Sports
Northern Illinois over Notre Dame is what makes college football more than NFL Lite
Northern Illinois coach Thomas Hammock’s cheeks were soaked with some of the happiest tears of his life. He was drenched in the overwhelming joy of leading his alma mater to the biggest win in school history.
His nose was running as the pride overcame him. It wasn’t pretty, but it was beautiful.
It was college football.
“All these guys that have been with our program, been through the ups and downs and to continue to fight. It’s like they my kids. I’m happy for the adversity. The push through no matter the situation,” he said. “I just couldn’t be more proud.”
“THEY BELIEVED.”
Northern Illinois HC Thomas Hammock spoke from the heart after an incredible upset over Notre Dame. @NIU_Football pic.twitter.com/pFrS5ok5U7
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 7, 2024
When the 28.5-point underdogs finished their 2 1/2-hour bus ride home to DeKalb, Ill., after beating No. 5 Notre Dame, a swarm of fans waited in the dark to welcome them.
The HUSKIE FAITHFUL gave the dawgs a warm welcome home last night!! Thank you to all of the fans‼️#SOAR | #TheHardWay 🦴🏴☠️ pic.twitter.com/HBWVctBovO
— NIU Football (@NIU_Football) September 8, 2024
As I watched the aftermath of the weekend’s most impactful result, it reminded me why this has been my favorite sport for decades. I enjoy the NFL, America’s most popular sport. But I love college football. I grew up on it.
To me, the difference in the two was crystallized by Hammock’s Huskies and everything they experienced: Every single weekend, some team is playing a game the players will remember for the rest of their lives.
GO DEEPER
Thomas Hammock and Northern Illinois believed — and that was enough to shock Notre Dame
Also on Saturday, a freshman kicker named Kyle Konrardy — who had never attempted a college kick — flipped the fortunes of the entire state of Iowa by drilling a 54-yard field goal that put Iowa State on top of Iowa for just the second time in a decade.
In Week 1, oft-downtrodden Vanderbilt snapped a 10-game losing streak by bullying trendy College Football Playoff contender Virginia Tech and surviving a furious comeback with an overtime win. It set off a flood of chest bumps, hugs and “I love you” as the sideline spilled onto the field.
This moment 🥹 pic.twitter.com/wCH8nyNDvZ
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) September 1, 2024
And in Week 0, Georgia Tech flew to Ireland and beat its conference’s proudest program, Florida State, which went 13-0 a season ago on the way to an ACC title. It might mean more to the players competing, but it all means a ton to the fans and alums watching around the nation and world, too.
Northern Illinois signed up to play what’s commonly known in college football as a “paycheck game,” earning $1.4 million for the experience of playing on one of sports’ most hallowed grounds and, presumably, to lose. Sometimes, though, games like these don’t play out like the architects of the contract intend.
No matter what happens this season or for the rest of Hammock’s run at NIU, reality is this: Decades from now, people will still be talking about the time their beloved Huskies walked into Notre Dame Stadium, kicked a 35-yard field goal to win it and blocked a 62-yard prayer to seal it.
In the past five years, college football has rapidly evolved (some would argue devolved) into something different than what those of us who grew up on the sport fell in love with.
Conference makeups are unnatural, the tectonic plates shifted by nonsensical moves prodded by checks from television companies at the cost of tradition, athlete experience and regional identity, once the sport’s signature.
Athletes finally have long-deserved freedom to earn money on their name, image and likeness, but because the sport had to be dragged into a more equitable landscape by the courts, that newfound freedom has also meant roster management is more difficult than ever, and for now, players’ connection with their campus is more tenuous than ever.
The NCAA is ensnared in an endless string of antitrust lawsuits that stand to continue to reshape college sports.
Northern Illinois’ entire athletic revenue last year was just over $22 million. The nation’s leaders in that particular race — Ohio State and Texas — brought in revenues more than 10 times that.
The Huskies have a collective called Boneyard Victor E., and though exact numbers are hard to come by, it’s safe to assume no Northern Illinois roster will be suiting up for $20 million like Ohio State or even $12 million like Florida State.
Schools like NIU, where Huskie Stadium seats 28,211 compared to the 77,622 seats in Notre Dame Stadium, are often helpless when bigger schools see standout players on film in leagues like NIU’s Mid-American Conference and offer a check that those schools can’t match to join a bluer blood’s roster.
Hammock’s roster wasn’t immune. Florida swiped NIU edge rusher George Gumbs. Louisville grabbed center Pete Nygra.
NIU beat Notre Dame on the scoreboard and the line of scrimmage anyway.
These are new realities that programs in lower-level conferences have to deal with. The mostly static ecosystem of the sport of the past century has quickly morphed into a merciless food chain, and those on the bottom half are left to grapple with the consequences. It’s not just players: Good head coaches at small programs leave for coordinator jobs at more well-funded programs, often seeing a clearer path to their own dreams.
Maybe moments like the ones we’ve seen the first couple of weeks will be rarer as it becomes harder for schools outside of the four power conferences to keep their best players and hire great coaches.
I suspect not. I hope not.
One secret of college football is the players at the bottom of the standings generally work just as hard as those at the top. They might be less gifted in size or skill, less well-coached or have fewer resources to maximize what ability they do have.
But they work hard. And they do it with zero promise that it will pay off with a moment like the one the Huskies got to enjoy Saturday.
So when that work pays off for everyone to see? When a moment like the one we saw Saturday arrives with no warning? It moves me. I suspect it moves you, too.
It’s why everyone in America with a microphone wants to talk to Hammock, the 43-year-old coaching in his sixth season at NIU, in the aftermath of Saturday’s shocker. He earned just over $677,000 last season to work just as hard as Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, who earned over $6.5 million in 2022.
Hammock’s tears resonated with anyone who saw them. How could they not? There’s so much of our day-to-day lives that’s ordinary. Plenty that is artificial.
What Northern Illinois did was extraordinary. It was authentic.
It was beautiful.
It was college football.
(Photo of Northern Illinois defensive end Jalonnie Williams: Brian Spurlock / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Sports
‘Demon’ Finn Balor settles score with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 42
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LAS VEGAS – Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio were once brothers in arms in the Judgment Day. The two helped the faction run “Monday Night Raw” for several years.
As championships and opportunities came and went, the rift between Balor and Mysterio grew. It came to a head when Balor caused Mysterio to lose the Intercontinental Championship to Penta. Balor leaving the Judgment Day left Mysterio and Liv Morgan as the leaders with JD McDonagh, Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez sticking around.
Finn Balor is introduced before his match against Dominik Mysterio during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The latter four chose to ride with Mysterio and attacked Balor on one episode of Raw.
The bitter war led to a match Sunday night at WrestleMania 42. To make matters more interesting, Raw General Manager Adam Pearce made the match a street fight hours before the show was set to begin.
Balor had vowed to bring the “Demon” out and he certainly did.
JACOB FATU PUTS DREW MCINTYRE IN THE ‘REAR VIEW’ IN UNSANCTIONED MATCH AT WRESTLEMANIA 42
Finn Balor is introduced before his match against Dominik Mysterio during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Balor made his way to the ring in his “Demon” gear, dripping with red and black paint. Mysterio was in a mask with other Mysterio supporters.
The two then proceeded to beat the crud out of each other.
Mysterio wrapped Balor’s head in between a chair and hit a 619 on him. He tried to pin Balor, but to no avail. At another point, Mysterio tossed Balor through a table set up in the corner.
As many have learned, it’s hard to keep your demons down. Mysterio learned the hard way.
Balor would not give up. Balor clotheslined Mysterio, hit him with a chair multiple times before wrapping his head in between the chair and drop-kicking him into the corner. Balor put Mysterio onto a table and hit the Coup de Grâce for the win.
Dominik Mysterio is introduced before his match against Finn Balor during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Balor excised his own demons, while Mysterio is still haunted.
Sports
Ryan Ward has a solid debut, but bullpen blows it again as Dodgers lose to Rockies
DENVER — What do you know? The once-stampeding Dodgers have been caged by the Colorado Rockies.
With a 9-6 loss Sunday at Coors Field, the two-time defending World Series champions lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. The Dodgers again couldn’t hold a lead, letting the Rockies tee off for 15 hits.
Nor could the Dodgers keep up offensively at the hitter-friendly park — though they put some pressure on in the ninth inning, when Shohei Ohtani led off with a ground-rule double and the Dodgers scored twice to cut the lead to three runs. Then the new guy, Ryan Ward, made the final out in his big league debut, robbed of a hit and a chance to keep chipping away by a diving Troy Johnston in right field.
Before that, the Rockies — who beat the Dodgers twice in 13 meetings all of last season — chased starter Roki Sasaki from the game in the fifth inning and then ruffled the Dodgers’ relievers. That included closer Edwin Díaz, who came on in the eighth and promptly gave up three singles, a walk and two runs before being pulled with the Dodgers trailing 8-4.
Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki gave up three runs on seven hits in 4-2/3 innings Sunday against the Rockies in Denver.
(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
He and Blake Treinen combined to face eight batters without getting an out.
“They both weren’t sharp,” said manager Dave Roberts, who had theories but not many answers — though he did have real concern, especially about Díaz, who recently had his right knee checked out by the medical staff.
Roberts said the closer wanted to pitch after nine days off, even though it wasn’t a save situation. But his velocity was slightly down (95.4 mph vs. 95.8) and so, “today was a tough evaluation,” the manager said.
“It really was,” Roberts said. “Because, you know, I know what it’s supposed to look like, and when it doesn’t look like that, it gets a little concerning, really.”
And losing for the second time to the Rockies, who are now 9-13? Being in danger of losing their four-game series, after arriving in Denver without having lost to a National League opponent, against a club that hasn’t made the postseason since 2018?
It’s well below the bar the Dodgers have set, and it added a bitter note to Ward’s otherwise sweet debut.
Ward punched a big league clock for the first time wearing No. 67 and cranked his first hit off Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen in the fourth inning, lining a changeup to right field for a single that scored Andy Pages, made it 3-0 and got the 20-some members of Ward’s party up, jumping in place, hugging and high-fiving.
“When I was on first base, I got to see them all jumping around up there,” Ward said. “That was a pretty special moment.”
He also singled in the sixth and swung on the first pitch in his first at-bat, a fly out in the third inning.
The Dodgers gave Sasaki a 2-0 lead in the third. Alex Freeland drove in Hyeseong Kim, and Shohei Ohtani doubled in Freeland — and extended his career-best on-base streak to 51 games, moving past Willie Keeler into third place in Dodgers history.
Sasaki went 4-2/3 innings, threw 78 pitches and gave up three runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking two. His ERA after his fourth start: 6.11, worst in the six-man rotation.
The Dodgers fell behind 6-5 in the seventh when Treinen — who was cleared Friday after he was struck in the head by a batted ball during batting practice — gave up four consecutive hits, including a two-run home run by Mickey Moniak.
The result likely will be a minor detail when Ward tells the story years from now about getting the call after first baseman Freddie Freeman was placed on the paternity list.
The Dodgers’ No. 19 prospect and reigning Pacific Coast League MVP spent the last seven years in the minors. Last season, he hit 36 home runs and drove in 122 runs with a .937 on-base-plus-slugging percentage for triple-A Oklahoma City, and he has a 1.020 OPS and four homers this year.
Ward made it a point to improve his chase rate, draw more walks and get on base more frequently, everything the Dodgers asked of him. He also passed the broadest patience test.
“The plate discipline, being a better hitter … he’s done all that,” Roberts said. “He’s improved his defense. But honestly, for me, just not to let his lack of opportunity in the big leagues deter him. That’s easy when you get frustrated and let it affect performance, and he hasn’t done that.”
If anything, Ward said, the waiting made him better.
“I used it to keep going. ‘OK, if I’m not there yet, what do I have to do to get there?’” he said. “‘What part of my game do I need to work on to keep getting better?’
“I used it as fire to keep working.”
That will be the Dodgers’ assignment too.
In the finale of the four-game series Monday, the Dodgers are expected to start left-hander Justin Wrobleski (2-0, 2.12) against Colorado left-hander Jose Quintana (0-1, 5.63).
Sports
ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd
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LAS VEGAS – Danhausen’s curse may be real after all – just ask Stephen A. Smith and the New York Mets.
While the latter dropped their 10th game in a row, Smith got his share of the curse on Saturday night during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42. Smith was in attendance for WWE’s premier event of the year and heard massive boos from the crowd.
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith was sitting ringside to watch the action. The ESPN star appeared on the videoboard above the ring at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He appeared to embrace the reaction and smiled through it.
The boos came after Danhausen appeared on “First Take” on Friday – much to the chagrin of the sports pundit. Smith appeared perplexed by Danhausen’s appearance. Smith said he heard about Danhausen and called him a “bad luck charm.”
Danhausen said Smith had been “rude” to him and put the dreaded “curse” on the commentator.
WWE STAR DANHAUSEN SAYS METS ‘CURSE’ ISN’T EXACTLY LIFTED AS TEAM DROPS NINTH STRAIGHT GAME
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith is far from the only one dealing with the effects of the “curse.”
Danhausen agreed to “un-curse” the Mets during their losing streak. However, he told Fox News Digital earlier this week that there was a reason why the curse’s removal didn’t take full effect.
“I did un-curse the Mets. But it didn’t work because, I believe it was Brian Gewirtz who did not pay Danhausen. He did not send me my money so it did not take full effect,” Danhausen said. “Once I have the money, perhaps it will actually work because right now it’s probably about a half of an un-cursing. It’s like a layaway situation.”
Danhausen enters the arena before his match against Kit Wilson during SmackDown at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
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On “Friday Night SmackDown,” WWE stars like The Miz and Kit Wilson were also targets of Danhausen’s curse.
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