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Blues' O'Reilly scores again, wins Conn Smythe

Published in Hockey
Wednesday, 12 June 2019 20:59

BOSTON -- In July, Ryan O'Reilly took a call from St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong. The Blues were going to acquire O'Reilly in a blockbuster trade with Buffalo.

"I just looked at the roster, and I was so amped up about it," O'Reilly recalled. "I said, 'Let's go win the Cup.'"

O'Reilly made good on his word as the Blues won their first Stanley Cup with a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 7 on Wednesday night. The 28-year-old led the way with a franchise-record 23 playoff points to win the Conn Smythe Award for postseason MVP, including the opening goal Wednesday.

He's the first player since Wayne Gretzky in 1985 to score in four consecutive Stanley Cup Final games.

O'Reilly also became the first player since the New York Rangers' Mark Messier in 1994 to have a six-game points streak in a Stanley Cup Final.

But for O'Reilly, and the Blues, the journey was anything but easy. St. Louis stumbled through the first three months of the season and found itself in last place Jan. 2.

"We knew it was there, we knew we had the pieces," O'Reilly said. "But it was so educational for myself to see how tough it is and how hard we have to work and how even keel you have to be."

O'Reilly, a finalist for the Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward and the Lady Byng for sportsmanlike and gentlemanly conduct, was just OK for the first 18 games of the playoffs -- scoring three goals and adding eight assists.

He cracked a rib in the second-round series against Dallas. He got bumped in the ribs in the Western Conference finals against San Jose and said the injury affected him on faceoff draws.

But somehow in the Stanley Cup Final, O'Reilly turned it up to a new level, with five goals and four assists in seven games.

"There was a couple tough games," O'Reilly said of his ribs. "But once you kind of get going and the adrenaline takes over, I didn't notice it."

"I don't know what more there is to say about that guy," Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said. "He's meant so much to us ever since he joined the team."

O'Reilly joined Glenn Hall (1967-68) as the only players to win the Conn Smythe after finishing the previous season with a different team.

Coincidentally, Hall was the only Blues player to win the award before O'Reilly.

The Blues sent three three centers and two draft picks, including a 2019 first-rounder, to the Sabres to acquire O'Reilly. At the conclusion of the 2017-18 season in Buffalo, O'Reilly infamously said he "lost the love of the game multiple times" and was frustrated by the Sabres' culture of losing. Buffalo did not make the playoffs in any of his three seasons with the team.

Now, winning with the Blues, he said he was feeling much different emotions. He thought of his parents and "the hours and money they put into" his hockey career.

"I wouldn't be here, I wouldn't be in the NHL having this as a job if it wasn't for them and all this stuff that they put in," O'Reilly said. "I couldn't stop thanking them for putting their lives aside for us, for the kids, and doing whatever we needed to do. ... I can't thank them enough."

O'Reilly was also thinking of his 99-year-old grandmother, who watches him and emails him regularly from Seaforth, Ontario, where he grew up playing hockey. O'Reilly's grandma bought him multiple pairs of skates when he was a kid.

"She's one of my biggest supporters," O'Reilly said before the game. "I'm hoping I could bring the Cup to her."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Superfan Anderson, 11, part of Blues' celebration

Published in Hockey
Wednesday, 12 June 2019 23:54

BOSTON -- Laila Anderson is only 11 years old, but she swears she has a gift: She says she can always predict who is going to score the first goal for her beloved St. Louis Blues.

Before Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday, Laila told her mother, Heather, it was going to be Ryan O'Reilly.

"My mom was like, 'It's not going to happen,'" Laila said.

That got her extra fired up.

"I said, 'There's two things you just said wrong,'" she recalled. "'First, you don't doubt ROR. And you don't doubt me.'"

"Mom," she said while standing on the ice at TD Garden, grinning after the Blues won their first Stanley Cup and O'Reilly -- after scoring the game's opening goal -- won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. "I called it."

Laila, who is battling a life-threatening autoimmune disease, isn't just a Blues superfan. She's the team's good luck charm -- so much so that the Blues flew her and her mother to Boston for Game 7, then invited them on the ice to celebrate with the team after its 4-1 victory.

Blues defenseman Colton Parayko, after hoisting the Cup himself, knelt onto the ice to meet Laila. She wiped away tears, then held on and kissed the trophy.

Winger Pat Maroon, a St. Louis native, lit up when he saw Laila in the crowd. "Laila!" he shouted. "We did it, princess!" Then the two posed for a photo.

Anderson has hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a disease with which only 15 other children in the world have been diagnosed. Her love of the Blues, she said, was one of the things that helped her through treatments and recovery. Many Blues players got to know Laila through team-sponsored visits to the hospital, and she formed an especially strong connection with Parayko and winger Alex Steen.

"We get to show up to the rink and be with the guys, do things like that. But you go to the hospital, and you speak with her, and you watch her go through all that stuff. I can't imagine what she's going through. What kinds of things they're putting in her body to try and help her recover," Parayko told ESPN before the Stanley Cup Final began. "She continues to have a strong attitude, a positive attitude. It's so special. We might lose a hockey game, and we're frustrated or go home really upset. But there are people out there trying to battle for their lives."

Laila's condition has limited her travel significantly. She had a bone marrow transplant in January that meant she could go only between the hospital and her house.

Then, before Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, Laila's doctors cleared her to attend. Anderson's mom broke the news in a video, which went viral. Laila then attended Games 4 and 6, and returned to the Enterprise Center when the Blues reached the Stanley Cup Final.

Then before Game 7 of the Final, Heather Anderson met with her daughter again and pressed record on her phone.

"If you could watch the game, anywhere in the world tomorrow -- anywhere in the world -- where would you watch your boys play tomorrow?" her mom asked.

"Boston," Laila said, without pause.

"What if I told you the Blues called, and they want you at the game?" her mom asked.

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Blues superfan Laila celebrates Cup win with Parayko

11-year-old Blues fan Laila Anderson hugs Colton Parayko on the ice after St. Lous wins the Stanley Cup.

Laila looked at her mom: "What? How?"

"The doctor said it's OK," her mom said.

Laila could barely contain her tears.

"No he didn't, Mommy, no he didn't," she said breaking down, collapsing into her mom's shoulder.

"That video last night her mom posted was truly amazing," Maroon said Wednesday morning. "She's been an inspiration to all of us throughout the year. And Alex Steen has done a good job of bringing her and making her feel comfortable, Colton Parayko the same way, making her feel welcome to the team and the St. Louis Blues welcome her and her family. It's been truly amazing.

"She's a fighter and she's going to continue to fight. She's our inspiration. We look up to her, what she has to go through every single day. To get on that plane, I know the doctors are questionable of getting her out there because of her health and to say that she gets to come on the plane and travel out here to see us play, that's truly amazing. I'm so happy for her."

When asked if Laila gave the team any pointers, Maroon said: "She gives us enough, just the way she fights. Go out there and fight for her. What she has to go through every single day."

On the ice after Wednesday's victory, Laila -- wearing a jean jacket and a Blues championship cap -- was as popular as any St. Louis player. She did several media scrums. Her mom stood beside her the entire time.

"Being here for this, it's everything I imagined and more," Laila said. "I don't even know what to say. I love this team. I love them so much."

ESPN's Greg Wyshynski contributed to this report.

Oddsmakers won't alter ways despite Blues' win

Published in Hockey
Wednesday, 12 June 2019 20:54

Oddsmakers are not allowing a historic payout and overall financial loss to influence their bookmaking protocol.

The St. Louis Blues are Stanley Cup champions, costing Caesars sportsbook "well into the six figures" after they became the first team in the expansion era to win the championship after owning the NHL's worst record at any point following their 30th game.

In early January, St. Louis fan Scott Berry, while visiting Las Vegas for a work conference, wagered $400 at 250-1 odds for a $100,000 payout.

"You want to offer a good future book and you want to offer a good product and fair price on all the teams," Caesars director of trading Jeff Davis told ESPN. "Those are bets you want to take. This one happens to get there. Yeah, it's going to hurt, but it doesn't change our philosophy going forward."

It goes beyond Berry's ticket. Tallying its 18 properties over four states, Caesars finished with a red number on its entire NHL future book.

"The Blues were just a popular team at the window. It was one of those weird things," Davis said. "They were a public team and the money never really stopped. It's weird. It's just a one-off."

The stars almost aligned last season. The Vegas Golden Knights nearly capped an improbable title run before losing in the Stanley Cup Final to the Washington Capitals. Bettors throughout Las Vegas held long-shot tickets in the neighborhood of 500-1 odds, given it was the local team's inaugural season. Sportsbooks did fall victim to beefy payouts when the Knights won the Pacific Division and the Western Conference.

The 2019-20 NHL odds reflect the traditional mindset.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the favorites with 5-1 odds, fresh off capturing the Presidents' Trophy with the league's best regular-season record, though they were upset in the first round.

"There's no reason to think they're not going to be a buzzsaw again," Davis said. "They have a top-three goalie. All lines can score. They have to be the favorite and they have to be a sizable favorite."

Vegas (9-1), St. Louis (10-1), the Boston Bruins (12-1) and Toronto Maple Leafs (12-1) are next in line. The Ottawa Senators (400-1), Los Angeles Kings (150-1) and Detroit Red Wings (100-1) represent the long shots with triple-digit odds.

Now, after the Blues' unlikely title and Berry's six-figure payday, all odds seem to have life.

"It's sports. Things happen. That's a bet you generally want to take. It's usually 400 free dollars," Davis said. "Now it's not, though."

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Although it ranks far below more pressing matters for the USGA, the association did address one future venue on Wednesday at Pebble Beach.

The USGA has booked the U.S. Open through 2027 when the national championship will return to Pebble Beach for the seventh time, but missing from those stops is Chambers Bay, which hosted its first U.S. Open in 2015.

“We will pay attention,” said John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s senior managing director of championships. “We've been doing a lot of strategic thinking where we go after 2027. The good part is we've got time to figure that out. And Chambers Bay was certainly on our radar screen.”

The ’15 U.S. Open, which was won by Jordan Spieth, was marred by the poor quality of some greens, but golf course officials have taken steps to remedy that issue by installing new greens with poa annua grass.

“We have our 2021 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship there, and they just came to us and said what would you think if we did this? Could we move the championship from '19 to '21 and do this and really present a great [championship] and do something good for the community?” Bodenhamer said. “We were all in. We said absolutely.”

Although three of the next five U.S. Opens, including this week’s championship, will be held on the west coast, from 2024 through ’26 the event is exclusively on the east coast. Adding another west coast venue in ’28 would likely be a priority for the USGA which might help Chambers Bay’s chances.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – The USGA doesn’t host a Reunion of Champions every year, but after the dinner Tuesday evening at Pebble Beach, Rory McIlroy wished it would.

Thirty-three of the living 36 U.S. Open champions gathered for the special celebration, including Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Gary Player.

“I’ve heard from several of them this morning,” said USGA CEO Mike Davis, “that they just had a magical dinner last night.”

Rory McIlroy, the 2011 winner, shared some of the details from the evening, including how he and his wife, Erica, were seated at the “young table” with two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka (and his girlfriend, Jena Sims) and Jordan Spieth (and his wife, Annie).

“It was really cool, just the stories that we were telling,” McIlroy said Wednesday. “We must have stayed about an hour and a half after everyone else had left. We shut the place down, just chatting. It was really, really cool.”

Some of the artifacts from the USGA Museum were brought in, including the 1-iron Ben Hogan had in the bag at Merion, the golf ball that Bobby Jones used to win the Grand Slam, and the visor Arnold Palmer flung in the air after winning at Cherry Hills.

“I’m a golf geek,” McIlroy said, “and that is so cool.

“I walked away from that dinner wishing that they did it every year. ... I’m looking forward to being able to do it for years to come.”

McIlroy nearly leaves putter in Canada after win

Published in Golf
Wednesday, 12 June 2019 10:19

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Rory McIlroy rode his hot putter to a final-round 61 in his seven-shot victory on Sunday at the RBC Canadian Open.

So common sense would dictate he'd probably want to bring that same putter to this week's U.S. Open. That almost didn't happen.

For the trophy ceremony, McIlroy momentarily traded his putter for a Toronto Raptors jersey with the CEO of Golf Canada, Laurence Applebaum, and they nearly forgot to trade back. 

"I traded him. He gave me a Raptors jersey, and I gave him my putter and thought he was going to give it to [caddie Harry Diamond] up at the scoring area or whatever," McIlroy said on Wednesday at the U.S. Open. "And I saw Harry. He goes, Where's your putter? And I said, I better go find it. So, no, I definitely didn't give it away. I know I've done some stupid things in the past, but that would have been right up there."

The win in Canada was McIlroy's second victory of the season, and he enters the week at the Pebble Beach on the short list of favorites to break his major drought that dates back to 2014.

The four-time major winner's chances would've taken a hit had he left his flatstick in a different country.

"I said to Harry, Could you go and find Laurence? He's got my putter. And put it back in the bag and make sure the bag gets on the plane and goes to California," added McIlroy. "That was really it ... the guy I gave it to was running the golf tournament. He knows it's not for him."

McIlroy tees off in search of his second U.S. Open victory and fifth major title on Thursday at 10:51 a.m. ET with Jon Rahm, Marc Leishman.

How DJ can pass Koepka, reach world No. 1 at U.S. Open

Published in Golf
Wednesday, 12 June 2019 10:33

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Only Dustin Johnson has a chance to move to world No. 1 this week at the U.S. Open.

There are 12 scenarios in which Johnson can pass No. 1 Brooks Koepka, including the most simple: A win.

The other scenarios for Johnson:

  • Solo 2nd provided Koepka doesn’t win
  • Solo 3rd and Koepka finishes worse than two-way T-4
  • Solo 4th and Koepka finishes worse than three-way T-7
  • Solo 5th and Koepka finishes worse than solo 13th
  • Solo 6th and Koepka finishes worse than two-way T-19
  • Solo 7th and Koepka finishes worse than two-way T-25
  • Solo 8th and Koepka finishes worse than solo 40th
  • Solo 9th and Koepka finishes worse than solo 49th
  • Solo 10th and Koepka finishes worse than two-way T-58
  • Solo 11th and Koepka misses the cut

In any event, Johnson needs at least a two-way tie for 11th (or a four-way T-10 or better) to have a chance to pass Koepka.  

As for the other players, Tiger Woods, now ranked fifth, would rise to No. 3 in the world with a victory this week at Pebble Beach.

To pass Justin Rose, Woods needs at least a two-way T-3 or better (depending on Rose’s finish), and to leapfrog Rory McIlroy, Woods needs at least a three-way T-2 or better.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – The prep time is over, and now it’s time to get down to business. Here are some thoughts and observations from another Tiger Woods practice session at Pebble Beach ahead of the U.S. Open:

• After conserving energy with a range session Tuesday, Woods hit the course for a nine-hole round on the scenic back nine Wednesday morning. He teed off around 9 a.m. local time in a group that also included Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Kevin Kisner.

• Woods told reporters Tuesday that he wanted “one more day of prep” to study course conditions, and he got just that as a thick fog encircled the course for much of the morning. Woods seemed in good spirits throughout the round, mixing a competitive team match with plenty of practice from the rough and bunkers around the greens. 

• This prep session was a far cry from last month’s PGA Championship, where Woods didn’t play at all the day before the opening round. But there appears to be no health concerns this time around after Woods admitted he was “in rough shape” physically while missing the cut at Bethpage.

U.S. Open: Full-field tee times | Full coverage

• A fun moment came just after the quartet teed off on No. 18, as Woods was approached by baseball Hall-of-Famer Reggie Jackson. Jackson spent part of his storied career with the nearby Oakland Athletics, and he and Woods have chatted on multiple occasions during the first few days at Pebble.

• Woods didn’t speak to reporters after completing his practice session, walking straight from the 18th hole to a waiting courtesy vehicle behind the green. But before hopping in he did stop briefly to chat with Johnny Miller, who retired from broadcasting earlier this year and won the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont.

• Woods will be out in the late wave Thursday to kick off the year’s third major, teeing off at 5:09 p.m. ET alongside Spieth and Justin Rose.

Real Madrid sign Lyon left-back Mendy for €48m

Published in Soccer
Wednesday, 12 June 2019 13:44

Real Madrid have completed the signing of Lyon left-back Ferland Mendy for a fee of €48 million plus an additional €5m in add-ons, the Ligue 1 club announced on Wednesday.

The new arrival will raise further doubts about the long-term future of Madrid vice-captain Marcelo, 31, while youngster Sergio Reguilon, 22, could go on loan for 2019-20. Theo Hernandez, 21, is not expected to feature in Zinedine Zidane's plans.

Mendy scored three goals and contributed three assists in 44 games for Lyon last season, impressing with his raids forward into attack against Manchester City and Barcelona in his team's run to the Champions League round of 16.

The France international created 40 chances in 30 Ligue 1 games for Lyon last season, while all Real Madrid left-backs combined to create just 50 chances in 38 games.

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Madrid have already signed Serbia striker Luka Jovic, 21, from Eintracht Frankfurt for €60m, Brazil defender Eder Militao, 21, from Porto for €50 million and Brazilian forward Rodrygo, 18, from Santos for €54m.

Belgium international Eden Hazard, 28, also arrived in Madrid last week as Zidane oversees a squad overhaul after a disappointing campaign last season that ended with no trophies or titles.

ESPN FC writer Dermot Corrigan contributed to this story.

Griezmann to sign with Barca, says Atleti CEO

Published in Soccer
Wednesday, 12 June 2019 16:23

Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin says Antoine Griezmann will be playing for Barcelona next season, confirming what sources told ESPN FC in May.

Griezmann, 28, communicated to Atletico that he would leave the club this summer in the final week of the La Liga season. At the time, sources at Barcelona told ESPN FC that the Spanish champions were hopeful of signing the forward.

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The France international has not yet revealed what his next move will be, despite making his Atletico departure public, but Gil Marin has no doubts about where his future lies.

"I've been certain where Griezmann will play next season since March," Gil Marin told Movistar on Wednesday. "He will play for Barcelona."

Griezmann has offered conflicting versions of his current situation over the past few days. He followed up a comment saying he knows where he will be playing next season by backtracking and saying nothing has been confirmed yet.

"I want my future to be decided more than anyone, but let's be patient," Griezmann said on Tuesday. "Maybe in two weeks we'll know something."

Barca are keen to sign Griezmann despite the manner in which he turned them down last summer. His decision to star in a documentary in which he snubbed their offer in favour of remaining with Atleti irked some people at the Catalan club, but president Josep Maria Bartomeu has remained keen on the attacker.

Bartomeu told ESPN FC that the documentary, titled "The Decision", was "water under the bridge" in an exclusive interview in April.

However, Barcelona need to balance their books before committing to more signings, with the club targeting at least €60 million in sales before the end of June, which is when the financial year ends.

Griezmann's release clause, meanwhile, drops from €200m to €120m on July 1, making him significantly cheaper for Barcelona in just over two weeks than he would be now.

Sources told ESPN FC that Griezmann did not personally reveal to Atletico where he will move, but he did tell them he will deposit his release clause with the league at the start of July.

Barca could try to negotiate a deal with Atletico, but sources close to the club have said they remain reluctant to open talks before July when the clause dips, due to the fact the Rojiblanco reported them to FIFA for making an illegal approach on Griezmann at the end of 2017.

Griezmann is one of a number of signings Barca are lining up this summer following a disappointing end to the season in the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. They have already finalised a deal for Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong and are still trying to persuade his teammate Matthijs de Ligt to join.

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