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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what's going on around the area:
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. Two-time Super Bowl champion and former CBS announcer Phil Simms will be in Champaign on Aug. 29. Simms and Paul Burmeister, a former teammate of Bret Bielema during their college careers at Iowa, will have the broadcast call on Peacock for the Illinois football season opener against Western Illinois.
➜ 2. Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer is on five preseason watch lists now. He was one of 58 quarterbacks announced Tuesday for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, won last year by Shedeur Sanders.
➜ 3. Illinois running back Kaden Feagin and Illini tight end Cole Rusk are on the preseason watch list for the Comeback Player of the Year Award, an honor handed out since 2018.
Numbers game: 1,295
career points Luther Head scored during his Illinois men's basketball career from 2001-05. The 2005 First-Team All-Big Ten pick, who averaged a team-best 15.9 points on the 2004-05 Illini team that went 37-2 and reached the national championship game, will be back in Champaign on Saturday signing autographs from noon until 1:30 p.m. at Gameday Spirit on Neil Street. Prices for Head's autographs range from $12 to $30 depending on the item.
Crowd control
Three events I'm paying attention to
➜ 1. Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies. It's not every day a Champaign Central graduate gets to square off against Shohei Ohtani. But that's what Rockies pitcher Tanner Gordon gets the chance to do so at 7:40 p.m. Wednesday in Denver.
➜ 2. New England Patriots at New York Giants. Former Illini Tommy DeVito is 13 of 18 for 125 yards, one touchdown and one interception in two preseason games for the Giants ahead of this 7 p.m. kickoff on Thursday. But he is behind Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Jaxson Dart on the Giants' depth chart.
➜ 3. Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs. Top two NL Central teams meet again at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday at Wrigley Field.
Ask an athlete
Three questions with Tuscola senior Blake McLeese, who runs cross-country and track with the Warriors:
➜ 1. Three athletes I'd like to have dinner with are ... LeBron James, Bronny James and Bryce James.
➜ 2. The TV show I most like to binge-watch is ... "Mind the Game."
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeve is ... LeBron haters.