These five women are atop their field in broadcast media, and will take the air for the March 24 Toronto Raptors-Denver Nuggets game.
The league will undergo a two-day playoffs, with the Isobel Cup awarded on March 27.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Newfoundland and Labrador skip Greg Smith was open to anything with his rink down 7-1 to Nova Scotia at the Brier.
Rickard Rakell is relevant again, Marcus Foligno is crushing the competition, and other players to target this week in fantasy hockey.
Though two players were forced out of the game due to potential exposure, the NBA said nobody at the All-Star Game tested positive for COVID-19.
Maya Brady, playing for softball powerhouse UCLA, was the nation's freshman of the year in 2020.
It could be a historic week in the Champions League, while a bitter rivalry is renewed again in the Premier League.
The record streak came to an end on Monday.
A Romanian soccer referee was suspended for the season after making “inappropriate” comments about a Black coach at a Champions League game.
Washington Capitals forward Tim Wilson was justifiably suspended seven games for a malicious, and partly disguised, hit on Brandon Carlo.
In the NFL, you either have a franchise QB or you don't. Dallas does, yet Jerry Jones doesn't seem motivated to keep him around long-term.
Promoter Lou DiBella announced on International Women’s Day that he’s making a major push to elevate the female fight game.
It wasn't until seeing a social media post from Jeremy Lin that Dave Roberts realized how important speaking out against Asian hate really was.
On the day the Milwaukee Brewers announced the signing of former Gold Glove centerfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., their need for more outfield depth became a bit more apparent. Lorenzo Cain acknowledged Monday that he’s dealing with a quadriceps issue that has slowed his progress this spring training, potentially complicating his status for the start of the season. Cain had opted out of the 2020 season after playing just five games. “I’ll do everything possible to get ready,” Cain said from the Brewers’ spring training site in Phoenix. “I plan on being on the field opening day.” The Brewers’ decision to sign Bradley to a $24 million, two-year contract was a bit of a surprise because they already had a Gold Glove centre fielder on their roster in Cain. The Brewers also have 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich and Avisaíl García, giving them four experienced starters for three outfield spots. But all four could get plenty of at-bats. Bradley’s move to Milwaukee was reported last week, and the former Boston Red Sox outfielder arrived in camp Monday passing a physical to complete a deal that gives him the right to opt out after this season and become a free agent once again. “If we look at three outfield positions, conservatively there are 2,100 plate appearances,” Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “That’s a lot of playing time. That’s a lot of plate appearances. We want as good of players as possible to consume all of those. So now to hopefully be able to have four really, really good players consuming those 2,100 plate appearances, that puts us in a really good spot.” Cain, who turns 35 on April 13, called Bradley an “unbelievable defensive player who can swing the bat” and a welcome addition to the team. Cain didn’t express any concern that the addition of Bradley could affect his own job security. “It’s not a challenge to me,” Cain said. “I feel like I’ve shown what I can do, day in and day out, year in and year out, what I can do as far as centre field. If what I’ve done in the past is not enough, then what can I say?” Cain now is trying to make sure he’s ready for the start of the season. Stearns noted that Cain had some wisdom teeth removed before the start of camp that had shut him down for a week to 10 days. Cain said he later hurt his quadriceps while running the bases. Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Cain wasn’t on the field last week and added that “he’s going to be slowed by this and we’re at a point where the schedule starts to get a little tight, but I think we still have time to be ready for the season.” “Look, this is part of what can be expected when you have a player who relies a great deal his lower body, who wasn’t in a competitive environment for a long time, so we knew we needed the spring and the entirety of the spring to get him going,” Stearns said. “Unfortunately we’ve lost a chunk of that at this point. We’ll see how the next couple of weeks go.” Cain remains optimistic about his chances of being ready for the April 1 opener. “As far as getting on the field and seeing live pitching, that’s the only setback I see,” Cain said. “I think I’ll get caught up to speed real quick. I’m doing everything possible to get back on this field as soon as possible. I think I’ll be ready to go.” ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Steve Megargee, The Associated Press
Catcher is almost like the tight-end landscape of fantasy football. It's not deep. Scott Pianowski breaks down the options by tier.
While LeBron James was largely resting through the All-Star Game, the Brooklyn Nets were adding another piece for a run at his title. With James still near the top of his game and the Nets on top of the league in scoring, it's easy to envision a coast-to-coast NBA Finals when a champion is crowned in July. But, when most teams resume play Thursday — the same date last season was suspended — the leaders in the Eastern Conference might be doing so without their two best players. As proven again when Philadelphia's Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons had to sit out the All-Star Game, the coronavirus might still have a say on this season, making uncertainty a sizable obstacle in the title chase. “You’re playing every other day. You don’t know when you’re going to have practice time. You don’t know as far as what the restrictions and with COVID and things of that nature if you’re going to have all your guys," James said. "So it’s very challenging for all teams, not just us.” The bigger problem for the Lakers has been the absence of All-Star Anthony Davis because of a right calf injury. The defending champions have struggled without him, dropping six of eight to end the first half and falling 3 1/2 games behind surprising West leader Utah. The Nets have also been without an All-Star, though they've hardly missed Kevin Durant because of the brilliance of James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Blake Griffin agreed to join them Sunday night after the six-time All-Star cleared waivers after securing his buyout from Detroit. “We’re fortunate to be able to add a player of Blake’s calibre to our roster at this point in the season,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said. Brooklyn comes out of the break a half-game behind Philadelphia. Embiid has been a force this season and become a leading MVP candidate, but he and Simmons were ruled out of the All-Star Game on Sunday morning because they got haircuts from a barber who tested positive for COVID-19. They may not be cleared to return until the weekend, after the Sixers have played their first two games of the second half. “We start on the road, back-to-back games, with one practice. That’s a challenge in itself, right?,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said. “Then, obviously, not having those guys, that’s a lot of points, our two best defenders. So, obviously, it would hurt.” Teams are used to it after a first half in which the unavailability of players and coaches because of health and safety protocols forced 31 games to be called off. For every team, the first big test of the second half is the coronavirus one that will determine who is good to go upon returning from break. Once that's finished, teams can look ahead to a busy and exciting stretch run. With many clubs bunched in the standings and another play-in tournament opening up additional paths to the post-season, even teams that weren't as sharp as they hoped in the first half have reason for hope. That includes teams such as Miami and Boston — last season's Eastern Conference finalists — plus Dallas and Golden State, all at or barely above .500 but perhaps just one hot streak from a nice leap up the standings. Or maybe Milwaukee, which was running away with the best record in the East last year when the season stopped but has been inconsistent this season, can discover its old form. The Bucks will be fearsome again if Giannis Antetokounmpo shoots anywhere near the way he did in the All-Star Game, when he went 16 for 16 en route to MVP honours. “I’ve got to keep working hard and I’ve got to keep enjoying the game of basketball, and hopefully more important things can come, and hopefully my goal is to be a champion one day,” the two-time regular-season MVP said. “Hopefully we can hold the big trophy.” A number of teams could have a shot. The Lakers may have looked like a solid favourite to repeat when the season started, but Davis' health throws that into question. Perhaps the Jazz can capitalize. They were the team whose coronavirus issues caused the season to stop last March 11. Now, they have three All-Stars and a league-leading 27-9 record. “It’s definitely been rewarding but at the end of the day we’re not here to celebrate and act like we’ve done something and it’s only March,” Donovan Mitchell said. “I think we’ve got to continue to get better.” Brian Mahoney, The Associated Press
ALMATY, Kazakhstan — Mikael Kingsbury didn't let an injury early this season stop him from regaining his dominant form for the most important event of the moguls campaign.After missing the first three World Cups of the season because of a back injury, Kingsbury captured gold on Monday at the world championships.The 28-year-old from Deux-Montagnes, Que., who fractured his T4, T5 vertebrae during a training run late last year, claimed his third career world crown in the freestyle ski discipline."Because of my injury, I missed three races. I won both races in Deer Valley (Utah) on my return (last month), but I'm running out of time for the (season title). For sure it’s not fun," Kingsbury said. "But in 2021, I'm the world champion. That's why it's special to me. I’m coming out with the title that everyone wanted.”The reigning Olympic champion beat out Benjamin Cavet of France and Pavel Kolmakov of Kazakhstan, who took silver and bronze, respectively.“Today, I was the fastest in the super final, I got the best points for the technical elements and I did the most difficult jumps," Kingsbury said. “To do it at the world championships, to win by five points, it's pretty huge in my sport. Seriously, it's a perfect day."Kingsbury will compete in dual moguls Tuesday. He's won a world title in that event twice in his career, making him a five-time world champion overall."This title of world champion is as big for me as an Olympic gold medal," Kingsbury said. “To have succeeded for the fifth time in your career, it's incredible."Kingsbury feels good about his chances for double gold.“This victory gives me confidence," he said.Laurent Dumais of Quebec City was sixth on Monday, Brenden Kelly of Pemberton, B.C., was 17th, Kerrian Chunlaud of Ste-Foy, Que., was 22nd and Gabriel Dufresne of Repentigny, Que., was 33rd.In the women's event, Perrine Laffont of France won gold.Montreal sisters Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe were 12th and 16th, respectively. Sofiane Gagnon of Whistler, B.C., was 19th.This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2021. The Canadian Press
The Elam Ending returned to the NBA All-Star Game with Damian Lillard's winning 3-pointer. We caught up with Nick Elam on the future of the gimmick.
PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit that challenged “race-norming” in dementia tests for retired NFL players, a practice that some say makes it harder for Black athletes to show injury and qualify for awards. A hearing had been set for Thursday. The judge instead ordered the NFL and the lead lawyer in the overall $1 billion settlement to resolve the issue through mediation. That process would appear to exclude the Black players who sued. “We are deeply concerned that the Court’s proposed solution is to order the very parties who created this discriminatory system to negotiate a fix,” said lawyer Cyril V. Smith, who represents ex-players Kevin Henry and Najeh Davenport. "The class of Black former players whom we represent must have a seat at the table and a transparent process.” The demographic factors that doctors consider during testing for dementia often include race. If so, lawyers say, the testing assumes that Black athletes start with worse cognitive functioning than white people — which means it's harder for them to show a deficit. Both Henry and Davenport were denied awards but would have qualified had they been white, according to their lawsuit. Smith hoped to learn the scope of the problem through discovery as the lawsuit progressed, but the dismissal by Senior U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody in Pennsylvania means he may never know how many Black players lost out on payments because of the practice. He wants race-norming banned in NFL testing going forward, and cases reviewed if it was used in the past. An NFL spokesperson did not immediately return messages seeking comment. The players' lead lawyer, Christopher Seeger, said the practice is not mandated by the settlement but is left the discretion of the testing physicians. “We have also opposed appeals filed by the NFL, supporting former players and physicians who found the application of such adjustments were inappropriate,” Seeger said in a statement. Brody has managed the litigation since 2011, when the first players sued alleging the NFL had long hidden what it knew about the link between concussions and brain injuries. The judge also steered secret negotiations then that led to the surprise settlement of the case — long before discovery or trial — in 2013. The settlement fund has so far paid more than $765 million to retired players for neurocognitive problems linked to NFL concussions, including about $335 million for dementia. Payments are expected to top $1 billion long before the 65-year settlement plan ends. The dementia claims have proven especially contentious. Many of them have been denied, often after challenges from the NFL. League spokesman Brian McCarthy called the lawsuit “entirely misguided" when it was filed last year. “The settlement program ... was the result of arm’s-length, comprehensive negotiations between the NFL and Class Counsel, was approved by the federal courts after a searching review of its fairness, and always contemplated the use of recognized statistical techniques to account for demographic differences such as age, education and race,” he said at the time in a statement. Seeger said he has seen no evidence of racial bias in the settlement program. Still, he said Monday, he is sorry it “opened a painful wound” for some. Henry, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1993-2000, said his claim was denied although he suffers from headaches, depression and memory loss that leave him unable to hold a job. Davenport, who played for the Steelers, Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts from 2002-2008, said he suffered more than 10 concussions, including one that broke his eye socket and left him unconscious. He was approved for an award until the NFL appealed, asking that his test results be recalculated using racial norms, Smith said. By that measurement, his claim would fail. ___ Follow Maryclaire Dale on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Maryclairedale Maryclaire Dale, The Associated Press
TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors will have women in every on-air role on a televised game later this month. The NBA team made the announcement on International Women's Day. Meghan McPeak will have the play-by-play and national women's team star Kia Nurse will handle the analysis for a March 24 game against the Denver Nuggets on TSN. TSN host and reporter Kayla Grey will handle sideline duties, while Kate Beirness and Amy Audibert will host and provide analysis. The broadcasters also will participate in virtual events to share their experiences, as well as a virtual panel with students from Ryerson University's sport business programs. Sportsnet employed an all-female broadcast crew last March for an NHL game between the Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights. “We wanted to highlight the contributions that women make individually — across so many broadcasts — by bringing them all together,” John Wiggins, Raptors vice-president of organizational diversity and inclusion, said in a statement. “Yes, we’re making a point. We hope this leads to more recognition of the many roles women play in pro sports. “And we especially hope that one of the takeaways from this is for girls at home who see Meghan or Amy or Kayla, and think — hey, I could do that. There’s a place for me in sports.” Meanwhile, the Raptors also announced a maximum of 3,500 fans will be allowed to attend home games at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., starting March 19. The team started the year allowing a limited number of fans into the arena before the facility went fan-free in January because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2021. The Canadian Press
Yahoo Sports