MLB  – Major League Baseball
Yesterday

  Houston  Astros 21, Chicago White Sox 5

  Chicago  Cubs 3, Baltimore Orioles 2

Tigers  were off

Astros 21, White Sox 5 – Bregman 2 HRs, 2 doubles, 6  RBIs, Astros trample Chisox 21-5

  Alex Bregman hit two homers and two doubles, driving  in a career-high six runs and powering the Houston Astros past the Chicago  White Sox 21-5. Houston’s run total tied for the second most in team history —  the Astros scored 23 against Baltimore in 2019. The Astros wound up with 25  hits as Bregman, Kyle Tucker and Christian Vazquez tied career highs with four  each. McCormick, who had five RBIs, and Trey Mancini homered the AL West  leaders. White Sox second baseman Josh Harrison pitched the ninth inning and  allowed four runs and six hits in his third mound appearance of the season. The  Astros won for the sixth time in their last eight games.

Cubs 3, Orioles 2 – Contreras hits 2 homers, Cubs  outlast contending O’s 3-2 

  Willson Contreras hit a pair of homers, Adrian Sampson  pitched scoreless ball into the sixth inning and the Chicago Cubs beat the  Baltimore Orioles 3-2. Contreras had his 10th multi-homer game, which ranks  second among Cubs catchers behind Gabby Hartnett who had 14. Sampson allowed  four hits with six strikeouts and two walks over 5 2/3 innings, earning his  first win since last Sept. 14 at Philadelphia. Rafael Ortega also homered for  the Cubs, who have won five of seven. Brandon Hughes picked up his first career  save by getting a double play on a soft liner by Cedric Mullins in the ninth.

Today

  Milwaukee  (Ashby 2-10) at Chicago Cubs (Thompson 9-5), 2:20 p.m.

  Chicago  White Sox (Lynn 3-5) at Cleveland (McKenzie 8-9), 7:10 p.m.

  L.A.  Angels (Sandoval 3-8) at Detroit (Manning 0-0), 7:10 p.m.            WSJM/WCSY 6:50

MLB  – Dodgers TV reporter injured sliding down Bernie’s Chalet

  Dodgers  television and radio reporter David Vassegh said he broke two bones in his  right wrist and cracked six ribs when he tumbled and crashed into the padding  at the end of his slide down “Bernie’s Chalet." He was injured going down  the same slide Milwaukee mascot Bernie Brewer uses to celebrate home runs by  the home team. Vassegh says he went down the slide twice Wednesday. The first  time, he was filmed at the top of the slide, and everything went fine. The  second time, he was filmed at the bottom, and that’s when his right arm crashed  into the padding.

NFL  – National Football League – Preseason Week 2
Last  Night

  Chicago  Bears 27, Seattle Seahawks 11

Bears 27, Seahawks 11 – Smith, error-prone Seahawks  struggle in 27-11 loss to Bears 

  Geno Smith did little to distinguish himself in his  battle with Drew Lock for Seattle’s starting quarterback job as the sloppy  Seahawks fell 27-11 to the Chicago Bears in the second preseason game for both  teams. The Seahawks had planned to start Lock but turned to Smith when Lock  tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. That meant another opportunity for  Smith, but his uninspired performance suggests Lock still has a chance to win  the job. Smith finished 10 of 18 for 112 yards and was hampered by teammates’  mistakes while playing the first half. Second-year Bears quarterback Justin  Fields made a brief appearance and led a field-goal drive.

Saturday

  Detroit  Lions at Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 p.m.

NFL  – Browns’ Deshaun Watson suspended 11 games, fined $5 million

  Cleveland  Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will serve an 11-game unpaid suspension, pay  a $5 million fine and undergo required professional evaluation and counseling  following accusations of sexual misconduct by two dozen women. Watson was  accused of sexually harassing and coercing women during massage therapy  sessions while he played for the Houston Texans. The league had sought to ban  him for at least one year for violating its personal conduct policy. Watson’s  suspension begins Aug. 30, when he won’t be allowed at the team’s facility. He  may return for the Browns’ game on Dec. 4 in Houston. Cleveland traded for the  three-time Pro Bowler in March, signing him to a fully guaranteed $230 million  contract

WNBA  – WNBA Playoffs – Round 1 (Best of three)
Saturday

  New  York Liberty at Chicago Sky, 12:00 p.m.                               (NYL leads 1-0)

NHL  – Nazem Kadri signs 7-year, $49M deal with Calgary Flames

  Gritty  forward Nazem Kadri has signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the  Calgary Flames. He leaves the Colorado Avalanche after helping them win the  Stanley Cup last season. He had a career year with 87 points in 71  regular-season games and kept that going into the playoffs with seven goals and  eight assists sandwiched around a broken thumb. Kadri was considered the  second-best NHL free agent available after winger Johnny Gaudreau, who left for  Columbus.

NCAA  – Big Ten – B1G deal: Big Ten lands $7 billion, NFL-style TV contracts

  The  Big Ten has announced its new, seven-year media rights deal with Fox, NBC and  CBS that is believed to be the richest ever struck with a college sports  conference. A person familiar with the contracts tells The Associated Press  that the conference’s soon-to-be 16 member universities eventually will share  more than $1 billion in revenue per year. Starting in 2024, when USC and UCLA  join the conference, Big Ten football Saturdays will be structured similar to  the NFL. That means three marquee games being carried in consecutive time slots  on three different major TV networks.

NCAAFB  – 2022 NCAA rules changes address targeting, faking injuries

  College  football players penalized for targeting now can have part of their punishment  appealed under new NCAA rules. Players flagged for making an above-the-shoulder  hit in the second half of a game must sit out the first half of the following  game. This season the national coordinator of officials can take a second look  at the call. If the call is determined to be made in error, the player will be  allowed to play in the first half the next game. There also are new rules  pertaining to players faking injuries to stop the clock and blocking below the  waist.

NCAA  – NCAA asks members for help with NIL violation investigations

  NCAA  officials have sent a letter to members updating them on enforcement’s staff  pursuit of “potential violations” of the name, image and likeness compensation  policy. The association emphasized the need for schools to aid investigations.  The email says NCAA enforcement staff is “actively investigating potential  abuses of NIL transactions and we’ll allege any substantiated concerns as soon  as possible.” The NCAA in 2020 lifted its ban on athletes earning money for  things like endorsement and sponsorship deals, social media posts and personal  appearances.

Golf  – PGA/LIV – Judge sets January 2024 trial for LIV Golf suit against tour

  Players  from Saudi-funded LIV Golf who have filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA  Tour will be waiting nearly 16 months for the case to go to trial. U.S.  District Judge Beth Labson Freeman has set the trial for Jan. 8, 2024.  Depending on whether LIV attorneys proceed with a preliminary injunction that  means PGA Tour players who have been suspended for signing with the rival  league could go through another year of not being allowed at tour events. LIV  attorneys say they will need discovery material from nine players. That  indicates two players have asked out of the lawsuit.

Tennis  – US Open champs get $2.6 million, total compensation $60M

  The  U.S. Open singles champions will receive $2.6 million this year, with total  player compensation for the Grand Slam tournament surpassing $60 million for  the first time. A larger portion of that total is being allocated to the  earlier rounds, the U.S. Tennis Association announced. That decision came  following input from the men’s and women’s tour player councils. The champions  will earn less than the $3.9 million in 2019, the last year before the  coronavirus pandemic, but players losing in the first or second round will earn  around $20,000 more. The U.S. Open begins on Aug. 29 at the USTA Billie Jean  King National Tennis Center. 

NASCAR  – Kurt Busch to miss final 2 races of NASCAR’s regular season

  Kurt  Busch will miss the final two races of NASCAR’s Cup regular season. The driver  of the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing made the announcement on social media. The  former Cup champion was injured in a crash during the final round of qualifying  at Pocono in late July and has missed four races suffering from concussion-like  symptoms. Ty Gibbs will continue to fill in for Busch at Watkins Glen on Sunday  and in the regular-season finale at Daytona the following week. Busch said he  hoped to be cleared to compete when the playoffs begin in September at  Darlington.

LLWS  – Boy hurt in fall at Little League World Series alert, walks

  The  family of a 12-year-old Little League World Series player from Utah who  sustained a head injury after falling from the top bunk of his bed at the dormitory  complex says he has been moved from intensive care and is able to walk with  support. Easton Oliverson, a pitcher and outfielder for the Snow Canyon team  out of Santa Clara, Utah, suffered the injury Monday and was originally listed  in critical condition. But a post on an Instagram account the family set up to  share updates said he is back in a standard hospital room and can communicate  with his parents. Little League International also approved the team’s decision  to add Easton’s brother to the roster in his place.

MILB  – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night

  Lake  County Captains 7, West Michigan Whitecaps 3

  South  Bend Cubs 6, Beloit Sky Carp 1

  Great  Lakes Loons 12, Lansing Lugnuts 3

Tonight

  Beloit  Sky Carp at South Bend Cubs, 5:35 p.m.         (Doubleheader)

  Lake  County Captains at West Michigan Whitecaps, 6:35 p.m.

  Great  Lakes Loons at Lansing Lugnuts, 7:05 p.m.

HS  Sports – Utah officials secretly investigated female athlete’s gender

  A  Utah high school athletics association secretly investigated a female athlete  without telling her or her parents after receiving complaints from the parents  of two girls she had defeated in competition questioning whether the girl was  transgender. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the Utah High School Activities  Association and the girl’s high school determined she in factr female after  poring through her school records dating back to kindergarten. The investigation  happened as at least 12 Republican-led states including Utah passed laws  banning transgender women or girls in sports. Utah’s ban faces a court  challenge.

MHSAA  – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Soccer

  Bridgman  7, Brandywine 1

  Howardsville  Christian 5, Bangor 3

  Battle  Creek Academy 4, Bloomingdale 0

Tonight
Boys Soccer

  Michigan  Lutheran at Kalamazoo Heritage Christian, 5:00 p.m.

  New  Buffalo at Bangor, 6:00 p.m.

  Coloma  at Comstock, 5:00 p.m.

  Otsego  at Wayland, 5:45 p.m.

MLB – Major League Baseball 
 Yesterday 
 Houston Astros 21, Chicago White Sox 5 
 Chicago Cubs 3, Baltimore Orioles 2 
Tigers were off
Astros 21, White Sox 5 – Bregman 2 HRs, 2 doubles, 6 RBIs, Astros trample Chisox 21-5 
 Alex Bregman hit two homers and two doubles, driving in a career-high six runs and powering the Houston Astros past the Chicago White Sox 21-5. Houston&#8217;s run total tied for the second most in team history — the Astros scored 23 against Baltimore in 2019. The Astros wound up with 25 hits as Bregman, Kyle Tucker and Christian Vazquez tied career highs with four each. McCormick, who had five RBIs, and Trey Mancini homered the AL West leaders. White Sox second baseman Josh Harrison pitched the ninth inning and allowed four runs and six hits in his third mound appearance of the season. The Astros won for the sixth time in their last eight games.
Cubs 3, Orioles 2 – Contreras hits 2 homers, Cubs outlast contending O&#8217;s 3-2 
 Willson Contreras hit a pair of homers, Adrian Sampson pitched scoreless ball into the sixth inning and the Chicago Cubs beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2. Contreras had his 10th multi-homer game, which ranks second among Cubs catchers behind Gabby Hartnett who had 14. Sampson allowed four hits with six strikeouts and two walks over 5 2/3 innings, earning his first win since last Sept. 14 at Philadelphia. Rafael Ortega also homered for the Cubs, who have won five of seven. Brandon Hughes picked up his first career save by getting a double play on a soft liner by Cedric Mullins in the ninth.
Today 
 Milwaukee (Ashby 2-10) at Chicago Cubs (Thompson 9-5), 2:20 p.m. 
 Chicago White Sox (Lynn 3-5) at Cleveland (McKenzie 8-9), 7:10 p.m. 
 L.A. Angels (Sandoval 3-8) at Detroit (Manning 0-0), 7:10 p.m.            WSJM/WCSY 6:50
MLB – Dodgers TV reporter injured sliding down Bernie&#8217;s Chalet 
 Dodgers television and radio reporter David Vassegh said he broke two bones in his right wrist and cracked six ribs when he tumbled and crashed into the padding at the end of his slide down &ldquo;Bernie&rsquo;s Chalet.&quot; He was injured going down the same slide Milwaukee mascot Bernie Brewer uses to celebrate home runs by the home team. Vassegh says he went down the slide twice Wednesday. The first time, he was filmed at the top of the slide, and everything went fine. The second time, he was filmed at the bottom, and that&#8217;s when his right arm crashed into the padding.
NFL – National Football League – Preseason Week 2 
 Last Night 
 Chicago Bears 27, Seattle Seahawks 11
Bears 27, Seahawks 11 – Smith, error-prone Seahawks struggle in 27-11 loss to Bears 
 Geno Smith did little to distinguish himself in his battle with Drew Lock for Seattle&rsquo;s starting quarterback job as the sloppy Seahawks fell 27-11 to the Chicago Bears in the second preseason game for both teams. The Seahawks had planned to start Lock but turned to Smith when Lock tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. That meant another opportunity for Smith, but his uninspired performance suggests Lock still has a chance to win the job. Smith finished 10 of 18 for 112 yards and was hampered by teammates&rsquo; mistakes while playing the first half. Second-year Bears quarterback Justin Fields made a brief appearance and led a field-goal drive.
Saturday 
 Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 p.m.
NFL – Browns&#8217; Deshaun Watson suspended 11 games, fined $5 million 
 Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will serve an 11-game unpaid suspension, pay a $5 million fine and undergo required professional evaluation and counseling following accusations of sexual misconduct by two dozen women. Watson was accused of sexually harassing and coercing women during massage therapy sessions while he played for the Houston Texans. The league had sought to ban him for at least one year for violating its personal conduct policy. Watson&#8217;s suspension begins Aug. 30, when he won&#8217;t be allowed at the team&rsquo;s facility. He may return for the Browns&rsquo; game on Dec. 4 in Houston. Cleveland traded for the three-time Pro Bowler in March, signing him to a fully guaranteed $230 million contract
 WNBA – WNBA Playoffs – Round 1 (Best of three) 
 Saturday 
 New York Liberty at Chicago Sky, 12:00 p.m.                               (NYL leads 1-0)
NHL – Nazem Kadri signs 7-year, $49M deal with Calgary Flames 
 Gritty forward Nazem Kadri has signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Calgary Flames. He leaves the Colorado Avalanche after helping them win the Stanley Cup last season. He had a career year with 87 points in 71 regular-season games and kept that going into the playoffs with seven goals and eight assists sandwiched around a broken thumb. Kadri was considered the second-best NHL free agent available after winger Johnny Gaudreau, who left for Columbus.
NCAA – Big Ten – B1G deal: Big Ten lands $7 billion, NFL-style TV contracts 
 The Big Ten has announced its new, seven-year media rights deal with Fox, NBC and CBS that is believed to be the richest ever struck with a college sports conference. A person familiar with the contracts tells The Associated Press that the conference&#8217;s soon-to-be 16 member universities eventually will share more than $1 billion in revenue per year. Starting in 2024, when USC and UCLA join the conference, Big Ten football Saturdays will be structured similar to the NFL. That means three marquee games being carried in consecutive time slots on three different major TV networks.
NCAAFB – 2022 NCAA rules changes address targeting, faking injuries 
 College football players penalized for targeting now can have part of their punishment appealed under new NCAA rules. Players flagged for making an above-the-shoulder hit in the second half of a game must sit out the first half of the following game. This season the national coordinator of officials can take a second look at the call. If the call is determined to be made in error, the player will be allowed to play in the first half the next game. There also are new rules pertaining to players faking injuries to stop the clock and blocking below the waist.
NCAA – NCAA asks members for help with NIL violation investigations 
 NCAA officials have sent a letter to members updating them on enforcement&rsquo;s staff pursuit of &ldquo;potential violations&rdquo; of the name, image and likeness compensation policy. The association emphasized the need for schools to aid investigations. The email says NCAA enforcement staff is &ldquo;actively investigating potential abuses of NIL transactions and we&rsquo;ll allege any substantiated concerns as soon as possible.&rdquo; The NCAA in 2020 lifted its ban on athletes earning money for things like endorsement and sponsorship deals, social media posts and personal appearances.
Golf – PGA/LIV – Judge sets January 2024 trial for LIV Golf suit against tour 
 Players from Saudi-funded LIV Golf who have filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour will be waiting nearly 16 months for the case to go to trial. U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman has set the trial for Jan. 8, 2024. Depending on whether LIV attorneys proceed with a preliminary injunction that means PGA Tour players who have been suspended for signing with the rival league could go through another year of not being allowed at tour events. LIV attorneys say they will need discovery material from nine players. That indicates two players have asked out of the lawsuit.
Tennis – US Open champs get $2.6 million, total compensation $60M 
 The U.S. Open singles champions will receive $2.6 million this year, with total player compensation for the Grand Slam tournament surpassing $60 million for the first time. A larger portion of that total is being allocated to the earlier rounds, the U.S. Tennis Association announced. That decision came following input from the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s tour player councils. The champions will earn less than the $3.9 million in 2019, the last year before the coronavirus pandemic, but players losing in the first or second round will earn around $20,000 more. The U.S. Open begins on Aug. 29 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. 
NASCAR – Kurt Busch to miss final 2 races of NASCAR&#8217;s regular season 
 Kurt Busch will miss the final two races of NASCAR&rsquo;s Cup regular season. The driver of the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing made the announcement on social media. The former Cup champion was injured in a crash during the final round of qualifying at Pocono in late July and has missed four races suffering from concussion-like symptoms. Ty Gibbs will continue to fill in for Busch at Watkins Glen on Sunday and in the regular-season finale at Daytona the following week. Busch said he hoped to be cleared to compete when the playoffs begin in September at Darlington.
 LLWS – Boy hurt in fall at Little League World Series alert, walks 
 The family of a 12-year-old Little League World Series player from Utah who sustained a head injury after falling from the top bunk of his bed at the dormitory complex says he has been moved from intensive care and is able to walk with support. Easton Oliverson, a pitcher and outfielder for the Snow Canyon team out of Santa Clara, Utah, suffered the injury Monday and was originally listed in critical condition. But a post on an Instagram account the family set up to share updates said he is back in a standard hospital room and can communicate with his parents. Little League International also approved the team&#8217;s decision to add Easton&#8217;s brother to the roster in his place.
MILB – Midwest League Baseball 
 Last Night 
 Lake County Captains 7, West Michigan Whitecaps 3 
 South Bend Cubs 6, Beloit Sky Carp 1 
 Great Lakes Loons 12, Lansing Lugnuts 3
Tonight 
 Beloit Sky Carp at South Bend Cubs, 5:35 p.m.         (Doubleheader) 
 Lake County Captains at West Michigan Whitecaps, 6:35 p.m. 
 Great Lakes Loons at Lansing Lugnuts, 7:05 p.m.
HS Sports &#8211; Utah officials secretly investigated female athlete&#8217;s gender 
 A Utah high school athletics association secretly investigated a female athlete without telling her or her parents after receiving complaints from the parents of two girls she had defeated in competition questioning whether the girl was transgender. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the Utah High School Activities Association and the girl&rsquo;s high school determined she in factr female after poring through her school records dating back to kindergarten. The investigation happened as at least 12 Republican-led states including Utah passed laws banning transgender women or girls in sports. Utah&#8217;s ban faces a court challenge.
MHSAA – High School Sports 
 Last Night 
 Boys Soccer 
 Bridgman 7, Brandywine 1 
 Howardsville Christian 5, Bangor 3 
 Battle Creek Academy 4, Bloomingdale 0
Tonight 
 Boys Soccer 
 Michigan Lutheran at Kalamazoo Heritage Christian, 5:00 p.m. 
 New Buffalo at Bangor, 6:00 p.m. 
 Coloma at Comstock, 5:00 p.m. 
 Otsego at Wayland, 5:45 p.m.

Southwest Michigan's Sports Leader

WSJM Sports

MLB – Major League Baseball Yesterday Houston Astros 21, Chicago White Sox 5 Chicago Cubs 3, Baltimore Orioles 2 Tigers were off Astros 21, White Sox 5 – Bregman 2 HRs, 2 doubles, 6 RBIs, Astros trample