Axios Sports

October 18, 2021
π Good morning! One more sleep until the NBA returns.
βΎοΈ Just in: MLB said Sunday that it will require teams to provide housing for minor league players starting in 2022. We'll go deeper tomorrow.
Today's word count: 1,448 words (5 minutes).
Let's sports...
1 big thing: π Chi-Town is Sky-Town
Photo: Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Candace Parker came home this offseason with one goal β to deliver Chicago its first WNBA title. Mission accomplished.
What's happening: The Sky used a furious fourth-quarter rally Sunday afternoon to beat the Mercury, 80-74, and become the first team to ever win a WNBA title without a winning record (16-16).
- Vengeance: The Sky's only other Finals appearance came in 2014, when they were swept by ... the Mercury.
- Fun fact: Chicago joins L.A. and Washington, D.C., as the only cities with the "grand sextet" β titles in the Big Four, MLS and WNBA.

Between the lines: The key to Chicago's playoff run was their multitude of weapons. It felt like a different player stepped up every night.
- MVP: Kahleah Copper didn't have her best game on Sunday (10 points), but the breakout star of the postseason was named Finals MVP.
- Hometown hero: Parker filled up the stat sheet on Sunday with 16 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four steals. In the final 4:27, she had two assists, six boards and the game-tying three.
- Marriage goals: Courtney Vandersloot set a WNBA record with 102 playoff assists, while her teammate β and wife β Allie Quigley scored a career-high 26 points on Sunday.
The last word: "Look at the city, man," an emotional Parker told her daughter while gazing up at the raucous home crowd. "They all showed up."
Go deeper: Parker's legacy comes full circle (ESPN)
2. π NFL Sunday: The streak is over
Photo: Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images
The Jaguars entered Week 6 on a 20-game losing streak and had not made a field goal all season. Now, they'll enter the bye week with a confident kicker and a "one" in the win column, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes.
- The hero: Kicker Matthew Wright β who was a software engineer a month ago β went 3-3 on Sunday in London, including 50-yarders to tie and win the game.
- What's next: When the Jags visit the Seahawks in Week 8, they'll have a chance to win back-to-back games for the first time in two years.

More NFL:
- King of the North: Aaron Rodgers has thrown 26 straight TDs without an interception against NFC North opponents. "I still own you!" he told Bears fans after scoring Sunday. Yes, he does.
- Lamar's big weekend: On Saturday, Lamar Jackson found out Louisville was retiring his number; on Sunday, he broke Dan Marino's record for most wins (35) under the age of 25 since the merger.
- Picks keep coming: Trevon Diggs had a pick-six in the Cowboys' OT win over the Patriots. That gives him seven on the year and at least one in all six games, tied for the longest season-opening streak ever.
- Burrow's back: Only two QBs have thrown multiple TD passes in every game this season: Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow, who's just 11 months removed from a torn ACL.
- Raiders respond: The Raiders capped a tumultuous week by beating the Broncos, delivering longtime special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia his first win as a head coach at any level.
Scoreboard:Β Away teams are 9-3 so far this week, improving to 50-38 on the season. Home field advantage, where art thou?
- Home team won: Colts 31, Texans 3; Ravens 34, Chargers 6; Steelers 23, Seahawks 20
- Away team won: Chiefs 31, Washington 13; Packers 24, Bears 14; Bengals 34, Lions 11; Rams 38, Giants 11; Vikings 34, Panthers 28 (OT); Cardinals 37, Browns 14; Raiders 34, Broncos 24; Cowboys 35, Patriots 29 (OT)
- Neutral site (London): Jaguars 23, Dolphins 20
π Tonight: Bills (-6) at Titans
Go deeper: Week 6 winners and losers (The Ringer)
Bonus: π Scorigami!
Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images
The Rams beat the Giants, 38-11, on Sunday β the first "Scorigami" of the season.
What that means: A Scorigami is a final score that has never happened before. 38-11 is the 1,067th unique final score in NFL history.
Fun facts: Tom Brady is 11-0 in Scorigami games, and three Super Bowls have been Scorigamis β all of which involved the Broncos.
- Super Bowl XXI: Giants 39, Broncos 20
- Super Bowl XXIV: 49ers 55, Broncos 10
- Super Bowl XLVIII: Seahawks 43, Broncos 8
The backstory: The concept was created by Jon Bois of SB Nation, and now exists as a Twitter bot that tweets out current scores and chances that games will end in Scorigami.
π₯ Watch: The evolution of Scorigami (ESPN)
3. πΈ Photo of the night: Braves up 2-0
Photo: Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Braves walked off the Dodgers for the second straight night, winning 5-4 on Sunday to take a 2-0 NLCS lead.
Pictured above: Eddie Rosario, who hit the walk-off single, also scored a crucial run in the eighth on a close play at the plate.
π Tonight: Astros (tied 1-1) at Red Sox, 8pm ET
4. β‘οΈ Lightning round
Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
β³οΈ Rory wins in Vegas: Rory McIlroy battled back from nine shots down to beat Collin Morikawa at the CJ Cup, his 20th PGA Tour victory.
π΅ Wild stat: The NBA's top 10 earners this season will pocket a combined $714 million, up 28% from last year.
πΎ Maiden titles: Two unexpected champions emerged at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, with No. 27 Paula Badosa and No. 21 Cameron Norrie winning their first top-tier titles.
π Big brother brand: LiAngelo Ball has signed with the Hornets. If he sees game action, the Balls will be the eighth trio of brothers to all play in the NBA.
π Good read: The ultimate Stanley Cup (ESPN)
"The trophy that fans typically see is a fraction of the complete artifact. What would the Cup look like if all of the rings were put together?"
5. π AP poll: The return of the Spoilermakers


Purdue's huge road victory over then-No. 2 Iowa vaulted the Boilermakers into the top 25 for the first time since 2007, Jeff writes.
- Why it matters: This ends the longest unranked streak among Power 5 schools, an honor that now belongs to Kansas (last ranked in 2009).
- The big picture: This was Purdue's 13th win over an AP top-two team, trailing only Notre Dame, Ohio State, USC and Oklahoma.
State of play: The Big Ten now has six ranked teams, tied with the SEC for most of any conference.
- Moving in: Joining No. 25 Purdue is No. 24 UT San Antonio, ranked for the first time ever. No. 19 Auburn, No. 20 Baylor and No. 23 Pitt are also ranked.
- Moving out: Florida's departure leaves the state without a ranked team for the first time since 2011. Arkansas, Arizona State, BYU and Texas also fell out.
Notes:
- Knoxville chaos: The SEC has condemned the "unacceptable" fan behavior during Saturday's Tennessee-Ole Miss game, in which fans tossed an endless sea of objects on the field and delayed the game.
- LSU update: Ed Orgeron will step down after the season, less than two years after winning a national title.
- Heisman watch: Oklahoma true freshman QB Caleb Williams started his first game Saturday and already has the sixth-best Heisman odds.
Go deeper: What's next for each top 25 team (ESPN)
6. π Chart du jour: The NHL universe


310 of the NHL's 721 active players (43%) when the season began were born in Canada, per the league.
Of note: The nine countries with one player each are Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Kazakhstan (very nice!), Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Uzbekistan and Wales.
7. π Oct. 18, 1974: The first quadruple-double

47 years ago today, Nate Thurmond recorded the NBA's first quadruple-double, putting up 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocks in the Bulls' season-opening 120-115 win over the Hawks.
Why it matters: The elusive quadruple-double has occurred just five times in NBA history, with Alvin Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon (2x) and David Robinson joining Thurmond.
- Robertson (Feb. 18, 1986): 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals
- Olajuwon (March 3, 1990): 29 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists, 11 blocks
- Olajuwon (March 29, 1990): 18 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists, 11 blocks
- Robinson (Feb. 17, 1994): 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 blocks
π₯ Watch: Thurmond highlights (YouTube)
8. π The Ocho: Balloon World Cup

The inaugural Balloon World Cup took place in Barcelona last week β and it was electric.
- How it works: Two players volley a balloon around a 26x26 foot court littered with household items, while trying to prevent it from touching the floor.
- Details: 32 teams competed in the tournament, which was organized by Barcelona star Gerard PiquΓ©. Peru beat Germany to become the first-ever world champion.
The backstory: The idea for the event stemmed from a series of viral videos featuring American siblings playing "balloon league" at home during quarantine.
9. π NFL trivia
Courtesy: Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield are the second pair of No. 1 overall picks from the same school (Oklahoma) to start at QB against each other.
- Question: Who's the other pair?
- Hint: Same first initial.
Answer at the bottom.
10. π₯ Top plays: Weekend edition
Photo: Mike Comer/Getty Images
- β³οΈ Albatross
- β½οΈ Bicycle
- π Full extension
- π Hail Mary
- π Elite concentration
- β½οΈ Absolute beauty
- π Great hands
- βΎοΈ Robbery
- π What a grab
- π Through the legs
Talk tomorrow,
Kendall "I threw the mustard" Baker
Trivia answer: Jim Plunkett and John Elway (Stanford)
π Thanks for reading.Β For more sports coverage, follow us on Twitter: @kendallbaker andΒ @jeffreytracy.
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