Daniel Zimnikov

Approaching the trade deadline, the Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Mets stood on the brink of playoff berths. Analysts nationwide debated who should buy and who should sell. Surprisingly, the perennial AL Central champions sold, springing the Mets and Blue Jays into title contention.

Fecal matter, oil spills, garbage bags, and dead bodies pollute water-sports sites for the 2016 Olympic summer games. According to a 2014 New York Times report, Brazilian sailing legend Lars Grael encountered human corpses on four separate occasions at would-be competition sites for the Rio games. A year later, the waters may seem clearer but they remain dangerous.

After a short reprieve, the Premier League is back! Advancing no further than the round of 16 in European play last year, British teams surely play with chips on their shoulders, looking to reclaim their spots in the ranks of the game’s elite.

We’ve heard it repeated that Major League Soccer remains a retirement league, lacks quality playmakers, blah blah blah.

Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz, all unique characters, come together in Cooperstown on this special weekend honoring their massive contributions to America’s pastime. Joined by Houston Astros versatile position player Craig Biggio, the big-armed trio makes 2015’s inductees arguably the best pitching class in Hall of Fame history.

Since 2000, only three players have finished a season with a sub-two ERA: Pedro Martinez (1.74 – 2000), Roger Clemens (1.87 – 2005), and Clayton Kershaw twice (1.83 – 2013; 1.77 – 2014). With Zack Greinke sitting on a remarkable 1.30 figure, amidst a 43 2/3 inning scoreless streak, his chances of joining this elite club appear strong.

The Midsummer Classic should be about fun, not who gets home-field advantage in the World Series.

The first day of free agency saw NBA teams commit a whopping $1.4 billion to free agents on Wednesday, as playoff contenders improved and big-market underachievers struck out. The 2015 free-agent class continues to cash-in and several big-market teams show signs of tapping out as the free-for-all on players heads into its first weekend.

Japan, who beat England in Wednesdy’s women’s World Cup semifinals, famously defeated the U.S. in the finals of the 2011 World Cup on penalty kicks. The U.S. team made a rematch possible through scoring, and defending of sorts, a penalty kick.