Friday cannon fodder: expensive sugar skull mess

Before we get to the links, I have a wee request for our awesome readers. Are there any Phoenix- or Southern-Arizona based TSF’ers around that are also baseball fans? Do you have plans to go to the Diamondbacks/Padres game next Saturday the 9th? If so, would you be willing to get me a, or part with your, sugar skull bobblehead? If so, I would pay for shipping to my place, and would also paypal/venmo/whatever you the cost of a premium beer of your choice at the ballpark the night of the game in return. Let me know, either in the comments or via email (email address is in my profile).

Soccer transfer window 2018: What if NBA free agency worked like this? - SBNation.com
I’m not a big NBA fan but this is a fun little thought experiment.

No winners in Alexis Sanchez saga but Arsenal emerge worse off than Manchester City - ESPN FC
Alexis Sanchez is still an Arsenal player, and that is a bad outcome for the Gunners, who had a poor transfer window overall, writes Mark Ogden.

Q&A with Brandi Chastain about U.S. Soccer's new Girls' Development Academy
As U.S. Soccer is set to launch its girls' development academy, espnW's Julie Foudy talks with Brandi Chastain -- the executive director for a club in Northern California -- about the academy's goals and why it's important for girls' soccer.

Will NBC's price hike end up hurting the Premier League's US expansion? | Football | The Guardian
Until recently it was easier to watch the Premier League in the US than the UK. But now viewers must pay to watch many of the games online.

Finally, as if you didn’t know the PL was already bananapants money-wise: