From high schools to the Red Sox, these were the top sports stories of the week ending July 12

◘As we enter the dog days of summer, it is a good time to look back and reflect a bit. That's what Eric Rueb did with his story last week about three-sport athletes and how rare they are becoming.

Three-sport high school athletes aren't extinct but they are certainly on the endangered species list, he wrote. There was an era when every school’s best athletes played a sport in every season. Now, with their parents being brainwashed by AAU and club coaches, many elite athletes might play two sports or, even worse, just one.

The good news is that there still are some athletes who are choosing to play with their friends and represent their school and community in all three seasons, and The Providence Journal wants to figure out who the best one was in the 2024-25 school year.

◘Meanwhile, Bill Koch had the chance to look up the road and examine what's going on with the decidedly mediocre Red Sox season.

We’re a week away from the All-Star Game and it doesn’t feel like the Red Sox have decided on a path forward into August, wrote Koch. The last few days of July will likely determine whether or not Boston buys or sells at the trade deadline, which looms ever closer in the distance. The Yankees, Rays and Mariners currently occupy the three Wild Card spots in the American League, with the Red Sox sitting 2½ games behind Seattle after Monday.

Boston entered its series opener with the miserable Rockies carrying just a 26.2% chance of making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. What’s always left unsaid is that the Red Sox can change that calculation by adding or subtracting quality players via trade. Sam Kennedy, the club president and CEO, offered a telling caveat on a recent WEEI radio appearance after insisting Boston has the resources available to add salary and go back over the first threshold of the Competitive Balance Tax.

Rendering of new Meade Stadium entrance by Populous.

◘Summer intern Avery Hill wrote about a fall sport — college football — and the renovations that will be undertaken at URI's Meade Stadium.

Last fall, URI announced a $65.8-million plan to renovate Meade Stadium along with other projects for its athletic facilities. Meade Stadium, which houses both Rams football and women’s lacrosse, is set to receive around $42 million of the budget. After working with architectural firm Populous, the designs are now complete. Athletic director Thorr Bjorn detailed the renovations while providing updates to The Providence Journal.

“It’s going to be really nice and make a great statement about the importance of football in Rhode Island,” Bjorn said.

After the 2025 football season, new renovations are set to begin in the 18-month project.

“We know that we're going to have to make other accommodations for the 2026 year,” Bjorn said. “But the plan is that we'll be back in 2027.”

The North Providence Cougars celebrate their six inning, 13-3 win over the East Greenwich Avengers for the Div. 2 baseball championship title at Rhode Island College on June 11, 2025.

◘Be sure to keep up with all the local sports news daily on providencejournal.com, and sign up for our Sports Newsletters and alerts here.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: From high schools to the Red Sox, these were the top sports stories of the week ending July 12