Morning! This is Kristen Wong from Sports Illustrated. I don’t know about you, but finding out that a 59-year-old Nicole Kidman raves in Ibiza under the guise of glasses and a wig makes me so happy inside. Somehow, heartbreak feels good when you’re partying it up in a foreign country with your besties. Long live our fearless AMC queen. In other news, there was football on TV last night. Fernando Mendoza might cover his eyes when Maxx Crosby and Kirk Cousins fight and whenever he walks by the Las Vegas Strip, but he just played in his first-ever NFL game. He’s a big boy now.
Forward this to someone looking for a new podcast that makes them feel more cultured without being overly pretentious (we recommend Handsome, Wait A Second… and Las Culturistas).
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IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
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BIG BOY NANDO: Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza made his NFL preseason debut against the Cardinals on Thursday night, and he enjoyed a solid outing overall. The Hoosiers product came in late in the first quarter and finished 10-of-16 passing for 96 yards and one touchdown to Jack Bech. A few highlights: a clean-looking ball fake and a gutsy pin-point seam throw to Malik Benson off play-action. He also took a tough sack and struggled on some stalled drives. Is he ready to take Kirk Cousins’s job? Probably not yet. But there was certainly a lot to like about Las Vegas’ future face of the franchise.
IS NOTHING SACRED?: The Lakers got sold—again. They were bought by former Disney CEO Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner, two very rich people who most likely didn’t have anything better to do. Kushner, a “lifelong Democrat” (nice job, Lakers PR) comes from a family that’s, er, complicated. As for Iger, he’s not even a Lakers fan. He supports the other team in L.A., if you can believe it. … Farewell, Russ. One of the NBA’s all-time entertaining point guards is hanging it up. He leaves behind a legacy of incredible memes, and this video of Taylor Swift singing his praises after he won MVP for the 2016-17 season. Alas, the show goes on. For some holy grail matchups to circle on your calendar this upcoming campaign, check out SI’s top 25 NBA games to watch. … Earlier this week, the White Sox hosted an instantly iconic “Pope Hat” night that looked like heaven on earth. … And to address an ongoing controversy that stemmed from Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s comments, the WNBA denounced the “bad-faith” transgender debate involving those trying to create narratives about trans women playing in the league. “There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others,” a league spokesperson said. As a pertinent reminder, there has never been a transgender woman on a WNBA roster.
STRANGER THINGS, NFL EDITION: A blog so good it deserved its own blurb. Amid growing buzz over the viral electrical substation theory purportedly behind the 49ers’ injury plague, SI’s Mike Kadlick took a look at other weird things found within the vicinity of every NFL stadium.
SI GRAB BAG: Catch up on the MLB’s Field of Dreams game in SI’s blog of analysis and highlights, from Kyle Schwarber’s leadoff bomb to a near-mic’d up home run robbery. … Here’s one number that sums up every Big 12 team in 2026. … Travis Kelce made his first comments about getting married to Taylor Swift at MSG during Chiefs’ training camp. He snuck in an on-the-nose Kermit impression of his quarterback, too. How that man won Taylor’s heart, we’ll never really know. … And finally, Rory McIlroy is having himself a weird PGA Tour season. SI’s golf guy Andy Nesbitt explains why.
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MLB insights and analysis delivered by Tom Verducci, offering a mix of expert commentary, inside angles and thoughtful perspectives on baseball’s biggest storylines.
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Everything you missed while you were touching grass and also sneezing because of allergies …
KD AND RUSS <3: Plenty of former and current NBA players paid tribute to Russell Westbrook after he announced his retirement this week, but none of their words will bring tears to your eyes quite like Kevin Durant’s did. KD shared a lengthy post to his former Thunder teammate on social media that came straight from the heart, no burner account required. Read that emotional message here. And of course, Mama Durant chimed in as well.
VINTAGE JORDAN (SPIETH): The rollercoaster Jordan Spieth experience continued in the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs, with the 33-year-old golfer delivering more of the good stuff and opening with a bogey-free 65 on Thursday. Spieth hasn’t hoisted a trophy on the Tour since 2022, but maybe this time he can go all the way—or so his fans hope.
TRICK-OR-TREAT-OR-STRIPPER: Is it October in Sin City already? Everyone’s talking about how Fernando Mendoza likened the neon-lit, vice-ridden Vegas Strip to a “haunted house” and “a boogeyman,” but no one seems to take issue with the fact that the 22-year-old doesn’t yet own a chair in his home. Talk about a dude who just wants to play ball. The Athletic’s Michael Silver’s latest feature on the Raiders quarterback is a must-read.
THE CALL OF THE WILD: Ever wonder what your NBA team would sound like if they were a bird? You’re about to find out thanks to Oklahoman middle-schooler and viral bird-calling extraordinaire Samuel Henderson. The 12-year-old Henderson can mimic over 125 bird calls and he showed off his unique skills in, rather fittingly, the Atlantic Hawks’ 2026-27 schedule release video. OKC remains absurdly stacked with talent.
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📺 What we’re watching this weekend ... |
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NFL Preseason:
Friday, Aug. 14
Buccaneers @ Jets—7 p.m. ET; NFL Network
Saturday, Aug. 15
Browns @ Bears—1 p.m. ET; NFL Network
Rams @ Chiefs—4 p.m. ET; NFL Network
Yay! Football! Boo. Just the backups. That’s preseason for you, folks. If you want to spend a perfectly nice Saturday afternoon watching Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders compete for the Browns’ starting quarterback job, go for it.
WNBA:
Friday, Aug. 14
Wings @ Fever—7:30 p.m. ET; ION
Saturday, Aug. 15
Lynx @ Aces—8 p.m. ET; CBS/Paramount+
Sunday, Aug. 16
Fever @ Dream—5 p.m. ET; ESPN/Disney+
Honestly, the chances of the WNBA surviving this weekend without at least one controversy feel pretty low.
Caitlin Clark and the Fever (21-12) will face off against Paige Bueckers and the Wings (20-14) on Friday night as both teams jostle for positioning in a crowded mid-table. Indiana will then take on Angel Reese and the Dream (21-12), another formidable playoff contender, in what should be an equally feisty matchup on Sunday. Elsewhere, the defending champ Aces will be looking to build some late-season momentum against the dominant Lynx, who have dropped just seven games this season.
That’s a wrap for today. See ya Monday!
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