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Rangers fans, the best starting pitcher in Arlington this year wasn't deGrom and it wasn't Eovaldi. SI's Matt Postins makes the case that Cal Quantrill was the Rangers' best starter of 2026, and the most unexpected. Quantrill signed a minor-league deal, came to camp as insurance in the No. 5 starter race, and accepted an option to Triple-A Round Rock when Kumar Rocker won the job. He was back in April as a bulk reliever, then moved into the rotation after Jack Leiter needed ankle surgery. The numbers backed it up. Quantrill finished 9-5 with a 2.86 ERA in 32 games, and in his 15 starts he went 6-5 with a 2.57 ERA , 62 strikeouts and 15 walks over 80.2 innings. In August he went 2-2 with a 1.45 ERA, 29 strikeouts and four walks in 31 innings and was named the Rangers' player of the month by the media. Meanwhile, Postins notes deGrom and Eovaldi both finished with ERAs north of 4.00. The catch: Quantrill suffered a right lat strain in his Sept. 19 start agains...

Mavs fans, the vibes out of Macao are strong — strong enough to take down a basket. Kyrie Irving spoke after Tuesday's practice in Macao, three days before Friday's preseason opener against Houston at The Venetian Arena, his first game in more than 19 months . "For me personally, it's just getting out of my own way and the mental aspect of it, being back on the floor, putting my uniform back on, hearing my name be called," Irving told Dallas Sports Journal's Grant Afseth. "I do feel like a little kid at the candy store a little bit." He also made clear the rehab "wasn't a solo job." Irving last played March 3, 2025, when he tore his left ACL, and Dallas went 26-56 without him last season. It's the Mavs' first trip to China since 2018 . Irving called Macao "basically like a second home for me now," per NBA.com, while 19-year-old Cooper Flagg said it's his "first time in Asia." Irving's prescriptio...

Short week, simple rule in Frisco: if the big man says he's good, he's playing. Brian Schottenheimer told reporters before Tuesday's practice that Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith makes his season debut Thursday night if he feels ready. "If Tyler feels good that he can go play, then I have no problem," Schottenheimer said, per The Dallas Morning News. "All Tyler's got to do is say, 'Hey Schotty, I feel good' and he'll be out there." Smith, coming off surgery on a torn ligament in his left thumb, was limited again Tuesday in the second day of his 21-day practice window. The news isn't as good at linebacker. Schottenheimer called DeMarvion Overshown (hamstring) a "long shot" to play. He has missed the last three games, and PFT notes rookie Jaishawn Barham has 21 tackles and a forced fumble as the starter in that stretch. Cobie Durant and Drew Shelton (both hamstring) sat again and most likely won't play, per the DMN, ...

Preseason Monday gave us two new looks — a Lakers defense that pressed all over the floor, and Jaylen Brown in a Sixers jersey. In Sacramento, the Lakers beat the Kings 127-103 . Luka Doncic scored 21 before sitting the second half with LA up 26, and the Lakers forced 15 steals after averaging 8.5 per game last season, per the Los Angeles Times. Ziaire Williams went 3-for-3 from deep for 13 points, and the Lakers played without Austin Reaves (ankle) and Walker Kessler (finger). Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. had 19 points. In Philadelphia, the Sixers beat the defending champion Knicks 120-97 with LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey sitting out. Brown scored 22 in 17 first-half minutes in his Sixers debut, and VJ Edgecombe added 12 points and seven assists with no turnovers, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. The bad news: center Ariel Hukporti left in the first quarter with a non-contact right Achilles injury and was set for imaging Tuesday. More league-wide on the NBA as the...

Buffs fans, Coach Prime isn't taking this off week off — and after Saturday, can you blame him? "The team is practicing all week ," a Colorado spokesman told USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer on Monday, after the 29-7 home loss to Texas Tech dropped the Buffaloes to 2-3. The spokesman also said Julian "JuJu" Lewis "is still part of the competition for the starting quarterback job," after Lewis was benched at halftime at Baylor and didn't play against Tech. Schrotenboer's list goes beyond the quarterback: only nine Buffs lined up for a Tech field goal even after a timeout, Colorado missed field goals from 29 and 52 yards, the team ranks 129th nationally in punt returns, and a playbook was reportedly left at the team hotel. He also notes Sanders is 2-13 against Power Four opponents since the end of the 2024 season and 18-24 overall in Boulder. Sanders on Oct. 3: "We're going to work. We're going to right the wrongs." K...

Sic 'em — the Revivalry is going under the lights, and Waco is going black. The Big 12 announced Monday that Baylor's home game against TCU will kick off at 6 p.m. CT on FS1 , and this year's theme is a blackout . Both teams are off this week. Baylor is 4-1 after the 55-19 rout at Arizona State, while TCU's recent losses include a 17-10 decision against BYU and a 21-13 loss to UCF, per SI's Baylor site. The history cuts both ways. TCU leads the all-time series 49-36-3 and has won five of the last six, including a 42-36 win in Fort Worth last season when Baylor rallied from 28-10 down but came up short. The last time the Frogs came to Waco, in 2024, Isaiah Hankins hit a 33-yard field goal as time expired for a 37-34 Baylor win . Next for Baylor Football : TCU comes to Waco on Oct. 17. Radio question — does the blackout crowd make this Baylor's biggest home game of the year? Sources: SI (Baylor) — Time, channel for TCU ; BaylorBears.com — ASU recap .

DFW, the statewide poll is out — and it sets up Friday's showdown perfectly. In Dave Campbell's Texas Football Week 7 rankings, distributed by the Associated Press, Waxahachie (5-0) stays No. 1 in Class 6A, with North Crowley (5-0) third and Allen (5-0) fourth — all three were idle in Week 6. Coppell is ninth, Denton Guyer (4-1) is 10th after a 51-7 win over Braswell, Lewisville is 12th, Prosper 16th and Southlake Carroll 21st. In 5A Division I, Frisco Lone Star (5-0) is No. 2 after a 62-0 win over Frisco Liberty, DeSoto sits seventh, and Denton Ryan (4-1) enters at No. 10 after beating Sherman 40-27 while Richland drops out. In 5A Division II, South Oak Cliff holds No. 1 , Argyle climbs to third, Mansfield Timberview is fifth, Anna slides from second to sixth after a 16-14 win over Frisco, and Lovejoy is eighth. Dallas First Baptist (6-0) tops the private-school 11-man poll, with Fort Worth All Saints third and Parish Episcopal fifth. Catch every week on DFW High Scho...