This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.
⚾ Five things to know Wednesday
- The American League shut out the National League in the MLB All-Star Game. The AL might not feature as many dominant teams as the NL this year, but its best players put on a show in winning its 11th All-Star Game in 13 years. A string of 10 different pitchers combined for the game’s first shutout since 2013, and they struck out 15 NL All-Stars in the process. The bats, meanwhile, built an early lead off Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez, who faltered in front of his home fans in the first inning. Cody Bellinger did the most damage with a two-run single off Sánchez and won the All-Star Game MVP award for his efforts.
- Spain await the winner of Argentina and England in the World Cup final. A 2-0 victory over France — which included a penalty goal and their sixth clean sheet in seven World Cup matches — sent Spain to the final. The squad that emerges from today’s second semifinal will meet them for a shot at glory. England and Argentina have a bit of a history with each other and will renew their rivalry this afternoon in a match that could also effectively wrap up the Golden Boot race. If England are to knock out Lionel Messi and the reigning champions, they will need another strong showing from Jude Bellingham, who is once again in the spotlight for another disagreement with manager Thomas Tuchel.
- The NBA expanded its investigation into Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers. The league continues to look into potential salary cap circumvention through a no-show sponsorship deal between Leonard and Aspiration — but the investigation now reportedly goes even deeper. The NBA and an outside law firm are investigating whether the Clippers gave additional improper expenses to Leonard and are examining a potential second unreported endorsement deal with a separate company. Leonard remains in limbo as his trade to the Raptors is on hold until the completion of the investigation, which NBA commissioner Adam Silver says will be wrapped up before the start of next season.
- The Open Championship gets underway tomorrow. The first round at Royal Birkdale begins early tomorrow morning. Here’s the viewing guide for all the action. Golfers like Tyrrell Hatton, Alex Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood seek to become the first Englishman to win the Open Championship since 1992, while Rory McIlroy is among the strongest contenders to secure a second Claret Jug and the $3.2 million prize that comes with it. We ranked the top 26 players in the field, and our golf experts shared their picks for the winner, locks to finish in the top 10 and more.
- Another significant change is coming to the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. In addition to the expansion to 76 teams this season, the NCAA will also unveil new seeding principles at the top of the bracket. For the first time, the selection committee will not intentionally avoid placing multiple top-16 seeds from the same conference in one region. Recent conference expansion complicated the selection process as it caused some teams to be seeded lower than they should have been.
🏈 Do not miss this: NFL ‘Triplets’ rankings
Getty Images
The only thing more dangerous than an elite quarterback is one who also has a star receiver to throw to. And the only thing more dangerous than that is a dynamic duo who also shares an offense with a standout running back. There are a few NFL offenses that are loaded in this regard. Opponents have to respect the run and the pass when they see these three-headed monsters on the other sideline.
For the 10th year, we ranked the best “triplets” in the league. That is, the best QB-RB-WR trios. I joined eight of my colleagues in the balloting process, and most of us agreed on the top two: the Bengals and Rams. Look at these tandems and tell me there is a better group somewhere else. I’m not sure you can.
- Bengals: QB Joe Burrow, RB Chase Brown, WR Ja’Marr Chase
- Rams: QB Matthew Stafford, RB Kyren Williams, WR Puka Nacua
Part of what makes those two particular teams so threatening is that they possess even more spectacular weapons at the running back and receiver positions. This exercise does not even factor in Tee Higgins, Davante Adams or Blake Corum, who are integral to their offenses’ success.
There were also a few polarizing teams in the ranking process. Look at the distribution of votes for these two squads, for instance:
- Packers: Avg: 13.3, High: 9, Low: 19
- 49ers: Avg: 8.3, High: 5, Low: 12
⭐ Grading the progress of every 2024 five-star recruit
Getty Images
Five-star recruits are more likely to develop into elite college football players and top-tier NFL Draft prospects than their lower-ranked classmates. That does not guarantee that every one of them will live up to expectations, though. The 2024 class now has two years of college experience under its belt, and for essentially every prospect who shined as a freshman and sophomore, there is one that has yet to break out.
Our Cooper Petagna conducted an audit of the 2024 rankings and placed every player in one of three categories: Exceeding Expectations, Meeting Expectations or In Question.
Is it possible for the No. 1 overall recruit to be even better than everyone imagined? Jeremiah Smith sure makes a compelling case in favor, and Petagna placed him in the “Exceeding Expectations” tier.
- Petagna: “Regardless of the lofty expectations, Smith’s immediate ascension into one of college football’s most dominant players is nothing short of impressive. After posting back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving campaigns in his first two seasons in Columbus, the Florida native became only the second player in Ohio State program history to record such a feat.”
As for those five-stars who have not yet delivered on their potential, perhaps their breakthroughs will come as they become upperclassmen. Here are a few of the “In Question” players we’re monitoring this season:
- DJ Lagway, QB, Baylor (No. 3 recruit)
- LJ McCray, DL, Florida (No. 4 recruit)
- Williams Nwaneri, DL, Nebraska (No. 6 recruit)
- Dylan Raiola, QB, Oregon (No. 7 recruit)
📈📉 Red-hot Red Sox skyrocket in MLB Power Rankings
Getty Images
Maybe the Red Sox are not destined for a disappointing season, after all. Boston is still well behind its expected pace, and things were so bad at the start that it underwent a managerial change, but the vibes at Fenway Park are suddenly not quite so bleak.
Once on track for the franchise’s worst season since 1965, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and multiple others contributed to a hot streak in which the Red Sox closed the first half winners of nine straight. Having won 14 of their last 16, they are suddenly out of the basement in this week’s MLB Power Rankings.
Our Matt Snyder explained why Boston could be a major beneficiary of playing in a weak American League.
Snyder: “The American League gets six playoff teams into the postseason, no matter how mediocre they are. It’s a sorry state of affairs right now, but that’s where this size of a playoff field gets us sometimes. … The bright side here for any of these contending teams, as evidenced by the Red Sox, is that just getting hot for two weeks could well be enough to get them to October.”
These four teams moved by at least five spots in the latest rankings:
5. Yankees (↑5)
13. Diamondbacks (↑5)
15. Red Sox (↑10)
16. Mariners (↓5)
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
Courtesy: Victory Vaka
📺 What we’re watching Wednesday
⚽ World Cup: England vs. Argentina, 3 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Summer League: Magic vs. 76ers, 4 p.m. on ESPNU
🏀 Summer League: Suns vs. Pistons, 6 p.m. on ESPNU
🏀 Summer League: Celtics vs. Kings, 8 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Valkyries at Fever, 8 p.m. on USA Network
🏀 Summer League: Wizards vs. Clippers, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN