August 14, 2026 4:23 am
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jordan Spieth finally got a low score at just the right time. Spieth was bogey-free for a 65 that makes him part of a five-way tie for the lead in the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Michael Thorbjornsen, Michael Kim, Jake Knapp and Kurt Kitayama also share the lead. Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama are among seven players one shot behind. The playoff opener is all about moving into the top 50 in the FedEx Cup and advancing to the BMW Championship next week. Spieth has missed out the last two years. A top-50 spot assures all the signature events next year.
August 13, 2026 2:00 am
Due to persistent inclement weather and unsafe playing conditions, the championship game of the 2026 PONY League World Series has been cancelled. Organizers said they determined that the field was unplayable. Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of the players and all involved, the game between Chinese Taipei and Washington County, PA was called off. The Asia-Pacific Zone team is leaving town Thursday morning and there is no opportunity to play the game. This cancellation comes on the heals of the decision to eliminate four 1-loss teams after Tuesday’s game could not be played on the natural grass field. Abe Key, President of PONY Baseball, said that this is the first time in the seventy-five-year history of the league that they have had to make this decision. He offered apologies to all involved and said, “sometimes, Mother Nature does not cooperate.”
August 12, 2026 4:16 am
MIAMI (AP) — Griffin Conine and Heriberto Hernández homered and Janson Junk worked six solid inning as the Miami Marlins extended their winning streak to four games with an 8-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Junk (6-7) allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits and a walk in six innings. Tyler Zuber, Calvin Faucher and Victor Vodnik each pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Miami (62-59) is 38-24 at home. It is the team’s best 62-game run at home since 2003, when it won its second World Series. The Marlins trail the Phillies and Diamondbacks by 1 1/2 games for the final NL wild card.
August 13, 2026 4:18 am
Major League Baseball is back at the Field of Dreams after a four-year hiatus while the community around tiny Dyersville, Iowa, worked on building a permanent ballpark. The Minnesota Twins will play the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday next to where the 1989 movie was filmed. MLB staged games in a temporary facility there in 2021 and 2022. Acres of corn rows sit beyond the outfield walls in a visible connection to the film that featured Kevin Costner turning his farmland into a ballfield, where he saw the ghosts of former baseball players — including his late father — emerge from the corn.
August 13, 2026 2:48 am
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has one regret about starting his final NFL season with an exhibition game against the team that drafted him. He would have preferred Thursday’s matchup with the Packers take place in Green Bay rather than Pittsburgh. Rodgers wanted to have one final moment in the place where he spent his first 18 seasons and won four MVP awards and a Super Bowl. Rodgers has announced that he will retire after this season. There’s no indication whether Rodgers will play Thursday.
August 13, 2026 4:21 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold for the second time in a year, going to businessmen Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a record-breaking price. This sale agreement is $12.5 billion, according to a person familiar with the terms who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because neither side revealed specific details. ESPN first reported Wednesday that Kushner and Iger are buying the NBA’s most valuable franchise. The businessmen had been involved in trying to get an expansion team for Las Vegas. By buying the Lakers, Iger and Kushner simply don’t have to wait for that decision. Expansion might not take place until the 2028-29 season.
August 11, 2026 2:35 am
Continued rainfall has forced PONY Baseball & World Series Tournaments Inc. to modify the format of the 2026 Printscape PONY League World Series. The two remaining unbeaten teams, Washington County, PA and Chinese Taipei, will play in a single championship game Wednesday evening (6 pm). More than 50 volunteers worked from early morning Monday to enable that day’s games to be played. Heavy rains overnight put the field under water again. Ten hours of work by the ground crew and area professionals during the day Tuesday could not bring the field even close to “playable” as observed by the athletic trainer staff. Tournament officials, many of whom have multiple decades with the organization, felt that the playing surface had never been in worse condition despite all of the work Tuesday. That led to the cancellation of Tuesday’s game, forcing the format change.
Statement from PONY Baseball and Softball & World Series Tournaments, Inc.: “Due to continued heavy rainfall and unplayable field conditions, the PONY League World Series is unable to complete the remaining games under the tournament’s original format. The World Series must conclude Wednesday, Aug. 12, as all participating teams are scheduled to depart Thursday morning. Extending the tournament is not an option. With six teams remaining and limited playable time available, the tournament will move to a single-elimination conclusion. Washington County and Chinese Taipei, the only two remaining undefeated teams, will meet Wednesday night (6 pm) in the 2026 PONY League World Series Championship Game. We understand the disappointment this decision brings to the four other remaining teams. Every possible option was considered, but the combination of field conditions and the tournament’s firm travel deadline left no viable alternative. We thank all of our players, coaches, families and fans for their patience and understanding during an exceptionally difficult week of weather.”
August 12, 2026 4:21 am
MIAMI (AP) — Eury Pérez allowed three hits over seven innings, Esteury Ruiz homered and the Miami Marlins beat Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 on Tuesday night. Pérez struck out three straight Pirates to start the game and surrendered only three singles — two in the third and one in his final inning. The right-hander fanned seven and walked two, throwing 100 pitches. He hasn’t surrendered a homer in seven straight starts. Michael Petersen struck out two in the eighth and Pete Fairbanks retired the side in order in the ninth for his 18th save in 21 opportunities. Skenes left after five innings and 65 pitches.
August 12, 2026 4:23 am
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love says he doesn’t mind playing at least a little in the preseason. He made those comments even after a thumb injury in an exhibition game last year caused him to miss part of training camp. Love expects to play in the Packers’ first preseason game Thursday at Pittsburgh. He has played in Green Bay’s preseason opener each of his three previous seasons as a starter and injured his left thumb in an exhibition game last year with the New York Jets. He ended up undergoing surgery and returned to practice six days later.
August 12, 2026 4:26 am
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have chosen Kyler Murray as their starting quarterback over J.J. McCarthy in the widely expected conclusion to what coach Kevin O’Connell pledged was a true competition. The announcement gives Murray a full month of full-time repetitions with the first-team offense before the regular season begins on Sept. 13. O’Connell and general manager Nolan Teasley met with both players in the morning to discuss the decision. An earlier decision on the starter was always going to be ideal for Murray as he’s learning a new system after spending his first seven NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.
