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🎤 QUICK START ✍️

❤️ Deion’s biggest battle was off the field. While the NFL Draft spotlight was on his son Shedeur’s surprising fall, Deion Sanders was quietly fighting bladder cancer — a diagnosis he kept from most of his family until after the draft. His revelation sheds new light on what really went down during one of football’s biggest moments.

🗣️ Stephen A. Smith calls out Stephen Jones over Micah Parsons' contract. On First Take, Smith slammed the Cowboys CEO's comment that Parsons "got to want to be paid too," questioning if Jones would even have his position without his father's influence

🧢 Alex Cora warns players: Don't trust trade rumors. Ahead of the MLB trade deadline, the Red Sox manager advised his team to ignore speculative reports, recalling how ESPN analysts would sometimes fabricate trade rumors in the green room.

🎙️ Mets fans call foul on Karl Ravech's home run calls. During ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball broadcast of the Mets-Giants game on July 27, 2025, Ravech's underwhelming calls of Ronny Mauricio's game-tying splash hit and Juan Soto's go-ahead homer drew criticism from fans. The Ringer’s Sean Fennessey described the game-tying call as "a genuinely horrible home run call on a game-tying splash hit.”

🏈 Cordarrelle Patterson breaks his own news. On his day off, the veteran return specialist announced his release from the Pittsburgh Steelers via X, humorously stating, “Pittsburgh Steelers release old washed up Cordarrelle Patterson on his day off!!!”

🚨LEADING OFF 🚨

Emmanuel Clase was supposed to be a headline this week — just not this one.

The Cleveland Guardians haven’t been among the most active teams ahead of the MLB trade deadline. But if they were ever going to make a blockbuster move, it likely would’ve involved closer Emmanuel Clase. Instead, Clase’s name is in the news for a very different reason.

On Monday, ESPN reported that Clase is under investigation in connection with a gambling probe, making him the second Guardians player — and arguably the biggest name in American pro sports so far — to be swept up in this wave of scrutiny. We don’t know all the details yet. We don’t know the scope. But we do know this is no longer isolated.

This latest twist hits in the middle of deadline week, right as Clase's name would’ve otherwise dominated the rumor mill. Instead of “Will a contender pay up for an elite bullpen arm?” the more urgent question is: “How deep does this go?”

And that’s the tension hanging over sports right now. The headlines keep coming, and it’s easy to wonder if this is a spike or a spotlight. Are we in the middle of a gambling scandal era, or just in an era where the paper trail finally exists?

That’s the thing about regulated markets: they catch things the wild west didn’t. There’s a version of this story that says legal gambling hasn’t corrupted sports; it’s just exposed how fragile the boundaries have always been.

Clase’s involvement, if confirmed, matters in part because of who he is. He’s not some fringe roster guy betting on a game from the bench. He’s an All-Star closer with postseason experience and league-wide trade value. That changes how people react. That changes how teams talk behind closed doors. And that definitely changes how leagues start reviewing their protocols.

The Guardians had already dealt with a gambling scandal when starter Luis Ortiz was suspended earlier this year. Now, one of their biggest names is facing questions. Two in one season, and that’s just one clubhouse.

Maybe we’re finally seeing just how blurry the lines have gotten. Maybe the infrastructure is finally built to detect it. Either way, something’s shifting.

And it’s not just a baseball problem anymore.

📣 NOTABLE QUOTABLES 🗣️

“Are you really concerned about our guys, or are you just trying to get something out there?” — Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, expressing frustration with media coverage of running back Joe Mixon's injury.

“That is definitely NOT the story that has been making the rounds.” — ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio, disputing Adam Schefter's account of the circumstances surrounding Christian Wilkins' release from the Raiders.

“We completely understand that you miss your own broadcasters.” — ESPN's Karl Ravech, acknowledging that fans prefer their local announcers over the national broadcast.

“They did an awful job of keeping us abreast.” — Charles Barkley, criticizing TNT for poor communication regarding the network's plans for NBA media rights.

🎤 MEDIA MOMENTS ✍️ 

• Dick Vitale was “deeply hurt” when ESPN removed him from calling UNC–Duke, a rivalry game he’s long been synonymous with. According to a new report, Vitale even reached out to an ESPN executive to ask for the assignment back, only to be denied. It was a rare, behind-the-curtain glimpse into how difficult the past few years have been for the Hall of Famer.

• Cam Newton wants to build something for HBCUs that feels more like College GameDay, but with the energy of The Pat McAfee Show. The former NFL MVP believes there’s a media gap in how HBCU football is covered and is calling for a national spotlight featuring personalities who genuinely connect with the culture.

• Charles Barkley is fed up with golfers who duck interviews. During a recent appearance on Pardon My Take, Barkley took aim at PGA pros who “don’t understand the business relationship” between media and the game, saying if they can’t face a few questions, “they need to get a real job.”

🔥 THE CLOSER 🔥 

ESPN’s Sunday Night Problem

Major League Baseball has a Sunday night problem. And no, it’s not just the booth. It’s the vibe. The weight. The idea that Sunday Night Baseball is supposed to matter.

Because it used to.

When Jon Miller and Joe Morgan were in the booth, Sunday night felt like something. It felt like the tentpole event it was supposed to. It was the game of the week, with national implications and a national broadcast that treated it that way. Now? It’s often just a game ESPN has the rights to — one most fans didn’t ask for, called by voices they didn’t choose.

This isn’t all on Karl Ravech, but he’s the face of it. His recent home run call during a Mets-Giants game didn’t spark outrage because it was especially bad. It stood out because it was typical. That’s the problem. The current Sunday Night Baseball crew, with Ravech, Eduardo Pérez, and David Cone, is competent but underwhelming. They're not a bad booth, but they’re not the best a national broadcast should offer. The chemistry often feels forced. The timing feels off at times, and overall, the broadcast lacks the polish and presence that once made ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball feel like the league’s premier showcase.

But the bigger problem is identity. Local broadcasts aren’t just preferred because they’re familiar; they're also more accessible. They have a rhythm and connection that runs deeper. Fans trust those voices because they’ve followed the team all season, sharing the ups and downs in real time.

It doesn’t help that the matchups often feel like ESPN fulfilling obligations rather than curating the best possible game.

Sunday Night Baseball used to mean something. Now, it mostly highlights the disconnect between how MLB wants it to be perceived and how fans actually experience it.

If the next media deal sees ESPN walk away from Sunday nights, it won’t come as a shock. The format doesn’t resonate. The booth doesn’t connect. And the product doesn’t justify the spotlight.