Soto Hits 3 Bombs💣️, Key Injuries in the NFL & MLB, + Our SEC Preview

Good Morning Blitzers!

Things are looking up. You’ve made it to the second half of the week, we’re 10 days away from our first college football game, and 22 days away from our first NFL game. We’ve got an SEC preview to get your mind right for the college football season, and as always, we have the top headlines and highlights. So grab yourself a coffee, and let’s get into it!

WTF Stat: Nick Saban spent a total of 109 weeks at the No. 1 spot in the AP poll while at Alabama. That is equivalent to 763 days, or just over two full calendar years. Not totally surprising that he ended up winning 6 national championships and 9 SEC titles while at Bama.

🏈 Vikings rookie QB J.J. McCarthy is set to undergo knee surgery after tests revealed a meniscus tear in his right knee, which occurred during the preseason game against the Raiders. McCarthy could be back this year if doctors determine he only needs a simple trim, but a full repair of the ligament could sideline him until 2025. QB Sam Darnold is expected to start for the Vikings in Week 1.

⚾️ Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. is likely headed to the injured list due to a left elbow UCL injury, which occurred during a headfirst dive in Monday's game against the White Sox. Chisholm, who was acquired from the Marlins before the trade deadline, has been legit so far, hitting .316 with 5 home runs and 11 RBIs in 14 games with the Yankees. Oswaldo Cabrera started at third base in his place. The Yankees expect to make a decision on his status by Wednesday.

🏈 The Steelers and 49ers have agreed on the framework for a trade involving wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, but the decision rests with Aiyuk. The 49ers also reportedly have a long-term contract offer on the table as well. The 26-year-old receiver, had a career-best 1,342 receiving yard last season, and has been holding out for a new contract or trade. If Aiyuk chooses to move to Pittsburgh, the Steelers are reportedly ready with a contract extension.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW

It is a new era in college football. Conferences sold their souls to the money gods and shook up the entire landscape. USC in the Big Ten? Cal and Stanford in the ACC? No more PAC-12 After Dark? 12-team playoffs? Let’s see where your favorite teams stand in this brave new world starting with the best conference in the game.

SEC Preview

New kids on the block, Texas and Oklahoma, will try to prove that they fit in with the cool kids of the SEC. However, this conference still belongs to Big Dawgs: Georgia. As long as their players stay on the field and out of the court room they are the far and away favorites to win the SEC in the post-Nick Saban era. Don’t sleep on Ole Miss, they have experience on both sides of the ball after another big portal haul.

Projected Finish

1. Georgia

2. Ole Miss

3. Alabama

4. Tennessee

5. Texas

6. LSU

7. Texas A&M

8. Oklahoma

9. Missouri

10. Auburn

11. Kentucky

12. Florida

13. Mississippi State

14. Arkansas

15. South Carolina

16. Vanderbilt

Most Underrated Team: Tennessee - The Vols may have the best QB with the best name in the conference: Nico Iamaleava (ee-ah-MAH-LAY-ah-va). This could be the year head coach Josh Heupel lives up to the sky-high expectations at Rocky Top.

Honorable Mention - Texas A&M

Most Overrated Team: Texas - Yes, they beat Alabama last year, but they ain’t in the Big 12 anymore. Big media is ready to crown the Longhorns, me? Horns down until they prove they can survive the grind.

Dishonorable Mention - Missouri

Get Your Popcorn Ready to Watch These Dudes:

QB Jalen Milroe - Alabama

QB Jaxson Dart - Ole Miss

QB Nico Iamaleava - Tennessee

RB Trevor Etienne - Georgia

RB Jarquez Hunter - Auburn

WR Luther Burden III - Missouri

WR Tre Harris - Ole Miss

EDGE Harold Perkins Jr. - LSU

LB Danny Stutsman - Oklahoma

Top Transfers

QB Taylen Green - Arkansas (Boise State)

RB Trevor Etienne - Georgia (Florida)

WR Isaiah Bond - Texas (Alabama)

WR Antwane (Juice) Wells, Jr. Ole Miss (South Carolina)

DL Walter Nolan - Ole Miss (Texas A&M)

DL Nic Scourton - Texas A&M (Purdue)

S Keon Sabb - Alabama (Michigan)

Must Watch Games

8/31 - Clemson @ Georgia

8/31 - Notre Dame @ Texas A&M

9/7 - Texas @ Michigan

9/28 - Georgia @ Alabama

10/12 - Texas @ Oklahoma

10/19 - Alabama @ Tennessee

10/19 - Georgia @ Texas

11/30 - Auburn @ Alabama

11/30 - Texas @ Texas A&M

MLB - Top Games

• New York Yankees 4, Chicago White Sox 1: Juan Soto had a historic night, hitting three home runs to lead the Yankees to victory. Soto launched a two-run shot in the third inning, followed by solo homers in the fifth and seventh innings. This marked the first three-homer game of Soto's career and his 23rd multi-homer game before turning 26, second only to Mel Ott in MLB history. The Yankees' pitching held the White Sox to just one run.

Key Highlight: Juan Soto's third home run of the game (his other two were opposite-field HRs):

• Boston Red Sox 9, Texas Rangers 4: Kutter Crawford started perfectly through 5 1/3 innings before running into trouble. Connor Wong's three-run homer in the fifth gave Boston a 6-0 lead. The Rangers rallied to 6-4, but the Red Sox bullpen held on. Lucas Sims escaped a bases-loaded jam, and Kenley Jansen earned a four-out save. Boston added three insurance runs in the eighth to secure the win.

Key Highlight: Connor Wong's three-run homer:

• Houston Astros 3, Tampa Bay Rays 2: Alex Bregman and Jeremy Peña homered to lead the Astros to their seventh straight win. Yusel Kikuchi allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings for his second win with Houston. Josh Hader earned his 26th consecutive save, extending his franchise record. The Rays' Junior Caminero, a top prospect, had an infield hit in his season debut. Shane Baz pitched a career-high seven innings for Tampa Bay in the loss.

Key Highlight: Alex Bregman's 4th game in a row with a home run:

• Cleveland Guardians 2, Chicago Cubs 1: Matthew Boyd made a triumphant return after 414 days (recovering from Tommy John surgery). He allowed just one run on three hits with six strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings in his Guardians debut. Jhonkensy Noel hit the go-ahead home run, his 9th of the season. Emmanuel Clase secured the save for Cleveland's victory.

Key Highlight: Jhonkensy Noel continues to just mash balls:

Bonus: Machine Gun Kelly throwing out the first pitch to… the stands?

• Arizona Diamondbacks 4, Colorado Rockies 3: Jake McCarthy's two-out, two-run single in the ninth inning lifted the Diamondbacks to a 4-3 victory. The D-Backs, who have won 17 of their last 20 games, started their rally with Corbin Carroll's one-out triple. McCarthy, one of the hottest hitters in baseball, delivered the game-winning hit off Victor Vodnik, who suffered his third blown save of the season. Arizona's Eduardo Rodriguez allowed three runs over five innings in his second start of the year.

Key Highlight: Jake McCarthy's walk-off hit/piggyback ride:

• Atlanta Braves 4, San Francisco Giants 3 (10 innings): Travis d'Arnaud was the hero for Atlanta, hitting a solo homer and driving in the winning run with an RBI single in the 10th inning. Ramón Laureano also homered for the Braves. Charlie Morton bounced back with a strong outing, striking out eight over six innings. Morton picked up his 2,000th strikeout of his career. 1,603 of those strikeouts came after his 30th birthday. The win extended Atlanta's lead for the final NL wild card spot to two games over the Mets, while the Giants fell 3.5 games back.

Key Highlight: Morton appreciation post:

See the full MLB scoreboard here and the current standings here.

1936 United States beats Canada, 19-8 in poor conditions outdoors to win the gold medal in the inaugural men's basketball competition at the Olympic Games in Berlin. Played on an outdoor clay court, the final took place in heavy rain.

Trivia Time Answer

C. Georgia vs. Auburn - Dubbed “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry,” was first played on February 20th, 1892 where the Tigers outlasted the Bulldogs 10-0. The next oldest rivalry is Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee, which also started in 1892, but in October.