0:03
Lamine Yamal enjoys birthday with a kickabout and a show before France World Cup semi-final test
Lamine Yamal celebrated his 19th birthday with a casual kickabout alongside his teammates before heading to the World Cup semi‑final press conference. He walked in, peeled back his tracksuit like a superhero, and showed off a massive white‑gold and diamond chain that he bought himself. He thanked the journalists for sharing the moment and let a grin slip across his face.
He made it clear that a win is the only present he truly wants, and he added that a trip to New York sits at the top of his wish list. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said the squad still has room to grow as the tournament unfolds.
0:21
Report: Alshon Jeffery reaches deal to resolve insurance fraud charges
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Former NFL receiver Alshon Jeffery's case of felony insurance fraud is on track to be resolved with something far less than the maximum potential sentence of five years in prison.
Via Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today, Jeffery and prosecutors in California have reached an agreement that will result in the dismissal of two fraud charges, if he complies with his end of it within 60 days.
Per the report, Jeffery is required to perform 50 hours of volunteer work and to pay $840.46 to Kemper Insurance, $500 to the California Department of Insurance Anti-Fraud Fund, and $2,500 to the driver of the car that Jeffery's car struck in September 2025.
Jeffery, per prosecutors, has already made the required payments.
The situation arose from an allegation that Jeffery had lied about the date of the accident, telling the insurance company it had happened on September 28, not September 21. He had allegedly reinstated his car insurance on September 24, after the wreck.
Jeffery, whose representative dismissed the charges as a "misunderstanding," had failed to appear in court on March 9. That resulted in the issuance of a warrant for Jeffery's arrest, his arrest, and his release on $25,000 bond.
"We are glad we were able to clear up this unintentional error and have the case completely dismissed," Jeffery's attorney, Brian Watkins, told Schrotenboer.
It's a fair outcome, even if Jeffery did indeed falsify the date of the accident in order to trigger insurance coverage. It's not a major crime, but he shouldn't have done it. The entire ordeal, the relatively minor financial loss, and the volunteer work seems to be a fair consequence for not just covering the damage to the other car in the first place.
A second-round pick of the Bears in 2012, Jeffery spent nine years in the NFL. He won a Super Bowl with the Eagles to cap the 2017 season. He earned more than $63 million during his professional career.
1:08
Netflix fixed the Home Run Derby’s biggest problem and created a new one
Netflix’s second crack at live baseball came with a built-in advantage: the Home Run Derby doesn’t need much help to be entertaining. Strip away the ceremony, and it’s just batting practice with stakes, and this year, MLB handed the streamer a genuine upgrade by scrapping the countdown clock in favor of a format that lets hitters keep swinging as long as they’re producing. It’s the best change the event has seen in years, and it deserved a broadcast that didn’t get in its own way.
For long stretches, Netflix delivered that. For other stretches, it seemed determined not to.
Start with the good, because there’s a lot of it. Untethering the Derby from a timer was an easy, obvious improvement, and it’s the rare format tweak that generated no real pushback. Well, besides maybe Jeff Passan. The new setup rewards hot streaks instead of racing a clock, and it made for a night with a noticeably different rhythm than derbies past. Whatever else went wrong Monday night, the league deserves full credit for finally fixing this.
The picture itself, in the moments the broadcast let you see it clearly, backed that up. The image was sharp, the graphics package was clean and legible — almost to a fault — and this was a clear step forward from Netflix’s Opening Night broadcast back in March, if only because the network mostly resisted the urge to remind viewers every few minutes that they were watching Netflix.
Mostly.
But before the swinging started, Netflix leaned on Will Ferrell, Jimmy Tatro, and Luke Wilson to open the broadcast, and the segment landed with a thud. The audio made it hard to hear what anyone was saying, the comedy felt manufactured rather than spontaneous, and the whole bit doubled as an ad for a Netflix original. It’s the same instinct that dragged down the network’s Opening Night pregame in March — a reflexive need to cross-promote the platform’s other content — just in a smaller dose this time.
The MLB Home Run Derby player introductions feature all of Michael Buffer, Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson, and Jimmy Tatro offering commentary. #Netflix #HRDerbypic.twitter.com/PhlcgCIPru https://t.co/ZCYPUqkDDi
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 14, 2026
Oh my God, the three guys doing supposed comedic commentary on the Home Run Derby player intros are the least funny people to be given such a national stage, without question. They. Are. Brutal. Who wrote these godawful lines for them? Embarrassing, Netflix. Utterly embarrassing.
— David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) July 14, 2026
Elle Duncan’s aside about the 1996 Derby being a topic of enduring conversation in Philadelphia, which Philadelphia sports fans were quick to note isn’t actually true, was a minor unforced error in the same vein.
Elle Duncan on Netflix’s Derby broadcast: The 1996 Home Run Derby is something “Philadelphians talk about to this day.”
People in Philly: No we don’t.
— Rob Tornoe (@RobTornoe) July 13, 2026
But the pregame, promos, and all were never going to be the story of the night. Once the players stepped in and the swings started counting, the broadcast had to stand on its own, and that’s where the real test began.
The lounge pairing of Duncan, Barry Bonds, and Albert Pujols had the makings of the better booth, and the set itself worked. But calling live swings wasn’t where Bonds and Pujols were comfortable, and the commentary came out vanilla and subdued — pleasant, but not adding much to what was already on screen. Duncan held her own despite not being the one expected to call the action, and the read on her was fair: this wasn’t a knock on her so much as a format that didn’t play to the group’s strengths.
There’s an easy fix sitting right there, too, as The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand noted. Instead of parking the lounge as a standalone set, Netflix could use it as a between-batters destination, where they bring a hitter over for a quick conversation with Bonds and Pujols once his round wraps, rather than sending Lauren Shehadi or CC Sabathia to chase an interview down mid-swing. It would give the lounge a job beyond commentary and solve the in-game interview problem in the same move.
The preference, when the ball was actually in the air, ran toward the crew of Matt Vasgersian, Anthony Rizzo, and Hunter Pence. Rizzo was the standout of the group, sharp and insightful whenever the conversation turned to mechanics, which is exactly the kind of expertise a Derby booth should lean on. Hunter Pence brought real energy too — he was clearly locked in and into the moment, and that enthusiasm read as one of the booth’s better qualities. Where the group as a whole stumbled was in occasionally tipping past that energy into over-the-top territory during routine swings, something that applied to Rizzo, Pence, and Vasgersian alike at various points.
Chris Berman spent decades hollering his way through this exact event and never once sounded like he was performing enthusiasm rather than feeling it; the swings earned the volume.
3:08
Netflix viewers didn’t like Will Ferrell-led commentary to open MLB Home Run Derby
The 2026 MLB Home Run Derby is on Netflix, and quite predictably, that’s led to Netflix going all in to promote its additional current and future content offerings. And with The Hawk — a Netflix comedy series starring Will Ferrell as Lonnie “The Hawk” Hawkins — set to premiere on July 16, Netflix even had the show’s stars on hand to provide commentary during the Home Run Derby player introductions.
Ferrell, Luke Wilson, and Jimmy Tatro sat at a desk on the field offering random commentary as Home Run Derby participants were introduced on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. And for much of this time, legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer was introducing players at the same time, so the commentary clashed.
It was hard to even understand what Ferrell, Wilson, and Tatro were saying at times, with the commentary basically just serving as racket for Netflix viewers.
The MLB Home Run Derby player introductions feature all of Michael Buffer, Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson, and Jimmy Tatro offering commentary. #Netflix #HRDerbypic.twitter.com/PhlcgCIPru https://t.co/ZCYPUqkDDi
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 14, 2026
god the “comedy” during the Home Run Derby intros was brutal but this might be the worst of them all pic.twitter.com/rBCzmpeDsT
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) July 14, 2026
Will Ferrell introducing Bryce Harper at the #HRDerby:
“The Liberty Bell comes and takes photos of HIM” pic.twitter.com/uqQrVlEINo
— Netflix (@netflix) July 14, 2026
BANKING ON JUNIOR#HRDerby | #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/bphNeciZXx
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 14, 2026
Even for fans of Ferrell and friends, this was a hard listen that felt very forced as an obvious promotional tactic for an upcoming Netflix series.
Here’s a look at how Netflix viewers reacted to the commentary from Ferrell, Wilson, and Tatro to open the Home Run Derby:
Maybe I’m way off, but I don’t think the Will Ferrell-Luke Wilson thing is working at all. (Honestly, I get the sense that *they* also know it isn’t working.)
— Sports Media Watch (@paulsen_smw) July 14, 2026
Love Will Ferrell, but we don’t need him here and can’t hear him on the broadcast. Cross promotion has it limits.
— Rob Tornoe (@RobTornoe) July 14, 2026
Will Ferrell and company may want to say something funny
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) July 14, 2026
I can’t believe Netflix ruined the Home Run Derby and Will Ferrell in the first 10 minutes. https://t.co/xp7ZHGa5An
— Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) July 14, 2026
This was a difficult watch. Just bad.
I like these guys, but this was an awkward fit. I just don’t know if all this extra stuff is needed. Idk. Maybe I’m just lame. https://t.co/RmLhEMrkNT
— Claiborne Snowden (@Clay_sno) July 14, 2026
This is the first Home Run Derby broadcast for Netflix (in year one of a three-year media rights agreement with MLB), and it didn’t get off to a great start.
The post Netflix viewers didn’t like Will Ferrell-led commentary to open MLB Home Run Derby appeared first on Awful Announcing.
4:21
Chuck Klosterman predicts Sophie Cunningham will be a U.S. Vice President nominee by 2050
Sophie Cunningham’s profile keeps expanding. After starring at Missouri, she landed with the Indiana Fever, launched a podcast, joined USA Network as a player analyst, turned into a meme, and even worked as a UFC ring girl.
She’s unafraid to speak on WNBA issues, and when a finger‑pointing meme linked her to politics she brushed it off, sparking fresh speculation about her affiliation.
Chuck Klosterman jumped on the conversation, saying on The Bill Simmons Podcast that he sees her as a vice‑presidential pick by 2050. He can’t name a party or her views, but he highlights her likable personality and on‑court poise.
His bet leans on her willingness to mix sport, media and hot‑button topics, a blend that could translate into political relevance in the years ahead.
4:43
Proposed Seahawks owner Vinod Khosla has battled on social media with Elon Musk
As a wise man once told me, the only thing better than being rich and famous is being rich.
And while proposed Seahawks owner Vinod Khosla has achieved a certain amount of notoriety through his entrepreneurial efforts, the purchase of one of the 32 most desirable sports assets in the country invites a much higher level of attention and scrutiny.
Maybe that's one of the reasons Khosla's wife, Neeru, will serve as the controlling owner of the team. It will keep Vinod one step removed from the intense glare of NFL ownership.
That said, Vinod Khosla has welcomed the periodic spotlight. For example, he has publicly tussled with fellow multibillionaire Elon Musk on the social-media platform Musk owns.
Two years ago, after incumbent Joe Biden exited the race for the presidency, Musk wanted Khosla to climb aboard the Trump train. Said Khosla: “Hard for me to support someone with no values, lies, cheats, rapes, demeans women, hates immigrants like me. He may cut taxes or reduce some regulation but that is no reason to accept depravity in his personal values.”
More recently, Khosla said (via Forbes) that Musk "doesn't want MAGA, he wants WAGA or ‘white America great again’ as a 'racism is great and desirable’' paradigm." Khosla also urged non-white employees of Musk's companies to quit their jobs and work for Khosla instead.
Musk called Khosla a "pompous asshole" and said he had gone "full r-tard."
Similar squabbles in the future will draw far more attention, as those who cover the NFL pay closer attention to any and all of Khosla's public comments.
5:22
Derek Jeter reminds Colin Cowherd of awkward interview gaffe
Derek Jeter may never let Colin Cowherd off the hook.
After Jeter’s first appearance on The Herd around the All-Star Game in 2024, the veteran radio host went viral after misremembering the timeline of Jeter’s legendary career. During the interview, Cowherd asked Jeter what it was like to face Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan on the mound, only for Jeter to hilariously correct him in real time that their careers did not overlap.
“I never faced Nolan, slow down,” Jeter laughed. “No, I was way after Nolan.”
In fairness to Cowherd, Jeter’s rookie season came just two years after Ryan’s retirement.
But Jeter got another opportunity to rib Cowherd about the mistake on Monday, as the former New York Yankees star once again joined The Herd to promote Fox’s coverage of the All-Star game. And he did not pass it up.
“Before we get started, I just want to remind you … you just said, ‘Smart people make mistakes,'” Jeter said. “Last time I was on your show, you asked me about facing Nolan Ryan, so let’s just hope you got your facts straight this time.”
“Last time I was on your show, you asked me about facing Nolan Ryan. Let’s just hope you got your facts straight this time.” – Derek Jeter sets some ground rules before his appearance with Colin Cowherd https://t.co/CqKJgftqZe pic.twitter.com/ERwA1TdqHH
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 13, 2026
Jeter clearly has Cowherd’s respect and handled the gaffe cleverly, especially for someone MLB fans typically think of as defensive and dry on-air.
Jeter will be part of Fox’s studio coverage for the All-Star game on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET.
The post Derek Jeter reminds Colin Cowherd of awkward interview gaffe appeared first on Awful Announcing.
On the markets — Kalshi traders have been actively repricing this story in the last day.
6:07
TUF 34’s Tina Black explains how nickname is statement against prejudice: ‘Raise that flag with me’
Tina Black entered The Ultimate Fighter 34 with a clear mission: turn her childhood nickname into a statement that black fighters belong at the top.
6:14
‘We have a different team’: Revenge for Euro exit drives France ahead of Spain semi-final
Zaïre-Emery confident Les Bleus will deliver in Dallas
Deschamps to bring Tchouaméni into lineup if fit
The France midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery says his team want to exact revenge on Spain and banish painful memories of their exit in the Euro 2024 semi-final.
France and Spain meet again on Tuesday in search of a place in the World Cup final, an even more glittering prize than the one Luis de la Fuente’s team grabbed two years ago. Back then Spain were worthy winners in Munich but a revitalised France have turned their fortunes around, blazing a trail to the last four with some scintillating attacking football.
Continue reading...
6:32
Dubois blasts 'joker' Turhan and plans Han fight before end of 2026
Listen, I've got some news for you - Caroline Dubois is fired up. She's not happy about having to defend her title against Elif Nur Turhan, calling Turhan's demands "ridiculous". Dubois feels like she should be fighting for a unification bout instead of just defending her title. This is a big deal, because Dubois is a top contender and she's not going to let Turhan's antics slide.
I know you're wondering what's going on - basically, Turhan is making some pretty outlandish demands, and Dubois is having none of it. She's calling Turhan out for being a "joker" and saying she's not going to let Turhan dictate the terms of the fight. This is a battle of wills, folks, and Dubois is not backing down.
Now, here's the thing - Dubois has her sights set on a bigger prize. She's got her eyes on a fight with Stephanie Han by the end of the year, and she's not going to let anything get in her way. This is a huge opportunity for Dubois to make a statement and prove herself as a top contender.
Dubois is not one to back down from a challenge, and she's making it clear that she's not going to let Turhan's antics get in the way of her goals. This is a fight to watch, folks, and I think we're in for some big news in the coming weeks.
