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Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese battled in college, pros. Now they will team up as WNBA All-Stars

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Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese battled in college, pros. Now they will team up as WNBA All-Stars

Their college matchups were legendary.

Their WNBA matchups have been ratings juggernauts.

Later this month, though, Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky will be teammates for the first time.

The two rookies are among the players selected as WNBA All-Stars through a combination of fan, player, media and coach voting. The All-Star Game on July 19 at Footprint Center in Phoenix will pit Team USA — the national squad that will represent the U.S. at the Paris Olympic Games weeks later — against Team WNBA, which is made up of All-Stars who are not on the Olympic team.

Clark and Reese fall into the latter category. Following the Fever’s 88-69 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday night, Clark was asked about what it might be like playing on the same team with a longtime rival.

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“I know people will be really excited about it, but I hope it doesn’t take away from everyone else,” said Clark, whose 7.1 assists per game rank third in the league. “This is a huge accomplishment for everybody on Team USA and everyone on Team WNBA. They all deserve the same praise. I don’t want it to take away from any of that and be the focal point of All-Star weekend because that’s not fair to them.”

Reese wiped away tears as she spoke about her All-Star selection following the Sky’s 85-77 win over the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday.

“They just told me I’m an All-Star, and I’m just so happy,” said Reese, who leads the league in rebounds per game (11.8). “I know the work I’ve put in. Coming into this league, so many people doubted me and didn’t think my game would translate and I wouldn’t be the player I was in college … or wouldn’t be where I am right now. But I trusted the process and I believed and I’m thankful I dropped to No. 7 [in the WNBA draft] and was able to come to Chicago. It’s just a blessing.”

Both players finished in the top five in fan voting — Clark was first with 700,735 votes and Reese fifth with 381,518 votes. In between them were Clark’s Indiana teammate and 2023 Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston (618,660 votes), 2022 league most valuable player A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces (607,300) and reigning league MVP Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty (424,135).

Those numbers are staggering compared to last year, when Wilson led all players in fan votes with 95,860. The league’s surge in popularity has been largely attributed to all-time NCAA scoring leader Clark, which has been a sore spot for some in the WNBA, including Reese.

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Clark’s omission from the Olympic team was considered a snub by some. Now she has a shot to show that squad what they’re missing.

Team USA consists of four Aces — Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young — as well as Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier, Phoenix’s Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi, New York’s Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, Seattle’s Jewell Loyd and Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas.

Sparks veteran Dearica Hamby, who will be representing the U.S. in Paris on the 3×3 basketball team, was selected for her third All-Star Game and will play for Team WNBA. That team is rounded out by Connecticut’s DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones, Indiana’s Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, Atlanta’s Allisha Gray, New York’s Jonquei Jones, Minnesota’s Kayla McBride, Dallas’ Arike Ogunbowale and Seattle’s Nneka Ogwumike.

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Yankees manager Aaron Boone defends center fielder after lackadaisical effort leads to brutal error

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Yankees manager Aaron Boone defends center fielder after lackadaisical effort leads to brutal error

New York Yankees fans made their frustration with Trent Grisham known Thursday, but he didn’t get the same reaction from his manager — at least not publicly.

With their game against the Cincinnati Reds already a blowout and the Bombers trailing 8-4 in the ninth inning, Reds batter Jeimer Candelario hit a ball to center field. 

Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner in center, took his time to corral the ball and then fumbled it as he tried to set himself to throw it back to the infield. Candalerio made a heads-up move and advanced to second.

Manager Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees walks to the dugout after a pitching change during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field April 14, 2024, in Cleveland. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)

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The boos rained down from Yankees fans, whose team has lost 14 of its last 19 games.

Aaron Boone admitted the error “[looked] bad in the moment, especially going through what we’re going through as a team right now.”

However, he chalked it up to how Grisham plays the position.

“It’s also the way Trent Grisham, a Gold Glover, plays center field, like that relaxed, easy nature,” Boone said after the game. “Do I want him to square up to it and tackle it like you and I might in a side game? Not really. I want him to catch the ball and get it in and keep that guy off second base.

“But he has a track record of outstanding play out there, and that’s kind of the way he does — kind of a slow heartbeat, motor and that when you’re through it doesn’t look great. I understand that.”

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Trent Grisham bobbles the ball

Trent Grisham of the New York Yankees commits an error against the Cincinnati Reds during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium July 4, 2024, in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)

YANKEES ANNOUNCER LAMBASTES TEAM’S NATIONAL ANTHEM STANDOFF: ‘SOPHOMORIC NONSENSE’

Boone said Friday that he had spoken with Grisham but reiterated his stance.

“It’s a bad look,” Boone said Friday, “but, at the same time, one of the reasons he’s a Gold Glove center fielder is because of his heartbeat, the reads, the jumps, the ease with which he plays the position. So, you don’t want to lose that in there. But with that, just be mindful of certain routine things.

“If Grish makes a mistake in the field or if Gleyber (Torres) makes a mistake in the field, the way they play the game, it’s not going to have a good look to it,” Boone added. “It’s not going to look like you and me playing softball, where we’re going to take it off the chest and off the chin, but we suck.

“Believe me, that lackadaisical look sometimes is what makes Trent Grisham a Gold Glove center fielder. He plays the game with an ease and a flow. Now, catch the ball. We don’t want that guy on second. And it gets magnified a little bit when we’re going through a spell like this.”

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Trent Grisham runs the bases

The New York Yankees’ Trent Grisham tosses his bat after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning June 9, 2024, in New York.  (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

Boone recently benched Gleyber Torres for a lack of hustle despite originally defending him because he had been dealing with a sore groin. But Grisham is in the starting lineup Friday. Although, with the team’s injuries, there isn’t much of a choice.

Grisham is hitting just .165 this season.

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Sparks snap eight-game losing streak with thrilling overtime win against Aces

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Sparks snap eight-game losing streak with thrilling overtime win against Aces

When the Sparks’ 10-point lead started to drift away in the fourth quarter Friday night, it seemed like deja vu of Tuesday’s loss. What were once deafening cheers from the stands became a quiet lull as the 13,840 fans at Crypto.com Arena watched the Las Vegas Aces come barreling back.

But the Sparks would not, could not, let Tuesday’s fiasco happen again.

It took 45 minutes, but the Sparks forced overtime and ultimately prevail over the Aces on Friday night to snap an eight-game losing streak with a 98-93 overtime victory. It is their second win over Las Vegas this season after beating them in another close game in early June.

The game featured 15 ties and 17 lead changes, but the Sparks held on to win just their fifth game of the season.

“They had their runs and we expected that but the difference from tonight and Tuesday is we stayed together,” Aari McDonald said. “We minimized their stops while also executing and scoring.”

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Dearica Hamby led the Sparks with 28 points, 14 rebounds and four assists, posting her 13th double-double of the season. Aari McDonald had a career high 23 points while adding five rebounds and three assists. The Sparks shot 32 for 86 from the field but struggled from the free-throw line, hitting 23 of 32.

A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 35 points, 12 rebounds and three assists and Kelsey Plum contributed 21 points and four rebounds. Las Vegas shot 32 of 67 from the field to keep the game close.

Hamby is fired up every time she faces the Aces. She won a championship with Las Vegas before filing a discrimination lawsuit against the franchise, claiming she was bullied by Aces coach Becky Hammon after disclosing her pregnancy. Hamby was traded to the Sparks and following a league investigation, Hammond served a two-game suspension and the Aces lost their 2025 first-round draft pick.

“My teammates show up for me every time we play the Aces and it means a lot to me,” Hamby said during a postgame interview on Ion. “They know how much this game means to me.”

Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum celebrates during the first half Friday against the Sparks.

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(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)

The Aces started out hot with a 7-0 run before the Sparks got on the board on a Hamby layup three minutes into the first quarter. The Sparks fell into foul trouble early on, with four team fouls in the first quarter, but quickly came alive after a Rae Burrell three-pointer. Despite Wilson’s 11 points, the Sparks were able to keep up with the Aces and trailed Las Vegas 24-21 after the first quarter.

Layshia Clarendon tied the score in the opening seconds of the second quarter, but it was back and forth from there, with five more lead changes in the second quarter. The Sparks limited Wilson to two points in the second quarter and ended the half with a monster 9-0 run to lead 46-36 at halftime.

The Aces got into foul trouble in the second quarter, with seven team fouls helping the Sparks.

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After Wilson opened the third quarter with points off of a Hamby shooting foul, Stephanie Talbot responded by adding six points in the first two minutes to maintain the Sparks lead. McDonald continued the momentum by scoring five during a 7-0 run to extend the Sparks’ game-high 12-point lead. McDonald scored 10 of her 23 points in the third quarter.

The Aces weren’t fazed, closing the gap in the fourth with a 7-0 run to pull ahead 75-74 with 5:44 left in the contest. The Sparks stayed in the game, however, despite a technical foul on Sparks coach Curt Miller. After Wilson put the Aces up 84-82, Talbot hit a crucial field goal with three seconds left to tie the game 84-84 and force overtime.

Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon, center, drives against Las Vegas Aces guard Tiffany Hayes, left, and center Megan Gustafson.

Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon, center, drives against Las Vegas Aces guard Tiffany Hayes, left, and center Megan Gustafson during the first half Friday.

(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)

“She is so underrated,” Rickea Jackson said of Talbot. “She’s been playing her butt off since entering the starting lineup. She’s been the glue that we needed keeping us together and staying composed, doing the little things that don’t show up on a stat sheet.”

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A Burrell shooting foul gave the Aces the first points of overtime, but it remained a tight game. With the score tied at 90, Clarendon put the Sparks ahead for the first time in overtime and after a missed shot by Gray, Hamby added three points with 24 seconds left to give the Sparks a 95-90 lead.

Las Vegas’ Jackie Young hit a three-pointer with 20 seconds to close the gap at 95-93. After a Kiah Stokes shooting foul, Hamby had the chance to seal the game but missed both free throws. It didn’t matter, however, as McDonald made both of hers off an Alysha Clark foul with eight seconds left.

After a personal foul by Chelsea Gray, Clarendon put the game away by hitting one of two free throws in the final seconds.

“I’m super proud of this group tonight,” Miller said. “They just played with a toughness and grittiness from start to finish. Another fourth quarter lead disappeared but this is what you talk about with a young team, you just have to keep putting them back in that situation. The games don’t stop so it’s back to work tomorrow.”

The Sparks continue their homestand against the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.

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Pirates rookie phenom Paul Skenes makes MLB history with another dominant outing

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Pirates rookie phenom Paul Skenes makes MLB history with another dominant outing

Paul Skenes is living up to the hype.

In fact, he’s blowing right by it.

The LSU product was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the No. 1 overall selection in last year’s MLB Draft, and after dominating the minor leagues, they called him up earlier this season.

By the time he got the call, Skenes was the top pitching prospect in baseball and ranked third overall.

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Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch in the third inning of a game against the New York Mets at PNC Park July 5, 2024, in Pittsburgh.  (Justin Berl/Getty Images)

Now, he’s one of the best pitchers in the game.

Entering Friday night, the 22-year-old had a 2.06 ERA through nine MLB starts, allowing three runs or less in each of them. His only game allowing three earned runs was in his MLB debut.

He consistently hits 100 mph on the radar gun with devastating off-speed pitches, which has made him a strikeout machine.

Friday marked his 10th major league start, and the ninth in which he recorded at least seven strikeouts, setting the Major League record for the most in a player’s first 10 games to start a career – he struck out eight New York Mets in seven innings of two-run ball.

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The only time he didn’t strike out that many batters was on May 23, his third start, when he had just three punchouts against the San Francisco Giants.

Paul Skenes on bump

Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch in the first inning of a game against the New York Mets at PNC Park July 5, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (Justin Berl/Getty Images)

YANKEES ANNOUNCER LAMBASTES TEAM’S NATIONAL ANTHEM STANDOFF: ‘SOPHOMORIC NONSENSE’

Since then, it’s been seven straight outings with seven or more strikeouts, which also set a franchise record dating back to 1882.

His career-high in strikeouts so far is 11, which he did in his second start against the Chicago Cubs.

He and fellow rookie Jared Jones have helped the Pirates remain in the wild-card race. They entered the night four games out, but it looks like they found themselves an ace for years to come.

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Paul Skenes after game

Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates walks to the dugout after the top of the first inning during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at PNC Park June 23, 2024, in Pittsburgh.  (Justin Berl/Getty Images)

His noted mustache and relationship with LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne have also helped him reach superstar status across the country, but he doesn’t need much off the field to be loved by Bucs fans.

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