Fired Up

Fired Up Fridays: Panthers defeat the Cardinals in Hall of Fame Game & Red Sox sweep White Sox in 13-inning comeback win

GatorTimSports August 7, 2026

Carolina Panthers are undefeated at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio

You read that right! The Carolina Panthers have never lost the annual Hall of Fame Game, which kicks off the NFL preseason.

That tradition continued last night as the Panthers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 33–30 to usher in a new NFL season.

The biggest surprise of the game, however, came when undrafted free agent quarterback Haynes King took over for Carolina. The former Georgia Tech quarterback and ACC Player of the Year threw for 180 yards, completing 21 of 34 passes with two touchdowns. The second touchdown came on a walk-off rushing score, as King ran into the end zone himself.

Starting quarterback Bryce Young did not play, and backup Kenny Pickett only saw action for a few snaps.

Overall, what is usually considered a snooze-fest turned into an entertaining game and a great way to kick off what should be another exciting NFL season.

Next up for the Carolina Panthers: the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, August 15.

Football is back!!

The Red Sox beat the White Sox in 13-inning comeback thriller!

The Red Sox took on the Chicago White Sox last night in a game for the ages.

After the White Sox jumped out to an early lead in the third inning—a situation that has usually been a death sentence for the Red Sox this season—Boston began its comeback.

The Red Sox got two of those runs back in the bottom of the third, but Chicago answered with another run in the fourth.

From there, the teams traded runs, with the White Sox holding the lead until Wilyer Abreu hit a ground ball up the middle in the bottom of the ninth, allowing Eli White to score the tying run and send the game into extra innings.

The game remained deadlocked until the bottom of the 13th, when Caleb Durbin lined a single to center field, bringing home Nick Sogard with the winning run.

Boston walks it off!!

This team’s resilience is unmatched. It’s hard to believe the Red Sox are now legitimate playoff contenders after their disastrous start to the season and the decision to part ways with manager Alex Cora.

I hope the Red Sox organization gives interim manager Chad Tracy the full-time job. He has done a tremendous job bringing this team together, and the club’s record and position in the Wild Card standings speak for themselves.

Next up for Boston is a three-game series against the Athletics, beginning Saturday night.

Sweet Caroline has never been sweeter!!

Football is back! It’s Friday and it’s time to get fired up!!

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