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SANDMAN’S DEFINITIVE RATINGS: CELTIC v SHE’S TURNED THE WEANS AGAINST US
“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.” – Mick Jagger
THE FRIENDLY GHOST – 8/10 – “Tender is the ghost, The ghost I love the most. Hiding from the sun, Waiting for the night to come”. Who knew back then that Blur were writing a tune for us now about our new heroic goalie? It seems almost as prophetic as Kasper’s save: the first of that instantaneous double – when the world stood still – because the ball was past him. Yet, with prescience to rival Paul Atreides (see what I did there Dune fans?) Kasper’s mind and hands were ahead of it, clawing back to stop the fizzing volley crossing our line. Save of the season. And man of the hour as he signs on for another year of this Hooped insanity. Pleased to have you, Kasper. And your gloves that stuck like Lego to the final shot in the final seconds from the big ex-Zombie lobotomy; that sneaking in would have ended me…
GREGGS THE BAKER – 6.5/10 – Up-down, in-out, good and bad, on and off…His match sounds like a night with Jamesy (ladies…) but Greggs, so normally consistent, found himself often balancing uncharacteristic errors with surprisingly uplifting moments; stylish passes, winning penalties…Before falling to the raggedy virus after the
break, losing his way a bit, and being hooked as we attempted to reshuffle and regain a foothold.
WAYNE GRETZKY – 6.5/10 – Much like the weekend, AJ’s roving potency was quietened by the need for caution regarding big and mobile, possibly troublesome opponents. While not being neutered (it’s alright Jamesy…), he had to put in more of a considered professional game than be an aggressive creative force. Which he did, with solid credit.
CRUSTY THE CLOWN – 6.5/10 – Any doubts he could muster a physical persona to counter the athletic brawn of his direct opponents were thankfully rebuked. No squealing on the deck here holding his big toe, not in this heady atmosphere and not with such great glory at stake. So he stood up to it all; jumped up to it more like, winning decisive headers at the back and almost scoring one himself from a corner. Got through it all quite well, got us through it splendidly as a component of a strong defensive unit.
CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE…
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Yankees Announce Paul Goldschmidt News After Loss to Twins
The New York Yankees won their first series of August in a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins from Monday to Wednesday, but they're still in trouble. They're only one game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final AL Wild Card spot with six weeks left in the regular season. The Yankees beat the Twins 6-2 on Monday and 9-1 on Tuesday before losing 4-1 on Wednesday, but Tuesday's victory came at a price. First baseman Paul Goldschmidt left early and didn't play on Wednesday, a night in which New York especially needed his bat. The Yankees released an update on Goldschmidt after Wednesday night's game, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. The 37-year-old has a low-grade knee sprain with inflammation. He's slashing .276/.331/.422 with 10 homers and 40 RBI over 112 games. Fellow first baseman Ben Rice went 1-for-4 in Goldshmidt's stead on Wednesday. The 26-year-old is slashing .233/.326/.456 with 17 homers and 38 RBI over 101 contests. Paul Goldschmidt comments on injury Goldschmidt said that he hopes he can avoid the IL with a "short-term" absence, via Hoch. While Rice is a high-upside player in his second year, the seven-time All-Star is still a more dependable contact hitter at this point. Goldschmidt is third on the squad with 110 hits, although his younger counterpart's OPS is 30 points higher. The Yankees need the veteran back as soon as possible to help them maintain their Wild Card spot. His presence allows Rice to play catcher, which is optimal given Austin Wells's struggles. The 26-year-old is slashing just .206/.264/.408 with 15 homers and 56 RBI over 94 games. Up next for New York is a road series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Goldschmidt's former team.
Tennessee's groundbreaking Adidas deal a game-changer for college sports in NIL era
The Tennessee Volunteers are going back to Adidas as its primary apparel provider after a decade of wearing the Nike swoosh. On Wednesday, Adidas announced a $100M, 10-year deal to be the exclusive apparel provider for the school's sports teams. The deal is set to begin on July 1, 2026, following the expiration of the current agreement with Nike. On the surface, it's just another apparel deal between two popular brands, but in the era of NIL (name, image and likeness) in college sports, it's a game-changing agreement. As part of the agreement, Adidas will establish a fund for NIL deals between the University of Tennessee and student-athletes. The German-based company will provide Tennessee with at least $10 million annually for the NIL deals, which, as of now, is about half of the $20.5 million that schools participating in the revenue-sharing model are allowed to give directly to student-athletes. That figure will almost assuredly increase with each passing year, meaning both current and future Tennessee Volunteers will benefit directly from this deal. Adidas will aim to make top student-athletes brand ambassadors by giving them national marketing campaigns and signature shoe lines. With NIL deals becoming a centerpiece of how college athletic departments attract top recruits, this deal is a bellwether for how apparel deals will be renegotiated across the world of college sports. Of course, at the center of this deal is football, as it remains the most popular sport in the country. According to The Athletic, the Volunteers' football program is estimated to be valued at $1.37B, the ninth-highest valuation in college football. It's only natural, then, that Adidas wants to get its logo back on Tennessee football jerseys. Adidas sponsored the team for 20 years before the university switched to Nike in 2014. While some fans were hoping Tennessee would re-up their partnership with Nike, fans who remember the 1998 National Championship team will probably feel good seeing the Adidas logo on the jersey again. Adidas also sweetened the deal by providing assurances that Tennessee athletics can design its apparel in-house, in collaboration with the company. Aside from nostalgia and big business, Tennessee and Adidas both know that for the school to remain one of the top programs in the country, they'll need star recruits. Before the ascendance of NIL deals, recruiting top talent was a mix of promising top-of-the-line facilities and flaunting the pedigree of the program. NIL money has changed that equation and already impacted Tennessee. In April, star quarterback Nico Iamaleava shocked the school by not reporting to spring practice and transferring to UCLA. Reports suggested part of the disagreements between Iamaleava and the school was over his NIL deal. How Iamaleava plays this season will make Tennessee wonder if it should've allocated more NIL money to keeping him happy. If that's the case, it's safe to wonder if Tennessee will tap into this deal as much as possible to keep future stars away from the transfer portal. This deal with Adidas certainly opens new doors for athletes to maximize their branding and will test the NIL distribution system over the next decade. Expect these types of deals to become the norm, too, as universities seek every competitive advantage against one another.
Green Bay Packers: Josh Jacobs’ 1-word reaction to Team’s RB Flex Before Colts Clash
The NFL has dropped a fresh batch of names for their NFL “Top 100” list for the upcoming 2025 season, and Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs is among the players revealed. The former Alabama Crimson Tide star tailback has been ranked No. 33 overall. The Packers, who will be playing against the Indianapolis Colts this coming Saturday in a preseason game, rightfully acknowledged Jacobs’ position on the list by flexing it on social media. “Another year, another Josh Jacobs sighting in the NFL Top 100 , ” the Packers’ post on Instagram read. Jacobs appreciates Green Bay Packers’ flex on his Top 100 re-entry This is a return to the list for Jacobs, who was not part of the Top 100 in 2024. Before that, he was 13th overall in 2023, his last season with the Las Vegas Raiders. So, what did it take for Jacobs to get back into the list? He rushed for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns on 301 carries in his first year with the Packers, who will be relying a lot again on his legs to deliver the offense on the ground. Jacobs also showed appreciation for the Packers’ post, as he reposted it via IG Stories with a caption that read: “Grateful.” The three-time Pro Bowler is 27 and will turn 28 in February, but his best season in the NFL could still be in front of him. Together with quarterback Jordan Love, Jacobs will look to carry the bulk of the Packers’ offense, which was eighth in the league in 2024 with 27.1 points per game. Love and Rashan Garry are also the other Packers players who made it to the Top 100 in 2025.
Oregon suspends former five-star WR recruit indefinitely
Oregon wide receiver Jurrion Dickey has struggled to live up to expectations in his first two seasons with the Ducks, and he is now in a terrible position heading into 2025 as well. Dickey has been suspended indefinitely by Oregon, head coach Dan Lanning announced on Tuesday. Lanning also suggested that Dickey may not play for the Ducks again. "We have two team rules; that’s respectful, be on time,” Lanning said, via James Crepea of The Oregonian. “There’s some pieces of that where I felt like he needed a break from us and we needed a break from that so we could focus on what’s in front of us right now. "Wishing him nothing but the best, as far as success and want to see him get back to where he can be a contributor somewhere; that might be here that might be somewhere else.” Dickey was a five-star recruit and rated as one of the top wide receivers in the country when he came out of Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California, in 2023. He suffered an injury in his senior year in high school and redshirted as a freshman at Oregon. Dickey has two catches for 14 years during his time with the Ducks. Oregon went 13-1 in Lanning's third season with the program last season. The Ducks lost to eventual national champion Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
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