FTW: MLB All-Star recap; Watt's mega-contract; Unhinged ESPYS; WNBA expansion; FS1 canceling shows

FROM THE WEEK & FOR THE WEEKEND

FROM THE WEEK

MLB All-Star recap

For the first time in MLB history, the All-Star game was decided by a homerun swing off to determine a tiebreaker; the NL claimed victory off the bat of three “Schwarbombs” in three swings.

Tip of the cap to the MLB. Electric finish.

Notably, this was the final All-Star appearance for eventual first-ballot hall of fame pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who announced he’d be retiring after the season. His clean stint on the mound was made objectively more awesome, as he was mic’d up, literally talking to the broadcast as he delivered nasty hangers.

Again, tip of the cap to the MLB capturing this moment.

However, the Home Run Derby has simply lost its flare. That’s not to say Cal “big dumper” Raleigh isn’t a deserving winner that most everyone wanted, but three things have tarnished this event.

1. The analytical analysis doesn’t meet the moment. Neither do the players in the event. No one cares if a ball traveled 405.6738294726 feet. Bring back Chris Berman yelling “back back back back back” to sluggers ripping moonshots. Speaking of sluggers, where are they? There used to not be any three home run efforts like was seen this year with Jazz Chisolm of the New York Yankees. The biggest bats are missing, so are the home runs, so is the hype.

2. Another big reason for said lack of home runs has to do with the MLB trying to rip through the event at rapid fire pace. Because, of course, who would ever want to watch a 450 ft. bomb to completion? Everyone would obviously prefer to have to miss the back half of the homer because the pitcher is already tossing another pitch to accommodate the new format.

3. BRING BACK MIC’D UP CHAINS/KEYS CLANKING AROUND AS A BATTER CRANKED HOMERS. The aura in that sound as ball hit bat was unmatched.

TJ Watt becomes the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history… again

Not once, but twice now, Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher TJ Watt has secured the bag as the richest man on the football field who doesn’t throw the ball.

He agreed to a three-year, $123 million extension for a casual $41 million per year average per year. Also a non-QB record.

Who can blame the Steelers? Watt is still only 30 years old but could hang it up tomorrow and be a first ballot Hall of Famer. Despite injuries, there’s been zero slowdown.

• 2021 Defensive Player of the Year

• 4x 1st Team All-Pro

• 2x 2nd Team All-Pro

• 7x Pro Bowler

• 3x League Leader in Sacks

• 108 Sacks

• 33 Forced Fumbles

• Tied Single Season Sack Record in 2021 (22.5)

Shane Gillis absolutely unloaded as host of the ESPYS

If you missed the performance by comedian Shane Gillis as host of the ESPYs, go ahead and carve out 20 minutes to browse his top clips from the night.

To recap:

• Gillis fooled the crowd into thinking a woman was a WNBA legend. Nope, just a friend’s wife and everyone is a fraud for clapping despite clearly not having a clue.

• Gillis cracked jokes at now notorious “foul baiter” and NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, saying, “SGA is here. Everybody sitting around him is in foul trouble.”

• Gillis said what everyone was thinking around Colorado retiring Shedeur Sanders’ jersey, leaning all the way in with, “People are saying it's because of nepotism because of his father, it’s not; it is because he went 13-12 over his career & he almost won the Alamo Bowl. Definitely not nepotism.”

• Heralded as the edgiest moment of night… “Supposed to be an Epstein joke here, but it just got deleted. Probably deleted itself, right? It never existed, actually.” — somehow, Disney approved this one.

WNBA is coming to Portland

As the WNBA’s new $2.2 billion media rights deal goes into effect next season, one of the first dominos to fall in their efforts to expand to 18 teams by 2030 has fallen.

The league announced the revival of the Portland Fire in 2026 as the 15th franchise in the league and massive ticket sales to compliment the launch.

The team announced season ticket sales have already surpassed the 10,000 mark, putting the Fire in position to surpass the previous WNBA season ticket sales record.

The team previously played under the same name from 2000-2002 and was actually on pace to revive in 2023 before the deal fell through last minute after a lead investor backed out, leaving a $50 million gap.

FS1 making sweeping cancellations (unsurprising) to it’s scheduled programming

FS1 announced they are canceling three shows, including Speak, The Facility, and The Craig Carton Show.

If you’re asking, “who is Craig Carton?” Don’t worry, so is everyone else.

The decision comes after each show struggled to produce ratings or an audience of any kind.

Almost like, no one wants to listen to politics when they tune in for sports coverage, listen to a bunch of people yelling to try and be smartest in the room, or listen to a bunch of topics that quite literally no one cares about or actively have appetite for.

If only sports media cared to involve fans, talk about what fans actually want to talk about, and leave politics the hell out of sports coverage, they might not be in this spot.

But alas, here we are, and here is Sidelinr Sports perfectly in time to to fill the void as we launch our flagship show, Chalk Talk Social, next month.

**Don’t forget to grab your merch**

FOR THE WEEKEND

Big matchups in baseball

• Cubs vs Red Sox

• Brewers vs Dodgers

UFC 318

Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois rematch