BOSTON For the second time in less than a week, Red Sox slugger Willson Contreras departed a game early Wednesday.Contreras left the game after the fourth inning due to illness, the Red Sox announced. He was replaced in the field in the top of the fifth inning of Bostons matchup against the White Sox at Fenway Park. Nick Sogard moved from second base to first base in his place and Anthony Seigler entered the game at second.Hes a little under the weather, interim manager Chad Tracy said after a 4-0 win. Feeling a little sick and then we took some temperatures as the game was going. Temperature started to go up. He started to get a little dizzy so we thought it was best to get him out of there.Contreras had an RBI single in the first inning, then walked in the third against Chicago starter Sean Burke. He played four innings in the field, too.On Friday in Los Angeles, Contreras came out of the game after being drilled in the head by a 95 mph from righty Will Klein. He missed Saturdays game as he was tested for a concussion, then returned Sunday and started Tuesdays win over the White Sox as well.Contreras has started 103 of Bostons first 113 games at first base and one more at designated hitter. In mid-July, he missed five games after being suspended for his role in a benches-clearing brawl with the Nationals and right-hander Cade Cavalli.Contreras, in his first season with the Red Sox, leads the club in home runs (23), RBIs (69) and OPS (.931) among qualified hitters. He was selected to the American League All-Star team last month.More Red Sox coverageRed Sox reactions: Eleventh shutout of season produces seventh straight winRed Sox Chad Tracy has two choices at 2B; How he decides on a daily basisJarren Duran expected Red Sox to release him because he was MLBs worst playerTrevor Story happy Red Sox didnt trade for shortstop as return approaches: Its close, manRed Sox have baseballs No. 2 prospect after latest rankingsRead the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

By Rohith Nair Aug 5 (Reuters) - FIFA apologised to its members for mistakes made over its abandoned proposal to sell commercial rights to the World Cup as the body's leadership reaffirmed its support for President Gianni Infantino after a crisis meeting in Morocco on Wednesday. The proposal to sell a 20% stake in a new commercial rights entity to private investors in a deal that would have raised about $4.2 billion provoked a fierce backlash and was withdrawn last Friday. Infantino bore the brunt of the criticism, including some from inside FIFA, which raised questions over his re-election as president next March. "Following a meeting in Rabat, Morocco, the FIFA Secretary General and members of the FIFA management board in attendance reaffirmed their full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino," the statement said. "In turn, the FIFA President reiterated his full support for the FIFA Secretary General and the FIFA administration for their necessary and outstanding work in the delivery of his vision." Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom sent an internal memo to staff this week lamenting the "sad and reproachable series of events" that led to the project being "permanently abandoned", two sources told Reuters. Grafstrom's letter, which did not mention Infantino by name, noted that "individuals, unstable moments and unfortunate episodes come and go" but FIFA's work would continue. His words echoed those of FIFA's Chief Operating Officer Kevin Lamour, who said last week that staff had been "deceived" over the plan which he described as the project of one person. Wednesday's FIFA statement noted that Infantino, president since 2016, was "the only official elected by the 211 FIFA member associations". FIFA said a separate letter had been sent to FIFA Council members and member associations apologising for the errors and promising a review. "It was agreed that it was not the intention for the FIFA Council and FIFA member associations to feel excluded from the process and that the process should have been handled differently," the statement added. With the proposal withdrawn, FIFA said it would "no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process". FIERCE CRITICISM OF PROPOSAL FROM STAKEHOLDERS The proposal, which also drew scrutiny because of the involvement of a company with family links to U.S. President Donald Trump, prompted fierce criticism from European soccer's governing body UEFA and other stakeholders. Infantino's backdown last Friday did little to assuage those critics and a handful of European federations have withdrawn their backing for the 56-year-old Swiss Italian. UEFA said it had lost confidence in Infantino's leadership, a stance shared by CONCACAF, which runs the game in North and Central America as well as the Caribbean. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) werealso highly critical of the way the proposal was presented as a fait accompli without consultation. Former Portugal great Luis Figo, who planned to run for the FIFA presidency in 2015, said Infantino should resign over the affair, while UEFA Vice President Laura McAllister told Reuters the controversy surrounding the abandoned proposal had brought the FIFA president's leadership to a crisis point. European Leagues, which represents more than 1,300 clubs across Europe, said on Wednesday FIFA must not be allowed to "continue taking unilaterally disruptive decisions" that affect clubs, players and fans. It also criticised the "impractically short assessment timeline" of four weeks given by FIFA to study the plan to expand the World Cup from 48 to 64 teams for the 2030 edition. An Extraordinary Congress could be called if 43 or more FIFA member associations make a formal written request for one. INFANTINO ALLIES SEND MESSAGES OF SUPPORT Infantino still has plenty of allies, however, particularly in parts of the world where impoverished football associations rely on FIFA's largesse to operate. Leading African football administrators have sent messages of support as Infantino looks to the continent's 54 members for backing. The African confederation (CAF) has yet to take a stance. The executive committee of the smallest and least wealthy regional confederation, Oceania, will meet next Wednesday to discuss their approach. Qatar, which hosted the 2022 World Cup, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Philippines have all declared their loyalty to Infantino despite the AFC's critical stance. Under FIFA rules, the vote of San Marino, whose men's team are ranked 211th and last in the world rankings, counts as much as that of World Cup winners like Brazil, Germany, Argentina and Spain. One clear advantage for Infantino as he looks to extend his presidency until 2031 is that no clear candidate to stand against him in March's election has yet emerged. One of the first football associations to back Infantino after his proposal was withdrawn was Morocco, which will co-host the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain and is hoping to stage the final. A FIFA spokesperson dismissed a report that Infantino had made promises over the staging of the title-deciding contest in exchange for support. "It is false and misleading to claim the FIFA president has made any promise in relation to hosting the FIFA World Cup 2030 final," the spokesperson said. "A decision will be made by FIFA in due course." (Reporting by Rohith Nair, Lori Ewing, Ian Ransom, Tim Hart and Suramya Kaushik, writing by Nick Mulvenney and Janina Nuno Rios, editing by Lincoln Feast.)

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy may find help in the passing game from an unlikely source this season. The 49ers are three weeks into training camp and are already dealing with a rash of injuries at wide receiver. Ricky Pearsall is out for the season due to surgery on a knee injury from last season, and Mike Evans and De'Zhaun Stribling are dealing with quad and hamstring issues, respectively. With a rotating cast of wide receivers from various spots at or near the bottom of the depth chart, Purdy has started turning to his tight ends even without George Kittle on the field while he recovers from an Achilles tear he suffered in January. ESPN's Nick Wagoner on Wednesday posted a detailed practice recap and pointed directly to the team's pair of backup TEs from last season as players who stood out during the team portion of the session.Farrell hasn't proved much of an option in the pass game since his arrival but he was very involved on Wednesday. Had him down for five catches, all from Purdy, including three in the move the ball period to set up Watkins' TD. Jake Tonges has been more involved, too, and with all the injuries at WR, it's clear Purdy has a level of comfort with the TEs that can pay dividends.The 49ers won't be able to compete for a Super Bowl if Purdy regularly has to rely on Farrell and Tonges for targets. However, having more arrows in that quiver is never a bad thing. If the 49ers can have those two TEs step up in any time Kittle misses while also giving head coach Kyle Shanahan a bigger menu of options with multiple TE personnel groups. Ideally Farrell and Tonges won't play key roles for the 49ers because Kittle, Christian McCaffrey and the receiving corps stay largely healthy for all 18 weeks. Training camp is about preparing for a variety of regular season scenarios, though, and it appears Purdy will be comfortable airing it out if the passing game requires him to dish out targets to his backup tight ends. More 49ers: 49ers injury problem may not be as bad as it looks on paperThis article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Brock Purdy finding help in 49ers passing game from unlikely source

76ers president Mike Gansey celebrates how the Jaylen Brown trade led to LeBron James originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Ahead of the 2026-27 season, the Philadelphia 76ers are seen as one of the Eastern Conference's best teams. Team president Mike Gansey did a fantastic job in the offseason so far, as he traded for recent All-NBA Second Team member Jaylen Brown and then signed LeBron James.That is a blockbuster offseason for any team, but for Philly, that has been something they have been waiting for. With players like Brown and James joining the likes of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe, they could be contenders moving forward.Mike Gansey speaks about how his trade for Jaylen Brown led to the LeBron James signingAs the architect of the current 76ers starting lineup, Gansey can take some time to celebrate his victories. Getting two superstars is no easy feat, and he did it in just the span of a couple of weeks. Now, they have arguably the best starting lineup in the league.Even Kevin Durant is calling it a superteam on the level of the Golden State Warriors team he won with in 2017 and 2018. While that might just be a deflection from the criticism of his own decision, Durant has a point that this team is quite loaded with talent.MORE:Rich Paul speaks about how talking badly about LeBron James gets media attentionGansey has the right to celebrate what he did because he just built the best 76ers team in a long while. This team has not won a championship since 1983, and they haven't even reached the NBA Finals since 2001 when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers."I called Rich Paul right away and said, 'Hey, we got Jaylen, is there a chance LeBron wants to come to us?' 'This changes some things.' They talked about it... It was a long process, but we don't get LeBron without Jaylen," Gansey said on the MLB broadcast for a Philadelphia Phillies game.After struggling in the past few years, the 76ers can be truly excited for a season when they are championship contenders. It will be quite challenging, but being a contender gets easier when you have two Finals MVPs like Brown and James leading the charge.More NBA news:VJ Edgecombe provides his honest expectations for the 76ers' 2026-27 seasonNick Nurse speaks about the offseason work Joel Embiid has done ahead of the 2026-27 seasonLeBron James puts the rest of the NBA with a recent post featuring a Philly co-starTyrese Maxey initially hid the LeBron James signing from VJ EdgecombeStephen A. Smith responds to Kevin Durant's comparison between the current 76ers and his Warriors team

Dillon Brooks will be bothering the NBA on behalf of the Phoenix Suns for years to come.The veteran has signed a contract extension with the Suns, he confirmed to the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Wednesday, Aug. 5. The Republic confirmed Brooks' deal is a three-year, $73 million extension that ties him to Phoenix through the 2029-30 season."Villain is here to stay," Brooks told The Republic. "Championship is all on my mind."ESPN's Shams Charania first reported the news, via Brooks' Klutch Sports agent. The forward joined the Suns last offseason as part of the massive trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets. Phoenix, which is led by five-time All-Star Devin Booker, also got Jalen Green in the deal.Brooks played in 56 games last season for the Suns, averaging a career-high 20.2 points with 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per outing. Phoenix was swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the NBA playoffs.The former Oregon standout was drafted by the Rockets in the second round of the 2017 draft. He was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on draft night, where he spent six seasons.Brooks landed back in Houston in 2023 as part of a five-team trade. He played two seasons there.Brooks has developed a reputation as an antagonist in the NBA because of his gritty style of play and bold expression of his competitive nature. During the Thunder's playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers in May, he sat courtside to troll LeBron James.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dillon Brooks contract extension details: Suns lock in NBA 'villain'

Aug 5, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford (2) hits an RBI sacrifice fly during the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThere is no sugarcoating it: this was a deeply unpleasant game. It didnt look that way for most of it. Early on there was a charming, cheering, homer clanging off the foul pole from a most unlikely hitter, and later on the Phillies looked like they were in position for a walk-off thriller. But it got bitter, fast, and ended in a fashion that was drawn out and miserable, putting you to bed like a glass of warm, curdled milk. Andrew Painter hit the first batter, CJ Abrams, who then stole second. Abimelec Ortiz singled to right, putting runners on the corners, none away. He got the next two out, but a liner from Keibert Ruiz darted past the outstretched glove of new Keystone State keystone man Luis Arraez, scoring one. A nice play from Painter finished the inning with a 1-3 putout. The Phillies soon tied it on a homer from the least likely batter: Luis Arraez, who had hit just four homers this season, sent a sinker sailing to right field, where it bounced off the foul pole. Arraez is attempting the audacious feat of setting a new speedrun record for becoming beloved in Philadelphia; he might just do it. The Phillies scored another on a sacrifice fly from Justin Crawford. Though he had pitched solidly through four (3 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) Painter was pulled prior to the fifth with left hamstring tightness. An injury would be terribly timed for the team, and deeply unfortunate for a young player whos faced his share of adversity this season; it is to be hoped that his hamstring ailment will prove to be minor. Tim Mayza took over, and navigated through the inning without incident. Orion Kerkering was up next, and did the same. The Phillies offense remained largely quiet in the sixth, though Bryce Harper made it to base via walk and then got himself caught in a pickle. Brooks Raley made his Phillies debut in the seventh. A pop-up, a strikeout, and he was one out away from making his debut a clean one. The Nationals called in Brady House to pinch-hit, and he took a sweeper to the house, tying the game with a homer to right. The next batter, Jacob Young, sent one and the same direction, though fortunately not quite as far; the ball bounced off the wall, and Young arrived at second. He didnt stay long, as Abrams knocked one through the left side of the infield to score him, and to give the Washingtons the lead. Raley struck out a National to end the frame, but the Phillies were behind the 8 ball. They had allowed as many runs as they had hits on the night. The comeback attempt began with Alec Bohm working a walk, and Brandon Marsh knocking a little dribbler into center, with the ball bouncing perfectly off the mound and past a National glove to land safely in the grass. J.T. Realmuto had a rough at-bat, spending the teams second challenge on a fastball that just caught the outside of the zone, then taking strike three on a slider well outside of it. A frustrating moment, but one that did not linger: Bryson Stott slapped a single to center soon after, and the game was tied. A pinch-hitting Derek Hill flew out, Kyle Schwarber was hit by a pitch, and soon Trea Turner came to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. It was about a year between grand slams before Hill treated the Phillies to one earlier in the week; it was to be hoped that Turner would make the wait for the next much shorter. Sadly, it was not to be, as he flew out. Jonathan Bowlan took the eighth. Big Bad John, as his entrance music refers to him, lived up to the nickname, putting a trio of opponents down in order. The Nationals pitchers who took the eighth, Tom Cosgrove and Orlando Ribalta, dont have nicknames that are nearly as imposing, but accomplished the same feat. With the game tied at three, Jhoan Duran and his dramatic entrance made their appearance. Like Christmas morning, his appearance is expected, yet no less welcome for it. He quickly got two outs, then allowed a single to Young, and another, this once bouncing off his glove, to Abrams. Fortunately, the next Nat grounded into a 4-3 putout, giving the Phillies the chance for walk-off glory.But they wouldnt grab it in the ninth. Stott made it to base via the free pass, but no other damage was done.Thus we went to extras, with Jos Alvarado on the mound. Andrew Pinckney, a pinch-runner making his MLB debut, was the designated runner. His debut was not without error: he slipped as he prepared to advance on a fly ball, and failed to reach third, and as such denied the Nationals an advantage. But they would threaten anyway, loading the bases on a hit by pitch and walk. Alvarado then walked in the run for the Nationals, before closing the inning with the next batter.The Nationals brought in pitcher Clayton Beeter, facing the top of the lineup. Hill was the designated runner, though he was not content to stay at second, stealing third as soon as he could. Schwarber battled across nine pitches before succumbing to the punch-out. Turner lined one out to right, where Dylan Crews made a stunning diving catch to record the out; Hill scored, but it was hard not to feel disappointed by what couldve been. Harper walked, but made the third out trying to steal second. Worse still, his right hand got tangled up under him as he slid, and he appeared to be in some pain, though it didnt stop him from continuing to play.In the 11th, with two runners on, Derek Hill came running towards center to play a long fly ball. As he leapt, he hit his head against the wall. Thankfully, he was able to get up and walk off the field under his own power. Bryan De La Cruz replaced him, with the Phillies now down by two. They were down by three once Miles Mikolas bunted a runner in from third. Caleb Killian was pulled with one out and two runners on. Chase Shugart came in, and surrendered a grounder up the third base line to put the visitors up by five; they were up by six soon after.The Phillies could not score in their half of the 11th, and this bitter affair came to a bitter end. The Phillies are 61-54. Theyll conclude the series against the Nationals tomorrow at 6:05.

Fomer South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo was grilled by lawmakers recently (Chung Sung-Jun)Police raided South Korea's football association on Thursday as part of an investigation into the appointment of the coach in charge during their dismal World Cup campaign.Police conducted "search and seizure operations" at the Korea Football Association (KFA) offices, probing allegations of "obstruction of business" in the recruitment of former coach Hong Myung-bo, a police spokesman told AFP.The 57-year-old Hong resigned in June after South Korea were knocked out at the group stage of the 48-team showpiece in the United States, Mexico and Canada following a shock 1-0 defeat to South Africa.Questions were already dogging the Korean Football Association over the 2024 appointment of Hong, but scrutiny has intensified since the team failed to make the last-32 knockout stage.Seoul police said financial crimes investigators were "looking into whether there were charges of obstruction of business during the appointment of Hong Myung-bo", a spokesman told AFP.Local media reported authorities are investigating whether senior KFA officials improperly intervened in Hong's appointment, allegedly in violation of internal rules.South Korea's media had labelled the 2026 World Cup squad a "golden generation" and there were high hopes for a team featuring former Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min, Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae and former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in.In late July, Hong was summoned before a committee of lawmakers, where he said he took "full responsibility" for the poor performance.President Lee Jae Myung blamed the failure on "incompetent people" promoted to leadership in a statement alluding to "loyalty and factionalism" tainting recruitment at the sport's top level.The KFA declined to comment when contacted by AFP.Hong's decision to leave Son on the bench in the first half for the decisive match against South Africa at the World Cup baffled and angered many supporters.In June, South Korea fans greeted Hong's return from the World Cup with boos and chants of "Hong out!", while applauding the players who emerged behind him at the airport.Hong admitted he was struggling to understand what had gone wrong.At last month's parliamentary hearing, MPs also raised claims Hong had enjoyed a salary of 3.8 billion won (US$2.6 million) -- a figure reportedly at the high end for national coaches.Hong said at the time the figure was wrong, but declined to disclose the correct one.sjh/cdl/jts/dh

PHILADELPHIA (AP) CJ Abrams hit a tiebreaking, two-run triple in Washington's six-run 11th inning, pitcher Miles Mikolas drove in a run in his first at-bat since 2021, and the Nationals snapped their seven-game skid with a 10-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night.Luis Arraez went deep in his second game for the Phillies, whose four-game winning streak ended. Brady House homered for Washington.After Jacob Young walked to put runners on first and second with no outs, Abrams drove an 0-1 knuckle curve from Caleb Kilian (3-7) to deep center field. Derek Hill hit his head against the outfield railing while trying to make a leaping catch at the wall, and the ball caromed toward right field. Hill was down for several minutes before gingerly walking off the field with the help of Phillies trainers.After Abrams' triple, Mikolas, Thursday's scheduled starter, entered as a pinch-hitter. He got a bunt down and Abrams beat the throw to the plate with a headfirst slide to make it 7-4. Excluding Shohei Ohtani, Mikolas became the third major league pitcher since the universal designated hitter was adopted in 2022 to drive in a run.The Phillies acquired Kilian with Arraez from the San Francisco Giants on Monday for a pair of minor leaguers.A night after he had two hits and drove in two runs in his Phillies debut, Arraez led off the second inning with a drive off the foul pole in right field. It was the fifth home run this season for the three-time batting champion and four-time All-Star.Clayton Beeter (4-3) allowed Trea Turners tying sacrifice fly in the 10th. Washington took a 4-3 lead in the top of the frame without a hit against Jos Alvarado.The game was delayed by 25 minutes at the start because of rain.Phillies starter Andrew Painter did not return for the fifth inning due to left hamstring tightness. The rookie right-hander allowed three hits and one run with four strikeouts and a walk.Up nextPhillies LHP Cristopher Snchez (14-4, 2.61) opposes Mikolas (3-8, 5.67) in the finale of the four-game series on Thursday night.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

The Detroit Lions are about to get some badly needed help at tight end.Veteran Tyler Conklin has passed his physical after missing the opening week of training camp with a calf injury suffered during the spring. That clears the way for Detroit to remove him from the Physically Unable to Perform list when the team returns to practice Thursday.The timing could not be much better.Tyler Conklin Returns to a Depleted Position GroupDetroits tight end room has been hit hard during the first week of camp.Anthony Firkser was placed on injured reserve after suffering a broken fibula during the Lions first padded practice. Rookie Miles Kitselman also landed on injured reserve with a leg injury after Dan Campbell said he would be out for a while.Those setbacks forced Brad Holmes to add Nick Muse and bring Zach Horton back to the roster.Conklins return gives the Lions something those emergency additions cannot immediately provide: an experienced NFL tight end with a realistic opportunity to earn offensive snaps.Conklin Can Stabilize the Lions Depth ChartSam LaPorta and Brock Wright remain firmly established at the top of Detroits tight end room.The job behind them is far less settled.Conklin entered camp as the most experienced challenger for the No. 3 role, but his calf injury prevented him from participating during the opening stretch. Passing his physical allows him to rejoin the competition before too much valuable practice time disappears.He may be eased back into action rather than thrown directly into a full workload. Even limited participation would be a welcome development for an offense that has repeatedly reshuffled the position.Detroit Needs Conklin Ready for the PreseasonConklins return should also help the Lions manage LaPorta and Wright during the preseason.Detroit does not want its top tight ends absorbing unnecessary August snaps because injuries have left the depth chart too thin. A healthy Conklin gives the coaching staff another reliable option for team drills and preseason games while Muse and Horton learn the offense.There is also a legitimate roster opportunity waiting for him.The Lions need a third tight end who can block, handle assignments cleanly and contribute when LaPorta or Wright leaves the field. Conklin now has a chance to prove he can fill that job.Bottom LineThe Lions are expected to remove Tyler Conklin from the PUP list after the veteran tight end passed his physical.His return arrives at an important moment for a position group that has already lost Anthony Firkser and Miles Kitselman to injured reserve. Conklin will not solve every depth concern by himself, but he gives Detroit an experienced, healthy option when it desperately needs one.For the first time in several days, the Lions tight end room is receiving good news.

Photo by Kate McShane/Getty ImagesBarcelona Femen are back at work getting ready for a new campaign looking to defend last seasons historic Quadruple, and the worlds best player is ready to reclaim her throne.Aitana Bonmat joined her teammates in training this week after working very hard in the summer with a personal trainer to strengthen her ankle, which was broken back in November and caused her to miss the vast majority of the season and only play a minor part in Baras success in 2025-26.The three-time Ballon dOr winner posted pictures of her return to training with the caption Starting my 15th season at Bara, more than half my life. With great desire to enjoy football again after a complicated and different year.View this post on InstagramThis will be a big season for Aitana, who becomes the undisputed leader of the team with the summer departures of legendary figures like Mapi Len and Alexia Putellas.Aitana was already known as the best player in the world but now has even more responsibility as one of the most experienced members of the squad, and will be looking to lead a young Bara Femen side to another successful season.