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Brady faces challenges in first playoff game with Bucs
Washington's Chase Young called out Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, saying "I'm coming. I want Tom." Will Tampa's legendary QB rise to the occasion?
Washington's Chase Young called out Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, saying "I'm coming. I want Tom." Will Tampa's legendary QB rise to the occasion?
We're tracking every notable free agent signing in the 2020-21 MLB offseason and giving you the details on the deal. Plus: What it means for your fantasy team.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes remains in the NFL's concussion protocol, but practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday, raising hopes that the reigning Super Bowl MVP can play in Sunday's AFC title game against Buffalo. The Chiefs typically breeze through practice on Wednesday with little contact before ramping things up on Thursday, and coach Andy Reid said that fit perfectly with what Mahomes was able to do. Reid didn't say what phase of the five-step process Mahomes is in to be cleared to play, but the work he described his quarterback doing coincides with the fourth step. That involves a player resuming non-contact football activities, such as throwing and running, and is the final step before a player is deemed ready to go. Mahomes was hurt in the third quarter of last Sunday's 22-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Chad Henne finished the game and would be the starter if Mahomes was unable to play against the Bills. ___ More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL Dave Skretta, The Associated Press
Signing George Springer will not just help the Blue Jays win more ballgames, it represents an entire paradigm shift for the franchise.
Tributes to Philip Rivers began pouring in on social media after he announced his retirement.
Nurmagomedov spoke after Dana White implied the fighter was considering a return depending on what happens at UFC 257.
The video featuring the dreams of a young Black girl from Oakland ends with chants of MVP. Madame Vice President.
Islanders team broadcaster Brendan Burke says the key to the team's surprise success over the past few seasons starts with Barry Trotz, the human.
After losing an edge, Brendan Lemieux dove in front of a couple hard-nosed shots coming off the stick of Devils blueliner P.K. Subban.
The NFL playoffs are down to the final four with the Bills and Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game and the Buccaneers and Packers clashing for the NFC crown. The guys weigh in on the crucial status of Patrick Mahomes, why sitting the Chiefs star QB wouldn’t be the worst thing for the sport and how the Bills can upset the defending champs. Over at Lambeau, an aerial game in Green Bay clearly favors Aaron Rodgers and the Packers but the Bucs have options and the ability to surprise. Plus, tackling the Deshaun Watson saga, the Saints after Brees and what’s next for the emergent Cleveland Browns.
Let's take a look at the fantasy hockey landscape heading into Week 2 of the 2021 NHL season.
The NFC Championship Game features two Hall of Fame quarterbacks at different stages of their career in Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.
Paul Pogba is producing some of the best football of his turbulent Manchester United career — and it is keeping the team at the top of the Premier League. Just minutes after he was seen racing back 40 metres to win the ball back and thwart a dangerous-looking counterattack, Pogba collected the ball just outside the corner of the penalty area with three Fulham players near him. Pogba twisted and turned, manoeuvring himself into a pocket of space before unleashing a powerful left-foot shot that curled into the far corner and sealed United’s comeback in a 2-1 win at Craven Cottage on Wednesday. A week ago, a long-range volley by Pogba earned United a 1-0 win at Burnley that moved the team into first place at the midway point of the season for the first time in eight years. His 65th-minute winner at Fulham also put United on the summit, reclaiming top spot a day after Leicester went there by beating Chelsea 2-0 and hours after Manchester City beat Aston Villa 2-0 to underline its title credentials. With Pogba playing so well — and showing an appetite for the battle that many United fans have longed to see since his return to the club for a second spell in 2016 — Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team is a serious title contender itself. Solskjaer is managing to coax a string of impressive displays out of the club's record signing, just a month after the France midfielder's future looked uncertain after his agent, Mino Raiola, told an Italian newspaper that it was “over” for Pogba at United. United is two points clear of second-place City, which is ahead of Leicester only on goal difference. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Steve Douglas, The Associated Press
MILAN — Cristiano Ronaldo scored to help Juventus win a record-extending ninth Italian Super Cup by beating Napoli 2-0 on Wednesday. Napoli missed the chance to take the match to extra time when captain Lorenzo Insigne missed a late penalty and Álvaro Morata sealed the result with the last kick of the game. It was Juve’s ninth Super Cup title, taking it two above AC Milan, which is the team with the second most victories in the competition. The match showcasing the Serie A and Italian Cup champions is normally regarded as little more than a friendly. It used to be the traditional season curtain-raiser in August but has been played in December or January several times over the past few seasons. Juventus came into the match with coach Andrea Pirlo under increasing pressure, especially after a 2-0 loss to title rival Inter Milan on Sunday. It was a cagey match, with few genuine scoring opportunities, but Juventus eventually broke the deadlock in the 64th minute. A Juventus corner took a couple of ricochets before landing in the path of Ronaldo, who didn’t miss from close range. Napoli had the chance to level 10 minutes from time but Insigne fired his penalty wide of the left post after Dries Mertens had been tripped by Weston McKennie. Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny did well to parry an effort from Piotr Zielinski seconds before Morata finished off a counterattack to secure Pirlo’s first trophy in charge. ATALANTA HELD Atalanta missed the chance to go third in Serie A after being held to a 1-1 draw at relegation-threatened Udinese in a rearranged match. Udinese stunned Atalanta by scoring in the opening minute but Luis Muriel cancelled out Roberto Pereyra’s goal on the stroke of halftime. Atalanta remained sixth, a point below the top four and 10 adrift of league leader AC Milan. Udinese is now four points above the relegation zone. The match in Udine was originally set for Dec. 6 but the ground was waterlogged. Udinese, which had lost four of its past five matches, got off to a great start when Pereyra cut in from the right and placed an angled drive between keeper Pierluigi Gollini’s legs to give his side the lead after 23 seconds. Atalanta dominated possession but it was Udinese which looked the more threatening. However, the visitors levelled moments before the interval when Muriel gathered the ball just outside the area and beat two players before slotting past keeper Juan Musso. Udinese had the ball in the net four minutes from time but defender Marvin Zeegelaar’s strike was ruled out for his foul on Gollini. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Daniella Matar, The Associated Press
Yahoo Sports' Dalton Del Don suggests three players to grab this week, including a PF who's averaging 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds this season.
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays' brass appeared confident through a quiet off-season that the team was in position to be a player in 2021 and beyond. It took a deep dive into the wallet, but the Blue Jays finally hit their main free-agent target — in a big way. Outfielder George Springer and the Blue Jays agreed to a six-year contract late Tuesday worth a reported US$150 million. The deal came after reported one-year agreements with Kirby Yates, the 2019 MLB saves leader, and fellow right-hander Tyler Chatwood. All deals, which would be pending physicals, have yet to be formally announced by the team. Considered a good club with potential entering this season, the Blue Jays now look like they're ready to try for an exponential climb. "I think it is surprising for Blue Jays fans because we've just been conditioned in this market to not expect those big splashes," said Mike Naraine, an assistant professor with Brock University’s department of sport management. "We expect the Red Sox, we expect the Yankees, Cubs and Dodgers. We have always felt like the middle child." Toronto did make a significant signing just over a year ago when ace Hyun-Jin Ryu inked an $80-million, four-year contract. He helped the team rebound last season, setting the table for a 2021 push to contention. After a three-year roster teardown and rebuild, Toronto posted a 32-28 record in 2020 and made a wild-card series appearance. There is still work to be done and a few needs to be addressed. The starting rotation could use more depth and some infield question marks remain. But the batting order looks to be a doozy and Springer's arrival gives the Blue Jays' young core a playoff-tested anchor. Win-now mode appears to have arrived and could last several years. The financial outlay by owner Rogers Communications comes at an interesting time. Border restrictions forced the Blue Jays to play home games in the U.S. last season and it remains unclear when they'll return to Rogers Centre. Allowing spectators back is another issue altogether. Rumblings of potential plans for a new stadium as part of a downtown redevelopment surfaced last fall. And while the team may continue its nomadic ways in the short-term, it's clearly not impacting present spending. Springer, a three-time all-star, brings a big bat to the lineup and a steadying presence in centre field. "It signals that the Jays mean business and that Rogers is willing to invest in the product after all," Naraine said. "But it's tied to the fact that they see their (team), that they've had since 2000, being more valuable than it's ever been. "It's because of its ability to unlock real estate and continue to galvanize fans to the Rogers platform in a highly competitive environment." Outbidding other teams to land top free agents had become a rarity for the Blue Jays. The move harkened back to the team's early-90s World Series glory days when Toronto was a big spender. Save for a couple seasons in the mid-2010s, the Blue Jays have essentially been mired in mediocrity ever since. "From a business perspective, it's just a huge signal that the Blue Jays' leadership team is willing to spend going forward," Naraine said from Thorold, Ont. "But it's tied to a much more interesting future for the Jays and Rogers over the next 10 years." "They can loosen up the purse strings because they see the jackpot at the end of the rainbow," he added. "That being a new stadium, a new facility and a new trajectory for the next decade." Springer, 31, was the 2017 World Series MVP when Houston beat the L.A. Dodgers, a title now tainted by the Astros' sign-stealing scandal. The native of New Britain, Conn., won the AL Silver Slugger Award in 2018 and '19. Springer made his big-league debut with the Astros in 2014 and has 174 home runs and 458 RBIs over his career along with a .270/.361/.491 slash line. His deal is the largest in Blue Jays history, ahead of the $126-million, seven-year contract that Vernon Wells signed in 2006. University of Connecticut baseball coach James Penders, who coached Springer from 2009-11, said his energy and dynamism is "just undeniable." "He just has a special way about him," Penders said from Mansfield, Conn. "People are drawn to him. He's got a great magnetism. People talk about what is that 'it' quality? Whatever it is, George has it. "It's very special to be in his presence and I think the people of Toronto are going to learn that very quickly." Springer had career bests of a .292 average with 39 homers and 96 RBIs in 2019. He hit .265 with 14 homers and 32 RBIs in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Penders described Springer as "uber-athletic" who is as close to a full package — as a player and a person — that a team is likely to find. "He plays as hard as he possibly can to win," he said. "So you'd want to make sure that the padding is right in those walls in Toronto because he's going to be crashing into them to try to make a play. "He doesn't think of holding back or conserving. He only knows one speed and that's 100 miles per hour with his hair on fire. That's just how he plays." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2021. Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter. Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
Why fumbling out of the end zone should result in a turnover.
BERLIN — Robert Lewandowski’s penalty was enough for Bayern Munich to consolidate its Bundesliga lead at the halfway stage of the season with a 1-0 win at Bavarian rival Augsburg on Wednesday. Lewandowski’s spot kick in the 13th minute was Bayern’s only reward for dominating the first half, while the visitors had to hold on in the second with Augsburg missing a host of chances —including a penalty of its own. Lewandowski scored his 22nd league goal of the season from the spot after a foul from Augsburg midfielder Rani Khedira on Lucas Hernández. Serge Gnabry and Thomas Müller both missed chances before the break, when Khedira made way for Tobias Strobl. The home side improved significantly in the second half but missed a great chance to equalize when Alfred Finnbogason – who had only come on as a substitute a couple of minutes before – smashed his penalty off the left post in the 76th. Benjamin Pavard conceded the spot kick for handball. Another Augsburg substitute, Fredrik Jensen, shot over from another good position shortly afterward. UNION BEATEN Bayern stayed four points clear of Leipzig, which earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Union Berlin thanks to Emil Forsberg’s 70th-minute strike. Forsberg had come on as a substitute 10 minutes before and capitalized on a rare lapse from Union’s defence to turn and score past Andreas Luthe. Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi denied Marius Bülter an injury-time equalizer as Union failed to score for the first time in the league this season. Union dropped to sixth place after its first defeat in seven games since losing the Berlin derby 3-1 at Hertha on Dec. 4. BIELEFELD RELIEF Arminia Bielefeld defeated Stuttgart 3-0 at home to stay out of the relegation zone after Cologne’s late 2-1 win at last-place Schalke earlier Wednesday. Cologne remained 16th in the 18-team division with Bielefeld two points clear in 15th. Also, Eintracht Frankfurt came back to draw 2-2 at Freiburg. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports ___ Ciarán Fahey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cfaheyAP CiaráN Fahey, The Associated Press
Mike Barner offers up some trade ideas for Week 5 of the fantasy basketball season.
VANCOUVER — The B.C. Lions have signed offensive lineman Joel Figueroa to a contract extension. The six-foot-six, 320-pound Figueroa started 34 games — primarily at left tackle — with the Lions over the 2018 and 2019 seasons and was named the team’s nominee for CFL most outstanding lineman both years. Figueroa previously spent two seasons (2016-17) with the Edmonton Football Team, appearing in 33 games and making the switch to left tackle early in 2017. He first broke into the CFL in 2013 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats where he played three seasons and helped the team reach the Grey Cup on two occasions. Before joining the Ticats, Figueroa played five seasons with his hometown Miami Hurricanes in the college ranks. RIDERS EXTEND RECEIVER JORDAN WILLIAMS-LAMBERT REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders signed wide receiver Jordan Williams-Lambert to a one-year contract extension. Williams-Lambert was named the West Division's most outstanding rookie in 2018, posting 764 receiving yards and four touchdowns on a team-leading 62 receptions. After spending the start of 2019 with the NFL's Chicago Bears, he returned to the Riders and had five receptions for 57 yards in three games. Meanwhile, American wide receiver Demarcus Ayers and defensive back Christian Campbell opted back into their contracts with the Roughriders. Ayers comes to the Roughriders after three seasons in the NFL with Chicago, New England and Pittsburgh. The University of Houston product was a seventh-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2016. Campbell was a sixth-round pick by Arizona in 2018. He spent parts of two seasons in the NFL with Arizona, New Orleans and San Francisco. BLUE BOMBERS BRING BACK BRIGGS WINNIPEG — The Blue Bombers have signed Canadian linebacker Jesse Briggs to a one-year contract extension. The six-foot-1, 211-pound native of Kelowna, B.C., returns to the Bombers for a seventh season after originally being selected by the club in the second round, 17th overall, of the 2014 CFL draft. The veteran linebacker was limited to just four regular-season games and three playoff contests in 2019 due to injuries after missing only three games in the first five years of his career. Briggs finished the year with three tackles — two on defence and one on special teams — and added two special-teams tackles and a defensive tackle in Winnipeg's run to the Grey Cup championship. Briggs has 20 defensive tackles and 57 more on special teams over 91 CFL games with the Bombers. ALOUETTES SIGN SEVEN CANADIANS MONTREAL — The Montreal Alouettes have signed seven Canadians: defensive lineman Jean-Samuel Blanc, wide receiver Félix Faubert-Lussier, linebacker DJ Lalama, defensive lineman Bo Banner, receiver Kaion Julien-Grant, defensive back Dominique Termansen, as well as and defensive tackle Cameron Lawson. Blanc, from Montreal, has played 71 games over five seasons with the Alouettes. The six-foot-one, 245-pound lineman led the team with 21 special-teams tackles in 2019. Faubert-Lussier played his first year with the Alouettes in 2019, catching nine passes for 102 yards and adding two special-teams tackles in 16 games. The Montrealer spent his first two CFL seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who selected him in the fifth round (39th total) of the 2016 CFL draft. Lalama, a Winnipeg native, made 25 defensive tackles and eight on special teams, adding one sack and one tackle for a loss in 11 games in Montreal in 2019. Lalama started his career with the Alouettes in 2017 before joining the Blue Bombers for the 2019 season. He came back to Montreal in August 2019. Banner played 18 games with the Alouettes in 2019, registering 15 defensive tackles, nine on special teams and adding one sack. Julien-Grant played his first professional season in 2019 when he returned seven kickoffs for 112 yards, while making a catch for eight yards. Termansen made six defensive tackles and one on special teams, while recovering a fumble in nine games with the Alouettes in 2019. Lawson was selected in the second round (16th overall) by the Alouettes in 2020 after being named the OUA lineman of the year in 2019 while playing for Queen's University. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2021. The Canadian Press
No. 3 UConn and No. 25 Tennessee match up during an incredible Thursday night schedule.