I don’t think I have taken a look at an Athletics game in this space in 2026, but that changes Tuesday. The A’s have been flailing for weeks, though they did manage a victory Monday night. Still, they look to be in a good fade spot tonight at Arizona in the second game of their three-game series. It’s a 9:40 p.m. ET first pitch from Chase Field, and the Diamondbacks are -136 money line favorites in our consensus MLB odds, while the Over/Under for total runs scored is 9.5. 

Athletics-Diamondbacks MLB pick (DraftKings)

• Arizona to not bat bottom 9 (+110)

It might seem like forever ago to Athletics fans – what few are left with the team leaving Oakland – but the club spent 44 days alone or tied for first place in the AL West earlier this season. As recently as following a June 18 victory over the Angels, the A’s were sitting at 38-38 and only a half-game out of the division lead. They had about a 30% shot of making the playoffs via the SportsLine Projection Model.

Now the club is 43-57 with a 1.3% shot and much closer to the AL West last-place Halos than a wild card spot. In fact, the Athletics have the worst run differential in the majors by far at minus-111. Part of that is playing many games in that hitter-friendly Sacramento minor-league park. They also had a handful earlier this year at a Las Vegas minor-league park that proved to be an utter launching pad. Manager Mark Kotsay is on a major hot seat.

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I don’t really get this because there is some really good young talent on the roster, led by All-Star catcher Shea Langeliers. They also have 2025 AL Rookie of the Year and outfielder Nick Kurtz and shortstop and 2025 AL ROY runner-up Jacob Wilson – he homered in Monday’s 5-2 victory. The lineup generally hasn’t been the problem — the pitching staff has. It owns a 5.29 ERA that is better than only Colorado. The Athletics have 20 quality starts, 34 fewer than the MLB-leading Dodgers.

JT Ginn has been pretty good in the rotation, and rookie Gage Jump has shown promise, but that’s about it. Every other pitcher who has made double-digit starts has an ERA of at least 4.16. Converted reliever Jack Perkins (2-5, 6.87 ERA) gets the call tonight, his seventh start and 25th appearance of the season. The Athletics have lost his past five trips to the mound. Perkins followed an opener last time out in Detroit but still took the loss, allowing three runs over three innings.

The 26-year-old faced Arizona last year as a rookie and was shelled for four runs and five hits over three innings of a home loss. The model projects him at 5.3 innings, 5.9 strikeouts, 4.5 hits allowed and 2.7 earned runs tonight. That all seems generous.

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Arizona should be a buyer ahead of the trade deadline, sitting only a half-game out of the final NL wild card spot. That race could be fascinating the rest of the way with a good six teams in the mix. The Snakes are -245 for extra baseball and +200 for No. The model gives them a 22.0% chance.

Do the Diamondbacks have the pitching themselves to get there? Maybe if Corbin Burnes makes it back from Tommy John surgery, but now that’s apparently not before September if even then. Usual stalwarts like Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are having down seasons. Gallen and fellow starter Michael Soroka are on the injured list – Gallen’s season might be over — so Arizona needs a body for Tuesday, and that apparently will be rookie lefty Kohl Drake on the mound in the 26-year-old’s debut in the Show.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder, one of three prospects who came over from Texas at the 2025 trade deadline, is ranked as the franchise’s No. 10 overall prospect. He is 3-5 with a 6.92 ERA in 66.1 innings this season at Triple-A Reno.

Obviously, that’s not a good ERA, but you can often throw that number out in the Pacific Coast League (where Reno plays) as all those parks are quite hitter-friendly. Drake has been called up a few times the past couple of years but has yet to pitch. The Athletics have struggled against lefties at 12-22, and the model forecasts Kohl at 5.0 innings, 4.9 strikeouts, 6.2 hits allowed and 2.5 earned runs. 

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The Athletics took advantage of no Corbin Carroll in the Arizona lineup on Monday, but Carroll should be back in there and Sacramento last won back-to-back games June 25-26. Obviously, I wish it were a veteran pitcher for the Snakes and not a guy making his debut, but they should hit Perkins around. Check out other expert picks in the SportsLine daily newsletter. 

The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers.

During a friendly 4-ball, teeing off on a blind par-4, my playing partner could not find her tee shot. The group searched for more than 3 minutes for her ball. My partner decided to “pick up” rather than head back to the tee. Soon enough, another player in the group checked the hole for fun — no one had thought to look there, since it was a par-4 … and there it was. A hole-in-one! But was it really, given the circumstances? – Teresa White, Purchase, NY

Really, it was, even if it sounds like the group didn’t get the free round of drinks owed at the 19th hole.

Your partner indeed made a hole-in-one — and, even rarer, an albatross to boot! The fact that the ball wasn’t found in the search time didn’t matter, nor did her “picking up,” because she had already completed the hole. Rule 6.5, “Completing Play of a Hole,” completely covers this situation.

For the answer to another hole-in-one query, read on …

A member at our club made an ace, then called a penalty on himself, claiming he teed the ball ahead of the marker. All this to avoid paying for drinks after the round, when tabs have reached $2,000. Was this legal? – John Karam, St. Petersburg, Fla.

The thrill of victory and the agony of… the bar tab.

Let’s say this occurred in match play. Under Rule 6.1b, which covers playing from inside the teeing area, the opponent gets to choose whether to cancel Mr. Cheap Ace’s stroke, so if that opponent prefers a free drink and losing the hole, so be it — don’t cancel the stroke and the hole in one stands.

In stroke play, once the player has called the penalty on himself, he gets two penalty strokes — but remember, the stroke into the hole now doesn’t count and the player has to correct the mistake by playing from within the teeing area (as opposed to “That’s a 1 with a 2-stroke penalty for a 3”).

If he doesn’t correct the mistake, he’s disqualified. Some might argue that a player calling a penalty to gain an advantage is antithetical to golf’s spirit, and the Committee could go the DQ route via serious misconduct under Rule 1.2a.

But the game of golf assumes honorable golfers and takes them at their word, unless there’s hard evidence to the contrary. Suspicions aren’t facts, and the “advantage” here is purely financial, not competitive — quite the contrary, since he has cost himself strokes. Maybe it seems a bit naive, but Rules Guy, for one, prefers it that way, even if it means paying for his own single-malt Scotch at the 19th hole.

Contract extensions can be tricky things. Re-sign or extend too soon, and the player may fall short of expectations, causing regret. Re-sign too late, and things can get ugly in a hurry, leading to increased dollar amount and possibly bad blood. That too, might be something to regret. Even an act of indifference such as letting a deal expire and letting the player walk free and clear is a potentially regretful situation for the Dallas Cowboys to find themselves in.

While contract extensions will always be second-guessed, regardless of the logic and regardless of the circumstance, we will attempt to hammer out some today as we navigate these tricky extension situations facing the team in 2026

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The Cowboys have more than a few players up for new deals, but which players demand extensions now, which ones are more wait-and-see and which are too risky to re-up and just something that should ride out?

Williams is locked in through the 2027 season, but the Cowboys’ commitment to him is obvious and the intention to extend has been made clear. Instead of waiting until this time next year, it may be more economically responsible to extend him now.

Williams, 28, is slated to count over $21M in 2026 and over $25M in 2027.  With the market currently set at $35M/year, getting ahead of this now makes more sense than waiting until the market grows larger and Williams is on the wrong side of 30. An extension with a boost in pay now could soften the blow, ease the tension and commit to a player everyone feels extremely good about.

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This is an impossibly difficult situation that has me firmly on the fence. On one hand, Overshown is a game-changing talent with All-Pro ability. On the other hand, he’s a player who had multiple knee injuries and someone who’s missed more games than he’s played.

It comes down to this: Even if Overshown stays healthy and plays brilliantly in 2026, can the Cowboys afford to pay a player with his medical history top of the market prices? That question led me to propose a one-year extension earlier in the offseason. Giving him a megadeal off just one healthy season is too risky but if he can stay healthy for 2026 and 2027, it makes such a committment a little less scary. But deals like that are rare, and for the purposes of this exercise, Overshown is too risky to sign on a high-dollar deal now, or over the next offseason.

The deadline to an extension has already come and gone for Pickens and the Cowboys, so this really just came down to “reassess” or “ride it out” status here. If Pickens repeats his 2025 breakout campaign and posts over 1200 yards and double-digit touchdowns, the market will explode for him. If he falls back to the production levels of previous years and/or raises behavioral concerns, his value will tank. It all makes the Cowboys’ approach to wait-and-see completely logical.

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At the end of the day, Pickens’ high is too high to rule out an extension. Even with all the money going to the offense already, a multi-year deal has to be considered if he proves dominant once again. His situation demands open minds and potentially open wallets.

You can follow Reid on X @ReidDHanson and be sure to follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!

This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 3 Cowboys in need of contract extensions, 3 different paths

Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra time on Sunday evening to claim their second World Cup title.

Ferran Torres scored a dramatic extra-time winne and shattered Lionel Messi‘s dreams of a triumphant farewell to football’s greatest stage.

Barcelona striker Torres lashed home a thumping finish in the 106th minute to reward a dominant display by Spain against an Argentina team who failed to register a single shot on target in 120 minutes.

A star-studded crowd of 80,663 that included US President Donald Trump packed East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium to see if Argentina captain Messi could crown his glittering career with a second World Cup victory.

But the 39-year-old maestro, almost certainly playing in his final World Cup game, was reduced to irrelevance as Spain took control early on against an Argentina team who committed a catalogue of cynical fouls throughout.

The South Americans’ skulduggery ended with midfielder Enzo Fernandez being sent off after a brutal challenge on Spain defender Pau Cubarsi in stoppage time.

For long periods though it looked as if Argentina may somehow hold on for a penalty shoot-out as Spain struggled to make the breakthrough.

Read moreSpain-Argentina live: Extra time begins with Albiceleste down to 10 men

But after Nico Williams had a goal controversially disallowed in extra-time, Spain struck.

A lofted cross to the back post by Pedro Porro found Williams who nodded into the path of Torres to crash home the goal that would clinch Spain’s second World Cup title after their maiden 2010 triumph.

“Ultimately, the goal belongs to 47 million people — not just me or the 26 players,” goal hero Torres said, referring to Spain’s approximate population.

“At the end of the day, all finals are tough; when you’re up against Messi, there’s a certain nervousness, but we always believed in our football and in ourselves.”

Messi meanwhile was seen with tears streaming down his face after receiving runners-up medals at a trophy presentation headed by Trump, who was subjected to deafening boos and catcalls as he walked onto the pitch alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Trump and Infantino later presented the World Cup trophy to Spain captain Rodri — the midfield general who had orchestrated La Roja’s superb win.

Madrid fans react to Spain’s World Cup win

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“We have won everything, and that is wonderful,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said of his team. “They are a generation of footballers who are a source of pride for Spain. Together, we are stronger.”

Many fouls

Before Sunday’s final, many pundits had predicted a technically inferior Argentina would seek to disrupt Spain’s smooth game with cynicism.

There was an early sign of the South Americans’ cynical gameplan early on when Alexis Mac Allister went flying in with a studs-up challenge that struck Dani Olmo’s ankle.

Mac Allister escaped an early yellow card although after Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic only awarded a foul.

Spain made their presence felt moments later though, with Alex Baena poleaxing Messi with an elbow to the back that again escaped sanction.

Argentina continued to test referee Vincic’s patience with a series of niggly challenges, and Nicolas Tagliafico was lucky not to be cautioned after raking Lamine Yamal‘s calf in a clumsy challenge.

Eventually though Vincic did reach for a yellow card, with Lisandro Martinez booked for a cynical challenge on Mikel Oyarzabal.

The final’s controversial extended half-time show featuring the likes of Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber stretched to 27 minutes but did little to upset Spain’s rhythm.

The Spanish piled on the pressure in a lopsided second half as Argentina hung on grimly.

De la Fuente sent on Pedri and Ferran Torres for Fabian Ruiz and Oyarzabal and the chances continued with Argentina in full siege mode.

Pedri and Cubarsi both lashed long-range shots that Emi Martinez failed to grasp at the first attempt but somehow Argentina continued to hold on.

Late red card 

The arrival of substitutes Williams and Mikel Merino gave fresh life to Spain’s attacking momentum, and the onslaught continued.

Fernandez’s reckless red card left Spain down to 10 men heading into extra-time.

Martinez had one last save deep in stoppage time when Yamal’s superb whipped free-kick was clawed wide.

The Spanish dominance continued in extra-time, with Williams almost opening the scoring with a glancing header that Martinez got down well to save one-handed.

Moments later it looked as if Spain had made the breakthrough when Williams slid a low finish into the net but referee Vincic blew for a marginal foul on Nicolas Otamendi.

But the breakthrough came with Torres’s winner.

Argentina made a desperate last raid on Spain’s goal but La Roja held firm to seal victory.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Sir Alex Ferguson has paid a heartfelt tribute to his fierce managerial rival Kevin Keegan after the former Newcastle United manager’s death at the age of 75.

The legendary Manchester United boss, famously on the receiving end of Keegan’s iconic “I’d love it, absolutely love it, if we beat them” rant, expressed his profound respect for the man he credited with building Newcastle’s “best ever team”.

Speaking to Track Radio, Ferguson said: “I had the utmost respect for him. We had many duels when he was manager of Newcastle, but I have to say the job he did at Newcastle was fantastic.

“He re-energised that club and he brought that enthusiasm and fanaticism that great supporters can give. That’s the job he did.

“And he also brought three great players to the club – (David) Ginola, (Faustino) Asprilla, Philippe Albert – and added a bit of class to the team, and I must say the challenges we had with Newcastle at that time at United were huge.

“Kevin carried the love of the game on his sleeve, there’s no question about that, and that carried right on to the fans, to the players.

“That period at Newcastle was of emotion, it was excitement. They brought these great players to the club too and they added to it, and it gave Newcastle – I think – their best ever team.”

That emotion memorably boiled over in April 1996 when, with Ferguson’s United chasing down Keegan’s Premier League leaders Newcastle – they would ultimately snatch the title from their grasp – the former England striker made an emotional outburst during a Sky Sports interview.

However, Ferguson revealed the pair bumped into each other at a pub close to Wentworth Golf Club a few weeks after the season had ended and spent the night around a piano with all thoughts of football rivalry shelved.

Ferguson said: “The great thing about him, he held no grudges. That was a fantastic quality he had and we had a great night.

“All aside whatever happened in previous weeks, that was soon forgotten. I really respected him for that.”

Keegan’s death, which was announced on Monday, has prompted a tide of tributes to the former Scunthorpe, Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton and Newcastle frontman from across the football community.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe laid down flowers outside St James’ Park, surrounded by a number of supporters who had congregated at the ground to pay tribute to Keegan.

Sir Trevor Brooking, who played alongside him for England, said in a statement: “I am so very sad to hear the devastating news about my friend and former team-mate Kevin Keegan.

“My friendship with Kevin goes back many decades, to our playing days for England. We were lucky enough to develop a real understanding on the field of play and know what each other was thinking.

“Kevin liked to run and find space on the pitch and I’d try to time my passes to give him the best chance to use his world-class skills to score.

“We roomed together on England duty and Kevin, with his bubbly character, was never shy of making jokes, often at my expense!

“I recently met up for lunch with Kevin and Jean when they were visiting London. Although it had been a while since we’d last seen each other, we picked up our conversation as if it had been yesterday.

“That afternoon, reminiscing about our footballing days, is one I will always treasure.

“Our thoughts and love are with Jean, Laura, Sarah and all of Kevin’s family at this sad time.”

The Ciaron Maher stable is evaluating several prospective races for the three-year-old filly Signature Scent, with two Stakes-level events among the possibilities.

Signature Scent has entries in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) and a Three-Year-Old Handicap (1100m) at Caulfield, as well as the Listed Lightning Stakes (1050m) at Morphettville. All three races are scheduled for Saturday.

Jack Turnbull, Ciaron Maher Racing’s National Assistant Trainer, indicated the race against her own age cohort at Caulfield was the most appealing.

Signature Scent is set to carry 59.5kg in the Caulfield handicap. If the stable decides to utilise the 3kg claim of Jabez Johnstone, who partnered the filly in her 1100m victory on July 11, her weight would be reduced to 56.5kg.

However, under the weight-for-age conditions of the Bletchingly Stakes, Signature Scent would face open-aged competition and carry 56kg. At Morphettville, the Lightning Stakes is a set-weights race for two and three-year-olds, where she would be assigned 57kg.

“The idea of this campaign is to get her back winning and if she was to win again, or run well, there are plenty of races coming up and we don’t have to rush back too soon at the moment if we don’t feel we have to,” Turnbull stated.

He added, “The fact that she is relaxing better now gives her the opportunity to get 1200 (metres).”

“She was a bit of a one trick pony early and the blinkers have really helped her, and it opens up a few more options.”

Signature Scent has prior experience at Morphettville, winning over 1050m on March 28, before finishing third in the Listed Redelva Stakes (1100m) and fifth in the Group 2 Tobin Bronze Stakes (1200m).

While a final decision on Signature Scent’s next race is pending, the Maher team will also field Recommendation in the Bletchingly Stakes.

This marks Recommendation’s third appearance in the Bletchingly Stakes, having won the event in 2024 and finishing fifth last year.

Recommendation is coming off a sixth-place finish in the Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on July 11. This performance pleased the Maher stable, although the sprinter settled further back than intended.

“There was a lot of pressure early which probably exaggerated where he got to,” Turnbull commented. “We had the winners back, but it was a bit quicker than us, but we feel as though he’s back to his best to be winning this.”

“He didn’t come up well last time and the six (1200m) is no issue and weight-for-age conditions is generally his go.”

Fancy a punt on the Bletchingly Stakes? Explore the leading betting markets for the race with top online bookmakers.

The BCCI on Monday invited bids for the title sponsorship rights for its domestic and international home events, with the current agreement with IDFC FIRST Bank nearing the end of its tenure.

The cricket board issued an Invitation to Tender (ITT), inviting entities to bid for the rights through a competitive process.

The ITT document will be made available on payment of a non-refundable fee of Rs 1 lakh, plus applicable GST. Interested parties can purchase the document until August 4, while the deadline for seeking clarifications is August 5.

Bid documents must be submitted by August 13, the BCCI said in a press release signed by its secretary Devajit Saikia.

The BCCI said the tender document, containing the eligibility criteria and terms and conditions governing the bidding process, will be shared only after confirmation of payment of the ITT fee.

The board clarified that purchasing the ITT does not automatically entitle an entity to participate in the bidding process, with only those meeting the eligibility criteria specified in the tender document being allowed to submit bids.

The successful bidder will acquire the title sponsorship rights for BCCI events, which include international matches involving the Indian men’s and women’s teams played at home, domestic tournaments such as well as Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup, besides age-group competitions.

The current rights are held by IDFC FIRST Bank, which secured the deal in September 2023 and runs until August 2026.

IDFC First Bank is the exiting title sponsor for all BCCI international and domestic home matches (including Test, ODI, and T20 series, as well as domestic tournaments like the Ranji Trophy).

Additionally, Apollo Tyres serves as the official lead sponsor and jersey sponsor for Team India.

The BCCI reserves the right to cancel or amend the tender process at any stage without assigning any reason.

BCCI also invites bids for associate partner rights 
The BCCI also issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ), inviting entities to bid for the associate partner rights for its events through a tender process.

The RFQ document will be made available on payment of a non-refundable fee of Rs 1 lakh plus applicable GST. Interested parties can purchase the RFQ till August 14, seek clarifications until August 16, while the last date for submission of quotation documents is August 25.

The board said the RFQ, containing the eligibility criteria and detailed terms governing the bidding process, will be shared only after confirmation of payment of the RFQ fee.

The successful bidder will acquire the associate partner rights for BCCI events, which include home international matches involving the Indian men’s and women’s teams, domestic competitions and age-group tournaments.

Lionel Messi could have ended all debate over who is the greatest player of all time by winning another World Cup with Argentina on Sunday, but he was left in tears following Spain’s 1-0 win.

Messi, now 39, dragged the holders to another final, scoring eight goals and also providing two assists in the dramatic late comeback against England in the semi-finals.

But the dream of lifting the trophy again, four years after he inspired Argentina to victory in Qatar, ultimately proved too good to be true.

Ten-man Argentina did not lay a glove on Spain at the MetLife Stadium, and were lucky to survive until the 106th minute, when Ferran Torres finally broke the deadlock.

Read moreSpain win World Cup by beating Argentina 1-0

The blunt South Americans struggled throughout the match and faced a huge challenge when Enzo Fernandez was sent off in stoppage time.

The final passed Messi by, and as he broke down in tears it was easy to think that he might have been much better off bowing out on that glorious night in Doha in 2022.

That victory allowed him to emulate Diego Maradona, who dragged Argentina to glory in 1986. But this time he emulated his legendary predecessor in a different way.

Maradona’s Argentina returned to the final as holders in 1990, only to deliver a dreadful, cynical display in losing 1-0 to West Germany, a game they finished with nine men.

They fouled their way through this game too, appearing to have no tactic other than to try to get under Spain’s skin.

Messi touched the ball only 54 times, with almost half of those coming in extra-time, and never looked like scoring the goal that would allow him to equal Kylian Mbappé‘s overall World Cup record tally of 22.

Equalling Cafu

It was hard not to come to the conclusion that he ended up hindering his side once they were down to 10 men – he was left as their lone forward, when in any other circumstances coach Lionel Scaloni would surely have sent on the fresh legs of Lautaro Martinez in attack.

Argentina failed to become the first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962, but this was still a momentous day for Messi.

He became only the second player to appear in three World Cup finals, matching the achievement of Brazil great Cafu.

World Cup 2026: Argentine coach in tears after defeat to Spain

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Pelé won three World Cups, but did not play in the 1962 final due to injury. Maradona played in two finals.

If Messi does still have any doubters, they may point to the fact that he has now lost two of his finals, with this defeat following the loss to Germany in 2014.

Sunday’s final took place back at the same stadium where he sensationally announced his retirement from international football aged 29 in 2016.

He had won more than 100 caps by then, and was already regarded as one of the greatest players of all time thanks to his achievements with Barcelona.

A game too far

But with Argentina he had already lost three major finals, including the 2014 World Cup final, when he came to the MetLife Stadium for the Copa America Centenario decider against Chile in 2016.

The game ended 0-0, before Messi missed his penalty in the shootout as Argentina lost again.

“For me the national team is over,” he said then.

He went on to enjoy an incredible late career revival with his country, winning the Copa America back-to-back in 2021 and 2024, either side of the 2022 World Cup.

The 2026 tournament in North America felt at first like a victory lap for Messi, as he scored a hat-trick in the opening game against Algeria and the goals kept flowing.

He now has more than 200 caps, and has played a record 34 World Cup games across a joint-record six tournaments.

Surely this will bring the curtain down on his World Cup career, given he will be into his 40s in 2030.

There may, however, be calls for him to keep playing for his country a little longer, especially as he has a contract with Inter Miami until 2028.

It has been a glorious career, but Sunday’s final was a game too far for Messi and Argentina.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)