NCAAF

Appalachian State fires head coach Shawn Clark

It’s jarring to see Appalachian State finish with a below .500 mark of 5-6, and apparently that was enough for the Mountaineers to let Clark go after six mostly successful seasons. The Appalachian State job is one of the better Sun Belt jobs, so the administration should be able to attract quality candidates.

Grade: B-

MLB

Cubs sign SP Matthew Boyd to two-year, $29 million contract

This deal is a fairly sizeable bet by Chicago on Boyd’s limited, but strong 2024 output. Prior to last season, the 33-year-old struggled with both effectiveness and durability, a disastrous combination for any starting pitcher. The Cubs will be ecstatic if Boyd replicates last year’s performance — 2-2 with a 2.72 ERA — but the most likely outcome for the left-hander is just 15-20 starts with average results. Chicago would not be thrilled if that were the case.

Grade: C-