Lamar Jackson notched the biggest victory of his short career Sunday on primetime, as his Baltimore Ravens defeated the New England Patriots 37-20.

The Patriots were undefeated coming into the matchup but hadn’t been tasked with defeating any imposing teams until they traveled to Baltimore.

Behind Jackson’s elusiveness, an unstoppable running game and a good defensive showing, the Ravens crushed the undefeated and defending Super Bowl champions.

Jackson ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, which caused the sellout crowd at M&T Bank Stadium to serenade him with chants of “MVP” in the game’s final minutes. After sidestepping and slashing past a defense that stacked the box, the quarterback finished with 224 yards of total offense, throwing for 163 yards and rushing for 61. Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards contributed to a rushing attack that totaled 210 yards. The often-maligned Ravens defense never let Tom Brady get comfortable, as he was hit all game while the Ravens forced two turnovers

Jackson is now 12-3 all-time, taking over quarterbacking duties in the middle of last season. This upset has to be the sweetest victory so far, as it marked the downing of the NFL’s most decorated quarterback and coach. It also revealed a defense that is off to a historic start.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

The Ravens scored four offensive touchdowns against a New England defense that had allowed four offensive touchdowns in its first eight games. Baltimore scored 37 points against a team that hadn’t allowed more than 14 in a game this season.

This is the Ravens’ first win against the Patriots in seven years. Baltimore’s last victory over New England came in the 2012 AFC Championship Game. This is also the fifth time the Ravens are 6-2 in franchise history. The last time they were 6-2 was 2012, the year they won the Super Bowl.

The 8-1 Patriots head to Philadelphia to face the 5-4 Eagles on Nov. 17. The Ravens head to Cincinnati to face the winless Bengals on Nov. 10.

The Warriors haven’t had the greatest start to their season. Things only got worse Wednesday night when the team announced that star point guard Stephen Curry suffered a broken left hand against the Phoenix Suns.

With around eight-and-a-half minutes left in the third quarter, Curry drove and collided with Suns center Aron Baynes. Curry fell to the floor and Baynes landed on his left arm. Curry drew a foul on the play but couldn’t shoot the free throws. He headed to the locker room, where he had X-rays that confirmed the break.

“Aron Baynes came up after the game and just wanted to know how Steph was doing,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “You could tell he felt really bad. It’s just a random basketball play, so stuff happens.”

The team has no further information on the injury and simply said Curry will undergo an MRI and CT scan Thursday to determine if surgery is necessary. A timetable for the injury is expected shortly afterwards.

The injury is another blow to a team already struggling for an identity outside of Kevin Durant‘s departure this past offseason. With Klay Thompson recovering from an ACL tear and Curry’s injury, the Warriors are a new-look team at this point and not a good one.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

“Of course it hurts knowing that Steph Curry’s down,” said Warriors rookie Eric Paschall, who had a team-high 20 points in his first career start Wednesday. “… That’s a very, very valuable piece of our team, but I feel like we’re going to stay positive.”

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James also wished Curry a fast recovery in a tweet on Thursday.

The Warriors are 1-3 on the season and are sporting one of the worst defenses in the league. They face the San Antonio Spurs on Friday at 10:30 p.m. EST.

For the first time ever, the Washington Nationals are World Series champions.

The Nationals defeated the Houston Astros in Game seven of this year’s incredible World Series by a score of 6-2. The series is highlighted by the fact that no team won a matchup at home.

The Nats won Games one and two in Houston, where they looked unstoppable. Then, Washington scored three runs in three games at Nationals Park and lost each one before heading back to Houston while being down in the series 3-2. In an improbable turn of events, Washington “finished The Fight” and took Games six and seven on the road to win it all.

Nationals starter Max Scherzer started Game seven, allowed two runs and got in trouble almost every inning, as his best stuff was not there last night. His team couldn’t muster up any offense coming into the seventh inning. Astros starter Zack Greinke had allowed just one hit and two base-runners and looked like he would close the Nationals’ title hopes single-handedly.

Like many times this postseason, the Nats had to work late to see their magic shine through. It happened in the Wild-Card game, when they were down 3-1 in the eighth and won 4-3. It happened in the divisional series when they were down 3-1 in the eighth inning of Game five against the Dodgers and they won 7-3 in extras. That win in extras was through a grand slam by Howie Kendrick that gave Washington the lead for good. An Anthony Rendon solo homer followed by another lead-changing two-run homer by Kendrick in the seventh inning of Game seven suddenly turned the game in the Nats’ favor and they never looked back. They took the lead 3-2 and then scored three more runs in the eighth and ninth to finish the series with a 6-2 victory.

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The Nats faced adversity several times and never gave in. They capped off what might have been the most impressive World Series run in recent memory. The Nationals’ three opponents after they beat the Brewers in the Wild-Card game — the Dodgers, Cardinals and Astros — combined for 304 wins, the most a World Series winner faced since the expanded playoffs began in 1995.

Washington could not be stopped by any force, not even the superpower Astros, which has won ten-plus games for the past three years. They didn’t have superhero performances from players like Rendon, Kendrick and World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg. The Astros now get a long time to think about their performance while Washington celebrates.

“I don’t think I can handle this,” Houston’s Jose Altuve said. “It’s really hard to lose Game 7 of the World Series. What I can tell you is we did everything we could. … We did everything to make it happen. We couldn’t, but that’s baseball.”

The Nationals championship parade will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. EST.

Deadline day was much quieter than past years. Only one trade was made on Tuesday – Rams Aqib Talib was traded to the Miami Dolphins – but there has been many trades over the weeks since August.

Players that were expected to be on the move like Chris Harris Jr., Jamal Adams, Trent Williams and Leveon Bell stayed pat on Tuesday. However, other good players were traded and draft picks swapped teams throughout the weeks. Here are some of the trades that happened over the last few weeks.

Former New York Jets defensive end Leonard Williams was traded to the New York Giants for a 2020 third round pick and 2021 fifth round pick.

Former New England Patriots defensive end Michael Bennett was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a seventh round pick that can turn into a sixth rounder.

Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Mohamed Sanu was traded to the Patriots for a 2020 second round pick.

Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and a 2020 fifth round pick was traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2020 third and fourth round pick.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey was traded to the Los Angeles Rams  for a 2020 first-round pick, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2021 fourth-round pick.

Former Rams cornerback Aqib Talib and a 2020 fifth round pick was traded to the Dolphins for a future pick to be named later.

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Trades have become more and more common in the NFL these past few seasons to the point that the deadline isn’t the biggest event for trades. They happen gradually much more throughout the season rather than locked into one big day of the year. The next time teams can trade will be during the new NFL season, March 18, 2020.

Of course this series went to seven games. It’s the perfect ending to a long journey for both the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros. After losing three straight in their home park, the Nationals won their third game in Houston to tie the series 3-3.

It all comes down to a winner-take-all game seven to decide a World Series victor. While the Nationals could only manage three runs in three games in Nationals Park, they notched seven against Houston in game six. This is the first time ever the road team has won six of the seven possible games in the World Series.

The Nats at this point sound like a team of destiny. After 50 games, Washington was 19-31 and without a trace. Ever since, they’ve invaded their way to the playoffs, somehow defeating the Brewers in the wild-card when all odds were against them. Down two games to one in the NLDS, they found a way to defeat Los Angeles with all odds against them.  They swept a Cardinals team that looked better than them the series prior. Now, after losing three straight, they found the fight to continue winning in a hostile environment and look to win game seven with all odds against them.

The Astros path here looks vaguely similar to its 2017 run as they hope to finish it the same way. They downed an AL East opponent in the ALDS (Red Sox in 21, Rays in 2019) and then defeated the Yankees again in the ALCS to find their way into the World Series. They beat the Dodgers in seven games then and hope to defeat the Nats in seven tonight. If it sounds like there wasn’t much drama in the Astros path, that would be because the Astros are the overdogs. They’re supposed to be here, winning every series.

The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook opened the Astros as the favorite for game seven, priced at -140.

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Despite the paths each team took to get here, it all comes down to one last game in Houston. Max Scherzer will take the mound tonight for the Nationals while Zack Greinke will pitch for the Astros tonight at 8:08 p.m. EST on FOX.

A long 162 game season led up to this moment. Only one game matters now: Game Seven.

The Pittsburgh Steelers held a moment of silence Monday night at Heinz Field to honor the victims of the Tree of Life synagogue attack that happened one year ago.

Steelers President Art Rooney II released a statement ahead of the 27-14 win over the Miami Dolphins, saying the team would ask fans to stand together and observe a moment of silence in honor of the victims and their families, as they did one year ago.

Eleven people were killed and seven were wounded in the shooting at the synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood on Oct. 27, 2018. After the shooting, the city rallied around the Tree of Life Congregation in Squirrel Hill and the Jewish community adopted the “Stronger than Hate” message and slogan and started donning a  modified Steelers logo — replacing one of the three hypocycloids with the Star of David.

Last year, a day after the shooting, the Steelers started their game with a moment of silence with a prayer for the shooting victims. This was followed by cheers for local rock legend Donnie Iris, who sang the national anthem.

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Rooney released a statement before the game.

“On this anniversary of the tragic day in our city when innocent people were gunned down in the Tree of Life Synagogue, we pause to offer our thoughts and prayers for the families of those who lost their lives, as well as those who survived that terrible day,” Rooney’s statement read. “Since that day our community has resolved to stay stronger than hate and anti-Semitism. As we did a year ago, we will again ask our fans at the game on Monday night to stand together and observe a moment of silence in honor of the victims and their families.”

Flashy dunks, perfectly executed assists and out-dueling Kyrie Irving is not something many point guards get to boast doing on any given night. However, that’s exactly what Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant did in his third NBA regular-season game. Morant did this and more as the Grizzlies downed the Brooklyn Nets 134-133 on Sunday night.

Based on Morant’s 30-point, nine-assist explosion, the No. 2 pick out of Murray State intends to remain one of the most exciting players at this next level of basketball. Considering the learning curve of the NBA and an unsteady jump shot, nobody expected Morant to explode like this in only his third NBA game. The 20-year-old scored 17 points in the fourth quarter alone to keep his team in the game and got beauties like this off in the process.

Morant shot 13-of-22 on the night, and eight of those makes came at the rim. He landed shots with great hand switches, an ability to jump over larger defenders and the body control to follow through each shot.

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“Sometimes I can be a little passive, I might have the shot and try to give it up,” Morant told The Athletic after the game. “Tonight I felt like the bigs were back, trying to bait me into coming towards them. I’m going to attack them every time.”

Even without a great jumper, if Morant can drive and distribute the way he did against Brooklyn, he won’t have many problems in the early stages of his career.If he can become a scoring force while keeping the passing skills he was drafted for, defenses will have a hard time figuring out where to focus on the Grizzlies attack. The Nets surely were lost, as even on the last play Morant was double teamed, which led to a game-winning three by Jae Crowder when Morant passed it right over to the open man.

It may be early in the season, but it’s hard not to get excited for Morant and the Grizzlies early if this is what’s to expect.

The Grizzles are heading to LA to take on the Lakers next on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. EST. The Nets greet the Pacers on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m EST.

The NFL trade deadline carries the same enormous weight it carries every year. There are selling teams with big names on the market, and buyers who need one last piece to make a Super Bowl run. A handful of contenders have obvious weaknesses that could be addressed before the trade deadline. Which players will be donning a new uniform by the end of the day and who stays the rest of the year on their team?

This year’s trade deadline is Tuesday (Oct. 29) at 4 p.m. EST.

Players like Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey have already been moved, while Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green and Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams seem poised to stay on their losing teams until the end of the year. However, that could still change with the right offer within a few hours. Teams like the Bengals may be so bad that they have no choice but to trade Green against his wishes.

According to CBS, there is “a sense among aggressive general managers that there are more potential trades to be made this year than possibly ever before.” Aside from the disparity between the good and bad teams this season, NFL front offices have shown a tendency to be active around the deadline over the last couple of seasons.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

Last year, nine big-name players — Amari Cooper, Carlos Hyde, Eli Apple, Damon Harrison, Golden Tate, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Dante Fowler, Demaryius Thomas and Ty Montgomery — were traded in the week leading up to the deadline. The year before that, another nine top players — Jimmy Garoppolo, Kelvin Benjamin, Adrian Peterson, Dontrelle Inman, Marcel Dareus, Duane Brown, Jeremy Lane, Rashard Robinson and Jay Ajayi — were traded and six of them were moved on deadline day. Could we see another nine this year?

The closer the deadline gets, the more action happens, so stay tuned to see which players change jerseys right before 4 p.m. EST.

Tiger Woods dominated the Zozo Championship in Japan this weekend. He stood in first place throughout the event to notch his 82nd PGA Tour win. After being one shy of tying Sam Snead‘s record since the Masters in April, Tiger tied the record with his win in Japan. Woods (-19) tied the mark on Sunday with a 3-stroke victory over Hideki Matsuyama (-16) at the inaugural Zozo Championship at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.

It was a win not many saw coming from Woods, who had been on quite the cold streak before the event.

After not shooting a single score lower than 67 since March 2019, Woods opened with three in a row in Japan as he started 64-64-66 to take a three-stroke lead into the final round. From there, it was over.

When Tiger enters with a three stroke lead going into the final round, it always is.

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Due to bad weather on Friday, the tourney’s conclusion was moved to Monday morning. Woods completed 29 holes on Sunday local time (Saturday evening here in the United States) before closing out the last seven holes on Monday morning (Sunday evening here).

“Five days at the top of the board is a long time, man. It was definitely stressful,” said Woods, who is now ranked sixth in the Official World Golf Rankings.

He played the front nine of Round 4 in 2 under on Sunday, and after opening Monday with a bogey in his first hole on the fifth day of the tournament, Woods settled in and wound up 1 under on the back nine for a 67 that included a walk-off birdie putt at the last. His 27 birdies led the field on the week, and he finished in the top 10 in fairways and greens hit and putts made per green in regulation.

“This was big. Hideki made it tight. It was a lot closer than what people probably thought,” Woods said. “I had a chance to get myself a cushion at 13 and 15, missed those, made one at 14. Hideki did what he needed to do to put heat on me. It came down to the last hole.”

Woods looks poised to finally break a record that he was always destined to, as he looks ahead of the new PGA season healthy and ready for more action.

While Aaron Rodgers performed his usual magic, it was another Aaron who helped carry the load on Sunday night. Green Bay Packers halfback and leading rusher Aaron Jones came up big for the team in Sunday’s 31-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.  

With top receiver Davante Adams injured, the third-year running back showed that he can carry the missing workload just fine to help lead the team to victory. Jones further established himself as a go-to target for Rodgers after hauling in seven catches for 159 yards and two scores in the victory. The 24-year-old back was also the team’s leading rusher with 67 yards on 13 attempts. 

“I want it here,” Jones told NBC on Sunday, pointing toward his chest. “It starts right here in the heart. If you want it there, it will take you a long way and just in my mind, my mentality is, ‘Keep doubting me.’ And I’ll just keep working hard every day and go after what I want.”

Jones’ performance was pivotal in getting the team their seventh win against the Patrick Mahomes-less Chiefs.The game was surprisingly quite close and featured Matt Moore at the helm for the Chiefs. After a slow start, Moore got used to the Chiefs’ weapons and threw two td passes to Travis Kelce and Mecole Hardman to tie the game back at 14 before the half ended.

By the end of the half, the Chiefs had scored 17 unanswered points and the game was still tied at 24 apiece with 9:03 left in the fourth quarter.  Then, Jones broke free.  

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The flawless 8-0 New England Patriots seemed to earn another routine win on Sunday, but there was a little more to celebrate this time around. A 17-point first quarter was all the Pats needed to defeat the Cleveland Browns, who sustained 27-13 loss.

The Pats’ win marked the 300th career win for head coach Bill Belichick. He is now only the third coach in league history to accomplish this feat — George Halas and Don Shula are the others to do so.

Halas accrued 324 victories while coaching the Chicago Bears for 40 seasons starting in the 1920s and won six league titles along the way.

Shula beat Halas’ record with 347 wins while coaching the Miami Dolphins from 1970 to 1995, including two Super Bowl victories in 1972 and 1973. The 1972 victory was the only time a team has gone perfect throughout the regular season and the postseason, as the Dolphins went 17-0-0 that year.

“It’s pretty amazing, pretty amazing. 300 wins is pretty spectacular. He’s the best coach of all time and it’s a privilege to play for him,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady told reporters during Sunday’s post-game conference.

It’s another mark on a legendary coaching career for Belichick, though if you asked him, he would probably just say “we’re on to Baltimore.” The season is halfway through, but you won’t catch the Patriots looking too far ahead or focusing on personal accomplishments.

Interestingly enough, Belichick’s first career win was as the Browns’ coach against the Patriots on Sept. 8, 1991.

The Pats will next face the 5-2 Baltimore Ravens on their home turf on Sunday. The 2-5 Browns look to recover from a surprisingly poor season as they fly to the 2-6 Denver Broncos.  

Niagara coach Patrick Beilein is resigning from his position at the school Niagara University, less than two weeks before the college basketball season begins, it was announced Thursday. His reasoning at the time is not known.

Shortly after reports of his resignation surfaced, Beilein released a statement.

“It is with heavy regret that I must inform the entire Purple Eagle nation that effective today I have resigned my position as the head men’s basketball coach at Niagara University,” Beilein said. “It has been a lifelong dream of mine to become a Division-I head basketball coach, but unfortunately, that dream must be put on hold. Personal reasons I can no longer take lightly have led me to step away from my dream job. Going forward, I must give singular focus to dealing with these issues, so that I can become the man I strive to be.

“In time, it is my hope that I can be more open about my ongoing circumstances, but in the meantime, I thank you all for respecting my family’s need for privacy and for all your continued support.”

Beilein will be replaced by Greg Paulus, who will taking an interim role as manager. Paulus spent four seasons as an assistant at Ohio State and before that was an assistant at Navy. He is most known for his time as a player at Duke from 2005-09.

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Beilein, 36,  was hired in March to take over one of the toughest jobs in low-major men’s college basketball. Viewed in recent years as a rising star in coaching, he turned down multiple other Division I offers while coaching the previous four seasons at Division II Le Moyne in Syracuse, New York.

Patrick is the son of John Beilein, who became the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers this year after spending 12 seasons coaching the Michigan Wolverines. His parents also showed him support in what sounds to be a very trying time for the junior Beilein.

“Kathleen and I love our son, Patrick. We will assist him in every way so he can focus 100% on his personal issues,” John Beilein wrote. “We believe that with a lot of hard work, he can do it. Thanks for respecting the privacy that Patrick and his family need at this time.”

The San Diego Padres ended their managerial search on Thursday.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Padres are hiring Jayce Tingler to lead the club.

Tingler, 38, is actively the major league player development field coordinator for the Texas Rangers. He has ties to general manager A.J Preller who was the assistant GM of the Rangers before becoming the Padres GM in 2014.

Tingler replaced Andy Green, who was fired Sept. 21 after going 274-366 with the team since he was hired ahead of the 2016 season. Rod Barajas served as the Padres’ interim manager for the remainder of the season, which marked the team’s 13th straight year without a playoff appearance.

Despite signing superstar Manny Machado in the previous offseason, the Padres finished last in the NL West with a 70-92 record.

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Tingler, a Missouri native, played college ball for the Mizzou Tigers and was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2003 draft. He spent four years in the minors, reaching Double-A before ending his playing career and climbing up the managerial ranks in the Rangers organization. He’s managed in the Dominican summer league, worked in the Rangers’ minor league system, and spent time as an assistant GM. He is currently managing the Dominican winter league team to a 9-1 record.

Tingler is respected and known for his work ethic and game knowledge. He is also bilingual as he is a native Spanish speaker, which should be an important skill for him on a Padres organization filled with international prospects.

Former Rangers manager Ron Washington and former Padres player Mark Loretta were also in the running to replace Green. The Padres hope Tingler can be the change the managerial organization needs as the talent pool increases in San Diego.

It’s been 86 years since the Fall Classic was in Washington D.C. Behind a potent offense and dominant pitching from Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, the Washington Nationals enter their home park with a 2-0 series advantage over the Houston Astros in the World Series after a 12-3 Game two rout on Wednesday night.

When they were back in Washington, the Washington Senators lost game five of the World Series to the New York Giants. The Washington team of today has forgotten how to lose in the postseason. They’re now on a record-tying, eight-game win streak in the postseason and if they break the record, the series is by all accounts over.

Even with this all in tow, the Nats aren’t looking far ahead, even if the season is coming to a close very soon.

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“We’re just looking forward to the next game,” said Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki, whose solo homer put the Nats up for good in Game two at Minute Maid Park. “Obviously, we know what’s at stake. We’re not looking too far in the future. We know to keep our eye on the target, come out, just be 1-0 the next day and go from there.”

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The Astros already have a steep hill to climb, as teams who have fallen into an 0-2 hole in the World Series have only won in three of those 25 instances. The last team to do it was the New York Yankees in 1996 against the Atlanta Braves.

Houston’s manager A.J Hinch also realizes the gravity of the situation his team is in.

“Clearly, Game 3 becomes critical for us,”  Hinch said. “I doubt the Nats are going to feel too confident that they have this sewed up and they can start planning the parade. We’re going to give them a fight for it.”

Game 3 will be Friday at 8 p.m. EST in Washington and will air on FOX. The Nationals will put Anibal Sanchez — who took a no-hitter into the eighth in his last start — on the mound. Zack Greinke will pitch for Houston.

The Denver Broncos this week traded Emmanuel Sanders and a fifth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for a third and fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

John Elway — the president of team operations for the Denver Broncos — on Tuesday addressed his decision to trade Sanders, which came after a five-catch, 60-yard performance on Sunday.

“I think eventually with what happened after the Tennessee game [a 16-0 victory] and where we were and with the value we were getting for him, we decided it was the best thing for our team to trade Emmanuel,” Elway said to a news conference.

In the game against the Titans Elway is referencing, Sanders had one catches on three targets, which netted zero yards for the team. Two weeks before that, he had five catches for 104 yards in a two-point loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

While inconsistent this season, Sanders is a solid receiver and has been much greater in the past. He will help a 49ers team greatly down the stretch.

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Elway said that it was Sanders who requested the trade.

“When we looked at it, Emmanuel had issues and we had issues,” Elway said. “That is why it was a good time for us to go different directions — for Emmanuel to go in a different direction and for us to go in a different direction. With that being said, we were able to get the value that we thought was fair. That is why we decided to make the deal.”

Sanders was in the middle of his sixth season with the Broncos before the trade. He had 404 receptions for 5,361 yards and 28 touchdowns in 78 games for Denver. He had started 77 of the 78 games.

It was an overall amicable breakup, as he told CBS Denver he was happy for his time in Denver.

“It’s hard anytime you break up or leave a place,” he said. “It’s tough. We definitely had a great run in Denver, had a lot of great times but all good things come to an end. Looking forward to getting out to San Fran and showcasing my talent.”

The Chicago Cubs are hiring David Ross to be their new manager, after Joe Maddon’s contract was not renewed at the end of the 2019 season. The official announcement is expected to come on Thursday, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Ross, 42, beat out five other candidates to replace Maddon, who was hired by the Angels. Ross played under Maddon in 2015 and 2016, helping the Cubs to a World Series title before becoming a member of the team’s front office and an ESPN baseball analyst.

“I think it’s one of the best jobs in baseball,” Ross said recently. “I’ve got a lot of close ties with those guys…. I think my heart is drawn to that dugout a little bit. ”

He’ll be asked to manage several players he once called teammates, including Javier Baez and Kris Bryant.

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“I’ve always looked at Rossy as a coach when he played here,” Bryant said in late September. “Yeah, it was goofy, it was fun, it was energetic, but when he needed to tell you something, he let you hear it. From the very get-go, I felt like this guy will be a manager someday.”

Other candidates — including Cubs first-base coach Will Venable, bench coach Mark Loretta, former Phillies manager Gabe Kapler, former Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Astros bench coach Joe Espada — have been informed of the decision. Espada was called in for a second interview on Sunday, which included a mock news conference, according to a source. Ross did the same on Monday, and he performed as expected: extremely well, the source said.

Ross was a Game 7 hero for the Cubs in 2016, hitting a World Series home run before calling it quits on his career. He also won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox and played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, and Atlanta Braves. He played mostly as a career backup for teams, but was a great mentor and influence to players throughout his career.

The Toronto Raptors received the biggest championship rings in NBA history and unfurled a banner celebrating their victory in a ceremony before their season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The rings each contain more than 650 diamonds, as well as 16 rubies representing the number of playoff victories required to win the title. On the face of the ring, diamonds form the Toronto skyline above the word “North” spelled out in diamonds inside a golden chevron.

After the rings were handed out, five-time All-Star guard Kyle Lowry took the microphone to thank fans for their support, then gathered his teammates around him before leading a countdown to reveal the black, red and gold championship banner hanging above the home bench.

Commissioner Adam Silver was in the arena to honor the team on their special night. Last June, Toronto won their first championship against the Golden State Warriors in six games.

The Raptors may have lost Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard to the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency, but they still have a title defense to manufacture.

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After the celebrations, the team still had a game to play and they handled game one of a long season like champions would. Playing the same kind of basketball they did last year, a stubbornly unselfish brand that make them contenders every night.

The game may have needed an extra quarter but the Raptors still left the home crowd happy with an opening night win, 130-122.

The Zion Williamson-less Pelicans put up a great fight in a rebuild heavy season for them and hope to continue to be this competitive. They just couldn’t withstand the onslaught of points by G Fred VanVleet and F Pascal Siakam, who both scored 34 on the night.

The Raptors next game will be at TD Garden against the Boston Celtics on Friday 7 p.m. EST. New Orleans will take on the Dallas Mavericks at 8 p.m. EST on Friday.

Bryce Harper who? The Washington Nationals took game one of the World Series against the Houston Astros behind a new young outfield phenom, Juan Soto. Soto is three days shy of 21, but was the reason the Nats stole game one in Minute Maid Park. Like many teams, the Astros, who are heavy favorites to win the series, can’t figure out how to pitch to Soto. He was the force that swung the game into an important Nationals victory.

Astros ace Gerrit Cole lost his first game in five months; an incredible streak that can’t be understated. Washington scored five runs off Cole — two of them on home runs — as the Astros right-hander surrendered eight hits and lost for the first time since May 22 against the Chicago White Sox. During the streak, Cole went 19-0 with a 1.59 earned run average, and his team went 23-2 in that span, including three straight wins in the postseason.

“He’s human, he was bound to lose one eventually, ” said George Springer, the Astros outfielder who missed a potential game-tying home run by inches in the eighth inning. “They got the hits when they needed them, but he’s our guy and when he gets the ball again I’m sure he will be ready to go.”

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

A big credit to the five runs Cole allowed was thanks to Soto’s three RBIs that carried the Nationals to victory. Soto hit a home run in the second and then lined a ball off the wall in left field to push home two more runs and gave the Nationals a 5-2 lead.

The UEFA  Champions League is back in action Tuesday with the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus, and Paris St-Germain ready to play.

Los Blancos will continue their search for a first European win of the season when they travel to Galatasaray, while local rivals Atletico Madrid host Bayer Leverkusen.

Tottenham Hotspur will look to bounce back from a 7-2 defeat to Bayern Munich last time out when they host Red Star Belgrade, and the Bundesliga champions travel to Olympiakos.

Juventus will welcome Lokomotiv Moscow to Turin, while PSG take on Club Brugge in Belgium.

Here’s the full Tuesday schedule.

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Dinamo Zagreb (BT Sport ESPN), 12:55 p.m. EST

Atletico Madrid vs Bayer Leverkusen (TNT USA), 5:55 p.m. EST

Club Brugge vs Paris Saint-Germain (BT Sport Extra), 3 p.m. EST

Galatasaray vs Real Madrid (BT Sport ESPN/TUDN USA), 3 p.m. EST

Tottenham Hotspur vs Red Star Belgrade (BT Sport 3), 3 p.m. EST

Olympiakos vs Bayern Munich, 3 p.m. EST

Manchester City vs Atalanta (BT Sport 2), 3 p.m. EST

Juventus vs Lokomotiv Moscow (BT Sport Extra, Galavision) 3 p.m. EST

Here are the odds for each match.

Shakhtar Donetsk (71-100), Draw (13-5), Dinamo Zagreb (43-10)

Atletico Madrid (61-100), Draw (11-4), Bayer Leverkusen (21-4)

Club Brugge (53-10), Draw (31-10), Paris Saint-Germain (27-50)

Galatasaray (23-5), Draw (31-10), Real Madrid (59-100)

Tottenham Hotspur (6-25), Draw (51-10), Red Star Belgrade (23-2)

Olympiakos (13-2), Draw (81-20), Bayern Munich (19-50)

Manchester City (19-100), Draw (32-5), Atalanta (25-2)

Juventus (21-100), Draw (27-5), Lokomotiv Moscow (14-1)

The NBA season starts Tuesday night at 8 p.m. EST, as the reigning champion Toronto Raptors take on the New Orleans Pelicans.

The game at 10:30 p.m. EST will be an in-city rivalry game between the Los Angeles Lakers, who now boast Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Clippers, who have both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The summer had many players move around and brings many question marks for teams around the league. How will players mesh with their new teams?

Every team will have 82 games to figure out how the team chemistry will flourish and if the pieces will fit. It will be very interesting to see how players like Anthony Davis fits with LeBron James and the Lakers, or the pairing of Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul, two ball-dominant guards, will mesh on the Houston Rockets.

NBA week 1’s power rankings for this season are out now, written by analyst John Schumann. The Milwaukee Bucks lead the pack behind MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Behind them are the LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, and LA Lakers to round out the top five.

On the other end, the New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets bring up the rear. The team ranked at the very bottom are the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have done nothing but lose since the King departed a second time.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

To see where your favorite team ranked for week one. click here. (Some of the rankings may surprise you!)

There’s also plenty of videos like this on Twitter that can help fans get excited for the new season, if they aren’t already: