Terre Haute legend Tommy John, who's been battling illness for quite some time, wrote a letter to the fans that the New York Yankees posted on social media Saturday as part of their 78th Old-Timers' Day.John, 83, was unable to attend the live festivities at Yankee Stadium. He has lived in Florida with his wife Cheryl for the last few years."A Letter from Tommy John" started with "I want to thank the Yankees organization & the Steinbrenner family for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, along with all the friends & fans who followed me throughout my 26-year career."A two-sport standout at Terre Haute Gerstmeyer in the late 1950s and early 1960s once scoring a school-record 47 points in a basketball game as a senior the 6-foot-3 John signed with the Cleveland Indians' organization as a pitcher in 1961.Although young adults may know of John from the elbow surgery named after him performed by the late Dr. Frank Jobe on John's left arm in September 1974 he enjoyed a 26-year Major League Baseball career that included four All-Star Game selections and stints with six different teams.They were the Indians (1963-64), Chicago White Sox (1965-71), Los Angeles Dodgers (1972-79, missing the 1975 season because of the surgery), the Yankees (1979-82 and 1986-89), California Angels (part of 1982-85) and Oakland Athletics (part of 1985).John complied a career record of 288-231 with a 3.34 earned-run average, posting the second-most victories of any 20th or 21st Century pitcher not inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The highest win total by any non-Hall of Famer was 354 by Roger Clemens, whose candidacy has been stalled because of ties to performance-enhancing drugs.John's letter continued: "I want to thank Dr. Jobe, who saved my arm & made it possible for me to continue pitching. That surgery has since gone on to save the careers of countless pitchers, including many of the very best in the game today."Thank you to all the fans who supported me & my teammates for 26 years. I will never forget you."John mentioned in the letter that on the first day he left home for his first "job" as a pitcher, his father Thomas John Sr., who later died in 2001 told him: "Good luck, Tommy. Just remember one thing: Whether you make it big in the big leagues or you don't, you'll always be Tommy John from Terre Haute, Indiana."John's closing message in the letter is as follows: "I've never forgotten those words. Thank you & God bless."He signed it "Tommy John (TJ)" with the Yankees' logo below it.John won 91 games in two separate stints with the Yankees.

Oregon offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu won't remind anyone of NFL legend and Hall of Famer Jerry Rice in either size or abilities on the field. But according to Oregon Duck offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer, they both possess one important trait that all players should have: You're never too old, experienced, or talented to learn new tricks."I don't think you could ever really put a value on having a great player with a ton of experience who's also a phenomenal leader. Those people are invaluable," Mehringer said. "I'm super thankful that Poncho (Laloulu) is here. Poncho is the rock, the apex in there. He's not only great for the offensive line unit, but he's great for the offense and the team as a whole."That's the reason Mehringer was invoking the NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver when discussing his center. Not for the on-field skill set, but for the dedication to the little things and setting an example for others. "I listened to a story about Jerry Rice in his 19th year in the NFL in the same offense. They're putting in drag and slant-arrow, and he's writing it down like he's never run that play before," Mehringer said. "He's run that play 10,000 times, right? But the point is that he's not 'too big-time' to take notes and learn something new that day. I feel that way about Poncho, and it leaves no excuse for anybody else in the program."Laloulu seems to be a coach's dream. He listens, takes notes, and ultimately learns from his mistakes in order to get better."If Poncho gets coached on anything, he isn't the fourth-year starter who's like, 'Coach, I'm good.' He's like, 'Got it, Coach. Yep, I'm going to get that fixed.'"In an offense that is full of both veteran players and young guys who are looking for reps, that's invaluable. On the Oregon offensive line, where as many as three starters are being replaced, having someone like Laloulu showing what it means to be diligent and take the little things to heart is key. It's no surprise that Poncho is once again thought of as the biggest leader on the team."He's vocal. He's tough. He's physical. He's everything you want that kid to be," Mehringer said. "The value of him? I don't know that you could place a value on that. That's extremely hard to find."The Oregon offensive line won't have a set five guys that will be on the field for the majority of the game, as depth is a strength for this unit in 2026. But Laloulu at center will be a constant, however, and he's only getting better as time goes on.Contact/Follow@Ducks_Wireon X (formerly Twitter) and like our page onFacebookto follow ongoing coverage of OregonDucksnews, notes, and opinions.This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Why Oregon OC invoked Jerry Rice when discussing Iapani Laloulu

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) Apex won the $1 million Hambletonian Stakes for 3-year-old trotters Saturday at the Meadowlands, holding off favorite Big Ranger by a nose in a stakes-record 1:49.2.Minoan was third, 4-1/4 lengths behind the top two finishers.Apex gave trainer Marcus Melander and driver Dexter Dunn their first Hambletonian wins. Melander had finished second in Americas Trotting Classic four times, including three of the past four years.Two races prior to the Hambletonian, Melander-trained Nezuko Kamado S won the filly companion race, the Hambletonian Oaks, by a neck over Carve. Melander became the fourth trainer to win the Hambletonian and Oaks in the same year, joining Jimmy Takter (twice), Jim Campbell and Jan Johnson.Dunn became the first driver since Mike Lachance in 2003 to win the Meadowlands Pace (in July with Brandon Blvd) and the Hambletonian in the same year.In the Hambletonian, after a lengthy photo-finish review, Apexs No. 3 lit the top spot on the tote board. In addition to a stakes record, the final time of 1:49.2 set the track record for a 3-year-old trotter and was only one-fifth of a second off the world record.Thank God we got there, Melander said. It was tight. He has the will to win, and he put his nose first. I didnt think he held on, but hes a big fighter. He fights all the way to the finish line.Apex, the 2025 Dan Patch Award winner for best 2-year-old male trotter, has won 10 of 14 career races and earned $1.61 million for owners Jeff Snyder, S R F Stable and Steve Stewart.Sent off as the 5-2 second choice, Apex paid $7.80 to win.___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 24: Justin Wrobleski #70 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates a 5-4 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 24, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesJustin Wrobleski was an All-Star this season but heads into Sunday with plenty of room for improvement after two forgettable starts in a row. Wrobleski allowed four home runs in each of his last two outings, matching his total from his first 17 games and 106 2/3 innings this season.Fellow left-hander Eduardo Rodrguez is coming off a rough outing of his own, allowing an inconvenient seven runs on 11 hits in a Tuesday loss to the San Diego Padres. The Diamondbacks have won both of Rodrguezs starts against the Dodgers this season, with him going six innings on both June 1and July 10 with a total of three runs allowed.Wrobleski in his lone start against Arizona this season, on June 4, he pitched six scoreless innings at Chase Field.Sunday game infoTeams: Dodgers at DiamondbacksBallpark: Chase Field, PhoenixStart time: 1:10 p.m. PTTV: SportsNet LARadio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Diyar Nurgozhay finally lived up to his hype earlier tonight (Sat., Aug. 8, 2026) at UFC Vegas 120 LIVE on Paramount+ from inside the revamped Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the light heavyweight prospect laid waste to Bruno Lopes via TKO with one second left in the first round.Fight fans probably didnt have this matchup circled on their event card, but it had all the ingredients to deliver instant fireworks. Thats because both guys are strikers and have a history outside of UFC for finishing their opponents. It was up to both light heavyweights to finally rise to a UFC level to earn their stripes and leave Sin City victorious.While Lopes tried his heart out it was Nurgozhay who delivered the goods. With about 30 seconds left in the first round Nurgozhay uncorked a left hand that connected on Lopes temple and left him on skates. Nurgozhay eventually tracked him down along the cage and landed a nasty uppercut followed by a punch to the body and left hook upstairs to earn the stoppage. There was one second left on the clock when the referee waved the fight off.Check out the video highlights below:WHAT A WILD LEFT HAND [ #UFCVegas120 | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/dQAR7Nl4Ew UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) August 8, 2026RIGHT BEFORE THE BUZZER Diyar Nurgozhay gets the TKO right before the end of R1![ #UFCVegas120 | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Q8o2i4idJG UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) August 8, 2026For complete UFC Vegas 120 results, coverage, and highlights clickHERE.

It's a given that the Oklahoma City Thunder will retire Russell Westbrook's No. 0 jersey. The future Hall-of-Famer enjoyed his best years both individually and on a team in his first NBA home. That's where he made his sole NBA Finals trip. As well as his sole MVP trophy.If it's up to Westbrook, though, he'd like to delay that tremendous honor for at least one more year. In a recent CNN interview, he made it known that he wants to stay in the NBA. At this point, he's in the twilight stage of his career. He's content with the fact that he's in the career journeyman portion of his story. The 37-year-old played for the Sacramento Kings last season."I dont think about it honestly," Westbrook said. "I love playing basketball and if it happens, it works and thats my plan."We'll see how things play out for Westbrook. Already in August, it's obvious that his market is pretty dry. But things can change quickly in the NBA. He'll have a couple of more months this offseason to find a new NBA home. If not, he can always wait things out and be a mid-season splurge for a team hoping to zap some energy into their locker room.Westbrook has bounced around the NBA for the last half-decade. He's played for seven teams in his 18 seasons in the league. That includes being on the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Kings in the past four seasons. When he decides to hang up the sneakers, though, NBA historians will fondly remember his time on the Thunder.Westbrook had his best years in OKC. In 11 seasons, he was an eight-time NBA All-Star. He won the prestigious 2016-17 MVP trophy. As well as two scoring titles and three assist titles. He normalized the triple-double. Alongside Kevin Durant, the superstar duo headlined OKC's first title contender throughout the 2010s. In that time, the Thunder went to one NBA Finals and four Western Conference Finals trips.While a Westbrook and Thunder reunion doesn't make sense on paper, no doubt the relationship remains strong. Even seven years after they traded him to the Houston Rockets. It'll be interesting to see if he can eventually land somewhere to keep his NBA career alive. Or if he's staring in the face of retirement.Russell Westbrook on being a free agent:I dont think about it honestly. I love playing basketball and if it happens, it works and thats my plan.(via @CNN, h/t @TheWestbrookEra) pic.twitter.com/frNijInfNH Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 8, 2026This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Russell Westbrook hopes to keep NBA career alive: 'I love playing basketball'

ROTTACH-EGERN, GERMANY - JULY 30: Maycon Douglas Cardozo of FC Bayern Muenchen with the ball during the pre-season friendly match between FC Rottach-Egern and FC Bayern Mnchen on July 30, 2026 in Rottach-Egern, Germany. (Photo by F. Noever/FC Bayern via Getty Images) | FC Bayern via Getty ImagesIts been a quick leap for Bayern Munich youngster Maycon Cardozo. The former Bayern World Squad talent made his way through the youth ranks, from the U-17s to U-19s to FC Bayern II. Now, on the back of a strong preseason performance, Cardozo who has already made his debut for Vincent Kompany in the spring is on the cusp of the Bayern senior team.Indeed, the 17-year-old is living his dream. And he can dream about a lot more, too with one former Bayern winger and Brazilian compatriot in mind. Being at Bayern is a dream come true, I always say that, Cardozo reflected in comments captured by Brazilian outlet Ge.Global (via @iMiaSanMia). Ive always played video games with them. And training with these players, playing together, is a dream come true, but I still have many dreams to fulfill. Training with them is a very good feeling, seeing Olise cutting inside, shooting, Luis Daz in my position, and Harry Kane, a sensational guy, as a player and as a person, always comes to talk to you and give advice.I prefer to cut inside and shoot, and also play through the middle when needed. I play as a left winger and attacking midfielder. So Im kind of like [Philippe] Coutinho. People often say Im like Coutinho. I like to dribble, cut inside and try to finish or provide an assist.(Playing as Bayern in a video game: just like us, right?)Interestingly, Cardozo has featured so far on the right in Bayerns preseason and has looked plenty lethal there as well. There should be rotational minutes up for grabs across the Bayern attack for a youngster patient enough to develop as an understudy this season. Arijon Ibrahimovi is expected to be in line for precisely such an opportunity and perhaps he will not be the only one.Join the conversation!Sign up for a user accountand get:New, improved notifications system!Fewer adsCreatecommunity postsComment on articles, community postsRec comments, community posts

Matthias Jaissle joined Newcastle United from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli [Getty Images]It was a night which ended with Newcastle United lifting a trophy, but there was certainly no danger of new head coach Matthias Jaissle getting carried away. Not after defeating Valencia in his first pre-season friendly in charge at the Mestalla Stadium."We will not smash the locker room now and celebrate," he said after the 2-1 win. "We still have a lot to do."That was quickly apparent after Newcastle fell behind inside four minutes, following Filip Ugrinic's curling opener.But Jaissle will have taken heart from his players' response in a feisty contest, not least after forward Anthony Elanga was stretchered off following a bad tackle from Jose Gaya, which earned the Spaniard a red card.Although Jaissle readily admitted he was "in fear" after seeing Elanga in distress, the forward was walking a little later and it is not thought to be a serious injury after he bruised his shin.Newcastle could have lost their heads, but striker Yoane Wissa came off the bench to score two goals , while fellow substitutes Bazoumana Toure and Sean Steur also caught the eye following their summer moves from Hoffenheim and Ajax respectively."Winning games always helps to gain confidence," Jaissle said. "We also knew that we had a hard week behind us. "The players did well and there was a huge commitment to see in each session, so they really deserve two days off and then we start again."Wissa & Toure star as Jaissle wins first Newcastle friendly - ratingsInside Newcastle 2.0 - how the project is changing'Time is the key'There has been little time to waste following a period of dramatic change at the club.Former head coach Eddie Howe has moved on while key players Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon have all left in the last year.Gallows humour gripped some supporters who made the trip after they adapted a chant which once featured the names of Guimaraes and Isak, who are now with Arsenal and Liverpool."We've got someone in the middle," they sang. "He knows exactly what we need. [Sven] Botman at the back, someone in attack, Newcastle are going to win the Premier League."But it is not hard to imagine those blanks being filled in as a new generation steps up.The average age of the squad has been dramatically lowered and, on Saturday, forward Harvey Barnes was the oldest starter at the age of 28.It felt like a potential sign of things to come as goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek, 24, midfielder Aladji Bamba, 20 and forward Toure, 20, made their debuts while 18-year-old Steur impressed from the bench.Jaissle has a history of developing young players at RB Salzburg, which was a big draw for Newcastle, and he knows better than most what they need."Time is the key," Jaissle said. "They're young lads. It's never going to be easy in football, especially at the highest level, but we're here to do that."Malick Thiaw was among the elder statesmen as he led the side out as captain on his 25th birthday and this side will certainly need youthful vigour to play Jaissle's intense brand of football.Jaissle was a vocal presence throughout on Saturday, urging his side up the field, and rarely stood within the markings of his technical area.He was even running down the touchline in tandem with his players as they advanced on goal at times.Just as there is a fine balance on the field, so, too is there one off it.Newcastle are in the market for additional experience, particularly in the middle of the park, and veterans Dan Burn and Fabian Schar will remain important voices in the dressing room.But Jaissle has also shown the first sign of a ruthless streak.Nick Pope was a pivotal figure under his predecessor, but the German left the 34-year-old out of the squad altogether against Valencia."I had a talk with Nick," Jaissle said. "I really appreciate what he did in his career so far. "He knows exactly the situation right now and we need to deal with it in the best possible way, but I always appreciate the player and the human being behind."It has been a whirlwind first week in Spain, following a series of double sessions, as Jaissle now returns Newcastle for the first time as the club's head coach.The 38-year-old already has a landmark in mind to see before he is formally unveiled at St James' Park next week."For sure I will be visiting the stadium and getting my first impressions," he said.

What Were Garrett Crochets Stats in the Bullpen? Examining Red Soxs Aces Bullpen Stats originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Boston Red Sox are hopeful that at some point over the next month or so, Garrett Crochet can return to the mound.It was interesting to see that Crochet struggled a bit before going down with his injury, but at least it gave the Red Sox some peace of mind. This is a guy who was arguably the best pitcher in Major League Baseball in 2025, so for him to go from a 2.59 ERA to a 6.30 ERA obviously showed that something was wrong.The one thing that was a tad worrisome with Crochet is the fact that he became a starter after working out of the bullpen exclusively throughout a lot of his career. He was a starter in 2024 as well with the Chicago White Sox, but prior to that, he dealt with some injuries and had only thrown out of the bullpen.In that span from 2020 to 2023, he appeared in 73.0 innings for the White Sox out of the bullpen, allowing just 22 earned runs and striking out 85 hitters. He did walk 40, which isn't great, but he posted a 2.71 ERA and 3.16 FIP.There are reasons to believe that he could return to the bullpen, and he'd even be open to it.That ultimately comes from [chief baseball officer Craig Breslow] and the rest of the front office. When it comes to throwing programs and buildup, I dont know how many innings Im going to be able to build up to, Crochet said, per MLB.com.I havent taken a true formal look at the throwing program. Honestly, thats still up in the air. Thats not really in my court.Ultimately, a lot of this for Crochet will come down to how he's feeling. If the big left-hander out of the University of Tennessee doesn't believe that he's fully healthy to get on the mound, there's really no reason to risk it.If the Red Sox have a chance to win a World Series come October, it wouldn't be surprising to see Crochet take a chance, but it's also vital to remember that he is signed through 2031 and is expected to be the best pitcher on this staff for a very long time. Short-term gain doesn't help the future of this organization.More Red SoxLatest Red Sox news2026 Red Sox schedule2026 Red Sox rosterComplete history of Red Sox championships

Line-ups set for the clash between Rayados and Inter MiamiThe second matchday of the Leagues Cup is underway, and now its time for the clash between Monterrey and Inter Miami.Monterreys XIMonterrey lost 2-1 to Orlando in their opener, so if they want to keep their hopes alive in the tournament, they simply have to beat Miami.Miamis XIFollowing the sad news of the passing of Lionel Messis father, his teammates will want to dedicate the victory to the Argentine star on this very sad day for him and his family.This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in here.