A Big Kick by Little and my WNBA Power Rankings
The Monday morning edition of "Ten things to know before 10 a.m." is live!
Two single game feats set league records - but one did not officially count. A woman makes history in another sport.
Week 1 of the NFL preseason is in the books, but the talk of the town involves an Ace, a Jaguar and an umpire, for this weekend recap of Sameer’s Snippets.
1. An NFL record was broken - but it does not count
On Saturday night, history was made in Florida involving a Jacksonville Jaguar.
No, first round pick Travis Hunter playing both wide receiver and cornerback is not the history I am referring to.
I will be discussing a Little kicker who made a big kick - the biggest in NFL history.
With one second left in the second quarter, 39-year old rookie head coach Liam Coen sent out 21-year old second-year kicker Cameron Little for a field goal attempt… At their own 48-yard line.
Note: a field goal attempt is calculated by adding around 18 yards from the line of scrimmage, because the goalpost is 10 yards behind the zero-yard line and the kick is taken 7-8 yards from the line of scrimmage; so a FG from a midfield snap would be a 68-yard field goal.
With only one Steelers defender coming around the left corner to add any pressure, Little stepped up and drilled the kick through the uprights. A 70-yard field goal! History at EverBank Stadium!
Except… Not really. Preseason stats are not kept as official NFL statistics in the record book, so the longest kick in NFL history still belongs to former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker. Tucker’s game-winning 66-yard kick against the Detroit Lions back in 2021 that bounced against the bottom goal post and in, stands as the all-time record-breaking field goal kick.
Regardless, Little and the Jaguars produced a win in that moment (even though the team lost, 31-25).
2. First female umpire in MLB history, Jen Pawol, calls the Marlins-Braves game
At 1:35 p.m. local in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, the first pitch from Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Joey Wentz was made - a four-seam fastball that slightly tailed off the plate on an inside pitch to Marlins’ leadoff hitter, shortstop Xavier Edwards.
STRIKE!
On any other day, that slightly questionable call would be controversial, especially if the call was coming from notorious umpires Angel Hernandez or Laz Diaz. However, applause from parts of a late arriving crowd of 31,203 echoed throughout Truist Field, with the ball that was passed from catcher Sean Murphy to Wentz was thrown back to the Braves’ dugout, to be authenticated, then given back to the first female umpire in MLB history in Jen Pawol.
Despite the missed call, she was 91% accurate for her balls and strikes, with her opening pitch call being the most egregious (3.4 inches off the plate).
Compared to other rookie first-day umpires over the past decade, Pawol’s performance is right around the middle. The worst was Malachi Moore’s 89.38% in 2020, while Alex Tosi had a 96.69% accuracy in 2019.
Note: All stats are from this Reddit post, from Redditor u/TinKnight1 and Close Call Sports
Baseball umpiring, especially at the major league level, has always been had a male behind home plate, for the past 149 years. But times are a changing, and with that, male-dominated vocations have seen people of the other gender(s) making their impact, especially in the wide world of sports. There are now female general managers, female head coaches and assistant coaches of male pro sports teams and women referees in male sports.
Dee Kantner and Violet Palmer became the first two woman referees in NBA history back in 1997. Sarah Thomas was hired as the first full-time female official in NFL history on April 8, 2015. Katie Guay was one of the first four women NHL officials in history, as they worked an NHL prospect tournament in early September 2019. Tori Penso was the first woman to referee a regular season MLS game, when she officiated a match between Nashville FC and DC United on Sept. 25, 2020.
Pawol was the first woman to call balls and strikes in Major League Baseball, but is certainly not the last to do so.
3. WNBA Power Rankings
Another week, another Monday morning WNBA Power Rankings. This week we have learned that there is a team with finals expectations in the preseason dealing with a rash of injuries at one position - so much so, that their starting wing (and fourth-string point guard) is the team’s new ball handler.
Also, some teams (the Atlanta Dream and Los Angeles Sparks) are getting healthy bodies back in time for a late season playoff push.
Once again, only looking at who I think are the eight best teams in the WNBA right now.
Biggest rise: Las Vegas Aces (+3) | Biggest fall: Indiana Fever (-4)
1. Minnesota Lynx | 27-5 | Last Week: 1 | Current Streak: W5
The Lynx continue to roll, beating the likes of the Seattle Storm (91-87), Washington Mystics (80-76) and New York Liberty (83-71) last week. They have done this without their best player in Napheesa Collier, who was ruled out for one more week with a sprained right ankle.
Newly acquired guard DiJonai Carrington has played well in her absence, averaging 13.3 ppg, 4 rpg and accumulating two steals in each game last week.
This upcoming week is very light, as the Lynx only face one team - the Liberty - the same team they defeated by 12 on Sunday, after going on a 14-0 run in the third quarter. Both teams will still be without their top forward, with the Liberty’s Breanna Stewart returning later this month.
With only 12 games left in the regular season, look for the Lynx to solidify home court throughout the upcoming WNBA playoffs.
Upcoming matchups: vs. New York Liberty (20-11) on Saturday
2. Atlanta Dream | 20-11 | Last Week: 2 | Current Streak: W5
The Dream stole a road win against the 19-12 Phoenix Mercury on Sunday, 74-66, making them as the best non-Lynx team over the past week. They did so with and without the likes of starting point guard Rhyne Howard, who returned after missing the last 10 games with a knee injury. Howard came off the bench on Sunday, but was 0-of-7 from the field, with four points and only two assists in 16 minutes. She was ejected with about six minutes left in regulation, after two technical fouls, complaining about a defensive foul in a close game.
Other injury notes about Sunday’s game was that center Brittney Griner also returned for the first time since July 30 due to a neck injury. She too came off the bench, playing only 13 minutes, with 2 points, 2 rebounds, an assist and a block. However, starting guard Jordin Canada, who averages 12 ppg, 5.7 apg and 1.7 spg, left the game in the early stages of the fourth quarter with a knee injury and had to be carried to the visiting locker room in Phoenix.
As for the play on the court, the Dream has taken care of business over the past eight games (7-1 during that stretch), with bookend road wins against the Mercury on July 23 and Sunday, as well as an impressive road win at Minnesota (90-86) on July 27.
This week. the Dream face a ‘home-and-home’ against the reeling Seattle Storm, who have dropped four straight games. The two-game series is not technically a home-and-home - the first game takes place in Seattle, but the second is a rare Canada game in Vancouver, British Columbia. However, the Dream may be without the likes of [Jordin] Canada in Canada on Friday.
Upcoming matchups: at Storm (16-16) on Wednesday; vs. Storm on Friday; at Golden State Valkryies (15-15) on Sunday
3. Phoenix Mercury | 19-12 | Last Week: 5 | Current Streak: L1
The Mercury have been riding high with MVP frontrunner Alyssa Thomas, winning three straight games against the Chicago Sky (83-67), Connecticut Sun (82-66) and Indiana Fever (95-60), winning each game in convincing fashion.
Thomas has never been a scoring forward - she is more comparable to a Nikola Jokic of the NBA - a point-forward who regularly dictates the offense, while being the team’s focal point as a lockdown frontcourt defender. Thomas, the former Maryland product in her 12th year in the league (first for the Mercury), is, funnily enough, averaging a career-high 15.9 ppg (this, after saying that she is not a scorer) and 9.2 apg to go along with a solid 8.7 rpg in 25 games started this season. She gets her points typically from around the rim, using her crafty footwork to pivot herself away from defenders for layups. To note - Thomas has only attemped 24 three-pointers in her career (and only three this season). Her only two makes from beyond the arc were back in her rookie season in 2014.
However, Phoenix got humbled at home on Sunday, falling to the Dream 74-66 in a heavyweight fight between the second and third-best teams in the WNBA. Mercury starters not named Thomas were just 8-of-52 from the field - an anemic 15.4%. However, sixth lady (and Thomas’s wife) DeWanna Bonner was 4-of-8 from the field and finished with 16 points - the only other Mercury player to finish in double figures.
The Mercury only have a two-game slate this week, hosting the Las Vegas Aces in their final game of their four-game homestand, then take on the Seattle Storm on the road Sunday.
Upcoming matchups: vs. Aces (17-14) on Friday; at Storm (16-16) on Sunday
4. New York Liberty | 20-11 | Last Week: 4 | Current Streak: L1
The Liberty are currenty treading water right now, with New York winning a home-and-home (facing the team at home, then traveling to the opponent’s arena in the same week) against the second-worst WNBA team in the Dallas Wings (8-24), but falling to the top-seeded Lynx on Sunday.
Newly signed free agent Emma Messeman has seamlessly fit into head coach Sandy Brondello’s system - the Belgian forward has scored in double digits in all four games, averaging 4.5 rpg, 4 apg, 1.3 spg and at least one block in every game since her debut on Aug. 3.
New York is now tied with the Dream for the second-best record in the ‘W’, with 13 games left.
The Liberty have a tough literal road ahead this week, facing the likes of the red-hot Sparks (8-2 in their last 10 games), the Las Vegas Aces (17-14) and the Lynx once again.
Upcoming matchups: at Sparks (14-16) on Tuesday; at Aces (17-14) on Wednesday; at Minnesota Lynx (27-5) on Saturday
5. Las Vegas Aces | 18-14 | Last Week: 8 | Current Streak: W4
A’ja Wilson just told the WNBA and the nation to ‘hold my beer’ late on Sunday night at home.
The reigning three-time MVP achieved a WNBA first: the only player to record 30-plus points and 20-plus rebounds in a single game, in a 94-86 victory over the last place Connecticut Sun (5-24). Wilson finished with 32 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, being the only WNBA player in history to also record a 32-20-5 game.
The Aces, who had only one win sandwiched between two and three consecutive losses in mid-June, have turned their fortunes around post All-Star break. The Vegas team is 9-3 since July 11, and have vaulted from fringe playoff team with a questionable late season outlook to definitive playoff team with a quarter of the season left.
Upcoming matchups: vs. Liberty (20-11) on Wednesday; at Mercury (19-12) on Friday; vs. Wings (8-24) on Sunday
6. Los Angeles Sparks | 15-16 | Last Week: Not Ranked | Current Streak: W1
After a scintillating 108-106 double overtime victory in Seattle on Aug. 1, the Sparks finish their Sunday on a 14-4 run to take two straight wins over the Storm, 94-91 at the Crypto.com arena.
Los Angeles has been on a crazy run since the July 4 weekend, winning 10 of its last 13 games to be only 0.5 of a game behind the Golden State Valkryies (15-15) and the last playoff spot. During this stretch, they swept the Mystics on a home-and-home back on July 15 and 22; and defeated potential playoff teams in the Indiana Fever (twice), Liberty (101-99, in Brooklyn) and now the Storm (twice).
The Sparks have done this with a trio of stars in guard Kelsey Plum and forwards in Rikea Jackson and Derica Hamby. Each of the big three has led the team in scoring in at least three separate games during this 13-game run that spans nearly all of June and into the first week of August.
The team also brought back second-year forward Cameron Brink back on July 29, after suffering a season-ending ACL tear in her knee a year ago. Brink posted her best numbers in her first six games of the season, off the bench, on Sunday. She had 14 points, five rebounds, one assist, two steals and a block to add more depth to one of the best frontcourts in all of the WNBA.
Upcoming matchups: vs. Liberty (20-11) on Tuesday; at Wings (8-24) on Friday; at Mystics (14-17) on Sunday
7. Indiana Fever | 18-14 | Last Week: 3 | Current Streak: W1
Yes, the Fever are 6-4 over the past 10 games, but the big issue for this drop in the Power Rankings has been the infamous ‘body bag’ game in the blowout 95-60 road loss to the Mercury on Thursday. Indiana, who was playing without the likes of Caitlin Clark for the umpeeth straight game (ninth straight, to that point), had their replacement at the starting point guard position (Aari McDonald) as well as her backup (Sydney Colson) suffer devastating season-ending injuries. McDonald, who was averaging almost 10 ppg, 4.7 apg and 1.3 spg, suffered a broken bone in her right foot. Colson, who has come off the bench this entire season, tore her ACL in her left knee just a minute into the Mercury game.
Those injuries, plus no timetable for Clark’s return, means that 6-foot, 2-inch guard Sophie Cunningham, who is a starting wing player and knockdown three-point shooter by default, has to move to the unnatural starting point guard position for the foreseeable future. When I was covering the Mercury as a features reporter for Cronkite News and Sports for Arizona PBS in 2021, Cunningham was the starting point guard then, with Phoenix legend Diana Taurasi starting (and playing in) only 16 games that season.
The Fever, sans Clark, McDonals and Colson this week, have a favorable slate of opponents. They host 2025 no. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers and the 8-24 Wings on Tuesday and the other two Rookie of the Year frontrunners in Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen and the Washington Mystics (14-17) on Friday. Sunday, Indiana takes on the last-place Connecticut Sun (5-25) on Sunday.
Upcoming matchups: vs. Wings (8-24) on Tuesday; vs. Mystics (14-17) on Friday; at Sun (5-25) on Sunday
8. Seattle Storm | 16-16 | Last Week: 6 | Current Streak: L5
The only potential WNBA playoff team worse-off than the Fever is the Storm, who have lost five straight games - all to potential playoff teams, including two losses to the Sparks - and have gone to automatic playoff team to being on the verge of missing the playoffs with a dozen games left in the regular season.
The latest defeat was a 94-91 collapse to the Sparks on the road Sunday. Seattle had an 87-80 lead with less than three minutes left in regulation, but missed three straight shots and turned the ball over once and committed unnecessary defensive fouls to choke away a victory to snap their season-long losing streak. This, despite newly-acquired Brittney Sykes scoring 14 of the Storm’s team-high 27 points in the fourth quarter. There is also a coaching/rotation issue at hand, with second year center Dominique Malonga was playing during crunch time, while more reliable premier defenders and offensive threats in Gabby Williams and Erica Wheeler were sitting on the bench.
Remember - I mentioned in my last WNBA Power Rankings that the Storm missed countless game-tying three-pointers in an early August Sunday 78-74 loss to the Fever. There’s some voodoo happening with the Storm during this stretch.
Unfortunately, the next three games do not get any easier, with three more matches against playoff-destined teams in the Dream and Mercury this week.
Upcoming matchups: vs. Dream (20-11) on Wednesday; vs. Dream on Friday; vs Mercury (19-12) on Sunday
Dropped from rankings: Golden State Valkryies (15-15): was no. 7 last week.
Well, that wraps up another Monday edition of Sameer’s Snippets.
Until next time, signing off.