedule
subject to change and/or blackouts

1
p.m. USA — Men’s Team: Bronze, Gold Finals (Taped)


4 a.m. E! — Group Play:
Singles, Doubles (Taped)


2:45 p.m. USA — Women’s
Group C: USA vs. Japan


2 a.m. USA — Women’s Pool
C: USA (Hughes/Cheng) vs. CZE (Hermannova/Stochlova) (Taped)


USA — Men’s Pool A: ITA
(Cottafava/Nicolai) vs. AUS (Nicolaidis/Carracher)


6:15 a.m. E! — Pool Play
Women’s Pool F: SUI (Huberli/Brunner) vs. ESP (Alvarez M/Moreno)


1 p.m. E! — Women’s Pool
D: LAT (Tina/Anastasija) vs. SUI (Esmee/Zoe) (Taped)


2 p.m. E! — Men’s Pool A:
SWE (Ahman/Hellvig) vs. QAT (Cherif/Ahmed)


6 p.m. USA — Women’s Pool
F: FRA (Placette/Richard) vs. GER (Ludwig/Lippmann) (Taped)


11 a.m. E! — Slalom: Men’s
Canoe Semi, Final


USA — Slalom: Men’s Canoe
Semi, Final (Taped)


10:45 a.m. NBC — Men’s
Synchro 10m Platform Final (Taped)


11 p.m. NBC — Primetime in
Paris (July 29)


7 a.m. E! — Eventing:
Jumping Team, Individual (Taped)


9 p.m. USA — Eventing:
Jumping (Taped)


12:15 p.m. E! — Women’s
Sabre &amp; Men’s Foil Eliminations (Taped)


5 p.m. E! — Women’s Sabre
&amp; Men’s Foil Bronze/Gold Finals (Taped)


7 a.m. USA — Women’s Pool
B: Spain vs. USA


6 a.m. GOLF — Golf Central -
Paris Preview (Taped)


4:45 p.m. USA — Men’s
Group B: France vs. Norway (Taped)


3:15 p.m. E! — Women’s
Quarterfinals


1 p.m. USA — Men’s Team:
Bronze, Gold Finals


Midnight USA — Women’s
Group B: USA vs. Germany (Taped)


5 a.m. USA — Heats: Men’s
800m Free &amp; more


10 a.m. NBC — Heats: Men’s
800m Free &amp; more (Taped)


2:30 p.m. NBC — Finals:
Women’s 400m IM &amp; more


4 a.m. USA — M&amp;W
Singles: Round of 64 (Taped)


10 a.m. E! — Women’s Pool
C: Turkiye vs. Netherlands


11 a.m. USA — Women’s Pool
A: United States vs. China


5 p.m. NBC — Women’s Pool
A: United States vs. China (Taped)


2 p.m. E! — Women’s Group:
Hungary vs. Canada

By
The Associated Press (All times Eastern)Schedule
subject to change and/or blackoutsMonday,
July 29ARCHERY

1
p.m. USA — Men’s Team: Bronze, Gold Finals (Taped)BADMINTON
4 a.m. E! — Group Play:
Singles, Doubles (Taped)BASKETBALL
2:45 p.m. USA — Women’s
Group C: USA vs. JapanBEACH
VOLLEYBALL
2 a.m. USA — Women’s Pool
C: USA (Hughes/Cheng) vs. CZE (Hermannova/Stochlova) (Taped)
3 a.m. 

USA — Men’s Pool A: ITA
(Cottafava/Nicolai) vs. AUS (Nicolaidis/Carracher)
6:15 a.m. E! — Pool Play
Women’s Pool F: SUI (Huberli/Brunner) vs. ESP (Alvarez M/Moreno)
10 a.m. E! — Pool Play
1 p.m. E! — Women’s Pool
D: LAT (Tina/Anastasija) vs. SUI (Esmee/Zoe) (Taped)
2 p.m. E! — Men’s Pool A:
SWE (Ahman/Hellvig) vs. QAT (Cherif/Ahmed)
4 p.m. NBC — Pool Play
6 p.m. USA — Women’s Pool
F: FRA (Placette/Richard) vs. GER (Ludwig/Lippmann) (Taped)BIKING
8:45 a.m. USA — Men’s
Mountain BikeCANOEING
11 a.m. E! — Slalom: Men’s
Canoe Semi, Final
8 p.m. 

USA — Slalom: Men’s Canoe
Semi, Final (Taped)CYCLING
8:45 a.m. USA — Men’s
Mountain BikeDIVING
5 a.m. E! — Diving, Rowing
10:45 a.m. NBC — Men’s
Synchro 10m Platform Final (Taped)
11 p.m. NBC — Primetime in
Paris (July 29)EQUESTRIAN
7 a.m. E! — Eventing:
Jumping Team, Individual (Taped)
9 p.m. USA — Eventing:
Jumping (Taped)FENCING
12:15 p.m. E! — Women’s
Sabre &amp; Men’s Foil Eliminations (Taped)
5 p.m. E! — Women’s Sabre
&amp; Men’s Foil Bronze/Gold Finals (Taped)FIELD
HOCKEY
7 a.m. USA — Women’s Pool
B: Spain vs. USAGOLF
6 a.m. GOLF — Golf Central -
Paris Preview (Taped)GYMNASTICS
11:30 a.m. NBC — Men’s
Team Final
11 p.m. NBC — Primetime in
Paris (July 29)HANDBALL
4:45 p.m. USA — Men’s
Group B: France vs. Norway (Taped)ROWING

5
a.m. E! — Diving, Rowing
1:45 p.m. USA — Rowing,
ShootingRUGBY
9:30 a.m. USA — Water Polo,
Rugby
3:15 p.m. E! — Women’s
QuarterfinalsSHOOTING
1 p.m. USA — Men’s Team:
Bronze, Gold Finals
1:45 p.m. USA — Rowing,
ShootingSOCCER
Midnight USA — Women’s
Group B: USA vs. Germany (Taped)SWIMMING
5 a.m. USA — Heats: Men’s
800m Free &amp; more
10 a.m. NBC — Heats: Men’s
800m Free &amp; more (Taped)
2:30 p.m. NBC — Finals:
Women’s 400m IM &amp; more
11 p.m. NBC — Primetime in
Paris (July 29)TABLE
TENNIS
4 a.m. USA — M&amp;W
Singles: Round of 64 (Taped)VOLLEYBALL
10 a.m. E! — Women’s Pool
C: Turkiye vs. Netherlands
11 a.m. USA — Women’s Pool
A: United States vs. China
5 p.m. NBC — Women’s Pool
A: United States vs. China (Taped)
11 p.m. USA — Women’s Pool
PlayWATER
POLO
9:30 a.m. USA — Water Polo,
Rugby
2 p.m. E! — Women’s Group:
Hungary vs. Canada

Olympics on TV for Monday, July 29

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones sat out training camp practice Sunday with a groin strain.

When Jones met with reporters a week ago, he joked about lobbying head coach Andy Reid for time off during training camp.

The club had a 2-hour, 15-minute practice Sunday, followed by a roughly 75-minute practice set for Monday and a day off Tuesday. Reid declined to specify how much practice time Jones could miss but stressed Jones was dealing with a legitimate issue. Jones observed practice without pads or a helmet.

“I know he was messing with you guys,” Reid said. “But he does have a (sore) groin there.”

Jones wasn’t the only Kansas City player out Sunday. Receiver Hollywood Brown and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire also missed practice because of an illness. Receiver Justin Watson missed his third practice since suffering a minor foot injury Wednesday.

Cornerback Nazeeh Johnson, who left practice early Saturday, also sat out Sunday’s workout after tweaking his right knee and hamstring. Johnson tore his right ACL last August and is making his return from that surgery.

“I think he’s gonna be fine,” Reid said. “You go through those things (returning from surgery). But he’s strong and his leg’s strong. His knee is solid and all that so he’ll be fine.”

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones sat out training camp practice Sunday with a groin strain.When Jones met with reporters a week ago, he joked about lobbying head coach Andy Reid for time off during training camp.The club had a 2-hour, 15-minute practice Sunday, followed by a roughly 75-minute practice set for Monday and a day off Tuesday. Reid declined to specify how much practice time Jones could miss but stressed Jones was dealing with a legitimate issue. Jones observed practice without pads or a helmet.“I know he was messing with you guys,” Reid said. “But he does have a (sore) groin there.”Jones wasn’t the only Kansas City player out Sunday. Receiver Hollywood Brown and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire also missed practice because of an illness. Receiver Justin Watson missed his third practice since suffering a minor foot injury Wednesday.Cornerback Nazeeh Johnson, who left practice early Saturday, also sat out Sunday’s workout after tweaking his right knee and hamstring. Johnson tore his right ACL last August and is making his return from that surgery.“I think he’s gonna be fine,” Reid said. “You go through those things (returning from surgery). But he’s strong and his leg’s strong. His knee is solid and all that so he’ll be fine.”

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones misses practice with groin strain

VILLENEUVE-D'ASCQ, France (AP) — LeBron James was feeling some nervousness, some butterflies, maybe even a bit of angst as he listened to the national anthem play before his first Olympic game in 12 years.

James and Kevin Durant — the two most-experienced Olympians on this American team — opened the Paris Games and a U.S. bid for a fifth consecutive gold medal with a near-perfect show. Durant made his first eight shots and scored 23 points, James added 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the U.S. rolled to a 110-84 win over Serbia in the Olympic opener for both teams on Sunday.

“That's the best game we've played so far,” James said after the Americans improved to 6-0 this summer, 1-0 in the tournament that matters.

James and Durant were a combined 18 for 22 from the field — 8 of 9 for Durant, 9 of 13 for James — as the U.S. had no trouble with the reigning World Cup silver medalists from last summer in the Philippines. Jrue Holiday scored 15, Devin Booker had 12 and Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry each added 11 for the U.S.

“Whatever it takes," James said. "It's going to be somebody different every day. And we have that type of firepower.”

The U.S. improved to 144-6 overall in Olympic play, 56-0 when scoring more than 100 points. The Americans won without Jayson Tatum of the NBA champion Boston Celtics — someone who just agreed to the richest contract in NBA history — in the rotation, which even U.S. coach Steve Kerr thought was crazy when he decided to do it.

"I went with the combinations that I felt like would make sense," Kerr said. "I talked to him and he's incredibly professional. And that’s tonight. It doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way the rest of the tournament. He’ll make his mark. Our guys know this: The key to this whole thing is to put all the NBA stuff in the rear-view mirror and just win six games. Jayson's the ultimate pro, a champion, he handled it well and he'll be ready for the next one.”

Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 20 points for Serbia, while Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 14. Serbia got outscored 54-27 from the 3-point line — a big liability for the Americans in the warmup games before this tournament, but a strength on Sunday — and let the U.S. shoot 62% while getting held to 42% from the floor.

With Jokic on the floor in his 31 minutes, the teams were even. In the nine minutes when Jokic wasn't on the floor, the U.S. outscored Serbia by 26 points. The final margin: 26 points.

“They got the best player in the world,” Edwards said.

Both teams return to action on Wednesday, with the U.S. taking on upstart South Sudan — a rematch of a 101-100 escape win for the Americans in an exhibition in London earlier this month — and Serbia meeting Puerto Rico in what could essentially be an elimination game for both teams.

It was Serbia 10, U.S. 2 early. It was U.S. 108, Serbia 74 the rest of the way.

“We knew they were going to come out and play hard," Booker said. "They did the same thing when we were in Abu Dhabi. They have a lot of talented guys over there. We didn’t underestimate them.”

Before the tournament started, Serbia coach Svetislav Pesic — who coached against the 1992 Olympic “Dream Team” from the U.S. — said this version of the American squad was even better than that first NBA-star-filled bunch that took the world by storm at the Barcelona Games. And when told of that comment a couple of weeks back, Kerr laughed it off.

“When Chuck Daly coached the Dream Team, he never called timeout,” Kerr said.

It took all of 2 minutes, 41 seconds of these Olympics for Kerr to call one. Serbia jumped out to that eight-point lead, putting the Americans into a quick hole. Kerr subbed Joel Embiid out for Anthony Davis after that first stoppage and things changed in a hurry; a three-point play by James midway through the first gave the U.S. its first lead and a lob from James to Edwards put the Americans up 25-20 after one.

He finished his 8-for-8 first-half showing with a fadeaway, falling to the court, that beat the halftime buzzer for a 58-49 lead. And the lead steadily grew from there: Edwards shook free of Serbia's Nikola Jovic for a nifty baseline score to make it 84-65 after three, a play so good that Curry was dancing in delight and mimicking using a video-game controller on the sideline.

“Very, very important to get off to a good start in this tournament because every game is so big,” Curry said after his Olympic debut. “You only have six of them if you want to get to the gold and obviously, Serbia is a great team. They run an intricate offense and a very physical defense. KD was unbelievable in the first half and gave us a huge boost, and our defense in the second half opened the game up.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722195541900.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;LeBron James, right, of the United States, celebrates with Jrue Holiday, of the United States, after scoring in a men's basketball game against Serbia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;LeBron James, right, of the United States, celebrates with Jrue Holiday, of the United States, after scoring in a men's basketball game against Serbia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)</figcaption>
 </figure>VILLENEUVE-D'ASCQ, France (AP) — LeBron James was feeling some nervousness, some butterflies, maybe even a bit of angst as he listened to the national anthem play before his first Olympic game in 12 years.It all went away quickly.James and Kevin Durant — the two most-experienced Olympians on this American team — opened the Paris Games and a U.S. bid for a fifth consecutive gold medal with a near-perfect show. Durant made his first eight shots and scored 23 points, James added 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the U.S. rolled to a 110-84 win over Serbia in the Olympic opener for both teams on Sunday.“That's the best game we've played so far,” James said after the Americans improved to 6-0 this summer, 1-0 in the tournament that matters.James and Durant were a combined 18 for 22 from the field — 8 of 9 for Durant, 9 of 13 for James — as the U.S. had no trouble with the reigning World Cup silver medalists from last summer in the Philippines. Jrue Holiday scored 15, Devin Booker had 12 and Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry each added 11 for the U.S.“Whatever it takes," James said. "It's going to be somebody different every day. And we have that type of firepower.”The U.S. improved to 144-6 overall in Olympic play, 56-0 when scoring more than 100 points. The Americans won without Jayson Tatum of the NBA champion Boston Celtics — someone who just agreed to the richest contract in NBA history — in the rotation, which even U.S. coach Steve Kerr thought was crazy when he decided to do it."I went with the combinations that I felt like would make sense," Kerr said. "I talked to him and he's incredibly professional. And that’s tonight. It doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way the rest of the tournament. He’ll make his mark. Our guys know this: The key to this whole thing is to put all the NBA stuff in the rear-view mirror and just win six games. Jayson's the ultimate pro, a champion, he handled it well and he'll be ready for the next one.”Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 20 points for Serbia, while Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 14. Serbia got outscored 54-27 from the 3-point line — a big liability for the Americans in the warmup games before this tournament, but a strength on Sunday — and let the U.S. shoot 62% while getting held to 42% from the floor.With Jokic on the floor in his 31 minutes, the teams were even. In the nine minutes when Jokic wasn't on the floor, the U.S. outscored Serbia by 26 points. The final margin: 26 points.“They got the best player in the world,” Edwards said.Both teams return to action on Wednesday, with the U.S. taking on upstart South Sudan — a rematch of a 101-100 escape win for the Americans in an exhibition in London earlier this month — and Serbia meeting Puerto Rico in what could essentially be an elimination game for both teams.It was Serbia 10, U.S. 2 early. It was U.S. 108, Serbia 74 the rest of the way.“We knew they were going to come out and play hard," Booker said. "They did the same thing when we were in Abu Dhabi. They have a lot of talented guys over there. We didn’t underestimate them.”Before the tournament started, Serbia coach Svetislav Pesic — who coached against the 1992 Olympic “Dream Team” from the U.S. — said this version of the American squad was even better than that first NBA-star-filled bunch that took the world by storm at the Barcelona Games. And when told of that comment a couple of weeks back, Kerr laughed it off.“When Chuck Daly coached the Dream Team, he never called timeout,” Kerr said.It took all of 2 minutes, 41 seconds of these Olympics for Kerr to call one. Serbia jumped out to that eight-point lead, putting the Americans into a quick hole. Kerr subbed Joel Embiid out for Anthony Davis after that first stoppage and things changed in a hurry; a three-point play by James midway through the first gave the U.S. its first lead and a lob from James to Edwards put the Americans up 25-20 after one.By then, the Durant show was underway.He finished his 8-for-8 first-half showing with a fadeaway, falling to the court, that beat the halftime buzzer for a 58-49 lead. And the lead steadily grew from there: Edwards shook free of Serbia's Nikola Jovic for a nifty baseline score to make it 84-65 after three, a play so good that Curry was dancing in delight and mimicking using a video-game controller on the sideline.“Very, very important to get off to a good start in this tournament because every game is so big,” Curry said after his Olympic debut. “You only have six of them if you want to get to the gold and obviously, Serbia is a great team. They run an intricate offense and a very physical defense. KD was unbelievable in the first half and gave us a huge boost, and our defense in the second half opened the game up.”

US men's basketball team rolls past Serbia 110-84

Despite outhitting Ottawa 7-4, the Great Bend Braves were eliminated by the Arrows 6-2 in the AAA State Tournamment in Topeka Saturday.

The Arrows jumped to a 5-0 lead after two innings and made that lead stand up as they ended the Braves season at 15-12.

By Post StaffDespite outhitting Ottawa 7-4, the Great Bend Braves were eliminated by the Arrows 6-2 in the AAA State Tournamment in Topeka Saturday.The Arrows jumped to a 5-0 lead after two innings and made that lead stand up as they ended the Braves season at 15-12.

Braves lose 6-2 to Ottawa to close out summer season

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Wisdom hit a grand slam as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, Seiya Suzuki also homered and the Chicago Cubs beat the Kansas City Royals 9-4 on Saturday night.

Wisdom hit for Pete Crow-Armstrong and laced the homer 440-feet off Sam Long into the fountains in left for a 7-4 lead.

“That was pretty cool,” Wisdom said. “I don't think it really hit me until I was rounding second base and I saw the dugout going nuts so that was pretty special for sure.”

The runners were put on base by Seth Lugo (12-5), who went 6 1/3 innings. He allowed six earned runs on five hits while walking two and striking out two.

“He gave us a really good chance to win. He is out there in the seventh after giving up three runs,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Not as many strikeouts; they did a good job of putting the ball in play and forcing some action. Lugo gave us a chance to win but you have to give them credit for putting the ball in play.”

Julian Merryweather (1-0) pitched an inning for the victory. Cubs starter Shota Imanaga went 5 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits and three strikeouts.

“I thought Shota was good and I think they did a really good job against him,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "They were really good against the high fastball and the splitter and fouled off a ton so credit to them because I thought he threw a lot of good pitches." Overall, just a good night in all phases."

Suzuki hit his 15th homer, scoring Michael Busch to make it 2-0 in the first. Hunter Renfroe his 10th homer for Kansas City in the second.

Crow-Armstrong tripled and scored in the third inning to make it 3-1.

Kansas rallied in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. Bobby Witt Jr. doubled in Maikel Garcia, but was thrown out rounding second base. Later, Salvador Perez singled, Freddy Fermin doubled and Renfroe followed with a two-run single.

David Bote and Nico Hoerner drove in runs in the ninth for Chicago.

The Cubs acquired RHP Nate Pearson from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for INF Josh Rivera and OF Yohendrick Pinango. RHP Jesus Tinoco was designated for assignment.

Chicago RHP Javier Assad (4-3, 3.15 ERA) is set to face LHP Cole Ragans (7-6, 3.23) on Sunday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722175094483.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;Chicago Cubs' Patrick Wisdom (16) celebrates hitting a grand slam with Dansby Swanson (7) during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Chicago Cubs' Patrick Wisdom (16) celebrates hitting a grand slam with Dansby Swanson (7) during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Wisdom hit a grand slam as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, Seiya Suzuki also homered and the Chicago Cubs beat the Kansas City Royals 9-4 on Saturday night.Wisdom hit for Pete Crow-Armstrong and laced the homer 440-feet off Sam Long into the fountains in left for a 7-4 lead.“That was pretty cool,” Wisdom said. “I don't think it really hit me until I was rounding second base and I saw the dugout going nuts so that was pretty special for sure.”The runners were put on base by Seth Lugo (12-5), who went 6 1/3 innings. He allowed six earned runs on five hits while walking two and striking out two.“He gave us a really good chance to win. He is out there in the seventh after giving up three runs,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Not as many strikeouts; they did a good job of putting the ball in play and forcing some action. Lugo gave us a chance to win but you have to give them credit for putting the ball in play.”Julian Merryweather (1-0) pitched an inning for the victory. Cubs starter Shota Imanaga went 5 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits and three strikeouts.“I thought Shota was good and I think they did a really good job against him,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "They were really good against the high fastball and the splitter and fouled off a ton so credit to them because I thought he threw a lot of good pitches." Overall, just a good night in all phases."Suzuki hit his 15th homer, scoring Michael Busch to make it 2-0 in the first. Hunter Renfroe his 10th homer for Kansas City in the second.Crow-Armstrong tripled and scored in the third inning to make it 3-1.Kansas rallied in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. Bobby Witt Jr. doubled in Maikel Garcia, but was thrown out rounding second base. Later, Salvador Perez singled, Freddy Fermin doubled and Renfroe followed with a two-run single.David Bote and Nico Hoerner drove in runs in the ninth for Chicago.ROSTER MOVESThe Cubs acquired RHP Nate Pearson from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for INF Josh Rivera and OF Yohendrick Pinango. RHP Jesus Tinoco was designated for assignment.UP NEXTChicago RHP Javier Assad (4-3, 3.15 ERA) is set to face LHP Cole Ragans (7-6, 3.23) on Sunday.

Patrick Wisdom hits grand slam, Cubs beat the Royals 9-4

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Wisdom hit a grand slam as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, Seiya Suzuki also homered and the Chicago Cubs beat the Kansas City Royals 9-4 on Saturday night. Wisdom hit for Pete Crow-Armstrong and laced the homer 440-feet off Sam Long into the fountains in left for a 7-4 lead. The runners were put on base by Seth Lugo (12-5), who went 6 1/3 innings. He allowed six earned runs on five hits while walking two and striking out two. Julian Merryweather (1-0) pitched an inning for the victory. Cubs starter Shota Imanaga went 5 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits and three strikeouts. Suzuki hit his 15th homer.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Keibert Ruiz hit a three-run home run to cap Washington’s seven-run outburst in the sixth inning, and the Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 14-3. Harold Ramírez came off the bench to hit a two-run double and Juan Yepez followed with a two-run single before Ruiz’s blast into the left-field bullpen made it 9-0. James Wood had four of Washington’s 16 hits and scored on Luis García Jr.’s RBI single in the second. Yepez had two hits and three RBIs, and Jesse Winker singled twice. Jake Irvin (8-8) struck out five in 5 1/3 innings. Willson Contreras had a two-run homer for St. Louis.

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with a strained left calf. The team’s projected No. 1 starter this year, Senga got hurt Friday night in the sixth inning of his season debut against the Atlanta Braves. He had been sidelined by a shoulder injury since early in spring training. Senga strained his calf when he bolted away from the mound to make way for teammate Pete Alonso to catch a popup. New York manager Carlos Mendoza says Saturday an MRI showed a “high-grade strain” and “it’s fair to say that he’s pretty much done for the regular season.”

BOSTON (AP) — Looking to spark a struggling club, the New York Yankees acquired Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Miami Marlins for three minor leaguers: catcher Agustín Ramírez, infielder Jared Serna and infielder Abrahan Ramírez. New York entered Saturday 10-23 after a 50-22 start, plagued by sputtering starting pitching and an offense reliant on Aaron Judge and Juan Soto following injuries to Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo. Third baseman DJ LeMahieu and left fielder Alex Verdugo have been in deep slumps. An All-Star second baseman in 2022, the 26-year-old Chisholm has played center field for most of the past two seasons.

PARIS (AP) — Three-quarters of the nearly 600 American athletes lining up for action at the Paris Olympics got their training in college sports in the United States. It’s an eye-opening figure that places the future of the Olympics themselves into the equation as the NCAA and its biggest schools set priorities when they start paying college athletes. NCAA President Charlie Baker told The Associated Press he thinks colleges are going to have to make tough choices in the near future. He was in Paris for the opening ceremony that took place at around the same time litigators filed details of a multibillion-dollar settlement that calls for players to share in revenue and is bound to alter the course of the NCAA.

PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles posted an all-around total of 59.566 during Olympic qualifying inside a packed and star-studded Bercy Arena despite complaining of a left calf injury that had her limping. Biles appeared to tweak the leg while warming up on floor exercise during the second rotation. She had the ankle taped and then returned to put on the kind of show-stopping performance that has long been her signature.

NANTERRE, France (AP) — With a boisterous crowd cheering him on, Léon Marchand began his home Olympics by cruising to the fastest time in the preliminaries of the 400-meter individual medley. The 22-year-old Marchand pulled away in his heat to touch in 4 minutes, 8.30 seconds, with some 15,000 fans at La Defense Arena chanting on every stroke. It was a comfortable performance for the French phenomenon, who has been compared to Michael Phelps and is guided by the same coach. American Bob Bowman was with Phelps for his staggering 23 Olympic gold medals. Marchand is looking for his first gold, and he’ll be a heavy favorite in the evening final.

PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadal has been greeted by a standing ovation from a full crowd at Court Philippe Chatrier as he he stepped onto its red clay for a first-round singles match at the Paris Olympics against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics. Sunday's match is in the same stadium where Nadal has won a record 14 French Open titles. There is a statue of the Spaniard outside the arena, where fans gathered Sunday morning to snap photos of themselves with the steel rendering of the player. The 38-year-old Nadal decided Sunday that he would play singles at these Summer Games, in addition to doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz. Nadal said Saturday night he wasn’t sure whether he would participate in both events.

TEAHUPO’O, Tahiti (AP) — Cardboard beds might be Paris’ solution to providing athletes a place to sleep for the 2024 Olympics. But some 10,000 miles away in Tahiti, where the surfing competition is taking place, it’s a cruise ship. While media has been restricted from boarding the ship, athletes have shared photographs and videos on their social media giving the public a tour of what the Olympics say is the first-ever floating athlete village.

NANTERRE, France (AP) — It was billed as one of the most anticipated races of the Paris Olympics. Ariarne Titmus turned it into a blowout. Titmus left Katie Ledecky in her wake at La Defense Arena, leading from start to finish to win the 400-meter freestyle. Canada's Summer McIntosh won the silver, while Ledecky settled for a bronze. Titmus also beat Ledecky in the 400 free at the Tokyo Olympics, after Ledecky won gold in that event at Rio in 2016. The Aussie women also took their fourth straight gold in the 4x100 freestyle relay. But the Americans picked up a gold in the final event of opening night at the pool when Caeleb Dressel anchored a win in the men's 4x100 free relay. It was the eighth medal of Dressel's career — all of them gold.

NANTERRE, France (AP) — Veteran U.S. swimmer Caeleb Dressel only knows the top of an Olympic podium in a decorated career. The American veteran on a youthful men’s swim team added another relay victory to his long list by anchoring the winning 4x100-meter freestyle as the Americans beat out the rival Australians and scrutinized Chinese.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718617262520.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Wisdom hit a grand slam as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, Seiya Suzuki also homered and the Chicago Cubs beat the Kansas City Royals 9-4 on Saturday night. Wisdom hit for Pete Crow-Armstrong and laced the homer 440-feet off Sam Long into the fountains in left for a 7-4 lead. The runners were put on base by Seth Lugo (12-5), who went 6 1/3 innings. He allowed six earned runs on five hits while walking two and striking out two. Julian Merryweather (1-0) pitched an inning for the victory. Cubs starter Shota Imanaga went 5 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits and three strikeouts. Suzuki hit his 15th homer.ST. LOUIS (AP) — Keibert Ruiz hit a three-run home run to cap Washington’s seven-run outburst in the sixth inning, and the Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 14-3. Harold Ramírez came off the bench to hit a two-run double and Juan Yepez followed with a two-run single before Ruiz’s blast into the left-field bullpen made it 9-0. James Wood had four of Washington’s 16 hits and scored on Luis García Jr.’s RBI single in the second. Yepez had two hits and three RBIs, and Jesse Winker singled twice. Jake Irvin (8-8) struck out five in 5 1/3 innings. Willson Contreras had a two-run homer for St. Louis.NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with a strained left calf. The team’s projected No. 1 starter this year, Senga got hurt Friday night in the sixth inning of his season debut against the Atlanta Braves. He had been sidelined by a shoulder injury since early in spring training. Senga strained his calf when he bolted away from the mound to make way for teammate Pete Alonso to catch a popup. New York manager Carlos Mendoza says Saturday an MRI showed a “high-grade strain” and “it’s fair to say that he’s pretty much done for the regular season.”BOSTON (AP) — Looking to spark a struggling club, the New York Yankees acquired Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Miami Marlins for three minor leaguers: catcher Agustín Ramírez, infielder Jared Serna and infielder Abrahan Ramírez. New York entered Saturday 10-23 after a 50-22 start, plagued by sputtering starting pitching and an offense reliant on Aaron Judge and Juan Soto following injuries to Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo. Third baseman DJ LeMahieu and left fielder Alex Verdugo have been in deep slumps. An All-Star second baseman in 2022, the 26-year-old Chisholm has played center field for most of the past two seasons.PARIS (AP) — Three-quarters of the nearly 600 American athletes lining up for action at the Paris Olympics got their training in college sports in the United States. It’s an eye-opening figure that places the future of the Olympics themselves into the equation as the NCAA and its biggest schools set priorities when they start paying college athletes. NCAA President Charlie Baker told The Associated Press he thinks colleges are going to have to make tough choices in the near future. He was in Paris for the opening ceremony that took place at around the same time litigators filed details of a multibillion-dollar settlement that calls for players to share in revenue and is bound to alter the course of the NCAA.PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles posted an all-around total of 59.566 during Olympic qualifying inside a packed and star-studded Bercy Arena despite complaining of a left calf injury that had her limping. Biles appeared to tweak the leg while warming up on floor exercise during the second rotation. She had the ankle taped and then returned to put on the kind of show-stopping performance that has long been her signature.NANTERRE, France (AP) — With a boisterous crowd cheering him on, Léon Marchand began his home Olympics by cruising to the fastest time in the preliminaries of the 400-meter individual medley. The 22-year-old Marchand pulled away in his heat to touch in 4 minutes, 8.30 seconds, with some 15,000 fans at La Defense Arena chanting on every stroke. It was a comfortable performance for the French phenomenon, who has been compared to Michael Phelps and is guided by the same coach. American Bob Bowman was with Phelps for his staggering 23 Olympic gold medals. Marchand is looking for his first gold, and he’ll be a heavy favorite in the evening final.PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadal has been greeted by a standing ovation from a full crowd at Court Philippe Chatrier as he he stepped onto its red clay for a first-round singles match at the Paris Olympics against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics. Sunday's match is in the same stadium where Nadal has won a record 14 French Open titles. There is a statue of the Spaniard outside the arena, where fans gathered Sunday morning to snap photos of themselves with the steel rendering of the player. The 38-year-old Nadal decided Sunday that he would play singles at these Summer Games, in addition to doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz. Nadal said Saturday night he wasn’t sure whether he would participate in both events.TEAHUPO’O, Tahiti (AP) — Cardboard beds might be Paris’ solution to providing athletes a place to sleep for the 2024 Olympics. But some 10,000 miles away in Tahiti, where the surfing competition is taking place, it’s a cruise ship. While media has been restricted from boarding the ship, athletes have shared photographs and videos on their social media giving the public a tour of what the Olympics say is the first-ever floating athlete village.NANTERRE, France (AP) — It was billed as one of the most anticipated races of the Paris Olympics. Ariarne Titmus turned it into a blowout. Titmus left Katie Ledecky in her wake at La Defense Arena, leading from start to finish to win the 400-meter freestyle. Canada's Summer McIntosh won the silver, while Ledecky settled for a bronze. Titmus also beat Ledecky in the 400 free at the Tokyo Olympics, after Ledecky won gold in that event at Rio in 2016. The Aussie women also took their fourth straight gold in the 4x100 freestyle relay. But the Americans picked up a gold in the final event of opening night at the pool when Caeleb Dressel anchored a win in the men's 4x100 free relay. It was the eighth medal of Dressel's career — all of them gold.NANTERRE, France (AP) — Veteran U.S. swimmer Caeleb Dressel only knows the top of an Olympic podium in a decorated career. The American veteran on a youthful men’s swim team added another relay victory to his long list by anchoring the winning 4x100-meter freestyle as the Americans beat out the rival Australians and scrutinized Chinese.SATURDAY SCORESAMERICAN LEAGUEINTERLEAGUEFinal	Tampa Bay	4	Cincinnati	0	Final	San Diego	9	Baltimore	4	Final	Philadelphia	8	Cleveland	0	Final	Chicago Cubs	9	Kansas City	4	Final	Houston	7	L.A. Dodgers	6	AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Toronto	7	Texas	3	Final	Detroit	7	Minnesota	2	Final	Seattle	6	Chicago White Sox	3	Final	N.Y. Yankees	11	Boston	8	Final	Oakland	3	L.A. Angels	1	NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Atlanta	4	N.Y. Mets	0	Final	San Francisco	4	Colorado	1	Final	Miami	7	Milwaukee	3	Final	Washington	14	St. Louis	3	Final	Arizona	9	Pittsburgh	5	Final	San Francisco	5	Colorado	0

Sunday Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

(All times Eastern) Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts

8:15 a.m. USA — Women’s Team: Quarterfinals

10:10 a.m. USA — Women’s Team: Semifinal, Final

4 a.m. USA — Group Play: Singles, Doubles (Taped)

10:15 p.m. USA — Group Play: Singles, Doubles (Taped)

5:05 a.m. CNBC — Men’s Group C: South Sudan vs. Puerto Rico

11:15 a.m. NBC — Men’s Group C: Serbia vs. USA

5 p.m. USA — Men’s Group C: Serbia vs. USA (Taped)

2 a.m. USA — Women’s Pool B: USA (Nuss/Kloth) vs. CAN (Bansley/Bukovec) (Taped)

3 a.m. USA — Women’s Pool A: ITA (Gottardi/Menegatti) vs. ESP (Liliana/Paula) (Taped)

7 a.m. USA — Women’s Pool C: GER (Muller/Tillman) vs. FRA (Vieira/Chamereau) (Taped)

12:30 p.m. USA — Men’s, Women’s Pool Play (Taped)

8:30 a.m. NBC — Women’s Mountain Bike

11:35 a.m. USA — Slalom: Women’s Kayak Final

10:30 a.m. E! — Men’s Group: Italy vs. USA (Taped)

11:15 a.m. E! — Women’s Foil &amp; Men’s Epee Eliminations

3:45 p.m. CNBC — Women’s Foil &amp; Men’s Epee Bronze/Gold Finals (Taped)

4 a.m. E! — Women’s Qualifying Subdivision 1, 2 (Taped)

5:10 a.m. E! — Women’s Qualification: Subdivision 2 (Taped)

6 a.m. NBC — Women’s Qualification: Subdivision 2

8:50 a.m. E! — Women’s Qualifying Subdivision 3

12 p.m. E! — Women’s Qualifying Subdivision 4 (Taped)

3 p.m. E! — Women’s Qualifying Subdivision 5 (Taped)

5 p.m. NBC — Women’s Qualifying (taped)

10 p.m. NBC — Primetime in Paris (July 28)

5:15 p.m. CNBC — Women’s Group B: France vs. Netherlands (Taped)

2 p.m. USA — Heats: Single Sculls &amp; more (Taped)

2:30 a.m. NBC — NBC Late Night (July 27)

2:35 a.m. NBC — NBC Late Night (July 28)

6:45 a.m. CNBC — Women’s Street: Preliminary Round

Midnight USA — Men’s Group A: New Zealand vs. USA (Taped)

2:45 p.m. USA — Women’s Group B: USA vs. Germany

5 a.m. USA — Heats: Men’s &amp; Women’s 200m Free &amp; more (Taped)

7:30 a.m. NBC — Heats: Men’s &amp; Women’s 200m Free &amp; more (Taped)

10:15 a.m. NBC — Heats: Men’s &amp; Women’s 200m Free &amp; more (Taped)

2:30 p.m. NBC — Finals: Women’s 100m Fly &amp; more

10:30 a.m. E! — M&amp;W Singles: Round of 64

9:30 p.m. USA — M&amp;W Singles: Round of 64 (Taped)

7:20 a.m. E! — Women’s Pool C: Italy vs. Dominican Republic (Taped)

1:45 p.m. E! — Women’s Pool B: Poland vs. Japan (Taped)

5 p.m. E! — Men’s Pool A: France vs. Serbia (Taped)

9 a.m. USA — Men’s Group: USA vs. Italy

9:30 a.m. NBC — Men’s Group: USA vs. Italy

12:45 p.m. CNBC — Men’s Group: Croatia vs. Montenegro (Taped)

11 p.m. USA — Men’s Group: USA vs. Italy (Taped)

(All times Eastern) Schedule subject to change and/or blackoutsSunday, July 28ARCHERY4 a.m. CNBC — Team Elimination Rounds8:15 a.m. USA — Women’s Team: Quarterfinals10:10 a.m. USA — Women’s Team: Semifinal, FinalBADMINTON4 a.m. USA — Group Play: Singles, Doubles (Taped)10:15 p.m. USA — Group Play: Singles, Doubles (Taped)BASKETBALL5:05 a.m. CNBC — Men’s Group C: South Sudan vs. Puerto Rico11:15 a.m. NBC — Men’s Group C: Serbia vs. USA5 p.m. USA — Men’s Group C: Serbia vs. USA (Taped)BEACH VOLLEYBALL2 a.m. USA — Women’s Pool B: USA (Nuss/Kloth) vs. CAN (Bansley/Bukovec) (Taped)3 a.m. USA — Women’s Pool A: ITA (Gottardi/Menegatti) vs. ESP (Liliana/Paula) (Taped)7 a.m. USA — Women’s Pool C: GER (Muller/Tillman) vs. FRA (Vieira/Chamereau) (Taped)12:30 p.m. USA — Men’s, Women’s Pool Play (Taped)4:10 p.m. NBC — Pool Play (Taped)7 p.m. USA — Pool PlayBIKING8:30 a.m. NBC — Women’s Mountain BikeBOXING4:45 p.m. CNBC — Elimination BoutsCANOEING11:35 a.m. USA — Slalom: Women’s Kayak FinalCROSS COUNTRY10:30 a.m. E! — Men’s Group: Italy vs. USA (Taped)CYCLING8:30 a.m. NBC — Women’s Mountain BikeEQUESTRIAN1 p.m. NBC — Surfing &amp; EquestrianUSA — Eventing: Cross Country9 p.m. USA — Eventing: Cross CountryFENCING11:15 a.m. E! — Women’s Foil &amp; Men’s Epee Eliminations3:45 p.m. CNBC — Women’s Foil &amp; Men’s Epee Bronze/Gold Finals (Taped)GYMNASTICS4 a.m. E! — Women’s Qualifying Subdivision 1, 2 (Taped)5:10 a.m. E! — Women’s Qualification: Subdivision 2 (Taped)6 a.m. NBC — Women’s Qualification: Subdivision 28:50 a.m. E! — Women’s Qualifying Subdivision 312 p.m. E! — Women’s Qualifying Subdivision 4 (Taped)3 p.m. E! — Women’s Qualifying Subdivision 5 (Taped)5 p.m. NBC — Women’s Qualifying (taped)10 p.m. NBC — Primetime in Paris (July 28)HANDBALL5:15 p.m. CNBC — Women’s Group B: France vs. Netherlands (Taped)ROWING2 p.m. USA — Heats: Single Sculls &amp; more (Taped)RUGBY9:35 a.m. CNBC — Women’s Group Play1:30 p.m. CNBC — Rugby &amp; ShootingSKATEBOARDING2:30 a.m. NBC — NBC Late Night (July 27)2:35 a.m. NBC — NBC Late Night (July 28)6:45 a.m. CNBC — Women’s Street: Preliminary Round11 a.m. CNBC — Women’s Street: FinalSOCCERMidnight USA — Men’s Group A: New Zealand vs. USA (Taped)2:45 p.m. USA — Women’s Group B: USA vs. GermanySURFING2:30 a.m. NBC — NBC Late Night (July 27)2:35 a.m. NBC — NBC Late Night (July 28)1 p.m. NBC — Surfing &amp; EquestrianSWIMMING5 a.m. USA — Heats: Men’s &amp; Women’s 200m Free &amp; more (Taped)7:30 a.m. NBC — Heats: Men’s &amp; Women’s 200m Free &amp; more (Taped)10:15 a.m. NBC — Heats: Men’s &amp; Women’s 200m Free &amp; more (Taped)2:30 p.m. NBC — Finals: Women’s 100m Fly &amp; more10 p.m. NBC — Primetime in Paris (July 28)TABLE TENNIS10:30 a.m. E! — M&amp;W Singles: Round of 649:30 p.m. USA — M&amp;W Singles: Round of 64 (Taped)VOLLEYBALL7:20 a.m. E! — Women’s Pool C: Italy vs. Dominican Republic (Taped)1:45 p.m. E! — Women’s Pool B: Poland vs. Japan (Taped)5 p.m. E! — Men’s Pool A: France vs. Serbia (Taped)WATER POLO9 a.m. USA — Men’s Group: USA vs. Italy9:30 a.m. NBC — Men’s Group: USA vs. Italy12:45 p.m. CNBC — Men’s Group: Croatia vs. Montenegro (Taped)11 p.m. USA — Men’s Group: USA vs. Italy (Taped)

Olympics on TV for Sunday, July 28

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Sports Writer

Thousands of former college athletes will be eligible for payments ranging from a few dollars to more than a million under the $2.78 billion antitrust settlement agreed to by the NCAA and five power conferences, a deal that also paves the way for schools to directly compensate athletes while attempting regulate payments from boosters.

Details of the sprawling plan were filed Friday in federal court in the Northern District of California, a little more than two months after the framework of an agreement was announced. The deal must still be approved by a judge.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722094405335.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;Players and coaches talk with reporters during an NCAA college football news conference at the Big Ten Conference media days at Lucas Oil Stadium, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Players and coaches talk with reporters during an NCAA college football news conference at the Big Ten Conference media days at Lucas Oil Stadium, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)</figcaption>
 </figure>By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Sports WriterThousands of former college athletes will be eligible for payments ranging from a few dollars to more than a million under the $2.78 billion antitrust settlement agreed to by the NCAA and five power conferences, a deal that also paves the way for schools to directly compensate athletes while attempting regulate payments from boosters.Details of the sprawling plan were filed Friday in federal court in the Northern District of California, a little more than two months after the framework of an agreement was announced. The deal must still be approved by a judge.“College athletes will finally be able to share in the billions of dollars their compelling stories and dynamic performances have generated for their schools, conferences, and the NCAA,” the filing said. “This is nothing short of a seismic change to college sports following more than four years of hard-fought victories in this case.”The full term sheet includes guidelines on roster caps for individual sports that will replace scholarship limits; how the new financial payments will be monitored and enforced to ensure compliance by schools; how third-party payments to athletes will be regulated; and how nearly $3 billion in damages will be doled out over the next 10 years.Those payouts will vary drastically and are determined by sport played, when, how long and what conference an athlete competed in. While Division I athletes across all sports will be eligible to collect damages, the majority of damages is expected to go to football and basketball players from power conferences because those leagues and teams generate most of the revenue that comes from billion-dollar media rights contracts.The deal covers three antitrust cases — including the class-action lawsuit known as House vs. the NCAA — that challenged NCAA compensation rules dating to 2016. The plaintiffs claimed NCAA rules denied thousands of athletes the opportunity to earn millions of dollars off the use of their names, images and likenesses.The NCAA lifted its ban on athletes earning money through endorsement and sponsorship deals in 2021.The agreement does not settle the issue of whether college athletes should be deemed employees, but it does include language that would suggest the deal would be subject to change if “a change in law or circumstances permits collective bargaining."The NCAA and college sports leaders continue to plead for help from Congress in the form of a federal law that would supersede state laws and allow the association and conferences to self govern without fear of future antitrust litigation.“This settlement is an important step forward for student-athletes and college sports, but it does not address every challenge,” the commissioners of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, Southeastern Conference and NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a joint statement. “The need for federal legislation to provide solutions remains. If Congress does not act, the progress reached through the settlement could be significantly mitigated by state laws and continued litigation."While that help still seems unlikely to come soon — especially with a presidential election months away — college sports leaders hope the settlement can provide some certainty for schools and finally stem the constant legal attacks on its antiquated model of amateurism.Paying athletesThe NCAA and conferences have agreed to amend their rules to permit a landmark compensation system that allows schools to share up to about $21 million in athletic revenues with their athletes annually, starting in 2025.The NCAA and conferences will be permitted to make rules that prevent schools from circumventing the cap.That number is derived from taking 22% of the average revenue generated through media rights contracts, tickets and other sources by power conference schools. The agreement will create an audit system that allows plaintiffs to monitor athletic revenue, which is expected to rise in the coming years as new media rights agreements kick in for conferences and the College Football Playoff.Athletes are projected to receive $1.5 billion to $2 billion annually.All athletes will be eligible to receive the new financial benefits, but each school will be permitted to determine how they want to divvy up the money among sports. How exactly Title IX gender equity rules apply is still unclear and will require federal clarification. How schools comply with Title IX will be the responsibility of each institution.Scholarships and rostersReplacing scholarship limits with roster caps could mean even more athletic scholarship opportunities in Division I.Most notably, major college football teams will now be permitted to have 105 player on scholarship instead of the current 85, though schools will no longer be required to give full scholarships to every football player.Partial scholarships have been used in some sports for years, but will now be permitted in all.The roster caps for baseball (34), softball (25) and volleyball (18) will also allow for a significant jump in the number of scholarships schools can provide in those sports, though schools will not be required to meet the cap.NIL deals and oversightNCAA rules have been tweaked to allow schools to be more involved in providing NIL opportunities for college athletes, but they will still be allowed to strike deals with third parties.However, athletes will be required to report deals with third parties that surpass $600 to an outside clearinghouse.The NCAA is also creating a public database that it hopes will allow athletes to assess fair market value.Booster-funded NIL collectives have become a common way athletes are compensated, but now those deals will be subject to review through an arbitration process to determine if it is for a “valid business purpose,” according to the agreement.Violations could lead to eligibility penalties for athletes and sanctions for schools.Damage paymentsThe plaintiffs in the House case are responsible for doling out damages. Included in Friday's filing was a chart breaking down the categories of eligible athletes along with four different types of payouts they could be in line to receive.According to the plaintiffs, about 19,000 power conference football players and men's basketball players will be in line to receive an average of $91,000, with payments ranging from $15,000 to $280,000 just for what is referred to broadcast name, image and likeness.Some of those same athletes could also be in line for tens of thousands of dollars more related to lost opportunities to earn NIL money while in college and what is deemed by the plaintiffs as pay-for-play. Plaintiffs' lawyers say a few athletes will be eligible to receive upward of $1 million.Next stepsPlaintiffs' attorneys say they will file a motion for preliminary approval and — if granted — a public website will go up in about two months where former college athletes can determine how much they are eligible to receive.Still, the settlement is months away from final approval. There will be an opportunity for athletes who are members of the plaintiffs' class to object to the settlement and ask to be excluded. Already one school, Houston Christian, has objected — though the judge denied its request to intervene.“We are moving forward in the right direction by giving college athletes what they have EARNED &amp; DESERVE which has been long overdue,” said Sedona Prince, a college basketball player now at TCU and one of the plaintiffs in the House case. “We still have a long way to go and I pray athletes ask more questions and demand more answers from the leaders at their schools, conferences and the NCAA.”