PV and CHICO open play in Week Zero
The 2024-25 high school football season gets underway tonight as the defending Division II Section Champion Pleasant Valley Vikings will take host Central Catholic at Asgard Yard. Kick-off is at 7pm.
The Chico High Panthers will travel to Grass Valley to take on Nevada Union. The Panthers went 10-2 last year and captured the regular season EAL title. Kick-off slated for 7pm.
The Giants are set to begin a six-game road trip. San Francisco will visit the Seattle Mariners tonight at T-Mobile Park. Right-hander Hayden Birdsong is scheduled to start opposite Seattle righty Luis Castillo. Birdsong is 3-and-3 with a 5.01 ERA through nine starts this season. The Giants won two of three over the Chicago White Sox in their last series and currently sit fourth in the NL West at 65-and-64.
The Athletics salvaged a series split against the Tampa Bay Rays with a 3-1 win at the Oakland Coliseum. Osvaldo Bido tossed five innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts to improve to 5-and-3 on the season. Darell Hernaiz, Lawrence Butler and Zack Gelof drove-in runs for the A's in the win. Mason Miller got his 20th save of the year. The A's snapped a two-game losing skid and sit fourth in the AL West at 55-and-73. They remain home to host the Milwaukee Brewers tonight. Left-hander JP Sears is slated to start against Milwaukee righty Aaron Civale.
The 49ers and Raiders are taking the field for their preseason finale. Las Vegas will host San Francisco tonight at Allegiant Stadium. In other news, the Niners have signed tight end Logan Thomas and waived defensive back Taylor Hawkins with an injury settlement. In Vegas, wide receiver Jeff Foreman reverted to the team's injured reserve after clearing waivers. The Niners enter the game at 1-and-1, while the Raiders are 0-and-2.
The final week of the NFL preseason kicked off with a pair of matchups on Thursday. The Chicago Bears wrapped up a 4-and-0 preseason with a 34-21 takedown of the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. In other action, Anthony Richardson led the Indianapolis Colts to a 27-14 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The second-year signal caller had 86 passing yards with one TD and an interception. The action continues on Friday with three more matchups. The Falcons host the Jaguars, the Dolphins visit the Buccaneers, and the Raiders entertain the 49ers. There will then be eight games on Saturday and three more on Sunday. The Washington Commanders will host the New England Patriots on Sunday night to close out the preseason.
The Washington Commanders made a rare, in-division trade. They sent 2022 first-round pick Jahan Dotson to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2025 third-round pick and two seventh-round picks. Dotson appeared in 29 games for the Commanders in two seasons, starting 26. He had 84 catches for 1,041 yards and 11 touchdowns. In other news, Washington traded a conditional seventh-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for kicker Cade York. The Commanders also released kicker Riley Patterson and signed safety Sheldrick Redwin.
The Chiefs are rewarding their star center with a record-setting contract extension. ESPN is reporting that Kansas City has signed Creed Humphrey to a four-year contract worth 72-million dollars. The deal also includes 50-million dollars in guarantees and makes Humphrey the highest-paid center in league history. The 25-year-old was selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma. He has started every game over the past three seasons and has been selected to two Pro Bowls. Humphrey was entering the final year of his rookie deal.
The Bengals are banged up heading into the regular season. ESPN reports Myles Murphy is expected to miss four-to-six weeks with a sprained right MCL. The team is planning a conservative recovery and won't rush the lineman until he's ready. The 22-year-old suffered the knee injury at joint practice with the Colts on Tuesday and got carted off the field. Murphy was taken 28th-overall in the 2023 draft and tallied three sacks as a second-unit edge rusher last season.
The Falcons are keeping their secondary intact. ESPN reports the team re-signed AJ Terrell on Thursday to a four-year contract worth 81-million dollars. The deal includes nearly 66-million in guaranteed money, which is the largest given to a cornerback on a four-year agreement. The 25-year-old is now the second-highest paid corner in the league behind the Packers' Jaire Alexander. Terrell has four interceptions and 43 pass breakups after he was taken 16th-overall in the 2020 draft.
The struggling Seattle Mariners have parted ways with their manager. The M's have fired Scott Servais [[ service ]], who had been in the position since 2016 and led them to their first playoff appearance since 2001 two years ago. The Mariners are five games back of the Houston Astros for first in the AL West after leading the division for much of the season. They are 2-and-8 in their last 10 games and are last in MLB with a .216 batting average. Longtime catcher Dan Wilson has been named the team's manager. Seattle has also parted ways with hitting coach Jarret DeHart.
The Dodgers have made the decision to move on from a 15-year veteran. Los Angeles designated veteran outfielder Jason Heyward for assignment on Thursday. Heyward was the odd man out with the Dodgers choosing to activate Chris Taylor off the injured list. Other teams will now have seven days to claim Heyward off waivers before he is released and becomes a free agent. The 35-year-old was batting .208 with six home runs and 28 RBIs through 63 games played this season.
