American League wins MLB All-Star Game; 50 under-the-radar NFL players; The Open preview

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⚾ Good morning to everyone, but especially to …

JARREN DURAN AND THE MLB ALL-STAR GAME

Unlike Monday’s Home Run Derby, which did have a slow start before a thrilling finish, the MLB All-Star Game was awesome all the way through.

• It started with history-making superstar rookie Paul Skenes getting through a scoreless first. Skenes vs. stars like Aaron Judge is as good as it gets in any All-Star event and a dream for MLB, Matt Snyder writes.
• Shohei Ohtani broke the scoreless deadlock in the third inning with a 400-foot three-run home run, the first Dodgers player to homer at the All-Star Game since Mike Piazza in 1996.
• The AL countered back with three in the bottom of the inning, led by a two-run Juan Soto double.
• Jarren Duran rocked a two-run home run in the fifth, and the AL held on from there for a 5-3 win. Duran earned MVP honors.

The game result was secondary. What mattered was the stars — Skenes, Judge, Ohtani, Soto — being in the limelight and an exciting game throughout. Mike Axisa has more takeaways from a thoroughly enjoyable Midsummer Classic.

👍 Honorable mentions

😬 And not such a good morning for …

BRANDON AIYUK AND THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

There’s a standoff in The Bay Area, with no winners nor resolution in sight. Brandon Aiyuk requested a trade from the 49ers on Tuesday, one week ahead of his report to training camp. Aiyuk has been seeking a long-term contract all offseason and skipped voluntary OTAs and mandatory minicamp, the latter costing him over $100,000.

Here’s the problem: Aiyuk has little leverage, and the 49ers have no plans to extend or trade him, even with teams interested.

• Aiyuk is in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract and due $14.1 million. There are currently 13 wide receivers making more than that on a per-year basis.
• The 49ers and Aiyuk were reportedly close to an extension earlier this offseason, before the wide receiver market exploded.
• Six of the nine highest-paid wide receivers got deals this offseason. That includes three — Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown — making at least $30 million annually.

Aiyuk is worth every bit. A second-team All-Pro last season, Aiyuk had 1,342 yards receiving. His 3.1 yards per route run ranked third in the NFL. He is a terrific intermediate and downfield threat, with an NFL-high 81% of his catches going for first downs or touchdowns. He’s also one of the league’s premier blocking receivers, a coveted skill in San Francisco’s rushing attack.

There are plenty of logical landing spots, Cody Benjamin notes, and Cody outlined potential trade packages teams could offer.

The 49ers have resolved trade requests before, including Aiyuk’s fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel‘s, and it’s hard to envision a team in such win-now mode losing such a terrific player. But with him absent and unhappy, no one is feeling good about things.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

⛳ The Open preview: Picks, ranking the field, sleepers, more

Who’s ready for some very early-morning (late-night?) golf? I am! The 2024 British Open begins at 1:35 a.m. ET tomorrow (here’s how to watch), so we’re giving you our big preview today. Let’s start with some notable tee times.

• 4:47 a.m. — Ludvig Åberg, Bryson DeChambeau, Tom Kim
• 5:09 a.m. — Rory McIlroy, Max Homa, Tyrrell Hatton
• 9:26 a.m. — Wyndham Clark, Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka
• 9:37 a.m. — Tiger Woods, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay
• 10:10 a.m. — Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young

Scheffler is the favorite, followed by McIlroy (full odds here), but neither of our golf experts, Kyle Porter and Patrick McDonald, are picking them to win. Instead, Patrick goes with …

• McDonald: “Tony Finau (50-1) — There is a lot to like about Finau’s game and how it relates to Royal Troon. He’s plenty long off the tee and one of the best iron players in this field, plus his short game has turned a corner over the last couple months. He arrives at The Open off back-to-back top fives in the U.S. Open and Travelers Championship, and Finau has a sneaky-good Open track record.”

Here are their full picks across a bevy of categories. Patrick also has five sleepers and nine golfers to root for.

I don’t think I’m spoiling much by revealing that McIlroy leads that second list. He’s been agonizingly close, brutally honest and openly emotional. Those emotions take center stage this week, Kyle writes.

• Porter: “But this isn’t really about floors and ceilings anymore, is it? It’s about what’s going on in the depths of a player when he’s wild-eyed on the last nine holes of a 72-hole tournament — desperate to cash in all that great play for a single trophy. … McIlroy wants the arena, though. He wants to reenter it, no matter what that means. He said this week that he’s willing to put himself back out there, and he even looks forward to doing so.”

Here’s more:

🏈 50 under-the-radar NFL players with 50 days to go until season opener

We as human beings love round numbers, meaning today is a day to celebrate: We’re 50 days away from the Chiefs and Ravens opening the 2024 NFL season.

To honor the occasion, I took a look at 50 potential under-the-radar players who could play big roles this season. Here is one of my favorites.

• Pereles: “Martin Emerson (CB), Browns — Emerson is one of the best players you probably haven’t heard of (unless you’re a Browns fan or you follow the NFL extremely closely). In fact, he barely qualifies for this list, because he deserves to be on the radar. Over the last two years, Emerson has allowed just 45.8% of the passes thrown his direction to be completed, the best mark in the NFL. His 50.8 passer rating allowed as the primary defender over that span is 14th, ahead of more ballyhooed teammate Denzel Ward, Sauce Gardner and other top corners.”

At least one player from every team made the list, so your favorite squad is in here!

Speaking of every team, our NFL staff ranked all 32 offensive triplets — quarterback, running back and wide receiver — and you can see the upper half here and the bottom half here. I was one of the voters, and while I won’t reveal which team it is, my No. 1 ended up No. 1 overall. Great minds think alike!

⚾ MLB Draft grades, results and analysis

After three days, it’s 615 up, 615 down for the 2024 MLB Draft, and we have every single pick (with analysis for first-rounders) right here. There were some familiar last names, too, including …

• The Angels drafted Lucas Ramirez (Manny’s son) in the 17th round.
• The Red Sox drafted D’Angelo Ortiz (David’s son) in the 19th round.

Man, do I feel old.

Per usual, R.J. Anderson did incredible work all draft cycle. He handed out grades for all 30 teams, with 11 earning an “A.”

• Anderson: “Guardians — If you pick first overall, you better walk away with a good grade. The Guardians do. Travis Bazzana has a great feel for the barrel and makes top-notch swing decisions … Prep righties Braylon Doughty and Joey Oakie are both intriguing in different ways (Doughty would seem to have more floor; Oakie more ceiling), and Miami lefty Rafe Schlesinger‘s low arm slot and fastball-slider pairing make him an interesting fourth-round get. I’d be remiss to overlook second-round catcher Jacob Cozart: he’s on the larger side for a backstop (6-foot-3), but he had a big offensive showing this season and was worth the plunge.”

🎤 MLB Home Run Derby anthem singer says she was drunk, plans to check into rehab

Ingrid Andress, whose rendition of the national anthem ahead of the Home Run Derby drew heavy criticism and mockery, said she was drunk during the performance and would check into rehab.

Andress added, “That was not me last night. I apologize to MLB, all the fans, and this country I love so much for that rendition.”

Andress took admirable action with her statement, and we wish her all the best going forward.

📺 What we’re watching Wednesday (and very early Thursday)

🏀 Team USA vs. Serbia, noon on FS1
🏀 Kings vs. Knicks, 3:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 Fever at Wings, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Lakers vs. Hawks, 8 p.m. on NBA TV
⛳ British Open, 1:35 a.m. Thursday morning, how to watch