NFL

Chargers OT Rashawn Slater out for season with torn patellar tendon

The Chargers just inked Slater to a mammoth extension, penciling him in as the team’s left tackle for the foreseeable future. Los Angeles’ future at the position is still the same, but in the most important term — the present — the club will be without one of its best players.

Slater isn’t just one of the Chargers’ best players, however; he’s the heartbeat of what Jim Harbaugh, Greg Roman and Los Angeles want to do. Mauling opponents with physicality will be harder at accomplish without Slater, and so will protecting Justin Herbert.

In wake of this injury, expect swing tackle Trey Pipkins to take over the blind side. That’ll obviously present a substantial downgrade to the offense, but at least the Chargers have Joe Alt on the opposite side. Alt was already one of the better tackles in the NFL last year as a rookie.

Colts CB Justin Walley out for season with torn ACL

Bummer. Walley was considered by some a slight reach in the third round of this past draft, but the Minnesota product had been excelling in training camp. Projected to earn a starting spot at outside corner, this is a sizeable blow to Indianapolis’ short- and potentially long-term outlook at the position.

The Colts could look to an outside veteran for help at cornerback, but if not, look for a pair of youngsters (JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones) to compete to fill Walley’s shoes.

NCAAF

2027 five-star EDGE LaDamion Guyton commits to Texas Tech

College football — and basketball — recruiting lately has been mostly about NIL and revenue sharing. Consequently, relationship building, program prestige and myriad other factors have taken a back seat. Is that good for the players? Well, in a way, yes! Is that good for the sport? Probably not! Unfortunately, though, the landscape isn’t shifting anytime soon. Thanks, policy makers, for your haphazard and rushed proposal to introduce NIL to college athletics! If done correctly, college sports — and the players — would’ve been much better off. Per usual, emotion won out over logic. Oh well.

Okay, all the negative aspects of that rant benefit Texas Tech. Money? Check. Haphazardness? Check. Lack of prestige? Check. The Red Raiders don’t deserve any five-star recruits, yet the mediocre Big 12 program has landed two in the last six weeks.

First, it was Felix Ojo, a five-star offensive tackle in the class of 2026. Now, for an even bigger prize, the Red Raiders land Guyton, the No. 2 player for 2027. It’s not a guarantee that Guyton actually sticks to his pledge to Texas Tech, but if he does, it’d be a massive disappointment if Joey McGurie’s program isn’t contending for playoff berths the rest of this decade.

MLB

Athletics 6, Nationals 0

There were only four MLB games yesterday, and this one, well, caught my eye the least.

The Athletics’ bats put on a strong display in this victory, but it wasn’t even necessary. Jacob Lopez, in his first full season in MLB, was flawless, allowing zero earned runs over 7 2/3 innings. Perhaps even more impressive, the southpaw fanned 10 Nationals over that stretch.

The Athletics need to augment their intriguing group of young hitters with controllable pitching; Lopez is a solid start.

I like the Athletics’ medium- and long-term outlooks more than the Nationals’. Washington is still in disarray after firing Mike Rizzo and Dave Martinez, and it’s impossible to pinpoint when exactly the situation will appear fine again in the nation’s capital. It would obviously help if James Wood got going again, as the slugger has struggled mightily since the All-Star break.

Wood went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts yesterday.

For Washington sports fans, bring on the Commanders — and Terry McLaurin.

Mariners 4, White Sox 3

The 63-53 Mariners have put together several fun seasons in recent years, but this one feels like it could be the one. In this instance, the one, for all intents and purposes, refers to this season being the one Seattle finally returns to the ALCS. The M’s flirted with that round in 2022, but fell in a whimper to the Astros in the ALDS.

2001 was many, many years ago — we’re all old. The Mariners last appeared in MLB’s penultimate round that year. Will (ancient) history repeat itself this year? We won’t know until mid-October, but the vibes in the Pacific Northwest sure are great right now, aren’t they?

The vibes on the southside of Chicago aren’t quite as pleasurable, but that’s okay. The White Sox have already surpassed last season’s win total of 41. Organizational progression is never linear, but a few more seasons of real, tangible improvement would be exciting for the ballclub.