Sports
Tyler Higbee fired up about return to Rams: 'Might have to throw some water on me'
Tyler Higbee is understandably excited.
It’s been 11 long months since the Rams’ veteran tight end last played for the Rams.
The ninth-year pro underwent major knee surgery after a NFC wild-card defeat by the Detroit Lions. Seven weeks after that, he had shoulder surgery.
On Sunday, Higbee will be active for the first time this season when the Rams play the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
So his energy level might be higher than normal.
“These guys might have to throw some water on me to take the fire out of my hair,” he said Friday after practice, “but we’re excited.”
Higbee was selected by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2016 draft and has been a mainstay for coach Sean McVay, who was hired after Higbee’s rookie season.
Higbee has 353 career receptions, 22 for touchdowns.
Higbee, who will turn 32 on Jan. 1, began practicing a few weeks ago and was activated from injured reserve this week.
“It’s been a long journey,” he said. “Some days aren’t always the best, but I just kept showing up and going to work.”
McVay was happy to welcome him back.
“It’s a tremendous credit … to the work that he’s done behind the scenes, out here, and the influence-effect, and impact really that he has on his teammates,” McVay said. “It means a lot from just his overall leadership and then what he can provide on the grass.”
Higbee’s return gives the Rams four tight ends on the roster.
Rams tight end Tyler Higbee (89) is helped off the field after injuring his knee and shoulder during a playoff loss to the Lions in January.
(Duane Burleson / Associated Press)
Colby Parkinson, who was signed last offseason as a free agent, has 29 catches for 288 yards and a touchdown. Hunter Long has seven catches for 60 yards, Davis Allen six for 39.
“I couldn’t be more happier that he’s back,” said Allen, a second-year pro. “He’s such a huge part of just our team and the tight end room.
“He’s been supportive all year. To see the work he’s put in to get back has been awesome. Especially as a young guy watching a vet and trying to take as many notes as possible from him.”
Having four tight ends is “a good problem to have,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said.
“We’ve got four tight ends that have proven that they belong in this league and can play at a high level in both phases,” LaFleur said, adding, “We’ll work through that all the way up until Sunday and a lot of times that rotation just kind of organically happens throughout a game.”
Higbee’s last game ended when Lions safety Kerby Joseph hit him during the Rams’ 24-23 defeat at Ford Field in Detroit.
Receiver Cooper Kupp, who missed much of the 2018 season because of a knee injury, could relate to Higbee’s plight.
“I remember coming off the field after that Detroit game last year and obviously it was weighing on him,” Kupp said. “The heaviness of knowing what the path was ahead of him.”
To make matters worse, the Rams’ plane in Detroit was delayed on the tarmac for hours.
“Having a knee that’s just throbbing,” Higbee said.
After his surgeries, Higbee worked with team medical and training personnel. They worked on off days. They worked when the Rams were moving locations from Thousand Oaks to Woodland Hills. They worked during vacations.
“Big credit to those guys helping me get back,” Higbee said.
During his rehabilitation, Higbee stayed connected to the team by attending meetings and games.
“You can feel a little [like] a castaway a little bit,” he said, “and that’s just the nature of the business.”
But Rams players were inspired by Higbee’s work ethic to return. He said he felt their energy and support, keeping him grounded.
“Helped me stay present,” he said. “Whether a good day, a bad day, however it’s feeling, it’s like I come here and see these guys working — I got no option but to work.”
Quarterback Matthew Stafford said Higbee’s experience and energy will help a team that leads the NFC West with three games left.
“The biggest thing is I’m just excited for him,” Stafford said. “What an accomplishment to be able to come back from something like that and to be able to be available for us. … His attitude is infectious and the way he goes about his businesses is amazing.”
Higbee said he won’t be worried about his knee or shoulder when he takes the field Sunday. He expects to acclimate quickly.
“Some of that is going to come from playing, from getting thrown in the fire,” he said, adding, “but I’m ready to roll.”
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CM Punk appeared on “Friday Night SmackDown” ready to take on any challenger that was ready to step to him after winning the Undisputed WWE Championship against Sami Zayn.
Punk entered the ring in Oklahoma City and called back to the “Monday Night Raw” after WrestleMania 42 when he told Cody Rhodes he’d be ready to deliver if a championship opportunity fell “out of the sky.”
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Cody Rhodes and CM Punk face off during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)
“When championship opportunities fall out of the sky, CM Punk catches them,” he said.
Punk named potential SmackDown superstars he’d think might come for the title, including Gunther, Finn Balor, Royce Keys, Damian Priest and Trick Williams. He even said that Zayn could come back around and get his rematch if he wanted. He didn’t mention Rhodes’ name, but the “American Nightmare” came out uncalled and marched his way down to the ring.
“I don’t think you and I can run away from each other anymore,” Punk told Rhodes.
Cody Rhodes looks on during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)
Rhodes agreed and mentioned that Punk would want a match with him, just “say when.” It was a quick retort from Punk, who said, “when.” SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, who was in the ring for the segment, booked the match for SummerSlam.
Punk will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam, which takes place Aug. 1 and 2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
First, however, Punk and Rhodes will be involved in a tag team match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in New York City next week. Aldis made the match after Gunther demanded that Aldis put him in a match against Punk. Gunther was hoping it would be for the championship. Instead, Gunther will tag with Zayn.
Gunther didn’t take too kindly to that and attacked Aldis. Rhodes came back out to break up the calamity. He wanted to take on Gunther after the show went off air but Gunther walked away.
Gunther makes his entrance during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Rich Wade/WWE via Getty Images)
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Punk definitely has his hands full as he moves to SmackDown to become a fighting champion.
World Cup tourists are coming to L.A. for the soccer, but they’re staying for the $21 smoothies and Double-Doubles.
As the last Los Angeles FIFA World Cup event ended Friday, soccer fans were eating like locals and famous chains from the region were cashing in.
In the weeks that L.A. has hosted the World Cup, international soccer enthusiasts have flocked to big brands from the area, often in large groups wearing their countries’ jerseys.
It is a phenomenon seen at many of the host cities. In Dallas, giant gas station Buc-ee’s is the main attraction. For people visiting New Jersey, deli shops have been a hot ticket. In L.A., the place to be between matches was Erewhon.
Thirsty international sports fans gathered for pictures outside different Erewhons, wandered their aisles smiling, and, of course, picked up pricey smoothies.
While Erewhon would not comment on its business, mobility data company Arity, which uses phone data to track consumers, said Erewhon visits at the outlets around SoFi Stadium were quadruple what they were a week earlier on June 12, the day of the U.S. national soccer team’s opening match there.
Arity looked at what stores people visited within a 10-mile radius of SoFi that day and also found surges in visitors to nearby El Pollo Loco and Trader Joe’s.
Locals have spotted groups of people in Korea jerseys huddled together, trying to decide what to order at In-N-Out.
Some complained on social media that international tourists at Trader Joe’s were buying up all the mini canvas tote bags.
Soon after the Belgium vs. Spain quarterfinal ended Friday, the In-N-Out near SoFi had a long line of soccer fans stretching out the door in bright red and yellow and black jerseys and matching striped hats and scarves.
One of the workers said he had to explain “spread” and “animal style” to foreign football fans.
“I didn’t know this place existed,” a fan from Romania said while waiting in line.
Los Angeles and other cities and states that have hosted the event need the soccer fans to spend money to make the event worth all the time, effort and money it requires.
A rosy 2024 report projected the World Cup could bring more than $800 million to the L.A. region as 180,000 people converge on the area to sleep, eat and spend.
There were early concerns people weren’t turning up for the event because of the high ticket prices and the difficulty of obtaining visas for citizens of some countries.
However, at least for some L.A. hotels, there was a surge of last-minute visitors which pushed up occupancy and room rates.
While sports fans are not in the region to shop, they do make time for it.
World Cup customer spending is also apparent in beer sales. Andrew Heritage, the chief economist at the Beer Institute said beer purchases at entertainment and attractions in L.A. – outside of World Cup spaces – were up around 10% from normal.
“That tells me that fans in the L.A. area have decided to extend their stay and take in all the other things that the area has to offer, rather than just the match itself,” he said.
On social media, the purpose of these shoppers is clear: grab a quick souvenir or local specialty and take a selfie.
The data from Arity suggests that fans are very efficient when they spend at local spots, diving in, getting what they want and getting out as soon as possible, said Jeff Schlitt, a director at the company.
“Normally you’re there for an hour. They’re going to be there for 15, 18 minutes,” he said. “Why is that? Because they were purpose-driven shoppers.”
For some travelers, the more popular American chains aren’t unfamiliar. But some of the native L.A. fare still comes as a surprise.
As one Belgium-Spain matchgoer from the Netherlands stood taking a picture of the In-N-Out sign after the game, he said he’d never had a burger like the one he’d just tried.
“We only have McDonald’s and Burger King,” he said. “It’s way better.”
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The face of baseball will not be at Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
Shohei Ohtani was scratched from his start on Friday as the Los Angeles Dodgers said he will also miss the Midsummer Classic with what the team called left knee irritation.
Ohtani, for obvious reasons, has become an All-Star Game fixture. He has earned the honor in each of the past five seasons and made his first start in 2021.
Starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers warms up before the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 03, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The two-way phenom is on his way to winning his fifth MVP award in his last six seasons as he is hitting .290 with a .939 OPS and pitching to a minuscule 1.79 ERA, the second-lowest in the sport among pitchers with 80-plus innings. His OPS is also the seventh-best mark in the league.
The Dodgers said Ohtani will be the team’s designated hitter up until the break, but he will “have some interventions on his knee to put him in the best position for the second half of the season.”
Ohtani dealt with knee issues earlier in the season.
It is certainly a big hit for the game as the other face of the sport, Aaron Judge, will miss the game due to a fractured rib that has kept him out since late May.
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers gets ready in the on deck circle against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 01, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) (Norm Hall/Getty Images)
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Ohtani hit 99 home runs combined in 2024 and 2025, leading the National League with a 1.025 OPS in that span. Ohtani did not pitch in 2024 after elbow surgery but returned to the bump last year and owned a 2.87 ERA and 11.9 K/9, a figure he also put up in 2022 that led the American League.
The “Japanese Babe Ruth” is the only player in MLB history to have 300-plus plate appearances and 40-plus innings in six separate seasons (Ruth only did it twice and never stole 50 bases), and he has more than excelled at both.
Shohei Ohtani pitches for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on May 13, 2026. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)
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Ohtani is not hitting like he has in the past, but certainly the best pitching performance of his career will make up for it. He “only” has 20 homers and 56 RBI this season.
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