Prep golf starts Monday

COLUMBUS – The golf season begins Monday for member schools of the Ohio High School Athletic Association. All other fall sports begin practice next Friday, Aug. 1.

The state golf tournaments will be held Oct. 6-7 and Oct. 12-14.

A new course has joined the state tournament lineup, as Heatherwood Golf Club in Springboro will host the girls Division II state tournament Oct. 6-7. NCR Country Club in Dayton will host the boys Division II state tournament Oct. 6-7, while Firestone Country Club in Akron will host the boys and girls Division I state tournaments Oct. 12-13. NorthStar Golf Club in Sunbury will host boys Division III Oct. 13-14.

McAfee heads to Pro Football Hall of Fame

CANTON — Pat McAfee and ESPN are bringing his popular daily show to Canton to kick off Football’s Greatest Weekend.

“The Pat McAfee Show” plan to broadcast from the front steps of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, beneath the iconic Rotunda dome, on Thursday, July 31, only a few hours before the National Football League kicks off its 106th season.

At 8 p.m., the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers will meet in the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.

McAfee’s show also serves as the official opening of Fan Fest ’25 — four days of free events and attractions on the Hall of Fame’s campus from game day through Sunday, Aug. 3

“When the Pro Football Hall of Fame began considering ways to open the new Fan Fest with a splash, the immediate thought was to bring ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ to Canton,” said Jim Porter, Hall of Fame president & CEO. “He couldn’t have been more open to the idea, and we are thrilled for football fans and the millions of fans of his show that this is coming together. What a way to kick off a new football season!”

McAfee was an All-American punter at the West Virginia University and played eight seasons in the NFL, all with the Indianapolis Colts.

“The Pat McAfee Show” airs from noon to 2 p.m. weekdays on ESPN. Show co-hosts include A.J. Hawk, “Boston” Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit and Anthony “Tone Digz” DiGuilio.

Orioles edge Guardians

CLEVELAND (AP) — Gunnar Henderson singled in Alex Jackson with the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and Charlie Morton matched his longest start of the season, helping the Baltimore Orioles to a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday afternoon.

Henderson’s liner to right came against Erik Sabrowski, giving the loss to Guardians starter Logan Allen (6-9). The Orioles won for the second time in nine games and avoided a four-game series sweep.

Morton (6-8) went 6 2/3 innings and threw a season-high 107 pitches, giving up three runs while striking out seven. Gregory Soto tossed a clean ninth for his first save, filling in for injured closer Felix Bautista, who is on the injured list with right shoulder discomfort.

Steven Kwan hit a pair of solo homers and Nolan Jones had a sacrifice fly for Cleveland, which is 11-3 since July 7 and wrapped up its homestand with five wins in seven contests. The Guardians’ current surge came immediately after they lost 10 straight.

Kwan went deep in the third and fifth, both to right field, for his first multi-homer game in the majors.

Mariners acquire Josh Naylor

PHOENIX (AP) — The Seattle Mariners acquired first baseman Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press, as the franchise tries to beef up it’s roster ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

The 28-year-old Naylor is hitting .292 with 11 homers and 59 RBIs this season, which was his first with the D-backs. He was acquired from the Cleveland Guardians in a trade during the offseason.

The D-backs acquired left-hander Brandyn Garcia, who has two appearances for the Mariners this season, and minor-league lefty Ashton Izzi.

NFL’s heaviest player sits out due to weight

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Desmond Watson’s quest to make the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will get a late start.

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said the heaviest player in NFL history is day to day after starting camp on non-football injury list due to his weight.

“It’s just about trying to get him better, to be a healthier player and getting him on the field a little more,” Bowles said Wednesday. “That’s kind of where I’m at right now. He’s working at it and we’re working with him and that’s all you can ask right now.”

Watson, who played at Florida, was signed after going undrafted in April. He weighed 464 pounds at the school’s pro day and lost 25 to 30 pounds before the draft.

“I don’t have a timetable on what we can get him down to or when that comes,” Bowles said.

“He’s from Armwood, he went to Florida, so he’s used to the heat. That’s not a big factor in it. We’ve just got to see what happens.”

The 6-foot-6 defensive tackle has been working with a team nutritionist and the team hasn’t said what would be an ideal playing weight for him.