A most unexpected Sunday across sports. Plus: Why a 24-team Playoff might be good
Sports

A most unexpected Sunday across sports. Plus: Why a 24-team Playoff might be good

Economy World


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Good morning! It’s great to be back. Coming up:

Chaos: Yesterday had a little of everything

Last night had zero NBA or NHL playoff games on the calendar. And yet, we saw madness abound. What? It was overwhelming enough to simply present it as a top-five list, in no real order. Just … look:

1. Texas Tech’s survival

The Red Raiders may not be the No. 1 seed in the Women’s College World Series — that’s Alabama, we’ll talk about the Crimson Tide in a second — but Texas Tech is clearly the tournament’s most interesting team. A group of lovable, rich villains with one of the game’s best pitchers anchoring what feels like another charmed run to the title series.

The latter point was quite apparent last night, as that pitcher — NiJaree Canady, softball’s first seven-figure player — struck out UCLA’s Bri Alejandre on a 3-2 pitch with two outs in extra innings to help Tech survive and advance. Next up: a semifinal matchup against top-seeded Bama to win Bracket 1. See more on our full live blog from yesterday.

2. All of college baseball, really

We are not fully to the super regional weekend of college baseball’s postseason, and its No. 1 seed, UCLA, has been eliminated. No. 2 Georgia Tech has a winner-take-all game today against Oklahoma, which beat the Yellow Jackets 15-8 yesterday. No. 4 Auburn, No. 8 Florida, No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 16 West Virginia face elimination today. No. 9 Southern Miss and No. 13 Nebraska are already toast.

And there have been great moments. Just look at this crowd shot from West Virginia’s go-ahead home run in the Mountaineers’ win over Kentucky:

3. Where have these USMNT guys been?

Vibes have been pretty bad for the U.S. team leading up to this month’s home World Cup. Friendlies went poorly, the coach is already looking at other jobs and many have long wondered whether this “golden generation” of American soccer talent was really just a mirage.

Then Mauricio Pochettino’s crew went out and looked sensational — at moments — against Senegal in a World Cup tuneup yesterday, winning 3-2. Christian Pulisic broke his scoring drought and assisted on another goal. Here’s his goal:

It’s one match, but you should feel better about the Americans’ chances in a couple of weeks after this game. Read more on why.

Quick news break before we finish our list:

News to Know

Franck Fife / AFP via Getty Images

World Cup visa issues arise
The South African national soccer team was supposed to leave Johannesburg yesterday and fly to the United States to prepare for its World Cup-opening match against Mexico on June 11. Instead, the team remained in South Africa to train while officials sort out “grossly unfair” visa issues for some players and personnel. The country’s sports minister said they are “being made to look like fools.” Get the full scoop here.

More news:

  • The Yankees beat the Athletics yesterday 13-8, with all 13 of those runs coming in one inning. It’s a first.
  • Russell Henley was three back of the lead with three holes to play at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He made four straight birdies to win it.
  • Ronald Acuña Jr. has hit five homers in four games. It’s nice to see him healthy and mashing again.
  • Jonas Vingegaard won the Giro d’Italia yesterday, becoming just the eighth man to complete the Grand Tour sweep. Read our full story.

📰 Find more news here 24/7.

Chaos, Cont.: Let’s finish up

Clive Brunskill / Getty Images

Back to the list:

4. João Fonseca, still winning

The 19-year-old is through to the French Open quarterfinals after beating Casper Ruud yesterday, which did not come without controversy. A disputed line call that went Fonseca’s way eventually gave the wunderkind a two-set lead in this match. He never relinquished it. Maybe the Brazilian is the charmed choice of this tournament after every other male star has lost. More on what happened with the call here.

5. From the stands? 

Blue Jays outfielder Jesús Sánchez left yesterday’s game with a right wrist contusion not from making any play, but because a baseball sailed from the stands and hit him in the arm. Thankfully, X-rays came back negative for any fracture, but this is still just wild to me.

According to a report, the fan in question thought Sánchez just wanted to play catch. See the details.

What a day. Almost ready for another one:

Watch Guide

📺 French Open: Sabalenka vs. Osaka
2:15 p.m. ET on TNT and HBO Max
This is the first time the French Open has scheduled a women’s match in the night slot since 2023, and boy, does it deserve the honor. These are two of the sport’s brightest stars playing on a Grand Slam stage. You can also credit the scheduling to the lack of star power left in the men’s bracket. More on this unique setup here.

📺 WCWS: Texas vs. Tennessee
Noon ET on ESPN
The Volunteers have already beaten the Longhorns once in this tournament, and the pair will play two today if Texas prevails in this game. Tensions will be high. If you can find a TV during the day, do it. Texas Tech-Alabama plays the nightcap at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

📺 WNBA: Lynx at Mercury
10 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBC Sports Network
Minnesota is the best team in the W despite having superstar Napheesa Collier for zero games thus far this year. It’s a tribute to her supporting cast, particularly rookie Olivia Miles. So why is Minnesota only favored by a possession over the 2-7 Mercury? Hm. Worth a watch.

Pulse Picks

Scott Dochterman has the take of the day before 7 a.m. ET: A 24-team College Football Playoff would save the sport, not ruin it. We might expound on this tomorrow.

Michael Silver continued the conversation on the NAACP-proposed college football boycott in Southern states, arguing the plan could absolutely work if scaled correctly. It’s worth your time today.

The Stanley Cup Final begins tomorrow. Sean McIndoe has a guide on who to root for.

I loved this back-and-forth between Eric Nehm and Eric Koreen, our two basketball writers who predicted this NBA Finals matchup before the season started.

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: My recommendation for the new Athletic hat. Go team. Most-read on the website yesterday: The Spurs-Knic

ks mega-preview.

📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, check out our other newsletters and connect with me on Instagram for more.



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