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🚨 Headlines
🏀 Kawhi’s out, Derrick’s in: Team USA removed Kawhi Leonard from the Olympic roster, deciding, along with the Clippers, that the chronically-injured star should instead prepare for the NBA season. They replaced him with Celtics guard Derrick White.
⚾️ First to 60 wins: The Phillies beat the Dodgers on Wednesday to become the first MLB team to reach 60 wins. At 60-32, they’re on pace for a franchise-record 106 wins.
🏀 Back on top: The Liberty beat the Sun, 71-68, in a battle of the WNBA’s top two teams to reclaim sole possession of first place and improve to 18-4, their best start ever.
🇫🇷 Tour de France update: Two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard outsprinted 2020-21 champion Tadej Pogačar to win Stage 11, though Pogačar remains in first.
⚾️ Immaculate finish: White Sox closer Michael Kopech threw the first immaculate inning of the season (9 pitches, 9 strikes) to close out the Twins in a 3-1 win.
⚽️ Who will replace Gregg Berhalter?
Gregg Berhalter was fired as USMNT coach on Wednesday, and now, with a home World Cup less than two years away, U.S. Soccer must find his replacement.
From Yahoo Sports’ Henry Bushnell:
The search, which is now underway, will be “much more targeted” than previous U.S. Soccer searches, sporting director Matt Crocker said Wednesday. Crocker will lead it. And “I’ll be more inclined to go hard and go early with specific candidates that I feel meet the criteria that we’re looking for,” he said.
On a 15-minute Zoom call with a handful of reporters, though, Crocker also said he’d consider “a really wide pool of candidates.” When asked if he had a preference for domestic coaches or foreigners, he said: “I just want to get the best coach possible.”
There is no set spending cap on the USMNT search — and, contrary to uninformed speculation, there are no limitations related to equal pay.
There are, rather, scenarios where sponsors or donors could chip in to lure a big name — much like Apple and Adidas did with Lionel Messi, or like Canadian MLS owners did with Jesse Marsch.
The big names…
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Jürgen Klopp — The recently retired Klopp has been the dream candidate for weeks, perhaps months. If he’s interested and affordable, he should be the pick. To tempt him back so soon, U.S. Soccer would probably have to pay him far more than it has ever paid anyone. Berhalter made $1.6 million per year; Klopp, at Liverpool, made $20 million annually.
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Zinedine Zidane — Zizou has been idle ever since leaving Real Madrid in 2021. So, he’s available. But would he be interested in coaching the U.S., or any country outside his native France? He reportedly rejected an approach from U.S. Soccer in early 2023.
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Mauricio Pochettino — He’s also available, having been dismissed by Chelsea in May after just one season. Unlike Zidane and Klopp, though, he wouldn’t necessarily be a home-run hire.
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Thomas Tuchel — Tuchel, who recently departed Bayern Munich, is a widely respected tactician who could be a timely contrast to Berhalter. But culturally, he’s an awkward fit and he grossly mismanaged U.S. captain Christian Pulisic at Chelsea.
Other candidates include: Thierry Henry (France Olympic team), Joachim Löw (free agent), Hervé Renard (France women), Steve Cherundolo (LAFC) and Wilfried Nancy (Columbus Crew).
🌎 The world in photos
Dortmund — England came back to beat the Netherlands, 2-1, to clinch a spot in the Euro final on a 90th-minute game-winner from second-half sub Ollie Watkins.
Charlotte — Colombia, playing the entire second half with 10 men, eked out a 1-0 win over Uruguay to reach their first Copa América final since 2001. After the game, Uruguay players brawled with Colombia fans.
Las Vegas — Former President Barack Obama attended Team USA’s pre-Olympic opener, an 86-72 win over Canada.
London — Lorenzo Musetti beat Taylor Fritz in a back-and-forth five-setter to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal, where Novak Djokovic awaits. He’s the fourth Italian man to ever make it this far at Wimbledon.
🎾 The Royal Box: Watching Wimbledon in style
The toughest ticket to get at Wimbledon isn’t one you can buy. Rather, it’s an invite to the highly exclusive Royal Box, which is like Celebrity Row at a Knicks game on steroids.
How it works: The 74-seat box overlooking Centre Court has hosted royalty and celebrities since 1922, with the guest list determined solely by the chair of the All England Club. Suggestions are welcome, but no one — not even a member of the royal family — may personally invite someone.
Who’s on the list: Guests this year include David Beckham, about half of Europe’s 2024 Ryder Cup winning team, Dustin Hoffman, Salma Hayek and Dave Grohl.
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Each invitation comes with a plus-one — often a spouse, though Beckham usually brings his mom.
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Recent attendees include Samuel L. Jackson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Issa Rae and F1’s George Russell, who provided a glimpse of his beautiful invitation.
Living like royalty: A day in the Royal Box includes drinks upon arrival, lunch, afternoon tea, and of course the iconic strawberries and cream — though the berries served here are better than those served to the masses, a luxury variety called Driscoll’s Jubilee, per The Athletic ($). The retractable roof is even adjusted to keep the sun out of guests’ eyes.
The box has strict rules: F1 star Lewis Hamilton was once denied entry for failing to wear a jacket and tie, and a tipsy Woody Harrelson struggled to get past an usher after ordering one too many Pimm’s cups. Even Princess Kate Middleton’s sister and mother were turned away for arriving late.
Daily roll call: Wimbledon’s official site publishes a daily blog detailing that day’s Royal Box attendees: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10
⚾️ MLB Draft: Top 50 players
The 2024 MLB Draft begins Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas, as part of this year’s All-Star festivities.
How it works: Day 1 (Sunday) will feature the first 74 picks, Day 2 (Monday) will feature Rounds 3-10, and Rounds 11-20 will complete the draft on Wednesday. In total, 615 selections will be made.
Top 20 players:
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2B Travis Bazzana (Oregon State)
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3B/OF Charlie Condon (Georgia)
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SS JJ Wetherholt (West Virginia)
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1B/LHP Jac Caglianone (Florida)
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RHP Chase Burns (Wake Forest)
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LHP Hagen Smith (Arkansas)
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OF Braden Montgomery (Texas A&M)
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SS Konnor Griffin (High School)
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SS Bryce Rainer (High School)
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1B Nick Kurtz (Wake Forest)
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1B/OF James Tibbs III (FSU)
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RHP Trey Yesavage (ECU)
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3B Cam Smith (FSU)
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2B Christian Moore (Tennessee)
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INF/OF Seaver King (Wake Forest)
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3B Tommy White (LSU)
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C Malcolm Moore (Stanford)
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C Walker Janek (Sam Houston)
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OF Ryan Waldschmidt (Kentucky)
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OF Carson Benge (Oklahoma State)
📆 July 11, 1914: Babe’s debut
110 years ago today, 19-year-old Babe Ruth made his major league debut, earning the win (7 IP, 2 ER) and going 0-2 at the plate in a 4-3 Red Sox victory over Cleveland.
What they said: “He has a natural delivery, fine control and a curveball that bothers the batsmen,” wrote the Boston Globe. And though he went hitless on the day, they wrote that he “shaped up like a good batsman.” I’ll say.
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⚾️ 1978: Dodgers 1B Steve Garvey was named All-Star Game MVP for the second time (1974), becoming the second of five players* to win the award twice.
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🎾 2015: Serena Williams won Wimbledon to complete her second “Serena Slam,” joining Steffi Graf as the only women to twice hold all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously.
*The other four: Willie Mays (1963, 1968), Gary Carter (1981, 1984), Cal Ripken Jr. (1991, 2001) and Mike Trout (2014-15).
📺 Watchlist: The 32nd ESPYS
The 32nd ESPYS are tonight in Los Angeles (8pm ET, ABC), where Serena Williams will host the annual awards ceremony.
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Honorees: Former NFL safety Steve Gleason (Arthur Ashe Award for Courage), South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley (Jimmy V Award for Perseverance) and Prince Harry (Pat Tillman Award for Service).
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Nominees: Among the 22 awards being doled out, nominees include those for best male athlete (Patrick Mahomes, Scottie Scheffler, Shohei Ohtani, Connor McDavid) and best female athlete (Caitlin Clark, Coco Gauff, Nelly Korda, A’ja Wilson).
More to watch:
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🎾 Wimbledon: No. 7 Jasmine Paolini vs. Donna Vekić (8:30am, ESPN); No. 4 Elena Rybakina vs. No. 31 Barbora Krejčíková (9:45am, ESPN) … Semifinals.
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⛳️ LPGA*: Evian Championship (6am, Golf/Peacock) … The year’s fourth major tees off in Evian-les-Bains, France.
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⛳️ PGA: Scottish Open (10:30am, Golf) … A stacked field including defending champion Rory McIlroy teed off beginning at 2am ET (currently on ESPN+).
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🏀 WNBA: Sky at Liberty (7pm, Prime)
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⚾️ MLB: Yankees at Rays (6:50pm, MLB.TV Free Game)
*Can Korda get back on track? World No. 1 Nelly Korda has missed three straight cuts since winning six of her previous seven starts.
🚨 Submit your trivia questions
We need some new trivia questions. Submit yours and we’ll share our favorites over the coming days and weeks.
What to send: Your trivia question (and answer) plus your name (first name is fine) and current city so we can credit you.
Send submissions here: kendall.baker@yahooinc.com
💬 Tweet of the day: Welcome to the Pac-2 era
I laughed. It would be funnier if it wasn’t so sad…
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