This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.
One quick programming note: With the holiday, this will be the only newsletter today, and Chris will have the afternoon newsletter tomorrow to bring us into the weekend.
⚾ Good morning to everyone, but especially to …
THE MLB ALL-STAR GAME STARTERS
After learning Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper would be All-Star Game starters last week, we learned who will join them in the starting lineups for the Midsummer Classic.
In the AL …
- Catcher: Adley Rutschman, Orioles
- First baseman: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
- Second baseman: Jose Altuve, Astros
- Third baseman: José Ramírez, Guardians
- Shortstop: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles
- Outfielders: Aaron Judge, Yankees; Juan Soto, Yankees; Steven Kwan, Guardians
- Designated hitter: Yordan Alvarez, Astros
And in the NL …
- Catcher: William Contreras, Brewers
- First baseman: Bryce Harper, Phillies
- Second baseman: Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks
- Third baseman: Alec Bohm, Phillies
- Shortstop: Trea Turner, Phillies
- Outfielders: Christian Yelich, Brewers; Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres; Jurickson Profar, Padres
- Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
The pitchers and reserves will be announced Sunday.
👍 Honorable mentions
🏀 And not such a good morning for …
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THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Based on just the surface-level headlines, you would think it was a great day for the Lakers.
But when you dig deeper, the first and third bullet points are more reasons that this summer has been a failure for Los Angeles, Sam Quinn writes.
You may remember that James was reportedly willing to take a pay cut if it would help the Lakers add a key player. Instead, they whiffed on Klay Thompson, and Jonas Valanciunas and James Harden — other players for whom James would have taken a pay cut — who all signed elsewhere.
Now, James has all the flexibility in the world — a no-trade clause and an option to hit free agency after this season following his long-awaited season with his son — and the Lakers have almost none. Unless Dalton Knecht is the rare immediate-impact outside-the-lottery rookie, the Lakers have made no upgrades to a roster that wasn’t close to contending last season.
Even the Brooks and McMillan news came after a rejection from Dwane Casey. The Redick hiring, of course, came after Dan Hurley rejected a low-ball offer.
The last few weeks have been an indictment of the franchise, Sam writes.
- Quinn: “Through this context, it’s not hard to see why people might be a bit hesitant to join the Lakers. The team is often a circus. The front office continues to escape accountability for the team’s on-court failures even as coach after coach is jettisoned for them. It’s not clear what exactly the on-court plan is. … Right now, the Lakers are a Play-In team that is just getting older and worse in a conference steadily getting younger and better.”
At least they’re not alone, even in their own city. Bill Reiter wrote about how both the Lakers and Clippers have fallen into mediocrity.
👎 Not so honorable mentions
🏀 More NBA offseason winners, losers
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Los Angeles isn’t the only multi-team NBA city. On the other side of the country, Brad Botkin ranked the Nets dealing Mikal Bridges to the Knicks as the best move this offseason, as it accomplishes goals for both teams. The Knicks are deeper, more versatile and simply better. The Nets got a ton of draft picks and are bottoming out ahead of what should be a loaded 2025 draft class.
As such, both teams land in the “winners” column of Brad’s offseason winners and losers. Not every team was so lucky, though.
While many teams contending for the title, including the Knicks, improved their roster, one team in particular took a step back. The Denver Nuggets, according to Botkin, are the losers in this scenario. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was Denver’s top point-of-attack defender and a key offensive player alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, has left the team. Botkin notes that Caldwell-Pope’s ability to shoot 3-pointers, cut for layups, and execute mid-range jumpers made him a valuable asset. The Nuggets are now faced with the challenge of finding a suitable replacement internally, possibly by promoting Christian Braun to the starting lineup. However, Botkin emphasizes that Braun, while a talented player, is not on the same level as Caldwell-Pope. With Denver already lacking in shooters, losing Caldwell-Pope has only exacerbated the issue. sentence: Please remember to turn off the lights before leaving the room.