| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·Jul 12, 2021 | | 👋 Happy Monday! What a weekend, my goodness. Greatness all over the globe. ⚾️ Déjà vu: In 2012, the A's drafted Max Muncy. In 2021, the A's drafted another Max Muncy, who shares a birthday with the first Max Muncy. - Max Muncy: Born Aug. 25, 1990, drafted by A's in 2012
- Max Muncy: Born Aug. 25, 2002, drafted by A's in 2021
Today's word count: 1,897 words (7 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🇮🇹 It's coming Rome |  | | | Photo: Michael Regan/UEFA via Getty Images | | | | Italy beat England in a dramatic 3-2 penalty shootout on Sunday to claim its first European Championship since 1968. - England will have to wait at least another year to win its first major international championship since the 1966 World Cup.
- Italy, which failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, is now one game shy of matching Brazil and Spain's men's record for consecutive unbeaten matches (35).
Stat du jour: England has won just 22% (2/9) of its major tournament shootouts, the worst mark of any European nation that has been involved in at least three. The big picture: Many England fans had never seen their team lift a major trophy. Many, now, still haven't. The scene at Wembley, as dreams were simultaneously crushed and realized: Italy's players, European champions now, sank to their knees in disbelief, in delight. England's players stared blankly out into the stadium, desolate and distraught, unable to comprehend that it was over, that the tournament in which everything changed had not changed the most important thing of all, that the wait goes on. And the stadium, after all that noise, after all those songs, after all those dreams, stood silent, dumbstruck, and stared straight back. Driving the news ... Three young Black players who missed penalty kicks were subjected to racist abuse on social media after the game, drawing condemnation from the English Football Association and the British government. |     | | | | | | 2. 🏀 NBA Finals: Giannis dominates Game 3 |  | | | Photo: Justin Casterline/Getty Images | | | | The Bucks overwhelmed the Suns, 120-100, in Game 3 of the NBA Finals behind Giannis Antetokounmpo's 41 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. - By the numbers: Antetokounmpo took more free throws (17) than the Suns (16), and all 14 of his field goals came within five feet of the hoop.
- Wild stat: Antetokounmpo is the third player in NBA Finals history with a 40-point double-double in consecutive games, joining LeBron James (2016) and Shaquille O'Neal (2000).
The big picture: In a postseason marred by injuries, the Greek Freak has not only come back from his scary fall — he's taken his game to a new level since returning to the court. - What's next: Game 4 is Wednesday night in Milwaukee. The combined score through three games is Suns 336, Bucks 333.
More hoops: - Team USA: Team USA suffered a stunning 90-87 loss to Nigeria in its first exhibition game before the Olympics. Nine years ago, the U.S. beat Nigeria by 83 points at the London Games.
- Overtime Elite: 16-year-old Jalen Lewis, the No. 2 recruit in the Class 0f 2023, is leaving high school to sign with Overtime Elite, making him the youngest basketball prospect in the U.S. to ever turn pro.
- BIG3: After a year away, the BIG3's fourth season tipped off this weekend in Las Vegas. Team to watch: The defending champion Triplets, led by Joe Johnson and Al Jefferson.
| | | | | | | | 3. 🇦🇷 Lionel Messi finally finds peace |  | | | Photo: Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images | | | | Lionel Messi had done pretty much everything a person who kicks a soccer ball for a living could do. The only thing left was an international trophy — and on Saturday night in Brazil, he finally got it. "I can't explain how happy I feel." — Messi The big picture: Argentina beat Brazil, 1-0, in the Copa América Final to end a 28-year trophy drought and reclaim its place atop South America. The celebration back home in Buenos Aires... Photo: Tomas Cuesta/Getty Images | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Market news worthy of your time | | |  | | | | Get a daily look at the news and trends dominating the worlds of global business and finance. Why it matters: We highlight the stories that matter and share crucial economic insights. Stay informed in just a few short minutes. Subscribe for free | | | | | | 4. 🎾 Djokovic, Barty win at Wimbledon |  Table: Axios Visuals Well, Novak Djokovic won again. He now has 20 Grand Slam titles, tied with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the most ever. - What's next: Djokovic will go for the calendar Grand Slam at next month's U.S. Open — a feat last accomplished by Rod Laver in 1969.
- Scott Van Pelt: "The crowd is seemingly never on his side but time and time again Djokovic has moments so brilliant he invites/demands them to acknowledge and appreciate. 'You don't have to love me, but you're going to cheer for what I just did.' He's just relentless."
Ashleigh Barty after winning the 2011 girls' title and the 2021 ladies' title. Photos: Getty Images What a journey: In 2014, Ashleigh Barty quit tennis for cricket. On Saturday, she became the first Australian woman to win Wimbledon since her mentor, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, 41 years ago. - 10 years later ... 49 women have won the Wimbledon ladies title, but only five have also won the girls' title. That list now includes Barty.
| | | | | | | | 5. ⚾️ MLB draft: Where are No. 1 picks now? |  | | | Photo: Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images | | | | The 2021 MLB Draft began Sunday night with the Pirates selecting Louisville catcher Henry Davis first overall, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. - Top 5: 1. Davis (Pirates), 2. Jack Leiter (Rangers), 3. Jackson Jobe (Tigers), 4. Marcelo Mayer (Red Sox), 5. Colton Cowser (Orioles).
The state of play: The journey to the majors can be long and winding, even for a No. 1 pick. With Davis' career set to begin, we were curious: How have the other top picks this century fared?  Data: Baseball Reference; Table: Connor Rothschild/Axios Breakdown: - Active All-Stars (6): Justin Upton, David Price, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Correa have a combined 24 All-Star berths.
- Starter-level (3): Dansby Swanson is solid; Casey Mize is having an excellent rookie season (3.59 ERA); Tim Beckham is in the minors, but has 1,751 league-average MLB plate appearances under his belt.
- Too early to tell (2): Spencer Torkelson and Adley Rutschman are raking in the minors and could debut as soon as this fall.
- Outlook hazy (3): Mickey Moniak and Royce Lewis are still young, but the former has struggled in brief MLB stints and the latter is out until 2022 with a torn ACL. Brady Aiken hasn't pitched since 2019.
- Retired (5): Adrián González, Joe Mauer, Bryan Bullington, Delmon Young and Luke Hochevar have all hung up their spikes, an Mauer is the only one with a shot at the Hall of Fame.
- Comebacks (2): Matt Bush is in his fourth season with the Rangers after struggling with substance abuse for more than a decade, and Mark Appel is pitching professionally for the first time since 2017.
What's next: Rounds 2–10 are this afternoon (1pm ET), and the draft wraps up tomorrow with rounds 11–20. Go deeper: Round 1 results and analysis (ESPN) | | | | | | | | 6. 🏆 ESPYS: Nikic shines; Brady, Osaka win big |  | | | Photo: Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC via Getty Images | | | | The ESPYS, hosted by Captain America himself, returned to normal this weekend in New York after 2020's virtual presentation, Jeff writes. The big picture: 35 awards were given for athletic achievements, while three athletes were also honored for their perseverance, courage and service over the past year. - Jimmy V Award for Perseverance: Chris Nikic in November became the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon. "People ask: Why don't you quit?" said Nikic. "Because my dream is bigger than my pain."
- Arthur Ashe Courage Award: Maya Moore put her Hall of Fame WNBA career on hold in 2019 to fight for prison reform, focusing on the wrongful conviction of Jonathan Irons. Moore's efforts helped lead to Irons' exoneration, and the two are now married. Speech.
- Pat Tillman Award for Service: Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford raised millions to help feed children across his native England after he grew up relying on such free meals. His story.
Other winners: - Tom Brady was named best NFL player and men's athlete, while his Buccaneers were named the best team across sports.
- Naomi Osaka was named the best women's tennis player and athlete. After withdrawing from the French Open and skipping Wimbledon, she'll represent Japan at the Tokyo Olympics.
- Best game: Gonzaga's 93-90 win over UCLA in the Final Four. Reminder: No. 11 UCLA tied the game with 3.3 seconds left in overtime before Jalen Suggs banked in a 40-footer at the buzzer to lead then-undefeated No. 1 Gonzaga to the title game.
- Best play: Kyler to Hopkins — the Hail Murray!
Go deeper: | | | | | | | | 7. ⚡️ Lightning round | | Photo: Stacy Revere/Getty Images 🥊 Down goes McGregor: The third bout between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier ended anticlimactically in the first round, with McGregor landing awkwardly and breaking his leg. ⚾️ 9 straight Ks: Marlins starter Pablo Lopez set a modern-era record Sunday by striking out the first nine batters he faced. ⛳️ Celebrity golf: Vinny Del Negro beat John Smoltz in a playoff to win the American Century Championship. Tony Romo finished third, Steph Curry finished ninth, Al Michaels finished last. Full leaderboard. Photo: John Dorton/ISI Photos/Getty Images ⚽️ USA 1, Haiti 0: Sam Vines scored an early goal and the USMNT hung on to beat Haiti in Kansas City in a nervy start to Group B play at the 2021 Gold Cup. Group-by-group preview. ⚾️ Yanks choke again: MLB teams are 493-2 (.996) when leading by 4+ runs entering the 9th inning this season. The Yankees, who blew a late lead against the Astros on Sunday, are responsible for both losses. 🏈 KU under fire: A former Kansas football player under Les Miles says the school offered him more than $50,000 if he left the program and stayed quiet about being harassed by teammates. Read the report. | | | | | | | | 8. 📆 July 12, 1979: Disco Demolition Night |  | | | Photo: Bettmann Archives/Getty Images | | | | 42 years ago today, Chicago's Comiskey Park descended into madness during the most ill-advised promotion in major league history. (Yes, even worse than 10-cent beer night.) The backdrop: Disco had usurped rock as the most popular music genre in the 1970s, ruffling plenty of rock-fanatics' feathers — none more so than Chicago-based shock jockey, Steve Dahl. - The White Sox devised "Disco Demolition Night" with Dahl's radio station, 97.9 WLUP, to drum up attendance amid a lackluster season.
- The plan was to let any fan trade in a disco record for a 98-cent ticket to the White Sox-Twins doubleheader, and between games Dahl would blow up the lot of them.
Photo: Paul Natkin/Getty Images What happened: 50,000 rowdy rock fans showed up at Comiskey Park, nearly double what the White Sox anticipated. After Dahl set off the explosion, mayhem ensued. - Fans stormed the field, riot police followed and the damage was so extensive that the second game was ruled a White Sox forfeit.
- Fun fact: This remains the last AL game to be forfeited. In the NL, that honor belongs to the Dodgers after a 1995 baseball giveaway promotion went awry.
Between the lines: Critics viewed the promotion as a not-so-subtle attack on minority groups, who had been some of the early adopters — and creators — of disco. 🎥 Watch: News footage (YouTube) | | | | | | | | 9. ⚾️ MLB trivia |  | | | Photo: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images | | | | Ronald Acuña Jr., whose season ended Saturday (torn ACL), is one of five players in MLB history with 100 HR and 75 SB before turning 24. - Question: Who are the other four?
- Hint: Only one is still active, but all four played this century.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 📆 Live interview: U.S. Soccer president |  | | | Cindy Parlow Cone. Photo: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images | | | | "Future of Sports" — our virtual event series in partnership with the Aspen Institute — returns tomorrow, and you're all invited. - When: Tomorrow, 2–3pm ET
- Topic: The Future of U.S. Soccer
- Who: I'll be interviewing Cindy Parlow Cone, president of the U.S. Soccer Federation. An audience Q&A will follow.
The big picture: This is a big summer for the U.S. men's and women's national teams, and Cindy joins us on the eve of the Tokyo Olympics to discuss everything from equal pay to youth participation. - The U.S. co-hosts the World Cup in 2026, which presents a huge growth opportunity for the sport.
- How do we make sure the story that's told about U.S. Soccer in four years is a positive one? What needs to happen between now and then? We'll explore those questions and more.
Register for tomorrow's event (it's free!) | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Market news worthy of your time | | | | | | | | Get a daily look at the news and trends dominating the worlds of global business and finance. Why it matters: We highlight the stories that matter and share crucial economic insights. Stay informed in just a few short minutes. Subscribe for free | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Almost Sho-time" Baker Trivia answer: Mike Trout, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Andruw Jones 🙏 Thanks for reading. Don't forget to refer friends (axios.com/referral) and follow us on Twitter: @thekendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. |  | | It'll help you deliver employee communications more effectively. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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