Vernon Adams excelled in his Oregon debut Saturday night but left the game early after taking a late hit in the fourth quarter.

Adams was making his first start at quarterback for the Ducks against his old team, Eastern Washington. While scrambling in the fourth quarter, he was hit in the head by a former teammate in the Ducks' 61-42 win.

[Check out Dr. Saturday on Tumblr for things you won’t see on the blog]

EWU linebacker John Kreifels, the man who made the hit, was called for targeting and ejected for the game. Adams, who was woozy after the hit, walked off the field and didn't return, though he stayed on the sidelines.

Adams put up some nice numbers before he left. He was 19-of-25 passing for 246 yards and two touchdowns while he had 14 carries for 94 yards rushing. Adams was replaced in the fourth quarter by Jeff Lockie.

Adams and Lockie, Marcus Mariota's backup in 2014, were competing for the starting job heading into 2015. A graduate transfer from EWU, Adams was eligible to play immediately in 2015 but had to wait until his summer math class was completed (and passed) before he could join the Ducks in Oregon.

He threw for nearly 3,500 yards, 35 touchdowns and eight interceptions for EWU in 2014 as he finished as the runner up for the Walter Payton Award, the FCS version of the Heisman.

Oregon running back Royce Freeman, the man who will carry the bulk of the rushing load for Oregon in 2015 after Thomas Tyner's shoulder injury, had 180 yards rushing and three touchdowns on just 21 carries. Kani Benoit, a sophomore running back, had 83 yards on 11 carries as Oregon ran for 485 yards as a team.

For more Oregon news, visit DuckSportsAuthority.com.

- - - - - - -

Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

The big question surrounding Alabama coming into Saturday night’s opener with Wisconsin was who would start at quarterback.

Senior Jacob Coker got the nod, but when you have Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake  in the backfield, it makes a quarterback’s job a whole lot easier. Henry (147 yards, 3 TDs) and Drake (77 yards, TD) ran wild on the Badgers defense, combining for 224 yards and four touchdowns in a convincing 35-17 Alabama win.

Coker played well in his first start for the third-ranked Tide, completing 15 of 21 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Cooper Bateman also saw the field for Alabama and completed 7 of 8 passes for 51 yards in the second half while the Tide held a sizeable lead.

[Check out Dr. Saturday on Tumblr for things you won’t see on the blog]

Coker got in a solid rhythm early. On Alabama’s second drive, Coker moved the Tide into Wisconsin territory on throws of 22, 22, and 10 yards before Henry reeled off his first highlight-reel score of the night – a 37-yard scamper on a fourth-and-one play.

But the Badgers hung around in the first half, tying things up on a Joel Stave touchdown pass to Alex Erickson. Coker responded with his lone touchdown pass of the night – a 17-yard catch-and-run by Robert Foster – to give the Tide a 14-7 halftime lead.

Once the second half began, Lane Kiffin and the Tide offense went back to Henry – and he delivered.

Henry’s first carry of the second half was a 56-yard score. He also added a two-yard plunge later on in the third, allowing the Tide to open up a 28-7 lead.

Wisconsin was able to respond with a field goal, but Drake put things out of reach with a 43-yard score down the right sideline in the fourth.

While the Tide offense put up a combined 502 yards, the defense limited the Badgers rushing attack to only 40 yards. Corey Clement, expected to succeed Melvin Gordon for the Badgers, managed only 16 yards on eight carries.

One bright spot for the Badgers was the play of Stave. Though he did throw an interception late in the fourth, he threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns and looked a whole lot better than he did in 2014 after a bout with the yips.

For Alabama, it’s a solid season-opening win against a ranked opponent. Nick Saban had to be pleased with the play of the quarterback position, though it looks like a competition between Coker and Bateman could continue into the Tide’s Week 2 home matchup against Middle Tennessee State.

Saban-coached teams have won plenty of games with good, not great quarterback play. If Coker or Bateman can provide steady, turnover-free play, there’s no reason to think the Tide can’t contend for the College Football Playoff – especially with that high-powered backfield and defense. 

For more Alabama news, visit TideSports.com. For more Wisconsin news, visit BadgerBlitz.com.

- - - - - - -

Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @SamDCooper

LAS VEGAS – Anthony Johnson took one step closer to avenging his loss to UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier earlier this year with a vicious second-round knockout of Jimi Manuwa at Saturday’s UFC 191.

The first round was not indicative of the violent end, as many fans actually booed the conclusion of the opening frame.

Understandable, given the fact that the first round of Johnson vs. Manuwa was largely contested in the clinch and on the ground.

But all that changed in the second – 28 seconds in, to be exact – when Johnson unleashed a hellish overhand right hook that was setup off a body kick. The punch landed with precision to the jaw of Manuwa and the Englishman went crashing to the Octagon mat.

Johnson beat his chest, yelled at the crowd, and raised his hands to the ceiling as the crowd inside the MGM Grand roared with approval.

“Yeah, that’s just muscle memory, we don’t really train that,” Johnson said post-fight about the devastating blow. “I guess it’s in my DNA, I don’t know.”

Johnson battled plenty of adversity outside of the cage heading into his scrap with Manuwa on Saturday. First, there was the issue of an errant yoga mat at his local gym that resulted in Rumble having a shouting match with a female gym member (not exactly a good look for someone who has prior domestic violence issues). And even more recently was the apparent questions surrounding Johnson’s practices at his kennel where he breeds pitbulls, Rumbletime Kennels.

Apparently the controversies weren’t enough to derail Johnson’s mental focus, as he went out and put another highlight-reel knockout to his résumé.

Johnson addressed his critics – albeit vaguely – after the win.

“This fight was dedicated to all the people that supported to me through thick and thin. And everyone who didn’t, 'That one is for you too.' ”

The win makes Johnson 4-1 since his return to the UFC in April 2014. With his only loss coming at the hands of the aforementioned champ, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Johnson may be setting his sights on UFC gold sooner rather than later.

- - - - - - -

Ryan McKinnell is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports Cagewriter blog. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

It’s (almost) the end of the first weekend of college football, so it’s time to make snap judgments and sweeping generalizations about the last three days of the sport we all know and love.

The Pac-12 is overrated.

All right, we don’t actually believe that, but we do believe this was not the best opening week for a conference that’s trying to sell itself as the best in college football.

And it wasn’t just perennial bottom feeders Washington State (lost to Portland State) and Colorado (lost to Hawaii) that sullied the Pac-12’s reputation, but Stanford (Stanford!) that provided the biggest shock of the weekend.

The Cardinal was supposed to not only be a challenger for the Pac-12 title, but also have a possible shot at the College Football Playoff. Rarely does a loss during the first week of the season doom a team’s chances to play for a national championship, but considering the Cardinal’s chances officially doomed.

It doesn’t matter how you want to dress up Northwestern and its gritty and gutty play, this game was one of the biggest shockers in a long time. Stanford was not ready to start the season and that was from the coaches to quarterback Kevin Hogan to pretty much everyone who traveled on the Stanford plane to Illinois.

While Stanford was definitely the conference’s black sheep this weekend, Arizona State’s loss to Texas A&M wasn’t all that graceful; Washington had the most boring loss to Boise State; Arizona struggled with Texas-San Antonio, which included losing star linebacker Scooby Wright to a knee injury; and Oregon State’s six first-half points against Weber State weren’t exactly moments the conference will look upon fondly when it reviews the weekend.

That said, there were some bright spots. UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen lived up to the hype and set all sorts of records against what appeared to be an improved Virginia team. Utah spoiled Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan debut with a spirited win in the biggest game at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Vernon Adams’ debut as Oregon’s new quarterback was all that many hoped it would be (until he was injured), but the Ducks’ defense left a little to be desired. And Cal — good ol’ Cal — quietly put up 73 points against Grambling, which was the second-highest point total of the weekend.

Second to an SEC team, but we won’t get into comparing conferences just yet.

We don’t mean to beat on the Pac-12; there were definitely conferences with worse performances, but if it really wants to be the best conference in the country, it ha a lot of work to do.

Here's the rest of the winners and losers from Week 1:

WINNERS

Skai Moore, South Carolina: Two interceptions of Marquise Williams, both in the end zone (and the latter coming with the game on the line late in the fourth quarter), were about as crucial as anything to the Gamecocks opening the 2015 campaign with a victory. Throw in a team-leading 10 tackles, and Moore made a clear case as Week 1's top defensive player before the weekend even arrived. 

Bobby Swigert, Boston College: A horrific knee injury two years ago, followed by a series of infections, has led to the Eagles wide receiver to endure 11 surgeries on his path back to the field. On Saturday, he caught his first pass (and then touchdown) since the devastating moment in a home game against Notre Dame in 2012 that left him with such a brutal mountain to climb. Before the injury, Swigert made 106 catches for 1,262 yards and 8 touchdowns in 32 games. He finished the day with two catches for 16 yards and a touchdown. Boston College will be better with him back. 

Christian Kirk, Texas A&M: While the timeshare between quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray will get a lot of the postgame attention from Texas A&M's 38-17 win over Arizona State, Kirk was the Aggies' breakout player. The true freshman had over 100 yards receiving on six catches, including a fantastic 66-yard catch and run and a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown. A five-star recruit and the No. 3 wide receiver in the class of 2015, Kirk could be the most dangerous offensive weapon the Aggies have. And that's saying something with the likes of Tra Carson, Speedy Noil and Ricky Seals-Jones at the skill positions for A&M.

Karl Joseph, West Virginia: Karl Joseph’s final season at West Virginia got off to a great start Saturday night. The senior safety, now in his fourth season as a starter on the Mountaineers defense, intercepted three passes in WVU’s convincing 44-0 win over Georgia Southern. All three of Joseph’s interceptions came in the second half. Joseph, one of the best players in the Big 12, also added eight tackles for the Mountaineers.

Charlotte: Charlotte’s first game as an FBS program was a good one. The 49ers traveled south to Georgia to take on Georgia State and pulled out a 23-20 win at the Georgia Dome. Senior quarterback Matt Johnson threw for 242 yards and a touchdown while Kalif Phillips rushed for 90 yards and Austin Duke hauled in seven passes for 95 yards and a score. The win for the 49ers comes less than a month after the death of offensive line coach Phil Ratliff.

LOSERS

Marquise Williams, North Carolina: If you love selective stats, then hey, Williams completed a higher percentage of his passes than Baylor’s Seth Russell on almost the exact same number of attempts. The problem was the three interceptions, which essentially buried the Tar Heels, who by most measures had a reasonable case to walk away from the season opener against South Carolina with a win, especially with a chance to nab the go-ahead score with 3:48 left in the game. That’s when Williams was intercepted in the end zone (for the second time) on fourth-and-goal by the Gamecocks’ Skai Moore. 

Mother Nature: The weather screwed up a lot of games in week 1, including LSU's game against McNeese State. The game was finally called near midnight E.T. Saturday night, nearly five hours after the scheduled start. The game won't be made up, meaning LSU will play 11 regular season games, much like Florida did in 2014 after its game against Idaho was canceled because of weather.

Other games affected by weather included Toledo's game against Stony Brook, which was called at halftime. Illinois' game against Kent State was moved from Friday to Saturday. Georgia's win against Louisiana-Monroe was delayed twice and called with nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter and Tennessee's game against Bowling Green was delayed. While storms aren't a surprise in early September, it's still no fun to see the weather alter the college football schedule.

UCF: What the heck, Knights? This isn't how coach George O'Leary's tenure as interim athletic director was supposed to start. Central Florida lost at home to Florida International 15-14 on Thursday night. Yes, a program just two years removed from a Fiesta Bowl win lost at home to a team that has two winning seasons in its history. FIU got the win as Matthew Wright's late field goal attempt was blocked. Next up for UCF is a trip to Stanford, which will be looking to regroup from an embarrassing performance against Northwestern -- 0-2 seems more likely than not.

FBS teams that lost to FCS teams: You already know about Kansas, which cost itself a chance to tie South Dakota State with a fumbled snap. But the Jayhawks weren't the only FBS team to lose to an FCS opponent this weekend. Army lost 37-35 to Fordham on Friday night as a late drive ended on fourth down. On Saturday, Washington State, yes, Mike Leach's Washington State, lost to Portland State and Wyoming lost to North Dakota. With decreasing separation between FBS and FCS talent levels, these upsets are becoming more and more common. But it still can be embarrassing to lose at home to a team in a lower class.

Austin Johnson, Southern Illinois: Southern Illinois had the chance to join the group of FCS teams to knock off FBS opponents in Week 1, but a missed extra point from Salukis kicker Austin Johnson proved costly in a 48-47 loss at Indiana. Johnson’s miss came early in the fourth when the Salukis could have taken a one-point lead after an 80-yard touchdown pass. Instead, the missed extra point meant the score was tied at 38 apiece. That miss later prompted a decision from head coach Dale Lennon. Instead of attempting another extra point and forcing overtime following a touchdown with 18 seconds to go, Lennon opted for a game-winning two-point try – a try that failed, allowing the Hoosiers to escape with a win. 

Popular college football video on Yahoo Sports:

Take a look around the league with Big League Stew's daily wrap up. We'll hit on all of the biggest moments from the day that you may have missed, while providing highlights, photos and interesting stats.

The Toronto Blue Jays have lost consecutive games just once since acquiring Troy Tulowitzki and David Price before the July 31 trade deadline. They weren't about to make it twice on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles.

After getting blown out in the series opener, manager John Gibbons turned to Price and got an ace-like performance. The big lefty tossed seven innings of one-run ball, limiting the hot Orioles offense to just three hits in a 5-1 victory.

[Play a Daily Fantasy contest for cash today!]

Price was efficient early, needing just 59 pitches to get through five innings. He finished with a flourish, striking out the final two batters he faced after the Orioles finally broke through in the seventh. He struck out eight overall. The victory was Price's 14th this season and the 100th of his stellar career.

After scoring just twice on Friday, the Blue Jays offense bounced back as well. Jose Bautista got things started in the first with his 32nd home run. He tacked on an RBI ground-rule double in the third, which proved to be the difference. Bautista is up to 91 RBIs on the season.

In other good news for Toronto, the New York Yankees fell to the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 at Yankee Stadium. That pushes the Blue Jays AL East lead back to 1 1/2, meaning they'll hold the division lead through the weekend.  

JAKE ARRIETA DOMINATES D-BACKS

Johnny Vander Meer's record is still safe. Jake Arrieta wasn't able to make it two straight no-hitters on Saturday, but he did make it two straight dominant outings in the Cubs 2-0 victory over the Diamondbacks.

The Cubs right-handed ace tossed eight scoreless innings on the way to his MLB best 18th victory. He allowed four hits, two of which came in the first inning, but didn't allow a single walk for the first time since July 12. He added seven strikeouts, while lowering his season ERA to 2.03.

Needless to say, Arrieta has been very good all season long, but he's been especially good over his last 15 starts.

The Cubs are essentially locked in to one of the NL wild-card spots. It's only a matter of time before they clinch. The only question now is whether or not they will host the wild card game. You can also bet that Joe Maddon has already decided it will be Jake Arrieta making that start, not Jon Lester. Any other decision would be a shocker.

ERVIN SANTANA DAZZLES AGAINST ASTROS

After dropping two straight, the Minnesota Twins needed a win in the worst way Saturday in Houston. Thanks largely to Ervin Santana, they were able to pull it off.  

The 32-year-old right-hander was lights out in his second straight outing against the Astros, limiting them to one run over eight innings in Minnesota's 3-2 victory. Santana allowed just six hits on the evening while striking out a season-high 11. He struck out 10 Astros in seven scoreless innings back on Aug. 30.

[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league today!]

Minnesota's offense didn't have much going against Houston starter Lance McCullers either. They managed one run on three hits over seven innings, but broke through against the bullpen in the ninth. Eddie Rosario smacked a two-run triple, which held up despite Jed Lowrie's ninth-inning blast. 

The Twins lead the season series against Houston 3-2 with one more to go on Sunday. 

RANGERS KEEP PRESSURE ON IN AL WEST

An Astros loss meant an opportunity for the Rangers to regain the game they lost on Friday in the AL West race. Of course, by the same token, a Twins victory meant Texas needed to win to keep some breathing room in the wild-card race. 

The point we're making is that Saturday's game against the Angels was a big one, and that's not even considering the fact those same Angels aren't far behind either. 

[On this week's StewPod: Listen to our September MLB predictions.]

With Derek Holland locked in on the hill, the Rangers got exactly what they needed, knocking off the Angels 2-1. Holland went eight strong, allowing one run and just three hits. That comes on the heels of a complete game shutout against the Orioles in Arlington, and runs his personal winning streak to three since returning from the disabled list. on Aug. 19.  

So they not only added an ace in Cole Hamels at the trade deadline. They also added a rejuvenated Holland. That sounds like danger for the AL. 

At present time, the Rangers are two games behind Houston in the AL West. They maintain a 1 1/2 game lead over Minnesota in the wild card. 

Want to see more from Saturday's slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

- - - - - - -

Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813

Washington Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon isn't afraid to speak his mind about anything, even if it risks rubbing his teammates, his opponents and even the fans the wrong way.

That was evident again following his appearance in Washington's extra-inning victory on Friday. In this instance, Papelbon called out fans for not creating an atmosphere befitting the circumstances, though to his credit he did go about things more gently than usual.

[Play a Daily Fantasy contest for cash today!]

To set the scene: Papelbon took over in the ninth inning with Washington trailing by one. It's a spot manager Matt Williams indicated he wouldn't use Papelbon earlier this week, stating he was Washington's closer and a one-inning pitcher. Papelbon was neither on Friday, but he was very effective, holding Atlanta off the scoreboard. That allowed Washington to tie the game in the ninth and win in the tenth on Michael A. Taylor's walk-off home run.

Coupled with the Mets loss, Washington gained a full game in the standings on Friday, moving to within five games in the NL East. A very exciting turn of events for the team, but Papelbon felt the crowd didn't respond with the same energy or urgency.

From the Washington Post: 

Asked where the dramatic game ranked among wins, Papelbon said this: “It’s up there. These games from here on out are going to be playoff-type games and playoff-type atmospheres.”

Then he transitioned into something related, which caused him to smile and some reporters to laugh.

"I got a little bone to pick with some of the fans here tonight,” he said. “I saw a few of them sitting down. I’m not gonna lie. We need to stand on up in those situations. Let’s get that going. Ya know what I mean. Because this is playoff baseball.”

On one hand, he's right about these games being playoff games for Washington. Though the six remaining matchups with New York give them some extra hope, they still have very little margin for error over the next month. There's some degree of do-or-die attached to every result, and they'd like the fans to emotionally invest in those results with them.

Unfortunately, the ship may have already sailed with some fans. Friday's attendance was a disappointing 23,536. That indicates the energy was already down going in.

[Roundtable: Which pitchers are poised for a Jake Arrieta-like breakout?]

With all of that said, Papelbon might struggle getting through to fans by telling them how to be fans. While he's asking for more energy, they're obviously looking for reasons to invest again after being let down so much this season.

Perhaps Friday's win, which they followed with another win on Saturday, will be the start of something positive. Maybe it won't ,but the Nationals will have to do some reeling in here. And the best way to reel them in is to keep winning.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

- - - - - - -

Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813

LAS VEGAS -- There was the relentless pace and the unbridled aggression. There was the judo throw we've seen so often. The ending came suddenly, swiftly, with a perfectly executed arm bar. 

Paige VanZant was, indeed, impressive in her victory Saturday over Alex Chambers in their strawweight bout at UFC 191 at the MGM Grand Garden.

Let's slow down, however, on this talk of her as the 'Next Ronda Rousey.' It's not only not accurate, it's not fair. Rousey is the UFC women's bantamweight champion and not only one of the world's greatest active fighters, but also one of the best fighters ever. 

VanZant is a 21-year-old rookie who, despite a 3-0 UFC record and a No. 7 divisional ranking, stilll has much to learn and a long way to go before she can ever think of competing with the likes of strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Chambers clearly was no match for VanZant. She was breathing heavily early in the first round and was completely gassed by the early stages of the second. She literally had no offense whatsoever on Saturday.

VanZant, much like Rousey, roared out of the corner and attacked. And she fought at a pace that Chambers could not come close to matching. 

VanZant-mania has run wild in the UFC, because she's an attractive young woman with a good personality and an entertaining fighting style. She getting, and deserving, a tremendous amount of hype.

"She has all the attributes of a rockstar, man," UFC president Dana White said. "She's got a great personality. She's absolutely relentless when she's fighting. She moves forward. She puts Mighty Mouse [Demetrious Johnson]-type pressure on fighters. Yesterday, she was the most searched fighter on UFC.com. 

"People love her. All of her sponsors were cageside with their phones out filming her when she walked out. She's got it, man."

There is no doubt that VanZant has the combination of talent, looks and personality that could help her to not only become a champion, but one of the stars of the sport.

But to compare VanZant to Rousey is way, way early. There may never be another fighter like Rousey in the UFC. As Rousey said recently, she'll be missed when she's gone.

VanZant isn't nearly the finished product that Rousey was when Rousey turned pro in 2011 after winning a bronze medal in judo at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

She leaves herself open, but Chambers wasn't good enough to take advantage. VanZant's pace and aggression won her this fight.

"A lot of girls, they're not used to having the pace pushed that way," VanZant said. "That's something I definitley get from my teammates. They push me every second and that's kind of the way I fight."

VanZant is wise beyond her years, and her willingness to learn is what gives her the chance to be special.

She's heard the next Rousey line since before she joined the UFC, but she doesn't seem to be letting it impact her. She's continuing to mature and is evolving as a fighter.

Now, she could become the champion and run off a long string of wins and still not be the next Rousey. Rousey is that special. VanZant gets that.

"It's definitely a compliment for people to say that," she said. "Those are definitley big shoes to fill and I have a long way to go before I can make that comparison. But I hope to follow in her footsteps. She's opened some great doors for us."

VanZant, like Rousey, will help grow the women's side of the game because of her popularity and the fact she'll create more interest in the game.

But she needs to develop. She's a young fighter who will make mistakes. She may even lose before she gets a crack at the title.

She's good, but Rousey's meteoric rise kind of makes it seem like everyone can do that. And the truth is, few who have ever lived can match what Rousey has accomplished.

Let VanZant be herself. With some time, that will be plenty good enough.

Remember when the NFC West ruled the football world? It wasn't that long ago.

The NFL landscape changes fast and the once-mighty NFC West is (spoiler alert!) no longer the toughest division in our rankings. But which one is?

We rank the divisions here, counting down from the easiest to the toughest:

- - - - - - -

Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

The owners of the Pittsburgh Penguins are seeking to sell the team, and the asking price is reported to be around $750 million. 

This is obviously a rather large ante, leading to some skepticism that the price will be met. But clearly, these financial analysts don’t recognize how easily finding that money can be if your desire is fueled by unfettered hatred of the product you’re seeking to purchase and, in turn, probably destroy.

To that end: a group of Philadelphia Flyers fans have started a GoFundMe to purchase the Penguins.

That’s just straight up diabolical.

The Orange and Black Pack, a Flyers blog, is behind the effort. As they wrote in their pitch:

Please help us purchase the worst franchise in the NHL so we can try to make it better by doing things like:

- Painting the entire inside of the arena Orange and Black

- Putting a giant photo of Claude Giroux on the outside of the building, facing the highway

- Repainting the parking lots stripes orange, with a Flyers logo in each spot

- Using colored thread to impose a beach ball in the net behind Fleury

- Make a wall of fame in the concourse with photos of our top donators

Kudos for holding back on “force Sidney Crosby to wear a diaper and a pacifier on the ice.” This truly is virtuous.

Well, actually, there is some virtue to it: If these Flyers fans somehow fall short of their goal of raising $750 million to buy the Penguins, they’re working with Flyers Wives charities to turn funds raised into donations to their various efforts.

BUT WHO ARE WE KIDDING? Of course they’re going to raise the money!

As of Sunday morning, the GoFundMe has raised 790 … dollars. Only $749,999,210 to go!

As you might imagine, Penguins fans have frowned upon this effort by their blood rivals to purchase and ruin their franchise. Our friends at The Pensblog offered a nuanced rejoinder:

“They’re gonna have to install at least 10 more food joints so that Kate Smith can come back from the dead and eat cheeseburgers all game.”

But honestly, in the long list of people to whom the Penguins owners would sell the franchise, “Flyers fans” probably ranks right between Jim Balsillie and Jared from Subway.

s/t Joe B.

MORE FROM YAHOO SPORTS

[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league todayl]

The rugby league star said he turned down the largest contract in National Rugby League history to sign with the 49ers for a guarantee of $100,000 and nothing else. He played well in the preseason, his story became a big one around the NFL, and he sent Australia into a celebration with a tweet announcing his big news on Saturday:

Imagine the excitement if an American sports star made it in another sport halfway around the world. That's what happened in Australia.

[Yahoo Daily Fantasy Football: Enter our $1 Million Week 1 contest]

The Sydney Morning Herald wrote four stories on Saturday and Sunday chronicling Hayne making the 49ers. Most Australian papers wrote about the news, which isn't a surprise. There was a funny story from the 49ers' first preseason game — when Hayne broke a long run against the Houston Texans, the Australian media on hand went crazy and the press box announcer had to remind everyone that cheering wasn't allowed in the press box. Have to love their enthusiasm.

Twitter reacted too, of course. The hashtag #hayneplaneheretostay was reportedly trending in Sydney on Saturday. Here is some of the reaction (h/t to The Daily Telegraph):

And, well, it just seems right to cap it off with this:

- - - - - - -

Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

Here's a stab at a Sunday lineup, staying within the $200 Yahoo DFS budget. Be sure to double-check the weather and lineups before you go to post.

Joe Ross, SP, vs. ATL (Banuelos), $39: Ross didn’t have it in his last turn, but he can get back on the beam with this cushy draw. The Braves are the lowest-scoring team in the second half, by far - they’re 36 runs behind the Angels. Ross’s price looks downright reasonable for a -239 favorite, the heaviest on the Sunday card. 

[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football is back: Sign up for a league today!]

Dallas Keuchel, SP, vs. MIN (Duffey), $61: It’s certainly not a cheap price and the Twins have some hitters who prefer lefties, but Keuchel’s home resume justifies the expenditure. He’s carrying a 1.35 ERA and 0.91 WHIP at home, with 111 strikeouts in 106.2 innings. And look at where some of the other aces find themselves for Sunday: Madison Bumgarner is at Colorado, Chris Archer is in the Bronx. Johnny Cueto hasn’t looked right for his last few turns, either. If I’m paying up for a big name Sunday, it has to be the bearded one in Houston. 

John Jaso, C, at NYY (Nova), $10: There’s nothing exciting about Jaso, but he’ll lead off Sunday in a decent hitter’s park, especially for a lefty swinger. You won’t get much pop from him, but he does have a .283 average and a .354 OBP against right-handed pitching. 

Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, at SD (Cashner), $16: It’s a later game so you’ll have to make sure Gonzalez is in the lineup, though I can’t imagine the Dodgers want to sit this matchup out (straight Cashner, homey). Gonzalez had a three-homer game against Andrew Cashner back in April, and Petco Park has been more homer-friendly than in recent years. 

Rougned Odor, 2B, at LAA (Santiago), $11: You don’t see many reverse platoon guys who bat left-handed, but Odor is one of them: his OPS is 32 points higher against the southpaws. He has a solid history against Hector Santiago (7-for-13), and Santiago looked out of gas over his last two starts (7 IP, 10 R, 6 BB, 7 K, 3 HR). 

Francisco Lindor, SS, at. DET (Verlander), $14: If you take “not really a shortstop” Miguel Sano out of the equation, Lindor is the top roto shortstop over the last month (.390-18-2-12-5). I wish I saw this one coming, as I had a few chances to acquire him cheaply in trades. If you made the right play here, take your victory lap in the comments. 

Yunel Escobar, 3B, vs. ATL (Banuelos), $11: Although his better form comes out against right-handers, I like Escobar in the cleanup spot for Sunday, behind OBP machine Bryce Harper and facing a pitch-to-contact arm like Manny Banuelos. The Nats didn’t do anything with Banuelos in the first draw, but now they’ve seen him and can make adjustments. Escobar’s tidy price enables us to do some spending at other spots. (Where's Nolan Arenado, you ask? Given his cost and matchup, hello Madison Bumgarner, I'm not cutting the check. Heck, he's only slugging .382 against lefties.)

Khris Davis, OF, at CIN (Lorenzen), $16: I want some exposure to the Michael Lorenzen Experience (5.66 ERA, 1.65 WHIP); if you wanted to add in some Milwaukee infielders, I will not question you. Davis doesn’t have a pretty average, but he clocked 10 homers in August, with a .576 slugging percentage. He also has an .855 OPS against right-handed pitching. 

[Yahoo Daily Fantasy Football: Enter our $1 Million Week 1 contest]

David Peralta, OF, at CHC (Hendricks), $13: His better form has come at home, which is true for most players, but Peralta nonetheless grabs our attention when he’s in the platoon advantage (.314/.370/.544, 14 homers). He’s in the friendly cleanup spot for Sunday, behind Pollock and Goldschmidt and ahead of Castillo. Location, location, location. 

Angel Pagan, OF, at COL (Flande), $8: Just eight bucks for a likely leadoff man in a Coors Field game? Sign me up. Pagan is 7-for-20 since returning to action, and he had a homer Saturday. Yohan Flande hasn’t been a horror show at home, though he’s somehow skating by with a K/BB ratio that’s barely over two at Coors (and under two overall); correction is likely to hit soon. 

(The 2015-16 NHL season is nearly upon us! Why bother watching this team? What will make or break the season? Find out as we preview all 30 teams as camps begin!)  

Last Season: 51-24-7, 109 points. First in the Central Division.

2014-15 Season In One Tweet

Did They Get Better, Worse Or Are They About The Same?

About the same, depending on how you feel about T.J. Oshie and Barret Jackman. The Blues cut ties with Jackman, 34, who spent 13 seasons with St. Louis and signed with the rival Nashville Predators for two seasons. Oshie spent seven years with the Blues and had undeniable chemistry with team captain David Backes. He also showed up in the playoffs about as often as the Florida Panthers do.

Troy Brouwer arrived from the Capitals for Oshie, and his net-front presence and physicality should help in that cattle drive known as the Western Conference.

Other than that, this Blues team is pretty much the same group that participated in the franchise’s annual rite: Great regular season followed by playoff disappointment.

[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Hockey: Sign up and join a league today!]

Five Most Fascinating Players

1. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW

The NHL’s latest human highlight reel, the Russian had a star-making season with 37 goals in 77 games, leading the Blues with 73 points. Running mate Jori Lehtera is coming off ankle surgery, so hopefully there’s no hiccup for the duo that powered the Blues offense last season. Especially after signing that franchise deal.

2. Kevin Shattenkirk, D

Speaking of injuries, Shats was limited to 56 games last season but posted 44 points. His pending raise within the Blues’ salary structure and the team’s need to shake up the mix generated trade rumors, but he’s back again this season to help light the lamp.

3. David Backes, C

Backes loses Oshie from his wing and goes UFA next summer. It was a summer of uncertainty for the 31-year-old team captain, coming off 58 points in 80 games last season, especially because the team will face a shakeup if it disappoints again.

4. Jake Allen, G

The 24-year-old goalie played 37 games to Brian Elliott’s 46 games last season, posting somewhat similar numbers. But he struggled in the postseason (.904) during the Blues’ six-game loss to the Minnesota Wild. The Blues hope that was a learning experience, and that Allen can make a significant leap forward this season.

5. Paul Stastny, C

Stansty said he felt more comfortable as the season went on, which hopefully means he’ll be better than 16 goals this season. He’ll never produce numbers to justify his cap hit; he just needs to produce them at the right time. And one goal in six playoff games wasn’t getting it done.

Potentially The Best Thing About This Team

Offensive balance. You get offense from Tarasenko and Lehtera. You get offense from Backes. You get offense from Alex Steen (64 points) and Jaden Schwartz (28 goals) and Stastny (46 points) and Brouwer (21 goals) and Patrik Berglund (12 goals, when healthy) and potentially Dmitrij Jaskin (13 goals in his first full year). Then you get 44 points from Shattenkirk and 46 from Alex Pietrangelo and 13 more from Jay Bouwmeester from the back end. They were fifth in goals scored last season (248) and for good reason.

Potentially The Worst Thing About This Team

That the regular season means nothing if they continue to be a collection of underperformers in the playoffs. The Blues have hit 100 points three times under Ken Hitchcock (and 60 in the 48-game season) and have lost in the first round in three straight seasons. They need more veterans to lead on the scoreboard, and for Allen to be a playoff-quality backstop.

Dream 3-on-3 OT Group

Tarasenko and Lehtera and Shattenkirk. Maybe the Blues should just play for the tie every game and let these guys end it in 40 seconds of overtime.

Coach Hot Seat Rating (1-10, 10 being scorching hot)

Nine. Hitchcock’s status was up in the air for part of the offseason, as the Blues flirted with Mike Babcock and there was talk that Dan Bylsma could end up there as well. But Hitch returns for another season, where his hard-ass style in the regular season has been accused of leading to the team’s postseason duds.

Awkward Old School Video Break

The 1998 Cup Crazy video for the Blues. Just in case you were worried that having crazy talented teams that never won the conference title isn’t a decades-long tradition for the Blues. Joel Quenneville!

Their Best Case Scenario Is …

The Blues get at least five players who haven’t excelled in the playoffs to do so, including Allen. They get a favorable first-round draw and win, building confidence along the way to a conference title and a shot at the Cup.

Their Nightmare Scenario Is …

Hitchcock’s regular-season magic runs out, the Blues are a middling mess and the biggest stories of the season are injuries to key players and where Backes is headed at the deadline.

Prediction

First in the Central, again. This team is just too deep and talented to hit the skids. Hitchcock’s system hasn’t failed to produce a 100-point pace. But the playoffs are a different animal, and this combination of players and coach hasn’t shown it can navigate their way to a Stanley Cup. 

PUCK DADDY 2015-16 NHL PREVIEW

Winnipeg Jets/Washington Capitals/Vancouver Canucks/Tampa Bay Lightning

MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY

The Little League World Series is over now, but that really isn't relevant to what you're about to see here.

Despite the fact that we termed it a 'Little League home run,' we're confident in saying that none of the teams in Williamsport were involved in any plays resembling this disaster.

[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league today!]

Take it away, Philadelphia Phillies.

Did we say home run? Make that an error-assisted grand slam for Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts.

First and foremost, allow us to credit Bogaerts for his hitting. He did a nice job inside-outing the pitch from Philadelphia's Alec Asher and driving it into the corner for what should have been a bases-clearing double.

Not let's dissect the Phillies defense. Right fielder Aaron Asher actually did his job, scooping the ball out of the corner and firing back in to cutoff man Cesar Hernandez. Things went haywire though when Hernandez uncorked his throw short and to the first base side, where it short hopped catcher Carlos Ruiz and skipped away.

From there, it was all about hustle. Asher was where he needed to be, backing up home plate, but Bogaerts stayed aggressive and attempted to score anyway. Asher flipped the ball to Ruiz well ahead of Bogaerts' arrival, however, he got around the tag attempt with an outstanding slide. 

It won't go down as a home run in the stats, but if you're looking to complete a 360-foot trip around the bases with some flash and drama, that's how you do it right there. What a great effort from Bogaerts to break the game open in Boston's eight-run fourth inning. 

By the way, later in the same frame David Ortiz connected for a conventional home run, giving him 496 for his career. The Red Sox won the game 9-2. 

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

- - - - - - -

Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813

NEW YORK – A win against Serena this week guarantees a place in history. It means your name will be remembered more readily than some of the foreign players who have actually raised the trophy in Flushing Meadows. It means that 20 years from now, Serena’s droves of fans hear your name and say, “Ohhh, the one that beat Serena that year.” 

Madison Keys is just fine with that. “She’s won four in a row and she’s going for the calendar year," Keys said Friday. "That’s great, but at the same time I want to win.” 

“I’d be okay with beating her, yeah,” she said when asked what she thought of being remembered as the villain in this tale. She didn’t seem to completely understand the question. Of course she wants to win. But does she want the ire of Serena’s fans?

Plenty of women have beaten Serena in her career. Three even did it in Grand Slam championship matches. To beat Serena this week though, would be remarkable. No one has managed to outlast her in a Grand Slam match this year. Only two women have beaten her in smaller tournaments. As she marches closer to the U.S. Open final, the stakes are only higher. The villain would be stealing that much more from her, at least in the eyes of her fans. 

Leading up to their third-round meeting, fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands said she was comfortable with the role. She actually thought it would be cool.  

Mattek-Sands is one of Serena’s contemporaries, a 30-year-old who was playing in the main draw for the 13th time. She seemed to recognize that winning that match could define her, in a way that her steady but unspectacular career had not. 

While Mattek-Sands is nearing the end of her career, Keys is just starting out. She’s 20 years old. Beating Serena would be the icing on the cake of Keys’s best year yet, but it would not be the final big moment. She plans to have many more of those.

Before Serena was the greatest player in history, she, too, was the villain in another champion’s tale. 

“The 17-year-old Williams upset top-seeded Martina Hingis in Saturday’s U.S. Open final, dismantling the world’s top player with shocking ease,” Bonnie DeSimone wrote in the September 12, 1999 issue of the Chicago Tribune they day after Serena won her first U.S. Open. Referring to Serena as a player who’d had “little success in Grand Slam tournaments up to now,” DeSimone quoted the champion. “There comes a time when you have to stop caving… In the end I told myself, ‘You’re going to have to perform.’” 

Finding a way to perform on Sunday could be the moment that propels Keys' career to the next level, too. And just as Serena was in 1999, Keys is more than capable of pulling off the upset.

She’s a fellow big-serving American who actually enters the match with better first-week stats than Serena. Her groundstrokes are on average 74 miles per hour - that’s seven miles per hour faster than Serena’s, the fastest among any women (and all but one man) in the main draw. Keys served 22 aces in the first week; Serena had 20. Both of their serves top 120 mph, with Serena taking the slight edge there. Keys has not dropped a set, Serena has dropped one. 

Their only previous meeting was at this year’s Australian Open, where Serena prevailed 7-6, 6-2. Keys knows that she has a massive challenge in front of her. But like any rising star, winning these matches is how you move into the next tier.  

“Her fight is something that I kind of want to emulate and try to get as good as,” Keys said.  

She’ll see that fight first-hand on Sunday. Should she outlast it, Keys will go down as the villain in this Serena fairytale. 

"Obviously since the draw came out that's kind of been the big talk, that it could happen," she said Friday. "For me to be able to put myself in that position is really big for me, so really just looking forward to it.

____________

Danielle Elliot is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Find her on Twitter and Facebook. 

We've spent months waiting for the Dallas Cowboys to acquire someone, anyone, at running back to become an intriguing option behind the best offensive line in football.

Christine Michael probably qualifies as intriguing. The Cowboys acquired him on Sunday for a conditional draft pick, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported. NFL Network's Albert Breer said the conditional pick is a seventh rounder.

[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league todayl]

Michael set unofficials records for hype vs. actual production when he was a member of the Seattle Seahawks. For all the sometimes hyperbolic talk of his athletic ability (seriously, go search "Christine Michael and Adrian Peterson"), he couldn't beat out Robert Turbin and rarely saw the field in Seattle. In two years he had 54 carries for 254 yards. Then the Seahawks traded him for practically nothing even though he's just 24 years old. 

But, it's true that he does have a ton of physical ability. He was a second-round pick, has tremendous speed and good size at 221 pounds. And now he lands in the best situation imaginable for a running back.

It seems like Michael will have an opportunity at some point to show what he can do. Darren McFadden looked the best of the Cowboys' backs in preseason, but he is very injury prone. Joseph Randle has not proven he can be productive with a large role. Michael hasn't either, but it looks like the Cowboys will mix and match until they figure it out.

[Yahoo Daily Fantasy Football: Enter our $1 Million Week 1 contest]

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Michael the past two years and virtually no results. There's going to be renewed excitement now that he's with Dallas. We'll see if the production part of the equation changes with the Cowboys.

- - - - - - -

Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady last spoke publicly with the media back on Feb. 2, the day after winning Super Bowl 49, which was before the deflate-gate clouds had darkened significantly.

But once false media reports and the NFL's discipline case against Brady started to take a turn after that, he went into semi-hiding. Other than a few Facebook posts, including one after his four-game suspension was wiped out, Brady has kept a low profile.

[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league today!]

Understandably so. 

He surprisingly spoke to the Boston media on Sunday for just under five minutes at his locker, explaining how the toll of deflate-gate has affected him.

[Yahoo Daily Fantasy Football: Enter our $1 Million Week 1 contest]

And not just Brady. He said the families of the two "ball handlers" who were central to the deflate-gate case also have felt the effects.

Right now, Brady said his focus is solely on the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. His role is not longer witness or defendant, but one that is most familiar to him.

- - - - - - -

Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm

The Kansas State band issued an apology for its halftime performance during the football team's game against South Dakota on Saturday night.

The halftime show had nothing to do with South Dakota. The theme of the show was supposed to be Star Trek-related and the Starship Enterprise was supposed to be fighting a scary space creature. The space creature resembled the Kansas Jayhawk mascot and the formation supposed to be the Starship Enterprise looked, uh, like a bodypart pointing towards the Jayhawk's beak in an inappropriate manner.

Here's what the formation looked like in real life.

Kirk Schultz, the Kansas State president, also apologized on Twitter and his tweet was retweeted by John Currie, the school's athletic director. According to KansasCity.com, Kansas State officials said they would have no further comment on the matter.

Kansas State students attending sporting events had to agree to a sportsmanship pledge before the beginning of the season. The school was criticized after a potentially dangerous situation following the basketball team's home win over Kansas earlier this year when students rushed the court and made contact with some Kansas players.

Kansas State beat South Dakota 34-0 Saturday night despite starting quarterback Jesse Ertz's injury in the first quarter. Ertz walked off the field and was carted to the locker room from the sidelines.

Popular college football video on Yahoo Sports:

- - - - - - -

Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Texas Rangers left-hander Derek Holland had what you'd call an epic night on Saturday. At least by his standards.

On the field, he dominated the Los Angeles Angels, holding them to one run on three hits over eight innings. The outing continued a hot start for Holland, who just came off the disabled list on Aug. 19 after missing four months of action. It also moved the Rangers to within two games of first place in the hotly contested AL West. 

[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league today!]

Those are all good signs for the Rangers and for Holland personally, but they may or may not have been the best part of his evening. That's because immediately following the game, he got to meet and hang out with Charlie Sheen, who famously portrayed Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn in the baseball classic Major League.

Yeah, that would be a pretty big deal for any pitcher who grew up watching the movie over and over again on TV. But especially so for Holland, who you may have heard is currently sporting a Ricky Vaughn-inspired haircut.

Natually, Holland had his Jobu bobblehead handy for the photo op.

If only Dennis Haysbert — aka Pedro Cerrano, aka Allstate Insurance spokesman — had been around, this could have been a perfect night for Holland. 

As it was, he seemed to truly enjoy Sheen's company and appreciated the fact he came out to watch him pitch. Here's what Holland wrote of the meeting on his Instragram.

"It doesn't get much better then this. The man himself the real wild thing was in attendance tonight. Thanks @charliesheen for coming down. #therealwildthing #majorleague #winning #thesheen."

Not that Holland needed any extra motivation to finish the season strong, but we're guessing this meeting will have him amped for some time. Look out, AL contenders. 

BLS H/N: Eye on Baseball

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

- - - - - - -

Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813

The knee injury that Notre Dame RB Tarean Folston suffered against Texas will cost him the entire 2015 season.

The junior was hurt in the first quarter of the Fighting Irish's easy 38-3 win Saturday night. According to coach Brian Kelly, Folston tore his right MCL and is out for the rest of the season, though Notre Dame said later it was actually his ACL that was injured.

CORRECTION from today's media call, @NDFootball Tarean Folston's season-ending knee injury is a right ACL tear. Surgery in next 7-10 days.

— Michael Bertsch (@NDsidBertschy) September 6, 2015

Here's how the injury happened:

Folston was Notre Dame's leading rusher in 2014 with 889 yards and six rushing touchdowns. His absence leaves Notre Dame thin at running back. The team said former five-star recruit Greg Bryant was ineligible for 2015.

After Folston left the game, C.J. Prosise got the bulk of the carries. He finished with 20 carries for 98 yards and freshman Josh Adams had five carries for 49 yards and two scores. While Mailk Zaire, the man who replaced Everett Golson at the end of 2014, had a nice season-opener at quarterback, a consistent rushing attack is a must for the Irish to take pressure off Zaire.

Folston was a four-star recruit in the class of 2013, according to Rivals.

- - - - - - -

Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

NEW YORK – While everyone in Flushing Meadows is busy talking about Serena Williams’s chance at history, her older sister is quietly tearing through the draw.

Seeded 23rd, Venus advanced to the quarterfinal with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 win over Anett Kontaveit on Sunday afternoon. 

The match went exactly as planned for Venus, a two-time U.S. Open champion taking on the 152-ranked player in the world. Estonian Kontaveit is 19 years old. She earned a spot in the main draw by advancing through the qualifying tournament.  

Venus lost only three games in the win, wrapping it up in less than an hour. She served well, reaching 120mph and winning 84 percent of first-serve points. She fought off the only break point she faced. 

With the win, Venus advanced to the quarterfinal here for the first time since 2010. She'll meet the winner of the upcoming match between Serena Williams and Madison Keys. 

Will Venus be watching as Serena takes the court?

“I don’t know, it depends, you know,” she said on court after her win. “You have to cool down, and do this thing called press.” Then, ever supportive, she added, “I get very nervous because even if I have to play Serena, I still want her to win.”

With the crowd loving every minute of the interview, Venus added, “I hope that we can play in the quarterfinals.”

____________

Danielle Elliot is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Find her on Twitter and Facebook.