Start Late, Dive Deep, Shine Bright š
Some games start lateā¦ some go full science-fictionā¦ and some feel like recess.
Today? Weāve got all three. You ready? ā¬ļø
1ļøā£ Start Late and Finish Big šā½
Club World Cup. Semifinal. Paris Saint-Germain vs. Real Madrid.
Delayed!
No jokeā¦ both of the team buses were stuck in New York City traffic! So the game started late.
But once they arrived?
š„ Hit play.
Whoa! Domination by PSG, 4ā0.
They play Chelsea on Sunday for the championship.
2ļøā£ All-Stars and Robo-Umps š¤ā¾
Earlier this week, we celebrated Clayton Kershaw making his 11th All-Star Game.
On Tuesday, when itās game time, he might be surprised by whoās calling balls and strikes.
For the first time ever, MLB will use something called the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system at the All-Star Game in Atlanta. Yep, robot umpires are getting their big moment.
Hereās how it works:
Each team gets two challenges on ball/strike calls
Pitchers, hitters, and catchers can all challenge
Challenges must be made right away
ABS video will play on the scoreboard for the (human) umps to review
If you win the challenge, you keep it and can use it again
Itās just a testā¦ for now. But itās one of many changes baseball is exploring to make the game faster, fairer, and more fun.
š Curious what else MLB is changing?
Weāve got you covered with this weekās deep dive. Find it right here. ā¬ļø
3ļøā£ Pick Your Squad: Caitlin or Phee? š¤š
Baseballās All-Star Game is Tuesday. The WNBAās All-Star Game is a few days later.
And while baseball is testing robo-umps, the Wās got its own twist:
Fans voted for who made the game. But the players? They drafted the teams.
Thatās right. Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier got the most fan votes, so they became captains.
Then? They took turns picking from the rest of the All-Stars. Just like you pick teams on the playground.
Clark built a home teamā¦ literally. She used her top picks to bring both her Fever teammates, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, onto her squad.
Collier made sure her Lynx family stayed together. She made a trade to keep her coach, Cheryl Reeve, who was supposed to coach Clarkās team.
And she picked stars from Unrivaled, the cool 3-on-3 basketball league she started, like Breanna Stewart, Skylar Diggins, and Courtney Williams.
š¤ Two captains. One draft. A whole lot of star power.
šŗ Tipoff is Saturday, July 19, on Clarkās home court in Indianapolis.
Whether buses stall or captains make the call, Smallballās on it. šÆ
See you tomorrow!