Oklahoma QB John Mateer denies gambling, says Venmo transaction titles were ‘inside jokes’
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer denies allegations of sports gambling after a report showed he made Venmo payments labeled for “sports gambling” in 2022. Mateer, who was at Washington State at the time, said Tuesday these were inside jokes with friends and not actual bets. He assured his teammates, coaches, and the NCAA that he has never gambled on sports. Oklahoma confirmed there is no NCAA investigation and states they use ProhiBet to monitor gambling activities. Mateer is recognized for his leadership and is considered one of the nation’s top transfers, contributing to Oklahoma’s No. 18 ranking in the AP Top 25.
Pete Alonso breaks Darryl Strawberry’s Mets franchise home run record
NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso has connected for his 253rd career homer, breaking the franchise record held by Darryl Strawberry for 37 years. The 30-year-old Alonso drove a 95.1 mph fastball from Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider just over the wall in right-center for a two-run shot in the third inning. Alonso’s 27th homer of the season lifted the Mets to a 5-1 lead. The Mets celebrated the accomplishment with a scoreboard graphic with the number 253 alongside pictures of Alonso and polar bears in honor of the slugger’s nickname. Alonso went deep again in the sixth.
Frelick and Turang homer off Skenes as the Brewers beat the Pirates 14-0 for their 11th straight win
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Sal Frelick and Brice Turang homered off Paul Skenes, and the Milwaukee Brewers pounded the Pittsburgh Pirates 14-0 for their 11th consecutive victory. Christian Yelich, Andrew Vaughn and Caleb Durbin also went deep as major league-leading Milwaukee improved to 27-5 in its last 32 games. Freddy Peralta pitched six innings of three-hit ball in his second straight win. The Brewers’ 11-game winning streak is their second of the season and the second-longest in franchise history. Skenes permitted four runs and six hits in four innings.
The Little League World Series has had its share of drama before even getting to Williamsport
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — The Little League World Series features players from Venezuela who got visa exemptions to make the trip to central Pennsylvania, an American team that knocked off the defending champ and once-dominant Taiwan trying for a title run. It all starts with a new ESPN film to get youth baseball fans excited for the annual tournament. Airing the night before the LLWS begins Wednesday, ESPN is releasing the Little League documentary “Big Dreams: Little League World Series 2024.”
Mariners catch Astros in the AL West after beating Baltimore for their 8th straight win
BALTIMORE (AP) — The Seattle Mariners have extended their winning streak to eight games with a 1-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. On Tuesday night, George Kirby led the team, allowing just three hits in seven innings. This win puts Seattle in a first-place tie with Houston in the AL West after the Astros lost to Boston. The Mariners are starting a road trip that also includes games against the Mets and Phillies. They will face Houston again in mid-September.
Angels turn triple play when Shohei Ohtani lines out to Zach Neto and 2 Dodgers are caught off base
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels turned the eighth triple play in team history Tuesday night, capitalizing on a line drive to second by Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani. Miguel Rojas was on second and Dalton Rushing was on first for the Dodgers when Ohtani hit a drive right up the middle past reliever Brock Burke. Angels shortstop Zach Neto caught Ohtani’s drive and stepped on second in stride to get Rojas. Neto quickly threw to first, where Nolan Schanuel tagged out Rushing as the Dodgers rookie attempted to sneak back.
Golf is not like team sports. It was never meant to have a finish line to the season
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — There was so much faux outrage over Rory McIlroy missing the first PGA Tour postseason event. He wasn’t the first to skip it. And he didn’t even drop in the FedEx Cup. It should be a reminder that golf is not like other sports. There is no defining end to the season like a Super Bowl or a World Series. The PGA Tour originally called the postseason a “championship series” but then went to “playoffs” and it makes no sense. But what it created was incentive for the best to keep playing after the majors. That still works, even without McIlroy.
Wrexham pulls off dramatic late recovery to advance in League Cup on penalties
WREXHAM, Wales (AP) — Wrexham striker Ollie Palmer has scored two goals in the space of a minute in stoppage time then converted one of the team’s penalties in its dramatic shootout win over Hull in the English League Cup. The Welsh club owned by Hollywood celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney looked to be heading out in the first round when trailing 3-1 down at the start of added-on time. Then Palmer, on as a substitute, converted headers in the first and second minutes of stoppage time to make it 3-3 and take the game to a shootout. Wrexham won it 5-3 to advance. After three straight promotions, Wrexham is playing in the second-tier Championship.
Sha’Carri Richardson addresses domestic violence arrest and apologizes to Christian Coleman
Sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson has addressed her recent domestic violence arrest in a social media post and apologized to her boyfriend Christian Coleman. Richardson was arrested on July 27 for allegedly assaulting Coleman at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. She was held for over 18 hours. Her arrest was days before she ran the 100 meters at the U.S. championships. In a video, Richardson spoke about self-reflection and accountability. The police report mentioned a disturbance involving Richardson and Coleman, who declined to participate further in the investigation. Richardson expressed gratitude for Coleman, saying he taught her about unconditional love.