Sports
Sophomore Carlos Acuna grinds out complete game to send Birmingham to Dodger Stadium
If anyone needs a definition for what grinding means in sports, sophomore Carlos Acuna’s performance on Wednesday at Cal State Northridge provided the answer.
In six of seven innings, the Birmingham High pitcher saw Carson get the leadoff man on base. That’s usually something that leads to disaster. But Acuna kept coming up with key strikeouts pitching into the seventh.
Coach Matt Mowry was asked if Acuna was close to being pulled.
“Heck, yeah,” he said. “He was on the edge of coming out.”
Except Acuna refused to give Mowry the chance. He got a fly ball out to right field to end a 4-1 complete-game victory to send Birmingham into the City Section Open Division championship game on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dodger Stadium against West Valley League rival El Camino Real, a 4-3 winner over Granada Hills. Birmingham has won eight City titles. El Camino Real has won 10.
Acuna threw 102 pitches to finish his pitching season with an 11-0 record. He struck out seven, walked three and gave up four hits. As he has done all season, he pitched with the maturity of a senior. Nothing fazes him.
“It’s an amazing season he’s having,” Mowry said.
He has thrown 91 innings and since Birmingham has opted out of playing in the state playoffs, Saturday’s game at Dodger Stadium will be his last this season. He’ll be playing third base or second base, and that’s fine with him.
“I love this team,” Acuna said. “I want to play one last game.”
When in trouble, Acuna turned to his slider as his out pitch. The only run he gave up came in the sixth inning after Xavier Allen had a double and scored on a ground out.
JJ Rodriguez contributed two RBIs for Birmingham and JuJu Monroe-Truitt had two hits and one RBI.
It will be No. 1-seeded Birmingham against No. 2-seeded El Camino Real on Saturday in a venue both programs know well. Nathan Soto will start on the mound for Birmingham and Hudson December for El Camino Real.
Sports
AEW star Kenny Omega blasts social media user over Charlie Kirk comment
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All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Kenny Omega blasted a social media user over a remark made about Will Ospreay and Charlie Kirk.
The X user made a critique about Ospreay’s mic skills on Thursday, writing, “Will Ospreay is as bad on the mic as charlie kirk, but can’t sell the neck as well as he did.”
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Kenny Omega enters the ring during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling Wrestle Dynasty event at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 5, 2025. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Omega, who is friends with Ospreay inside and outside the ring, slammed the poster.
“What the f— is wrong with you? It isn’t hard to try having some class,” he wrote in response.
“A dear friend battles back from a career threatening injury, is no doubt still fighting pain today, and is somehow mocked and compared to a dude that was murdered. I get that a joke is a joke but these things should really be kept separate in my opinion.”
Kenny Omega looks on after the tag match during the Power Struggle – Super Jr. Tag League 2018 at Edion Arena Osaka on November 03, 2018 in Osaka, Japan. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
When one X user came to the defense of the commenter, Omega responded once more.
“Please extend my apologies, genuinely. Perhaps I’ve become too sensitive after my own brush with death. I also know of Will’s efforts behind the scenes more than most so it was sad to see such a harsh comparison,” the current AEW champion added.
Kirk, a conservative commentator and the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed during an event on the campus of Utah Valley University in September. Tyler Robinson was arrested in Kirk’s murder.
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk spoke during his “American Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. Kirk was fatally shot while appearing at the event. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
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Robinson’s trial is currently ongoing.
Sports
World Cup championship and third-place game: Start times and how to watch
The final weekend of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is here, with France and England playing for third place on Saturday before defending champion Argentina takes on 2010 winner Spain for the title on Sunday.
Here’s everything you need to know about the last two matches of the 39-day, 48-team tournament in North America (all times Pacific).
Saturday’s third-place game
France vs. England
France star Kylian Mbappé smiles during a World Cup semifinal match against Spain on Tuesday.
(David Ramos / Getty Images)
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Time: 2 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo | Streaming: Fox One, Peacock
The buzz: This is a game neither team really wants to play. The disappointment of missing the final is fresh and the weather report calls for temperatures in the high 80s with 68% humidity and a chance of thundershowers — a brutal South Florida summer day. The $2-million difference in prize money between third and fourth place isn’t likely to make any of that more palatable. Still, the game will have meaning for France since it will be the final match for coach Didier Deschamps, the winningest World Cup manager in history. And captain Kylian Mbappé, tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi for most goals in the tournament (8), has a chance to become the first player to win consecutive Golden Boots. England is playing in the consolation final for the second time in three World Cups; it lost to Belgium 2-1 in 2018. But this one will probably sting even more since the Three Lions were five minutes away from their first final in six decades before collapsing against Argentina. This could be the last World Cup game for England’s Golden Generation of Harry Kane, Jordan Pickford, John Stones and Jordan Henderson.
Sunday’s championship game
Spain vs. Argentina
Argentina star Lionel Messi celebrates after a win over England in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday.
(Buda Mendes / Getty Images)
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Time: Noon
TV: Fox, Telemundo | Streaming: Fox One, Peacock
The buzz: Argentina has a chance to become the first repeat World Cup champion since Brazil in 1962, which would give Messi another grand achievement in his sixth and likely final World Cup. Messi enters the weekend as the all-time leader in goals, assists and games played in tournament history. But unbeaten Argentina hasn’t made things easy, with its winning goals in the four knockout-round games coming in the 92nd minute or later. Spain, the reigning European champion, will be playing to put a second star on its jersey to match the one it won in 2010. La Roja, with the sixth-youngest roster in the World Cup, got to the final on the strength of spectacular defense led by Unai Simón, who has six clean sheets in seven games. Mikel Oyarzabal is the team’s leading scorer with five World Cup goals. The teams had one common opponent in this tournament, tiny Cape Verde, a World Cup debutante. It played Spain to a scoreless draw in its opener, then held Argentina to a 1-1 standoff into extra time before falling.
Sports
Olympic great Lindsey Vonn reveals her ankle is ‘still broken’ months after shocking crash
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One of the most memorable moments of the 2026 Winter Olympics came early, when skier Lindsey Vonn delivered a gutsy performance for the ages by competing at 41 just a week after injuring her knee in a crash.
Unfortunately, as admirable as her perseverance was, she injured herself badly in another crash just 13 seconds into her run in the women’s downhill final.
Five months later, Vonn is still very much dealing with her injuries.
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Lindsey Vonn speaks on stage during the 2026 ESPYs. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
“It’s been a very slow process,” Vonn told People while attending the ESPYs Wednesday in New York City. “It’s been five months since I’ve been able to actually go to the gym in a somewhat meaningful way. And walking is actually still really hard for me. My ankle is still broken.”
Regardless of the outcome, her decision to attempt that run remains one of the most courageous moments of the Games.
Lindsey Vonn was involved in a serious crash during the women’s downhill event at the 2026 Winter Olympics. (Screengrab by IOC via Getty Images)
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Remember when I mentioned that injury before the Olympics? That wasn’t just a minor bump in the road; it was a completely ruptured ACL.
There was no questioning her courage, but the aftermath has been difficult.
Lindsey Vonn walks through pit lane ahead of the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto)
“I was in a wheelchair for so long. I was on crutches for so long,” Vonn said. “It was honestly almost 3½ months that I was unable to walk unassisted. I got very emotional when I was able to walk on my own.”
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This week, Vonn posted an update on her recovery and said she has “a very long road ahead.”
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