>>Walker, Colts Drop Bengals In Preseason Finale
(Indianapolis, IN) — Third-string quarterback Phillip Walker guided the comeback as the Colts stunned the Bengals 27-26 in the preseason finale in Cincinnati. Walker completed touchdown passes to Erik Swoope and Cobi Hamilton in the final six minutes and six seconds to lead the Colts to victory. Indy ends the preseason 3-and-1 and must trim its roster to 53 players by tomorrow.
>>Bears Lose To Bills In Final Preseason Game
(Chicago, IL) — The Bears finished the preseason 2-and-3 after losing 28-27 to the Bills at Soldier Field. Chicago led 27-3 entering the fourth quarter before Buffalo scored 25 unanswered points. Ryan Nall rushed for 79 yards on four carries, including a 32-yard touchdown in the second quarter for the Bears. Chicago begins the regular season at Green Bay a week from Sunday.
>>Cardinals Blank Pirates
(St. Louis, MO) — John Gant and five relievers combined for a shutout as the Cardinals beat the Pirates 5-0 at Busch Stadium. Gant helped his own cause with a home run in the third inning. Harrison Bader also went deep as St. Louis took two-of-three from Pittsburgh. The NL wild card-leading Cardinals have won 10 consecutive series and are a MLB-best 21-and-6 in August.
>>Cubs Beat Braves In Makeup Game
(Cumberland, GA) — Tommy La Stella drilled a pinch-hit, go-ahead homer in the sixth as the Cubs edged the Braves 5-4 in a makeup game in Atlanta. Willson Contreras also drove in two runs for Chicago, which remains four and a half games ahead in the NL Central. Mike Montgomery allowed four runs in less than five innings in his first start back from the DL.
>>Red Sox Rally To Beat White Sox
(Chicago, IL) — The Red Sox scored five ninth inning runs as they rallied to beat the White Sox 9-4 at Guaranteed Rate Field. Avisail Garcia homered and Matt Davidson added a run-scoring single in a three-run first for Chicago. The White Sox scored another run in the second before Boston tied the game with four in the seventh. Starter Lucas Giolito struck out eight over six and a third innings of one-run ball.
>>Yankees Acquiring McCutchen From Giants
(New York, NY) — The Yankees are adding a former MVP for the stretch run. Multiple reports say they’re acquiring outfielder Andrew McCutchen from the Giants for two minor-league prospects. McCutchen is batting .255 with 15 homers, 55 RBI and 13 stolen bases for San Francisco this year. He was the National League MVP with Pittsburgh in 2013.
>>Illinois Faces Kent State In Season Opener
(Champaign, IL) — Illinois football kicks off the 2018 regular season tomorrow against Kent State. The two teams play at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. AJ Bush will get the start at quarterback for the Illini.
>>Rockets, Suns Making Four-Player Swap
(Undated) — The Rockets and Suns are making a four-player swap. ESPN reports Houston is sending Ryan Anderson and De’Anthony Melton to Phoenix for Brandon Knight and former top-10 pick Marquese Chriss. The 30-year-old Anderson averaged 9.3 points last season with the Rockets and is scheduled to earn 40-million dollars over the next two years.
>>NFL Hires Two Dozen Full-Time Officials
(New York, NY) — The NFL will have more full-time game officials this season. The league and NFL Referees Association announced that two dozen full-timers have been hired, up from 21 last year. All seven on-field positions will have full-time representatives. The full-timers will work during the year to help improve various aspects of officiating, on and off the field.
>>Former Quarterback Wins First Phase Of Collusion Case Against NFL
(New York, NY) — The collusion case against the NFL by former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick [[ KAP-er-nick ]] can proceed. An arbitrator denied a request by the league to dismiss his complaint that NFL teams conspired to keep him out of professional football. Kaepernick started the national anthem protests in 2016 to help point out social injustice.
>>Serena Squares Off With Venus Tonight At U.S. Open
(Flushing Meadows, NY) — Sisters Serena and Venus Williams will square off in a third-round match tonight at the U.S. Open. The 17th-seeded Serena has yet to drop a set in the first two rounds, while 16th-seeded Venus has lost just one in her first two matches. The 36-year-old Serena holds a 17-to-12 edge on her 38-year-old sister in head-to-head matches.
Coming up Saturday night, it’s the Talk 101 High School Game of the Week presented by Landmark of Taylorville as the MacArthur Generals take on Jacksonville. The Dale’s Southlake Pharmacy Pregame Show gets underway at 6:30p.m. and the Kick-off follows at 7:00p.m. Join Scott Busboom and Kevin Hale with the call, Saturday night at 6:30p.m. on Talk 101 FM!