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San Diego picks UCSB's Duah first in MLS draft

Published in Soccer
Friday, 20 December 2024 19:38

UC Santa Barbara midfielder Manu Duah was selected No. 1 overall by San Diego FC in Friday's 2025 MLS SuperDraft, making him the first draft pick in the expansion club's history.

Duah, a native of Ghana, played one season for the Gauchos and helped them notch six clean sheets in his 14 matches. He had one assist but mainly projects as a stellar defensive midfielder.

"With Manu, it was very, very obvious that this is a player with tremendous potential. A player who's already good but can improve a lot," coach Mikey Varas told reporters in a virtual press conference. "He can be a player who dominates MLS in a few years."

The entire three-round, 90-pick college draft was held Friday afternoon.

The San Jose Earthquakes picked second overall after finishing last in the league standings in 2024 and drafted Saint Louis defender Max Floriani. The Chicago Fire took Wisconsin forward Dean Boltz at No. 3.

The Colorado Rapids traded up to No. 4 with Sporting Kansas City and took Cornell forward Alex Harris. The Earthquakes made a deal with the New England Revolution to move to No. 5 and used their second pick of the day on San Francisco defender Reid Roberts.

Kompany, Rose shocked after Magdeburg incident

Published in Soccer
Friday, 20 December 2024 19:38

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany and RB Leipzig counterpart Marco Rose struggled to discuss Bayern's 5-1 victory on Friday and a planned Christmas ceremony at the Allianz Arena was cut short after a vehicle was driven into crowds at a market in the northeastern German city of Magdeburg.

Authorities described the incident as a deliberate attack. It occurred approximately one hour before the start of the Bundesliga match, leaving at least two people dead and 60 others injured.

"It's almost impossible to talk about football tonight. Right now the people in Magdeburg are in our thoughts," Kompany said.

"Hopefully, at some point there will be peace, not only in Germany but everywhere. We won today, but I hope next year there will be more wins for peace."

The two people confirmed dead were an adult and a toddler, but officials said additional deaths couldn't be ruled out because 15 people had been seriously injured.

"I've heard the news from Magdeburg, it makes all things appear in a different light," Rose said.

"Yes, we played football. Yes, we lost clearly and deservedly. Benjamin Henrichs may have a serious ankle injury, but a few other things happened today that aren't nice."

The Christmas ceremony that Bayern had originally planned to be held after the Leipzig match was canceled.

Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen asked fans at the Allianz Arena to observe a minute of silence to honor the Magdeburg victims.

"We had completely different ideas about me standing here," Dreesen told the players and fans.

"We learned about the events in Magdeburg during the match. That's why we decided to abandon the Christmas ceremony. I would like to ask you to remember the relatives."

On the pitch, the game had an extraordinary start when Jamal Musiala put Bayern ahead after 28 seconds, only for Benjamin Sesco to equalise just over a minute later.

Bayern, however, dominated after that, leading 3-1 at halftime through Konrad Laimar and Joshua Kimmich, before Leroy Sané and Alphonso Davies completed the rout to send them seven points clear at the top of the table.

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

McSweeney 'devastated' by Test omission

Published in Cricket
Friday, 20 December 2024 19:52
Nathan McSweeney has spoken of his heartbreak at being dropped from the Australia Test squad after three matches against India but is determined to turn his mind towards pushing for a recall.
McSweeney, who had never opened before playing for Australia A against India A in the game before the squad was selected for the first Test, was axed on Friday in favour of 19-year-old Sam Konstas who is now the favourite to open on Boxing day at the MCG.

McSweeney made 72 runs in six innings in the face of challenging batting conditions but appears to have paid the price for the selectors wanting more impetus from the top order.

"Yeah, I mean devastated, I get the dream come true and then didn't quite work the way I wanted," McSweeney told Channel 7 as he flew back to Brisbane from Adelaide. "But it's all part of it and I'll get my head down and get back in the nets and work really hard and hopefully be ready to go for the next opportunity."

While low on runs, McSweeney had been praised for his role in soaking up overs, especially the first innings under lights in Adelaide where he and Marnus Labuschagne made it through a crucial session on the first day, but his other five dismissals were between 0 and 10.

"It's the game we're in," he said. "If you don't take an opportunity and you're not performing as well as you want to, your position's never safe. So I missed out a few times with the bat and unfortunately wasn't able to take my opportunity but as I said I'll work really to make sure that if the opportunity comes round again I'm definitely ready."

McSweeney's route back to Test cricket would now appear to be in the middle order although he will need to wait for a vacancy to open up. The return of Cameron Green from injury later in the year will create competition for those batting positions.

"[It was a] really hard decision for Nathan and one that we spent a lot of time deliberating over," he said. "Particularly after a small sample size of three Tests That's never a great phone call, is it? Nathan was disappointed and really the message to him was much the same as at the start of the series, that we believe he has the ability and temperament to succeed at Test level."

Whether McSweeney is available for Brisbane Heat on Sunday, when they face Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba in the BBL, will be confirmed later on Saturday.

Heat's Butler hurts ankle, then exits with illness

Published in Basketball
Friday, 20 December 2024 18:47

MIAMI -- Jimmy Butler appeared to turn his left ankle and left Miami's 104-97 loss Oklahoma City in the first quarter Friday night.

Butler was ruled out before the start of the second quarter because of illness, the team said. There was no immediate word on the condition of the ankle.

Butler left with 4:41 left in the first quarter. He was scoreless and finished with two assists.

Butler, the subject of recent trade rumors, was coming off one of the best performances of his career -- 35 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals in a loss to Detroit on Monday.

It's unclear how much more time, if any, Butler will miss because of the illness or the ankle. The Heat play at Orlando on Saturday, host Brooklyn on Monday and return to Orlando on Dec. 26.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Suns' Booker (groin) to miss first game Saturday

Published in Basketball
Friday, 20 December 2024 18:47

Phoenix Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker has been ruled out of Saturday's home game against Detroit Pistons because of left groin tightness.

Booker, 28, sat out practice Friday, one day after sustaining the injury in the third quarter of a 120-111 loss to the visiting Indiana Pacers.

Booker departed with 5:18 left in the third quarter and was examined in the locker room before being ruled out. He had 17 points and six assists in 25 minutes and made 5 of 10 shots.

Phoenix hasn't yet given a timetable for how long Booker might be sidelined.

"Hopefully, it's nothing serious," Suns big man Jusuf Nurkic said of Booker's injury. "For me, it's a part of the game. We've got to figure it out."

Saturday will mark Booker's first missed game of the season. He is averaging 25.1 points, 6.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds.

Yankees ship Trevino to Reds for Cruz, Jackson

Published in Baseball
Friday, 20 December 2024 20:11

The New York Yankees traded catcher Jose Trevino to the Cincinnati Reds for right-hander Fernando Cruz and catcher Alex Jackson, the teams announced Friday.

The move represents a passing of the torch behind the plate for the Yankees.

Trevino, 32, arrived in New York via trade with the Texas Rangers before the start of the 2022 season to start behind the plate. He excelled with his bat in the first half, making his first and only All-Star team. He also won a Gold Glove and the AL Platinum Glove after leading all catchers with 21 defensive runs saved. He finished the season batting .248 with 11 home runs and a .671 OPS.

Injuries limited Trevino to 55 games in 2023. He began the 2024 campaign as the Yankees' starting catcher until he landed on the injured list with a quadriceps injury in July.

Austin Wells, a rookie, replaced Trevino and didn't surrender the starting job for the remainder of the season. Trevino finished the year hitting .215 with eight home runs and a .642 OPS in 73 games. Wells finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting after batting .229 with 13 home runs and a .718 OPS in 115 games.

With the trade of Trevino, who is slated for free agency after next season, the 25-year-old Wells figures to report to spring training as the team's everyday catcher.

Cruz made his major league debut at 32 years old in 2022. Now 34, the right-hander has a 4.52 ERA in 141 games as a big leaguer. Last season, Cruz posted a 4.86 ERA with 109 strikeouts in 69 appearances. He is not eligible for arbitration until the 2026 season.

Cruz is the Yankees' second bullpen acquisition this offseason. They acquired closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers last week.

The Reds sent Jackson to New York after signing him to a minor-league contract last month. The 28-year-old catcher has a .132 career batting average with a .456 OPS and six home runs in 124 games across five seasons for the Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves.

Tiger trying to hold off son for 18: 'Day is coming'

Published in Breaking News
Friday, 20 December 2024 16:06

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Tiger Woods turns 49 at the end of the month, and he has one pressing goal that relates to his golf. He wants to prolong the inevitable day when his son beats him over 18 holes.

They will be playing with -- not against -- each other this week for the fifth straight year at the PNC Championship, a 36-hole tournament so meaningful to them and everyone else in the field that Woods was determined to play for the first time since a sixth back surgery in September.

Word got out, however, that 15-year-old Charlie finally beat his 15-time major champion dad.

"He beat me for nine holes," Woods said, an important clarification to him. "He has yet to beat me for 18 holes. That day is coming. I'm just prolonging it as long as I possibly can."

As for the details, Woods talked about the typical banter between them and how much fun they have. It was clear he was not going to share the hole-by-hole of the loss.

Winning is a goal, but not the priority, at the PNC Championship. It's a happy end of the year for all 20 teams at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando, an event that pairs the winners of majors or The Players Championship with a family member.

Woods played five tournaments this year and completed only one of them, making the cut at the Masters for a record 24th consecutive year. He had to play 23 holes on Friday at Augusta National in a raging wind, posting a 72 for his best round of the year. He followed that with an 82, an example of ups and downs from a player whose body has been wracked with injury.

"I'm not going to feel what I'm used to feeling," Woods said. "The recovery has gotten to be the hardest part. But over the course of rounds, weeks, months, it gets harder."

He missed the cut in the next three majors and then had surgery on his lower back in September to alleviate some of the spasms he had been feeling. The timing of the surgery was related to the PNC Championship.

Woods chose not to play the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas two weeks ago, saying he wasn't competitively sharp enough to handle Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay and Justin Thomas among a 20-man field of players from the top 40 in the world.

This might as well be his fifth major because he plays with his son.

"That was one of the reasons why I had the surgery done earlier, so that hopefully I could give myself the best chance to be with Charlie and be able to play," Woods said. "I'm not competitive right now, but I just want to be able to have the experience again. This has always been one of the bigger highlights of the year for us as a family, and now we get to have that moment together again."

The surgery was on his back, but Woods said his right leg, which was mangled in a February 2021 car crash outside Los Angeles, remains the biggest physical obstacle.

Even so, he chose to walk the pro-am on Friday instead of riding a cart, which is allowed for players because the tournament is co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour Champions.

Team Woods has yet to win since they began playing in 2020. They finished second the following year by two shots to John Daly and his college son, when Charlie was 12. He is adding inches to his height every year, filling out and pounding the golf ball. Woods plans to rely on his son's tee shots in the scramble format.

They will play the opening round Saturday with Justin Leonard and son Luke, who goes to The Benjamin School in North Palm Beach with Charlie and is going to Villanova next year.

Charlie Woods went through U.S. Open qualifying for the first time this year and failed to advance out of the first stage. He qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills but didn't come close to making it to match play.

Woods appreciated that his son is under a spotlight few others his age face.

"I was always reminding him, 'Just be you.' Charlie is Charlie. Yes, he's my son. He's going to have my last name and it's going to be part of his core. But I just want him to be just himself and be his own person. That's what we can only do," Woods said.

"I always encourage it, for him to carve his own name, carve his own path and have his own journey," he said. "I think he's doing a great job. In this day and age where everyone is basically media, with all the phones, being constantly filmed and constantly people watching, that's just part of his generation, and that's part of the world that he has to maneuver through."

Embiid (sinus fracture) back in lineup for Sixers

Published in Basketball
Friday, 20 December 2024 16:02

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was back in the starting lineup Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets after a one-game absence due to a sinus fracture.

The Sixers announced Embiid's return on social media, posting a photo of the center wearing a protective mask.

Embiid suffered the injury last Friday when he was struck in the face by Bennedict Mathurin while going for a defensive rebound. He sat out the Sixers' 121-108 victory over the Hornets on Monday.

Head coach Nick Nurse noted earlier this week that the sinus fracture was "not nearly as severe" as the two previous facial fractures Embiid suffered in his career.

Embiid has played in just six games this season due to knee soreness and is averaging just 20.3 points per game for the 76ers (7-16), well below his career average.

Record 9 MLB teams docked $311M in luxury tax

Published in Baseball
Friday, 20 December 2024 15:56

A record nine MLB teams were over the luxury tax threshold for 2024, according to a memo sent to teams on Friday and obtained by ESPN.

The result was a record $311 million paid in penalties, led by the Los Angeles Dodgers who are paying $103,016,896. The New York Mets were next at $97,115,609. The Chicago Cubs were taxed the least, paying $570,309.

The six other teams, along with their penalties, who had Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) payrolls higher than $237 million, which triggers the tax, include the New York Yankees ($62,512,111), the Philadelphia Phillies ($14,351,954), the Atlanta Braves ($14,026,496), the Texas Rangers ($10,807,196), the Houston Astros ($6,483,041) and the San Francisco Giants ($2,421,788).

The Dodgers, Mets, Yankees and Phillies were taxed at a base rate of 50% because they've been over the tax in three or more consecutive years. The Braves and Rangers exceeded the threshold for the second consecutive year, earning a 30% tax rate. The Astros, Giants and Cubs were first time offenders, earning a 20% tax on overages.

If a team dips below the threshold in any one season, its tax rate resets to 20%.

Because the Dodgers, Mets and Yankees were also all $60 million or more over the $237 million threshold, they were taxed an additional 60%, making their marginal rate at the maximum 110%. Meanwhile, the Phillies, Braves, Rangers and Astros were all between $20 million and $40 million over the threshold, triggering an added 12.5% tax to their marginal rate.

A team's CBT figure is determined using the average annual value of each player's contract on the 40-man roster, plus any additional player benefits. Every team's final CBT figure is calculated at the end of each season. The Dodgers' CBT payroll for 2024 was $353,015,360, while the Cubs were just over the threshold at $239,851,546.

The first $3.5 million of proceeds is used to fund player benefits. Fifty percent of the remainder go to player retirement funds, while the other half goes into the Supplemental Commissioner's Discretionary Fund and is redistributed among teams that receive revenue sharing.

Murphy 'bitterly disappointed' but 'proud' of 14-man Ulster

Published in Rugby
Friday, 20 December 2024 14:33

Head coach Richie Murphy says he is "bitterly disappointed" as Munster scored a last-gasp try to inflict a fifth defeat in a row on 14-man Ulster.

Ulster took the lead through prop Tom O'Toole, who was then shown a red card after Farrell scored the first of his three tries.

Farrell struck again after the restart, but Harry Sheridan hit back for the 14 men.

However, after Shane Daly and James McNabney exchanged tries, Farrell had the decisive say with the final play to give Munster 22-19 win in Belfast.

"I'm bitterly disappointed but absolutely proud of the effort and commitment that the lads put in," said Murphy.

"I thought we found a way of getting back into the game. I'm incredibly proud of the lads' commitment and performance, but we just need to be better in the really big moments."

After O'Toole scored the opening try, the prop was sent off after referee Ben Whitehouse deemed he had fallen on the leg of centre Alex Nankivell at a ruck 10 minutes before half-time.

Murphy said it was a "tough" call but was pleased with how his side responded.

"Obviously the red card is a big moment in the game," he added.

"It's a tough red card because he is through the gate and makes contact square on. He's not through the side, but as he falls backwards his leg comes out and Tom falls on it.

"I can kind of understand that, but it is difficult because it's not an illegal act at the start."

Soccer

San Diego picks UCSB's Duah first in MLS draft

San Diego picks UCSB's Duah first in MLS draft

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsUC Santa Barbara midfielder Manu Duah was selected No. 1 overall by...

Kompany, Rose shocked after Magdeburg incident

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EmailPrintBayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany and RB Leipzig counterpart Marco Rose struggled to dis...

Kane returns as Bayern thrash Leipzig 5-1

Kane returns as Bayern thrash Leipzig 5-1

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Basketball

Heat's Butler hurts ankle, then exits with illness

Heat's Butler hurts ankle, then exits with illness

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMIAMI -- Jimmy Butler appeared to turn his left ankle and left Miam...

Suns' Booker (groin) to miss first game Saturday

Suns' Booker (groin) to miss first game Saturday

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPhoenix Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker has been ruled out of Satu...

Baseball

Yankees ship Trevino to Reds for Cruz, Jackson

Yankees ship Trevino to Reds for Cruz, Jackson

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe New York Yankees traded catcher Jose Trevino to the Cincinnati...

Record 9 MLB teams docked $311M in luxury tax

Record 9 MLB teams docked $311M in luxury tax

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsA record nine MLB teams were over the luxury tax threshold for 2024...

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