Quick Hits

• The Vikings' big question mark took a hit. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy — the young guy Minnesota fans are hoping solidifies the position — started Saturday's preseason game but lasted only 18 snaps, getting "banged up" in a rough first quarter. ESPN reports he'd have played longer if not for the knock.
• Ex-NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from his courtside seat at a WNBA game Sunday after a verbal altercation with Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud. It comes days after he requested eligibility for the WNBA Draft amid the league's dispute over transgender inclusion.
• Seattle's Randy Arozarena homered on the game's first pitch, then ended the game with a walk-off homer (a "walk-off" means the hit that ends the game on the spot). Only three players in MLB history have done both in one game — and the Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong did it just days earlier.
• Shohei Ohtani could return to pitching for the Dodgers as soon as next week, per CBS Sports. He hasn't pitched since July 3 because of knee and bicep issues, and ESPN's awards watch frames the MVP race as Ohtani chasing Crow-Armstrong.
• The college eligibility mess produced a headline move: a judge cleared former Missouri star Mark Mitchell for a fifth season, and he promptly committed to Kentucky.

Minnesota Teams

The Vikings' Saturday preseason game (Week 2 of the fake games before the real ones) was supposed to be an extended look at J.J. McCarthy. Instead, per ESPN, he got "banged up" during an ugly first quarter and finished with just 18 snaps in a loss. The story doesn't detail the injury, so the severity is the thing local fans will be watching for this week. Otherwise it was a quiet weekend in the feed — no Twins, Timberwolves, Wild or Gophers news to pass along.

NFL

Preseason is winding down, and the league's biggest soap opera is in Cleveland: Shedeur Sanders was "decent" in his start while Deshaun Watson struggled, but both threw interceptions, and coach Todd Monken reportedly plans to name a starter "in the coming days."

In Atlanta, the quarterback battle between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa is officially heating up — CBS says Penix is now fully cleared, and sources rave about his "live arm." Elsewhere: with Week 1 odds already out, SportsLine's computer model likes the Eagles and Jaguars for the opener. And if you're doing a fantasy draft, CBS flags injuries to running backs Ashton Jeanty and Alvin Kamara (plus receiver Jayden Higgins) as the week's biggest board-movers.

NBA

The story everyone's talking about actually happened at a WNBA game: Enes Kanter Freedom, sitting courtside for Sunday's Fever-Sky game, got into a verbal confrontation with Chicago guard Natasha Cloud and was ejected. The backdrop, per CBS Sports: Kanter Freedom has requested eligibility for the WNBA Draft amid the ongoing row over transgender inclusion in the league.

On the court itself, it's the quiet season — ESPN's annual Summer Forecast is out, with a panel of experts projecting where all 30 teams will finish in the 2026-27 standings. There's also a nice weekend read on Kobe Bryant's two essentially Hall-of-Fame careers: one wearing No. 8, one wearing No. 24.

MLB

Arozarena had maybe the wildest stat line of the year Saturday against the Cubs: a home run on the game's first pitch, a home run robbed on defense, and then a walk-off blast — becoming just the third player ever to pair the first-pitch shot with the walk-off. The Mariners got the win.

The Dodgers are the team to watch as the stretch run begins. Ohtani may pitch again as soon as next week; Tarik Skubal — a two-time Cy Young winner now in Dodger blue — shook off a three-run first inning Saturday and struck out 11 for his first win with the club. The bad news: All-Star Andy Pages, their top right-handed hitter this season, broke his hand, a real blow as L.A. chases a third straight World Series title.

College Sports

The eligibility saga keeps churning: CBS reports Class of 2022 athletes lost their NCAA eligibility again in court, with more lawsuits coming, and ESPN has a full explainer on how college basketball got here. The human twist: ex-Missouri star Mark Mitchell won a fifth year via a judge's temporary order and has committed to Kentucky.

Meanwhile, the college football season is almost here — CBS ranked every week of the schedule by watchability and pegs that early-November weekend as the can't-miss slate, with returning-production breakdowns for all 138 major teams if you want to sound smart at a watch party.

Other Sports

• Golf: Japan's Miyu Yamashita matched the LPGA's 72-hole scoring record, winning the CPKC Women's Open wire-to-wire by nine strokes at Royal Mayfair. Also in golf: LIV Golf wrapped its 2026 season in Indianapolis, and ESPN asks whether the upstart league — new financing plans or not — is nearing its end.
• Soccer: The Premier League season opened this weekend. CBS's "panic meter" says Aston Villa got blitzed, Manchester United stumbled, and Liverpool just needs time — their words, not panic-free ours.
• MMA: Noche UFC lost its main event — Yair Rodriguez is out, and Jose Delgado steps in against Jean Silva in what CBS calls a fan-friendly matchup.