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Rory's goal for the rest of 2019: Close the gap on Koepka

Published in Golf
Wednesday, 28 August 2019 11:04

Rory McIlroy or Brooks Koepka? That's the question for PGA Tour pros about to submit their Player of the Year ballots.

But there's no question who's the No. 1 player in the world – and it's not particularly close.

No. 1 Koepka leads No. 2 McIlroy by three full points in the Official World Golf Ranking. 

That's why McIlroy says his goal for the remainder of the year is to close the gap.

"It's a goal to get closer, to keep playing well," he told reporters ahead of the Omega European Masters. "I think I saw somewhere that there [are] more world-ranking points on offer here than there [have] been for eight years. Wentworth (BMW PGA) is obviously big for world-ranking points. There's a WGC coming up. There's still a lot to play for."

McIlroy has spent 95 total weeks at No. 1 in the world during his career but hasn't occupied the top spot since September of 2015.

After this week, he is scheduled to play the BMW PGA Championship (Sept. 19-22), Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (Sept. 26-29), Zozo Championship (Oct. 24-27) and WGC-HSBC Champions (Oct. 31-Nov. 3). 

The final three events on the European Tour calendar follow in November. 

"That's my focus for the rest of the year," he said, "getting closer to that No. 1 spot."

Sources: Madrid may send Navas to PSG for Areola

Published in Soccer
Wednesday, 28 August 2019 16:21

Real Madrid are in talks to send goalkeeper Keylor Navas to Paris Saint-Germain before the European transfer market closes on Sept. 2, sources have told ESPN.

The La Liga giants were initially asking for €20 million for the Costa Rica international, but sources have told ESPN that the deal could include PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola going to Madrid.

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It was last week that Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane said Navas' future was at the Bernabeu despite Thibaut Courtois taking the No. 1 spot.

"[Navas] is a Real Madrid player, that is important, he has always been and he will continue to be," Zidane said in a news conference last week. "I'm not thinking of his exit, I know he will contribute a lot and will be very competitive. He has not told he wanted to leave. He is here, he wants to play and stay for us and show how good he is, like everyone else."

ESPN had previously reported that Navas had wanted to find more playing time and that agent Jorge Mendes had already started the process to get to PSG.

Madrid has been scouring the market for a suitable replacement that would serve as Courtois' understudy. The initial idea was to bring in a veteran goalkeeper for one season due to the rise of youngster Andriy Lunin, who is currently on loan at Valladolid.

Nonetheless, Los Blancos have not ruled out the possibility of bringing in Areola, who has La Liga experience with Villarreal, to serve behind the Belgian.

Loughborough Lightning 163 for 4 (Jones 74*) beat Southern Vipers 127 (Atapattu 3-18) by 36 runs

Amy Jones' superlative 74 not out helped to land Loughborough Lightning a significant mental advantage over Southern Vipers in their Kia Super League semi-final dress rehearsal.

England star Jones collected her second half-century in a row, while picking up her personal highest KSL score, in typically attractive style. Her innings, laden with a mixture of masterful drives, delicate flicks and pure power laid the platform for a 36-run victory at the Ageas Bowl, and a momentum-spinning sixth straight win.

Spinners Sarah Glenn, Kirstie Gordon and Chamari Atapattu then kept Vipers on a leash, with a combined analysis of 6 for 52 to complete the win.

The two sides will go again at Finals Day, which takes place on Sunday at Hove - with the winner of their re-match set to face Western Storm in the KSL final.

Lightning were given a rolling start, after being stuck in by Tammy Beaumont, with Tash Farrant and Issy Wong gifting seven wides in the first two overs. Openers Jones and Atapattu took the free runs and added explosive hitting of their own to put on 75 - Loughborough's highest opening partnership of the summer.

Wicketkeeper Jones pumped two sixes, over midwicket and straight down the ground, with her Sri Lankan partner larruping Danni Wyatt over square leg. But Atapattu was bowled by Suzie Bates, attempting to guide the ball down to third man, before Georgia Adams followed soon after when she skied a bouncer to Beaumont at midwicket to hand teenage fast bowler Wong her maiden KSL wicket.

Jones, who reached her fifty in 43 balls, had was joined by a free-scoring Georgia Elwiss, a powerful six over cow joined by three boundaries took her to 28 off 21 balls. She was well caught by Paige Scholfield while attempting a reverse sweep off Amanda-Jade Wellington before former Viper Mignon du Preez was lbw next ball.

But Jones, along with Jenny Gunn, added an unbroken 38 runs to take Loughborough to a commanding 163 for 4, as he ended with seven boundaries and three sixes in her 53-ball 74.

Wyatt had scored 267 in her last four KSL outings to lead the run rankings but hammered her first delivery straight at Gordon at point, after drizzle had slightly prolonged the innings break.

Bates was dropped on 10 at mid-off, but her luck ran out as Jones produced quick hands to stump her off a leg-side wide from Gunn. Vipers slipped to 42 for three at the end of the Powerplay, as Beaumont also fell when she dragged a pull to midwicket.

Lucy Higham spilt a difficult chance over her shoulder when Maia Bouchier was on 5 but redeemed herself was a brilliant pick-up and throw to run out the Hampshire batsman.

Wellington was moved up the order but after three boundaries she was castled by Gordon before Thea Brookes followed in an action replay - the left-armer picking up figures of 2 for 18. Scholfield was caught, Farrant was lbw and Morris and Wong were bowled and as Lightning cruised to victory with an over to spare.

Yorkshire Diamonds 104 for 4 (Rodrigues 60, Davies 3-7) beat Western Storm 99 for 3 (Wilson 45*) by five runs

Yorkshire Diamonds overseas star Jemimah Rodrigues hit a brilliant half-century as Kia Super League finalists Western Storm finally surrendered their unbeaten record, losing by five runs in a rain-affected contest at the Cooper Associates Ground.

Rodrigues struck 60 from 27 balls, accrued 10 fours and two sixes and dominated a match-winning third-wicket stand of 79 in 45 balls with Hollie Armitage as Diamonds posted 104 for 4 in 10 overs after being put into bat.

Victorious in their opening nine games and desperate to retain their 100% record, Storm refused to go down without a fight. Fran Wilson and Sophie Luff took the chase down to the final ball in a spirited unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 76, only for experienced seamer Beth Langston to hold her nerve in a thrilling finale.

Internationals Lauren Winfield and Alyssa Healy afforded Diamonds' innings crucial early momentum in a first over which yielded 19 runs, offspinner Claire Nicholas uncharacteristically conceding four boundaries.

But England seamer Freya Davies effected a turnaround in fortunes, removing both in the space of five balls in the second over to reduce Diamonds to 21 for 2. England's Winfield skied a top-edged pull to wicketkeeper Rachel Priest, who then demonstrated safe hands when Australia's Healy was hurried in the act of driving.

New batsmen Rodrigues and Armitage sought to redress the balance, staging a revitalising partnership for the third wicket. They particularly targeted off spinners Heather Knight, Deepti Sharma and Nicholas, advancing the total to a handy 55 for 2 at halfway.

Indian teen star Rodrigues timed the ball sweetly, smiting two sixes and eight fours in raising a 21-ball 50, bringing more or less constant pressure to bear on the Storm bowlers. Rodrigues was threatening to carry Diamonds to a truly imposing total when she finally fluffed her lines in the face of nagging line and length from Davies, mistiming a drive and holing out to mid-off in the final over.

The only Storm bowler to escape punishment, Davies finished with admirable figures of 3 for 7 off two overs, frustrating Yorkshire's attempts to accelerate at the death.

Prepared to play second fiddle, Armitage proved the perfect foil to the more forthright Rodrigues, contributing 19 from 21 deliveries before being run out off the final ball.

Storm's reply was halted in its tracks as key batters Priest, Smriti Mandhana and Knight all departed inside five overs, Diamonds reducing the hosts to 23 for 3. Priest never looked comfortable under the floodlights, hitting Linsey Smith to deep midwicket for 7 to spark the slide.

Mandhana chipped Leigh Kasperek to cover in the next over and Knight followed her back to the pavilion soon afterwards, dismissed in near-identical fashion to afford Diamonds all the encouragement they needed.

Charged with the unenviable task of rebuilding an innings that had stalled in it's infancy, Wilson and Luff made a decent fist of chasing. Throwing caution to the wind, the fourth-wicket pair combined feverish running between the wickets and clean hitting to sow seeds of doubt in Yorkshire minds.

Needing 14 runs off the final over, Storm hopes were revived when Langston no-balled twice. But the home side were unable to take advantage of the subsequent free hits and came up agonislingly short at the death. Wilson hit an unbeaten 45 from 20 balls, while Somerset-born Luff finished on 31 not out from 18 deliveries.

Patriots make 2 trades to bolster offensive line

Published in Breaking News
Wednesday, 28 August 2019 16:12

The New England Patriots made a pair of trades Wednesday to shore up their offensive line depth.

New England acquired offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor from Baltimore for an undisclosed draft pick, the Ravens announced. Cardinals offensive tackle Korey Cunningham announced in a now-deleted Instagram post that he was also traded to the Patriots.

Eluemunor, a fifth-round pick in 2017, was Baltimore's starting left guard all spring but fell out of favor after failing a conditioning test to open training camp and being unable to stay on field due to injuries. When he got on the field, he lacked discipline, getting flagged frequently for false starts. Eluemunor has the size and versatility to play guard or tackle, but he hasn't shown the toughness to be a consistent contributor.

Arizona took Cunningham in the seventh round of the 2018 draft, and he started six games at left tackle in place of D.J. Humphries. That was all the action Cunningham saw as a rookie. He went on injured reserve in Week 17 with a foot injury.

The 6-foot-6, 311-pound Cunningham, who played in college at Cincinnati, lined up at first-team left tackle during training when Humphries was given days off. He was expected to be the Cardinals' backup left tackle in 2019, with the potential to be their swing tackle

The Cardinals will receive a sixth-round pick in return for Cunningham, a source told ESPN's Field Yates.

The acquisitions of Cunningham and Eluemunor most directly affect former practice-squad players Dan Skipper and Cole Croston, who were vying for the swing tackle role. It also reflects how the club is adjusting without starting center David Andrews (blood clots in the lungs), with his absence having a trickle-down effect on the interior of the line.

The Patriots have a need for a swing tackle behind projected starting left tackle Isaiah Wynn (2018 first-round pick) and veteran starting right tackle Marcus Cannon.

Veteran Jared Veldheer, a former Cardinal, was a top candidate to fill that role before he retired in May. Yodny Cajuste, a 2019 third-round pick out of West Virginia, was another top candidate but he remains on the non-football injury list after reportedly undergoing quad surgery before the draft.

By trading Eluemunor, the Ravens are down to Bradley Bozeman, Ben Powers, Patrick Mekari and James Hurst for the left guard spot. One of the team's bigger disappointments this summer has been the lack of anyone stepping up to take that spot. Baltimore could also look to acquire an offensive lineman to fill the only open starting job along the line.

This is the Ravens' fourth trade in Eric DeCosta's first season as the team's general manager. The others were quarterback Joe Flacco (sent to the Denver Broncos for a fourth-round pick), offensive lineman Alex Lewis (to the New York Jets for conditional seventh-round pick) and kicker Kaare Vedvik (to the Minnesota Vikings for a fifth-round pick).

ESPN's Josh Weinfuss, Jamison Hensley and Mike Reiss contributed to this report.

Source: Joe Johnson, 38, to work out for 76ers

Published in Basketball
Wednesday, 28 August 2019 16:08

Former NBA All-Star and reigning Big3 MVP Joe Johnson is in Philadelphia preparing for a workout Thursday with the 76ers, a source told ESPN's The Undefeated.

Johnson, 38, also is receiving interest for potential workouts from the LA Clippers, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry and executive vice president David Griffin watched Johnson play in the Big3 league in New Orleans last week.

Johnson was a seven-time NBA All-Star who averaged 16 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game from 2001 to 2018, playing for seven teams.

He most recently played in the NBA during the 2017-18 season with the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets.

Johnson returning to the NBA through the Big3 would be huge for the three-year-old league, because it has not previously had a player sign with the NBA.

Johnson and the Triplets face the Killer 3s for the Big3 championship on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Johnson was named MVP of the 2019 Big3 season after leading the league in points (175), assists (31), 4-point shots made (four) and total field goals (63) and finishing second in 3-pointers made (16).

"Joe Johnson playing in the Big3 has been a dream come true for basketball fans around the world," league founder Ice Cube told The Undefeated.

Angels' Trout gets day off with minor foot issue

Published in Baseball
Wednesday, 28 August 2019 17:29

All-Star outfielder Mike Trout is dealing with a minor foot issue and is not in the Los Angeles Angels' lineup Wednesday against the Texas Rangers.

Manager Brad Ausmus said the injury, at the base of Trout's foot, is not considered serious. He said the team is just being careful with a planned day off heading into Thursday's off day.

Trout hit his league-leading 43rd home run Tuesday night, a solo shot in a 5-2 win over the visiting Rangers. It gave him 100 RBIs on the season.

Trout has a 1.356 OPS and 11 home runs against Texas this season. Wednesday night, he would have faced Ariel Jurado, against whom he has gone 4-for-6 with three home runs and five RBIs.

Wednesday night is the last time the two teams play this season, so Trout will not have an opportunity to pad his stats. But he doesn't need much help in a season that could rank as his best ever offensively.

With 28 games left in the season, the two-time MVP has set a career high in homers, and he leads the league in WAR (8.1), on-base percentage (.436), walks (101), runs created (138), times on base (247), AB per homer (10.4) and several other statistical measures.

Indians plan to activate Carrasco on Sunday

Published in Baseball
Wednesday, 28 August 2019 16:13

The Cleveland Indians plan to activate right-hander Carlos Carrasco on Sunday when rosters expand as long as his bullpen on Thursday goes well, manager Terry Francona told SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio on Wednesday.

Carrasco will be used out of the bullpen when he returns, Francona said.

Carrasco has made three minor league appearances during his rehabilitation assignment, most recently pitching for Triple-A Toledo last Sunday when he allowed two hits and a run in an inning pitching out of relief. Overall, he has allowed two hits and a run in 3 2/3 innings pitched.

He was diagnosed in June with chronic myeloid leukemia, a treatable form of cancer.

Carrasco, 32, was 4-6 with a 4.98 ERA in 12 starts before he made the announcement that he was being treated for leukemia.

Roger Federer came from a set down to beat Damir Dzumhur 3-6 6-2 6-3 6-4 under the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof to reach the US Open third round.

The world number three hit 17 unforced errors in losing the first set.

But the Swiss five-time champion dominated the remainder of the match to defeat Bosnian world number 99 Dzumhur.

Victory for the 38-year-old sets up a third-round match against either Britain's Dan Evans or Frenchman Lucas Pouille at Flushing Meadows.

"I just tried to make less errors and be better on the offensive. I was able to protect my serve after a sloppy first set," Federer said.

"There were some big moments. I came through, buckled down and told myself I was not going to get broken, stayed tough and hung with him and that helps with my confidence for the next match."

Federer dropped the opening set in his first-round win over Indian qualifier Sumit Nagal and he made another slow start here, losing the first four games of the match.

Although he retrieved one of those breaks, 27-year-old Dzumhur served out the set and held a break point in the opening game of the second set but could not convert.

Federer then immediately broke with a forehand winner and levelled the match through another break when Dzumhur double-faulted.

The Swiss broke at the first opportunity in the second set but had to save four break points in the seventh game as Dzumhur continued to push him.

After sealing the set with an ace, a forehand winner allowed Federer to break in the third game of the fourth set and he went on to seal victory in two hours and 22 minutes.

Federer hit 16 aces to Dzumhur's two and 58 winners overall - more than double his opponent's 26.

Play was delayed on the outside courts on Wednesday because of rain in New York, with Britain's Johanna Konta set to face Margarita Gasparyan when the weather improves. Dan Evans will take on world number 27 Lucas Pouille.

Double Duty Bringing Schrader Back To DuQuoin

Published in Racing
Wednesday, 28 August 2019 12:00

DUQUOIN, Ill. – The driver with the most feature wins on the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Magic Mile is returning this weekend, doing double duty at the one-mile dirt oval.

Three-time ARCA Menards Series Southern Illinois 100 winner Ken Schrader is slated to pilot his own No. 52 Ford in Saturday night’s 100-mile event.

Schrader, a six-time winner of the Bill Oldani Memorial UMP Modified event, is also slated to contest the 20-mile affair for that class, with heat races Saturday and the finale Sunday.

Schrader’s mile track debut came in 1979 at DuQuoin in the 100-mile USAC Stock Car event. After terrorizing local short tracks in sprint cars and stock cars it was only a matter of time before the popular driver began moving up in the professional ranks.

It was fitting that his first appearance on one of the big dirt tracks came at a facility he and his father visited, the one closest to his Fenton, Mo., home.

Ken’s first USAC race for Henry Sieveking had mixed results. He qualified third and started directly behind A.J. Foyt. However, the Ford Granada soon developed mechanical issues and he was forced out after 28 miles.

He finished fifth in the 1980 stock car race, and 16th in 1981. He also made his first appearance in a dirt champ car on the Magic Mile in 1981 finishing 11th.

Finishes of 12th, third, 28th and 30th followed.

NASCAR called in 1985 and Schrader ended up as the premier series rookie of the year. From there, Schrader’s NASCAR obligations kept him from running at DuQuoin for 15 years, until he returned in 2001 to contest the ARCA race, where he finished fourth.

It wasn’t until 27 years after his first appearance at DuQuoin that Schrader was able to enter victory lane. He won the 2006 Southern Illinois 100 from the pole and repeated again in 2007 and 2013.

Add in six wins in the Oldani Memorial, plus a crate late model win in 2006, and his 10 main event victories put Schrader at the top of the DuQuoin Magic Mile victory list.

Schrader’s last ARCA appearance at DuQuoin came in 2016, when he started second and finished third. His last appearance in a dirt champ car was in 2017, when he finished 19th for owner Dennis McQuinn.

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