Welcome to August, when football starts to feel in reach again! We’re holding on the USWNT World Cup talk, so you can have some time to catch up on the match if you’d like. It’s a bit slow in the world of sports today so we’re taking our time to catch you up on a few stories and we’ll finish some MLB trade talk.

Let’s swing away.

Unfortunate Injury In The NFL

Denver Broncos WR Tim Patrick suffered an Achilles rupture yesterday at practice. He was making a cut on a play and it looked like he slipped but unfortunately, it was a full rupture.

What makes this even more difficult to see is Patrick tore his ACL in practice 363 days ago and made a full recovery.

He’ll miss the entire 2023 season and hopefully, we’ll see him on the field next year. Patrick was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Utah in 2017 and has had some success with the Broncos.

Damar Hamlin Is Back In Pads

You’d have to be Patrick Star to not know who Damar Hamlin is (Patrick Star lives under a rock in Spongebob Squarepants), but in case you need a reminder, Damar Hamlin is a safety for the Buffalo Bills who went into cardiac arrest in January during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Just about 6 months after that event, Hamlin was back at practice for the first time in pads for the Bills. Everyone showed him some love and he returned the favor, sticking around and signing a bunch of autographs for fans in Rochester where the Bills have training camp.

Cowboys Start The Year With A Suspension

Dallas Cowboys RB Ronald Jones is suspended for the first games of the 2023 season after violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Jones is competing for a backup spot behind Tony Pollard. The Cowboys will need some depth at RB as Pollard is coming back from a high-ankle surgery and the Cowboys released Zeke Elliott after the season.

Mark Jackson Out At ESPN

ESPN has made the decision to let go of NBA Analyst Mark Jackson after he’s been covering the league for almost 15 years.

This move will likely open the door for more face time with Doris Burke and Doc Rivers as it’s being reported that Doris Burke will get “promoted” and ESPN plans to hire Doc.

Last Few Hours For MLB Trades

The MLB trade deadline is 6 pm ET today.

Here are a few trades that happened yesterday.

• The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired closer Paul Sewald from the Seattle Mariners, as the D-Backs are looking to lock down a faulty bullpen. Seattle received three players in return, OF Dominic Canzone, utility man Josh Rojas, and a AA middle-infielder Ryan Bliss

• The New York Mets continue to trade some pieces even though they claim it’s not a fire sale and they aren’t rebuilding. The Mets have traded OF Mark Canha to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league pitcher Justin Jarvis. We’ll come back to the Mets at the end

• The Chicago Cubs are getting back a player they traded long ago. The Cubs acquired Jeimer Candelario from the Washington Nationals and in return are sending to prospect back to Washington. The Cubs traded Candelario 6 years ago to the Detroit Tigers.

• The Cincinnati Reds and Oakland A’s are making a pitcher swap. The Reds are sending RHP Joe Boyle to Oakland and are receiving LHP Sam Moll. 

Back To The Mets

Is Justin Verlander going to be a Met after today’s deadline? After the Max Scherzer trade to Texas and the Mets trading a few more players, Verlander seems to be questioning his commitment to the team.

He said, “How do you not think about it?” Verlander came to New York to chase a third ring and it feels like that opportunity is slipping as the Mets trade away assets after a tough year.

So the question is…will the Mets trade Verlander? Can they find a team that wants to take on his $43 million contract next year and a potential option for 2025 at $35 million?

He had a rough start this year but he had a 1.69 ERA in 6 six starts in July.

Will the Mets really shake things up in the next few hours?

I guess we’ll know by tomorrow!

What To Watch Today

It's really just baseball, baseball, and more baseball today. We’ve got lots of games on MLB Network and one on cable and one streaming.

Here you go:

• Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees, 7:05 pm ET on TBS

• Oakland Athletics at LA Dodgers, 10:10 pm ET on ESPN+

Have yourself a Tuesday and remember.. No Bad Vibes!

-The Daily Breakroom