Yahoo SportsYahoo Sports' Launch Pad - Biggest Cubs blasts from the statcast era
Yahoo Sports compiles the three longest and most impressive home runs for the Chicago Cubs since 2015.
Yahoo Sports compiles the three longest and most impressive home runs for the Chicago Cubs since 2015.
A ninth-inning HBP cost Rodón a perfect game.
Luka Doncic makes absolutely no sense.
Raptors guard Kyle Lowry made a surprise visit to the Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in Tampa, Florida.
Be careful where you put your nachos, folks.
One other plaintiff withdrew her civil case against the Texans quarterback on Tuesday evening, but may file again in the future.
The Twins shortstop previously said that he would not take or advocate for COVID-19 vaccines.
What's left of the Buffalo Sabres won't include their captain for the remainder of the year.
McGregor was investigated following an alleged "sexual assault and sexual exhibition" incident in France last September.
Toronto Raptors forward Freddie Gillespie discusses the Raptors organization, meeting guys at the rim and the latest protests in his home state of Minnesota after the murder of Daunte Wright.
It's been a true nightmare season for the Dallas Stars and now two core members won't return for the 2021 campaign.
The second leg of the Champions League will get underway, with the quality of competition quickly ramping up.
Get news, analysis, memes and more delivered to your inbox the morning after every Raptors game.
The Crimson Tide has a steady stream of players going to the NFL.
Andi Petrillo was in on the surprise. The CBC Sports host was interviewing Canada's Sandrine Mainville shortly after she earned a relay bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, with the swimmer unaware of two people standing barely out of camera range. "I'm interviewing Sandrine and her parents pop up from behind and surprised her," Petrillo recalled recently. "It was this great moment, the tears and connection between child and parent. She didn't know her parents [were in Rio] and watched the race. We captured it and were able to bring that to the viewers." Those moments will be tougher to recreate at this summer's Tokyo Olympics as CBC Sports will have Petrillo, Scott Russell and other Olympic hosts work at its Toronto studios for health and safety reasons during a global pandemic. Chris Irwin, working his second Summer Games as executive producer for CBC Olympics, has reduced the number of staff in Tokyo by about 50 per cent to focus all resources on covering athletes' stories and manage the safety of people. "We have moved a lot of people home to Canada across CBC, Radio-Canada and all platforms," Irwin said. "The only people we left on site are those gathering with athletes, talking to athletes — camera people, reporters, field producers and the co-ordinating and technical teams at the IBC [International Broadcast Centre] that make sure all the content gets to Canada," Irwin said. Petrillo will miss the emotional aspect of meeting face-to-face with Canada's medal hopefuls and their families, along with the camaraderie of athletes from different countries converging in one area. "Athletes and families let us in," said Petrillo, gearing up for her fourth Olympics as CBC host. "When you're able to be with them in person and at the Games, certain stories and emotions are felt. They let you into their world, they let you into their bubble, and that will be greatly missed." For health and safety reasons during the COVID-19 pandemic, Petrillo and her fellow Olympic hosts will work from the CBC studios in Toronto, providing Canadians with 23 hours of live coverage through the 16-day competition.(CBC Sports) Petrillo said it will be up to her, the production crew and fellow hosts Alex Despatie, Heather Hiscox, Andrew Chang, Perdita Felicien and Russell to remain in constant communication with athletes and their representatives to make sure the audience is aware of Canadian stories during CBC Sports' 23 hours of daily coverage throughout the 16-day competition. "That viewer experience is not going to change because we're still going to bring them the actual sport," said Petrillo, who will host Olympic Games Morning from 6 a.m. ET to noon. "We just have to make sure we also do our due diligence in sharing the athlete's story to make sure the entertainment factor isn't lost." Chris Wilson, who will oversee his first Olympics at the network as executive director, believes CBC Sports was among the first rights-holding broadcasters to preemptively make decisions on its production model. "We knew there would be uncertainty until the last moment and it turned out to be an excellent decision," said Wilson, who served as manager of events for part of his tenure at Swimming Canada before joining the CBC in January 2019. "It gives some certainty to our planning, staff, employees and allowed us some level of cost certainty, although there are lots of things to be determined." A 100 days out, we've seen baseball, football, soccer and professional sport look, feel and be enjoyed like sport. — CBC Olympics executive producer Chris Irwin Unlike previous Olympics, Irwin is unsure if CBC Sports will be able to count on its employees being able to travel to Tokyo, move around the city and speak with athletes at venues. But a one-year delay following the Olympic postponement in March 2020 has allowed the CBC team time to witness the impact of the pandemic and how it can be managed so it can create the type of program familiar to viewers. WATCH | Bring it In panel: How much will COVID-19 affect Olympics? The crew has learned from CBC News and other CBC productions how to function safely in the building to respect and maintain all COVID-19 counter measures — physical distancing, cleanliness and safety to employees. "A 100 days out we've seen baseball, football, soccer and professional sport look, feel and be enjoyed like sport," Irwin said. "[What] is different and hard to understand or count on, is what if all those major events taking place, from the Super Bowl to [golf's] Masters to the Australian Open [tennis], were taking place in the same city? "The Olympics takes one of the best tournaments that every federation can convene and puts them in the same city with the media and fans free-flowing between them, and that will be the real test, and possibly the biggest gamble." Irwin and Wilson are awaiting an update to a playbook the International Olympic Committee unveiled in February outlining various restrictions put in place to run the event safely from a broadcast perspective. "The government of Japan and city of Tokyo can say, 'We're sorry, what's happening here isn't safe and we're going to shut some or all of it down or change the procedures to make it safer' and that makes you hold your breath as a production planner and broadcast producer," Irwin said. WATCH | 1st COVID-19 'playbook' unveiled by Olympics officials: Adding to the challenge is the need to prepare for the Beijing Winter Olympics, scheduled for February. Two Games within a year hasn't happened since 1992 when the Albertville and Barcelona Olympics were held. Since then, the Summer and Winter Games alternate two years apart. "The biggest thing we've had to overcome is the fact we're literally planning two Games at one time," he said. "Running two Olympics in a pandemic is kind of unheard of. "I really do believe the Games are going to happen but what we don't know is under what conditions. Hopefully this is going to end up being a party of epic proportions as we see a light at the end of the tunnel [in a pandemic] and a great way for us to unite as a country around our athletes."
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A year and a month since the decision to shut the doors amid the pandemic, Ring of Honor has emerged with a focus on growing its brand
Coming in three sizes, additional features include elastic ear loops to keep you comfortable all day and sweat-wicking technology.
BARCELONA, Spain — On the schedule, a home match against Eibar is easy to overlook. But Atlético Madrid's meeting with the league's worst team has become a must-win match in its flagging title bid. A run of poor results over the past two months has whittled Atlético's once double-digit advantage down to the slimmest of margins. After two straight games without a victory, Real Madrid is now only one point behind and Barcelona is two points behind with eight games left. Atlético's problem is in attack. Last weekend, the team was held to a 1-1 draw at Real Betis in a game it started without both Luis Suárez and Marcos Llorente, who were suspended. It also lost playmaker João Félix during the match after he hurt his ankle. Yannick Carrasco got Atlético’s goal early in the match, but forward Ángel Correa failed to convert two opportunities that would have snatched a late winner. Correa will likely lead the attack on Sunday against Eibar with Suárez, who was hurt in practice last week, and Félix both unavailable. Llorente, who can also play any midfield position as well as wing back, will likely help Correa up front after he completed his one-game suspension for accumulation of yellow cards. Llorente has scored 10 times in all competitions this season, second only to Suárez and his 19 goals. Eibar looks like the ideal rival for Atlético to get a desperately needed victory. Eibar has for several seasons been a tough, middling team thanks to the pressure defence preached by coach José Mendilibar, who insists on recovering the ball in the opposing half to help generate easy goals. But the Basque Country club has struggled to score this season. Eibar’s tally of 22 goals is a competition low, tied with Getafe. Also promising for Atlético, Eibar may be without its best weapon in attack. Bryan Gil, a forward on loan from Sevilla who recently debuted for Spain, is doubtful because of a muscle issue. Eibar is four points from safety after going winless in 13 straight games. “It will be the top team versus the team in last place, so it is normal that Atlético is seen as the favourite, but it wouldn’t be the first time we take points or even a win from a game like this,” Eibar defender Paulo Oliveira said. If Atlético slips again, Madrid can move to the top of the standings with a win at Getafe, also on Sunday. The defending champions are soaring after bettering both Barcelona and Liverpool over the past week. Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 last weekend to overtake its rival in the league standings. On Wednesday, the team advanced to the Champions League semifinals after drawing 0-0 at Anfield following a 3-1 win at home. Madrid now has a favourable schedule in the league before it faces Chelsea for a spot in Champions League final. After Getafe, it plays at Cádiz and hosts Betis. Getafe, in 15th place, has only one win in its last 12 league games. COPA FINAL II Barcelona will take a break from the league title fight this weekend to play Athletic Bilbao in the final of the Copa del Rey. The match will be played on Saturday in Seville. Two weeks ago, Bilbao lost to Real Sociedad 1-0 in the final of the 2020 Copa del Rey, which had been postponed for almost a year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Bilbao defeated Barcelona 3-2 in the final of the Spanish Super Cup in January, after the Basque Country club had also ousted Madrid in the semifinals. Barcelona will play its scheduled league match against Granada at a date to be determined later this month. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press
BERLIN — The entire Hertha Berlin team will move into closed accommodation for two weeks after coach Pal Dardai and two others tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of a key game in the fight against relegation, the club said Thursday. Dardai, assistant coach Admir Hamzagic and forward Dodi Lukebakio are all in isolation at home and don't have symptoms, the club said. Another assistant coach, Andreas Neuendorf, is also in isolation as a close contact. The rest of the team and coaching staff were set Thursday to move into closed accommodation until April 28, as required by local health authorities, living together and leaving the site only for training sessions and games. That disrupts Hertha's preparations for what could be a crucial game as the well-funded Berlin club seeks to avoid what would be a shock relegation from the Bundesliga. Hertha is 15th, one place above the relegation playoff spot, and visits 14th-place Mainz on Sunday. Sporting director Arne Friedrich is taking charge of the team until further notice. The former Germany defender has a coaching license and formerly coached the German under-18 national team. Friedrich said Hertha was taking strict measures to stop the virus spreading so that the club can still field a team in the final matches of the season. Friedrich said that besides the closed accommodation, that means strict social distancing. Hertha was already conducting daily coronavirus rapid tests but will now use the more sensitive PCR testing method. “We will accept this challenging situation as a team and do all we can to be successful in our coming games,” Friedrich said in a statement. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
MADRID — One by one, Real Madrid defenders started going down. First it was captain Sergio Ramos with a muscle injury. Then Raphael Varane with the coronavirus. Next was Lucas Vázquez with a knee problem. The outlook was grim for the Spanish powerhouse ahead of the decisive game against Liverpool in the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday. Madrid’s depleted defence would have to go against the English club's prolific attack to try to protect a 3-1 win from last week's first leg. It turned out there was no real reason for concern. It was because of a solid performance by that makeshift defence that Madrid held on for a 0-0 draw at Anfield and made it back to the Champions League semifinals after a two-year absence. As the English team created chance after chance, the Madrid defenders held strong, clearing and blocking attempt after attempt. “The players always want more and the team always shows that character,” Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “When there are difficulties, they are even more united and want to step up. We have immense quality, but the key is the character of the players.” Only Ferland Mendy was a regular starter in the Madrid defence against Liverpool. Substitutes Éder Militão and Nacho Fernández played superbly in central defence, while midfielder Federico Valverde did well as a right back. And with help of an outstanding performance by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and some solid defending by midfielder Casemiro, Madrid kept in check the dangerous trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané to reach the European semifinals for the ninth time in 11 seasons. Militão and Nacho had already been key for Madrid in the first leg against Liverpool, when Ramos and Varane also weren’t available. “We are part of the squad and we are here for a reason,” Nacho said. "We are well-prepared to play games like this. We have played three of the most demanding games together and we have produced top-level performances. So I’m pleased for myself, for Militão and especially for the whole team.” The duo also thrived in the Spanish league last weekend against Barcelona in the clásico, which Madrid won 2-1 to stay in position to repeat as Spanish champions. “They showed that they are ready to play for Real Madrid,” Casemiro said. “It’s not easy to play for this team, but they are ready. We were missing Ramos and Varane, two of our captains, but Nacho and Militão came through and showed their worth.” In the right side of the defence, Valverde held his ground while replacing Vázquez, who had been playing well in the absence of regular starter Dani Carvajal because of a long injury layoff. Vázquez got hurt in the first half of the match against Barcelona on Saturday. “Valverde put in a great performance in a position where he’s not used to play,” Zidane said. And when Valverde and the rest of the makeshift defence failed, Courtois was there to keep Madrid safe. “He is playing brilliantly,” Zidane said. “It’s so important to have a goalkeeper who is as secure as he is. He has always been like that for us. He has been doing a fantastic job.” Zidane soon is expected to get some of his regular starters in defence back, especially Varane and Carvajal, who are in the final stages of their recovery. But Vázquez is likely to miss the rest of the season and Ramos will still be out for a while because he has also tested positive for COVID-19. Zidane is probably not as concerned now, though, knowing that he can safely count on all the defenders in his squad. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports ___ Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press