Aaron Rodgers is accustomed to taking the mantle from Brett Favre. On Sunday, the 21-year veteran quarterback leapfrogged the Hall of Famer in yet another category.

With his second touchdown pass for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday against the New England Patriots, Rodgers overtook Favre for fourth place on the NFL’s career passing touchdown leader list with 509. The four-time NFL MVP now stands behind only Tom Brady (649), Drew Brees (571) and Peyton Manning (539).

Rodgers took the lead with a 12-yard fade to DK Metcalf in the second quarter.

He tied Favre in last week’s 31-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks when Metcalf came down with a jump ball for a 2-yard score in the second quarter.

‘It’s just a longevity achievement,’ Rodgers said earlier in September when asked about the feat. ‘Some touchdowns, you make exceptional plays. Some, the scheme is so good, like the one to (running back) Jaylen (Warren) in the game – all I’ve got to do is not screw it up. And then sometimes you throw a short one to a guy and he goes 60 and it goes in the column all the same.

Rodgers put himself on the precipice of breaking Favre’s mark by throwing four touchdowns in his Steelers debut in Week 1 against the New York Jets, for whom both quarterbacks played after their respective splits with the Packers.

‘So there’ve been a lot of guys involved in that, including the guys blocking, the guys calling the plays. Every now and then, I made some special throws that led to touchdowns, but I’ve been playing a long time. It’s a longevity thing that, you know, I’m proud of, but it’s not a big deal.’

In 2021, Rodgers broke Favre’s Green Bay Packers franchise record for career touchdowns when he threw his 443rd scoring strike with the organization. However, he still remains more than 8,000 yards off Favre’s fourth-place standing (71,838) among the league’s career passing yardage leaders. On Sunday, however, Rodgers passed Philip Rivers (63,440) for sixth place on the yardage list.

Mario Cristobal’s Miami team is the menacing squad that Clemson was supposed to be, but isn’t.
SMU, Illinois and South Carolina join Clemson on list of frauds.
Quest to find ‘next Indiana’ is a wild goose chase leading back to Indiana. (Or, Maryland?)

It wasn’t pretty. Rivalry wins often aren’t.

Miami’s wrecking-crew defense ensured the result never strayed into the danger zone, though, and its offensive line dominated.

Miami made it two in a row against rival Florida with a 26-7 triumph that offered further proof the Hurricanes made the right hire in 2021 with Mario Cristobal and that Florida’s head man Billy Napier is a fired coach in waiting.

Or, perhaps Florida could just fire its offensive coordinator after mustering just 141 yards against Miami. Wait a second, the coordinator’s name is Napier, too.

I think I’ve detected the problem.

Florida retained Napier last season, in part because keeping the coach meant keeping quarterback DJ Lagway, a Napier disciple. Miami showed how foolish that logic is by going out and buying a transfer quarterback who’s better than Lagway.

This won’t be remembered as Carson Beck’s magnum opus. He outplayed Lagway, but that’s the most you can say for Beck’s performance on a rainy, muddy night at Hard Rock Stadium that had Florida’s cheerleaders wearing ball caps. Gators fans might soon opt for brown paper bags. There’s nothing left to see in this Florida season. It’s all over but the firing and hiring.

Miami has emerged as the team that Clemson was supposed to be, complete with an unflinching defense, a veteran quarterback, talented wide receivers and a defensive line that will ruin the opposition’s weekend.

Clemson proved a fraud. The Tigers flatlined within four weeks. SMU spoiled, too. It’s looking like last year’s ACC Championship between Clemson and SMU didn’t feature the conference’s best team. But, Miami’s defense kept it from reaching that game, and Cristobal worked on fixing that by hiring Corey Hetherman as his defensive coordinator. Hetherman previously oversaw a salty defense at Minnesota. He’s transformed Miami’s defense from a liability to the team’s backbone.

Cristobal also overhauled Miami’s secondary with a cast of transfers, and transfer linebacker Mohamed Toure haunted the Gators. You won’t find many defensive linemen who cause more havoc than Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr.

This is a throwback defense reminiscent of those from Miami’s glory days. This is the type of defense Clemson was supposed to showcase.

Instead, Miami’s the team to beat in the ACC. Even if the Hurricanes don’t win the conference, they’re assembling the pillars of a worthy at-large résumé, with wins against Notre Dame, Florida and South Florida in tow.

‘The team got word that this is the last regular-season game scheduled for a while (against Florida). They have bragging rights forever,’ said Cristobal, whose team has an open date before a top-10 showdown with Florida State.

Napier, with his days numbered at Florida, offered an endorsement for another rival the Gators couldn’t keep up with: ‘Hats off to Miami. They have a really good football team.’

Napier’s got that right, anyway.

Here’s what else is on my mind after Week 4:

Fraud alert! See Illinois

Throughout Illinois football history, the Illini’s good seasons generally are followed by clunkers that fail to meet expectations. Illinois’ coaching staff reminded players of that during the offseason. The intent behind that messaging: Keep a chip on both shoulders after last season’s 10-win campaign.

Indiana played like the team with attitude, though, in a 63-10 rout of rival Illinois. As expectations built for Illinois, I maintained a dose of skepticism of an Illini playoff bid, but I sure didn’t have a 53-point loss to the Hoosiers on my Bingo card.

The offseason quest to identify the ‘next Indiana’ is starting to look like a wild goose chase that leads back to Indiana.

Indiana’s defense limited Illinois to 2 rushing yards. Seriously. Two.

Perhaps, we should have seen this coming. Illinois’ offensive line, which coach Bret Bielema expected to be a team strength, allowed 10 tackles for loss in Week 2 victory against Duke. The Blue Devils failed to capitalize, because of their five turnovers.

The Hoosiers stripped the veneer off the Illini and revealed them to be a fraud.

‘I think there was a point in that game where we broke their will,’ Cignetti said.

No kidding.

The Hoosiers’ schedule isn’t quite as cushy as it was last season. They’ll play road games at Oregon and Penn State. Five road games remain, too, but this rout puts a playoff bid in play.

Maryland adds to Luke Fickell’s misery

In the preseason quest to unearth the ‘next Indiana,’ I raised Maryland as a possibility.

Because, to truly be the ‘next Indiana,’ a team needed to be off the radar and facing low expectations, like 2024 Indiana. Oddsmakers set Maryland’s over/under win total at 4½ victories, but the Terrapins drew an accommodating schedule, and an influx of transfers plus freshman quarterback Malik Washington offered hope for improvement.

Sure, Maryland looked like the ultimate longshot, but, here again, that’s a prerequisite to candidacy as the next Indiana.

Well, here Maryland stands at 4-0 after a 27-10 rout of Wisconsin.

‘I really love the heart of this team,’ Maryland coach Mike Locksley said.

I love Maryland’s schedule, which avoids Big Ten frontrunners Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon. No, I’m not pushing Maryland to the playoff as a likelihood, but I hadn’t bought in on Indiana at this point last year, either. In any case, Washington is showing some potential star power at quarterback.

And what did Wisconsin fans think of their team’s second consecutive blowout loss? Well, they took to booing and chanting ‘Fire Fickell,’ as heat gathers on the seat of third-year coach Luke Fickell. His record slipped to .500 during his tenure.

Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh expressed support for Fickell. Well, of course he did. McIntosh hired Fickell.

Never mind the AD’s support. Fickell’s best protection comes in the from a buyout topping $27 million, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. That sum would be historically large for a Big Ten school – and for any school not steeped in oil money.

Bill Belichick, North Carolina fall off the radar already

Quick, tell me the score of North Carolina’s game against Central Florida. Unless you’re a degenerate gambler or own a closet full of Carolina blue, you might not have realized Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels played this weekend. The Labor Day hype turned to crickets.

I’ll help you out: North Carolina went on the road and got crushed, 34-9.

I detect another carcass to join Clemson and SMU among the ACC’s overhyped teams. The Tar Heels gained just 217 yards, which would be considered a feat at Florida but is bad just about anywhere else. Quarterback Gio Lopez exited in the second half with an apparent leg injury.

Let’s go to Belichick for some scintillating postgame assessment: ‘They were just better than us today.’

Get used to hearing that.

Same old story for Auburn

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Hugh Freeze lost another close one, and Auburn’s offense line got shredded.

The theme of Freeze’s tenure continued in a 24-17 loss at Oklahoma. The Tigers keep finding ways to lose winnable games.

The latest plot line: Auburn was penalized 13 times, and Oklahoma sacked Jackson Arnold nine times.

And, yes, the game featured some botched officiating, but this isn’t a one-off result. Losses like these are a theme for Auburn. Since the start of the 2023 season, seven of Auburn’s 15 losses came by one-possession margins.

My verdict: Auburn might be just good enough for Freeze to keep his job and to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2020. Oklahoma might be just good enough to make the playoff, in the face of a brutal schedule.

Three and out

1. Missouri’s coaching staff keeps unearthing undervalued transfer running backs, in the way former coach Gary Pinkel once mined underrated three-star recruits from Texas. Ahmad Hardy, a transfer from Louisiana-Monroe, rushed for 138 yards in a 29-20 win against South Carolina. Add the Gamecocks to the list of fraudulent teams, overhyped in the preseason.

2. A television camera caught UAB coach Trent Dilfer on his phone, seconds before kickoff of his team’s blowout loss at Tennessee. Dilfer says he was connecting with his daughter, who’s pregnant, to show her the environment at Neyland Stadium. I say a coach on a seat as hot as Dilfer’s should spare no opportunity to update his LinkedIn résumé.

3. Dabo Swinney dared Clemson to fire him, days before his Tigers lost to Syracuse. If Clemson’s president has a sense of humor, he’d dare Swinney to make the playoff after his team’s 1-3 start. Neither will happen, but two can play this game.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

(This story was updated to change a video.)

We all have our regrets. Bill Parcells’ decision to end his coaching tenure with the New England Patriots the way that he did is one of his.

The Patriots inducted Parcells into its team Hall of Fame on Saturday, 28 years after he coached his last game for New England. During his induction speech, the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach expressed his regrets for letting his relationship with team owner Robert Kraft reach a boiling point that eventually led to Parcells’ departure.

‘We sometimes reflect on things, and you wish you would have done things a little differently,’ Parcells said. ‘I come back here and I see this, I wish I would have done things a little differently.’

Parcells had an infamously poor relationship with Kraft, who bought the Patriots in 1994.

The Hall of Fame head coach had taken on joint responsibilities as head coach and general manager when he returned to New England in 1993 after serving as the team’s linebackers coach in 1980 and a brief retirement in 1991 and 1992.

When Kraft bought the Patriots one year after Parcells’ return, the new owner and incumbent head coach started to butt heads. Parcells felt that Kraft was interfering too much in the personnel decisions he once had full control over.

‘If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries,’ Parcells said after the Patriots lost Super Bowl 31. He departed that offseason and took over the New York Jets’ head coaching job in 1997.

‘Over the years, we’ve both mellowed,’ Kraft said as he introduced Parcells at the Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony. ‘We’ve shared laughs, swapped stories and reflected on the foundation we built together. I want to say, ‘Thank you, Bill. Thank you for the fire. Thank you for the fight. Thank you for the foundation. And thank you for the many contributions you made to this franchise.”

The Patriots hired Parcells’ top assistant, Bill Belichick, three years after Parcells’ departure. Kraft allowed Belichick full control as head coach and de facto general manager, and the Patriots went on to win six Super Bowls during Belichick’s tenure between 2000 and 2023.

Parcells eventually coached the Cowboys from 2003 to 2006 before retiring from coaching. He also served as the executive vice president of football operations for the Miami Dolphins between 2007 and 2010.

Indiana proved the doubters wrong with a dominant 63-10 victory over No. 9 Illinois.
Texas Tech backup quarterback Will Hammond led the Red Raiders to a dominant win over Utah.
Instead of focusing on Tennessee, UAB coach Trent Dilfer decided to be on his phone.

After people spent all of 2024 discounting Indiana’s run to the College Football Playoff, the same was forming in 2025 following the easy non-conference schedule. The Hoosiers’ talent was going to be a facade until they played a top 10 team, where it would be exposed as a fraud and be dismissed.

Does Indiana have your attention now?

The Hoosiers proved their legitimacy with an emphatic statement, running all over No. 9 Illinois in a 63-10 win. You’d think this was another game against an FCS team with how Indiana dominated this matchup, making a top 10 team look nowhere near the level of Indiana. It was a disaster for the Fighting Illini as the game ruined their own hopes as a playoff contender.

Many people figured Saturday, Sept. 20 would be when the real, unworthy Indiana would show up, that way they wouldn’t have to deal with listening to the Hoosiers reason why they deserve a seat at the lunch table for the rest of the season. Instead, they took Illinois’ lunch money − and are on the hunt for more.

There’s still a long way to go with plenty more tests, but Indiana has made the doubters shut up with a signature victory, and they lead the best and worst things from Week 4 of college football.

Best: Backup QB steps up

A backup quarterback coming in at Utah sounds like a recipe for disaster, but Will Hammond didn’t get that memo.

If you didn’t watch Texas Tech’s dominant win over Utah, you’d likely see the score and assume Behren Morton went off for the Red Raiders. In reality, Morton left the game early in the second half with injury and Hammond had to come in and somehow keep his team afloat after the offense struggled all day.

Instead, Hammond showed complete poise, leading Texas Tech to 24 fourth quarter points to take the Utes out of the picture. Hammond went 13-for-16 with 169 yards and two touchdowns, and he added 61 rushing yards on eight carries. You’d think he was the starter.

The Red Raiders would certainly love to have Morton back as they’ve solidified their position as a Big 12 contender, but if he’s unavailable, they should certainly feel good with Hammond.

Worst: Ridiculous kick off times

Week 5 exposed one of the worst aspects of conference realignment in kickoff times. While it deserved the national spotlight, Utah and Texas Tech had to start at 10 a.m. local time. Meanwhile, Michigan State had to play Southern California at 8 p.m. local time − or 11 p.m. ET for Spartan fans.

This doesn’t mean anything in terms of performance, but it really is a disservice to fans for making them wake up super early or stay up later than when bars close just to watch their team in action. C’mon networks.

Best: Stepping up in rivalry game

If this was the final Battle for the Iron Skillet, TCU receiver Eric McAlister made sure to put up a legendary performance.

McAlister had a whopping eight catches for 254 yards and three touchdowns, including an electric 70-yard score that gave the Horned Frogs the lead and a 44-yard one that was the dagger for Southern Methodist. Pretty remarkable when your quarterback throws for 379 yards and accounts for 67% of it in the second-most receiving yards in a game in TCU history.

It was a performance that certainly boosts McAlister’s draft stock, and even better, gifts us another cursed TCU victory video.

Worst: Being on your phone

We can all admit we’ve been on our phone while on the clock. But there are some instances when you should put it down and focus on the task.

Someone should let Trent Dilfer know. While his UAB team was getting ready to face Tennessee, the Blazers coach thought it be a great opportunity to whip out his phone and take in the scenes of Neyland Stadium.

It’s a cool thing to do when you’re not coaching the game, but maybe Dilfer is just getting ready to be a fan considering how hot his seat is. If only he seemed as interested in how his team did in the blowout loss.

Best: UCF perfectly trolls Bill Belichick

UCF, or Central according to Bill Belichick, welcomed the Belichick show to Orlando and boy did they have some fun with it.

The Knights made North Carolina look silly as they cruised toward a 34-9 victory to move to 3-0. Of course, Belichick and his relationship with Jordon Hudson has been a focal point of his first season with the Tar Heels, and UCF had the perfect way to troll the couple in celebrating.

Getting raced out of the stadium is tough, but suffering an even worse loss on social media is never good.

Worst: Referee mistakes

Everyone can say referees mess up every game, but it’s never good when the conference admits they did.

It came at a critical moment in Auburn vs. Oklahoma, when a Sooners touchdown shouldn’t have been counted after receiver Isaiah Sategna III deceivingly stayed on the field. He didn’t go to the sideline and ended up catching the touchdown pass. It was seven points for Oklahoma, which clearly played the difference in a 24-17 win for the Sooners.

You have to feel for Auburn being on the wrong end of #refball.

Best: Another Oregon uniform win

It’s common knowledge Oregon’s uniforms always look good, but the Ducks may have done their best yet. The ‘Shoe Duck’ uniforms they wore in Week 4 against rival Oregon State was a nod to Nike co-founder and Oregon alumnus Phil Knight. The set is insanely clean, but best part might have been the helmet, with one side donning the Oregon wing and the other adorning the wing of Greek Goddness Nike.

Of course, Oregon looked good and it played well with an easy 41-7 win over the Beavers.

Worst: Not having your back

Going back to Auburn, Jackson Arnold was going to have a rude welcome to Oklahoma as he led the Tigers into Norman. The former Sooners quarterback had a chance to stun his former fans, and he nearly did it when he gave the Tigers a fourth quarter lead.

But his offensive line did him no favors, giving up 10 sacks as well as committing six false starts and two holding calls. Arnold’s chance at revenge spoiled by those meant to protect them, and the unit certainly owes the quarterback a nice dinner.

Best: Still showing up, and winning

Week 3 couldn’t have been worse for Virginia Tech after getting blown out by Old Dominion. It fired its coach and with Wofford on deck, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see Lane Stadium pretty empty.

Instead, the Hokies faithful showed up for their team, showing there is still some belief and dedication in Blacksburg. The team responded with a 38-6 victory for its first win of the season.

It’s nothing to brag about, but you got to enjoy the little things.

Worst: Weather delays

Mother nature clearly hasn’t been a fan of college football this year as another set of weather delays halted play in Week 4. Clemson-Syracuse, Notre Dame-Purdue and Florida State-Kent State all had their games suspended or delayed due to weather, which made for some long days for players and fans.

Best: A running Ralphie

Just before the season, Colorado’s live mascot Ralphie VI retired after four seasons on the job due to “an indifference to running.’ The Buffaloes didn’t have their mascot for their iconic team entrance to start the campaign, but in Week 4, they finally got to unveil Raphie VII.

And this Raphie has no problems running after her electric debut. Look at her go.

Best: Florida State redemption

This season has been an amazing turnaround for Florida State, and there’s one person who is enjoying 2025.

Remember that Seminoles fan who had the ‘we are cooked’ sign last season during the loss to Memphis? He was back for the game against Kent State, but this time with a sign that read ‘we are cooking.’

Instead of 0-3, Florida State is 3-0 and this iconic fan deserves all of the fun.

(This story has been updated to change a video.)

Quarterback Kaidon Salter led Colorado to a 37-20 victory over Wyoming with 304 passing yards and 86 rushing yards.
Coach Deion Sanders praised Salter’s performance after previously benching him in favor of another quarterback.
Colorado debuted a new live buffalo mascot, Ralphie VII, before the game.

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders finally may have found the right quarterback to replace his son Shedeur.

After sorting through three candidates at the position so far, Sanders went back to the one his team picked up in the transfer portal last December. Kaidon Salter, the transfer from Liberty, answered the call with his legs and arm in a 37-20 win at home Saturday, Sept. 20, against Wyoming.

He completed 18 of 28 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns along with 86 yards rushing, including a 35-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring. The win improved Colorado to 2-2 in front of a sold-out crowd of 53,442.

‘Kaidon Salter came back and played his butt off,’ Deion Sanders said after the game.

Colorado finished with 497 total yards after Salter led his team to four touchdowns in his first six possessions while the Buffaloes built a 28-3 lead early in the second half.

‘He just made it happen, you know?’ Sanders said. ‘The timing was impeccable, and he made some big throws, some big throws, some big runs, especially the run at the end. And that’s, that’s, that’s the guy. That’s the guy that we wanted to see and that we’re seeing. And I’m glad you’re getting the opportunity to see him at his best.’

Kaidon Salter says it was ‘rough’ not playing last week

Sanders has tried out three different quarterbacks this year as he attempts to replace his son Shedeur, now a backup quarterback with the Cleveland Browns.

Salter started the first two games but was benched last week in favor of redshirt sophomore Ryan Staub, who struggled in a 36-20 loss at Houston Sept. 12. Sanders also had been frustrated with Salter previously because he seemed tentative at times and didn’t use his legs the way did at Liberty, where he led his team to a 13-1 season in 2023 as a dual-threat quarterback.

‘It’s been rough not playing last week,’ Salter said after the game. ‘But I just stayed straight talking to family, talking to God and just making sure the next opportunity I got I took full advantage of it.’

Deion Sanders says team will be hard to beat with QB play like that

In one sequence Saturday night, Salter delivered a bang-bang display of his old self. It came at the start of the third quarter, when Salter scampered up the middle for a 20-yard gain on second down. On the very next play, he threw a play-action pass down the middle of the field for a 47-yard touchdown to receiver Joseph Williams to help put his team up 28-3.

In the first half, Salter also had touchdown passes of 29 and 68 yards, with the latter coming on a rollout and floater to receiver Sincere Brown down the right sideline.

‘You’ve seen glimpses of what he’s capable of doing,’ Sanders said. ‘We just want that consistently and when we get that consistently, we’re gonna be hard to deal with.’

New live mascot runs for Colorado

After losing at Houston, the vibe changed immediately for Colorado before the game even began. That’s because the Buffaloes debuted a new live buffalo mascot for the traditional pregame run on the field. Her name is Ralphie VII. And she charged out of her gate so hard that her handlers had a hard time keeping up with her, especially in her run to start the second half.

The team seemed to mirror her energy – up to a point. The Buffs jumped out to that 28-3 right after halftime but then sort of decelerated as Wyoming cut the lead to 30-20 with 4:32 remaining.

‘She started out well and finished strong, unlike us,’ Sanders said of Ralphie’s run. ‘I’m not happy with the finish. I’m happy with the results, but I’m not happy with the finish. I told our young men (there was) too much ha-ha and he-he-ing when we got the lead.’

Deion Sanders: ‘Kill a gnat with a sledgehammer’

Wyoming freshman running back Samuel Harris rushed for 126 yards on 19 carries. But Colorado also got a big stop early in the fourth quarter when Colorado defender Arden Walker sacked the quarterback in the end zone for a safety and a 30-13 lead.

‘We have stay hungry regardless of what the score is,’ Walker said.

It didn’t help that Colorado suffered a series of injuries in the game, including to offensive tackle Jordan Seaton and running back Simeon Price. ‘We’re praying they’re gonna be OK,’ Sanders said.

Now Colorado returns to Big 12 Conference play with a game next Saturday night at home against BYU.

‘I don’t like how we didn’t kill a gnat with a sledgehammer towards the end,’ Sanders said. ‘We’re better than that.’

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

(This story was updated to change a gallery and video.)

It was several years ago when Willie Mays summoned his close friend, Jeff Bleich, and secretly revealed that when his time came and he passed away, he had plans he wanted Bleich to carry out.

When he died, Mays told Bleich, he wanted to give back to those who helped him along the way, just as those before him helped pave a path for him to become one of baseball’s greatest players.

“The guys in the industrial league taught him how to play baseball,’ Bleich told USA TODAY Sports. “His coaches, his aunties, took care of him after his mom left. Willie never forgot what they did for him.

“He told me he would have been a dry cleaner if he hadn’t become the greatest ballplayer of all time.’’

So, Mays instructed Bleich to donate virtually his entire Hall of Fame baseball collection to the Say Hey! Foundation, with proceeds from the auction being used to “fulfilling Willie Mays’s dream of giving every child a chance by offering underprivileged youth positive opportunities through athletics, coaching, nutrition, education, and providing safer communities.”

“What a beautiful legacy,’’ Bleich says. “Willie is gone, and he’s still doing stuff nobody else can do.’

Mays, who passed away June 18, 2024, at the age of 93, is donating everything from his 1954 New York Giants World Series ring (valued $500,000 to $1 million) to his 1954 and 1965 MVP awards (valued $250,000 to $500,000) to his Hall of Fame ring (valued for $100,000 to $300,000) to his custom made 1977 Stutz Blackhawk VI car (valued $50,000 to $100,000) to his high-school diploma ($1,500 to $3,000).

The live auction will take place Saturday, Sept. 27 a the King Street Warehouse adjacent to Oracle Park in San Francisco with an online offering for hundreds of other items such as autographed golf clubs, autographed letters from former presidents, autographed boxing gloves from Muhammad Ali, wristwatches, personalized license plates, contracts with the Birmingham Black Barons and Giants, and even his fur coat.

“For all of his achievements as a baseball player,’’ Bleich said, “Willie wanted his enduring legacy to be helping children. He felt very strongly that his life has been enriched by people looking after him.

“Willie believed that every child deserves the chance to make the most of their talents. Willie, who had a lot of disadvantages growing up. always said that he would not have become the ballplayer he was without caring adults in his life who helped get the education and inspiration that he needed.’

Michael Mays, the son of Mays, recently objected to some of the personal items being in the auction such as Mays’ Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to him in 2015 by President Barack Obama, and honorary doctorate degrees from San Francisco State University, Dartmouth and Yale, arguing that they deserved to be in a museum. Those items will not be part of this auction but could be in the future.

“Willie was very clear of his direction,’ Bleich said. “He had a clear-cut vision to sell all of his honors and awards and for that money to go to kids. He was hoping the money could be used to build a Field of Dreams in Alabama and California, for kids to get the support like Willie did.’

Oh, and Mays did leave one strict order for Bleich in this auction: “Whatever you do, you better break the record.’

It’s unknown what record exists but in 2012, proceeds from an auction of Ted Williams’ memorabilia grossed $3.5 million.

“All Willie wanted,’ Bleich said, “was to pay it forward to raise as much money for kids starting out in life the way he had.’

Team USA led all nations with 26 total medals, including 16 golds, at the 2025 World Track and Field Championships.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won gold in the 400-meter and the 4×400-meter relay, setting a championship record in both events.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden became the first American woman to win the sprint double, earning gold in the 100-meter and 200-meter races.

Team USA’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden stole the show at the 2025 World Track and Field Championships in Tokyo.

The USA won a world-leading 26 total medals, including a championship-high 16 gold medals. Kenya finished second, winning 11 total medals, including seven golds.

There were several athletes who performed well at this year’s World Championships. USA TODAY Sports has the highlights of the track and field competition:

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone best female athlete in US?

McLaughlin-Levrone ran a jaw-dropping championship record time of47.78 to win the women’s 400. It’s the second fastest time in the history of the event and also lowered her own American record.

McLaughlin-Levrone is the first person to win world championship gold medals in the women’s 400 and women’s 400-meter hurdles.

McLaughlin-Levrone is now the world record holder, two-time Olympic gold medalist and 2022 world champion in the 400 hurdles. In addition to American record holder and 2025 world champion in the 400. Accolades that set her apart from everyone else.

McLaughlin-Levrone also anchored the women’s 4×400-relay to team and led the squad to a gold medal with a championship record time of 3:16.61.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden wins sprint double

Jefferson-Wooden became the first American woman to accomplish the sprint double at the World Championships.

The American sprinter ran a sizzling 10.61 to win gold in the women’s 100. Her time was the fourth-fastest time in the history of the event.

Jefferson-Wooden then stepped on the track in the 200 and dominated the field, running a world-leading time of 21.68 to take first place.

Jefferson-Wooden ran the first leg of Team USA’s gold-medal winning 4×100-relay squad that clocked in at 41.75.

Jefferson-Wooden and McLaughlin-Levrone were the top two American athletes at this year’s world championships.

Noah Lyles wins fourth gold in 200

As soon as Lyles crossed the finish line in the men’s 200 he put four fingers in the air to represent his four world titles in the event.

Lyles ran a 19.52 to win gold in the men’s 200. His fourth world title matched track and field legend Usain Bolt’s four world championships in the 200. Lyles entered this year’s championships with the No. 1 time in the world this year in the event (19.51).

Lyles got third in the men’s 100, but he did get his second gold of the meet in the 4×100 relay.

Fairytale story for Cordell Tinch

After taking a three-year hiatus and not making the Team USA for the Paris Olympics, Tinch can call himself a world champion.

Tinch had one of the more remarkable stories at this year’s world championships. He was selling cellphones during his break from track and field. He decided to come back to the sport, and made the most of the opportunity.

Tinch crossed the finish line at 12.99 and was the only hurdler to run under 13 seconds to win the men’s 110 hurdles. It was his first ever world title. His win even got a shoutout from his former AAU basketball teammate and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.

Faith Kipyegon remains unbeatable in 1,500

Kipyegon continued her dominant ways in the women’s 1,500. Kipyegon ran a 3:52.15 to easily win the race.

The Kenyan is making a strong case for the best distance runner of all time. She is the first woman to win four world titles in any distance-running event.

The three-time Olympic champion in the 1,500 is also the world-record holder in the event.

Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji pulls off huge upset in 100 hurdles

Kambundji shocked American Olympic champion Masai Russell and world-record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria to win the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a national record time of 12.24. Kambundji was even in disbelief after she crossed the line in first.

Kambundji had a great start and was able to carry her momentum over all 10 hurdles for the victory. She won Switzerland’s first ever world championship medal in the event.

Valarie Allman adds world championship to two Olympic titles

Allman tossed the discus 227 feet, 11 inches to win her first ever world title in the event. The American discus thrower came into the meet as a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the event.

Ryan Crouser best shot put thrower in history

Injuries forced Crouser to make his season debut at the World Championships. But the layoff didn’t impact his status as the best shot putter in the world.

Crouser tossed the shot put 73 feet, 3½ inches to third world championship title.

Crouser is the world-record holder and three-time Olympic champion in the shot put. He’s the best shot putter in history.

Rai Benjamin wins gold

The 2024 Paris Olympic champion captured another gold in Tokyo.  

Benjamin ran away from the other sprinters to win the men’s 400 hurdles with a season-best time of 46.52.

The 400 hurdles was billed as one of the most competitive races going into the championships, but Benjamin won the race convincingly despite hitting the final hurdle.  

Armand Duplantis breaks world record again

The Swedish athlete soared 20 feet, 8 inches to win his third world championship and broke the men’s pole vault world record for the 14th time in the process. Duplantis is the world’s best pole vaulter by a wide margin.

Botswana’s men’s 4×400 relay gets win

Anchored by 400 world champion Collen Kebinatshipi, Botswana’s relay team edged Team USA to win the 4×400 relay. Kebinatshipi caught Rai Benjamin in the final few meters to give Botswana the win in what was a fantastic finish.

Anna Hall ends drought

Hall became the first women’s heptathlon world champion since legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1993. Hall totaled 6,888 points.

Cole Hocker surprising in 5,000

Hocker’s final push in the last 100 meters was good enough to pull off an upset in the men’s 5,000.

The American distance runner crossed the finish line at 12:58.30 to win gold. Hocker is the first American man to win a world championship the 5,000 since Bernard Lagat in 2007.

Kenya’s Lilian Odira breaks record in the 800

Odira ran down Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain to win the women’s 800 in a championship-record time of 1:54.62.

Odira’s win was one of the biggest upsets of the meet.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces has been named the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player for the 2025 season.
This is Wilson’s fourth MVP award, making her the first player in league history to achieve this milestone.
Wilson averaged 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game during the season.

A’ja Wilson has been named the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player for the 2025 season. She is the first four-time MVP, besting three-time winners Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson. 

The Las Vegas Aces center won the award over finalists Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray, Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas.

Wilson received 51 of 72 first-place votes and 21 second-place votes (657 points) from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (534) finished second, Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (391) third, Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (180) fourth and Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (93) fifth. Players were awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, five points for a third-place vote, three points for a fourth-place vote and one point for a fifth-place vote. 

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert joined Wilson’s boyfriend, Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, presented the award. Aces owner Mark Davis wore a pink wig, along with many of his staffers, to celebrate Wilson. She will receive $15,450 and a trophy designed by Tiffany & Co.

‘It’s crazy. It really is,’ Wilson told ESPN about the possibility of being a four-time MVP back on Sept. 11. ‘I’m just blessed to be in the position that I’m in, honestly, and just have my name in these conversations and on the list of greats when talking about the WNBA.

‘Every time I step foot on the court, I don’t take a moment for granted. … I love what I do every single day.’

Wilson set a record during the regular season with 13 30-point games. She also led the league with 25 games of 20 or more points this season and her 21 double-doubles included 16 games with at least 20 points.

In her eighth WNBA season, Wilson averaged 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 blocked shots and 1.6 steals in 31.2 minutes in 40 games. She led the league in points per game for the second straight season and in blocks per game for the fifth time (2020 and 2022-25). Wilson also scored the most points (937) and had the highest efficiency rating (29.2) in the WNBA.

The Aces were 11-11 at the All-Star break before Wilson led them to a 19-3 finish and No. 2 seed in the 2025 WNBA playoffs. Las Vegas won a franchise-record 16 consecutive games to close out the regular season, tied for the second-longest regular-season winning streak in league history. During that streak, Wilson averaged 26.1 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.6 steals while shooting 52.7 percent from the field, 59.3% from 3-point range and 88.9% from the free throw line.

Collier, who finished as runner-up, averaged 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game this season. She also shot 53.1% from the field, 40.3% from the 3-point line and 90.6% from the free throw line. She was second player in the league’s history to shoot 50-40-90.

Past WNBA MVPs

2025 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

2024 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

2023 – Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty

2022 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

2021 – Jonquel Jones, Connecticut Sun

2020 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

2019 – Elena Delle Donne, Washington Mystics

2018 – Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm

2017 – Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota Lynx

2016 – Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks

2015 – Elena Delle Donne, Chicago Sky

2014 – Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx

2013 – Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks

2012 – Tina Charles, Connecticut Sun

2011 – Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever

2010 – Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm

2009 – Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury

2008 – Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks

2007 – Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm

2006 – Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks

2005 – Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets

2004 – Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks

2003 – Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm

2002 – Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets

2001 – Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks

2000 – Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets

1999 – Yolanda Griffith, Sacramento Monarchs

1998 – Cynthia Cooper, Houston Comets

1997 –  Cynthia Cooper, Houston Comets

Cardinals president John Mozeliak is stepping away after decades with St. Louis.
Mozeliak helped build the Cardinals’ 2011 World Series championship team.
“There’s a lot of mixed emotion,’ Mozeliak tells USA TODAY Sports.

John Mozeliak looks around his office, sees the filing cabinets, the books, binders, pictures, paintings, mementos and souvenirs, and realizes there’s precious little time to pack it all up.

But Mozeliak, St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations, can’t bring himself to do it, not just yet.

Besides, how in the world can you pack up 30 years of memories when your eyes are filled with tears?

Mozeliak, who has been with the Cardinals since 1995, is scheduled to be honored on the field Sunday Sept. 21 and will then watch the game against the Milwaukee Brewers in a suite with his family.

It will be the Cardinals’ 2025 home finale.

It will also be Mozeliak’s final game at Busch Stadium.

Mozeliak, 56, who will accompany the team on their final trip to San Francisco and Chicago, is officially stepping down from the Cardinals at the season’s conclusion. He plans to take three months off, and then figure out what he wants to do with the rest of his life.

“There’s a lot of mixed emotion,’ Mozeliak tells USA TODAY Sports. “I know it’s the right time, but the thing that’s scary is how does one spend their time now?’

Mozeliak doesn’t chuckle and says: “My schedule has been just so routine for so long and to think all of a sudden, ‘Look, I don’t have to be somewhere.’ That is so bizarre. And then there’s sort of the understanding you don’t really have a role in anything right now.

“It’s going to be one of those mental games you’re going to have to do a little work on. I’ll give it at least three months to sort of decompress. What might be after that, I don’t know.

“I don’t want to close the door to anything, but I’m not looking to kick one open, either.’

Considering Mozeliak’s storybook rise as a pizza manager and batting practice pitcher to being the architect of 10 postseason teams, winning one World Series title and two pennants, there’s no telling where you next might see the man everyone calls, “Mo.’

“I don’t know anyone in baseball who came from such a humbling beginning and had such a whirlwind rise like Mo,’ says veteran New York Yankees scout Jay Darnell, the man who kick-started Mozeliak’s career. “It’s just unreal.’

Darnell first met Mozeliak at the age of 15 when he coached his American Legion team in Boulder, Colorado. Darnell became the major league video coordinator for the Colorado Rockies in their inaugural year in 1993. Just a few games into the first homestand, he was waved over by Rockies veteran catcher Joe Girardi, asking where he could find a good pizza joint.

“Well, I don’t know, but I’ve got a guy who I coached in high school ball who works as a manager at a pizza place,’ Darnell told Girardi.

Mozeliak, working at Angelo’s Pizza in the Gunbarrel area of Boulder, got the call from Darnell, made a pizza, drove 45 minutes to Mile High Stadium and personally delivered it to Girardi in the Rockies clubhouse.

“Girardi fell in love,’ Darnell said. “He always liked Mo after that pizza delivery.’

A day later, Rockies pitcher Bryn Smith asked Darnell if he knew anywhere he could go fishing on their off day. Darnell called Mozeliak again. Mozeliak took him out and Smith came back and raved about how many fish they caught.

The next day, Rockies equipment manager Dan “Chico’ McGinn told Darnell he could use extra help in the clubhouse. He couldn’t pay anything, though. Again, Darnell called Mozeliak.

“He got hired for a roll of Copenhagen (chewing tobacco),’ Darnell said, “and some cleats.’

And on that same homestand, Rockies manager Don Baylor called Darnell into his office and said the team needed a left-hander to pitch batting practice.

Darnell called Rick Harig, the local baseball coach at Fairview High School, and asked for a recommendation.

“Rick tells me, ‘You’re not going to believe it, but Mozeliak’’’ Darnell said. “I say, ‘Come on, I’m not going to bring in Mo to pitch to Andres Gallaraga, Dante Bichette and those guys.’ Mo, he was just an ordinary first baseman and pitcher in high school. But Rick doesn’t even blink and says, ‘He throws the most beautiful batting practice you’ve ever seen.’

“Well, we bring him in, and I’m sweating bullets standing at the batting cage. I’m praying he doesn’t hit someone. And wouldn’t you know, he does throw the most beautiful batting practice.’

Mozeliak spent two years in Colorado doing everything from washing jockstraps and carrying towels, to being in charge of the stadium radar gun readings, to running spring training camp to transferring the scouting information from paper to computer spreadsheets.

“I remember Don Zimmer saying, ‘This kid is unbelievable,”’ Darnell said.

When Rockies assistant GM Walt Jocketty was hired in October 1994 to be the Cardinals’ new GM, guess who he took with him?

Yep, Mo.

So, after starting with a Joe Girardi pizza delivery and a Bryn Smith fishing trip, and after turning the Cardinals into one of the game’s elite powers by winning the second-most victories in the National League, Mozeliak is calling it quits.

At least for now.

“Staring down at the end now,’ Mozeliak says, “is different. Most people, as you know in this world, get fired. So, you’re kind of told when to pack it up. I imagine when that happens to people it’s pretty instant. Who knows how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking? Whereas this is an orchestrated exit.

“So, as I sit here in my office, kind of thinking, ‘What do I need to do? What don’t I need to do?’ That part is different, but in the end, I know it’s the right time.’

The Cardinals had a winning season in each season during Mozeliak’s tenure until 2023, but as they began embarking on a rebuild and cutting payroll, this likely will be their second losing season in the last three years. The Cardinals are expected to take a further step back and reload for the future.

Mozeliak, who hired former Boston Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom 19 months ago, will let Bloom do the dirty work as he heads for the exit.

“I don’t fear going through (a rebuild),’ Mozeliak says, “but I do think it’s time for a fresh voice. I felt like where the organization was, something had to give. I felt like it started with me, and it was either really trying to do a major reset or let someone else come in and give it a shot.’

Mozeliak, who traveled more with the Cardinals during the season and less to see the minor league affiliates, has slowly been soaking in the memories all season. He took out the entire coaching and traveling staff to dinner last week at Carnevor steakhouse in Milwaukee, reflecting on the good times and of course, the greatest remembrance of all.

The 2011 World Series championship and in particular, Game 6 in which the Cardinals were twice one strike from elimination only for David Freese to rescue them each time and force Game 7 – which the Cardinals won to complete their magical ride.

“It’s pretty hard to beat Game 6, just the ups and downs of what took place that night, the emotional roller coaster,’ Mozeliak says. “When you sit at that seat, are the one presented that trophy and get that rings, it’s pretty special. It’s amazing. It wasn’t like we were necessarily the best team, but it got healthier, things started to click, and the timing was amazing. You just can’t replicate that.’

There are plenty of special mementos in Mozeliak’s office, but the one that perhaps has the most sentimental value is an autographed baseball from Yadier Molina. He actually bought the ball at an auction in Molina’s rookie season, and after nine Gold Glove awards, four Platinum Gloves and 10 All-Star appearances, needless to say Mozeliak made a good investment.

“I’m looking at it now, and the sun has really faded the autograph, so it’s probably worthless now,’ Mozeliak says, laughing. “No one knew who he was yet. Now, he’s likely a first-ballot Hall of Famer.’

Then, of course, there’s the other Hall of Famer who was drafted under Mozeliak when he was the scouting director, a kid in the 13th round from a Kansas City community college.

The name?

Albert Pujols, perhaps the greatest right-handed hitter of his generation with his 703 home runs, 2,218 RBIs, a .296 batting average, .918 OPS and two World Series championships.

Mozeliak said it hurt like hell when Pujols left as a free agent, signing a 10-year, $250 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels, but oh, did it ever feel good when they brought him back for a glorious swan song, hitting 24 homers and becoming only the fourth member of the 700-home run club.

“That was storybook,’’ Mozeliak said. “It was not only cool he came back to St. Louis, but just how productive he was.’’

Mozeliak says he’ll forever be indebted to Jocketty, former Rockies GM Bob Gebhard and Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt, and being the steward of a franchise to generations of the St. Louis community is something he’ll cherish forever.

“St. Louis is just a storied franchise, with so much passion, and such a beautiful baseball city,’’ Mozeliak says. “It has such a generational fanbase. They really do appreciate baseball, but they also demand winning. It’s hard to do it year in and year out. But the consistency of sustained success, we achieved that. I really hope that when people look back at my time here, they appreciate that.’

Baseball is much different from when Mozeliak first moved into his office in 2007, with analytics and metrics determining everything from lineups to matchups to defensive positioning, and everyone racing to find the next great tool to one-up the competition. Yet, Mozeliak changed right along with it, and thrived, reaching the postseason five consecutive years.

“The game has changed so much,’ Mozeliak says, “and compared to what it looked like 20 years ago, the game’s moved a lot. The information we used to collect in a year, we collect in a night now. Some people get frustrated how the game looks today, how decisions are made, and what front offices are evaluating. These tools are done to hopefully make better decisions and smarter decisions.

“Even with just some of the public information that’s out there today allows you to make better decisions than you could have 20 years ago.’

Now, for the first time since he was delivering pizza, Mozeliak will be on the outside looking in, soon sitting in his living room, enjoying a glass of wine, and tuning into Cardinals games like the rest of the Midwest who grew up listening to KMOX.

“St. Louis is home,’ he says. “It’s a special place. It’s a storied baseball town, and even though it’s not a big market, the fanbase that allowed us to punch above our weight.

“I’m not going to miss the games, but I’m really going to miss the people.’

Around the basepaths

– It would be one of the most seismic shifts in baseball economics history if Commissioner Rob Manfred delivers on his vow to have all local broadcast rights to be under MLB’s control by 2028. It could mean that the Milwaukee Brewers would have the same TV revenue as the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees.

The Dodgers earn $280 million a year from their local TV rights while more than half of baseball earns less than $50 million.

Needless to say, owners are skeptical that teams like the Dodgers, Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays would ever be amenable to such a plan.

“I don’t see it happening,’ one owner said, “but I will say that for those of us who have lucrative long-term deals, there’s no way we’re going to see all of that money in today’s landscape. It’s going to be interesting.’

In the meantime, just in case you don’t think there will be a lockout after the 2026 season, good luck finding TV and radio broadcasters getting contracts from their club extending into the 2027 season.

– While the baseball scouting community is mourning the death of Texas Rangers veteran scout Scott Littlefield from an apparent heart attack, fellow scout and close friend Mike Anderson perhaps best described Littlefield’s passion for baseball.

“He was a scout’s scout, and loved baseball and being a scout more than anyone I have ever met,’ Anderson told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s the only job he ever wanted, and he did it for 34 years.’’

– While Jim Marshall’s son, Craig, was speaking at Marshall’s celebration of life Thursday, he became emotional when received a text message from home-run king Sadaharu Oh, conveying his sympathy over Marshall’s passing.

“I’m deeply saddened to hear about your father’s passing,’ Oh wrote in his text message. “I still vividly remember his time playing for Chunichi and during my active career. I sincerely pray for the repose of his soul and also for his generous education on how to play first base.’’

Marshall was the first player to go directly from the major leagues to playing in Japan for the Chunichi Dragons in 1963, before becoming manager of the Chicago Cubs and the Oakland Athletics.

– Teams are upset that the Dodgers will have one more pitcher than everyone else on their roster since there’s a special exemption for Shohei Ohtani as a two-way player. If Ohtani is a starting pitcher, he can remain in the game as a DH once he’s replaced on the mound. But if he starts the game as a DH and pitches out of the bullpen, the Dodgers would lose the DH once his relief appearance is over. The only way Ohtani could stay in the game would be moving to the outfield, where he hasn’t played since 2021.

This is why it’s far-fetched that Ohtani will have any role in the postseason besides a DH and starting pitcher.

– Angels starter Kyle Hendricks, who helped lead the Chicago Cubs to the 2016 World Series championship, has informed friends that he expects to retire after the season.

– The question for the Phillies is not whether they will bring back outfielder Nick Castellanos, but how much will it cost when they trade him away, realizing they will have to eat a substantial portion of his $20 million contract in 2026.

While Castellanos is saying that he wants to do everything possible for the Phillies to win the World Series, he is also increasingly outspoken about his displeasure as a part-time player and criticized manager Rob Thompson’s communication with him.

“Communication over the years has been questionable, at least in my experience,’ he said. “There’s just been times where things have been said, and then, over the course of years, I’ll have expectations because I’ll latch on to what’s being said and then actions would be different. And then I’m kind of left just thinking and whatnot.  But again, like it is what it is. …

“I don’t really talk to Rob all that often.  I play whenever he tells me to play, and then sit whenever he tells me to sit.”

– MLB’s qualifying offer will increase to about $22 million from $21.05 million of a year ago, as the New York Post first reported. Only 13 players have ever accepted the qualifying offer, with only Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Martinez accepting it last year.

– How stunning is the Cleveland Guardians’ meteoric rise back into contention, going from 12 ½ games out on Aug. 25 to 1 ½ games behind the Detroit Tigers entering Saturday evening?

Not a single contender was advance scouting Cleveland until this weekend.

– New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto became only the third player in MLB history to hit at least 40 homers with 100 RBIs, score 100 runs, walk 100 times and steal 30 bases, joining Barry Bonds and Jeff Bagwell, who achieved the feat twice apiece.

– This could be the first season in MLB history that five players hit 30 homers and stole 30 bases in the same season, with Soto, Jazz Chisholm and Jose Ramirez already accomplishing the feat. Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll is just one stolen base and Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong needs just one homer to join the 30/30 club.

– If MLB had adopted the three-team wild card tier in 2012, the Milwaukee Brewers, who have qualified for the playoffs in seven of the past eight years, would have even more of a glossy resume with two more postseason appearances.

They would have made the playoffs in 2014 with an 82-80 record and in 2017 with an 86-76 record.

– Veteran starter Charlie Morton, who has yielded a 7.09 ERA in his nine starts since joining the Detroit Tigers, may call it a career after this season.

– If the Guardians pull off this miracle comeback, the Guardians should immediately erect a statue of Jose Ramirez alongside Bob Feller, Larry Doby and Jim Thome at Progressive Field.

No one is more responsible for their historic comeback bid, with Ramirez producing his second consecutive 30-homer, 40-stolen base season.

Let’s see, they trailed the Detroit Tigers by 15 ½ games on July 9.

They trailed the Tigers by 12 ½ games on Aug. 26.

They trailed the Tigers by 9 ½ games on Sept. 10.

Now, after going an MLB-best 42-23 since July 7, they have fate in their own hands with three games left against the Tigers in Cleveland this week.

If the Guardians win the division, it would be the greatest comeback in MLB history, eclipsing the Yankees’ 14-game deficit in 1978 to overcome the Boston Red Sox.

– Dodgers three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, 37, who has been flirting with retirement since the Dodgers won the World Series in 2020, is going out in style with his 10-2 record and 3.55 ERA in 21 starts this season.

He announced that it would be his final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium, and it may be unlikely that he makes a postseason start, after reaching the postseason in Kershaw’s final 13 seasons.

Kershaw leaves with 222 victories, a 2.54 ERA and 3,045 strikeouts.

Next stop: Cooperstown.

– Pretty cool seeing Kershaw’s former teammates show up for the sendoff: Austin Barnes, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, Trayce Thompson, Jimmy Rollins, A.J. Pollock, and yes, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, his high school teammate. They all wore No. 22 Dodgers jerseys.

– Kudos to MLB for sending out a memo this week prohibiting teams from scouting and filming high school players from Oct. 15 to Jan. 15, and collegiate players from Nov. 15 to Jan. 15, hoping that amateurs use the time to rest and recover to help reduce the rash amount of pitching injuries.

The memo says that “teams are still allowed to interact with players and their families in a non-baseball capacity, including visits to a player’s home. Team employees can also attend games involving relatives as long as they’re doing so in a “non-professional capacity.”

Now, let’s see just how many teams circumvent the new rules with distant cousins suddenly showing up holding radar guns.

– Favorite Kershaw stat? Kershaw was the starting pitcher in 301 Dodger victories and 149 Dodger defeats.

The only other pitcher in baseball history to start at least 300 victories with fewer than 185 team losses is Lefty Grove since 1893.

– The Cubs’ success, with the third-best record in the National League, is quite remarkable considering the woes of center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and right fielder Kyle Tucker in the second half.

Crow-Armstrong is hitting .214 with four homers, 19 RBIs and a .623 OPS while Tucker is hitting .242 with five homers and 17 RBIs and a .777 OPS, and has been sidelined since Sept. 2.

– The Phillies did try to sign DH Kyle Schwarber before the start of the season, but the two sides never came close to reaching an agreement.

– The Kansas City Royals are likely to pick up All-Star catcher Salvador Perez’s $13.5 million club option in 2026 considering it’s an $8.5 million paycut after producing 30 homers and 95 RBIs this season.

Perez is one of only eight catchers who have hit 300 or more home runs in their major league career, and six are in the Hall of Fame.

– Baltimore Orioles ace Trevor Rogers won’t win the Cy Young award this season, but no one in the American League has been so dominant since missing the first two months of the season with a partially dislocated kneecap.

Rogers, who has pitched only 106 ⅔ innings this season, has made 17 starts, and given up just 16 earned runs for a 1.35 ERA to go along with his .178 opposing batting average and 0.87 WHIP.

His ERA is the second-best among pitchers with at least 16 starts since 1920, trailing only Hall of Famer Bob Gibson in 1968, who yielded a 1.12 ERA.

– The San Diego Padres expect shortstop Xander Bogaerts to return Monday Sept. 22 after missing almost a month with a fracture in his left foot.

– You know the Arizona Diamondbacks have had a bizarre season in which they had a historic four-homer game from their third baseman, score 10 runs in a single inning at Wrigley Field, and had a pitcher throw a one-hit shutout for nine innings.

And lose all three games.

– Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, who on non-disciplinary leave until further notice while being investigated for gambling, are training to play winter ball for Estrellas in their native Dominican Republic.

While Clase and Ortiz can’t pitch for the Guardians, there are no restrictions in the CBA to prevent them from pitching winter ball.

“We have no say in the matter,” Guardians GM Mike Chernoff told reporters.

The players, however, do have a say in voting on playoff shares and it will be fascinating to see if they get a full share if the Guardians reach the postseason.

– This is the first time in Tigers’ franchise history – well, at least since the inaugural 1965 draft – that they’ve had three homegrown players hit 25 homers in the same season: Riley Greene (34 homers), Spencer Torkelson (31 homers) and Kerry Carpenter (26 homers).

– Thank you for the laughs, the insight, and the friendship, Scott Littlefield.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

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