The Canadian Press – Jun 29, 2022 / 3:40 pm | Story: 373556
Photo: The Canadian Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Just a few months into Luis Arraez’s major league career, Cleveland manager Terry Francona marveled at the hitting machine division rival Minnesota was integrating into the lineup and predicted he would one day win a batting title.
Three years later, Arraez is halfway there.
“Can’t put money on it, but I wish I could’ve,” Francona said last week before the first of eight matchups between the AL Central front-runners in a 10-day span. “I don’t know if every year he’ll hit .360, but you get your confidence, you get your legs under you, you feel good. You could see he had that ability. You could see it right away just the way he stood in the batter’s box.”
Carrying an out-of-this-era .344 average into Wednesday, a 12-point lead on Boston’s Rafael Devers in the AL, Arraez has made a strong case to make his first All-Star team when the complete rosters are revealed July 10.
“I’ve got good numbers. I think I need to get there,” Arraez said. “If not, I’m going to keep continuing to play hard and then try to help my team win the games.”
Thriving at the top of the order for the first-place Twins in front of Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa, Arraez had 27 multi-hit games through Tuesday for the most in the major leagues. Only St. Louis first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who led the NL at .347 entering Wednesday, was ahead of Arraez in batting average. Goldschmidt was the only player with a qualifying amount of plate appearances in baseball with a better on-base percentage (.429) than Arraez (.426).
Arraez also led the majors in two-strike batting average (.302) and had the third-best plate appearances per strikeout rate (12.6) entering Wednesday. His longest stretch of at-bats without a hit this season is 11.
“He’s the Rod Carew, the Tony Gwynn type of hitter, just trying to get on base for the guys behind him,” Correa said. “That’s so much better in this game because he walks, too. He’s not only collecting hits, he’s reaching base over 40% over the time. That’s very impressive. That holds a lot of value.”
At a time when he’s hitting more than 100 points above the major league average, Arraez has naturally elicited comparisons to those pure hitters of generations past like Carew, Gwynn and Ichiro Suzuki.
Funny story about that: Both Carew and Ichiro have publicly declared Arraez their favorite hitter to watch these days. When the Twins were in Seattle earlier this month, Arraez got to hear the praise from Ichiro in person.
Signed as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela in 2013, Arraez has never not been a productive hitter. His .331 career minor league average, including the 2016 Midwest League batting title with Class A Cedar Rapids, can attest to that. In his first 12 at-bats after his first major league call-up in 2019, Arraez had seven hits.
What has helped Arraez become an even better version of himself this season has been healthy knees. They bothered him in 2020 and 2021 and required stints on the injured list. The Twins have also narrowed his range of positions in the field to primarily first base and second base. He has taken a few turns at third base, too, but he’s no longer considered for left field.
“Staying on the dirt has helped him in some ways, just being able to take care of his body,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He does a good job of taking care of himself. The less we can bounce him around to the outfield and have him diving all over the place, and running into walls or potentially other players and things like that, I think that helps him. We want him in the lineup every day.”
With his deep crouch at the plate and forceful, compact swing, Arraez has consistently hit to all three fields — with only teammate Gio Urshela appearing in more games.
“I’ve worked hard for that. That’s why I feel good,” Arraez said. “Just work hard. If I keep continuing my routine, I think I’ll feel good there. I just try to do my best every time.”
The Canadian Press – Jun 29, 2022 / 3:34 pm | Story: 373557
Photo: The Canadian Press
TORONTO — His activation not official until Wednesday, Blue Jays pitcher Sergio Romo watched from a stadium restaurant as his new team earned a walkoff victory over Boston a night earlier at Rogers Centre.
Enjoying a beverage on his own after passing his physical, the 39-year-old reliever — a three-time World Series champion with the San Francisco Giants — was impressed.
“Just the fight, these guys want to win and they expect to win,” Romo said in a pre-game media availability. “They showed it yesterday. Backs against the ropes and they still fought it out and it wasn’t just on one shot either. It was a hit, a walk, this and that.
“Everyone contributed, so it was cool. It was fun to see and I’m glad I’m here.”
The Blue Jays agreed to terms with the right-hander on a one-year big-league contract. Toronto also optioned right-hander Shaun Anderson to Triple-A Buffalo and transferred left-hander Tayler Saucedo to the 60-day injured list.
Romo, who spent a month on the IL this season due to right shoulder inflammation, was recently released by Seattle after posting an 8.16 earned-run average in 17 games. He was 1-1 with a 4.67 ERA over 66 appearances last year for Oakland and has a 42-35 mark over his 15-year career with a 3.20 ERA.
“I come in here fearless, happy and appreciative, so let’s go,” Romo said. “I’m hungry too. I want to win. I’ve been blessed with three rings. By the end of my career, I wouldn’t mind being able to say there’s four.”
It didn’t take long for him to get settled in. An engaging, affable sort, Romo was holding court in the clubhouse with his new teammates before the finale of a three-game series against the Red Sox.
That kind of interaction may be where the Brawley, Calif., native is most valuable.
It’s unclear how much gas he has left in the tank and what kind of leverage situation he’ll be used in. But if his championship pedigree can rub off on a young team — even if it’s just with a casual chat in the bullpen — then Romo could be an asset.
“I’m excited to add his experience, his skillset, his track record to the organization,” said general manager Ross Atkins. “I’m really excited about his mindset and I think our team is excited as well.”
The veteran right-hander also has history with Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo. Romo played for Tampa Bay over parts of two seasons (’17, ’18) when Montoyo was on the Rays’ coaching staff.
“Well you know he’s not going to be nervous in any situation,” Montoyo said. “We know that for sure.”
After a wide-ranging 20-minute chat with reporters, Romo was all smiles as he threw balls in the outfield to bullpen catcher Alex Andreopoulos before the game.
“I’m noticing they’ve got this camaraderie here, plus the talent, plus the aspirations,” Romo said. “It’s kind of hard not to be excited to be here.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2022.
Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.
The Canadian Press – Jun 29, 2022 / 3:17 pm | Story: 373551
Photo: The Canadian Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander pitched two-hit ball for eight innings, Jason Castro lined a two-run homer in the ninth and the Houston Astros beat the Mets 2-0 Wednesday to send New York to its first three-game losing streak this season.
Astros left fielder Yordan Álvarez and shortstop Jeremy Peña were hurt when they collided in the eighth while running down Dominic Smith’s popup. Both called for the ball and as Peña caught the pop, and they hit each other in the face with their gloves. Álvarez was removed on a cart, sitting up, and Peña walked back to the dugout during the eight-minute delay.
Verlander (10-3) became the majors’ first 10-game winner, striking out six and walking one. Ryan Pressly pitched a perfect ninth for his 16th save in 19 chances.
New York’s Taijuan Walker allowed four hits in a season-high 7 1/3 innings. Drew Smith (1-2) got the loss.
PIRATES 8, NATIONALS 7
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bryan Reynolds hit a career-high three homers and drove in six runs, leading Pittsburgh to the win.
The Pirates ended a five-game losing streak.
Reynolds hit a two-run homer in the first inning off Paolo Espino and a solo drive in the sixth off Carl Edwards Jr. (2-2).
Edwards exited with two runners on base in the seventh, giving way to Kyle Finnegan.
After Ke’Bryan Hayes struck out, Reynolds launched Finnegan’s elevated sinker into the visitors’ bullpen in left-center for a three-run homer that put the Pirates up 8-6.
Daniel Vogelbach also homered for Pittsburgh. Chase De Jong (3-0) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, and rookie Yerry De Los Santos earned his first career save.
YANKEES 5, ATHLETICS 3
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton homered to fuel the Yankees’ major league-best 24th comeback victory.
The Yankees completed a three-game sweep of baseball’s worst team and improved to 56-20, matching the 2001 Mariners and 1998 Yankees for baseball’s best 76-game start since 1930.
New York’s Jameson Taillon gave up three runs in the first inning, but Judge countered with a two-run drive in the first and Stanton hit a three-run homer in the third against Cole Irvin (2-6).
The Yankees are 25-1 when Judge and Stanton homer in the same game, including 9-0 this season.
Taillon (9-1) grinded through five innings, and Clay Holmes pitched the ninth for his 14th save to end a seven-game homestand.
BREWERS 5, RAYS 3
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Rowdy Tellez hit two home runs and Milwaukee center fielder Jonathan Davis made a spectacular catch, sending the Brewers to the win.
Tellez hit his 15th homer, a tiebreaking solo drive in the eighth inning against Calvin Faucher (1-2). The ball struck the outer C-ring of the catwalk at Tropicana Field.
In the second, Tellez homered to deep center off opener Jalen Beeks.
Davis robbed Randy Arozarena of an extra-base hit in the second when he made a flying, over-the-shoulder catch while crashing headfirst into the wall. He stayed down for several minutes holding his back and initially stayed in the game before leaving with lower back and rib cage discomfort.
Luis Urías and Jace Peterson also homered for Milwaukee. Brad Boxberger (2-1) got the win, and Josh Hader earned his 24th save.
ROYALS 2, RANGERS 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Zack Greinke pitched six innings of one-run ball in his 500th career start, helping the Royals avoid a three-game sweep.
Kansas City’s Kyle Isbel provided the winning cushion with his second home run in as many games.
Greinke (2-4) is the 48th pitcher in major league history to start 500 games, and the only active pitcher to reach that milestone. Scott Barlow worked a perfect ninth for his 10th save in 12 chances.
Leody Taveras homered for Texas. Dane Dunning (1-6) yielded two runs and six hits in six innings.
Jun 29, 2022 / 3:16 pm
Five days after her national record performance in Langley, B.C., shot putter Sarah Mitton resumes her world championship preparation in Europe as the lone Canadian at Thursday’s Stockholm Diamond League meet (CBCSports.ca, 2 p.m. ET).
The Canadian Press – Jun 29, 2022 / 2:51 pm | Story: 373543
Photo: The Canadian Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Phillies slugger Bryce Harper had successful surgery to repair his broken left thumb on Wednesday, interim manager Rob Thomson said, but there is no timetable for his return.
Philadelphia remains hopeful the 2021 NL MVP can play again this season.
“It went very well,” Thomson said.
Thomson deferred all other questions about the surgery to Harper, who is expected to return to Philadelphia sometime this week to address the situation.
Harper was injured on Saturday night by a fastball from San Diego Padres left-hander Blake Snell.
The 29-year-old Harper is batting .318 with 15 homers and 48 RBIs.
The Canadian Press – Jun 29, 2022 / 2:50 pm | Story: 373544
Photo: The Canadian Press
NORTH PLAINS, Ore. (AP) — LIV Golf’s first U.S. event was set to begin Thursday, with a group of survivors and families who lost loved ones in the Sept. 11 terror attacks planning to gather at a nearby park to speak out against the Saudi Arabia-funded tour.
Brett Eagleson was 15 years old when he lost his father in the collapse of the World Trade Center. Nearly 3,000 people were killed on that day in 2001.
“We want the golfers to know who they’re getting in bed with, who they’re doing business with,” Eagleson said. “Any golfer that chooses to go play for the LIV tournament should have to listen to the family members and look us in the eye, and explain to us why they’re taking the Saudi money and why they’re playing in this tournament. And we want the ability to educate the golfers on what we know about the Saudi role on 9/11.”
Eagleson, now 36, is among those criticizing the LIV tournament and it’s connection to a regime that has flouted human rights. All but four of the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11 were Saudi citizens, and the Saudi kingdom was the birthplace of Osama bin Laden, the head of al-Qaida and mastermind of the attack.
The LIV Golf Invitational starts Thursday at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, about 20 miles west of downtown Portland.
Eagleson is especially disheartened over Phil Mickelson, one of this childhood heroes, and his decision to join LIV Golf. The tour, run by Greg Norman and funded by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, has offered signing bonuses — some that reportedly topping $100 million — that some players have found irrestible.
“Now to see him, kowtowing into the Saudis, and saying that he doesn’t give a crap, he doesn’t give a crap about the struggles and the pain and the misery. Three-thousand dead Americans. He doesn’t care because he got offered a paycheck? It’s just the worst form of greed,” Eagleson said.
In addition to Mickelson, fellow majors winners Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau have also joined LIV Golf. Mickelson did not speak to reporters before the Oregon tournament.
As much as the upstart tour no doubt wants to escape criticism, it can’t avoid it. At the pre-tournament news conferences, golfers were asked about the Saudi connection and gave similar, pat answers to questions about the topic, repeating variations of the message that golf can be a “force for good.”
But well before LIV Golf arrived in tiny North Plains, the city’s mayor and those from surrounding cities wrote the Texas-based owner of the club to protest the event, saying it didn’t align with the community’s values. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden called the event “sportswashing” to distract from human rights abuses.
The Portland stop is the second of eight LIV Golf events this year. The families of the Sept. 11 victims and the survivors also spoke out against the inaugural event outside London earlier this month.
Koepka, who recently joined LIV Golf after initially denouncing it, downplayed the concerns about the Saudi funding.
“They’re allowed to have their opinions. You know, we’ve heard it. I think everybody has. It’s been brought up,” said Koepka, a former world No. 1 and four-time majors champion. “But look, like we said, our only job is to go play golf, and that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to grow the game.”
Part of LIV Golf’s allure is the money. In addition to signing bonuses, the 48-man field will compete for a $20 million purse, with an additional $5 million prize fund for a team competition. Charl Schwartzel won the London event (and team portion) and made $4.75 million.
LIV tournaments are played over 54 holes with no cut, and even the last-place finisher gets $120,000. Organizers promise exciting events they say will attract new fans.
The PGA Tour has responded to LIV Golf’s challenge by suspending every active member who competed in the first LIV event. Those who play in Oregon will also be suspended unless they resign their tour memberships.
The PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic takes place in Illinois this week.
Former Masters champion Fred Couples is leading a U.S. team of athletes competing in an exhibition at Liberty National in New Jersey starting Thursday. Couples, a Hall of Famer, has been outspoken against LIV Golf and said he hopes his event would draw more spectators.
“I find it so weird that the only way they could get these guys to leave the tour is to throw them money. There’s no other reason. All the other stuff is B.S.,” Couples said. “It’s not bettering the game. They’re playing eight to 10 tournaments here. How is that bettering the game?”
Jun 29, 2022 / 2:16 pm
CBC Sports’ daily newsletter looks ahead to what’s in store for Canada’s men’s and women’s national basketball teams.
The Canadian Press – Jun 29, 2022 / 2:15 pm | Story: 373539
Photo: The Canadian Press
As the Utah Jazz spent time talking to candidates to become their next coach, Will Hardy quickly rose to the top of their list. And that’s where he stayed.
Hardy was announced as the new coach of the Jazz on Tuesday, a day after the sides came to an agreement in principle. He’ll be a head coach in the NBA for the first time and, at 34, is currently the league’s youngest coach.
“As our search committee went through this process, Will really separated himself among a group of extremely talented candidates,” Jazz general manager Justin Zanik said. “We’re eager to get to work with him as we continue our pursuit of bringing an NBA championship to Utah.”
Hardy goes to Utah after spending this past season as an assistant in Boston, helping the Celtics make the NBA Finals. His previous 11 seasons were spent with the San Antonio Spurs, starting as a basketball operations intern, moving into the video room and eventually becoming an assistant under all-time wins leader and five-time NBA champion Gregg Popovich.
“The Utah Jazz are one of the most respected and successful franchises in the NBA and the fan base here is legendary,” Hardy said. “This opportunity comes with tremendous responsibility. I’m grateful for the trust the Jazz have placed in me and I look forward to the work ahead.”
Hardy will replace Quin Snyder, who decided to leave the Jazz earlier this month after eight seasons. Snyder and the Jazz made the playoffs in each of the last six seasons — tied for the second-longest current streak of postseason appearances in the league — and Hardy takes over a roster that features an All-Star-level guard in Donovan Mitchell and perennial defensive player of the year candidate Rudy Gobert.
Hardy also assisted Popovich during USA Basketball’s appearances at the 2019 Basketball World Cup and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Hardy left San Antonio for Boston to work for another former Spurs assistant, Ime Udoka — and now finds himself as the latest branch off the highly successful Popovich coaching tree.
“Will Hardy is one of the brightest young leaders in the NBA,” Jazz CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge said. “He understands the importance of setting a vision and creating a culture for players. He places great value on communication, player development and creating the most productive environment for players to succeed. His experience on coaching staffs that have made the NBA Finals and with USA Basketball are invaluable and have helped prepare him for this moment.”
The Canadian Press – Jun 29, 2022 / 2:13 pm | Story: 373538
Photo: The Canadian Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bryan Reynolds hit a career-high three homers and drove in six runs, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Washington Nationals 8-7 on Wednesday.
The Pirates ended a five-game losing streak.
Reynolds had a two-run homer in the first inning off Paolo Espino and a solo drive in the sixth off Carl Edwards Jr. (2-2).
Edwards exited with two runners on base in the seventh, giving way to Kyle Finnegan.
After Ke’Bryan Hayes struck out, Reynolds launched Finnegan’s elevated sinker into the visitors’ bullpen in left-center for a three-run homer that put the Pirates up 8-6. Prior to that shot, Pittsburgh was 0 for 15 with runners in scoring position in the series.
Reynolds struck out swinging in the ninth when he came up with a chance to tie the major league record of four home runs in a game.
The six RBIs are a career high for Reynolds, who became the second Pirates player to homer three times in a game this season. Jack Suwinski did it June 19 against San Francisco.
Reynolds is hitting .337 (34 of 101) with 19 RBIs this month and has hit eight of his 15 home runs in June.
Daniel Vogelbach also homered for Pittsburgh.
The Pirates denied Washington its first three-game sweep since June 14-16 of last year at home against Pittsburgh. Yadiel Hernandez homered for the Nationals, who stranded 10 runners and had won three in a row and six of eight.
Chase De Jong (3-0) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Rookie Yerry De Los Santos worked the ninth for his first career save.
Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller gave up five runs in four-plus innings, allowing nine hits and four walks while striking out four. Espino allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings, including Vogelbach’s solo homer in the fourth.
RARE RULING
Pittsburgh scored its fourth run in unusual fashion. With one out in the fifth inning and the score tied at 3, Hoy Park was on second and Suwinski was on the third. ayes lined to Washington first baseman Josh Bell as both runners took off. Bell threw to third baseman Ehire Adrianza, who tagged Park and then stepped on the base. Umpires invoked the “fourth out” rule, since Washington did not ask for an appeal before leaving the field. Since Suwinski crossed the plate before Park was tagged, his run counted even though he hadn’t tagged up.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: OF Jake Marisnick was 1 for 4 for Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday in his first rehabilitation assignment game since undergoing left thumb surgery May 12. … OF Ben Gamel (left hamstring), INF Kevin Newman (left groin strain) and 1B/DH Yoshi Tsutsugo (lumbar muscle strain) all continued rehab assignments with Indianapolis on Tuesday. … INF/OF Tucupita Marcano (Covid-19), LHP Dillon Peters (back strain) and RHP Duane Underwood Jr. (Covid-19) began rehab assignments Tuesday at Double-A Altoona.
Nationals: RHP Aníbal Sanchez (cervical nerve impingement) allowed two runs in 2 2/3 innings Tuesday in a rehab start for Triple-A Rochester. … RHP Mason Thompson (biceps strain) threw two scoreless innings Tuesday for Rochester.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP JT Brubaker (1-7, 4.14 ERA) gets the ball as Pittsburgh returns home Thursday to begin a four-game series against Milwaukee.
Nationals: Washington has Thursday off. RHP Josiah Gray (6-4, 3.82) starts Friday in the opener of a four-game series against Miami as the Nationals’ homestand continues.
The Canadian Press – Jun 29, 2022 / 2:03 pm | Story: 373480
Photo: The Canadian Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Kings have acquired high-scoring forward Kevin Fiala from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for their first-round pick in the upcoming draft and prospect Brock Faber.
The Kings confirmed the deal Wednesday for the restricted free agent. They are expected to sign the Swiss star to a long-term contract extension.
Fiala was one of the most attractive potential acquisitions in the NHL this summer after putting up career highs of 33 goals and 52 assists for the Wild last season. The left wing seems to be a perfect fit on the top line for the Kings, who ended their three-year playoff drought last spring despite scoring fewer goals than every postseason team except Dallas.
The Wild get the 19th overall pick in the draft along with Faber, the Kings’ second-round pick in 2020 and a star defenseman at the University of Minnesota.
Saddled with the hefty salary cap hits from last summer’s buyouts of left wing Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter, Wild general manager Bill Guerin all but predicted he’d have to trade Fiala to stay under the cap after giving hefty long-term contracts last year to Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek.
Fiala can become a restricted free agent next month. Realizing his bigger payday would come, he signed a $5.1 million contract for the 2021-22 season and flourished at left wing on a line with rookie Matt Boldy and center Frederick Gaudreau. One of only two Wild skaters to play in all 82 regular-season games, Fiala blew away his previous career bests in points and assists.
He disappeared in the playoffs for the second straight year, though. Fiala went scoreless in a six-game loss to St. Louis in the first round. Last year, he had one goal in a seven-game ouster by Vegas.
In Los Angeles, Fiala seems likely to slot in alongside veteran center Anze Kopitar and All-Star right wing Adrian Kempe on the top line of an up-and-coming team.
Fiala had 79 goals and 107 assists in 215 games for the Wild, after arriving in a midseason trade with Nashville on Feb. 25, 2019, for Mikael Granlund.
Faber was just named a captain by Minnesota coach Bob Motzko for the coming season, a sure sign he’s returning to the Gophers for his junior year. The 19-year-old is from Maple Grove, Minnesota.
The Canadian Press – Jun 29, 2022 / 1:54 pm | Story: 373443
Photo: The Canadian Press
Let the talking begin. The trading, too, and eventually the signing.
Free agency opens Thursday in the NBA, with teams able to begin negotiating at 6 p.m. Eastern with players who are not under contract. Some deals will be struck quickly, others not for weeks, and in almost all circumstances those new contracts won’t be able to be signed until July 6 at the earliest.
Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook have already made their decisions; both could have been free agents this summer and found a combined 84 million reasons not to hit the open market — $47 million for Westbrook to opt-in for the last year of his deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, and nearly $37 million for Irving to do the same with the Brooklyn Nets.
Jalen Brunson will be in demand early, with the expectation that he’ll quickly agree to leave Dallas and become the new point guard in New York. And there will be players who might decide to look elsewhere, or accept huge $200-million-plus deals with their current teams — opportunities that are presenting themselves to Zach LaVine with Chicago and Bradley Beal with Washington.
The biggest deal of the next few days won’t have anything to do with a free agent: All signs point to two-time reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic being offered a supermax extension in the $260 million range by the Denver Nuggets. The only question there will be how quickly he finds a pen to put to that paper.
Minnesota can give Karl-Anthony Towns a supermax of about $210 million this summer, as can Phoenix with Devin Booker.
Other players are restricted free agents, meaning their current teams will have the right to match offers from other clubs. The most notable name on that list is Deandre Ayton, the Phoenix center who was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft but watched others in his draft class get their first extensions last summer.
Some players will be free agents in name only. John Wall, for example, will get $41 million in a buyout from the Houston Rockets, and has already decided that he wants to play for the Los Angeles Clippers next season. The Clippers are expected to use a $6.4 million exception to sign Wall, and that figure matches the money that Wall gave back to make the buyout of what would have been the final year of his contract happen.
“We’ll see what happens as free agency opens up and everything else,” Clippers owner Steve Ballmer said. “I think the sky’s the limit for our team. The sky is the limit. … And of course, you’ve got to have a little bit of luck to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy, which is what we’d really like.”
That will be everyone’s goal come 6 p.m. Thursday, to find ways to get closer to the Larry O’Brien, whether that’s in 2023 or beyond.
Such thinking even applies to the champion Golden State Warriors, who have a slew of rotation players — Kevon Looney, Otto Porter, Gary Payton II among them — who just last week were enjoying a parade through San Francisco and are now free to go elsewhere if the opportunities and dollars are right.
“We still do need to surround the team with vets and that’s the plan in free agency,” Warriors general manager Bob Myers said. “It’s easier to get some of the older players, we think, in free agency than young players. Young players are probably the most in-demand in free agency.”
True, and that’s another element of this time of year: Young players, and not grabbing them in free agency this year, but keeping them out of free agency in future years.
Ja Morant will surely be offered a max rookie extension by Memphis, one that will kick in with the 2023-24 season. The Zion Williamson situation in New Orleans will be interesting, as the Pelicans decide how much to offer to — or safely structure a deal for — a No. 1 pick who has missed the majority of his first three NBA seasons because of injury issues. Miami is planning to offer sixth man of the year Tyler Herro an extension, though the Heat will have to determine what number makes the most sense for them going forward.
And, of course, there is a LeBron James angle: The Los Angeles Lakers were a disaster last season and will aim to revamp their roster, plus can give James a two-year extension in August worth nearly $100 million. But before he signs, they have far more pressing concerns.
Officially, it all starts Thursday. A new season is already here.
The Canadian Press – Jun 29, 2022 / 1:48 pm | Story: 373468
Photo: The Canadian Press
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — For those tired of the dispute between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series, Tom Brookes has something that might be of interest.
The chief executive of Icons Series is bringing a two-day tournament to Liberty National that features 24 professional athletes from all walks of sports in a Ryder Cup-type competition.
It starts Thursday with two-time major champion Fred Couples leading an American team against four-time major champion Ernie Els and his Team Rest of the World.
Among the players are Hall of Fame football players Marshall Faulk and Michael Strahan, recently retired Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps, baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz, boxer Canelo Álvarez of Mexico, Tottenham striker Harry Cane, recently retired women’s tennis No. 1 Ash Barty and retired Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh.
“I think golf is so relevant right now and more so after the pandemic, that it needs an injection of innovation, fresh air,” Brookes said Wednesday. “There’s a lot of disruption and fracture in golf right now. And what we want to do is the opposite. We want to unify icons of all the sports, to unify people, to come together and enjoy an entertainment product that has a golf focus to it.”
This will be the third event in the Icons Series. The first was in Dubai in 2015 and the second in England in 2017. An event planned in Japan in 2019 was canceled because of a tsunami and earthquake days apart. The COVID-19 pandemic kept the event off course in 2021 and Brookes said returning this year was a late decision.
However, he added Icons has signed a deal for the next two years with Liberty National, which hosted the 2017 Presidents Cup and the PGA Tour’s opening postseason event four times.
“I think we’ve stayed away from celebrities and just focused on athletes who by DNA are super competitive and we can try and humanize them and a different sport,” Brookes said.
Both the PGA Tour (John Deere Classic) and LIV Golf (Portland) have events this weekend, the first time Greg Norman’s group is playing in the United States.
The bad feelings between the tours has intensified with the PGA Tour suspending players who have signed on for LIV Golf without seeking releases. Some players, like Dustin Johnson. have resigned as tour members. Others like Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka have not.
Most of the athletes playing in the Icons event understood why golfers joined LIV, with many saying they probably did what they felt was best for their families.
Els said he had a bad feeling from LIV Golf, saying he was brought up believing pure golf is a 72 holes of stroke play that includes a cut. The LIV events are 54 holes with no cuts.
Els’ biggest criticism was of golf’s leading tours, saying the Saudis have been coming for a while and now they have arrived in a big way. He said the tours should have considered ways for the sides to co-exist.
“That hasn’t been the case,” he said. “And now the players and everybody has been thrown into the middle. And you have to pick a side and … it doesn’t feel right.”
