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The National Football League announced its own new subscription service, called NFL+  

The subscription service, which will cost $4.99 monthly or $39.99 annually, will offer out-of-market preseason games, live local and primetime regular season games and postseason games, as well as NFL Network and NFL Films content on-demand on streamable platforms,

“Today marks an important day in the history of the National Football League with the launch of NFL+,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a news release. 

 “The passionate and dedicated football fans are the lifeblood of the NFL, and being able to reach and interact with them across multiple platforms is incredibly important to us. We look forward to continuing to grow NFL+ and deepening our relationship with fans across all ages and demographics.”

The NFL said its new NFL+ service is the latest of its direct-to-consumer offerings, which already includes its NFL Game Pass subscription service.

To say that the offseason was a whirlwind for the New York Giants would be an understatement.

The team conducted an entire overhaul of its front office, followed by its coaching staff. There is almost as much change on the field as there was off of it.

With those changes, the Giants became the fourth-youngest NFL team in 2022. Only the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars have an average age that is younger than the Giants. Their average ages are as follows: 25.3 years (Browns), 25.42 years (Lions), 25.57 years (Jags) and 25.58 years (Giants and Dallas Cowboys).

On top of this youth, the Giants currently have more injuries than any other team in the league, which brings the average age of available players down even further.

There is a bright side to this, though. Younger players are easier to mold, and the Giants have a brand-new coaching staff and front office crew. They will have the ability to develop these players to their way of doing things, which could potentially create longevity in the locker room.

The players’ ability to make a scheme work is key to winning, and longevity means that scheme becomes rote. Hopefully it translates into winning seasons going forward.

The Yankees avoided a three-game sweep to the Rays, with a 2-1 win to snap a three-game losing streak, as Aaron Judge provided most of the offense with a homer and a double in front of a sell-out crowd of 25,025 at Tropicana Field. 

And the Yankees got a break to finish the game. With the Rays having scored a run and the potential winning run on second, Clay Holmes struck out Yandy Diaz looking on a pitch that appeared to be low. 

The Yankees got their lead in the AL East back to five games — and four in the loss column — over Tampa Bay, thanks in part to five shutout innings from Frankie Montas. 

“It does feel bigger,” Aaron Boone said after the Yankees avoided having their lead in the East cut to three games, which it hasn’t been since May 9. 

“With what we’re going through, to get a big, tough win on the road against a team we’re fighting with for the division is huge at this time of year,’’ Boone said.

The Yankees were blown out by the Rays, 9-0, and had to resort to using Marwin Gonzalez on the mound. 

After manager Aaron Boone said he hoped the unwelcome addition of a pennant race would bring out the best in his Yankees, they went out and played one of their worst games of the season. The Yankees’ slide continued, and their lead over the Rays dropped to five games — the lowest it has been since June 1 — and just four ahead in the loss column. 

“That’s an embarrassing loss,” Boone said. “Hopefully, it’s one of those rock-bottom things where you should be pissed off and embarrassed.” 

It was the Yankees’ fifth loss in their past six games — following a five-game winning streak — while Tampa Bay won its fourth straight. 

The Yankees’ offense was a no-show again as they were shut out for the sixth time in their past 25 games. And the lineup took another hit when Andrew Benintendi left with a right wrist injury. 

Edwin Díaz struck out Gavin Lux on a 102 mph fastball to escape a jam in the eighth inning, and the New York Mets beat the major league-best Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3.

Francisco Lindor hit a tying double in the sixth against Chris Martin (4-1) and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Darin Ruf after the Mets were held to one hit in five innings by Clayton Kershaw, who made his first start since Aug. 4.

NL East-leading New York took two of three from Los Angeles, its first series win against the Dodgers since Sept. 3-5, 2011. LA lost consecutive games for the first time since July 25-26.

Chris Bassitt (12-7) allowed two runs and six hits in six innings for his fifth straight victory, matching his win total from last season with Oakland. He departed after the Mets took a 3-2 lead in the sixth.

New York led 5-2 when Díaz opened the eighth by walking Freddie Freeman and plunking Will Smith. Freeman scored on Justin Turner’s sacrifice fly. Díaz then escaped by whiffing Lux on the hardest pitch of his career.

Adam Ottavino followed with a perfect ninth for his third save.

Kevin Durant is staying with the Brooklyn Nets weeks after publicly requesting a trade away from the team.

Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant has rescinded his request to be traded ahead of the upcoming NBA season.

Durant and his longtime business manager Rich Kleiman met with Nets management and “decided to move forward with partnership.” 

The meeting included Durant, Kleiman, Nets team governor Joe Tsai, general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash.

Marks addressed the meeting in a statement: “We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise  to bring a championship to Brooklyn.”

The Nets will be viewed as contenders in the Eastern Conference with a committed Durant, alongside guard Kyrie Irving and versatile forward Ben Simmons, whom the Nets acquired at last season’s trade deadline.

With over a month left in the season, Aaron Judge hit the 50-homer mark for the second time in his career.

With his one-out blast in the top of the eighth against the Angels at Angel Stadium, Judge became just the 10th player in MLB history to have multiple seasons with at least 50 home runs.

He also reached the milestone in 2017, when Judge hit 52 as a rookie.

Judge’s next challenge — in addition to battling the Angels Shohei Ohtani for AL MVP — will be making a run at Roger Maris’ American League and franchise record of 61 homers, set 61 years ago in 1961.

Judge’s home run was greeted with loud cheers from the announced sellout crowd on Monday night, which was filled with Yankee fans — who booed loudly when Judge was walked twice intentionally earlier in the game.

New French Toast Sticks are coming to Wendy’s

French Toast Sticks will debut as a permanent addition to Wendy’s national breakfast menu. They come served with a side of sweet syrup for dipping.

Interestingly enough, Jack in the Box just brought back French Toast Sticks for a limited time as more and more fast-food chains focus on breakfast as the negative effects of inflation start to eat into bottom lines.

Buck Showalter loves to say that as long as the Mets’ offense has an out remaining, they have a chance to win. 

That resilience was on display once again Friday night at Citi Field, as Showalter’s first-place team pulled out its 81st win with yet another late rally, this time for a 7-6 victory over the Rockies — on Pete Alonso’s RBI single in the ninth inning. 

“Everybody has that ability for comebacks, but whether you can tap into it is another thing,” the manager said. “When momentum changes, we talk about it all the time, and they talk about it, stay in the moments.”  

“Whatever happened, happened, and you can’t do anything about it. Let’s go ahead and move to the next challenge, and they’ve done it all year. The job description requires it here.” 

Jacob deGrom walked off the mound shaking his head after completing Thursday’s sixth inning. It was the only one all night in which the perfectionist didn’t post a zero on the scoreboard.

The team co-ace’s fifth start since returning from the injured list was just as encouraging as the first four for the first-place Mets, who began a stretch of 20 of 23 games played against sub-.500 teams with a 3-1 win over the Rockies at Citi Field.

“Jake was great for us,” Pete Alonso said after the Mets’ got back on track after two Subway Series losses earlier to the Yankees. “Jake was awesome for us, and it’s great to have him back.”

Working with two extra days of rest since his previous outing last Thursday, deGrom retired the first 12 batters he faced and departed with a 3-1 lead after six innings. The two-time Cy Young winner allowed one run on three hits with one walk and nine strikeouts over an 87-pitch effort, a handful shy of his season-high of 95 last week against the Braves.

Alonso belted a two-run homer in support of deGrom, who improved to 3-1 with a 2.15 ERA over five starts since returning from the injured list this month.