HBCUs Grambling State University and Hampton University battled in the Brick City Classic at Red Bull Arena — home of the Red Bulls Major League Soccer team — this past Saturday in Harrison, New Jersey.

Hampton Pirates quarterback Christopher Zellous was 14 of 15 for 155 yards throwing and ran 15 times for 114 yards to lead his team to the 35-31 win. Running back Darran Butts had 103 yards rushing, highlighted by a 40-yard touchdown.

Grambling’s Myles Crawley was 25-of-38 for 311 yards, while receiver Lyndon Rash caught eight passes, scoring one touchdown.

Hampton has won its last six games against Grambling. 

Shané Harris, Prudential’s vice president and head of social responsibility, presented the trophy to Hampton.

“On behalf of Prudential, I am thrilled to present Hampton University with the winning trophy from today’s game,” she said. HBCUs are critical to Prudential’s vision to be a global leader in expanding access to investing, insurance, and retirement security, and HBCUs are a crucial component in building generational Black wealth.

“That is why we at Prudential were excited to sign on as the title sponsor for the Brick City HBCU Kickoff Classic.

“And we are just getting started,” expanded Harris. “We have a multipronged strategy to improve the financial health of HBCU students and families, strengthen the capacity and resiliency of HBCU institutions, and position Prudential as an employer of choice for HBCU graduates.”

HBCU battles aren’t just about what happens on the field of play. The bands of both Grambling State and Hampton, accompanied by cheerleaders, played outside of the stadium, to the delight of alumni and fans.

More HBCU football returns to the area as Morehouse College will take on Albany State University at MetLife Stadium Saturday, Sept. 16.

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After working hard to find its groove, the volleyball team at Iona University scored a huge win over Georgetown University at last weekend’s VCU Classic. Second-year head coach Andy Mueller is pleased with the intensity and focus the team displayed. Now 2–5 overall, the Gaels are looking toward more success.

“We had a really, really nice win over a strong Georgetown team,” said Mueller. “We have our toughest opponent and the most insurmountable odds stacked against us, so of course, we win that…This was one of those matches that makes you feel, ‘This is why I continue; it’s matches like today.’”

Mueller is well known on the New York City volleyball scene, having previously served as an assistant coach at St. Francis College and Long Island University, as well as working with a high-profile club program. He was hired shortly before the 2022 fall season and found his coaching philosophy a good fit for Iona.

“The things that I already stood for happened to be what they wanted,” said Mueller. “The athletes that were in the program last year when I first got here—they were the type of athletes and young adults that I hoped to train. They take a lot of accountability and responsibility, not just for what they do on the volleyball court, but in the classroom, in the community, as a whole.”

It’s a plus that the student-athletes are able to live a more normal college existence. When Mueller first arrived, he saw that the upperclasswomen had grown weary from the rigid restrictions and meager results due to the pandemic. Having a good season in 2022 put the team back on track. They capitalized on other teams underestimating them, but this year, people are coming for them, so they have to be ready.

“It’s getting back to having fun,” Mueller said. “I’m a serious guy. I love my job and I have an incredible amount of passion for my job, but I want to joke around in the gym and laugh. I know when it’s time to have fun and when it’s time to take care of business. I’m having the most fun when we’re winning, so if we can win more, then we will all have a lot of fun.”

Starting tonight, the Gaels are hosting the Iona Volleyball Tournament, which will also feature Fordham University, LIU, and Boston College. Conference play starts on Sept. 16.

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MLBbros manager Dave Roberts and National League MVP candidate Mookie Betts have been leading the Dodgers to their ninth NL West division title in 10 years. However, one of the unsung heroes for the star-studded team in Los Angeles has been the veteran MLBbro Jason Heyward.

Heyward was signed by the Dodgers back in December of 2022 on a minor league contract.

The MLBbro veteran ended up making the opening day roster and has provided an invaluable contribution to the team. A 14-year veteran with tons of playoff experience was sure to help any team, especially one such as the Dodgers with high expectations every postseason.

“They were the first team to call, the second team to call, and the third team to call,” Heyward said to USA Today Sports. “No one was willing to give [me] a major league contract, but they were at least willing to give me a minor league deal and give me a chance.”

Just like in Chicago, where he helped bring the Cubs organization its first World Series in 108 years in 2016, Heyward has been a veteran presence in the Dodgers dugout and locker room, providing wisdom and experience to his teammates. 
For that reason, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts gave Heyward the ultimate compliment: “He’s on the Mount Rushmore of favorite players I’ve been around,” Roberts said. “He has a new lease on life, a new freshness. He’s been a big part of this. I’m honored to be sharing the same uniform with him.”
The MLBbro is a former All-Star, five-time Gold Glove winner, and most importantly, a World Series champion. Adding someone of his pedigree, along with their other roster additions and culture, shows that the team is all in on another championship run,

Not only has Heyward been having a resurgent campaign, but he is also heating up in the final stretch of the season. In the month of August, he batted over .300 and only struck out five times in 56 plate appearances. With 13 home runs, Heyward has hit more long balls this season than his last two seasons combined. His current batting average, .262, has not been this high since the 2018 season. 

Some of Heyward’s rebirth can be attributed to being reunited with his former Atlanta Braves teammate Freddie Freeman. However, the major reason is his love for the game, and he has said that this year, he is enjoying playing the game again. His last few years in Chicago were met with disdain due to a hefty contract and underwhelming results.

Heyward still helped bring a championship to the Windy City amidst all the criticism, and is proving this year that he still has something left in the tank. Dave Roberts has placed the veteran in a role in which he can excel easily, and he has done that. 

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The dress rehearsals are over. 

 From this point on, each of the Jets and Giants 17 regular season games will be extremely consequential. Both begin Week 1 playing nationally televised primetime games against division rivals expected to contend for the Super Bowl.

 The Giants face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at 8:20 p.m. and the Jets play the Buffalo Bills on Monday at 8:15 p.m. Both games will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. 

The early part of the schedule for the Jets and Giants will be critical determinants of their postseason goals. In addition to the Bills, the Jets will play the Cowboys (Week 2), New England Patriots (Week 3), defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs (Week 4) and reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, who lost to the Chiefs 38-35 in last season’s Super Bowl, Week 6. 

Five of the Giants first six opponents are teams that made the playoffs last season. Based on the combined winning percentages of NFL teams last season, the Giants are tied with the Patriots and Cowboys for the third toughest schedule in the league this season. So by mid-October both the Jets and the Giants will already have gone through what now appears to be a perilous gauntlet. 

“I think the biggest thing in the early parts of the year for games is making sure that you are really focused on the things that you can control,” said Giants head coach Brian Daboll to the media on Tuesday via Giants.com, “which is your execution of the plays, whether it’s an offensive play or the defensive looks that we get out here and really focusing on your fundamentals, your techniques, your communication, [and] all the things that help you play well. 

 “That puts even more of a premium on it in the early part of the season because, again, you usually have a log of a few games here in the beginning part of the year after, call it, October. We are going to have to do a good job of executing our stuff against a really good team.”

 Daboll is acutely aware that attention to detail and limiting costly mental mistakes will be crucial to his team avoiding an under .500 start after completing the early six-week stretch. 

 Jets general manager Joe Douglas, entering his fifth season as the team’s GM, who was part of Super Bowl-winning teams with the Philadelphia Eagles (vice president of player personnel) and Baltimore Ravens (scout), said the Jets are embracing being projected as a lofty contender. 

“We’re not running or hiding from any expectations that are out there,” Douglas said last week via Jets.com. “I think when the dust settles, you want to be in the conversation as one of those teams that can compete for a Super Bowl. You get a ticket into the dance and anything can happen. 

 “… But we’re really not looking any further than the Buffalo Bills. Three-time defending AFC East champions are coming into MetLife and we know what kind of task that is to compete against them.”

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Mookie Betts had a homecoming of sorts, returning to Boston’s Fenway Park for the first time since the huge trade that landed him with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2019 season.

The two teams meet at a time when their franchises are moving in opposite directions. The Red Sox are sliding down the American League East standings and staring at a long offseason, while Betts is once again in serious consideration for NL MVP after a dominant August in which he won National League Player of the month while becoming the third person since 1900 to hit .450, have 50 hits, and have 10 Bro bombs.  

Given the current status of the two parties in question, the Boston fanbase had no choice but to wonder if their team could be in the middle of a dynasty if Betts remained in Boston.

Something that Mookie didn’t have a problem doing if Boston had “played ball.”

“Even though I wasn’t really ready for (the trade to the Dodgers)—I know people don’t believe me but I wanted to stay in Boston my whole career,” Betts told former teammate Brock Holt during his appearance via MassLive. “That was my life. I knew everybody there. It was a short flight to Nashville. It was perfect.”

Big Papi lost some love for Boston when they traded Mookie 
David “Big Papi” Ortiz was never a guy who kept his opinion quiet about baseball discussions, and his thoughts about Betts resonated during the series last week.

When Ortiz played with Betts, closing out the last two and a half seasons of his career, he knew back then that our MLBbro was not just an ordinary star for the era. He was a keeper—a franchise cornerstone that you simply didn’t trade away. 

During his appearance on Audacy’s podcast, “Baseball Isn’t Boring,” last weekend, Ortiz shared his thoughts about Boston letting Betts go and gave the former Red Sox star one of the greatest compliments a Hall of Famer can give to a fellow player. 

“I think that the minute he went to the Dodgers, my emotions shifted a little bit because that guy, he was the perfect franchise boy for an organization like this one,” Ortiz said. “Mookie has the personality—I’m not going to even talk about the player because that’s off the charts – and he’s young, very mature. He’s the full package. He’s the full package.”

Our MLBbro put together a résumé to back up Ortiz’s statements. In six years in Boston, Betts hit over .300 while Bro Bombing 139 times and driving in 470 runs in 794 games. He collected the AL MVP during the Red Sox World Series championship run in 2018. 

Not long after, Betts was traded for reportedly “financial reasons,” which Ortiz understood. “We know it was a mistake. We know. We know because numbers don’t lie. Numbers don’t lie,” Ortiz said. “But that happens. This type of mistake happens sometimes and there’s not much you can do about it.”

Despite the Betts trade to the West Coast, Ortiz says he’s still close with the MLBbro. 

“Mookie Betts is like my baby brother,” Ortiz said. “We always stay in touch. We always communicate. He’s too smart, because he’s always on the search and smart baseball players, that’s what they do because this game every day has something to show you. There’s something to learn every day.”

To begin the month of September, Betts was in the top 10 in batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.410), OPS (1.021), hits (156), home runs (36), doubles (36), RBI (94), and runs scored (114). He’s also played second base and shortstop, displaying his unrivaled versatility. 

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