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Ace Bailey isn’t playing around heading into his rookie NBA season.

The highly touted Utah Jazz contributor recently made a major business decision that could help set him up for future success.

“Utah Jazz rookie forward Ace Bailey has parted ways with manager Omar Cooper and is in the process of getting new representation, ”ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reported Wednesday. 

“Bailey, the No. 5 pick by the Jazz, made the decision in the wake of a peculiar draft process that included — as ESPN reported in June — his representatives telling a team inside the top five that they didn’t want it to select him and that he wouldn’t report if it did.”

“At the time, the belief was that Bailey and his team were hoping to guide him to the Washington Wizards, who had the sixth pick. But Utah — in the first draft helmed by newly hired president of basketball operations Austin Ainge — took Bailey fifth, opening a brief window where it was unclear whether he would report.”

Before Cooper Flagg cemented himself as the clear No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft late last season, some believed that Bailey had a case to be the first player chosen in June. 

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The Chattanooga, Tennessee native’s tough shot-making and fearless demeanor in high-pressure situations were impressive during his lone campaign with the Scarlet Knights. 

Bailey averaged 17.6 points per game alongside Dylan Harper (the No. 2 overall pick) in Piscataway, New Jersey, shooting 46.0% from the field and 34.6% from three-point land in 30 contests. 

With Bailey starting his professional journey without Cooper, who was deemed a significant distraction during the summer, the 19-year-old has every reason to be excited about the upcoming NBA season.

More NBA: Knicks sign 6-foot-3 champion point guard to help Karl-Anthony Towns

Arsenal had just wrapped up their uneventful but commanding 0-2 win over Port Vale in the 3rd round of the Carabao Cup when the EFL announced the draw for the 4th round of the competition. Arsenal are set to host Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, with the match to be played on the final week of October.

With 16 clubs remaining, Arsenal’s chances of avoiding a PL club were slim with only five clubs outside of England’s top flight remaining. Be that as it may, you can only play the teams in front of you, but at the very least, the Gunners get the chance to play at the Emirates.

The match falls at the tail end of October, which sees Arsenal play at home for 5 of their 6 matches next month, a welcome reprieve from the tricky early season slate, where the Gunners will have been on the road for 5 of their 8 matches across all competitions. The tie with Brighton falls between a home match against Crystal Palace and a road trip to face Burnley at the beginning of November.

Arsenal are not the only club to face a top level side in the 4th round. Newcastle United, last season’s champions, host Tottenham for what should be the most intriguing matchup of the group. Wolves also host Chelsea, while Liverpool host Crystal Palace.

Brighton punched their ticket to the 4th round after beating the brakes off of Barnsley to the tune of 0-6 on the road on Tuesday night.

When discussing this week’s game vs. the Vikings, Steelers’ HC Mike Tomlin brought up Anthony Richardson and the Colts.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson caught some unexpected shade from Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on Wednesday.

ATLANTA (AP) — James Wood hit two home runs and Josh Bell added another as the Washington Nationals snapped the Atlanta Braves’ 10-game winning streak with a 4-3 win on Wednesday.

Mitchell Parker (9-16) got the final two outs of the fifth inning and earned the victory out of the bullpen for Washington. He relieved rookie Andrew Alvarez, who did not give up a run in 4 1/3 innings in his fifth career start.

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Rookie Daylen Lile had three hits including an RBI single for the Nationals. Jose Ferrer earned his 10th save.

Wood’s two solo home runs gave him 30 for the season. He hit them in the sixth and eighth innings. Bell led off the fourth inning with his 21st home run.

Eli White hit a pinch-hit home run for the Braves to lead off the ninth inning. Drake Baldwin hit his 19th home run in the sixth inning, a solo shot to left field. Marcell Ozuna also hit a solo homer in the eighth. The two teams hit 10 solo home runs in the final two games of the series.

Bryce Elder (8-11) took the loss in his final start of the season, giving up three runs on six hits in seven innings. He struck out seven.

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Key moment

With two outs and the bases empty in the ninth, Ronald Acuña Jr. was ruled safe on an infield single after a replay overturned umpire C.B. Bucknor’s out call. Bucknor then ruled Baldwin safe at first on the next play, but that too was overturned, ending the ballgame.

Key stat

Alvarez lowered his opponents’ batting average to .184. The 26-year-old lefthander has thrown 23 1/3 innings and has an ERA of 2.31.

Up next

Braves LHP Joey Wentz (5-6, 5.46) will open Atlanta’s final three-game series of the season Friday at home against the Pirates, who have not announced a starter. Nationals RHP Cade Cavalli (3-1, 4.23) will face White Sox RHP Yoendrys Gomez (3-3, 4.92) on Friday in the opener of a three-game series in Washington.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Sept. 24 (UPI) — A Japanese man channeled his inner quadruped and broke a Guinness World Record by running 328 feet in 14.55 seconds — on all fours.

Ryusei Yonee, 22, broke the record for fastest 100 meters running on all fours, beating American Collin McClure’s 2022 time of 15.66 seconds.

Yonee said he has been running on all fours since middle school.

“The teacher said that animals on all-fours can run faster. That made me think: I could be the fastest human on all fours,” he told Guinness World Records.

Yonee said he prepared for the record by observing how four-legged animals like dogs, cats and monkeys run.

He said it took some time to adapt his technique to running on a track.

“I was mostly training in the sand,” he told Guinness World Records. “The track has a lot more rebound, which changed my running form.”

The athlete said more world records are likely in his future.

“I will train harder than ever before. I want to do whatever I can to grow the all-four sports, wherever that may be,” he said.

The New York Giants (0-3) are preparing to host the Los Angeles Chargers (3-0) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for a Week 4 matchup.