Iowa State’s victory in Ireland might be the impetus for back-to-back seasons with double-digit wins in program history.
In the debut of a shiny, new stadium, Kansas showed to be a Big 12 contender to watch.
Stanford interim head coach Frank Reich made a crucial mistake in a loss to Hawaii.

Conference championships aren’t won or lost in Week 0. The games still count the same, though.

No. 21 Iowa State’s 24-21 win against No. 20 Kansas State in Ireland was the headliner of a five-game Week 0 slate that served as the amuse-bouche to the main course of the regular season, set to begin in earnest on Thursday.

There just aren’t enough data points to form any big-picture takeaway: Kansas State could be really good, which means Iowa State might be terrific; both teams could be pretty average; both teams might be pretty good, which seems like the most likely scenario.

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Thinking down the line, though, you can see how the Cyclones’ win ends up carrying serious weight as a tiebreaker in a Big 12 that once again looks anything but predictable. Honestly, the Wildcats didn’t have to go all the way to Dublin to lose Farmageddon – they’d been doing that just fine stateside for the past seven years.

That’s one reason why the season-opening loss feels familiar for Kansas State. A year ago, the Wildcats opened the year as the league’s co-favorites alongside Utah but dropped four games, three in November. While the Big 12 abolished the preseason poll after Arizona State’s worst-to-first finish in 2024, KSU was by consensus seen as one of the favorites for the conference crown and bid to the College Football Playoff.

The good news is there’s three months to go. Maybe Kansas State’s really, really good and was undone by two turnovers, too many penalties and an inability to get one key stop late in the fourth quarter. Maybe Iowa State’s the best team in the Bowl Subdivision. Who knows?

There’s no way to know for sure. But what’s certain is that this win matters for the Cyclones and the loss puts the Wildcats in an early bind.

Here are the rest of the winners and losers from Saturday’s openers:

Winners

Iowa State

Longtime Cylones coach Matt Campbell faced a tough decision. Ahead 24-21 and looking at a fourth-and-3 at the Kansas State 16 with 2:18 to play, Campbell could’ve tried the field goal – kicker Kyle Konrardy had missed from 49 yards earlier – and trusted his defense to keep the Wildcats out of the zone or tried to convert and salt the win. He wisely chose the latter: Rocco Becht found running back Carson Hansen out of the backfield for 15 yards and the Cyclones took three knees and the win.

Becht completed 14 of 28 attempts for 183 yards and two scores with 18 yards rushing and another touchdown on the ground, winning the overall battle in an interesting quarterback faceoff with Kansas State junior Avery Johnson. Hansen ran for 71 yards on 4.4 yards per carry with 19 receiving yards. Good-looking sophomore safety Marcus Neal Jr. had eight tackles and a pass breakup.

The Cyclones are always going to be looked at more skeptically than most Power Four contenders, simply by virtue of the fact of the program’s less-than-stellar history. That’s silly, of course: Campbell turned this thing around so long ago that anyone unable to look past how things largely were before his hire is still living in the past.

Always expected to win at least eight games, Iowa State’s victory in Ireland might be the impetus for back-to-back seasons with double-digit wins in program history. Maybe that’s the biggest takeaway, way down the road.

Kansas

The Jayhawks are a Big 12 contender to watch after nearly surging into bowl play following a miserable start to last season and then getting things started in 2025 with a 31-7 win against Fresno State. The debut of the program’s shiny new stadium, the win featured a really nice game from veteran quarterback Jalon Daniels, who hit on 18 of his 20 throws for 176 yards and three touchdowns with another 47 yards on the ground. While Fresno might not finish in the top three or four of the Mountain West, to hold the Bulldogs to 37 yards on 29 carries is a positive sign for those of us who think Kansas can eventually get to eight or more wins.

Western Kentucky

In the other opening-weekend clash with conference implications, Western Kentucky topped Sam Houston State 41-24 to score an early advantage in the Conference USA race. Look, if the season ended today you’d really have to thinking about giving the Heisman Trophy to Hilltoppers senior quarterback Maverick McIvor, an Abilene Christian transfer who completed 33 of 51 attempts for 401 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.

Losers

Kansas State

Early season losses aren’t new to the Chris Klieman era and shouldn’t necessarily be seen as a definite sign of what’s to come: Kansas State dropped its first two Big 12 games in 2019, lost the opener to Arkansas State in 2020, dropped three in a row to open the Big 12 in 2021 and lost either its first or second league game in each of the past two seasons. There are 105 days from Saturday until the Big 12 championship game, giving the Wildcats plenty of time to get on track.

The bad news is the lost tiebreaker, and there’s no sugarcoating how much that means for K-State’s place in the Big 12 race. The good news is the Wildcats outgained the Cyclones by about 2.5 yards per play, which is far from insignificant, and were even in the turnover battle after finishing one under par in turnover margin last season. There are things to build on.

Stanford

Stanford had a chance to put Hawaii away late but tossed a costly interception on first down in the fourth quarter sparked the Warriors’ 23-20 win, setting the stage for what should be an absolutely painful season for the Cardinal and interim coach Frank Reich. The longtime NFL coach made a crucial mistake late to sit on his timeouts with Hawaii driving deep into Stanford territory, allowing the Warriors to kick a 38-yard field goal with no time on the clock. This could be a winless season for the Cardinal, though it’s more likely they steal a win or two but are otherwise dreadful.  

UNLV

UNLV won, beating Idaho State 38-31, and it’s not like two really good years under Barry Odom are enough to make people start spitting on any win, even one against someone from the Championship Subdivision. But this is still seen as a major threat for the playoff as the best team in the Group of Five thanks to another impressive offseason roster upgrade and the hype that has joined former Mississippi State and Florida coach Dan Mullen’s arrival as Odom’s successor. Basically, that team – if UNLV is that team – doesn’t struggle to put away Idaho State.

But his game against the Los Angeles Rams was brutal. His critics will use it as fuel.
Sanders completed 3 of 6 passes for 14 yards and was sacked five times. He looked lost.

I want Shedeur Sanders to succeed. There, I said it.

I believe Sanders has been held to brutal and unfair standards by the NFL and some fans. I think he’s paying for the ‘sins’ of his father, Deion Sanders, who some coaches and front offices in the league don’t like because Deion is so flamboyant.

This is not breaking news. I’ve heard this. Talked about this. Others have. The league wanted to teach Shedeur (and his father) a lesson, and they did just that with the draft.

When Eric Dickerson said this recently, it was dismissed by some as a cranky old man yelling at clouds. It’s not that I believe Dickerson, it’s that this is the NFL. You cover the NFL long enough and you know how the league works. They are Weyland-Yutani from ‘Alien.’ They are The Company. With the league, all is possible.

‘I tell you this much,’ Dickerson said, ‘what I heard from someone that’s in the NFL that the NFL told [teams], ‘Don’t draft him, do not draft him. We’re going to make an example out of him.’ And this came from a very good source, a very good source.’

Dickerson added: ‘He said that – I won’t say who – somebody called the Cleveland Browns and said, ‘Don’t do that, draft him,” Dickerson said. ‘Because they weren’t going to draft him either. … They were forced into drafting him because somebody made a call to them.’

This all sounds like conspiratorial nonsense, but again, we’re talking about Weyland-Yutani here.

I buy at least some of it.

However. Having said that.

There is an unmistakable truth about what we saw with Sanders on Saturday against the Rams. Sanders was terrible. Just absolutely awful. It was genuinely shocking to see.

This was a different Sanders than we saw in his game against Carolina several weeks ago. Then he completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. He was fluid, dynamic and skilled. He looked like a player who could push for the starting job. Sanders was that good.

Then came this game. It was the oppo-Sanders. He was 3 of 6 for 14 yards in five drives. Sanders was also sacked five times. Some of those sacks weren’t his fault. Some of them were. But he looked absolutely lost.

Maybe he was still hurting from an oblique injury that sidelined him for a few days. We also don’t know everything about the players who were on the field around him. Maybe they weren’t very good. But what’s certain is that neither was he.

His bad outing also comes on the day that Dillon Gabriel looked good. Gabriel looked so good that the battle between him and Sanders came to an obvious end. Gabriel won. Gabriel won because overall he was more consistent. Not spectacular. But good and consistent. He looks reliable, and that’s what an NFL head coach wants from his quarterback.

What Sanders’ outing will do is cause people to say: we told you so. We told you he was overrated. There was no conspiracy, you lunkheads. He was a media creation (I wish I had this kind of power.)

And right now, sitting here – and it’s painful to admit – Sanders’ critics look more right than the people who want to see him succeed. And, again, I’m the latter.

That’s what you’ll hear and maybe that is correct. Maybe Sanders is overrated and teams knew something about his skillset that we didn’t. I don’t believe this. I’d like to see more from Sanders before coming to that conclusion, but that’s what will be said about him. And to be clear it’s not unfair.

It’s wrong, but it’s not unfair.

Sanders has shown flashes of talent, and if I were the Browns, I’d keep him on the roster, and see all that’s there. That seems to be the likely conclusion, but who the hell knows.

I want Sanders to succeed …

… but this day was bad.

Heading into the fourth round of the 2025 Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Patrick Cantlay and Tommy Fleetwood are tied for the lead at 16-under-par.

Cantlay is seeking his second FedEx Cup playoff title after winning the Tour Championship by one stroke in 2021. Fleetwood is attempting to collect his first career PGA Tour win and is hoping to finally get over the hump this weekend after squandering two opportunities in recent months. He blew a two-stroke lead with four holes to go at the Travelers Championship in June and another two-stroke advantage with three to go at the FedEx St. Jude in Memphis just two weeks ago.

Lurking on the Tour Championship leaderboard are Russell Henley (-14), Keegan Bradley (-13) and reigning FedEx Cup champ Scottie Scheffler (-12).

Here’s what to know for Sunday’s Round 4 action at the Tour Championship, the final event of the FedEx Cup playoffs:

Tour Championship leaderboard

1. Tommy Fleetwood -16 (5)
T2. Russell Henley -15 (6)
T2. Keegan Bradley -15 (6)
4. Patrick Cantlay -14 (5)
T5. Scottie Scheffler -12 (7)
T5. Cameron Young -12 (7)
T5. Robert MacIntyre -12 (11)

Hole No. 2: Tommy Fleetwood stands alone at the top

A three-shot swing on the second hole has Tommy Fleetwood atop the leaderboard two shots clear of the field.

Fleetwood became the only golfer of the day to birdie the par-3, 208-yard second hole when he stuck his tee shot to within 20 feet and nailed the putt to get to 17-under par for the tournament.

Meanwhile, third-round co-leader Patrick Cantlay got off to a disastrous start, bogeying the opening hole to fall one shot back, and then taking a double-bogey 5 on the second when he missed the green off the tee and three-putted.

Russell Henley is now in second place at -15.

How to watch Tour Championship: TV channel, streaming 

The 2025 Tour Championship, the final event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, will be televised nationally on the Golf Channel and NBC. It can be live streamed via ESPN+, Peacock and Fubo depending on the time. Here’s the full broadcast schedule: 

(All times Eastern) 

Sunday, Aug. 24 

11 a.m.-6 p.m. on ESPN+ 
Noon-1:30 p.m. on Golf Channel, Fubo 
1:30-6 p.m. on NBC, Peacock and Fubo

Watch the Tour Championship with Fubo

Can Scottie Scheffler mount another final-round rally?

If anyone is going to come from off the pace to win the Tour Championship, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the most likely one to do it.

Scheffler has made a habit of staging similar comebacks, such as last week at the BMW Championship — when he started the final round four shots behind Robert MacIntyre, but took the lead for good on the seventh hole and won by two.

Scheffler’s round didn’t get off to an optimal start when he hit his tee shot out of bounds to the right on No. 1. However, after a perfect second drive in the fairway, he hit an approach to three feet and nailed the butt for bogey.

Tour Championship tee times, pairings 

Final Round — Sunday

(All times Eastern) 

11 a.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Sepp Straka
11:11 a.m. — J.J. Spaun, Sungjae Im
11:22 a.m. — Justin Rose, Jacob Bridgeman
11:33 a.m. — Andrew Novak, Brian Harman
11:44 a.m. — Ludvig Åberg, Viktor Hovland
12 p.m. — Rory McIroy, Harry Hall
12:11 p.m. — Collin Morikawa, Maverick McNealy
12:22 p.m. — Harris English, Corey Conners
12:33 p.m. — Chris Gotterup, Robert MacIntyre
12:44 p.m. — Justin Thomas, Akshay Bhatia
1 p.m. — Shane Lowry, Nick Taylor
1:11 p.m. — Ben Griffin, Sam Burns
1:22 p.m. — Scotte Scheffler, Cameron Young
1:33 p.m. — Russell Henley, Keegan Bradley
1:44 p.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Tommy Fleetwood

What are the playing conditions Sunday at East Lake?

The 2½ inches of rain that’s pounded the Atlanta area over the past several days has resulted in soggy conditions throughout the Tour Championship. Mowers haven’t been able to cut the fairways for three consecutive days so golfers once again will play what’s called ‘preferred lies’ where they can lift, clean and place their balls in the fairway.

Greens are running at 13½ on the Stimpmeter, according to PGA Tour rules analyst Mark Dusbabek.

How is the weather Sunday at East Lake Golf Club?

It should be a very comfortable afternoon for golf at East Lake Golf Club outside Atlanta. The AccuWeather forecast for Sunday calls for warm temperatures with intervals of clouds and sunshine.

Look for a high temperature around 85 degrees with winds 5-10 mph out of the northwest. Chance of precipitation is 25%.

What time does the Tour Championship begin today?

The 2025 Tour Championship concludes Sunday, Aug. 24. The first tee time on Sunday is 11 a.m. ET, with broadcast coverage also starting at 11 a.m. ET. 

Tour Championship prize purse, payouts

The winner’s share at the Tour Championship is a whopping $10 million. The winner is also named the FedEx Cup champion, which comes with a five-year PGA Tour exemption. The top eight finishers will take home more than $1 million. Last place (30th) is good for $335,000.

$10 million
$5 million
$3.705 million
$3.2 million
$2.75 million
$1.9 million
$1.4 million
$1.065 million
$900,000
$735,000
$695,000
$660,000
$625,000
$590,000
$560,000
$505,000
$490,000
$475,000
$460,000
$445,000
$430,000
$415,000
$400,000
$390,000
$380,000
$375,000
$370,000
$365,000
$360,000
$335,000

Tour Championship odds

The odds to win the 2025 Tour Championship, according to DraftKings before the start of Round 4:

Tommy Fleetwood +160
Patrick Cantlay +190
Scottie Scheffler +550
Russell Henley +550
Keegan Bradley +1400
Cameron Young +12000

FedEx Cup standings 

Here are the 30 players who qualified for the 2025 Tour Championship and their FedEx Cup points following last week’s BMW Championship, won by Scottie Scheffler: 

Scottie Scheffler: 7,456 points 

Rory McIlroy: 3,687 points 

J.J. Spaun: 3,493 points 

Justin Rose: 3,326 points 

Tommy Fleetwood: 2,923 points 

Ben Griffin: 2,798 points 

Russell Henley: 2,795 points 

Sepp Straka: 2,783 points 

Robert MacIntyre: 2,750 points 

Maverick McNealy: 2,547 points 

Harris English: 2,512 points 

Justin Thomas: 2,477 points 

Cameron Young: 2,185 points 

Ludvig Aberg: 2,179 points 

Andrew Novak: 2,030 points 

Keegan Bradley: 1,993 points 

Sam Burns: 1,871 points 

Brian Harman: 1,735 points 

Corey Conners: 1,719 points 

Patrick Cantlay: 1,661 points 

Collin Morikawa: 1,656 points 

Viktor Hovland: 1,637 points 

Hideki Matsuyama: 1,630 points 

Shane Lowry: 1,607 points 

Nick Taylor: 1,564 points 

Harry Hall: 1,475 points 

Jacob Bridgeman: 1,475 points 

Sungjae Im: 1,422 points 

Chris Gotterup: 1,414 points 

Akshay Bhatia: 1,409 points 

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, PA — Nevada manager TJ Fechser says every game has an inflection point, that moment on which everything turns.

Pitcher Garrett Gallegos had just tagged out a hitter on a diving play as part of a wild fifth-inning sequence. That was it, Fechser says.

But in kids’ sports, if coaches handle them right, we always get our chance to grab for more big moments.

There were now two outs and Gallegos had one more batter. His team was ahead by two runs. He said something to himself and got a swinging strikeout to end the Fairfield (Connecticut) threat.

“The whole sequence was really emotional,” the young right-handed pitcher said after the game, “thinking that was just the last out of me pitching ever pitching in Little League. It was very sentimental and like very sad, almost. But it was exciting at the same time, all the emotions together.”

Nevada wound up winning 8-2, setting up the Aug. 24 Little League World Series championship against Chinese Taipei.

On the other side, Connecticut manager Brian Palazzolo looked around and saw two full sections of his team’s fans from Fairfield. He saw the hill behind the outfield packed. He heard cheers for “Metro” (his team’s region) all over Lamade Stadium.

He soaked in the scene.

“They know what we did this summer,” he said of his team’s following. “We brought smiles to a lot of people. It would have been really nice to be playing in the championship, but we put on a great show for everybody.”

He believed his team could rally.

“They’re kids, they’re resilient, even after win, they put it right back. When we were in the regional, we lost and (they) said, ‘Coach, we’re ready to go.” Palazzolo said. “Hopefully through time and through all of our pictures we took, we could see what a great run it was.”

Even if most Little Leaguers aren’t fortunate enough to play here, the event — and the games kids push themselves to try and win leading up to it all summer — provides a lens into the youth athletics experience.

You might have that one play from your childhood, maybe more than one, that stands out in your memory. For Connecticut’s Dante Madera, you would think it was one in an earlier Little League World Series game in which his team beat Vegas. He was playing shallow and raced to snag a ball on the run that appeared far over his shoulder.

“I just sprinted back, stuck my glove out and it like hit me on the pinkie,” he recounted earlier this week, bending the finger to demonstrate, “and I just squeezed it and somehow caught it. I don’t know how.”

Was that the best catch he had ever made, a reporter asked him?

“No,” he said, smiling and shaking his head.

When we’re kids, and we’re 12, each game, each opportunity provides another chance.

In the U.S. championship, after losing to Connecticut on Aug. 20, Vegas barreled to a 3-0 lead on the strength of three hits. But Connecticut responded with a run before Gallegos shut them down with two strikeouts.

“After the first inning, I just got the hang of it because sometimes first innings are a little bit rough to kind of get used to the game,” he said. “And the big crowd. So today I just kind of had to get used to the setting and I got the hang of it during the middle of the game.”

There were more than 29,000 at Lamade, and afterward Las Vegas’ team stood on the stage below a large collection of their family members. The group began shouting “USA!” and “Let’s go South!” for their Summerlin South Little League.

Then, after the boys met the media, they headed up the hill and changed. Kids came out to the grassy area outside their dorms and horsed around, a couple of them having sword fights with what looked like plastic bats.

Little League CEO Patrick Wilson says he invited Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin, a two-time national champion, here at the start of the Little League World Series. Corbin told a story of how he asked three players on his team that had played in the Little League World Series what they remember most about it.

They talked about their friends, swimming, playing ping pong and how incredible the food is here. It might resemble the memories your kid has at your local Little League.

Earlier this week, Las Vegas’ team met with their opponents from Chinese Taipei at a barbecue. It was a friendly interaction that involved starting to learn one anothers’ languages.

As Wilson notes, Little League is 2 million kids, a million volunteers and 5,800 communities around the world.

It’s a journey we undertake with our kids, just like with other sports. They pull us to fields early on Saturday mornings and into the early darkness of weeknights. When they get a little older, we travel with them and make it part of our vacation.

Steve Greusel, 78, came to Williamsport from Las Vegas to watch his grandson, Dustin, play catcher. He said he had been to every game of all-star season, which begins the road to the Little League World Series and runs through districts, states and regionals.

He’s originally from Pennsylvania, and he is connected with relatives and friends here. He’s also learning names of his new community in Nevada. He has spotted something you might find unique to a kid baseball game.

“The parents having confidence in their sons to play this game and let them play their way, and not really trying to interact to tell them what they need to do,” he said.

It’s these types of interactions — commenting, correcting or even making a spectacle of yourself — that can push kids out of sports.

“I think a lot of parents, deep down, they have what they think about as the best interests of their child and they become so passionate about that and they want to do anything possible to make sure that their kids are set up for success and they have the best experience,” says Jason Sacks, CEO of the Positive Coaching Alliance, which partners with Little League for coach training.

The next time you see a parent explode on the sideline, he says, watch what their kid is doing. “The child is often putting their head down, looking at them, raising their hand like, ‘why are you doing this?’”

The Vegas players showed in that crucial fifth inning what they can do when we let our kids learn and execute on their own.

A laser throw from right fielder Cutter Ricafort pinned a Connecticut runner in the basepaths between third and home. A rundown ensued and, after a number of throws, Gallegos, the pitcher, made a diving play to tag out the baserunner.

“I was thinking just to one-hop the ball so our catcher can read the ball,” Dustin Greusel said. “And I one-hopped it and we got the out.”

Greusel, whom one questioner in the media room estimated had caught nearly every inning of the postseason from the state tournament on, had created another moment.

So had his team, which became the first from Nevada to reach the Little League World Series final. Chinese Taipei has won 17 LLWS titles. They will be pitching Lin Chin-Tse, who has registered an 82 mph fastball here.

To Fechser, Las Vegas’ manager, it’s just another opening for the kids.

“I think everybody in this room knows that he’s a tremendously hard thrower,” Fechser said. “We know they’re gonna compete but you gotta throw strikes. And you get the barrels through the zone, sometimes a hard pitcher helps you out a lot. That force goes the other way so we’ll be prepared and we’ll talk about it.”

Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here.

Connecticut sent a team to the Little League World Series for the second time since 2017 and this year’s representative, Fairfield National Little League, will have a lasting memory of the experience in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Connecticut didn’t win it all but does leave the LLWS on a high note after a 4-2 victory over Aruba in the third place game. Connecticut, the Metro Region champion, also finished with a 5-1 record in Williamsport.  

Aruba’s second consecutive trip to the LLWS produced some thrilling moments. Overall, it was Aruba Center Little League’s third appearance in Williamsport and it ended with consecutive losses, first in the international championship game and then in the third place game. Aruba had a 4-3 record in the LLWS this year.

FINAL: Connecticut 4, Aruba 2 in LLWS third place game

Tommy D’Amura came on in the third inning in relief and he essentially saved the game for Connecticut. D’Amura’s pitching line: 3 1/3 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts. The clutch pitching performance secures third place for Connecticut in the Little League World Series. Aruba finished its Little League World Series adventure in fourth place overall.

Connecticut increases lead over Aruba

Jimmy Taxiltaridis’ RBI-groundout gave Connecticut an insurance run for a 4-2 lead with two outs.

Aruba’s Anthony Santos reaches the pitching limit

Santos pitched to one batter in the top of the sixth and gets Connecticut’s Luca Pellegrini to fly out. That was his 85th pitch and he has to leave the mound. Sanots’ final pitching line: 5 1/3 innings, 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts.

Aruba’s Anthony Santos cruises through the fifth

Santos has gone the distance so far for Aruba by allowing five hits, three runs and two walks but he has six strikeouts too. After five innings, Connecticut leads 3-2 over Aruba.

Connecticut gets leadoff batter on base

Connecticut’s Joe Sorrentino singled to start off the top of the fifth inning. However, Aruba’s Anthony Santos got three straight ground outs to end this threat.

Why do kids play Little League? They live for the moment

Connecticut’s Tommy D’Amura holds off Aruba

Aruba got a two-out walk from Isaac Arendsz, but D’Amura gets a groundout to end the inning. After four innings, Connecticut had a 3-2 lead.

Aruba’s Anthony Santos gets more strikeouts

After an error and a single with no outs, Santos takes care of the Connecticut batters with three straight strikeouts to end the top of the fourth inning. Santos has six strikeouts for the game.

Aruba answers in the bottom of the third inning

Cayden Fraser has an RBI-triple to get Aruba on the scoreboard. It was his first hit of the Little League World Series. Josiah Koolman added an RBI-ground out. Tommy D’Amura came on in relief for the final out of the inning. After three innings, Connecticut leads 3-2.

Brian Palazzolo takes over on the mound for Connecticut

Palazzolo comes out the bullpen for Connecticut after starter Charlie McCullough went two innings and allowed one hit, one walk and struck out two batters.

Connecticut takes the lead

Connecticut’s SJ Taxiltaridis delivers a two-run double to give his team a 2-0 lead. He would take third on the throw back into the infield and later scored on a wild pitch. After the top of the third inning, Connecticut leads 3-0.

Aruba gets the first hit of third place game

Aruba’s Liam Peña Caraballo got the first hit of the game off Connecticut’s Charlie McCullough, which came with two outs. But McCullough struck out the next batter ending the threat. Still scoreless after two innings.

Is it safe for a 12-year-old pitcher to throw 82 mph? LLWS is a test case

Aruba’s Anthony Santos has a quick inning

Sanots needed only nine pitches to retire three Connecticut batters via strikeout (his third of the game) and two groundouts in the top of the second. We are still scoreless.

Connecticut’s Boden Dunlap makes a ‘web gem’ catch in right field

Dunlap got a good jump on a ball streaking toward the line in right field. He lays out, all 5-foot-11 of him, to make the diving catch for the best defensive play of the game so far. He then makes the ‘no fly zone’ gesture by making an X with his hands. We are scoreless after one inning.

Meet the Connecticut team at the 2025 Little League World Series

Meet the Aruba team at the 2025 Little League World Series

Aruba Center Little League (Santa Cruz, Aruba) made a return trip to the LLWS this year after capturing the Caribbean region title. Overall, this was Aruba Center’s third trip to the LLWS, after previous appearances in 2024 and 2011, according to Little League. The 2024 team went 2-2 in in Williamsport. — Sherlon Christie

Connecticut leaves the bases loaded

Aruba’s Anthony Sanots got out of the bases loaded jame with back-to-back strikeouts. Scoreless after the top of the first inning.

LLWS Third place game starting pitchers: Aruba’s Anthony Santos vs Connecticut’s Charlie McCullough

Connecticut is the visting team for today’s third place game at the Little League World Series and faces Aruba’s Anthony Santos. Meanwhile, Aruba will be the home team on the scoreboard and will see Connecticut’s Charlie McCullough in the bottom of the first inning.

Why do kids play Little League? They live for the moment

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, PA — Nevada manager TJ Fechser says every game has an inflection point, that moment on which everything turns.

Pitcher Garrett Gallegos had just tagged out a hitter on a diving play as part of a wild fifth-inning sequence. That was it, Fechser says.

But in kids’ sports, if coaches handle them right, we always get our chance to grab for more big moments.

There were now two outs and Gallegos had one more batter. His team was ahead by two runs. He said something to himself and got a swinging strikeout to end the Fairfield (Connecticut) threat.

“The whole sequence was really emotional,” the young right-handed pitcher said after the game, “thinking that was just the last out of me pitching ever pitching in Little League. It was very sentimental and like very sad, almost. But it was exciting at the same time, all the emotions together.”

Nevada wound up winning 8-2, setting up the Aug. 24 Little League World Series championship against Chinese Taipei at 3 p.m. on ABC. − Stephen Borelli

The Final bracket for LLWS

Connecticut (Metro) and Aruba (Caribbean) start the action with the third place game at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN and then Nevada (Mountain) and Chinese Taipei (Asia-Pacific) finish today’s schedule with the Little League World Series championship game at 3 p.m. on ABC.

Here’s how each team got to their final game at the LLWS.

How to watch 2025 Little League World Series

The 2025 Little League World Series will be broadcast on ESPN platforms, with the championship game airing on ABC. Games will also be available to stream on ESPN+.

Date: Sunday, Aug. 24
Times: Consolation at 10 a.m. ET; Championship at 3 p.m. ET.
TV: ABC (championship game); ESPN2 (consolation game)
Stream: Fubo
Location: South Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Watch the LLWS with Fubo

2025 Little League World Series bracket: Scores, schedule

All times Eastern. For a full list of results, click here.

Saturday, Aug 23

International bracket championship

Chinese Taipei (Asia-Pacific) 1, Aruba (Caribbean) 0

United States bracket championship

Connecticut (Metro) 2, Nevada (Mountain) 8

Sunday, Aug. 24

Third-place game

Aruba (Caribbean) vs. Connecticut (Metro), 10 a.m. | ESPN

Championship game

Chinese Taipei (Asia-Pacific) vs. Nevada (Mountain), 3 p.m. | ABC

Stream the Little League World Series on Fubo

What time is the 2025 Little League World Series today?

Sunday’s action in the Little League World Series begins at 10 p.m. ET with the third-place game. That game will be followed by the championship game between Chinese Taipei and Nevada at 3 p.m. ET.

Where are Little League Series games being played today?

The third-place game and the championship will be played in Howard J. Lamade Stadium at the Little League World Series Complex in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

2025 Little League World Series scores

For a full list of results, click here.

United States bracket

Wednesday, Aug. 20

Game 30: Connecticut (Metro) 7, Nevada (Mountain) 3
Game 32: South Carolina (Southeast) 7, South Dakota (Midwest) 6

Thursday, Aug. 21

Game 34: Nevada (Mountain) 5, South Carolina (Southeast) 3

Saturday, Aug. 23

Game 36: Connecticut (Metro) 2, Nevada (Mountain) 8

International bracket

Wednesday, Aug. 20

Game 29: Chinese Taipei 7, Venezuela 3
Game 31: Aruba 3, Japan 0

Thursday, Aug. 21

Game 33: Aruba 3, Venezuela 1

Saturday, Aug. 23

Game 35: Chinese Taipei 1, Aruba 0

When is the 2025 Little League World Series championship game?

The championship and third-place games are scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 24 in Howard J. Lamade Stadium at the Little League World Series complex in Wiliamsport, Pennsylvania. The game follows the third-place game at Lamade Stadium.

LLWS third-place game — Sunday. Aug. 24

Aruba (Caribbean) vs. Connecticut (Metro), 10 a.m. ET | ESPN2

LLWS championship game — Sunday. Aug. 24

Chinese Taipei (Asia-Pacific) vs. Nevada (Mountain), 3 p.m. ET | ABC

Connecticut sent a team to the Little League World Series for the second time since 2017 and this year’s representative, Fairfield National Little League, will have a lasting memory of the experience in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Connecticut didn’t win it all but does leave the LLWS on a high note after a 4-2 victory over Aruba in the third place game. Connecticut, the Metro Region champion, also finished with a 5-1 record in Williamsport.  

Aruba’s second consecutive trip to the LLWS produced some thrilling moments. Overall, it was Aruba Center Little League’s third appearance in Williamsport and it ended with consecutive losses, first in the international championship game and then in the third place game. Aruba had a 4-3 record in the LLWS this year.

FINAL: Connecticut 4, Aruba 2 in LLWS third place game

Tommy D’Amura came on in the third inning in relief and he essentially saved the game for Connecticut. D’Amura’s pitching line: 3 1/3 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts. The clutch pitching performance secures third place for Connecticut in the Little League World Series. Aruba finished its Little League World Series adventure in fourth place overall.

Connecticut increases lead over Aruba

Jimmy Taxiltaridis’ RBI-groundout gave Connecticut an insurance run for a 4-2 lead with two outs.

Aruba’s Anthony Santos reaches the pitching limit

Santos pitched to one batter in the top of the sixth and gets Connecticut’s Luca Pellegrini to fly out. That was his 85th pitch and he has to leave the mound. Sanots’ final pitching line: 5 1/3 innings, 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts.

Aruba’s Anthony Santos cruises through the fifth

Santos has gone the distance so far for Aruba by allowing five hits, three runs and two walks but he has six strikeouts too. After five innings, Connecticut leads 3-2 over Aruba.

Connecticut gets leadoff batter on base

Connecticut’s Joe Sorrentino singled to start off the top of the fifth inning. However, Aruba’s Anthony Santos got three straight ground outs to end this threat.

Connecticut’s Tommy D’Amura holds off Aruba

Aruba got a two-out walk from Isaac Arendsz, but D’Amura gets a groundout to end the inning. After four innings, Connecticut had a 3-2 lead.

Aruba’s Anthony Santos gets more strikeouts

After an error and a single with no outs, Santos takes care of the Connecticut batters with three straight strikeouts to end the top of the fourth inning. Santos has six strikeouts for the game.

Aruba answers in the bottom of the third inning

Cayden Fraser has an RBI-triple to get Aruba on the scoreboard. It was his first hit of the Little League World Series. Josiah Koolman added an RBI-ground out. Tommy D’Amura came on in relief for the final out of the inning. After three innings, Connecticut leads 3-2.

Brian Palazzolo takes over on the mound for Connecticut

Palazzolo comes out the bullpen for Connecticut after starter Charlie McCullough went two innings and allowed one hit, one walk and struck out two batters.

Connecticut takes the lead

Connecticut’s SJ Taxiltaridis delivers a two-run double to give his team a 2-0 lead. He would take third on the throw back into the infield and later scored on a wild pitch. After the top of the third inning, Connecticut leads 3-0.

Aruba gets the first hit of third place game

Aruba’s Liam Peña Caraballo got the first hit of the game off Connecticut’s Charlie McCullough, which came with two outs. But McCullough struck out the next batter ending the threat. Still scoreless after two innings.

Aruba’s Anthony Santos has a quick inning

Sanots needed only nine pitches to retire three Connecticut batters via strikeout (his third of the game) and two groundouts in the top of the second. We are still scoreless.

Connecticut’s Boden Dunlap makes a ‘web gem’ catch in right field

Dunlap got a good jump on a ball streaking toward the line in right field. He lays out, all 5-foot-11 of him, to make the diving catch for the best defensive play of the game so far. He then makes the ‘no fly zone’ gesture by making an X with his hands. We are scoreless after one inning.

Meet the Connecticut team at the 2025 Little League World Series

Meet the Aruba team at the 2025 Little League World Series

Aruba Center Little League (Santa Cruz, Aruba) made a return trip to the LLWS this year after capturing the Caribbean region title. Overall, this was Aruba Center’s third trip to the LLWS, after previous appearances in 2024 and 2011, according to Little League. The 2024 team went 2-2 in in Williamsport. — Sherlon Christie

Connecticut leaves the bases loaded

Aruba’s Anthony Sanots got out of the bases loaded jame with back-to-back strikeouts. Scoreless after the top of the first inning.

LLWS Third place game starting pitchers: Aruba’s Anthony Santos vs Connecticut’s Charlie McCullough

Connecticut is the visting team for today’s third place game at the Little League World Series and faces Aruba’s Anthony Santos. Meanwhile, Aruba will be the home team on the scoreboard and will see Connecticut’s Charlie McCullough in the bottom of the first inning.

Why do kids play Little League? They live for the moment

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, PA — Nevada manager TJ Fechser says every game has an inflection point, that moment on which everything turns.

Pitcher Garrett Gallegos had just tagged out a hitter on a diving play as part of a wild fifth-inning sequence. That was it, Fechser says.

But in kids’ sports, if coaches handle them right, we always get our chance to grab for more big moments.

There were now two outs and Gallegos had one more batter. His team was ahead by two runs. He said something to himself and got a swinging strikeout to end the Fairfield (Connecticut) threat.

“The whole sequence was really emotional,” the young right-handed pitcher said after the game, “thinking that was just the last out of me pitching ever pitching in Little League. It was very sentimental and like very sad, almost. But it was exciting at the same time, all the emotions together.”

Nevada wound up winning 8-2, setting up the Aug. 24 Little League World Series championship against Chinese Taipei at 3 p.m. on ABC. − Stephen Borelli

The Final bracket for LLWS

Connecticut (Metro) and Aruba (Caribbean) start the action with the third place game at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN and then Nevada (Mountain) and Chinese Taipei (Asia-Pacific) finish today’s schedule with the Little League World Series championship game at 3 p.m. on ABC.

Here’s how each team got to their final game at the LLWS.

How to watch 2025 Little League World Series

The 2025 Little League World Series will be broadcast on ESPN platforms, with the championship game airing on ABC. Games will also be available to stream on ESPN+.

Date: Sunday, Aug. 24
Times: Consolation at 10 a.m. ET; Championship at 3 p.m. ET.
TV: ABC (championship game); ESPN2 (consolation game)
Stream: Fubo
Location: South Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Watch the LLWS with Fubo

2025 Little League World Series bracket: Scores, schedule

All times Eastern. For a full list of results, click here.

Saturday, Aug 23

International bracket championship

Chinese Taipei (Asia-Pacific) 1, Aruba (Caribbean) 0

United States bracket championship

Connecticut (Metro) 2, Nevada (Mountain) 8

Sunday, Aug. 24

Third-place game

Aruba (Caribbean) vs. Connecticut (Metro), 10 a.m. | ESPN

Championship game

Chinese Taipei (Asia-Pacific) vs. Nevada (Mountain), 3 p.m. | ABC

Stream the Little League World Series on Fubo

What time is the 2025 Little League World Series today?

Sunday’s action in the Little League World Series begins at 10 p.m. ET with the third-place game. That game will be followed by the championship game between Chinese Taipei and Nevada at 3 p.m. ET.

Where are Little League Series games being played today?

The third-place game and the championship will be played in Howard J. Lamade Stadium at the Little League World Series Complex in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

2025 Little League World Series scores

For a full list of results, click here.

United States bracket

Wednesday, Aug. 20

Game 30: Connecticut (Metro) 7, Nevada (Mountain) 3
Game 32: South Carolina (Southeast) 7, South Dakota (Midwest) 6

Thursday, Aug. 21

Game 34: Nevada (Mountain) 5, South Carolina (Southeast) 3

Saturday, Aug. 23

Game 36: Connecticut (Metro) 2, Nevada (Mountain) 8

International bracket

Wednesday, Aug. 20

Game 29: Chinese Taipei 7, Venezuela 3
Game 31: Aruba 3, Japan 0

Thursday, Aug. 21

Game 33: Aruba 3, Venezuela 1

Saturday, Aug. 23

Game 35: Chinese Taipei 1, Aruba 0

When is the 2025 Little League World Series championship game?

The championship and third-place games are scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 24 in Howard J. Lamade Stadium at the Little League World Series complex in Wiliamsport, Pennsylvania. The game follows the third-place game at Lamade Stadium.

LLWS third-place game — Sunday. Aug. 24

Aruba (Caribbean) vs. Connecticut (Metro), 10 a.m. ET | ESPN2

LLWS championship game — Sunday. Aug. 24

Chinese Taipei (Asia-Pacific) vs. Nevada (Mountain), 3 p.m. ET | ABC

Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer is planning to meet with the team’s star edge rusher Micah Parsons to address his actions during their Friday win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Parsons did not play in the preseason, but he was on the sidelines for Friday’s game. He was the only Dallas player not wearing a jersey and was spotted lying down on a training table behind the Cowboys bench during an offensive drive early in the third quarter.

Images of Parsons lying on the table went viral on social media and drew the ire of Cowboys fans. Still, Schottenheimer made it clear he wants to talk to the 26-year-old before commenting on the matter.

‘Without talking to Micah, I need to figure out what he was doing and why he was doing it,’ Schottenheimer said during a Saturday conference call, per ESPN. ‘So, until I talk to him, I’m obviously not going to talk about it.’

Parsons only addressed his lie-down in a social media post shortly after the game wrapped. He quote-tweeted a post from WFAA’s Mike Leslie that explained Parsons only laid on the table for ‘a relatively short portion of the evening.’

‘I’d never disrespect the guys out there fighting for their lives,’ Parsons wrote.

Micah Parsons contract negotiations, trade request

Parsons’ latest antics come as he continues to be embroiled in a contract dispute with the Cowboys. The two parties have not yet been able to agree to a lucrative, long-term extension, and Parsons even requested a trade away from Dallas as progress between the two sides stagnated.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has been adamant Dallas will eventually re-sign Parsons. The 82-year-old also expressed his belief the two parties had already reached an agreement on ‘term, amount, guarantees, everything’ before Parsons’ agent told him they still needed to negotiate.

‘It would’ve made him the highest guaranteed player other than a quarterback in the NFL,’ Jones said of the purported offer.

Parsons has corroborated he and Jones discussed a deal but made it clear he expected the Cowboys would speak to his agent to get a deal done.

‘Up to today the team has not had a single conversation with my agent about a contract,’ Parsons wrote Aug. 1, when he posted his trade request to social media.

As a result, Parsons and the Cowboys remain at an impasse. That led the 26-year-old to hold-in during Dallas’ training camp, and it has created doubt about his status for the Cowboys’ Week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Schottenheimer has noted his belief Parsons will play in Dallas’ season opener on Thursday, Sept. 4.

But if things change, the first-year coach expressed confidence in the team’s depth behind the All-Pro talent.

‘I think (defensive end) is an area that we’re pretty deep,’ Schottenheimer said.

Kobe Bryant’s legacy continues through the countless memories and milestones he achieved during his 20-year NBA career.

It’s been 5.5 years since Bryant and eight other passengers, including his daughter Gianna, lost their lives in a helicopter accident on Jan. 26, 2020. But the five-time NBA champion remains a fixture in conversations among his peers and basketball fans, who often consider him one of the three greatest players of all time.

Bryant had a storybook career with the Los Angeles Lakers that featured many memorable moments that are still reminisced about all these years later.

Here are eight of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer’s top moments:

Kobe Bryant’s top career moments ranked

8) Kobe Bryant ‘No Flinch’ vs. Matt Barnes

One of Kobe Bryant’s most notable moments came during an interaction with Matt Barnes on March 7, 2010. Barnes was looking to inbound the ball with Bryant standing guard right in front of him. Bryant didn’t flinch when Barnes pretended to throw the ball directly at him, but the mind games between the two led to them becoming teammates on the Lakers.

7) Kobe Bryant scores 61 points at Madison Square Garden

Bryant scored 61 points for the Lakers in a road game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 2, 2009.

The 61 points set a new MSG record for most points scored in a single game at the legendary venue, which stood until Carmelo Anthony scored 62 on Jan. 24, 2014. Bryant still holds the record for most points by a visiting player at the Garden.

Bryant went 19-of-31 from the field and 20-for-20 from the free-throw line in that 2009 game. Despite it being a road game for the Lakers, the crowd gave Bryant a standing ovation after the performance.

Here’s what Bryant had to say about the significance of feat:

6) Kobe Bryant scores 62 points in three quarters

When Bryant was hot on the court, he was hard to deny, and on Dec. 20, 2005, the Dallas Mavericks could not stop him.

The 18-time NBA All-Star scored 62 points in three quarters of play and single-handedly outscored the Mavericks, who had just 61 points ahead of the fourth quarter.

Bryant was 18-of-31 from the field and 22-of-25 from the free-throw line that night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

5) Kobe Bryant leads Lakers to three-peat

The Lakers won three consecutive NBA titles from 2000 to 2002, helping to cement Bryant’s legacy. During that period he was selected to the All NBA second team in 2000 and 2001 and All NBA first team in 2002.

4) Kobe Bryant’s final game

Bryant wanted to go out on his own terms after 20 years in the NBA – all with the Lakers.

In his final game in a Lakers uniform, Bryant had to overcome a rocky 0-for-5 start from the field before sending the home crowd happy with a 60-point performance against the Utah Jazz at the Staples Center on April 13, 2016.

3) Kobe Bryant shoots free throws after tearing Achilles

Bryant suffered several injuries during his career, including a torn Achilles on April 12, 2013.

Just moments after suffering the season-ending injury, Bryant walked over to the free-throw line to successfully shoot a pair of free throws before exiting the game.

The moment was symbolic of the heart and toughness for which Bryant was known for throughout his career.

2) Kobe Bryant, Lakers beat Celtics in 2010 NBA Finals

Bryant led the Lakers to a victory over the rival Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on June 17, 2010. Bryant had also led the Lakers to the 2009 championship, and he was named Finals Most Valuable Player in consecutive years.

The 2010 title was the last of Bryant’s career.

1) Kobe Bryant scores career-high 81 points

Several numbers hold significance when it comes to Bryant’s career, including his jersey numbers: 8 and 24.

Another number is 81.

Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against Jalen Rose and the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006. It’s the second-highest single-game scoring total in NBA history, behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points in 1962.

Byrant scored 55 of his 81 points in the second half as the Lakers beat the Raptors 122-104. He shot 28-for-46 from the field, 7-for-13 from the 3-point line and 18-for-20 from the free throw line.

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