Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to September! This may be the best sports month on the calendar in my humble opinion, and I can’t wait for it to really get started.
Let’s cut to the chase.
Hello everyone, but especially to…
SERENA WILLIAMS
Whether Serena Williams‘ first round victory Monday was supposed to be nothing more than a nice pre-retirement memory, she didn’t get the message. She’s here to win. tennis legend, probably playing his last tournamentbeat the No. 2 seed Anet Kontaviet 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-2 for her most impressive victory in recent memory and now advances to the third round, where she will face Ajla Tomljanovic.
- Williams was on her game from the start, going back and forth in a very entertaining first set. Williams was even able to serve for the set-up 6-5 but abandoned the match, set up a tiebreaker, she won 7-4.
- Kontaviet showed why she was a major climber through the second-set ranks, break Williams three times to force a third set.
- In the third set, Williams emphatically answered any potential questions about his conditioning or court coverage: She absolutely can do it, even against the best in the world. Williams hit 13 winners to Kontaviet’s three. Williams also won his four net points; she had only won three in the first two sets combined.
Serena has shown her ability to dig deep and find her best things time and time again. Playing only her sixth match of the calendar year, she was absolutely relentless in the third set. Even at 40 – and facing the pressure that every game could be her last – Williams has shown that her championship mentality and ability are stronger than ever. “It’s what I do best,” she said after the game. “I like a challenge. I like to take on a challenge.”
Our Nick Parco (who is the editor of this newsletter) was on hand for the game, and he says looking at Williams, it’s hard not to think of a memorable US Open led by an aging former star.
- Park : “It’s all reminiscent of what another American tennis star, Jimmy Connors, did in 1991 at the twilight of his career. He was 39 and reached the semifinals at the US Open, winning the top seeds before of collapsing against No. 4. Jim Courier. … Sure, Williams wants to replicate Connors’ run, but go the extra mile and win it all where she’s done six times. She’s already got so much given to Arthur Ashe fans to root for, dating back to 1999, when she first won.”
Bettors also feel the magic. Oilliams entered the tournament with odds of 50 to 1 to win. She is now 14-1.
Honorable Mentions
Not so honorable mentions
Sky and Aces tie off their respective series with impressive efforts 🏀
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The WNBA semi-finals are really great. I don’t know how else to say it. The Sky and the ace tied their series 1-1 against the Sun and the Stormrespectively, with strong rebound performance.
Let’s start in Chicago, where the Sky improved to 11-1 after losing this season with an 85-77 victory in Game 2. Candice Parker led the way with 22 points, four rebounds and four assists, and all five Chicago starters scored in double figures. This kind of performance is what we expect from Parker, writes WNBA reporter Jack Maloney.
- Maloney: “Her numbers weren’t historic like they were in Game 1, but that was because she only needed to play 25 minutes in the blowout. And while the box score doesn’t say so, his performance in Game 2 was almost as impressive, and perhaps more important given the circumstances.”
In Las Vegas, the highly anticipated battle between A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart lived up to expectations… and more. Wilson scored 33 points and 13 rebounds, just enough to lead the Aces to a 78-73 win. Stewart finished with 32 points and seven boards.
In two games, the combined score of Storm-Aces is 151-149, Aces. Sun-Sky’s combined score is 148-145, Sky. These games were incredibly close and incredibly well played – and they certainly look like potential all-time classics when all is said and done.
White Sox manager Tony La Russa indefinitely with health issue ⚾
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Tony La RussaDirector of the Hall of Fame Chicago White Soxis indefinitely due to an unspecified medical condition as his team hopes to make a late rally for a playoff spot. bench trainer Miguel Cairo takes over in his place.
- La Russa, 77, missed Tuesday’s loss to the Royals, and the White Sox then announced his indefinite absence ahead of Wednesday’s win over Kansas City. He is undergoing a series of tests over the next few days.
- The White Sox are currently five games behind Guardians for the lead in AL Central and 6.5 games in a Wild Card spot. They have lost 10 of their last 13.
It’s been a tough year on the South Side for the team and the manager. The White Sox have made the playoffs each of the past two seasons and were expected to do the same this year with a talented core of players, but injuries and underperformance at home plate and on the mound have cost them dearly.
La Russa drew near-constant criticism and made several odd picks, including calling for intentional walks in 1-2 counts first. in June and even last month – in his second year of his second stint with the team.
All-NFL preseason team: QB surprise leads the way 🏈
USATSI
Everyone loves a good pre-season roster. College football does a great job with it: awards watch lists, All-America teams, All-Conference teams, the coaches’ poll, the AP poll… you name it, there’s a roster ready to go before the start of the season.
Officially, the NFL has no such thing, so we took matters into our own hands: eight of our NFL experts voted for the 2022 CBS Preseason All-NFL Team. We’ll start things off strategistwhere three young stars got the most votes, notes NFL pundit Cody Benjamin.
- Benjamin: “Justin Herbert (7 votes), Patrick Mahomes (6), Josh Allen (5) — All salute the AFC. Everyone buys in Herbert’s laser-armed pocket passing for the Chargers, especially now that he has a loaded supporting cast on both sides of the ball. Mahomes and Allen, meanwhile, are the big players in the league, and everyone understands their Chiefs and Invoices will meet again.”
I love Herbert who gets the most votes of all quarterbacks. His 69 career touchdown passes are mostly in a player’s first two seasons, and he’s just a joy to watch. As Cody wrote, I could see a big, big third season in the cards after the Chargers added guard Sion Johnson in the first round of the NFL Draft and tight end Gerald Everett in free agency. And with cornerback acquisitions JC Jackson and edge rusher Khalil Macthe Chargers project is really, really good, which can only help Herbert’s case.
To see all the selections for the 53-man roster – as well as the head coach – click here.
What we’re watching on Thursday 📺
⚽ A-series2:30 p.m. on Paramount+
🏈 West Virginia at No. 17 Pitt7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Michigan Center at No. 12 Oklahoma State7 p.m. on FS1
🏈 Penn State at Purdue8 p.m. on FOX
