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Which direction are the Raptors headed after a confusing trade deadline?
Hosts William Lou and Josh Hart take your calls after Norm Powell was traded to Portland but Kyle Lowry stays in Toronto, for now.
Hosts William Lou and Josh Hart take your calls after Norm Powell was traded to Portland but Kyle Lowry stays in Toronto, for now.
Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry has some fun with media around receiving his doctorate from Acadia University in May. He also touches on the state of his toe injury and if the Raptors can make the play-in tournament.
Steph has averaged 44.8 points in his last five games.
Robin Lehner is furious the NHL 'lied' about lifting COVID restrictions and for prioritizing competitive balance over the mental health of players.
Chris Boucher is playing some of the best basketball of his career and it would be crushing if he's forced to miss significant time.
Philonise Floyd thanked Mark Davis for the Raiders' support and called for unity in the fight for social and racial justice.
How did this not go in?
The championship, scheduled for May 6-16 in Halifax and Truro, N.S., was called off Wednesday, a day before participating countries were to arrive to begin their quarantines.
Davis said he was worried that he tore his Achilles tendon when he suffered a calf strain in February.
Joel Glazer and John Henry, of Manchester United and Liverpool respectively, became scourges of European soccer this week – if they weren't already.
The stakes of every pitch are closer to the surface with Shohei Ohtani's two-way greatness hanging in the balance.
The league announced Wednesday it plans to kick off the '21 campaign Aug. 5, nearly two months later than originally planned.
Patrick Marleau broke Gordie Howe's record for most games played in the NHL but what is the legacy of someone who may not make the Hockey Hall of Fame and which long-standing record could fall next?
A battle between two London rivals, and two Serie A powers fighting for European qualification highlight this week's slate.
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FRANKFURT — German soccer teams will be confined to “quarantine training camps” so the season can be finished on time after a spate of coronavirus cases sidelined teams and put pressure on the schedule. Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin and three second-division clubs have all had to postpone games this month after virus outbreaks in their squads. More cases could mean there's no time to reschedule before the leagues have to close for the European Championship in June. The German Football League, which oversees the top two men's divisions, said on Thursday it will mandate “quasi quarantine” from May 3, with players and staff allowed to spend time only at home or at club facilities. From May 12, they'll move into a “quarantine training camp” shut off from the outside world for the last two rounds of games. The Bundesliga is due to end on May 22 but more time is needed to hold promotion-relegation playoffs before clubs release players for Euro 2020. Hertha had to postpone three games and cancel team training for two weeks after the virus spread through the squad, with coach Pal Dardai among those infected. That means a busy schedule for a team which is facing possible relegation. Hertha will return to action on May 3 against Mainz and will play four games in the space of 10 days to May 12 after the games were rescheduled by the league on Thursday. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
Felix Auger-Aliassime has won the latest Canadian clash with Denis Shapovalov, taking a straight sets victory in the third round of the Barcelona Open on Thursday. The 10th-seeded Auger-Aliassime, from Montreal, beat seventh-seeded Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., 6-2, 6-3 at the clay-court event on Wednesday. The win gives Auger-Aliassime a slight edge in the career head-to-head series at the top level, which now stands at 3-2 in his favour. WATCH | Auger-Aliassime takes win against Shapovalov at Barcelona Open:
MANCHESTER, England — A group of Manchester United fans unhappy with the club's involvement in the abandoned Super League plan gained access to its training ground on Thursday and spoke to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and some members of staff. The protesters carried banners with messages including “Glazers out,” in reference to the Glazer family that owns United, and “We decide when you play.” The protest, reportedly involving around 20 people, started around 9 a.m. local time at United's Carrington training complex. British broadcaster Sky Sports reported Solskjaer's assistants, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher, and midfielder Nemanja Matic were among those who also spoke to the group. “Buildings were secure and the group has now left the site,” United said in a statement. United was one of six English teams who signed up to join a breakaway Super League also involving three clubs from Spain and another three from Italy. The English teams all withdrew on Tuesday under pressure from the British government and supporters. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
There’s a common thread linking most of the Football Championship Subdivision players who expect to hear their name called in the NFL draft. They didn’t participate in their schools’ pandemic-delayed spring season. “Ultimately, it just comes down to athletes taking care of their bodies,” North Dakota State offensive tackle Dillon Radunz said. “You can go out and have fun and do that, and there’s a certain purity to that, but next thing you know, some guy tears his ACL in the spring, and now he misses out on the spring season, and misses out on the fall season. Then he has to wait another whole year and a half just to play football again.” When the NCAA announced that the FCS season wouldn’t start until February, it left draft prospects from those schools facing a dilemma. Do they stick with their schools for the spring season or use that time to get ready for the draft? Most decided to start preparing for their future. North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance said playing a spring season wasn’t feasible because of the way the schedule was designed. The FCS playoffs start Saturday, less than a week before the draft. “I would have had to leave my team in the middle of the season (for the draft),” Lance said. “Here at North Dakota State, we play for national championships. That’s the expectation every single year. So for me, if I was going to stay in school and play, I would have stayed and played the spring and the fall as well.” Lance and Radunz will likely be the first two players drafted from non-Football Bowl Subdivision programs next week. Lance is projected as a top-10 overall pick. Radunz seems likely to get taken in the second round. They helped North Dakota State win an FCS title in 2019, the Bison's eighth championship in nine seasons. Lance and Radunz ended their college careers by playing in North Dakota State’s lone game last fall, a 39-20 victory over Central Arkansas. Radunz noted that even if he had played a spring season and avoided injury, the move could have caused long-term drawbacks. He believed playing a full college schedule in the spring and an NFL season in the fall ultimately might have shortened his career. “You’re just playing that much football in a short period of time, and it’s just not good for a body, especially at this high level of play,” Radunz said. Here’s a breakdown of some other draft prospects from schools outside the FBS ranks. OT SPENCER BROWN, NORTHERN IOWA Brown gained nearly 100 pounds while at Northern Iowa to develop into a 6-foot-8, 311-pound prospect. Brown opted out after Northern Iowa decided to delay its football season to the spring, but he did participate in the Senior Bowl and had an impressive pro day performance. WR CADE JOHNSON, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE Johnson was a 2019 finalist for the Walter Payton Award that goes annually to the top FCS player. Johnson entered the transfer portal when South Dakota State delayed its season, but he ultimately decided to enter the draft. He caught a combined 139 passes for 25 touchdowns over 2,500 yards in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. OL QUINN MEINERZ, WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER Meinerz, the lone Division III player on this list, also didn’t play this fall because the pandemic prevented Wisconsin-Whitewater from having a fall season. The 6-3, 320-pound Meinerz gained plenty of attention in Senior Bowl workouts despite breaking his hand that week. He’s most likely to play centre in the NFL. CB BRYAN MILLS, NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL Mills, who is 6-1, made five interceptions and had eight pass breakups in 2019. He got a Senior Bowl invitation even though North Carolina Central didn’t have a fall season in 2020. CB ROBERT ROCHELL, CENTRAL ARKANSAS Rochell was the rare FCS draft prospect who played multiple games for his school over the last year. Central Arkansas played a nine-game schedule last fall, and Rochell appeared in seven of those games. He also got a Senior Bowl invitation. He intercepted four passes in 2018 and five in 2019. DE ELERSON SMITH, NORTHERN IOWA Smith had a huge season in 2019 with 14 sacks, 21 1/2 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and four pass breakups. He didn’t play for Northern Iowa this spring after its fall season was pushed back. The 6-6, 252-pound Smith projects as an edge rusher in the NFL. S CHRISTIAN UPHOFF, ILLINOIS STATE Uphoff had 70 tackles, seven pass breakups and two interceptions for Illinois State in 2019 and earned a Senior Bowl invitation. Uphoff, who is 6-2 and 209 pounds, has NFL size and showed enough speed to return kicks at one point in his college career. ___ More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL Steve Megargee, The Associated Press
The A's win a wild walk-off victory for their 11th-straight win, plus Francisco Lindor hits his first Mets homer in this edition of FastCast
BOSTON — Looking to spark a scuffling offence, Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo shook up his lineup Wednesday night and the Blue Jays responded immediately in a 6-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox. After the start was delayed 31 minutes by rain, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit an RBI single in the first inning and the Blue Jays scored three more runs in the second against Garrett Richards (0-2). Toronto finished with 10 hits, including two apiece for Guerrero, Bo Bichette, Randal Grichuk and Marcus Semien, to snap a three-game skid and split a two-game set with its AL East rivals at Fenway Park. Trent Thornton made his first start of the season and went two innings in a bullpen game for the Blue Jays. Six relievers followed and held down Boston’s potent offence. Ryan Borucki (2-1) tossed two scoreless innings for the win. Xander Bogaerts hit a solo homer in the eighth, cutting the Red Sox deficit to one, but Toronto added two insurance runs in the ninth. Anthony Castro entered with a runner on in the bottom half and retired J.D. Martinez on a grounder for his first major league save. Toronto’s bullpen leads the majors with a 2.14 ERA. “We have a bunch of really good arms,” Thornton said. “Our bullpen and rotation and staff, in general, has a lot of confidence.” Cavan Biggio, hitting just .156 entering the game, batted leadoff for the first time this year. He opened the game with a four-pitch walk against Richards and scored on Guerrero’s single to centre field. Although hitless in the game, Biggio walked twice and drove in a run. In Toronto’s three-run second, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., bumped down to eighth in the lineup, hit a sacrifice fly to knock in Semien, who singled to open the inning after being dropped from the leadoff spot for the first time this season. Semien went 2 for 4 with a run and a walk. “It seems like both (Biggio and Semien) were comfortable,” Montoyo said. “Biggio got on base a couple of times. I know Richards was wild, but you’ve still got to be patient at the plate and Biggio was patient just to get on base and Semien seems comfortable there, the spot he was hitting in the lineup today. That worked out pretty good.” Richards lasted 4 2/3 innings, giving up four runs on four hits and six walks – nearly matching his season total of seven entering the game. He struck out two. TRAINER’S ROOM Montoyo said RF George Springer, sidelined all season with a left oblique strain, is day to day but could return this weekend at Tampa Bay or for the following series against Washington. ... Nate Pearson, out all season with a right adductor strain, is scheduled to throw a side session Thursday. UP NEXT Blue Jays: After an off day, Toronto opens its three-game series at Tampa Bay on Friday. LHP Steven Matz (3-0, 1.47 ERA) will be opposed by Rays RHP Tyler Glasnow (2-0, 0.73). Red Sox: RHP Nick Pivetta (2-0, 3.68) starts the opener of a four-game series against Seattle on Thursday at Fenway Park. RHP Justin Dunn (1-0, 3.72) goes for the Mariners. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Maureen Mullen, The Associated Press