On This Day – 7/17/25

1954 – Joe DiMaggio’s 54-game hitting streak ends in Cleveland. A record that DiMaggio still holds till this day.

1963 – Dave DeBusschere, NBA Forward and MLB Player hits a single off Bennie Daniels, his first and only career hit in the MLB.

1978 – NY Yankees manager Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson fought in the dugout after Jackson refused to bunt, further leading to a suspension.

2024 – The first anniversary of the youngest player ever in MLS to debut in game. Cavan Sullivan of the Philadelphia Union debuted in a 5-1 win over the New England Revolution. He was just 14 years and 293 days old.

FOX Sports adding new personality to ‘Big Noon Kickoff’ and new show

Fox Sports is reportedly nearing the completion of a major deal with Barstool Sports and Dave Portnoy. The plan is to add Portnoy as a regular on FOX’s Saturday college football pregame show. On weekdays, Portnoy, Dan Katz (Big Cat), would be part of a new daily show on FS1 that will be produced by Barstool. This show is expected to compete directly with ESPN’s ‘Get Up’ with Mike Greenberg and Stephen A. Smith’s ’First Take’

An official announcement is scheduled for Thursday, sources that were briefed on the deal confirmed to The Athletic. Earlier in the week, FOX canceled Craig Carton’s “Breakfast Ball” and Emmanuel Acho’s “The Facility”.

This deal is very similar to how ESPN and Pat Mcaffe have their structure set up, with Mcaffe appearing on the pre-game show and the Pat Mcaffe Show being produced by themselves.

Bradley Beal OK’s Buyout from Phoenix Suns

As Bradley Beal has finally said OK’d a buyout from the Phoenix Suns, ending his not-so-popular tenure in Phoenix. Since the trade deadline, Beal hadn’t been to popular in Phoenix. Bradley Beal will give back 13.8m of the 110.8m the Suns owed him for the next two seasons. The Suns can stretch the 97m over the following five seasons, which would create a dead cap of 19.4m, that would stay on the books through 29’-30’.

Bradley Beal will reportedly sign a new contract with the Clippers on a 2yr/11m deal, which includes a player option in 26’-27’. The Suns trade for Beal has been argued as one of the worse trades in franchise history for the Suns.

In case you forgot the full details of the trade, let me put it into perspective for you guys.

Suns receive:

Bradley Beal

Jordan Goodwin

Isaiah Todd

Wizards receive:

Chris Paul

Landry Shamet

Bilal Coulibaly

Melvin Ajinca

Micah Peavy

1st round-pick swap in 2026, 2028 and 2030 and 4, 2nd round picks, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2030

Pacers receive:

Jarace Walker

2028 and 2029 2nd round picks

Memphis Softball and Basketball Programs Placed on Probation

From January 25th to February 18th, 2024, investigation showed that an academic counselor paid two softball players to help a men’s basketball player during the 23-24’ season. The Memphis athletic department was fined 30k and the NCAA took away one percent of the budget from both programs.

Text records showed that former academic adviser, Leslie Brooks paid two softball players a combined $550 from her personal Apple Pay account for the coursework, the NCAA said. Memphis fired her on Feb 23, 2024 and she received a 10-year show cause from the NCAA.

The penalty was negotiated between Memphis and the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions, these specifically arose from the softball players completing multiple assignments for the player, and providing answers to tests and pop-quizzes. Memphis will also vacate three of their wins from that 23’-24’ season.

The school learned about the problem when an athletic trainer overheard several softball players talking about possible academic integrity issues regarding Leslie Brooks. Later, a softball player reported the issue to the trainer and the head coach, who then later reported it to the administration.

Royals and Pirates Agree to Trade

The first ‘official’ trade of the trade deadline period has been finally made, processed, and sent to the league for confirmation. We are finally in full effect of trade deadline season boys and girls. The Royals and Pirates have completed a trade, sending utility player Adam Frazier back to the Royals. With the Pirates acquiring minor leaguer Cam Devanney. Frazier spent last season with the Royals and played every position for them but pitcher and catcher.

CB Nyzier Fourqurean May be Ineligible for 2025 Season

Fourqurean is a fifth-year senior, who played his first two seasons at a Divison II college at Grand Valley State. In January, Nyzier filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA, arguing that the first two years of playing in Division 2 shouldn’t count towards his five-year eligibility clock.

Earlier in the year, U.S District Judge William Conley ruled in favor of Fourqurean, allowing him to play for the 2025 season. Following the judge’s decision, he removed his name from draft considerations, and completed multiple practices for Wisconsin during their spring practice period.

Also during that time, the NCAA appealed the decision, and on July 16th, the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the lower-court injunction. The case is still considered ‘ongoing’ but Nyzieris unfortunately running out of time if he wanted to play this season.

“The member-approved rules, including years of eligibility, are designed to help ensure competition is safe and fair — aligning collegiate academic and athletic careers to provide high-level opportunities and benefits to hundreds of thousands of student-athletes,” the NCAA said in a statement. “We are thankful the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals today reversed the district court’s decision. Just as the NCAA and its member schools have always done, we will continue to work together to provide unparalleled opportunities for student-athletes and future generations.”

The Bears Buzz at a Glance

• Former Super Bowl 50 MVP, Von Miller and Commanders are finalizing a one-year deal
• Ketel Marte’s home burglarized during his appearance at the ASG.
• Najee Harris is set to start training camp after suffering an eye injury during his Fourth of July celebrations.
• All-Star-Game sees falloff in viewership, averaging 7.1m viewers for the event, a slight decrease from the 7.44m who tuned in last year. The ASG peaked at 8.1m viewers during the swingoff.
• WNBA refs are facing heavy criticism for inconsistency in how games have been called. With Angel Reese saying “Has to be fixed”
• Rumors are starting to emerge that if 46-year old Manny Pacquiao wins his bout this Saturday against Mario Barrios, the WBC champion. Conversations have started about a potential ‘Floyd Mayweather rematch’.
• Rangers Give All-Star-Bonus to Jacob DeGrom and Nathan Eovaldi despite being snubbed from the game. Both will receive an extra 100 thousand for their performances on the field in the first half of the year. Fun Fact: Eovalid would lead the majors in ERA right now, but after missing a month due to a triceps injury, he is six inning short of the minimum 97 innings needed to qualify to be considered a league leader.