Dylan Cease no hits the Nationals

 Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres has thrown a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals. This is only the second of the season. He was at 94 pitches after 7 innings, but his teammate Joe Musgrove said he was okay to go back out. He threw 20 combined pitches in the next 2 innings to secure the no-hitter, the second in Padres history. When Cease was with the White Sox, he was one out away from a no-hitter on Sept.3, 2022, but he gave up a hit to Luis Arraez (his current teammate).

It's always nice to see a no-hitter, and this is no different. Cease has worked a long time for this moment, and he finally threw a no-hitter. He's free from the White Sox, who are abysmal this year. And now he's thrown the first no-hitter of his career, which comes two years after coming as close as you can possibly get. Congrats to him. 

MLB recap: All-Star edition (2024)

 The MLB is on All-Star break, so let's recap every division to this point. Some divisions are closer than others, but there's still time to catch up (unless you're the White Sox).

NL East: The division with the league's best team (the Phillies), and the Braves are in the top wild card spot, while the Mets own the final wild card spot. The Nationals are ok, and the Marlins are bad.

NL Central: The closest division in terms of all the teams in the race, with the last-place Cubs 8.5 games behind the division-leading Brewers. The Cardinals are having a nice year, while the Pirates, led by rookie sensation Paul Skenes, are in the middle. 

NL West: The Dodgers are on top once again, while the defending NL champion Diamondbacks are having a very mediocre season, tied with the Padres for second. The Giants aren't far behind in fourth, only nine games back. The Rockies are at the bottom.

AL East: The Orioles are at the top, just one game above the Yankees. The Red Sox have been on a tear lately, while the Rays and Blue Jays, despite being the last 2, aren't haven't terrible seasons.

AL Central: The Guardians are having a surprising season, on top of the division led by first-year manager Stephen Vogt. The Twins are having themselves a nice year, while the Royals are another surprise, at 52-45. The Tigers are 47-50, while the White Sox are at the bottom of the league at 27-71.

AL West: This is another close race, with the Mariners and Astros fighting for the top. The defending champion Rangers, despite being 46-50, are only 5 games back. The Angels and A's, despite being not great, are only 10 and 15 games back, respectively.

That's the MLB at the All-Star break. It'll be interesting to see who will be on top in the second half of the year, and as we get closer to the playoffs, we'll know who's for real and who isn't.

76ers sign Paul George

 The Philadelphia 76ers have signed 9-time All-Star Paul George to a four-year deal worth $212 million. George spent his career with the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Los Angeles Clippers. He's been to 9 All-Star Games,  5 All-NBA 3rd teams, 2 All-Defensive 1st teams, and an All-NBA 1st team in his 14 years. He's averaged over 20 points in the last 8 years. 76ers All-Star Tyrese Maxey signed an extension on the same day, meaning that George, Maxey and Joel Embiid will team up and try to bring Philly their first title in 40 years. 

I love this signing. If George can stay healthy, he's a monster. And Maxey and Embiid are forces to be reckoned with. My only concern is George's health and age. He's been injury-prone lately, and at 34, may be slowing down. But like I said, he's an amazing player when healthy. His playoff performances have been amazing in the past, and he's a huge step up from Tobias Harris, who left the Sixers to return to the Detroit Pistons. Also, the Sixers got Andre Drummond back from the Bulls, who is a solid backup center who played in Philly in the 2021-22 season. I really hope that they can advance to the Eastern Conference Finals because I'm sick of them losing in the second round. GO SIXERS!