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Is the Tim Peel incident the first domino as gambling changes the NHL?
With the spectre of legalized gambling more pronounced than ever, is it on the NHL to adopt a more transparent reality?
With the spectre of legalized gambling more pronounced than ever, is it on the NHL to adopt a more transparent reality?
The Vancouver Canucks made a splash in their return from a COVID-19 outbreak Sunday, edging the No. 1 Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime.
Twelve top European soccer clubs on Sunday announced their plans to create a new league that could end the sport's global structure as we know it.
Jurors will deliberate following the conclusion of closing arguments on Monday.
Salvador Perez's two-run home run lead the Kansas City Royals past the Toronto Blue Jays.
Adebayo thought about recreating Wade's iconic celebration after hitting Miami's first buzzer-beater since 2019.
The Achilles injury only briefly interrupted the honors for Stewie.
Kevin Durant is only 10 days removed from his return following a hamstring injury.
The offer would have made Stevens the highest-paid coach in college basketball.
Jake Paul is 3-0 as a boxer.
The honeymoon between Jaguars fans and Trevor Lawrence isn't ending anytime soon.
Another 10K day for the Cy Young winner.
With the playoffs about to get underway, you might need to make some uncomfortable decisions in your fantasy hockey league.
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DÜSSELDORF, Germany — The new Super League soccer competition in Europe is, surprisingly, missing the names of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. Last year's Champions League finalists were noted absentees from the elite clubs announced in the league's formation on Sunday. Bayern would face difficulties convincing its fans and members, who have a majority say in club business. PSG’s Qatari owners could be wary of disrupting next year’s World Cup — which will be played in Qatar — and a lucrative UEFA broadcast deal if there’s a civil war in European soccer. The Super League has signed up 12 clubs from England, Spain and Italy and left open three more spots for founder members, who will get permanent places in the competition. Bayern, PSG and Borussia Dortmund have been linked with those founder places. However, Dortmund said Monday that it and Bayern reject the Super League in favour of reforming the existing Champions League. They are both on the board of the European Club Association, which held an emergency meeting Sunday after representatives of the Super League clubs quit the organization. “The clubs want to implement the planned reform of the UEFA Champions League. It was the clear opinion of the members of the ECA board that the plans for founding a Super League are rejected,” Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said in a statement. “Both of the German clubs which are represented on the ECA board, FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, put forward 100% identical views in all conversations.” Germany's rules on fan ownership, known as 50%+1 for the voting stake which members must have, pose a problem for the Super League. Fan organizations at the English clubs have risen up in revolt at the plans but have little or no say in how their clubs are run. The Super League waited until after recent elections of club presidents at Real Madrid and Barcelona to launch its plans. German fans could in theory block their clubs from being involved. Bayern was due to have its annual general meeting last week but it was postponed to the end of the year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Super League dispute complicates Qatar's efforts to win support across Europe for its hosting of the 2022 World Cup. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is well connected at UEFA, with a seat on its executive committee. He's also the chairman of Qatar-based broadcaster beIN Media Group, which holds Champions League rights for large areas of the world. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports James Ellingworth, The Associated Press
LONDON — Tottenham fired Jose Mourinho on Monday after only 17 months in charge, and just as he was preparing to coach the club in the League Cup final. Mourinho was hired in November 2019 to replace Mauricio Pochettino, who unexpectedly led the London club to the Champions League final before the team collapsed the following season. Mourinho failed to get Tottenham back into the Champions League and has overseen another collapse this season. The team was in first place in December but a run of poor results has seen it fall to seventh place. “Jose and his coaching staff have been with us through some of our most challenging times as a club," Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said. "Jose is a true professional who showed enormous resilience during the pandemic. On a personal level I have enjoyed working with him and regret that things have not worked out as we both had envisaged. He will always be welcome here and we should like to thank him and his coaching staff for their contribution.” Mourinho's exits comes two days before a Premier League game against Southampton and with the League Cup final on Sunday against Manchester City. Tottenham, which hasn't won a trophy since the 2008 League Cup, said youth coach Ryan Mason had been put in charge of training. It is Mourinho’s shortest spell at a club since breaking into the big time with Porto in 2004. Disgruntlement over his tactics and methods have resurfaced in recent months, with Tottenham slipping out of the Champions League places and getting eliminated from the Europa League in the round of 16 after a surprising 3-0 loss at Dinamo Zagreb. Tottenham is five points behind fourth-place West Ham, which occupies the final Champions League qualification place. The club has won only one of its last five games. The two teams above Tottenham — Chelsea and Liverpool — have games in hand. Tottenham now heads into the League Cup final against City at Wembley Stadium without a manager and probably without its best player, with Harry Kane having hobbled off late in the 2-2 draw at Everton in the Premier League on Friday. That was Mourinho’s last game in charge. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Rob Harris, The Associated Press
The Dodgers and Padres weren't about to pace themselves. The NL West rivals have 19 games scheduled against each other this season, and if the first three were any indication, that should be a treat. The Dodgers took two of three — and there was no shortage of entertainment in this pulsating series that featured star power and hostility. In the opener Friday night, the Dodgers prevailed 11-6 in 12 innings. Los Angeles led 5-3 in the eighth before the Padres tied it on a two-run double by Jurickson Profar. Both teams scored a run in the ninth. Then San Diego left the winning run on third in both the 10th and 11th before Los Angeles broke through. Saturday night's matchup pitted Clayton Kershaw against Yu Darvish, and the Dodgers won 2-0. At one point, Kershaw and Profar started yelling at each other over a disputed play involving catcher's interference, and Los Angeles didn't wrap up the win until Mookie Betts' diving catch in right-centre field for the final out — after the Padres put men on second and third. San Diego salvaged the final game Sunday, scoring three runs in the bottom of the eighth to win 5-2. The teams meet again in a four-game set in Los Angeles starting Thursday night. AT THE BOTTOM On the other coast, the New York Yankees were swept in a three-game home series against Tampa Bay. The Yankees have the worst record in the American League at 5-10, and while there's no need for panic just yet, the home fans didn't seem to be enjoying themselves. Fans threw balls on the field in Friday night's game, causing a brief stoppage. New York manager Aaron Boone had a meeting with his players after that 8-2 loss, but the Yankees dropped the next two as well. They've lost five straight overall. TRIVIA TIME Sean Kazmar Jr. made his first big league appearance in about 12 1/2 years when he entered Saturday's game for the Atlanta Braves as a pinch-hitter. His previous major league game was Sept. 23, 2008, with San Diego. That was a different era for the Padres. Who led San Diego in home runs that year? HIGHLIGHT Ronald Acuña Jr. came within three steals of a 40-40 season in 2019, and the Atlanta outfielder is already showing off his speed this year. On Monday against Miami, he tagged up and scored from third on a popout to the second baseman. Ozzie Albies' popup in the third inning carried out into short centre field. When Jazz Chisholm Jr. made the catch, his momentum was taking him away from the infield, and that gave Acuña the chance to score relatively easily. Honourable mention: Cincinnati's Joey Votto caught a line drive, tagged a runner who had been on first and then threw to third to double off another runner for a triple play in Saturday's game against Cleveland. LINE OF THE WEEK Carlos Rodón threw the season's second no-hitter Wednesday night when the Chicago left-hander blanked Cleveland 8-0. Rodón came within two outs of a perfect game before hitting a batter in the ninth. The White Sox declined to offer Rodón a contract in December, but he eventually re-signed with them and has now brightened what has been a so-so start for Chicago. COMEBACK OF THE WEEK With one out in the top of the seventh Tuesday, Oakland trailed Arizona 5-1. The Athletics had just a 3.9% chance of winning, according to Baseball Savant. Then Oakland got hits from four of the next five hitters, including a three-run homer by Jed Lowrie that tied the game. Seth Brown led off the eighth with a homer to put the A's ahead, and they went on to win 7-5. TRIVIA ANSWER Adrian Gonzalez led the Padres with 36 homers in 2008. They finished last in the NL West. ___ Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Noah Trister, The Associated Press
Like many young football players growing up in North Carolina, Chase Rice had his sights set on the NFL. After an outstanding sophomore season with the Tar Heels, that goal seemed realistic. Then the linebacker who tore up the ACC in 2006 tore up his left ankle in the season opener as a junior. Though he returned in 2007, Rice already knew pro football player was not going to be on his resume. Country music star would be. But when draft time approaches, Rice recalls those days on the field, and his hopes of reaching football's highest level. “I certainly felt headed in that direction,” Rice says. "My (2006) year I was the only player who didn’t come off the field, I could play inside and outside, and it was looking good. Then I only got a quarter and a half in my junior year, and that would have been my year and hopefully we were headed for the top of the ACC. “The next year the ankle was not the same, and I wasn’t the same player.” During the 2009 draft, five Tar Heels were selected, including wide receiver Hakeem Nicks to the Giants in the first round. Nicks won a Super Bowl for the 2011 season with New York. Tight end Richard Quinn and wideout Brandon Tate went in the second round; tackle Garrett Reynolds, one of Rice's closest friends today, was selected in Round 5, as was receiver Brooks Foster. “I was up there playing the calibre of football those guys were and that is why I can say I think I was up there to get drafted had I not been injured," Rice says. “Obviously, you've got to get in the games and show up and get your experience. I felt I was right up with those guys and certainly do believe I had the chance. It didn’t work out that way.” It worked out pretty well for Rice in another area of entertainment. His current hit is a pairing with Florida Georgia Line: “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.” Rice also co-wrote the No. 1 song “Cruise” for that duo, which Florida Georgia Line also re-released as a remix featuring Nelly. On his own, Rice has had two top five hits and a double-platinum No. 1 in “Eyes On You.” Some of his songs reflect on his days as an athlete, particularly "Beats A Million Bucks" and “Carolina Can,” which has become something of an anthem for not only Tar Heels fans but the state itself. Rice sought out Scooter Carusoe, who had written several hit songs, for “Carolina Can.” “I knew of him living in Carolina, and 'Anything But Mine' (video) would pop up on TV,” Rice says of the Kenny Chesney megahit. “I dreamed of writing with Scooter. This was the first time I'd ever written that I wanted to write a song about going home, a place very special. He knows a lot about Chapel Hill and Asheville, and we started talking about my history with Carolina. But we didn’t really have a hook. As we're driving to lunch, he looks at me with this smile and just says: 'When I need someone to remind me who I am, Carolina Can.' “It was written in a second after that; we had a purpose of why we write. It's one of my favourites of all time ... I've seen boats named after that, and people scream it at the concert. I played the Azalea Festival in Wilmington and didn’t have to sing one word. I will play in Washington state and they are all singing it. Everybody can relate to it. Every place has their own story.” The story for all musical artists during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the same — trying to get their work out to fans while not being able to play live concerts. Along with headlining his own tours, Rice has opened for Garth Brooks and Chesney — at NFL venues. After performing at a gala for Super Bowl champion coach Bruce Arians' foundation celebrity golf classic on Sunday, Rice can't wait to get back on the road. “On a football field it is different because you are running out with your team,” Rice says. "My band and crew are my team, but always there's that moment I am by myself before I walk onstage. It is an awesome feeling, but it can also be lonely. When you're standing by yourself, it shows the definitive difference of running with a team and running out by yourself. And it is pretty intense. “I was telling one of my buddies in 2017 that it broke my heart I never got a chance to play in the NFL,” Rice recalls, “and he didn’t say anything and I was expecting a response. And then he goes, 'Didn’t you just tell me you played with Kenny Chesney at Lucas Oil Stadium? Is that not an NFL stadium? "That is a perspective right there; dreams in a weird way have absolutely come true.” ___ More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL Barry Wilner, The Associated Press
The Super League as proposed by 12 elite clubs has two major flaws. But there's a solution that undoes them and benefits everyone.
SANDY, Utah — Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Marc Dos Santos dedicated the team's season-opening victory to all the fans back in Vancouver who could not be in attendance. The Whitecaps kicked off the new Major League Soccer season and 2021 Cascadia Cup with a 1-0 win over the Portland Timbers. It was technically a home game for Vancouver, which scheduled its home games at Real Salt Lake’s Rio Tinto Stadium through at least the end of June. "I really want this win [for] the Vancouver fans and everybody that is home, not being able to be at a stadium, not being able to be with us," said Dos Santos. "When you play Portland and you win, you can only remember all the fans in Vancouver. "That one is for them." After Andy Rose nearly scored in the 48th minute for Vancouver, Cristián Gutiérrez sent the resulting corner to the far post and the unmarked Lucas Cavallini headed it home for the Whitecaps in the 49th. "As a striker, scoring goals always boosts your confidence," said Cavallini. "But not only that, just the extra shifts, putting in the work for the boys, the pressure, not making them attack our lines easily. The goal was extra but our effort today was outstanding." Diego Chara created the Timbers’ best scoring chance in the 89th minute with a pass from midfield that connected with Felipe Mora in the 18-yard box. But goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau deflected Mora’s shot over the crossbar to help preserve the win for Vancouver. "Max is a 'keeper with a lot of quality," said Dos Santos of the Quebec-born Crepeau. Portland goalkeeper Steve Clark left the game in the 78th minute due to an apparent injury. No additional information has been released. The Cascadia Cup is between the Timbers, Seattle Sounders, and Vancouver and is awarded each season to the best soccer team in the Pacific Northwest. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
"If the wealthy and the powerful are all lining up to get shots, that means everybody should know it's a good thing to get."