>>Giants’ Beckham Now Highest Paid Receiver
(New York, NY) — Odell Beckham Junior is now the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. The New York Giants have agreed to a five-year contract extension with their star pass catcher. ESPN reports the deal is worth 95-million-dollars, with 65-million-guaranteed. Beckham is now under contract through the 2023 season.
>>Manu Ginobili Retires From NBA, Spurs
(San Antonio, TX) — Manu Ginobili [[ MAH-noo jih-NO-blee ]] is hanging up his sneakers. The Spurs star announced he’s retiring from a fabulous journey and with a wide range of emotions. Ginobili had one year left on his contract with San Antonio, the only team he’s played for. He won four titles with the Spurs over 16 seasons.
>>Irving, Heyward Cleared For Celtics
(Boston, MA) — The Celtics will have a pair of All-Stars back from injury this season. Both Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward have been cleared for training camp. A knee injury cut Irving’s season short last year, while Hayward went down in the first game with an ankle injury. The Celtics still advanced to the East finals without them.
>>AJ Bush To Start At QB For Illinois
(Champaign, IL) — AJ Bush will be the starting quarterback for Illinois when it opens the 2018 season this weekend. Head coach Lovie Smith announced yesterday that the fifth-year graduate transfer from Virginia Tech will be under center when the Illini face Kent State Saturday in Champaign. It will be his first start in Division One football.
>>White Sox Top Yankees In Series Opener
(Bronx, NY) — Carlos Rodon [[ roh-DON ]] threw seven innings of two-run ball to help the White Sox beat the Yankees 6-2 in New York. Yoan [[ YO-ahn ]] Moncada’s two-run double tied the game at two in the sixth. Nicky Delmonico’s sac-fly right after put the Sox ahead for good. Tim Anderson went 2-for-5 with two RBI for the South Siders, who are 10-and-3 in their last 13 games.
>>Cubs Top Mets In Series Opener
(Chicago, IL) — Jon Lester hit a two-run single in the third in the Cubs’ 7-4 victory over the Mets in the series opener at Wrigley Field. Lester also allowed three runs in six frames in a no-decision. Anthony Rizzo smacked an RBI double in the first and a homer in the eighth for the North Siders, who have won six in-a-row. Jesse Chavez nailed down the save.
>>Cardinals Open Series With Pirates Tonight
(St. Louis, MO) — The Cardinals begin a three-game set against the Pirates tonight at Busch Stadium. Jack Flaherty opposes Pittsburgh’s Ivan Nova. The Cards hold the top spot in the National League wild card race with a 73-and-58 record. They are four-and-a-half games behind the Cubs for first place in the NL Central.
>>Morales’ Home Run Streak Ends
(Baltimore, MD) — The seven-game home run streak for Blue Jays slugger Kendrys Morales is over. He went 0-for-3 with a walk in Toronto’s 7-0 loss to the Orioles in Baltimore. Morales was just one away from tying the MLB record of eight consecutive games with a home run. Only three players have accomplished the feat.