Yahoo Sports AM: Week of the walk-off
We hope you enjoy this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
🚨 HEADLINES
⚾️ New skippers: Astros bench coach Joe Espada will succeed the retiring Dusty Baker, and Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy will replace Craig Counsell, now with the Cubs.
🏀 Denver locks up Malone: The Nuggets have signed Michael Malone to a contract extension that will make him one of the NBA's highest-paid coaches. The defending champs currently sit atop the West at 8-2.
🏒 Hockey Hall: Henrik Lundqvist, Mike Vernon and Tom Barasso headlined the 2023 Hockey Hall of Fame class inducted Monday — the first time three goalies have entered together in more than 60 years.
🏈 Lanning's strong statement: Dan Lanning shot down rumors that he'd leave Oregon to take over at Texas A&M, or anywhere else for that matter.
🏀 Wild comeback: The Raptors closed on a 21-1 run to beat the Wizards, 111-107, on Monday night. Washington missed its final 11 shots to fall to 2-8.
🏈 THE WEEK OF THE WALK-OFF
There were a record five walk-off field goals on Sunday. We got a sixth on Monday night in Buffalo thanks to a frantic finish and an inexcusable penalty.
How it ended: Josh Allen's rushing TD put the Bills up 22-21 late in the fourth quarter, leaving the Broncos with less than two minutes on the clock.
After two first downs, Denver faced a third and long and Buffalo sent the all-out blitz at Russell Wilson, who chucked the ball towards Jerry Jeudy.
The pass was underthrown, leading defensive back Taron Johnson to commit pass interference. That resulted in a 28-yard gain and put the Broncos in position for the game-winning kick.
With no timeouts, Wilson centered the ball and ran off the field for what Peyton Manning called a "mayday" field goal as the clock ticked down.
Will Lutz lined up the kick and… missed wide right! But the Bills were flagged for 12 men on the field, giving Lutz a second chance. He made it from 36 yards. Final score: Broncos 24, Bills 22.
Opposite directions: The Broncos (4-5) have won three straight and four of six since their 70-20 loss to the Dolphins. The Bills (5-5) have lost two straight and four of six.
Game notes:
Improbable catch: Wilson's TD pass to Courtland Sutton had a 3.2% chance of being caught, making it the most improbable completion of the Next Gen Stats era (2014-present).
15-8 at the half: This was the the second 15-8 halftime score in NFL history. The other? Also a Bills-Broncos game (Sept. 10, 1961).
Turnover machine: Allen threw two picks and lost a fumble, giving him an NFL-worst 14 turnovers. Do you believe in the Madden Curse?
Watch: The ManningCast reacts to the wild finish
🏀 MEN'S POLL: JMU MAKES DEBUT
Six schools currently have a team ranked in the AP top 25 for both football and men's basketball: Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Arizona, North Carolina … and James Madison, Jeff writes.
What's happening: No. 24 JMU muscled its way into the Week 1 poll after beating then-No. 4 Michigan State as part of its 3-0 start. This marks the first time the Dukes have been ranked in their 47 years as a D-I program.
Meanwhile, JMU football is undefeated and ranked No. 18 in the nation. Not bad for a program that transitioned to FBS just last year.
While the Dukes have a shot to go dancing this March, their football team isn't eligible for a bowl game due to an NCAA rule prohibiting FBS newcomers from participating.
The big picture: Football and basketball tend to be dominated by powerhouse athletic departments. JMU is proving to be the exception, with less than half the annual revenue of the five schools listed above.
Texas: $239.3 million
Alabama: $214.4 million
Tennessee: $154.6 million
Arizona: $124.4 million
North Carolina: $122.6 million
James Madison: $57.8 million
The rest of the rankings: Outside of JMU, the biggest riser in this week's poll was Arizona, which jumped nine spots to No. 3 after upsetting then-No. 2 Duke. That caused the Blue Devils to fall seven spots to No. 9, while Michigan State tumbled 14 spots to No. 18 after its loss to JMU.
🏀 WOMEN'S POLL: CHAOS AT THE TOP
For just the second time in the history of the women's AP poll, the top two preseason teams are not the top two teams in the Week 1 rankings.
LSU (No. 1 to No. 7): The defending champions lost their opener to then-No. 20 Colorado, which helped push the Buffaloes all the way up to No. 5 — their best ranking since 1995.
UConn (No. 2 to No. 8): The Huskies lost on Sunday to then-unranked NC State, which entered the poll at No. 14. UConn is still ranked for the 566th consecutive week, though, breaking a tie with Tennessee for the longest streak ever.
Gamecocks on top: South Carolina jumped five spots to No. 1, taking advantage of a chaotic opening week that saw nine of the top 14 teams lose. The Gamecocks offense has been unstoppable, scoring 100+ points in both games.
⚾️ UNANIMOUS PICKS: HENDERSON AND CARROLL
For the fifth time in MLB history, the AL Rookie of the Year (Baltimore's Gunnar Henderson) and NL Rookie of the Year (Arizona's Corbin Carroll) were both unanimous selections.
The other four instances: Mark McGwire (AL) and Benito Santiago (NL) in 1987, Tim Salmon (AL) and Mike Piazza (NL) in 1993, Nomar Garciaparra (AL) and Scott Rolen (NL) in 1997, Aaron Judge (AL) and Cody Bellinger (NL) in 2017.
Unanimous ROYs:
Henderson is the 13th unanimous AL ROY, joining the four players above plus Carlton Fisk (1972), Sandy Alomar (1990), Derek Jeter (1996), Evan Longoria (2008), Mike Trout (2012), Jose Abreu (2014), Yordan Alvarez (2019) and Kyle Lewis (2020).
Carroll is the 14th unanimous NL ROY, joining the four players above plus Frank Robinson (1956), Orlando Cepeda (1958), Willie McCovey (1959), Vince Coleman (1985), Raúl Mondesi (1994), Albert Pujols (2001), Craig Kimbrel (2011), Kris Bryant (2015) and Corey Seager (2016).
🎥 Highlight reels: Henderson | Carroll
📸 IN PHOTOS: HACKNEY MARSHES
Hackney Marshes in London has 88 football pitches and is the spiritual home of Saturday and Sunday league football.
David Beckham and other legends spent their youth playing there, and even Lionel Messi paid the fields a visit.
Further reading: "The history of the Marshes is long and meandering, much like walks across the marshland itself." (Vice)
📆 NOV. 14, 1970: MARSHALL TRAGEDY
53 years ago today, the plane carrying Marshall's football team crashed just miles from its final destination after returning from a game, killing all 75 souls on board, Jeff writes.
Annual memorial: Every year on this day, a fountain on Marshall's campus featuring a tulip with 75 rods — one for each victim — is ceremonially turned off before being turned back on again each spring.
🏈 1943: Bears QB Sid Luckman became the first player in NFL history to throw seven TDs in a game, a feat just seven other QBs* have matched.
🏈 1993: Dolphins head coach Don Shula won his 325th career game (including playoffs), breaking George Halas' record. Shula's 347 wins still top the all-time list.
*The other seven: Adrian Burk, Eagles (1954); George Blanda, Oilers (1961); Y.A. Tittle, Giants (1962); Joe Kapp, Vikings (1969); Peyton Manning, Broncos (2013); Nick Foles, Eagles (2013); Drew Brees, Saints (2015).
📺 WATCHLIST: THE NETFLIX CUP
Netflix will stream its first live sports event today (6pm, ET), as stars of "Drive to Survive" (F1) and "Full Swing" (PGA) compete in a golf tournament at Las Vegas' Wynn Golf Club*.
Format: Four teams of two will compete in an eight-hole scramble, with the top two teams advancing to a one-hole playoff to crown a winner.
Teams: Rickie Fowler and Lando Norris, Justin Thomas and Carlos Sainz, Max Homa and Alex Albon, Collin Morikawa and Pierre Gasly.
More to watch:
🏀 NCAAM: No. 9 Duke vs. No. 18 Michigan State (7pm, ESPN); No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 17 Kentucky (9:30pm, ESPN) … At Chicago's United Center (home of the Bulls).
🏀 NBA: Spurs at Thunder (7:30pm, TNT); Clippers at Nuggets (10pm, TNT)
🏀 NCAAW: No. 4 Utah at No. 21 Baylor (7:30pm, ESPN+)
🎾 Men's tennis: ATP Finals (8:30am, Tennis)
⚽️ Women's Champions League: Matchday 1 (12:45-3pm, YouTube) … Four matches.
🏈 NCAAF: WMU at Northern Illinois (7pm, ESPNU); Toledo at Bowling Green (7pm, ESPN2); Akron at EMU (7pm, CBSSN)
*Made for TV: You might recognize Wynn Golf Club from "The Match," as it's hosted three of the past four editions in the celebrity golf tournament series.
🏈 COLLEGE FOOTBALL TRIVIA
Seven FBS football teams are currently 10-0.
Question: Can you name them all?
Hint: SEC, Big Ten (2), ACC, Pac-12, Sun Belt, C-USA.
Answer at the bottom.
🏀 WEMBY VS. CHET, ROUND 1
Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren face off tonight in Oklahoma City in what could be the first of many must-see matchups between the wiry seven-foot rookies.
Wembanyama: 19.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.4 blocks
Holmgren: 16.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.3 blocks
Two unicorns: Wembanyama (7-foot-4) and Holmgren (7-foot-1) both possess a rare combination of shot-blocking prowess and shooting ability. In fact, they're the only players in NBA history to record 20+ blocks and 15+ three-pointers in their first 10 career games.
___
Trivia answer: Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, FSU, Washington, James Madison, Liberty
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
