(Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports illustration)What sprung to mind, for Mike D'Antoni, was laughing. The feeling of watching Amar'e Stoudemire doing what he could do what seemingly only he could do and being overcome by an involuntary physical expression of pleasure. So many times, I would come to the timeout and just giggle," Stoudemire's former head coach told reporters this spring. "The rim is still shaking [after] how hard he just dunked the basketball, and guys are like they're stunned. I'm looking like, 'Oh my gosh.'""He was incredible," D'Antoni said.Stoudemire was incredible: a 6-foot-10, 245-pound elevating-and-detonating marvel, a six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection. His journey began in Lake Wales, Florida, in 1982, and will bring him this weekend to Springfield, Massachusetts, where he'll be enshrined as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2026. (As luck would have it, D'Antoni will join him.)To get from Lake Wales to Springfield well, that's something of a miracle."This is a small town, but Lincoln Avenue is just like any bad area you'd find in an inner city," former police officer and Lake Wales High School junior varsity basketball coach Burney Hayes told the New York Times in 2012, after the death of Stoudemire's older brother, Hazell Jr. "See it, want it, name it, you can have it on Lincoln Avenue. Shoot dice, gambling, drugs, prostitution, all of it. You get caught there, you might never get out."Stoudemire grew up in Lake Wales cutting grass with his dad, Hazell Sr., who owned a lawn care company. Hazell Sr. died when Amar'e was just 12 years old after suffering a heart attack. His last words to his son: "The skies are the limit for you."Few men that big have ever soared through the sky so breathtakingly, gotten off the floor so easily, punished the rim so violently. The nickname STAT an acronym for "Standing Tall and Talented" seemed apt, but also scarcely seemed to cover it. Even the skies couldn't limit Amar'e.Nor, for that matter, could the myriad ground-level concerns that Stoudemire faced throughout tumultuous teenage years that saw him enroll in six high schools, as his mother and older brother, among other would-be guardians and authority figures, spent time in jail, bouncing in and out of his life. That tumult limited Stoudemire to just two full seasons of high school ball. But he proved to be an overwhelming force in them, particularly as a senior, when he averaged more than 29 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks per game en route to earning recognition as Florida's Mr. Basketball and a selection to the McDonald's All-American Game.He was the top prospect in the class of 2002, committing to join John Calipari in Memphis. His recruitment became a saga, though, with questions about his eligibility, stemming from claims that his mother, Carrie, had received benefits that would be considered impermissible. In 2001, Carrie told HBO's "Real Sports" that Nike executive George Raveling had sent her money and gifts.Stoudemire ultimately decided to enter the 2002 NBA Draft, looking to break into the professional ranks just one year after fellow highly touted high school big men Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry. None of them lived up to the admittedly vaulted billing of previous preps-to-pros sensations Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant during their rookie seasons.All three would go on to spend more than a decade in the NBA, with Chandler an All-Star, All-NBA selection, three-time All-Defensive teamer, the 2011-12 Defensive Player of the Year and a 2011 NBA champion enjoying the best career of the bunch. After comparatively quiet and underwhelming rookie seasons, though, the shadow of that 2001 trio led to some skepticism about how Stoudemire might translate to the next level. In his pre-draft workout with the Suns, he reportedly fired up airball after airball."We were trying to figure out if it's nerves, technique what could it be?" Suns executive Bryan Colangelo told Jonathan Abrams for his 2016 book, "Boys Among Men." "What it came down to was he had never really been coached or taught or put through the rigors of a true, fundamental exercise on his shot and technique."That stuff, the Suns figured, they could teach. The stuff that he came into the gym with, though? That, you couldn't."He may have been raw, but you don't see many raw guys like that," then-Suns owner Jerry Colangelo told Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times. "He just stood out like a diamond."Even diamonds, though, need polishing."He couldn't shoot. Couldn't play defense," D'Antoni told Heisler. (In fact, Stoudemire would continue to insist, even deep into his NBA career, that he'd never really been taught to play defense a claim at which D'Antoni understandably bristled.)"Other than that," D'Antoni quipped, "he was pretty good."Good enough for the Suns to reportedly hide him away from other interested teams at the top of the draft. Good enough for Phoenix to use the No. 9 pick in that draft on him. (The preceding four selections Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Dajuan Wagner, Nen and Chris Wilcox just barely combined to score more points than Stoudemire in their NBA careers.)Good enough to walk into the NBA and average 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per game as a 19-year-old who'd only started playing organized ball five years earlier. And good enough to beat out No. 1 pick Yao Ming and former UConn standout Caron Butler to win 2002-03 Rookie of the Year making him the first high school draftee voted the league's best first-year player."Once he learns the game, it's over with," teammate Stephon Marbury said after a late December loss to the Timberwolves that saw the rookie Stoudemire hang 38 and 14 on a defense led by Garnett. "He's right now by far the best player I've ever seen come out of high school. It's amazing how strong and dominant he is."Stoudemire's sheer physicality and explosive athleticism immediately translated, leading to all manner of emphatic and remarkable finishes. What he didn't know yet didn't matter as much as the innate gifts that few others possessed; no less an evaluator of interior dominance than Shaquille O'Neal said at the 2003 All-Star Game, "I have seen the future of the NBA, and his name is Amar'e Stoudemire."But while Stoudemire's individual ascent continued, averaging more than 20 points and nine rebounds per game as a sophomore, a Suns team that made the playoffs in his first year fell to just 29 wins in his second. Head coach Frank Johnson was fired 21 games into Year 2, replaced by elevated assistant D'Antoni, who promptly set about instituting a new fast-paced offensive system.Marbury was traded to his hometown Knicks in a deal that shaved some $29 million off Phoenix's books, allowing the Suns to offer a six-year, $65 million contract to Mavericks point guard Steve Nash. Dallas, concerned about how the about-to-be-30-year-old Nash's ailing back would age over the course of the deal, declined to match it.Big mistake. Big. Huge.Their partnership was the heartbeat of what would become one of the most explosive, efficient and transformational offenses in NBA history. The "Seven Seconds or Less" attack was predicated on hunting opportunities for early offense shots that came before the shot clock reached 16. It required high-level, quick-trigger shooters on the wing, ready and willing to bomb away when the ball got to them on the perimeter.What it demanded, though, was a big man Stoudemire, shifted from power forward to center with do-it-all-should-be-Hall of Famer Shawn Marion sliding from small forward up to playing the small-ball 4 who moved off the block and up to the top of the floor, where he would set screens for the ball-handler, dive hard to the rim and force the defense to make a decision. (Amar'e, whose high school testing reportedly revealed him to possess "an extremely high I.Q.," was brilliant at finding just the right angles to both free up Nash and put himself in perfect position to attack.)If help defenders stuck with their men on the perimeter, Nash could play cat-and-mouse with the retreating big man, either creating his own shot a high-value proposition for a multiple-time 50-40-90 club member or threading a pocket pass for the rolling and incredibly soft-handed Amar'e to hammer it home. If they sunk into the paint to take away Stoudemire's roll, Nash would just fire the ball out to a waiting shooter for an open 3. That's the thing about picking your poison: No matter what, you wind up dead."Steve and Amar'e, that pick-and-roll duo, is probably one of the best," D'Antoni recently told reporters. "You've got [John] Stockton and [Karl] Malone. You have different ones through the ages. But nobody could catch a ball better than Amar'e rolling to the basket. He was like a vacuum cleaner, and no one could throw it better than Steve."Stoudemire averaged 26 points per game on 55.9% shooting in that first season with Nash, earning the first All-Star and All-NBA selections of his career as the Suns roared to a league-best 62 wins and the NBA's No. 1 offense. While they'd fall in the Western Conference finals, Stoudemire shined in defeat, averaging 37 points per game against Tim Duncan's eventual champion Spurs; the future that Shaq had prophesied, it seemed, was upon us.The future rarely arrives just as you'd envisioned it, though, and never quite as neatly. Just eight days after signing a $73 million contract extension, Stoudemire underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee a devastating blow and a procedure that had waylaid a number of stars before him. He'd return in late March, but after three games where nothing felt right, he'd miss the rest of the season and Phoenix's playoff run.Stoudemire's absence, combined with trades to move starting swingmen Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson, meant the 2005-06 Suns would look very different from their predecessor a journey that Sports Illustrated legend Jack McCallum chronicled in his 2006 book, "Seven Seconds or Less: My Season on the Bench with the Runnin' and Gunnin' Phoenix Suns." They still won 54 games with the NBA's No. 1 offense, but fell once again in the conference finals this time to Nash's old mates in Dallas, with Dirk Nowitzki scoring 50 points in the pivotal Game 5.When he came back from microfracture surgery, the dreaded procedure that had stripped the athleticism away from a slew of young stars in the 1990s, the still-just-24-year-old Stoudemire didn't merely survive. He thrived, playing 79 or more games in three of the next four seasons and averaging 22.6 points and nine rebounds per game on 56.8% shooting in that span.Post-microfracture Amar'e didn't have quite the same bounce he did prior the procedure, but he added wrinkles and nuance to his offensive repertoire, evolving into a more complete player. Over the years, he'd develop his face-up game and midrange jumper; he'd build out a back-to-the-basket repertoire, becoming one of the many big men to make the pilgrimage to Houston to learn the low-post arts at the pivot feet of the master, Hakeem Olajuwon."Man the last man standing. A lot of guys didn't come back from it," Stoudemire told Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald back in 2016, referencing former superstars like Chris Webber, Jamal Mashburn, Penny Hardaway and Tracy McGrady. "Guys never fully recovered from microfracture. I persevered."Even as Stoudemire returned to perennial All-Star and All-NBA territory, though, the Suns could never break through. A 61-win Phoenix side fell again to the Spurs in 2007, a.k.a. the Robert Horry Hip Check Series, which saw Stoudemire and Boris Diaw suspended for Game 5 after leaving the bench following Horry's attack on Nash.The following season saw then-Suns general manager Steve Kerr make a fundamental stylistic pivot, trading Marion to the Miami Heat for a 35-year-old Shaq in an effort to add more size and defensive heft to a team that had long been light on both. The move didn't pan out, as the Suns again fell to the Spurs. D'Antoni left, with creative differences leading him to opt for a new challenge in New York. An ill-fitting slow-down stint with Terry Porter didn't go well, as the Suns missed the playoffs for the first time in five years; a return to pace-pushing under Alvin Gentry led to a return to form in a 54-win 2009-10 campaign and an exorcism of a second-round sweep of the hated Spurs, but once again fell short of a bid for a championship, with the Kobe-Pau Lakers knocking Phoenix off in the conference finals en route to a title.As the years wore on, trade talks increased. One widely reported deal would've landed Amar'e in Golden State in 2009, with an exciting young rookie named Stephen Curry headlining the package heading back to Phoenix. Stoudemire was also a reported target of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009, as they hoped to build a champion around LeBron James, and of the Miami Heat as they tried to put All-Star talent around Dwyane Wade.None of those deals came to fruition, leading to Stoudemire hitting unrestricted free agency in the vaunted summer of 2010, when the New York Knicks flush with cash after years spent clearing the books in an attempt to woo premier free-agent talent signed him to a five-year deal worth nearly $100 million and hoped to pair him with James or Wade. They would, of course, wind up teaming together in Miami, joining Chris Bosh as the core of a revamped Heat team that would make four straight NBA Finals appearances and win two NBA championships.Stoudemire, for his part, would begin the task of trying to bring the Knicks back to respectability mostly alone. And you know what? For a second there, he was actually doing it.Before Carmelo Anthony's homecoming, before the rush of Linsanity, before the brief fantastic flirtation with unicorns, before Tom Thibodeau turned "ICE" into fire and Julius Randle announced "we here," and more than a decade before Jalen Brunson finished the job in San Antonio, it was Stoudemire who stepped forth as "the man saving New York basketball, once and for all."The Suns belonged to Nash, and Stoudemire wanted the burden of leadership, the New York spotlight and the nine-figure payday that Phoenix, among other teams, were reluctant to give him due to the troublesome state of his surgically repaired left knee, which was deemed uninsurable. The Knicks, destitute since the dawn of the century under James Dolan's leadership, were willing to guarantee that creaky hinge, in the hopes that Stoudemire would remain upright long enough for his talent to deliver the franchise from its prolonged desperation.Stoudemire slotted right back into the No. 1 scoring role for D'Antoni, pairing with point guard Raymond Felton in the pick-and-roll, averaging 26.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in his first 53 games in New York a brilliant start that elevated a scrappy young Knicks team featuring the likes of Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Toney Douglas, Landry Fields and Timofey Mozgov to a 28-26 record at the All-Star break. And the city loved him."He's like Ewing in the '90s," Knicks legend Walt "Clyde" Frazier told Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated for a 2011 feature. "He's a rock star, and he hasn't even won anything yet."As it turned out, he wouldn't. On the other side of the All-Star break, New York traded most of those scrappy young pieces to the Denver Nuggets for Anthony, in the belief that pairing two superstar scorers would give the Knicks the firepower they needed to stand toe-to-toe with the likes of the Bulls, Celtics and Heat. But the tandem never really clicked. New York would finish the 2010-11 season at 42-40, in sixth place in the East, earning a first-round matchup with the Celtics; Stoudemire was brilliant in a Game 1 loss, hurt himself before Game 2, and was a shell of himself the rest of the way, as the Knicks suffered a sweep.Stoudemire never returned to the level that made him the toast of the town in that first season in New York. Knee and back injuries cost him significant time over the next three seasons; his minutes and production dwindled, as did his primacy in an organization increasingly built around Anthony.He was largely a bystander as the Knicks found their most significant success in a decade, playing just over 700 total minutes in the 54-win 2012-13 season. Despite his best efforts to get healthy and remake his game to fit in, his most notable moment over the rest of his Knicks tenure was likely the regrettable incident in which he mangled his hand punching a fire extinguisher case in frustration during New York's 2012 first-round playoff series against the LeBron/Wade/Bosh Heat. After the Knicks sunk back below .500 under Mike Woodson, and with the team cratering at the start of the disastrous Derek Fisher era, they bought out the remainder of Stoudemire's contract; he'd spend the next two years in reserve roles in Dallas and Miami as he neared the end of the line.After retiring from the NBA as a member of the Knicks in 2016, Stoudemire continued his playing career in Israel, China and in the Big3 before finally hanging up his high-tops in 2020. He briefly joined the coaching ranks alongside longtime pick-and-roll partner Nash during his tenure in Brooklyn. He continued to explore the worlds of art, wine (including bathing in it), fashion, acting, religion and writing, both children's books and cookbooks expressions of both the vast array of interests and his energetic pursuit of them that made him someone who was always more than merely a human highlight reel.Stoudemire would go on to finish as the highest-scoring member of the 2002 draft class, with more total win shares than any other player selected. He'd also finish second in rebounds and total value over replacement player (VORP), behind only Carlos Boozer. He is one of 117 players in NBA history to make at least a half-dozen All-Star teams, one of 84 players ever to make at least five All-NBA teams, and one of just 36 players to score at least 15,000 points, grab 6,000 rebounds, dish 1,000 assists and block 1,000 shots in his career.Twenty-one of those 36 players are already enshrined in Springfield. Several others who are still active (James, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis) will join them as soon as they're eligible.You don't reach that kind of company, and establish yourself as one of the great big men of a decade littered with them, without incredible God-given ability and the ability to persevere through hardship. Stoudemire's final few years in the NBA didn't shine as brilliantly as his first few; even so, he wound up taking his rightful place among the game's all-time brightest stars."I'm actually very proud of my career," Stoudemire told Andscape's Marc J. Spears in 2016. "In my career, I've had some ups and downs. But I'm thankful that what I put into this game helped me achieve what I was able to accomplish. Hopefully, that gives me a bid into the Hall of Fame. That was my goal as a teenager, was to become a Hall of Famer."He achieved it. From Lake Wales all the way to Springfield, Amar'e Stoudemire has lived a dream that not even the skies could limit. When the story's that incredible, sometimes all you can do is laugh.

Titans head coach Robert Saleh said he felt quarterback Cam Ward's "mechanics were a little more sped up" against the 49ers than they have been in camp this summer after Thursday night's game and he shared some more thoughts on Ward during a Friday videoconference with reporters. Ward was 2-of-4 for 34 yards while leading a touchdown drive on Tennessee's first possession, but 3-of-8 for 23 yards over his final two series. On Friday, Saleh said that he thought some of that was due to it being the first time he's facing an opposing defense and that he might have reverted to some rookie year habits when he didn't have the same kind of time to make plays that he did against the Niners. Saleh said that he thinks continued time on the practice field will bring the kind of trust and comfort that allows Ward to thrive in the offense in his second season. Its as simple as just time on task," Saleh said. "Every single one of those plays he has executed flawlessly in practice and he has to be able to have the confidence in himself and his teammates to just execute. Get your feet down, play with great technique and deliver the football just like he has. Were gonna continue to harp on all the technique, the fundamentals. Were gonna continue to rep things at a high level, but its just reps." Saleh said there was nothing about Thursday night's play that dimmed the coaching staff's belief in what Ward can do. "Theres no doubt Cam is capable, we've just got to go execute," Saleh said. A smoother outing in the next preseason game should quell any concerns that others might have after watching Ward on Thursday and the Titans will next be in game action against the Seahawks a week from Sunday.

Enzo Fernandez has had a tumultuous time at Chelsea [Getty Images]Chelsea's deadline for clubs to bid 120m for midfielder Enzo Fernandez has passed - and they now expect the Argentine to stay at the club this season.Manchester City have been interested in the Argentina international, who previously played under new City boss boss Enzo Maresca at Chelsea.The Blues had told interested parties they had until 17:00 BST on Friday to make an offer for the 25-year-old.But they are not thought to have received any bids and Xabi Alonso's side now hope to keep their vice-captain.A 120m move would be the fourth biggest football transfer ever.City have already made a big-money midfield signing this summer in Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson for 116m.A potential deal for Fernandez was thought to rely on City selling Spain midfielder Rodri, officially the best player at the 2026 World Cup among numerous other accolades, to Barcelona.More to follow.Get news, insight and fan views on your Premier League teamAll your football quizzes in one placePremier League indexPremier League tablePremier League fixtures

Whether it's on the football field or the wrestling mat, Brayton Feister has made countless headlines throughout a prolific high school career. In the offseason he and his younger brother Brydon Feister once again made headlines with news of their move from Archbishop Hoban to Massillon Washington. Now just a few weeks away from the start of his senior season, Brayton is again in the headlines but this time, it's about something many around the country have been wondering about. On Friday, Brayton announced his commitment to Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks on the Pat McAfee Show. He chose Oregon over California, Georgia and Ohio State. According to 247Sports, the 6-foot-2, 238-pounder is ranked as the No. 154 player in the 2027 class, the No. 10 athlete and No. 10 player out of Ohio. A Mr. Football finalist last season, Feister starred on both sides of the ball. On offense, he carried the ball 116 times for 1,098 yards and 17 touchdowns. Where he was at his best was on defense. Feister was the Division II Co-Defensive Player of Year totaling 133 tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, four forced fumbles and a pair of interceptions. Feister adds depth to Ducks top five recruiting classOregon was likely going to finish with one of the top five classes in the 2027 cycle before Feister committed. Now with him on board, that is all but cemented unless some unforeseen flips occur. As it stands, 247Sports ranks the class as the fourth best in the country and the top in the Big Ten. Feister is the Ducks' 13th four-star commitment and is their 12th pledge ranked inside the top 175 for the 2027 cycle. He is their fourth linebacker pledge joining Mililani(HI) four-star Toa Satele, St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, PA)three-star Brandon Lockley and Olympus (Salt Lake City, UT) three-star Sam Ngata. While not the highest-rated commit in the class, Feister is another top Midwest prospect to commit to Lanning and Ducks. Harper Woods (MI) five-star wide receiver Dakota Guerrant is Oregon's highest-rated pledge in the class coming in at No. 23 nationally. They also hold commitments from St. Joseph-Ogden (St. Joseph, IL)four-star offensive tackle Cameron Wagner and Detroit Country Day (Franklin, MI)three-star athlete Anthony Cartwright III. Follow Sports ReporterJoe Spearson X at@joe_spears7or via email: JSpears@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow@usatodayhsson Instagram and X.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oregon football, Dan Lanning land 4-star athlete Brayton Feister

Another coveted prospect on the recruiting trail for the Oregon Ducks is making his way out west.Four-star linebacker Brayton Feister announced his commitment to the Ducks, choosing Oregon over Georgia, Cal and Ohio State. The Ohio native has long been an Oregon lean, and now he joins an ascending recruiting class in Eugene. The Ducks have a top three recruiting class in the nation.Feister was scheduled to commit in July, but postponed his announcement. That didnt seem to change anything for the Ducks, as they remained the frontrunner throughout the process and ultimately landed the fiery tackler just before the new season is set to begin."I chose the Ducks because from day one it's been nothing but consistency," Feister said live on The Pat McAfee Show following his commitment. "From the minute I stepped on campus, it's felt like home. Coach Dan Lanning, coach Brian Michalowski, every coach on the staff showed with a passion that I'm their guy."Feister is a big linebacker who doubles as a punishing running back at Massillon Washington High School. At 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds, Feister is already well prepared to step into the physical Big Ten and become an impact defender. At The Opening in Beaverton, Feister posted 50 bench press reps of 185 pounds.BREAKING: Four-Star LB Brayton Feister has Committed to Oregon, he tells me for @RivalsThe 63 245 LB chose the Ducks over Georgia, Ohio State, and CalFeister was the Top Uncommitted Recruit in the 2027 Class https://t.co/n56ZHLE8aipic.twitter.com/6kbtz9j9g8 Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) August 14, 2026As a junior, Feister made 133 tackles with 39 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. As a running back, Feister had 1,098 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. His dominance and big, physical frame are all too similar to Noah Sewell, who starred for the Ducks at linebacker for three seasons. If Feister can produce like Sewell in Eugene, the Ducks will be getting everything they are hoping for.Georgia and Cal both made a big push for Feister during his official visits, but a message of confidence from Dan Lanning might have been the difference-maker, showing just how much the Ducks want him and believe in his ability to make an impact.We are very close," Feister told Rivals about his relationship with Lanning. "His message is also to just come be a part of something great and be his first first-round linebacker drafted.The Ducks already have the No. 4 recruiting class in the country, and linebacker is a position where the Ducks have been aggressive. Four-star Toa Satele headlines the group and is a top 100 recruit, though he could end up as an excellent edge rusher. Four-star Brandon Lockley Jr. and three-star Sam Ngata make up the rest of the group.Feister's commitment wraps up Oregon's 2027 class, for the most part, given all of their top targets are now off the board. However, as is the case in every recruiting cycle, the Ducks will need to hold on to their commitments through the fall, and could even pursue a flip from old targets down the line.Contact/Follow@Ducks_Wireon X (formerly Twitter) and like our page onFacebookto follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon lands 4-star LB Brayton Feister over Georgia, Cal

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From rookie quarterbacks making their mark to standout wide receivers, we break down the biggest winners -- and some losers -- from the opening week of NFL preseason action

Best hitter matchups for this week include the Guardians, Reds and Red Sox

Head to NBC and Peacock for a thrilling day of MLB action. It all starts at 12:00 PM ET, when the Baltimore Orioles face the Tampa Bay Rays in the MLB Sunday Leadoff game. Then, at 7:00 PM ET, it's the Seattle Mariners vs Houston Astros on Sunday Night Baseball. See below for additional information on how to watch both games.Jason Benetti will call Sunday's Mariners vs Astros game alongside 2005 World Series champion Geoff Blum and former Seattle pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith.Ahmed Fareedwill host the pregame show alongsideAnthony Rizzo, who will also provide Inside the Pitch commentary from the batters perspective during the game.Click here to sign up for Peacock!How to watch the Seattle Mariners vs Houston Astros:Where:Daikin Park, Houston TexasWhen:Sunday, August 16Time:7:00 PM ETTV Channel:NBCLive Stream:PeacockWhat other MLB games are on Peacock this Sunday?Baltimore Orioles vs Tampa Bay Rays - 12:00 PM ET on NBCSN and PeacockHow to watch MLB on NBC and Peacock:MLB Sunday Leadoff is a weekly Major League Baseball showcase featuring live Sunday daytime games. It highlights marquee matchups throughout the regular season and streams primarily on Peacock, with some games also airing across NBC Sports and NBC.MLB Sunday Night Baseball is a weekly primetime Major League Baseball showcase, featuring marquee matchups each Sunday night during the regular season. The games air on NBC and Peacock and anchor NBC Sports Sunday night programming lineup.NBC Sports will also stream one out-of-market game each day of the 2026 MLB season nationally on Peacock. Telemundo Deportes will present all NBCUniversal-produced MLB games in Spanish, with Universo televising all games broadcast on NBC.How to sign up for Peacock:Sign up here to watch all of our LIVE sports, sports shows, documentaries, classic matches, and more. Youll also get tons of hit movies and TV shows, Originals, news, 24/7 channels, and current NBC and Bravo hits for whatever suits your mood.MLB on NBC 2026 schedule:Click here to see the full list of MLB games that will air on NBC and Peacockthis season.Why are some MLB games unavailable to stream on Peacock?Due to territorial blackout restrictions, select regular season, special event, and Postseason games may be unavailable on Peacock. Television territory blackout restrictions apply regardless of whether a Club is home or away and regardless of whether a game is televised in that Club's home television territory. For more information, visitPeacocks Help Center.What devices does Peacock support?You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. View the full list of supported devices here.MLB Lineup Report: Abimelec Ortiz announces his arrival, tracking 2027 eligibilitiesA weekly look at lineup trends around MLB and the impact on fantasy baseball rosters. Brendan Tuma,Check out the latest MLB player news here!

Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc and Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz had an exchange during a tense end to the second day of the first Test in Darwin on Friday.The incident took place during Starc's 21st over, the 103rd over of Bangladesh's innings. Miraz hit the ball towards point and set off for a single, but while following the ball, appeared to run through the protected area in the middle of the pitch.Umpire Kumar Dharmasena immediately stepped in and warned Miraz about running on the centre strip.Miraz explained that he had not seen Starc because he was watching the ball. Starc was unhappy with the explanation and told the Bangladesh batter to stay away from the protected area.Batters, like bowlers, are expected to avoid the protected central area of the pitch. Bowlers must stay away from it during their follow-through, while batters are expected to avoid it when running between the wickets.Miraz initially looked towards Starc as he started running, but then turned his attention to the ball. When he looked forward again, he was almost face-to-face with Starc.Rather than going around the fast bowler, Miraz took the shorter route through the centre of the pitch, prompting Dharmasena to intervene before the run had been completed.Miraz then raised his arm towards Starc and explained that he could not see where he was going while watching the ball.Its my follow-through, now your follow-through. Get off the wicket, Starc could be heard saying while pointing at the Bangaldesh right-hander.I cant see, I cant see. I didnt see, Miraz explained to Dharmasena.As Starc walked back to his mark, he could again be heard saying: Youre not in Bangladesh now, hey? cricketcomau (@cricketcomau) Former Australia captain and Channel 7 commentator Ricky Ponting felt Miraz had not deliberately run through the protected area.Yeah, Im not sure that was on purpose, Ponting said.By the time he looked up, Starc was in his way and he just opted to go the centre of the wicket side of the fast bowler.Bangladesh ended Day 2 in control, reaching 6-351 and taking a 153-run first-innings lead with four wickets still in hand.Miraz was unbeaten on 32, while Hasan Mahmud was 13 not out from 76 balls. Hasan had taken six wickets on the opening day.Tanzid Hasan, playing only his second Test, scored 101 to put Bangladesh in a position to push for what could become their biggest win in Test cricket. 133243752