(INDIANAPOLIS) — After reaching the playoffs in two of the last three seasons, the Indianapolis Colts have signed head coach Frank Reich and general manager Chris Ballard to contract extensions through 2026.
The deals have been in the works throughout the summer, with Ballard’s deal completed in June and Reich’s finalized last week.
In a statement, Colts owner Jim Irsay praised the pair, calling them “as great a general manager-head coach combination as there is in the NFL.” Irsay also insisted he believes the team is “on the doorstep of great things.”
Irsay has previously spoken publicly about wanting to win multiple Super Bowls. The team has won just one title since 1970.
Ballard and Reich have taken a more patient approach, building the current Colts roster largely through the draft. Key players like offensive lineman Quenton Nelson, linebacker Darius Leonard, and running back Jonathan Taylor have all been added through the draft.
The team has, however, had constant issues at the quarterback position, losing Andrew Luck first to injury, and then to a surprise retirement. The organization acquired Carson Wentz from the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, but Wentz will miss five to 12 weeks following surgery on his foot.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Houston 5, Colorado 0
AMERICAN LEAGUE
LA Angels 6, Toronto 3
Detroit 9, Baltimore 4
Tampa Bay 8, Boston 4
Oakland 4, Cleveland 3
Minnesota 4, Chi White Sox 3
Kansas City 8, N. Yankees 4
Toronto 4, LA Angels 0
Texas 5, Seattle 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee 4, Chi Cubs 2
St. Louis 4, Pittsburgh 1
Atlanta 3, Cincinnati 2
LA Dodgers 5, Philadelphia 0
Milwaukee 6, Chi Cubs 3
San Francisco 8, Arizona 7
San Diego 6, Miami 5
Washington at NY Mets (Suspended)
(PARIS) — Soccer star Lionel Messi has signed a two-year contract with Ligue 1 team Paris Saint-Germain.
“I am excited to begin a new chapter of my career at Paris Saint-Germain,” Messi said in a statement. “Everything about the club matches my football ambitions. I know how talented the squad and the coaching staff are here. I am determined to help build something special for the club and the fans, and I am looking forward to stepping out onto the pitch at the Parc des Princes.”
Messi will wear number 30 for the team.
“I am delighted that Lionel Messi has chosen to join Paris Saint-Germain and we are proud to welcome him and his family to Paris,” said Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Chairman and CEO of Paris Saint-Germain. “He has made no secret of his desire to continue competing at the very highest level and winning trophies, and naturally our ambition as a club is to do the same. The addition of Leo to our world class squad continues a very strategic and successful transfer window for the club. Led by our outstanding coach and his staff, I look forward to the team making history together for our fans all around the world.”
Messi had been a free agent since June 30th when his contract with Barcelona FC ended. He had wanted to stay with the team, but last Thursday the Spanish giant said it would not be financially possible.
During a Sunday news conference, Messi said he wanted to remain with the team and even offered to take a 50% pay cut.
Messi scored a record 672 goals in 778 appearances for Barca and won 10 La Liga and four Champions League titles.
(HOUSTON) — Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is “unlikely to play” in the team’s first preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, head coach David Culley announced Tuesday.
Culley told reporters they will decide later in the week if he’ll play.
“It’s based off the fact that [he’s had] limited reps in practice,” Culley said.
According to ESPN, Houston general manager Nick Caserio told Houston’s SportsRadio 610 he does not expect Watson to travel to Green Bay.
When asked if he expects Watson to play during the preseason Culley said “No comment.”
Watson practiced for the first five days of training camp, then missed the next five practices. He returned to practice on Monday and Tuesday, according to ESPN.
In January, the quarterback asked for a trade from the team.
Watson is also facing 22 lawsuits alleging sexual assault or inappropriate behavior.
(DENVER) — After an investigation into an alleged use of a racial slur during Sunday’s game, the Colorado Rockies have concluded a fan was yelling for the team’s mascot Dinger, a purple dinosaur.
The investigation began after the Miami’s Bally Sports Television broadcast picked up the fans yelling for the mascot during Sunday’s game against the Miami Marlins when Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson, who is black, was at bat.
“After a thorough investigation that included calls, emails and video clips from concerned fans, media and broadcast partners, the Colorado Rockies have concluded that the fan was indeed yelling for Rockies mascot Dinger in hopes of getting his attention for a photo, and there was never any racial slur that occurred,” the team said in a statement Monday.
The fan was not identified.
In a statement on Sunday, the team said they were “disgusted at the use of a racial slur” during Brinson’s at-bat.
Brinson went 2-4 in the game with two RBI’s. Colorado won 13-8.
(NEW YORK) — An Ohio mom had an unexpected cameo in the middle of a Major League Soccer game when her 2-year-old son ran onto the field.
Morgan Tucker, of Moscow, Ohio, took her son Zaydek to his first soccer game Saturday night to watch FC Cincinnati face off against Orlando City FC.
About 70 minutes into the game, Tucker said she turned her head for one second, during which time Zaydek slid under a fence and ran onto the field. The mother and son were guests of Tucker’s employer and were sitting in club seats on the sidelines, according to Tucker.
“I literally looked away for one second and saw he was under the fence and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,'” she told “Good Morning America.” “I had to jump over the gate and then sprinted after him.”
Tucker was captured on camera sprinting onto the field and then sliding in order to tackle Zaydek and take him off the field, where play was continuing.
“When I slid and tackled him, I did not feel any pain but the next day I was sore for sure,” said Tucker, who described her actions in the moment as “pure adrenaline.” “I was so scared he was going to get hit in the head with a soccer ball.”
Both Tucker and Zaydek made it off the field without injury and without interrupting the game.
“When I got him back over the fence I said, ‘What were you doing?,’ and he said, ‘Mom, soccer ball,'” Tucker said. “He was really into the game and when the [players] would go to the other side of the field, he was not happy, so he wanted them to be there with him.”
“He was just running after them,” she added of Zaydek. “He was just laughing and had no idea what he did.”
Tucker said she received cheers from the crowd as she ran off the field with Zaydek, adding, “Everyone was screaming and cheering and I knew they were not cheering for the game. My face was as red as a tomato.”
She described Zaydek as a “very active kid” who started walking at seven months and now loves playing soccer, something she hopes he’ll get to do again, just not in the middle of a pro soccer game.
“I want him to meet the FC team now and kick a ball with them,” she said. “That would be so cool.”
(DENVER) — The Colorado Rockies are investigating after a racial slur was used during Sunday’s game against the Miami Marlins during a ninth-inning at bat by Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson, who is black.
The slur was picked up by the Bally Sports television broadcast.
“The Colorado Rockies are disgusted at the racial slur by a fan directed at the Marlins’ Lewis Brinson during the ninth inning of today’s game,” the team said in a statement. “Although the subject was not identified prior to the end of the game, the Rockies are still investigating this incident.”
“The Rockies have zero tolerance for any form of racism or discrimination, and any fan using derogatory language of any kind will be ejected and banned from Coors Field.”
Brinson went 2-4 in the game with two RBI’s. Colorado won 13-8.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Kansas City 6, St. Louis 5
LA Dodgers 8, L.A. Angels 2
Chi White Sox 9 Chi Cubs 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland 7, Detroit 5
Tampa Bay 9, Baltimore 6
Seattle 2, NY Yankees 0
Toronto 9, Boston 8
Minnesota 7, Houston 5
Oakland 6, Texas 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia 3, NY Mets 0
Atlanta 5, Washington 4
Cincinnati 3, Pittsburgh 2
San Francisco 5, Milwaukee 4
Colorado 13, Miami 8
San Diego 2, Arizona 0
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Chicago 2, New York 1
New England 2, Philadelphia 1
Miami 2, Nashville 1
San Jose 2, Los Angeles FC 1
D.C. United 2, CF Montreal 1
Vancouver 1, LA Galaxy 1 (Tie)
(TOKYO) — A historic 2020 Olympics is coming to a close today, one that saw world records smashed, surprising defeats and teary moments of sportsmanship. Thank you for joining us every day for our daily coverage of the competitions, today will be our concluding roundup of key moments from the past two weeks.
US women’s basketball wins 7th consecutive gold medal
The United States women’s basketball team defeated Japan 95-70 to take home the gold for the seventh consecutive Olympics. This is the fifth Olympic gold medal in basketball for Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird, who most likely have played in their final Olympic game.
The effort was led by Brittney Griner who scored 30 points, the most by a U.S. player in a gold medal game.
US women’s volleyball win first-ever gold medal
The U.S. women’s volleyball team has won its first-ever gold medal after defeating Brazil in straight sets, 25-21, 25-20, 25-14. The team has won three silver medals and two bronze since 1984.
US wins most gold medals, most medals overall
The United States has finished the Olympic Games with 39 gold medals, edging out China on the last day of action. Team USA finished with 113 medals overall, leading second-place China by a large margin.
Consistent dread and disruption caused by COVID-19
The reminders of the global pandemic were abundant as the athletes competed in nearly empty stadiums in Tokyo. Athletes were subject to daily tests, medalists had to celebrate with loved ones via screens and everyone present was subject to very strict procedures to remain safe.
Even with the safety protocols in place, 436 people at the Tokyo Olympics tested positive for COVID-19, including many athletes that had to leave competition. The surrounding city of Tokyo consistently reached record numbers of reported cases, reporting 4,066 new cases on the last day of the Olympics.
Looking back on the games: Allyson Felix makes history again and again
Allyson Felix won her 10th and then her 11th medal to first become the most decorated female track athlete in the world and then surpassing Carl Lewis as America’s most decorated track athlete with the latter win. Felix won the bronze in the individual 400m, and the next day won the gold in the women’s 4x400m relay.
The 35-year-old sprinter has most likely finished her Olympic career, competing in five different Olympic Games.
Looking back on the games: Simone Biles overcomes adversity to take home a medal
After Simone Biles withdrew from the overall team competition because of a case of the “twisties” — a vertigo-like affliction that disables gymnasts from knowing where their body is relative to the ground — she received unrivaled amounts of attention, both supportive outpourings and sharp criticisms.
Biles subsequently withdrew from individual events in the vault, uneven bars and floor exercises but returned for her final competition in the balance beam to win the bronze medal.
Looking back on the games: Gold medal shared for the first time in over 100 years
Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi and Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim had both cleared 2.37m in the men’s high jump final but each failed in their three events to clear the next height of 2.39m. Instead of going to a jump-off, Tamberi turned to the Olympic officials and asked if they could share the gold medal. The official said yes, and Barshim agreed.
The unbelievable act of sportsmanship between the two friends brought tears to the eyes of spectators as they watched Tamberi jump into Barshim’s arms, the Italian quickly shedding some tears of his own.
