Mickey Togs

The Denver Broncos have entered a sale agreement with the Walton-Penner family ownership group, led by Walmart heir Rob Walton, as part of a reported record-setting deal to purchase the NFL franchise.

The Broncos confirmed the acquisition in a statement shared by team president and CEO Joe Ellis.

“While this purchase and sale agreement is pending approval from the NFL’s finance committee and league ownership, today marks a significant step on the path to an exciting new chapter in Broncos history,” Ellis said.

The winning bid is valued at $4.65 billion, the most expensive price ever paid for a U.S. sports team, more than doubling the $2.275 paid by David Tepper to acquire the Carolina Panthers in 2018.

NY Mets pitcher Max Scherzer dominated the opposition while his Braves counterpart, Max Fried, was lucky to survive the early innings. 

With Scherzer in charge the Mets’ wasted opportunities weren’t so pronounced. The right-hander’s seven strong innings led a 4-1 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 42,925, pushing the Mets’ NL East-lead over the Braves back to 2 ½ games. 

The Mets (54-33) still have 14 games remaining against the Braves before the regular season concludes. Scherzer offered a reminder on this night of why team owner Steve Cohen was willing to give him a three-year contract worth $130 million last offseason. 

Scherzer didn’t dent until the seventh, when Austin Riley crushed a two-out homer that pulled the Braves within 2-1. The ensuing batter, Marcell Ozuna, doubled on a hanging slider before Scherzer struck out Eddie Rosario and pumped his fist in celebration. Before Riley’s homer, Scherzer had retired 12 straight batters and 20 of 21 overall in the game.

Mets infielder Luis Guillorme smashed a leadoff eighth-inning homer, and Adam Ottavino and Edwin Diaz combined to pitch the final two innings scoreless. It was the first time this season manager Buck Showalter opted to use Diaz on three straight days. 

Former Fox, CBS, ABC and NBC baseball analyst Tim McCarver, who was in the analyst chair for 24 World Series, has officially retired. 

McCarver, who last called games on the national stage in the 2013 World Series, had worked Cardinals games for six years after that and had been on hiatus during the pandemic. 

“I think I’m happy about it,” he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I think that’s the best.”

The 80-year-old former World Series-winning catcher had all but officially been retired the last couple of years, but the announcement is still notable. 

For 18 years, McCarver and Joe Buck called the World Series on Fox, with Buck saying at one point that he learned more about broadcasting from McCarver than his father, Jack. 

“There will never be another one like him,” Buck said during the 2013 season. “I personally think it’s a tougher analyst job than in the NFL, NHL, NBA. Because of that, it’s the hardest role to fill. He’s done it forever and there’s a reason why — it’s not that easy.”