ATLANTA — As Matt Holliday’s eldest sons navigated their way through amateur baseball, rising from decent prospects to potential first-round picks, the difference between father and sons became apparent in their public appearances:

Jackson and Ethan were simply different physical specimens than their father, a seven-time All-Star who at 6-4 and 240 pounds still looks like he could bat cleanup – or be an edge rusher – for somebody.

But now, there is an undeniable link between the OG Holliday and Ethan: Son will follow in father’s footsteps as a Colorado Rockie.

MLB DRAFT TRACKER: Every pick from 2025’s first round

Ethan Holliday’s draft day didn’t begin as anticipated Sunday night, with the Washington Nationals opting for his Oklahoma prep shortstop cohort, Eli Willits, as the No. 1 overall pick, followed by collegiate arms Tyler Bremner and Kade Anderson by the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners.

But any semblance of a slide turned into serendipity.

The Rockies did not hesitate to snag Holliday with the fourth overall pick, opting for a shortstop who stands eye to eye with his father yet posseses an athleticism that allows him to patrol shortstop.

Ethan is also taller and projected to be stronger than older brother Jackson, and although he did not equal Jackson’s 2022 feat by becoming the first overall pick, he has the ceiling to light up Coors Field.

Holliday batted .661 with 19 home runs and 64 RBIs for Stillwater High School this season, earning consensus as the No. 1 pick yet not separating himself to the extent an organization’s whims or the vagaries of bonus pool allocation might get a club like Washington to switch up.

Yet there’s a certain family tradition he’s now happy to inherit.

Matt Holliday mashed in Denver, hitting 130 home runs in six seasons, with a .936 OPS and a 131 adjusted OPS, meaning that with altitude factored in he was still approaching elite offensive production. He provided one of the more iconic moments in franchise history, sliding home just ahead of the throw (or not – the play would be a lightning rod for eventual replay review) – to score the winning run in a one-game playoff against the San Diego Padres in 2007.

The Rockies would advance to their only World Series weeks later; Ethan Holiday was just seven months old.

‘Man, this is a really incredible opportunity,’ Ethan Holliday said in an MLB Network interview shortly after the Rockies selected him. ‘I’m so driven by faith, so grateful. I don’t even know what words to put to this. The Rockies organization, I’m just so thankful to them.

‘That just adds such a cool thing, knowing everyone in the organization since I was born.’

Eventually, the Rockies faded and traded Holliday to Oakland, and he went on to have seven All-Star campaigns with the Cardinals. He finished up with a final, partial season in Colorado, by which time young Jackson and Ethan were familiar sights in Matt’s clubhouses.

Now, it will seem like déjà vu in Denver, with a thinner, perhaps more athletic and potentially potent Holliday back in town.

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The early prognosis for Seth Rollins’ injury: ‘Doesn’t look good.’

WWE chief content officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque addressed Rollins’ injury during his press conference following Evolution. He said it’s ‘a little bit inconclusive’ of what injury Rollins suffered on Saturday, July 13, but the outlook is not good. Levesque expects to get an answer on Monday, July 14 when Rollins sees a doctor.

‘Will get an MRI and hope for the best,’ Levesque said. ‘See where we can go with that.’

What happened to Seth Rollins?

It’s a gloomy update one day after Rollins appeared to suffer a devastating injury during a televised match. Rollins faced LA Knight at Saturday Night’s Main Event, and during the match he attempted a moonsault in the ring and his knee buckled. He immediately went down and grabbed his knee as he backed into the corner of the ring, with the referee and Paul Heyman checking in on him.

A ringside doctor eventually came and talked with Rollins. After the brief discussion, Rollins got back to his feet and LA Knight hit the BFT to set up the pin for the win. It came off as a quick adjustment to the ending.

After the match, people inside the arena took video of Rollins getting help leaving the ring, and one video on social media showed Rollins’ clearly frustrated, with the wrestler barking expletives as he was assisted.

While the extent of Rollins’ injury is still unavailable, it likely is a major injury for ‘The Visionary’ and could potentially mean some big changes to storylines. Rollins is Mr. Money in the Bank, able to cash it in for a championship opportunity at any time, and there was speculation he would do it at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Plus, he is still riding the momentum of his WrestleMania 41 victory, and was leading a stable with Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed and Heyman. The menacing group was also involved in storylines with Jey Uso, Sami Zayn and Penta.

Seth Rollins injury history: Constant knee injuries

The injury is just the latest one to affect Rollins’ knee, as its something that’s plagued his WWE career.

In November 2015, Rollins tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL) and meniscus in his right knee during a live event in Ireland. He required surgery, and was forced to vacate the WWE World Heavyweight Champion as he missed seven months. Rollins then re-tore the MCL in the same knee in January 2017, but didn’t miss much time.

He tore the meniscus in his left knee in January 2024. Even though he was injured, Rollins still appeared in WWE as World Heavyweight Champion while taking part in the build-up to WrestleMania 40. He wrestled both nights of the event despite the injury, and was instrumental in the Cody Rhodes vs. The Rock and Roman Reigns storyline. He missed two months of action following the event.

Joe Pavelski stood alone as the winner of the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe on Sunday, July 13.

The former NHL star capped off his 41st birthday weekend, going wire-to-wire in the celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course and finishing with a total of 73 in the modified Stableford scoring system the tournament uses.

Pavelski left do no doubt, sealing his victory with an eagle on the final hole. He finished nine points ahead of Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz, who rallied on the final day to finish second after entering the day tied for sixth.

Pavelski entered the final round on Sunday tied for first with former soccer player Taylor Twellman. The two were even at 44 after the first two rounds. Twellman dropped off in the final round and finished fourth. Country singer Jake Owen finished third.

Other notable names in the tournament include Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry (5th place), NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers (15th), who recently signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Basketball Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley (69th).

Pavelski announced his retirement from the NHL on July 16, 2024, after 18 seasons, tallying 1,068 career points (476 goals, 592 assists) in 1,332 regular-season games for the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks.

Pavelski finished second to former tennis player Mardy Fish at Edgewood in 2024 and was third in 2023 when Curry won.

Pavelski earned $150,000 for winning the American Century Championship , which he said will likely go towards a new MasterCraft boat. This is the ninth year Pavelski has played the tournament at Edgewood; he has regularly been among the top contenders.

ATLANTA — They dressed up the Roxy Theater as best they could and filled it with jersey-clad fans, a main event in search of a headliner.

Yet Major League Baseball’s draft more often than not comes up short in its search for a main character. And so it went Sunday night in the shadow of Truist Park.

The Washington Nationals upset the process, if you will, by choosing Oklahoma prep shortstop Eli Willits with the first pick, opting for the 17-year-old over his in-state legacy cohort, Ethan Holliday, and a slew of elite collegiate arms.

MLB DRAFT GRADES: Analyzing every first-round pick

ETHAN HOLLIDAY: Prep phenom follows in father’s footsteps with Rockies

And while the seat-fillers – not unlike a dance floor at a Super Bowl halftime show – did their level best to maintain their enthusiasm, whether booing commissioner Rob Manfred or cavorting with assembled team mascots, they were ultimately viewing a process rife with endless and unseen outcomes.

That’s how the draft’s always been, and while recent years have produced some buzzworthy picks that dovetailed nicely with MLB’s insistence on granting it a primetime slot (think: Paul Skenes), the draft on Sunday returned, stubbornly, to its old ways.

Here are five takeaways from the first day of baseball’s annual selection meeting:

Surprise party with Eli Willits at No. 1

Certainly, Willits’ selection raised a few eyebrows, though he met with the Nationals last month and it would stand to reason the club might look to avoid the Scott Boras-repped Holliday and save a few bucks from their bonus pool with a younger – just 17 – talent more likely to stick to shortstop.

“He was the guy we wanted all along,” says Nationals interim GM Mike DeBartolo.

Sure. Yet the first round really went sideways when the Los Angeles Angels veered away from everyone’s projections to snag UC Santa Barbara right-hander Tyler Bremner, who lurked near the top of draft boards all winter before getting off to a slow start in Goleta.

But he finished strong, even as he pitched under the radar while SEC darlings Kade Anderson and Liam Doyle starred in the NCAA postseason. The Mariners were surely thrilled to see Anderson available at No. 3; with the club desperate to make the playoffs this season, Anderson may figure in sooner rather than later.

The domino effect: Holliday to four (Colorado), Aiva Arquette to seven (Miami) and Billy Carlson 10^th (Chicago White Sox), three elite shortstops tumbling as a result of one club jumping the board.

Yet to the uninitiated, that’s simply the MLB draft, baby. Check back in five years to see if the Angels were brilliantly pragmatic or foolishly counterintuitive.

No wonder they were all no-shows

Speaking of which, you might have noticed there was no one for Manfred to bro hug. Yep, after years of trying largely in vain to lure top prospects to attend the draft in person, the league came up totally dry this time.

Long gone is the day Mike Trout wandered down to MLB Network’s Secaucus studios, all by himself, and waited it out for the Angels to take him 27^th overall and then become the greatest player of the decade. One of one, indeed.

Yet it’s also easy to see why draftees stay away, beyond the Boras-driven reason to not cede any bargaining leverage. Unlike their NFL and NBA counterparts, whose biggest draft night decisions involve whether to go suit or open collar fit, it’s often business time for these kids.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Willits or Bremner or any number of picks who might have climbed some draft boards were on the phone with clubs right up to the clock running out, hammering out slices of signing pools as clubs seek flexibility.

Better to do all that in the comfort of their great room, surrounded by friends, even if your time in the green room isn’t projected to be long.

Pirates building super rotation with Seth Hernandez

Despite the relative chaos of the first five picks, No. 6 unfolded as anticipated: Seth Hernandez, the 6-foot-5 beast from a decorated Corona High School program, is headed to Pittsburgh.

And the notion of pairing Hernandez with Skenes and top prospect Bubba Chandler is perhaps the closest thing resembling hope at PNC Park since Johnny Cueto dropped the ball.

Oh, Hernandez presents immense risk: His status as a right-handed prep pitcher likely diminished his chance as the No. 1 overall pick, despite a 98-mph fastball and pro-caliber changeup. Yet Hernandez certainly has the stuff, makeup and track record to move quickly.

Will Skenes be around to greet him in Pittsburgh? Yes, the notions of a Skenes trade are premature and somewhat absurd, but that won’t be the case two winters from now.

Skenes will likely have four seasons of service time under his belt by the earliest point Hernandez could bubble up from the minors. With each passing year and Skenes’ continued good health, it grows exceedingly unlikely the Pirates can sign him to an extension.

So, come 2028, Skenes and Hernandez might join forces, even if just for a year or two. And whether big fella leaves for nine-figure free agent riches, swinging big and betting on Hernandez’s arm was the right move for Pittsburgh.

High school is cool again

One year after teams made draft history by using the first eight selections on collegiate players, the preps bounced back in a big way this year, accounting for the No. 1 overall pick, three of the top six and six of the top 10.

What does it all mean?

Well, it enhances the chances 2024 was something of a blip wrought by a shortened 2020 draft and a moderate COVID-19 hangover that compelled more top talents to attend college – or stay there.

And as draft bonus pools swell, the lure of a high seven-figure payday and a faster path to the big leagues can still outweight the lure of campus life and the NIL payday that might come with it.

Corona High School was all that

So, just how good was St. John Bosco High School’s team?

It’s a question nobody’s asking but is worth pondering since the SoCal parochial school more associated with high school greatness took down the dominant Hernandez and the Panthers in the semifinals of the Southern Section playoffs.

And yeah, perhaps Corona will still go down as one of the greatest squads of all time. After all, they had three players selected in the top 32 picks.

Hernandez was followed later by shortstop Carlson, who went 10^th to the Chicago White Sox. And Brady Ebel, son of Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel, narrowly missed garnering a historic third first round selection for the school. He was picked 32^nd overall by Milwaukee.

Assuming all sign, Vanderbilt (Hernandez), Tennessee (Carlson) and LSU (Ebel) will miss out on premier talent.

And through 32 picks, the leaders in players picked were:

Tennessee: Four

Corona High School: Three

Arkansas: Two

Wake Forest: Two

Can a high school join the SEC? Makes you wonder.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — He was trying to break things up, that’s what Luis Enrique is going with.

Moments after Paris Saint-Germain lost its bid to cap a historic season in a 3-0 defeat in the Club World Cup against Chelsea, Enrique, the PSG manager, took a swipe at Chelsea striker João Pedro during a postgame altercation, striking him near his neck and chin.

Just before that confrontation, Enrique approached Pedro, who was having a discussion with PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. As Enrique seemingly tried to calm tensions, Pedro swatted Enrique’s hands away, leading to Enrique making the contact near Pedro’s head.

“At the end of the match there was a situation that I think was totally avoidable, for everyone involved,” Enrique said in Spanish during his post-match press conference “My objective and intention, like always, was to separate the players to avoid further problems. There was a lot of tension, a lot of passion. There was shoving going on and I think we should avoid that and it should never happen again.

“But I repeat: my intention was to avoid things getting worse.”

The incident seemed to simmer from a series of physical challenges toward the end of the match. Paris Saint-Germain, clearly frustrated with its impending defeat, was enforced for two yellow cards and a third that was overturned on review to a red in the final 10 minutes of the match. During the sequence that led to the red card, PSG midfielder João Neves tugged on Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella’s hair, pulling him to the turf.

“I don’t need to say anything about them because it’s normal,” Pedro said after the match. “Everyone wants to win the game, and in the end, I think they lose their head. But this is football. This has happened. Now we need to enjoy because we won the tournament.”

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said he missed the altercation because he was congratulating Paris Saint-Germain’s players.

PSG was trying to conclude a historic season with another honor, after they won the French league, the French Cup, the French Super Cup and the club’s first-ever UEFA Champions League title in late May.

It was evident, from very early on, that Chelsea was a real threat to unseat Paris Saint-Germain’s string of successes. Just seven-and-a-half minutes into the match, midfielder Cole Palmer hooked a left-footed shot that just slid past the left post.

By the half-hour mark, Palmer would have a pair of goals, and Chelsea would be hammering PSG on its half, smothering it with relentless pressure.

“Well, this is how soccer is sometimes,” Enrique said in French. “I’ll need to review the film to comprehensively analyze what happened, but they started the match very well, with aggressive pressure and we had difficulty matching that. From there, we had a few chances to score, but it was not in the cards.”