Sports Center

A Mickey Mantle baseball card is displayed at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, earlier this summer. A mint condition Mantle card has sold for $12.6 million, blasting into the record books.

LM Otero/AP

hide caption

toggle caption

LM Otero/AP

A Mickey Mantle baseball card is displayed at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, earlier this summer. A mint condition Mantle card has sold for $12.6 million, blasting into the record books.

LM Otero/AP

NEW YORK — A mint condition Mickey Mantle baseball card sold for $12.6 million Sunday, blasting into the record books as the most ever paid for sports memorabilia in a market that has grown exponentially more lucrative in recent years.

The rare Mantle card eclipsed the record just posted a few months ago — $9.3 million for the jersey worn by Diego Maradona when he scored the contentious “Hand of God” goal in soccer’s 1986 World Cup.

It easily surpassed

Oakland Athletics (49-81, fifth in the AL West) vs. Washington Nationals (43-86, fifth in the NL East)

Washington; Wednesday, 7:05 pm EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Athletics: James Kaprielian (3-8, 4.88 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 73 strikeouts); Nationals: Anibal Sanchez (0-5, 5.72 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 28 strikeouts)

SPORTSBOOK FANDUEL LINE: Athletics -118, Nationals -101; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Oakland Athletics will look to keep a three-game win streak intact when they play the Washington Nationals.

Washington has a 20-47 record at home and a 43-86 record overall. The Nationals are 28-10 in games when they scored five or more runs.

Oakland is 49-81 overall and 27-37 in road games. The Athletics have a 34-10 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents.

The teams meet Wednesday for the second time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Luke Voit leads Washington with 17 home runs while slugging .409. Lane

South Carolina is becoming the first major college athletic department to partner with a sports marketing agency to establish an in-house name, image and likeness firm, where Gamecocks athletes will have free access to deal facilitation, content generation and branding services.

The school has hired Everett Sports Management (ESM) to launch Park Ave, an exclusive initiative that will provide NIL services for Gamecocks athletes. South Carolina’s board of trustees on Tuesday afternoon approved the two-year, $2.2 million contract. Everett Sports Management, based in Greenville, SC, represents NFL players such as Jalen Hurts, Mac Jones and Jonathan Taylor, and handles NIL marketing for several college athletes, including Miami basketball players and social media stars Haley and Hanna Cavinder, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett and Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall.

“There have been a lot of different approaches (toward NIL), and nobody has gone this way,” South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner told

All the top stories and transfer rumors from Sunday’s national newspapers…

MAIL ON SUNDAY

Manchester United are facing disappointment in their attempts to prize Christian Pulisic away from Chelsea.

Manchester United insiders believe the £70m signing of Casemiro is a ‘blessing’ that the club has ‘needed for some time’.

Ajax star Antony has refused to rule out a move to Manchester United after he was forced to train alone amid transfer interest from the Premier League club.

Former Aston Villa star Gabby Agbonlahor has hit back at Jurgen Klopp after the Liverpool boss criticized the winger’s attack on Manchester United.

Manchester United have been warned against ‘getting into bed’ with an American company with links to Russian oligarchs sanctioned by the UK Government.

Football’s rule-makers should encourage referees to specialize in video technology to improve the standard of officiating, the former official who pioneered VAR says.

Xavi has upped the

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – The Red & Black were looking to stay perfect on the season Saturday night as they hosted Auburn at the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds.

Juston Williams and Kalon Jeter team up early in this game with a 43 yard reception setting up the first score of the game.

Eric Washington takes it in from 3 yards out.

Eric Beyler adds the extra point to put the Red & Black on top 7-0.

Later in the first quarter, it was Jonathan Williams with the interception. He takes it to the house from 30 yards out. The pat is good, 14-0 Watertown.

Red & Black defense is up once again as Derek Dalton and Jeremy Machia lead Watertown.

It was Jaquin Salmon with the interception, stopping an Auburn drive.

Later in the second quarter, Chris Furr shows off his tip drill skills 34 yards Juston Williams to

New York Mets (79-44, first in the NL East) vs. New York Yankees (74-48, first in the AL East)

New York; Monday, 7:05 pm EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Mets: Max Scherzer (9-2, 2.15 ERA, .93 WHIP, 134 strikeouts); Yankees: Domingo German (1-2, 4.45 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 23 strikeouts)

SPORTSBOOK FANDUEL LINE: Mets -166, Yankees +141; over/under is 7 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Yankees open a two-game series at home against the New York Mets on Monday.

New York has a 43-20 record at home and a 74-48 record overall. The Yankees have a 41-20 record in games when they record at least eight hits.

New York has a 79-44 record overall and a 39-25 record on the road. The Mets have the second-ranked team on-base percentage in the NL at .330.

Monday’s game is the third time these teams match up this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Andrew Benintendi is 12th

Cincinnati Reds (48-71, fourth in the NL Central) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (66-55, third in the NL East)

Philadelphia; Monday, 7:05 pm EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Luis Cessa (3-1, 5.50 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 28 strikeouts); Phillies: Noah Syndergaard (7-8, 3.95 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 76 strikeouts)

SPORTSBOOK FANDUEL LINE: Phillies -242, Reds +197; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Phillies begin a four-game series at home against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.

Philadelphia is 66-55 overall and 33-29 in home games. The Phillies have gone 30-11 in games when they hit two or more home runs.

Cincinnati has a 22-35 record in road games and a 48-71 record overall. The Reds have a 31-13 record in games when they scored five or more runs.

Monday’s game is the fourth meeting between these teams this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Schwarber has 34 home runs, 62 walks and 71 RBI while

Atlanta Braves (75-48, second in the NL East) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (47-74, fifth in the NL Central)

Pittsburgh; Monday, 7:05 pm EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: Jake Odorizzi (4-5, 4.15 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 54 strikeouts); Pirates: Roansy Contreras (3-3, 4.02 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 53 strikeouts)

SPORTSBOOK FANDUEL LINE: Braves -201, Pirates +168; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Atlanta Braves will try to keep a six-game road win streak going when they play the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pittsburgh is 47-74 overall and 26-33 in home games. The Pirates have a 30-9 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.

Atlanta has gone 33-24 in road games and 75-48 overall. The Braves have the sixth-best team ERA in MLB play at 3.58.

The teams play Monday for the fifth time this season. The Braves are up 4-0 in the season series.

TOP PERFORMERS: Bryan Reynolds has 14 doubles, three triples and

Longtime United States women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe had a special, private request for president Joe Biden earlier this summer.

Rapinoe reportedly requested that Biden make more of an effort bringing Brittney Griner home.

Griner, the WNBA star, has been in custody in Russia since earlier this year. Griner was reportedly found with hash oil in a vape pen in her backpack at the airport. She’s been sentenced to nine years in prison.

“When Megan Rapinoe received a call from President Biden letting her know he was awarding her the Medal of Freedom, she used the opportunity to