WEDNESDAY · OCTOBER 7, 2026 · SPORTS, IN SMALL SIPS
Hey Sippers,
Henry Ford only raced a car once. On October 10, 1901, which will be 125 years ago this Saturday, he drove a car he built called the Sweepstakes on a one-mile track in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He beat Alexander Winton, who was one of the country’s most famous carmakers, in a 10-lap race. The prize, a cut-glass punch bowl, had been chosen for Winton, but Ford ended up winning it. The attention from this win helped Ford find investors for his next car company. After Ford and his wife Clara passed away, the bowl was auctioned in 1951, and its whereabouts are now unknown.
Error message. The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the New York Yankees 5-2 on Monday, taking advantage of four Yankees errors, including three in the first inning. With this win, Tampa Bay leads the American League Division Series 2-0, and New York faces elimination with one more loss.
Clearance Sale. Enrique Hernández and Freddie Freeman each hit home runs off Atlanta's Chris Sale in the fourth inning on Tuesday, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers win 3-1. Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 10 batters, and LA now leads the Braves 2-1.
Board Meeting. In just their second season, the Golden State Valkyries outrebounded the Las Vegas Aces 52-25 and won Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals 71-60 on Sunday. Game 2 is scheduled for tonight.
Alex Ovechkin says this will be his last season, and he is just 10 goals behind Wayne Gretzky's career total. That means every Capitals game this winter will feel like a countdown.
Final shift. Ovechkin, the Capitals' captain, said Monday that he expects the 2026-27 season to be his last in the NHL. "Time flies," he said. "It's been a pretty good career, pretty 22 seasons."
The Math. Ovechkin already holds the regular-season scoring record, which he took from Gretzky and has raised to 929 goals. But if you include the playoffs, Gretzky still leads, 1,016 to 1,006.
First stop. Ovechkin's first home game since the announcement is tonight against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, the rival he has faced since both entered the league in 2005. They have met in four playoff series, and each time, the winner went on to win the Stanley Cup. "It's going to be the home opener," Ovechkin said. "Obviously, it's going to be pretty loud."
What's next. It took Ovechkin 20 seasons to catch Gretzky's regular-season record. Now, he has just one winter to try to catch him in total goals, and Washington fans will be watching every goal closely.
— Landen Hull
Last call. On Monday, the Falcons played the Saints on the 20th anniversary of New Orleans' first game back in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. Atlanta won 45-24, with Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. scoring five rushing touchdowns together. The home crowd booed, and Saints quarterback Tyler Shough understood, saying, "I'd boo, too. That sucks."
Sid and Ovi face off again. Tonight's main story is this matchup. The Penguins are 2-1 and the Capitals are 1-1 as Ovechkin plays his first home game since the news.
7:30 PM ET
WED, OCT 7 · CAPITAL ONE ARENA · TNT
PENGUINS
2-1-0
CAPITALS
1-1-0
Free in N1. Takes an account. Picks close at puck drop.
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Who Might Use A Penholder Grip?
You hold the handle the way you'd hold a pen.
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ANSWER
A Table Tennis Player
Olympic champions Ma Lin of China and Ryu Seung-min of South Korea both won gold with it, but it's fading. By 2016, Xu Xin and Wong Chun Ting were the only penholders among the world's top 20 men.
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Eight questions a day in N1. Takes an account.
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WED 4 PM | Guardians at White Sox, ALDS Game 3 (TBS) |
WED 7:30 PM | Penguins at Capitals, Ovechkin's home opener (TNT) |
WED 8 PM | Rays at Yankees, ALDS Game 3 (TBS) |
WED 10 PM | Brewers at Padres, NLDS Game 4 (FS1) |
THU 8:15 PM | Buccaneers at Cowboys (Prime Video) |
SAT 7:30 PM | Georgia at Alabama (ABC) |
All times ET.
Bottoms up. See you Friday.