Tim Cone (left) gives instructions during a Gilas Pilipinas huddle. —FIBA PHOTO

Coach Tim Cone will be shooting for success on two fronts over the next month when he prepares Gilas Pilipinas for the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Cone will begin preparations for the Asian Qualifiers on Monday, building a Gilas Pilipinas squad likely to differ from the one that will campaign at the Asian Games.

“We’re going to practice [for the two events] separately,” Cone said. “The plan for me is to handle the window until we get it done and then transfer to the Asian Games team.”

Cone will begin preparations for the Asian Qualifiers on Monday, with the aim of beating Jordan and Iran in front of a home crowd on Aug. 28 and Aug. 30 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Once he gets both fixtures out of the way, the PBA’s winningest coach will then begin the task of pruning a list of 30 players down for the Gilas roster that will defend the Asiad crown which Gilas Pilipinas won three years ago in historic and dramatic fashion. The basketball competition of the Asian Games tips off on Sept. 10, nine days before the continental event formally opens.

The Gilas Pilipinas team that will shoot for a World Cup berth will be composed of the usual suspects, including those based in Japan and South Korea like fan favorites Dwight Ramos and Kevin Quiambao. PBA regulars like Juan Gomez de Liano and Scottie Thompson, who returned to action for Barangay Ginebra in Friday’s loss to Meralco, are also expecting call-ups.

Justin Brownlee is also set to return after injuries to his hamstring, knee and leg forced him to miss Gilas’ final game of the third window and the initial half of Ginebra’s PBA Governors’ Cup campaign.

Brownlee, due to arrive Sunday, is also set to don the Gilas colors for the Asian Games, where Cone is likely to form an all-PBA squad due to availability concerns of the national team standouts seeing club action in other countries.

The only common look between both Fiba and Asiad teams is the players they will likely miss.

Quentin Millora-Brown and Mike Phillips are out for health and personal reasons, while Kai Sotto, who spent the past months playing pickup games in his hometown of Las Piñas but is set to be eyeing a US NCAA stint as a backdoor route for his NBA ambition, is once again unlikely to play for Gilas.

Cone will have a lot of names available for the continental Games, as those who aren’t eligible as locals for Fiba tournaments are allowed to suit up in the Asian Games, which only requires a Philippine passport for eligibility.

Rain or Shine’s Adrian Nocum, Blackwater’s Sedrick Barefield, Meralco’s Brandon Bates and Magnolia’s Zavier Lucero are some of the names listed in the initial Asiad pool.

“A lot of them will be some who have played in the past with Gilas, but haven’t been a part of these windows that we’ve been part of,” Cone said. “But we can still get maybe one or two or three from the window team to join. But the bulk of the team will be new for the Asian Games.”

As part of the buildup, Gilas will head to South Korea to train. The Filipinos will also battle the Korean national team before going to Japan. INQ

Manchester United have gone over a month without making a senior signing during this summer transfer window – but are working on a deal to sign another teenager

Leicester City left Louis Page out of their squad for their opening match of the League One season against Notts County.

Manchester United are working on a deal to sign the England Under-20 international and would welcome the central midfielder into their first-team group if any move materialises. Our colleagues at LeicestershireLive understand that Page’s absence is not transfer-related, with the 18-year-old at Meadow Lane for the match.

Leicester head coach Russell Martin acknowledged on Friday that the club have rejected an offer for their academy graduate. He stated earlier in the week that Page would be in the squad.

Martin said: “Until something comes in that is really brilliant for the club and player and everyone is happy, then Louis stays and he’s in the squad.”

Asked again about Page, he acknowledged: “That’s [the interest] been well-documented, yeah. We turned down an offer for Louis. There’s been a lot of chat all summer about him from various clubs. We had one offer from a club, and that was turned down.”

Elaborating even further, Martin said: “We’re really relaxed about it; we don’t have to sell anyone. I think if we choose to, it’ll be because it’s right for everyone.

“I’ve said this so many times. It’ll be right for the player; it’s something they want to do; it’s right for us because we have enough money that makes it work for us; and it means we can place them, and we’re ready to replace them.

“So the stance will be the same on any player, whether it’s Louis or anyone. There’s no club in world football that isn’t a selling club, unless you’re one of the really big guns at the top of the Premier League.

“Everyone has a price, but clubs are nowhere near the prices for our players at the minute, and there’s more than them [Page and Harry Souttar] that we’ve turned down from, there’s been more offers for other players, but the club’s not in a rush and doesn’t need to do it. We’ll only do it when it’s really right for us.”

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Martin has also mentioned United’s director of football, Jason Wilcox, this week, with whom the coach worked at Southampton. Asked about Page, he said: “Louis’s a really fantastic young player.

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“I obviously know their director of football [Jason Wilcox] at Manchester United very well after spending some time with him at Southampton. We haven’t actually spoke on Louis because he probably knows what I’d say to him and tell him to go away!”

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You can’t have a better start to your career than Joshua Báez. Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field, the St. Louis Cardinals left fielder became the first player in major league history to hit three home runs in his MLB debut, and he did it in his first three at-bats. The first homer came on the very first pitch Báez saw in the show.

“It’s unreal. I really can’t put it into words,” Báez said during a postgame television interview. “Honestly, it’s just a dream come true.”  

Báez hit his first home run, a mammoth 449-foot blast, halfway up the bleachers in center. He hit his second home run to left field and his third to right field. That’s impressive all-fields power for any player, let alone a rookie making his MLB debut. Here are Báez’s three home runs from the Cardinals’ 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs:

All three home runs came off lefty Matthew Boyd and it was surprising that manager Craig Counsell let Boyd face Báez a third time. He’d already taken him deep twice, it was still a close game (4-3 Cardinals at the time), and Boyd was approaching 90 pitches. Boyd surrendered another home run to Blaze Alexander soon after Báez’s third shot. 

“Gosh, that was incredible to watch. And this kid really brings something really cool to this clubhouse,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “For him to come into his first game and show out the way that he did, that was fun. There was a lot of smiling and that was really, really cool to watch.”

Best MLB debuts of all-time: Where does Joshua Báez’s three-homer performance fit in baseball history?

Mike Axisa

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In the eighth inning, Báez had the chance for a fourth home run, but lined out to left field. He went 3 for 4 with the three homers and 5 RBI in the game.

Báez is the eighth player in baseball’s Modern Era (since 1900) to hit multiple home runs in his regular-season MLB debut, and the third this season. Cleveland Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter did it on Opening Day, though he technically made his debut last postseason. Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Jose Fernandez also hit two homers in his MLB debut on March 31.

Here are the eight players with at least two home runs in their MLB debuts:

Nieman and Keith McDonald are the only players other than Báez to hit home runs in their first two MLB at-bats. McDonald hit two homers in his first two at-bats with the Cardinals in 2000, but across two games. He hit a pinch-hit homer in his first at-bat on July 4, then went deep in his first at-bat two days later.

Báez is the second player to hit his first three MLB home runs in the same game. Catcher Seby Zavala, then with the Chicago White Sox, had a three-homer game against the Guardians on July 31, 2021. It was Zavala’s 18th career game.

Báez led minor leagues in homers before promotion

Prior to his MLB debut, Báez was leading the minors with 36 home runs, all at the Triple-A level. He hit .256/.328/.573 in 103 Triple-A games overall and even had a four-homer game back in June. The promotion was certainly deserved. Baseball America ranked Báez the 56th-best prospect in baseball in their August rankings. They call him one of the best power-hitting prospects in the minors, unsurprisingly.

“There’s an edge to it,” Marmol said about Báez on Friday (via MLB.com). “There’s a confidence to it, and he has a work ethic that’s fun to watch, too. He knows how to get after it. He wants to win, and it’s fun to inject that into this clubhouse because we have a lot of guys that are that way.”

Saturday is an important day for MLB rookies. There are 44 days remaining in the season, meaning players called up Saturday (or later) will not accrue the 45 days of service time necessary to exhaust rookie status. That means Báez will remain eligible to win Rookie of the Year next season, which would net St. Louis a Prospect Promotion Incentive draft pick.

Báez, 23, was a second-round pick (No. 54 overall) in the 2021 draft. He hit 22 home runs total from 2022-24, then broke out with 20 between High Class-A and Double-A in 2025 before exploding for those 36 home runs in Triple-A in 2026. Báez had a four-homer game in Triple-A on June 16.

Saturday’s win improved the Cardinals to 62-61 on the season. They’re three games behind the third wild card spot. The Cubs sit in the top wild card spot at 72-52.

Travis Kelce has arrived for the Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams. The perennial Pro Bowler was among the Chiefs stars set to feature against Sean McVay’s team.

Kelce wore a black shirt, shorts and black shoes with a canned drink in his hand. NFL fans reacted on X.

A fan said, “No mirrors where he lives?”

Another added, “He is suddenly left handed just like his wife😂💍”

One wrote, “Ring makes him 99 overall not fine anymore! 🙄”

Some weren’t as dismissive.

One said, “Trav has arrived! 🏹🔥 Let’s go! 💪”

Another wrote, “Trav is in the building! 🏹🔥 The energy just went up another level. 😮‍💨”

One chipped in, writing, “Always bringing energy.”

Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Kenneth Walker III, Chris Jones, Mansoor Delane, L’Jarius Sneed, Justin Fields and more have arrived at Arrowhead Stadium. They’re looking to bounce back from a forgettable 2025 campaign.

According to USA Today, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach went all-in after the team missed out on the playoffs in the previous season. Statement additions include reigning Super Bowl MVP Walker and rookie defensive back Mansoor Delane.

Travis Kelce set for Year 14

The Kansas City Chiefs selected Travis Kelce in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft. The Cincinnati Bengals product has become one of the game’s finest offensive players.

Kelce has earned 11 Pro Bowl nods, four first-team All-Pro selections, three second-team All-Pro nods and amassed numerous franchise and league records. He’s gearing up for his 14th season in the big leagues.

It’s been an eventful offseason for Kelce as he’s tied the knot with Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Their wedding took place on July 3 and was attended by the cream of the crop in sports, music and television.

Travis Kelce and Co. start their preseason with a matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. They’ll then wrap up their regular-season preparations with games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks.