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In winning his first major, Medvedev played brilliantly, strategically, changing angles and speeds while out-baselining the ninja master at his own game. Medvedev is a hardcourt wizard. He stands so far behind the baseline it’s hard to figure how he can cover the court, vertically. Yet, somehow, he does. His nerves wobbled only a bit, near the end, when he struck double faults on championship points. Medvedev composed himself, though, finished the job. He dropped to the ground awkwardly on his side, with typical quirkiness, and stuck out his tongue in disbelief at the breakthrough upset.
The Chicago Bears played the Los Angeles Rams in the season opener at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 12, 2021. (John J. Kim, José M. Osorio) Chicago Bears quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Justin Fields warm up for a game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium Sept. 13, 2021, in Inglewood, Calif. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) Chicago Bears fans, from left, Antrone Austin, Sterling McCoy and Dwayne Lee who flew in from Chicago for the game between the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams at Sofi Stadium Sept. 12, 2021. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) Chicago Bears before a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. on Sept. 12, 2021. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) Bears fans in their seats before a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. on Sept. 12, 2021. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune) Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields warms up for a game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, Sept. 13, 2021. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Burrow, who flashed his considerable potential last season before tearing up his left knee in Week 11, completed 20 passes in 27 attempts and didn’t show any residual effects from being sacked five times by the Vikings. The 24-year-old played only one series in the preseason, in the final game, as he continued to rehab.
Playing for the best team in baseball has made things easy for Bryant, and the Giants will have money to spend this offseason. “It’s a good fit for me and I’m having a great time so far,” Bryant said Friday. “We’re winning, and that makes everything better too. But at the same time, I’m here and there are a lot of memories here and like I keep saying, I’m not closing the door on here or anywhere for that matter. That would be pretty stupid for me.” A reunion with the Cubs seems unlikely unless the Rickettses open the checkbook. If the Los Angeles Dodgers are interested, Bryant would look good in their classic uniform. Best bet: Dodgers.
“The key is his legs are such a critical part of his game,” La Russa said. “Whether it’s defense or offense, he tweaked it one time before (strained left hamstring in early April) and it was the same so we were being very super careful with it. We have a great staff, training staff, so they’ve progressed carefully. And it just shows, No. 1, that you want to take care of his legs. Secondly, when he comes back, we’re going to be careful with his usage, kind of break him in little by little.”
MLB returned to its 10-team playoff format — five teams from each league — this year after expanding the field to 16 for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The three division winners will be seeded 1-3 based on records, while the two teams with the next-best records will earn the wild cards and play one game for the No. 4 seed.
“I’ve got some good practice at chess because I play with my kids, so that’s been a benefit for me,” he said. “But that’s always part of the game, right? Whether you’re a position coach and you’re helping the coordinator and the play-caller seeing what you’re seeing in the game. And now as a play-caller, you’ve got to continually stay on top of it. … We’re going to test it out on game day, but I think a strength of mine is to be able to see the game up top.”
With three weeks left in the regular season, the vibe at Guaranteed Rate Field grows by the day, even as the Sox basically clinched a division title by the All-Star break and have given stars such as Tim Anderson, Lance Lynn and Carlos Rodón a chance to hit pause and refresh themselves, mentally and physically, for what lies ahead.
“Great effort on our part,” manager Tony La Russa said. “Heartbreaking, very tough to lose. Cease has been outstanding, so we picked him up. That’s what we do sometimes. He picks us up, we picked him up. We had a couple chances, couldn’t do it. …
“I appreciate that. Thank you for passing on me. It added fuel to my fire,” Pierce, who had been expected to go as high as No. 2 overall, said in his acceptance speech Saturday night in Springfield, Mass. “To this day I don’t understand how I slipped to No. 10. But you know, everything happened for a reason. Going to the Celtics, I’m grateful.”