Caitlin Clark's latest unfortunate injury continues a season from hell
Caitlin Clark is injured again.
Just four games into her return from the last ailment -- a left groin injury -- she tweaked her groin again late in Tuesday night's game against the Connecticut Sun. We still don't know the severity of the injury, but judging by Clark's teary-eyed reaction, she'll probably be sidelined again. If so, it'll be the third time she's forced to miss games due to injury, including a quad strain she suffered in May.
Overall, Clark has missed 10 of Indiana's 23 games this season (including the Commissioner's Cup championship). Combined with the struggles she's had on the court when she is able to play (1-of-7 from three on Tuesday and 27.9% for the season), it's been a season from hell for the second-year guard... and this injury has the potential to make it a lot worse.
'GROW UP': Lip-readers think Clark shouted NSFW words at ref
Clark's Indiana Fever are due to host WNBA All-Star festivities this week, and she was the main attraction for the home-town team. Earlier Tuesday, the W had announced Clark as a first-time 3-point contest participant, part a star-studded field that includes Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum. Clark is also one of the All-Star Game captains, having drafted her team just last week against Napheesa Collier, where the two hilariously agreed to trade head coaches.
Now, with just two days until Friday's 3-point contest and three days until the All-Star Game, the W might have to prepare to go without Clark. The same goes for the Fever, who have another game Wednesday, against the New York Liberty, before their break officially begins.
That's likely why the injury was so heavy for Clark. Aside from the obvious frustration of not being able to play the game she's put so much work into being great at, she knows how much is riding on her availability. You can only hope she doesn't force anything and takes the time she needs to get fully healthy.
The coolest MLB All-Star Game ending
I'm happy to announce Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game broadcast was light years better than what we got from the Home Run Derby the night before, and it actually ended with a mini-home run derby of its own that was the best part of the game.
Before we get to that, though, let's send a big shoutout to Major League Baseball for bringing back individual team uniforms to the game. I've been begging the NBA to do it for years, and this only validated my position. Just look at how glorious the above photo is. Also, the Hank Aaron tribute was mind-blowing. Incredibly well done.
Now, to the swing-off. MLB introduced this All-Star Game tiebreaker in 2022, but Tuesday's game was the first time it was necessary after the American League tied things at 6-6 in the ninth inning. Instead of extras, the game went to a swing-off, where three batters from each team got three swings to hit as many home runs as possible. The NL prevailed after MVP Kyle Schwarber went 3-for-3 on his swings to give the team to a 4-3 edge.
This was such a cool way to end an All-Star Game. I need more of this.
Scottie Scheffler's key to success might be... not caring
The Open Championship tees off Thursday, and to nobody's surprise, Scottie Scheffler opened as the favorite to win the whole thing as he has for every other major in 2025.
A win at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland would give the three-time major champion his first at The Open, which would be a big deal to most, but Scheffler doesn't seem to carry that weight. In fact, based on his comments at Tuesday's press conference, winning doesn't give him much fulfillment at all.
"What is the point? Why do I want to win this tournament so bad? That's something that I wrestle with on a daily basis."
Hmm. Maybe this is why he wins so much. Because he isn't crushed by the pressure to succeed like say a Rory McIlroy. And you know what? This is probably the healthiest way to approach it. As Scheffler mentioned, his priority is his family, not winning tournaments. Prioritizing their well-being drives him to be great, and everything that comes with that is just icing on the cake. So far, his approach has delivered plenty of icing.
Quick Hits: Wrong song ... Terry Rozier gambling update ... and more
- Steve Sarkisian (ya know, coach of the Texas Longhorns) walked out for his media availability to the Texas A&M fight song after a terrible audio gaffe at SEC Media Day.
- Terry Rozier was reportedly cleared of any wrongdoing in his gambling investigation, but as our Bryan Kalbrosky wrote, he might not be in the clear yet. That situation is incredibly messy.
- Shaq threatened to punch Robert Griffin III in his face if he didn't stop talking about Angel Reese. Yes, that really happened. And I believe him.
- Former ESPN host Trey Wingo took notice of all the talk around the network's push of Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith, and he had a really good comparison for what's happening there.
Thanks for reading. We'll be back with more tomorrow.
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