Sports

ST. JOSEPH — Having learned, unexpectedly, earlier in the day that MINK League officials had declared that – apparently for a variety of issues – no previously-postponed games would be made up on Sunday’s pre-planned, league-wide “rain date nor beyond that, even though they and other teams involved in pursuing league playoffs berths still would have multiple unplayed games by then, the Chillicothe Mudcats somewhat predictably proved easy fodder for the host St. Joseph Mustangs at the Ponies’ Phil Welch Stadium home last Thursday.

Baseball's trade deadline became a bit more suspenseful recently when The Athletic reported Washington outfielder Juan Soto had turned down a $440 million, 15- year contract to stay with the Nationals.

The Kansas City Royals appear to finally be accepting that they need to start thinking about the future. Not that it has to be a faroff future.

ST. JOSEPH — Almost inevitably, the operatic soprano finally got the official cue, in connection with the 2022 Chillicothe Mudcats’ season, to start doing her warmup trills and scales late last Wednesday night. It was nearly time for her to sing their closing song.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jim Lynch, the hard-hitting linebacker who helped the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings in the 1970 Super Bowl following a standout career at Notre Dame, has died. He was 76.

CHILLICOTHE — While time continued to work against them, the Chillicothe Mudcats college-level summer baseball club which has two Linn Countians active on its roster made a smidgen of progress in trying to qualify for its league’s postseason play this coming week.

If you’re a hunter, target shooter, or just enjoy being outdoors shooting your gun for practice, there’s no better way to sharpen your shotgun shooting eye than shooting clay targets. Clay target shooting is great fun, and also will increase your ability to hit fast-flying wild birds when fall rolls around.

BOONE, Iowa — The Chillicothe Mudcats’ long-ailing 2022 season – after drifting from being the hospital equivalent of serious condition by the start of July to critical July 16 when a potentially-lifesaving victory over Carroll, Iowa, eluded them when it was one strike away – likely moved to death’s doorstep this past Tuesday when they dropped an 8-4 decision to the Des Moines (Iowa) Peak Prospects at Boone’s Memorial Park stadium.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The All-Star Game showcased what baseball has become — home runs, strikeouts and offense-killing shifts. The National League didn't have a hit between the first and eighth innings of Tuesday night's 3-2 loss, its ninth in a row.

Just as the Chillicothe Mudcats’ narrow path to the 2022 MINK League playoffs was on the verge of becoming significantly less implausible early Monday morning, it encountered a hairpin turn the club couldn’t quite negotiate. Whether the result was plunging off the road and down the mountainside or just slamming hard on the brakes remained to be determined over the next seven days.