Shohei Ohtani’s unbelievable night, plus Aaron Rodgers’ resurgence

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Good morning! Break a record today. The good kind.

While You Were Sleeping: Of course he did it like that

On Friday mornings in football season, this opening section is normally reserved for the NFL , but we'll get to that in a minute. Shohei Ohtani , author of one of the greatest baseball seasons on record, takes precedence:

There's nothing more descriptive of last night's game, when Ohtani became the first 50 home runs, 50 steals player in MLB history, than his box score: 6-for-6, three home runs, two steals and 10 RBIs (just two shy of the MLB single-game record set 100 years ago). Along the way, moments after founding the 50-50 club, he founded 51-51.

Remember this is a rehab season for Ohtani, also an ace pitcher who is recovering from elbow surgery. Take a year off pitching (and fielding) while achieving an unprecedented offensive combo. This is the best player in modern history, right? Just read his teammates' comments after the game .

Fabian Ardaya compiled the best moments from Ohtani's season , of which there are many. His peers are in awe . It clearly meant a lot to Ohtani too, who said afterward he "wanted to get it over with."

Also feeling good last night? Aaron Rodgers, who looked like himself again in the Jets' 24-3 rout of the Patriots . He threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns. New York might make the AFC East interesting .

The only weird part of the night was this interaction between Rodgers and Jets coach Robert Saleh:

Happening last night, too: The Atlanta Dream claimed the final spot in the WNBA playoffs with a win over the Liberty. The postseason begins Sunday. See every matchup here.

Downfalls: A meddlesome owner and the worst team in history

We are almost ready to say goodbye to the 2024 Chicago White Sox , who creep closer each day to having the worst record in modern baseball history. For now, we simply gawk at the numbers: 117 losses in 153 games. They are three short of the dreaded mark.

But a larger question must be asked: How did this even happen?

Just look around the rest of the AL Central, and you'll see joy everywhere. The Tigers are a surprise, as are the Royals . The Twins are in a wild-card slot for now, and the Guardians are the class of the division.

We got answers to the big question yesterday, thanks to a sprawling report from Brittany Ghiroli and Ken Rosenthal. They focus squarely on an owner ill-suited for the moment:

Jerry Reinsdorf, 88, is the heart of the White Sox's malaise, a man who may be the biggest actual baseball fan among MLB owners. Yet he appears to be a fan of how the game was played in 1992. Analytics? No thanks. The approach seeps throughout the organization.

He runs the team like a family business, which is no compliment here. He's hands-on throughout its operations. A particularly striking story: When the White Sox had a managerial opening in 2020, then-general manager Rick Hahn scheduled an interview with former Astros head man A.J. Hinch, who also had an interview lined up in Detroit. Before Hinch could even land in Chicago, Reinsdorf had hired Tony La Russa, then 76, who hadn't managed in 10 years.

These sorts of decisions have besieged the organization throughout Reinsdorf's tenure. Rival executives told Brittany and Ken the White Sox employ people who have "no business being in Major League Baseball."

Chicago was thankfully off last night, and must win seven of their remaining nine games to avoid tying the 1962 Mets for the worst record in modern baseball history. I urge you to read the full story here , which is rife with dramatic examples of failure.

News to Know

Jagr retires (finally) Hockey legend Jaromir Jagr, 52 years young, announced his retirement from professional hockey yesterday after a 37-year career. Jagr is currently playing in the Czech Extraliga for HC Rytíři Kladno, his hometown team that he also owns. I'll believe he's retired when I see it.

More news

Anaheim DucksRadko Gudas as captain. It was the right choice.

Cleveland Guardiansclinched an MLB playoff spot yesterday.

Cris Collinsworth appears set to stay with through 2030.

Feedback Loop: Apathy!

This one very much surprised me. Yesterday, we asked if Deion Sanders' tirade earlier this week about media criticism of players in the NIL era was accurate. Nearly 75 percent of you simply said you don't care.

I think that's remarkable for Sanders and Colorado, who have soaked up plenty of spotlight over their 21 months together. We are at the apathy stage, according to you. Not exactly what the Buffs are going for.

A final note: I'm not sure if I agree with Deion here, though the tenor has certainly changed. I'd argue it was worse NIL — many in the media treated unpaid 19-year-olds like pro athletes, not to mention the horrors produced by SEC message boards. I still feel icky criticizing college kids, but at least they're paid well now?

Anyway. Thank you as always for voting.

The Good Bets: Go Vols

We went 2-2 last week. Completely whiffed on college games, but more data equals smarter picks, right? Yes, I tell myself. Picks for this week (odds via BetMGM):

No. 6 Tennessee (-7) at No. 15 OklahomaI am all in on the Vol hype, and I would bet plenty of money on a comfortable win against a Sooner team I think is overrated.

Boston College (-6.5) at Michigan StateI remain bullish on Bill O'Brien's team. The Golden Eagles beat a rebuilding Sparty by at least a touchdown.

Best betsExpert picks

Bears at Colts UNDER 43.5The running trend right now across the league is the rise of defense, as points are down for many teams. Both of these outfits have struggled to score touchdowns. This feels right.

Commanders (+7.5) vs. Bengals I don't feel great about this, but Cincinnati's defense may be fraudy, and Jayden Daniels has been smart with the ball thus far.

Best betsExpert picks

Pulse record overall: 4-6-1

MLB: Tigers at Orioles 7:05 p.m. ET on Apple TV+ Talk about different trajectories. Both of these squads are on playoff tracks, but Baltimore is crashing after a sizzling start to the season while Detroit has been the hottest team in baseball over the last two weeks. The Tigers still need a few more wins to sew up a wild-card spot.

CFB: No. 24 Illinois at No. 22 Nebraska 8 p.m. ET on Fox A top-25 matchup between these two, with actual hype for both, including even high ticket prices tonight? I love this timeline. Let's see how far freshman Huskers QB Dylan Raiola can take his Patrick Mahomes cosplay.

Stream games like these and get tickets .

"Scoop City" has a banger episode with Chargers beat writer Daniel Popper — to talk about the team's great start — Jets fan/famous actor Anthony Ramos. Listen here

Pulse Picks

James Madison University was once a women's teaching school. Now it's college sports' next disruptor. Justin Williams traveled to Harrisonburg, Va., to figure out what's going on at one of the best Group of 5 athletic departments in the country .

Tim Graham has a wonderful story about Bills cornerback Christian Benford, who has heartbreak literally tattooed on his face. But there's more to the story

Brandon Funston updated our Top 100 rest-of-season fantasy football rankings. Dive in here

What do Tom Brady and rapper have in common? They're part of Topps' collectible growth strategy , as Justin Block writes.

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Alec Lewis' wonderful feature on Fran Tarkenton, who's still scrambling at 84

Most-read on the website yesterday: Our story on the mistake by Julio Rodríguez that allowed the Yankees to clinch a playoff berth Wednesday.

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(Top photo: Megan Briggs / )