Month: July 2024

Drake Maye gets vote of confidence from star Patriots defensive teammate

Former UNC star quarterback Drake Maye is adjusting just fine to NFL life.

NFL Training Camp is well underway, meaning we’re that much closer to seeing live game action.

While Training Camp provides a great opportunity for veterans to work with teammates after a long offseason, it’s also the first larger-scale chance for rookies to work with their new NFL teammates. The 2024 NFL Draft Class sported plenty of exciting rookies: Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye – to name a few – with fans craving to see where they fit on their respective teams’ depth charts.

Maye, the former North Carolina Tar Heels standout quarterback chosen third overall by the New England Patriots, is the highest-drafted UNC alum since Mitch Trubisky (second overall in 2017). Unlike Trubisky, though, Maye has significantly more college starting experience.

New England hasn’t enjoyed a consistently good quarterback since Tom Brady, the GOAT football player who won seven Super Bowls as Patriots QB. The Patriots are hoping Maye, who threw for 8,018 yards and 63 touchdowns in college, can be their next franchise quarterback.

In the early stages of NFL Training Camp, Maye is already receiving praise from his teammates.

Jabril Peppers, picked back in the 2017 NFL Draft like Trubisky, recently signed a 3-year extension with New England.

Like Peppers said above, his job is to make life tough for Maye in Training Camp by covering receivers, pressuring when needed and helping him realize the difficulties of playing NFL football.

If Maye keeps playing like Peppers says he is, a starting NFL job will be closer than Maye might think.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Majman sweeps entire JS F4 weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park

After earning his first-career Ligier JS F4 Series (JS F4) win Saturday afternoon, Brad Majman went back to back at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP), taking the victory in race two on Sunday morning. With another hard-fought battle, Majman (No. 95 …

After earning his first-career Ligier JS F4 Series (JS F4) win Saturday afternoon, Brad Majman went back to back at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP), taking the victory in race two on Sunday morning. With another hard-fought battle, Majman (No. 95 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) had to hold off his teammate Kekai Hauanio (No. 29 N.E.Where Transportation / New’T Racing Ligier JS F4) to take the win.

As the race passed the halfway point, Hauanio led Majman by about 0.4s. Facing consistent pressure from his teammate, Hauanio slipped up and dropped a wheel off the racing surface as they exited the chicane, slowing him just enough to allow his competition to get by. With Majman taking the point, Teddy Musella (No. 25 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F4) slid into second, Harbir Dass (No. 23 Berg DMG Racing Ligier JS F4) into third, and Drew Szuch (No. 28 Szuch Racing Ligier JS F4) moved to fourth, leaving Hauanio all the way back in fifth. Determined to regain lost ground, Hauanio kept his focus forward and started to pick them off one by one. First getting around Szuch and Dass, just under 10 minutes were left on the clock when Hauanio overtook Musella and moved back into second. Still 5.127s behind Majman, Hauanio had quite a bit of ground to make up.

Close racing continued between Musella, Szuch and Dass. As Hauanio got around Musella in Turn 8, Szuch also looked to the inside, darting under Musella to overtake third. Dass followed in his tracks as the three jockeyed for the position. Demitri Nolan (No. 5 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) pulled up to join the fight just as Szuch started to fall off the pace, dropping to seventh before the checkered flag waved.

When they crossed the finish line, Majman led Hauanio by 3.942s. Dass emerged with the third-place position, followed by Nolan in fourth and Musella in fifth.

“It was a very early morning, but nice to have a good track after a warmer track in race one,” said Majman atop the podium. “I got settled into the race after the initial start. Kekai made an amazing move around the outside of me on the safety car restart in Turn 1. Then, I was settling in, just doing what I needed to do, and I was able to capitalize on his mistake out of the chicane. From there, we just brought the car home. I’d like to thank Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport, JND, Kart Class, Nat Pat, Paul Marc Masons, and all my family and supporters that are watching at home.”

Brad Majman sweeps weekend at NJMP, winning race three on Sunday Afternoon

Gavin Baker Photography

Brad Majman swept the New Jersey Lottery SpeedTour weekend in the Ligier JS F4 Series (JS F4), winning three of three races at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP). Once again holding off a hard-charging Kekai Hauanio (No. 29 N.E.Where Transportation / New’T Racing Ligier JS F4), Majman (No. 95 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) sped off to victory for the third time in two days.

A car stuck in the grass in Turn 2 slowed the pace with a quick safety car period, and the ensuing restart placed Hauanio, Majman, Musella, Dass and Maite Caceres (No. 6 Abitab / Supermatch Ligier JS F4) all nose to gearbox. Contact between Dass and Caceres sent both cars spinning, sending them to the back of the field and allowing the frontrunners to pull ahead. Hauanio had pulled ahead as they raced toward Turn 1, but was side by side with Majman and Musella as they exited Turn 2. Racing through the chicane, Majman emerged with the lead, as Musella took second and Hauanio fell back to third. Not willing to settle, Hauanio kept the pressure on Musella throughout the closing minutes of the race. Diving to the inside, Hauanio made his move in Turn 1, sneaking past Musella, who dropped a wheel off the racing surface as they raced toward the white flag.

When they crossed the finish line, it was Majman with the advantage, with Hauanio in second and Musella in third.

“It’s been an amazing weekend,” said Majman atop the podium. “I made a couple mistakes this season, but it’s nice to be able to head home to friends and family and tell them that I’ve been the first person to clean sweep the JS F4 Series. I’d like to thank Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport, JND, Nat Pat, Kart Class, Paul Marc Masons and everyone that’s watching at home—although there probably isn’t too many people watching at the moment in the middle of the night. Thanks to everyone that’s been following me this weekend, and everyone who supports me.”

With the New Jersey Lottery SpeedTour complete, the Ligier JS F4 Series enters their summer break, returning to action at Circuit of The Americas on October 31-November 3 for their season finale. A live stream of the COTA SpeedTour will be available on YouTube.com/SpeedTourTV with live timing and scoring accessed on the Race Monitor app. Additional news and updates from the Ligier JS F4 Series paddock will be available on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

RACE TWO RESULTS

RACE THREE RESULTS

Shane Steichen details impressive interception from Colts’ S Julian Blackmon

Colts’ safety Julian Blackmon had an impressive interception on Sunday and Shane Steichen detailed what he saw.

On the third day of Colts training camp, Anthony Richardson threw his first interception, but from the sounds of it, it was more so a much more impressive play by Julian Blackmon than an error by Richardson.

“That ball, when Anthony threw it there, I was like, ‘Oh heck yeah, we got one–holy crap, that was a heck of a play,’ said Shane Steichen after practice.

Steichen makes sure that his viewpoint during practice is from a similar angle as the quarterback, so he can see the play developing as Richardson does. As he was watching the play unfold, Steichen thought Richardson made the right decision based on what the defense was doing, but Blackmon fooled both of them.

“The one interception he had,” added Steichen, “I threw it right there too and when he made the play, I mean I ran over to him and dapped him up because it was an incredible play.”

So, what specifically did Steichen see Blackmon do on that play?

“He was down in the box and he kind of wheeled back and went and got it.”

Blackmon is coming off a 2023 season where for the first time in his career, he spent the majority of his snaps playing near the line of scrimmage as the defense’s strong safety. It also happened to be an incredibly impactful season for him as well.

Blackmon was a very sound tackler, making 88 of his 95 attempts and ranked among the best at his position group in PFF’s run stop rate metric. In coverage, Blackmon came away with four interceptions, two pass breakups, and quarterback’s had a passer rating of 57.5 when targeting him.

“I think he’s going to have a huge year for us,” Steichen said. “Just the way his mindset, the way he sees the game. I mean, the way you talk football to him it’s like talking to another coach and he made a ton of plays today. He made some big time plays.”

Blackmon would test free agency during the offseason but ended up re-signing with the Colts a one-year deal worth $3.7 million.

When it comes to what’s next for Blackmon in 2024, he only has one goal in mind: be better than the year before.

“I think that as you go you realize how hard it is in this league to continue to get better and better, and I think that I’m just chasing to get better than the last year,” said Blackmon on Sunday. “Whatever that looks like last year, I want to see what I did that wasn’t as positive and try to maintain something that’s better than that.”

REPORT: Tristan Wirfs, Bucs nearing extension agreement

Star left tackle Tristan Wirfs and the Buccaneers are nearing a deal for a contract extension according to the Tampa Bay Times.

It is only a matter of time, but according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud, the Buccaneers and Tristan Wirfs are close to completing a contract extension that would like make Wirfs the highest paid offensive tackle in the NFL. The Times’ Joey Knight even ventures that a deal could be done before Tampa Bay’s first padded practice of training camp tomorrow.

There are very good reasons for both sides to get a done as soon as possible. Wirfs wants long-term job security, to avoid injury and the possibility of playing on the franchise tag next year. The Bucs want to lock in one of the best pass-blockers in the NFL and the cornerstone of their offensive line.

Some of the deals signed earlier this offseason should provide some glimpse into a likely Wirfs contract. Lions right tackle Penei Sewell signed  a four-year, $112 million deal averaging $28 million per year, the most ever for a tackle. Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw just signed a four-year, $104 million deal, which included less overall money but guaranteed slightly more.

The details of Wirfs’ extension are likely the main culprit for the tardiness of an agreement. The Bucs probably want a four- or five-year deal with more money loaded into the backend to relieve their salary cap next year. Wirfs may want more cash up-front and a shorter deal so that he can hit free agency once more before he turns 30.

While these details have drawn out negotiations, there is little question a deal will get done. General manager Jason Licht said on WDAE that Wirfs deserves to be the “highest-paid” tackle in the NFL, a distinction he also made when talking about Antoine Winfield Jr. before making him the highest-paid safety. Time is the only real thing separating Wirfs and a long future with Tampa Bay.

Packers rookie S Evan Williams caps off impressive first week of training camp

Three picks highlighted an impressive first week of training camp for Packers rookie safety Evan Williams.

Green Bay Packers safety Evan Williams had plenty to celebrate on his 23rd birthday on Sunday. The rookie out of Oregon gifted himself an interception off of Sean Clifford, marking his third pick in the first week of his first NFL training camp.

After practice, Williams said he considers himself a playmaker but recognizes that there are times when opportunities for interceptions aren’t as frequent. That’s why he’s trying to make the most of them.

So far, the Packers safety group has had a tremendous start to camp, with Williams and fellow rookie Javon Bullard playing significant parts. Both have caused turnovers while lining up with the starting defense, showing the coaching staff that the moment isn’t too big for them.

Prior to Sunday’s practice, head coach Matt LaFleur touched on the performances of both Williams and Bullard.

“I’m really excited about both those guys,” said LaFleur. “Certainly, they have a skill set, but the mental ability of both of these guys to be able to retain what they’ve learned throughout the course of OTAs and come back and continue to build on it day by day. I think it’s been super impressive. They are versatile enough. We can interchange the safeties so you can’t get a beat on who is going to be where. It’s such a competitive situation.”

Out of the Packers’ 11 newly added draft picks, you can make the case that Williams has made the most noise out of all of them based on production. No one on the defense has forced more turnovers than Williams, which are often a deciding factor for wins during the regular season.

Williams’ ball skills weren’t what he was known for coming out, but they have certainly been a pleasant surprise. He logged four interceptions during his college career but had none in his final year with the Ducks. However, he did make a positive impact in other ways while lining up all over the field.

Green Bay plans to use their safeties interchangeably this season, meaning Williams may be asked to play deep, in the slot, or in the box on any given play. That can be a lot to put on a rookie’s plate, but Williams remarked that he has enjoyed trying to learn a new defensive scheme while trying to pick up on any tendencies from the offense.

It’s a positive sign that Williams hasn’t been overwhelmed, as he’s constantly been around the ball.

“I feel like I’m progressing every day, truthfully,” said Williams. “Every day, I’m just trying to learn a little bit more about how our coordinator thinks and what type of calls he’s going to be making in certain situations.”

If Williams continues at his current rate of becoming more engrossed in the scheme and translating it to making plays on the field, he could be a significant contributor to the Packers’ defense in 2024.

Brown, Tasca, Stanfield, M. Smith go the rounds at NHRA’s Western Swing visit to Sonoma

Top Fuel’s Antron Brown defeated first-time finalist Tony Stewart in the final round of the 36th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals, picking up his third win of the 2024 season on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway. Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Aaron Stanfield …

Top Fuel’s Antron Brown defeated first-time finalist Tony Stewart in the final round of the 36th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals, picking up his third win of the 2024 season on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway.

Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the 12th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Stewart left first with a slight advantage on the starting line, but Brown quickly tracked him down, going 3.746s at 329.67mph in his Matco Tools/Toyota dragster to earn his 77th career victory. Brown defeated Shawn Reed, Steve Torrence and Brittany Force to reach the final round, leaning on consistency time after time this weekend in Sonoma.

It paid off in a major way, as Brown, who qualified seventh, powered to his fifth Top Fuel victory at Sonoma, which ties him with Doug Kalitta for the most in class history at the facility.

“Sonoma has a special meaning to me. It’s like a piece of heaven out here and just being here puts me in the zone,” Brown said. “Me and Tony know each other well. When I started as a team owner he was putting together TSR, we talked a lot about budgets and spread sheets and all that.

“He was also a hero of mine when he ran NASCAR and IndyCar. I know how good of a driver he is. He understands the science so as soon as he showed up I knew what he could do. I did tell him to come on over but there are a lot of sharks in the water here. His time is coming and it won’t be one win. It will be a lot of them, but this is a good win for us. My team stays poised and they were incredible all weekend. I’m super-pumped for all of them. We went down the track every single lap and that was an awesome, awesome job to get a win like this.”

Stewart’s first final in Top Fuel came after defeating Shawn Langdon, Justin Ashley and Ron August Jr., who upset points leader, No. 1 qualifier and reigning world champion Doug Kalitta in the first round.

In Funny Car, nobody could track down Bob Tasca III all weekend and that continued in the final round, racing to his second Sonoma win in three years by taking down Ron Capps in the final round with a 4.088s at 277.15mph in his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang. It’s also the third win of the year for Tasca, who remained second points, and he did it in incredible fashion.

Tasca qualified No. 1 with a 338mph run, added a weekend-best run of 338.77mph in the opening round against Buddy Hull and then drove past Paul Lee and points leader Austin Prock to reach the final round. The semifinals against Prock was a thriller, as Tasca won on a holeshot with an 0.022s reaction time, sending him to the final round where he held on to the win against Capps. It was another rewarding moment for Tasca, who now has 18 career wins as he gets into championship form.

“It’s so hard to win these things and that’s a testament to my crew, to Todd Okuhara and Aaron Brooks,” Tasca said. “They pulled it back and still ran 337mph. I was a bit surprised in the final. It was pulling great and then it knocked the tires off. You have no idea how that feels. I looked out the side window because I expected him to come by me. Fortunately, I got it to recover.

“I thought if we could get the car to run like it ran in Q4 we could beat him and I said that to Todd. I said, ‘Let’s run as quick as we can and if he beats us, I’ll be the first to congratulate him.’”

Capps advanced to the finals for the second time in three races and the 149th time in his career by getting round wins against Cruz Pedregon, defending event winner J.R. Todd and reigning world champion Matt Hagan.

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Aaron Stanfield stayed red-hot in the Pro Stock ranks, which meant Elite Motorsports did as well, as Stanfield won for the third time in four races while taking down first-time Pro Stock finalist Cory Reed in the championship round with an impressive run of 6.540s at 209.98mph in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/Janac Brothers car. It’s also the 11th career win for Stanfield, whose efforts over the past two months have helped propel Elite Motorsports to six straight victories.

Stanfield has three of them in that span, grabbing his second career win at Sonoma Raceway after defeating Mason McGaha, defending world champion Erica Enders and No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson. He delivered another strong reaction time in the final round against Reed, rolling to the victory as Stanfield continues to make big strides this season.

“This is a great win, but I want to shout out to Cory Reed for going to the final in his second race,” Stanfield said. “This week we lost a good friend, Tim “the Iceman” Kelly, to cancer and I wanted to get it done for him. I know Cory is fresh to the class so I would have been surprised if he played any games, so I just did my normal routine. I think I’m driving better this year and I’d love to continue that.

“We didn’t have a great ladder since all the hitters seemed to be on one side. I had to race Erica and we’re teammates, but we still want to beat each other. Then there was Greg and you’ve got to be on your game anytime you race him.”

In just his second career Pro Stock start, Reed, who previously raced in Pro Stock Motorcycle, advanced to the final round by taking down Deric Kramer, Eric Latino and Jerry Tucker. Dallas Glenn remains the points leader in the class.

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Matt Smith, a six-time world champion, finished off one of the best weekends in his career on Sunday, getting his first win of the season by taking down teammate John Hall in the final round with a run of 6.700s at 203.77mph on his Denso Auto Parts Buell. It was a picture-perfect three days for Smith, who qualified No. 1, set the track record with a stellar 6.655s, won the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout on Saturday and then snapped a winless streak that stretched back to the Countdown to the Championship opener last September in Reading, Pa.

That drought is over in emphatic fashion, as Smith, now a two-time Sonoma winner, took down Eiji Kawakami and Seattle winner Chase Van Sant to reach the final round against Hall. His teammate left the starting line first, but Smith, who also picked up his 39th career win, quickly chased him down, picking up a meaningful win and putting him right back on track when it comes to racing for what would be a class-record seventh world championship.

“This is very big,” Smith said. “This is a Denso event which is our sponsor, and we won everything there is to win. We put a lot into getting our bikes ready for this weekend. We’re gaining ground on the rest of the field and that takes a team effort.

“It’s all in the 60-foot area. Our class is so dependent on that. The Suzuki’s stepped up their game and we need to follow them. I learned to leave low and take power out to get the bike to leave the starting line. I’m 51 and I’m getting older but I can still do this. To me, the magic number is seven. If I get that seventh title this year I promise I’ll get off the bike and put some young kid on it who can do the job.”

Hall reached his second final round this year and the fourth in his career by defeating Angie Smith, defending world champion and points leader Gaige Herrera and Hector Arana Jr.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action Aug. 15-18 with the 42nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn.

Mak Whitham makes Cavan Sullivan look like old man, debuts at barely 14

The forward made her pro debut at 14 years, one day

Cavan Sullivan’s record as the the youngest person to debut in a major North American pro sports league lasted less then two weeks.

On Sunday night, McKenna “Mak” Whitham made her debut for NJ/NY Gotham FC at 14 years, one day.

Whitham came on in the 80th minute against the Washington Spirit in a NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup match, which Gotham won 1-0.

The forward is nearly a full year younger than Sullivan, who was 14 years and 293 days when he came on for the Philadelphia Union earlier this month.

On Friday, Gotham announced it had signed Whitham to a pro contract, effective January 1. It also signed the U.S. youth international to a national team replacement contract, which allowed her to be eligible for Sunday’s Summer Cup match.

Whitham has been training with Gotham throughout 2024 after joining the club’s preseason as a non-roster invitee. At 13, the forward scored the winning goal for Gotham against Deportivo Cali in a preseason match in Colombia.

In February, Whitham made headlines by signing a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with Nike, becoming the youngest athlete in any sport to sign an NIL deal with Nike.

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Minnesota Twins at New York Mets odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Monday’s Minnesota Twins at New York Mets odds and lines, with MLB expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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The New York Mets (55-50) welcome the Minnesota Twins (58-46) to Citi Field Monday for the opener of a 3-game series. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Twins vs. Mets odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.

Season series: First meeting of 2024; Twins took 2 of 3 last year

The Twins won 5-0 as -140 road favorites at the Detroit Tigers Sunday. Minnesota, which sits 2nd in the AL Central, took 2 of 3 from Detroit and has won 3 of its last 4. Despite the recent success, The Twins are 4-5 over their last 9 and 49-55 against the spread (ATS) on the season. They are 29-25 straight up on the road.

The Mets, who are 28-27 at home on the season, lost 9-2 Sunday as -107 home favorites to the Atlanta Braves. It was the Mets’ 2nd consecutive loss after taking the first 2 of the series Thursday and Friday. 1B Pete Alonso hit his 21st homer of the season in Sunday’s loss. Prior to Saturday’s defeat, the Mets had won 5 in a row. They are 52-53 ATS.

Twins at Mets projected starters

RHP Simeon Woods Richardson vs. LHP Jose Quintana

Woods Richardson (3-1, 3.27 ERA) makes his 18th start. He has a 1.11 WHIP, 2.6 BB/9 and 7.8 K/9 through 88 innings.

  • Last start: No-decision, 6 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K in 3-0 home loss to Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday
  • 2024 away splits: 2-1, 3.45 ERA (44 1/3 IP, 17 ER), 1.22 WHIP, 5 HR, 7.1 K/9 in 9 starts
  • Originally drafted by Mets in 2nd round of 2018; has yet to face New York

Quintana (5-6, 4.02 ERA) makes his 21st start. He has a 1.28 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9 and 7.1 K/9 through 107 1/3 innings.

  • Last start: Win, 5 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 5 BB, 6 K in 3-2 victory at New York Yankees Tuesday
  • 2024 home splits: 2-4, 3.58 ERA (55 1/3 IP, 22 ER), 1.16 WHIP, 14 HR, 7.6 K/9 in 10 starts
  • Career vs. Twins: 7-8, 4.05 ERA (126 2/3 IP, 57 ER), 1.29 WHIP, 8.8 K/9 in 21 starts; last faced Minnesota in 2017

Who’s going yard? Here’s a breakdown of today’s best home run props with our top picks. Include the BetMGM bonus code SBWIRE to score a $1,500 first-bet offer.

Twins at Mets odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Sunday at 8:51 p.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Twins -104 (bet $104 to win $100) | Mets -112 (bet $112 to win $100)
  • Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Twins -1.5 (+150) | Mets +1.5 (-182)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

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Twins at Mets picks and predictions

Prediction

Twins 5, Mets 4

Moneyline

BET TWINS (-104).

The Mets haven’t performed well at home in games that Quintana has started, having won 4 of his last 7 home starts. Quintana allowed 3 or more runs in 4 of those 7 home outings. The Mets have been streaky over the past few weeks and have scored 3 or fewer runs in 6 of their last 9 games.

The Twins, who have scored 5 or more in 3 of their last 4, have won 4 of Woods Richardson’s last 5 starts. They have won 4 of its last 6 overall and have been consistent offensively.

Considering those trends, BACK TWINS (-104).

Run line/Against the spread

PASS.

The Twins -1.5 (+150) are too risky as RL favorites, especially on the road. Given how streaky the Mets have performed, they aren’t a lock to cover, and at +1.5 (-182), New York is just too expensive to consider.

Over/Under

BET OVER 8.5 (-110).

The Twins have gone Over in 3 of their last 4 games and have gone Over in 7 of their last 9. Minnesota has tallied at least 7 runs in 3 of its last 7 and has scored at least 5 in 5 of those 7. It is 53-49-2 O/U on the season.

The Mets have cashed Over tickets in 4 of their last 7 games and are an impressive 56-46-3 O/U on the season. New York has allowed at least 4 runs in 5 of its last 8. With these trends in mind, BACK OVER 8.5 (-110).

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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Carroll hammers in flag-to-flag TA2 victory in Portland

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Western Championship race two at Portland International Raceway remained green from start to finish, leaving competitors to rely purely on their speed and skill throughout the 51-lap event. Tim Carroll in …

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Western Championship race two at Portland International Raceway remained green from start to finish, leaving competitors to rely purely on their speed and skill throughout the 51-lap event. Tim Carroll in the No. 46 CRDMFG.com Chevrolet Camaro faced a formidable challenge from Michael LaPaglia in the closing laps, but ultimately led from flag to flag, claiming his first-career victory in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series. XGT competitor Chris Evans also led his class from beginning to end, dominating the event to take the overall race win.

Carroll took the green flag from the first position in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series after laying down the class’s fastest lap in Saturday’s first race and got off to a great start, pulling out ahead of his competitors. LaPaglia (No. 31 Papini’s Garage/F.A.S.T. Auto/Howe Ford Mustang) started the race from the runner-up spot, but struggled on the first lap as the front of the field jockeyed for position, getting shuffled back to fourth by the conclusion of the first lap and dropping to fifth by lap six. Third-place starter Tim Barber (No. 33 DIG Motorsports Ford Mustang) took over second, followed by fifth-place starter Ken Sutherland (No. 68 Kallberg Racing/Wyatt Fire Chevrolet Camaro), who had moved into third, and the top-three remained the same for the next 24 laps.

While Carroll led Barber by more than three seconds, LaPaglia was fighting his way back to the front, working his way into the third position on lap 26. Behind him were Kyle Kelley (No. 80 PK+k Properties/UPRacing.com Ford Mustang) in fourth and Sutherland in fifth, but both of them soon faced mechanical issues, with Kelley retiring due to a rear-end issue on lap 31 and Sutherland forced into the paddock with a stuck throttle on lap 37. That same lap, LaPaglia was able to make the pass on Barber, taking over second and setting his sights on the leader. LaPaglia was methodical in the closing laps, reeling in Carroll and narrowing the gap from more than 2s to a mere 0.2s, but despite his best efforts, he just couldn’t complete the pass before the checkered flag waved. Carroll crossed the finish line first to earn his first-career Trans Am win, followed by LaPaglia and Barber. Newcomer Cole Moore (No. 54 Naake-Klauer Motorsports Ford Mustang) finished fourth, and Saturday’s winner Barry Boes (No. 32 Accio Data/TRB Autosport Ford Mustang) finished fifth, overcoming a crash in Sunday morning’s practice session to earn his fourth top-five finish of the year.

“I think Tim [Barber] had some good words of wisdom in the beginning,” said Carroll. “He was like, ‘Just go when it’s green,’ and we just took off from there. I was like, ‘Let’s get a couple good qualifying laps in for the first start,’ and we did that. Then I thought, ‘Alright, we’re clicking off some cars, we’ll just keep doing this a little longer.’ Then halfway through the race, I was just counting the corners, getting all the marks and stuff, and I knew these guys were coming at some point in time. Once they got there, I thought, ‘It’s time for qualifying laps again.’ Then I think we started hucking it, and Michael [LaPaglia] was getting close to me in Turns 1 and 2, and I’m like, ‘Oh man, I think that’s going to be the spot if he’s going to do it.’ But I had some extra distance into 10. I was like, ‘Oh man, he’s coming.’ But it was awesome.

“I just really want to thank all the guys that helped make this possible: Scott Barnett, his brother Bruce Barnett. His wife’s here—everybody’s here—my wife’s here. This is like the biggest weekend for all of us, and it’s just so awesome to have all the support behind us. Special thanks to Alex for the engineering from M1 Racecars, that helped us out. I’m just super pumped to be able to be a part of those guys.”

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In XGT, Chris Evans (No. 92 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang) put on a clinic, leading every lap to earn the overall race victory and sweep his class this weekend. Second-place starter John Moore (No. 5 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang) gave Evans a good fight in the opening laps, but used his car up early and faded throughout the race, giving Evans an insurmountable advantage to win his second race of the weekend.

“Well, luckily, John [Moore] had a little bit of trouble,” said Evans on the top step of the podium. “We talked about a strategy, about being smooth at the beginning, and it worked for five or six laps. Hats off to all these TA2 guys, especially the guys up in front. You know, I’ve got quite a little bit more car, so it’s really not a good comparison, but they drove great, and it was kind of cool watching them. I really want to thank Gary, and especially Jeff Jefferson and the crew. It was just really a great show, and I’m really thankful everybody showed up. Thank you.”

David Hampton in the No. 14 AR Motorsports Porsche Cayman GT4 CS MR was the only competitor in Sunday’s SGT race. He hit his marks from start to finish, working his way from 17th overall to 12th to claim his first-career SGT victory.

“This was really special, and I’m sorry I scared the other SGT guys away,” joked Hampton. “I thought it was a lot of fun yesterday, but apparently, they had some other issues going on. What a gas. I got to drive really hard, I got my best lap times, finally, towards the middle of the race. I couldn’t carry it on in the end. This was a lot of fun — really fun. It’s so great to see my family here; my brother showed up, my great friends. My crew is just absolutely awesome. These guys just will me to win.”

The Western Championship takes off the rest of the summer before returning to the track October 18-20 at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch for the Spring Mountain SpeedTour.

RESULTS

Here are the details of Matthew Stafford’s adjusted contract

Matthew Stafford gets $5 million more this year and an extra $4 million fully guaranteed in 2025 on his recently adjusted contract

On the day players reported to training camp, Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams agreed to an adjusted contract – something the veteran quarterback had been looking for since the spring. The last-minute agreement helped avoid any sort of holdout by Stafford and now that the details of the deal have come to light, it didn’t cost the Rams much in new money.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Sunday that Stafford gets an additional $5 million this year, which was moved up from a future year in his contract, as well as a fully guaranteed $4 million roster bonus in 2025.

That’s a total of $9 million more over the next two years than he was scheduled to make, only $4 million of which is new money given out by the Rams.

Reports from the offseason indicated that Stafford was looking for more guaranteed money in 2025 and 2026 in order to ensure the Rams were committed to him as their quarterback but he ultimately only got $4 million more guaranteed.

He’ll now earn $36 million in each of the next two years, so it’s a slight raise through the 2025 season. This adjustment doesn’t exactly signify the Rams being more committed to him than they have been, though.

Don’t be surprised if the two sides go back to the negotiating table again in 2025 if Stafford truly wants to play several more years in the NFL.