That’s certainly an impressive resume, but Rhodes said that funding, planning and executive-producing All In — the biggest independent wrestling show ever, which takes place Saturday, Sept. 1 before a sold-out crowd of more than 10,000 at Sears Centre near Chicago — with The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) is his biggest achievement yet. “This will be the biggest thing I ever do,” Rhodes said backstage at the ROH television taping in Philadelphia this past weekend....

Lewis lost the perfecto when he walked Yonder Alonso with two outs in the eighth, then lost the no-no when Max Muncy hit a leadoff double in the ninth. Rangers right fielder Nomar Mazara reached the ball and the wall at the same time and was unable to make the catch. MORE: Greatest modern individual pitching performances Two hitters later, Coco Crisp got the A’s on the board with a blooper to left field that popped out of the glove of a diving Ryan Rua....

First flown nearly seven decades ago in 1952, the B-52 Stratofortress has been in continuous service with the U.S. Air Force since 1955. The heavy bomber pioneered the aerial leg of the U.S. military’s nuclear triad of air, land and sea delivery systems, and it’s set to receive some refurbishments to keep it operational until at least the middle of this century. That extension will give it a roughly 100-year run in the skies with a seemingly ever-evolving capacity....

The outpouring of support for Ukrainian refugees has been eager, but impromptu — as has been the shelter trying to keep up with a growing refugee population. After temperatures remained above average in eastern Poland and western Ukraine through most of February, they dropped below average in early March. Snowfall totals were fairly light, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Randy Adkins, and with temperatures rising above freezing in most locations during the afternoon, there wasn’t much accumulation....

For everyone expecting a circus when Kaepernick knelt for the national anthem in a road stadium for the first time this NFL regular season, they got only a few boos, a few birds, but mostly a little more respect from his teammates and fans — with no opposition from the opposition. This time, when “The Star-Spangled Banner” blared at the Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium with the flag draped all over the field, it wasn’t just Kaepernick and safety Eric Reid on their knees....

But there's always a downside to success: Every player believes his part it in deserves to be richly rewarded. Repeat: richly. So it's not surprising more members of the 49ers' strong young core are interested in increasing the salaries. Fire, Kaepernick: Reports from Indianapolis this week focused on ongoing conversations between the team and its quarterback, who enters the final year of his original contract. The main course in this discussion is Friday's steakhouse talks....

That will change with stories like this one: Kaepernick refused to vote in the 2016 election. MORE: Anthem protest around sports, in photos In the past, Kaepernick has voiced disapproval with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Fair enough. What about Gary Johnson? Perhaps Kap was turned off by Johnson’s inability to name one single world leader or his failure to know what Aleppo was, or the fact Johnson stuck his tongue out at a female reporter on television....

Last week, he drilled a trainer in the side of the face with an errant pass. On Sunday against the Rams, Kaepernick had no idea that Torrey Smith was wide open. It may seem like no big deal, but, just watch the video. MORE: Best photos from Week 8 | Week 8 NFL scoreboard | 10 awful NFL decisions Smith, as you can see, was wide open. In fact, he could not have been any more open....

“I don’t know why he does this,” Powell, a retired four-star general in the U.S. Army, said Thursday during an interview with MSNBC. “Doesn’t he have more important things to do? I mean, why is he fooling around with NASCAR and a flag?” Powell’s remark referenced a tweet from Trump that criticized NASCAR, suggesting inaccurately that its decision to ban the Confederate flag had “caused lowest ratings EVER!” In reality, as The New York Times reported, NASCAR’s Sunday broadcast of the Brickyard 400 was viewed by about 40 percent more people than the average NASCAR race aired in 2019....

Powell, a retired four-star general who served as Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005 under George W. Bush, had been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. In a statement announcing his death, his family called him a “remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American,” and thanked medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center, where he was being treated. Before embarking on an influential career in politics, the New Yorker was a soldier for more than 30 years....

In what is commonly known as the college admission scandal, more than 36 parents were arrested for paying large sums of money to ensure their child’s admission to college through fraudulent test scores and athletic records. Twenty pleaded guilty or intend to do so—13 of whom have already been sentenced—and more than 10 parents are gearing up for a trial, possibly in 2020. At the helm of the scheme was mastermind William “Rick” Singer....

Jennifer Abruzzo, the general counsel for the NLRB, announced the development through a memorandum sent to all of the NLRB field offices and through a subsequent press release posted on the board’s website. Abruzzo’s stance on the issue was supported by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that acknowledged college sports as “a profit-making enterprise,” according to the NLRB’s release. Efforts student-athletes have made to advocate for themselves amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and through pushes for an end to systemic racism have also served to support Abruzzo’s position, according to the NLRB....

There is no Zion Williamson or Marvin Bagley or Andrew Wiggins entering college basketball this year, and the closest thing we have — dynamic 7-1 center James Wiseman — has enrolled not at a blue blood, but at a faded power one of its legendary figures is trying to revive. Instead of a one-and-done superstar serving as the face of the college basketball season, we have Michigan State’s Cassius Winston: not expected to be an NBA first-round pick, not someone who’ll constantly be discussed by those obsessed with “draft stock” — but instead an elite college player who makes his team better, and who could lead the Spartans to their first NCAA championship in 20 years....

The second set of College Football Playoff rankings of the season brought bad news for both programs, with the Sooners slipping down one spot to No.10 and the Bears falling from No.12 to No.13. While the former was somewhat expected as Oklahoma needed to intercept a two-point conversion attempt to avoid what would have been a huge upset loss against Iowa State, the latter was more perplexing. The Bears improved to 9-0 after defeating TCU in triple overtime on Saturday, but they have failed to make an impression on the CFP committee and are currently the lowest-ranked of the five undefeated programs left in the FBS....

The committee ranked one-loss Notre Dame No. 5 in its first release, just a spot shy of the four-team playoff field. The Irish close with Pitt, Wake Forest, Boston College and Stanford. Pitt could have cracked the top 25 with a home win against UNC last week, but fell 26-19. Line: Notre Dame -8, Total: 54 Line movement: The Wynn opened at ND -8, moved to -8.5, then back down to the opener....

That will play out this weekend among four of them. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State meet in Bedlam in a battle of fringe College Football Playoff contenders. Ohio State meets Michigan in The Game, which is a de facto elmination game with the winner going to the Big Ten championship game. Of course, Alabama-Georgia is on the horizon, and Cincinnati is trying to hold off Notre Dame despite already having a head-to-head victory....

Over the next 36 hours, a quintet of conference championship games will cement the field for the 2022-23 College Football Playoff (CFP). With all due respect to the Group of Five conferences, this article focuses exclusively on the Power Five conference championships, the games that will shape the CFP bracket. Before delving into the best bets for the week, let’s review the schedule and current balance of power. NCAAF Conference Championship Schedule In chronological order, the Power Five conference-championship schedule is as follows:...

On Tuesday, the College Football Playoff made a surprise announcement. It announced that it will reimburse a maximum of two student-athletes’ parents or guardians (up to $1,250 per person) for hotel accommodations, travel and meal expenses in North Texas for the first CFP championship game. MORE: Title game matchup | Meet Ezekiel Elliott | 15 highest-paid coaches “We know how expensive travel can be, so we’re pleased to provide assistance for parents or guardians who want to see their sons play in the first College Football Playoff National Championship,” said Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff....