Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I’m so relieved to have endured the slowest sports week of the year.
In today’s SI:AM:
⚾ Second-half MLB story lines
🌏 Women’s world cup previews
❌ Another coach fired at Northwestern
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MLB’s second half starts now
Now after the All-Star break, the season gets serious. Every team is back in action tonight, including notable series like Marlins-Orioles, Diamondbacks–Blue Jays, Reds-Brewers and Astros-Angels.
Author: Michael
When Hugh Freeze takes the stage in Nashville next week to speak with over a thousand reporters, nerves shouldn’t be a problem. The former Ole Miss head coach is back in his element, looking to make a splash for the Auburn Tigers, who took a chance on Freeze this past November.
Folks on the plains have to be excited about where the program stands right now, compared to last year’s media day in Atlanta.
Northwestern fired baseball coach Jim Foster on Thursday, with sources saying his dismissal came after allegations of bullying and a toxic environment within the program.
As the Angels begin to tumble out of the American League playoff picture, Shohei Ohtani trade rumors have once again resurfaced. If Los Angeles is unable to make the postseason, yet again, with the two-way phenom, it stands to reason that the franchise is better off getting something in return him for the last half of the season, rather than risk him walking away with no return in free agency.
On Thursday, ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney argued that the Yankees are the team with the most motivation to make a huge splash and land Ohtani ahead of the trade deadline.
Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
It took some time, but we thought of some questions facing Red Bull right now
Things are never dull in Formula 1.
This was supposed to be a quiet week off, following a back-to-back in Austria and Britain, and ahead of another back-to-back in Hungary and the Netherlands. But a thunderbolt from the clouds came down on Monday, with the shocking news that Daniel Ricciardo was coming back to the grid.
After just ten races, AlphaTauri and Red Bull had seen enough from Nyck de Vries.
At the beginning of each episode of Goliath, the well-crafted, three-part Showtime docuseries on legendary hoops star Wilt Chamberlain that premieres this Friday, there’s a disclaimer.
“Wilt Chamberlain’s voice in this series is created using an A.I. program with the permission of the Wilt Chamberlain estate. Wilt’s words have been composed of quotations of his written work and public statements,” the statement reads.
Other interesting filmmaking tactics have been utilized before to voice departed legends.
After Northwestern fired Pat Fitzgerald earlier this week, the school reportedly named defensive coordinator David Braun as the interim head coach. At the end of the year, though, Northwestern will have to fill that role permanently.
For a moment, it was reported that former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron was interested in the job, whenever Northwestern chooses to hire a permanent coach. However, Orgeron quickly spoke with The Athletic and Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman to deny the report Wednesday night.
“Spoke to Ed Orgeron,” Feldman tweeted.
All eyes will be on the U.S. women’s national team as the reigning world champions embark on their quest for an unprecedented World Cup three-peat. But before the U.S. can even think about hoisting the trophy, Vlatko Andonovski’s squad will need to advance out of a group featuring one rival and two World Cup newcomers. The Dutch and the USWNT have plenty of history; the U.S. took out the Netherlands in the 2019 World Cup final.
Group F features two traditional powers, the lone Caribbean nation in the tournament and a World Cup debutante in Panama, setting up a series of intriguing matchups. In February, Panama edged Paraguay 1–0 to land the 32nd and final qualifying spot, while Jamaica returns after a winless showing four years ago. France is the favorite, but after significant national team turmoil, it likely won’t be smooth sailing for Les Bleus.
In late February key forwards Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani and captain Wendie Renard stepped down, citing subpar conditions and management issues.
The group that opens the festivities might well be its least predictable. As one of four nations to win a Women’s World Cup, Norway would be the logical favorite, but a shocking group-stage exit at Euro 2022—thanks in part to an 8–0 loss to eventual champion England—throws that status in doubt. Fortunately, Norway is led by six-time Champions League winner Ada Hegerberg, who is back on the World Cup stage after missing the ’19 event during a five-year absence from the national team.