Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Monday, August 26.

MLB

Time to go around the horn in Major League Baseball!

• History in Boston! Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen became the first player in MLB history to appear for both teams in a single game. Jansen was the batter at the plate for the Blue Jays when the game was postponed due to weather back in June– yesterday, he entered the game for Boston and was the catcher for his own at-bat. You might be wondering, after the initial box-score craziness, what happened in the actual game? It wasn’t that exciting. Toronto won 4-1.

• Dylan Crews, the number two prospect in baseball, made his debut for the Nationals last night. He went 0-3 with a walk, but if the success of his college teammate Paul Skenes is any indication, DC is going to do quite well in D.C.

• Bryce Harper laced a walk-off single to lead the Phillies to a 3-2 win over the Astros. Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was in attendance, and shared his view of the game-winning play. There’s a chance we have too many cameras– you can also watch Embiid watching the walk-off.

• The Kansas City Royals won both games of a double-header against Cleveland, and are now just one game behind the Guardians for first place in the AL Central. Bobby Witt Jr. hit a home run in the game one victory, while Salvador Perez hit two homers– including a grand slam– in game two.

TENNIS

The US Open has begun, with 64 singles matches taking place yesterday in New York. The Remix is excited to dive into the tennis once the tournament progress. For now, here are the bullet points from Day One:

BIG UPSETS:

• Brandon Nakashima defeated (4) Holger Rune

• Yafan Wang defeated (9) Maria Sakkari

CHECKING IN ON THE AMERICANS:

• In addition to Nakashima, Ben Shelton (13), Taylor Fritz (12), and Francis Tiafoe (20) all advanced in the men’s draw

• Coco Gauff (3), Madison Keys (14), Emma Navarro (13), Peyton Stearns, and Taylor Townsend are the top American women who won on day one

• 16-year old Iva Jovic won her first round match 6-4, 6-3 over former top-20 player Magda Linette. She takes on 29 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova on Wednesday in round two.

SHOT OF THE DAY: Pretty sure this one defies the laws of physics…

POINT OF THE DAY: Let’s hear it for Grigor Dimitrov!

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

Ceedee Lamb has signed a new contract with the Dallas Cowboys, agreeing to a four-year $136 million deal. The deal was reached just in time for Ceedee to start practicing before the new season– Cowboy fans and fantasy football managers, rejoice!

POWER RANKINGS

Welcome to day three of The Remix college football preview. Yesterday we covered the Big 10. And if you missed it, day one was all about the ACC. 

Today, we’re attempting to sort out the teams in the Big 12…

TIER FIVE: Anything Can Happen

Probably destined for the bottom of the conference, but the beauty of college football is anything can happen. Road games and rivalries and upsets, oh my!

16. Arizona State | 15. Baylor

It feels wrong to single out just two teams for the bottom tier. That being said, difficult schedules and a combined record of 6-18 a year ago places these two programs firmly at the back of the pack.

TIER FOUR: Goal is a Bowl

A six-win season is nothing to hang your head about. Even in the new landscape of expanded playoffs, a bowl game is an accomplishment.

14. Houston | 13. BYU | 12. Colorado

Colorado in tier four? Good thing Deion Sanders doesn’t read The Remix… The hype around Colorado is massive, and there’s no questioning the talent of QB Shedeur Sanders and WR/CB Travis Hunter. However, it’s only year two. Deion’s program is still building, and these things take time. As for the other teams in this category, BYU has yet to adjust to the difficulty of a power conference schedule, while Houston begins a rebuild this season with a new head coach.

TIER THREE: If Everything Goes Right…

Due to a tough schedule or questions at key positions, the path to a conference championship is very narrow. Still, this is a tier of teams to keep an eye on…

11. Cincinnati | 10. TCU | 9. UCF | 8. West Virginia | 7. Texas Tech | 6. Iowa State | 5. Arizona

Seven teams in tier three? That’s the madness that defines the the 2024 Big 12. Honestly, I have no idea how to separate these teams, and it wouldn’t surprise me if any of them win three games or nine. While that makes it tough for predictions, the actual games will be super competitive. The only thing I feel good about here is Arizona at the top– the Wildcats were very, very close to my tier two selection as a dark horse playoff candidate. Watch out, because the offense in Tuscon is the real deal.

TIER TWO: Dark Horse

There is one team in each conference I am highlighting as a Dark Horse. Under the radar for whatever reason, I like this squad to surprise some people.

4. Kansas

Head coach Lance Leipold and QB Jadon Daniels are back to try to lead the Jayhawks to a third-straight bowl game. It would be the first such occasion in program history. If KU can knock off their in-state rival, the sky is the limit. The key is a healthy Daniels and maintaining momentum through basketball season.

TIER ONE: CFB Playoff Contenders

The favorites to win the conference and make the College Football Playoff

3. Oklahoma State | 2. Kansas State | 1. Utah

This is Utah’s conference to lose. Finally healthy, QB Cam Rising is as good as any other passer in the nation. With a stout defense and solid supporting cast, the Utes are one of my most confident selections to make the playoffs. If Utah stumbles, however, Oklahoma State and Kansas State are ready to take full advantage. OSU running back Ollie Gordon is one of the best players in the country, and K-State’s new QB Avery Johnson could be the breakout player of the year.

PLAY OF THE DAY

For the first time in what feels like weeks, today’s Remix did not start with “Aaron Judge hit a home run.” Well, Judge found a way to make an impact another way:

MVP wasn’t enough for you Aaron? You need a gold glove, too?

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

TENNIS: US Open round one, beginning at 11 AM on ESPN/ESPN+

• American Tommy Paul has a tough first round draw against Lorenzo Sonego, but the match of the day is 10-seed Jelena Ostapenko against former US Open champ Naomi Osaka. My upset pick of the day is Bianca Andreescu over the five seed Jasmine Paolini. Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Iga Swiatek are among the other top names taking the court.

MLB: Astros @ Phillies, 6:40 PM; Orioles @ Dodgers, 10:10 PM

• Four of the top teams in baseball match up this afternoon. Justin Verlander vs Aaron Nola in Philly. Shohei Ohtani and Gunnar Henderson in LA. Need I say more?

“When you walk on that court, you have to think, “I am the best guy out there.” I don’t care if LeBron‘s playing!” –Adam Sandler, Hustle (2022)