LATEST FILINGISSUE Nº 007 · “GOLF PAID A MAN TEN MILLION DOLLARS ON SUNDAY”READ IT →
SUBSCRIBE CURRENT ISSUE SPORTS 101 LINGO 101 BACK ISSUES
Plus a bicycle race around France, a new golf major champion, and rain-delayed finals in Washington.
The Sportsball Newsletter
ISSUE Nº 003 · WEEK OF AUGUST 3, 2026

The Dodgers bought the best pitcher in baseball, and a new bicycle race around France is underway. Everything below is safe to repeat out loud.

BASEBALL
Tarik Skubal pitching (file photo)
TARIK SKUBAL, PHOTOGRAPHED IN 2024, STILL IN DETROIT'S CLOTHES
EXHIBIT A

The Dodgers traded for Tarik Skubal, the best pitcher in baseball

With the trade deadline set for Monday at 6 p.m., the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers for three prospects. Skubal has won the American League's Cy Young Award, given to the league's best pitcher, in each of the last two seasons. Elsewhere, the Yankees sent reliever Camilo Doval to Pittsburgh.

The team with baseball's biggest payroll now also employs its best pitcher, a plot twist no one saw coming except literally everyone.

PHOTO: JEFFREY HYDE / CC BY-SA 2.0 / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

BIG EVENTS · TOUR DE FRANCE FEMMES
Lorena Wiebes (file photo)
LORENA WIEBES, PHOTOGRAPHED IN 2020, ALREADY FAST
EXHIBIT B

The women's Tour de France has started, and a Dutch sprinter has won the first two stages

The Tour de France Femmes, the women's edition of cycling's biggest race, began Saturday: nine stages from Switzerland to Nice, finishing August 9. Lorena Wiebes of the Netherlands, widely considered the fastest sprinter in the world, has won both of the opening stages and wears the leader's yellow jersey.

Two stages in, the pre-race favorite is comfortably in front, which is the sport politely declining to surprise anyone.

PHOTO: JOOST PAUWELS / CC0 / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

SOCCER
THE SOCCER DEPARTMENT, BRACING FOR TRANSFER DEADLINE SEASON
EXHIBIT C

Newcastle lost their manager and are selling their best midfielder to a rival

Newcastle United and manager Eddie Howe parted ways after 230 games in charge. Within a day, Arsenal, a direct rival, agreed a fee of about 29 million euros for Newcastle's star midfielder Bruno Guimarães. The English transfer window stays open until September 1.

Losing your boss and your best employee to a competitor in the same week is normally called a crisis; in football it is called August.

NO LICENSED PHOTO ON FILE. THE MASCOT WILL REPRESENT THE SPORT.

GOLF
THE GOLF DESK, LEADERBOARD FINALLY AT REST
EXHIBIT D

A first-time winner from Japan took the last women's major of the year

The AIG Women's Open, the last of the five women's major championships this year, finished today at Royal Lytham in England. Japan's Shiho Kuwaki won her first major, beating Germany's Esther Henseleit in a playoff after the two tied on five under par. American Yealimi Noh, who led by three shots entering the final round, faded out of contention.

The player who began the day three shots ahead did not win, which is roughly the most golf thing that golf can do.

NO LICENSED PHOTO ON FILE. THE MASCOT WILL REPRESENT THE SPORT.

TENNIS
THE TENNIS CORRESPONDENT, WAITING OUT THE RAIN
EXHIBIT E

Storms pushed the DC Open finals to Monday

The Mubadala DC Open, the first big stop of the North American summer hard-court season, could not finish its finals in Washington on Sunday after rain and lightning kept stopping play. The women's final between Jessica Pegula and Alexandra Eala was suspended with Pegula in front, and the men's final between Taylor Fritz and Spain's Rafael Jodar was postponed before it could start. Both were rescheduled for Monday, after this issue went to the printers.

Two finals were scheduled for one afternoon in a Washington August, and the sky promptly filed an objection.

NO LICENSED PHOTO ON FILE. THE MASCOT WILL REPRESENT THE SPORT.

FOOTBALL, AMERICAN
THE AMERICAN FOOTBALL, REPORTING FOR PRESEASON DUTY
EXHIBIT F

The NFL preseason starts Thursday with the Hall of Fame Game

Football returns Thursday night when the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers play the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, the traditional exhibition opener. It accompanies the enshrinement of the Class of 2026, which includes Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri.

It is an exhibition game famous for featuring almost nobody you have heard of, held in honor of people you have.

NO LICENSED PHOTO ON FILE. THE MASCOT WILL REPRESENT THE SPORT.

FORMULA 1

Nothing happened. You're welcome.

Formula 1 is on its summer holiday until the Dutch Grand Prix on August 23. The cars are resting.

ALSO FILED
⚲ Hockey's biggest news was a television contract: Prime Video becomes the exclusive Canadian home of Wednesday-night NHL games for the next 12 years, so Canadians may now be disappointed via streaming.

The Sportsball newsletter is issued every Monday by the Sportsball Dept. of Morale,
a division of didyoucatchthegame.com.
You are receiving it because you filed a subscription. That was brave.
Rescind your subscription at any time. No exit interview required.

This lands in inboxes every Monday, free forever.

FILE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION →

Contact us