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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Tiger Woods fought Pebble Beach and his body to a draw Saturday, with a five-birdie, five-bogey 71. It was an admirable effort, but we can all skip ahead to Royal Portrush. Wrapping up Tiger’s U.S. Open with 18 left to play:

• Go ahead and put a bow on it. He was going to need something seriously special to get back in this tournament. Two bogeys in his first three holes turned Saturday into little more than a long walk.

• I give him credit. It was cold out. He had kinesiology tape on his neck again. He clearly didn’t have it. And he never lost focus for five hours. He could have packed it in. He could have gotten pissed off and started taking chances. Instead, he scraped it around and birdied two of his last three holes to end the day where he started it: even par. It was a classic Tiger round, just not one of his classics.

• Speaking of that tape, a bad back doesn’t sound like a lot of fun: “When it's cold like this everything is achy. It's just part of the deal,” he said. “The forces have to go somewhere. And if they're not in the lower back, they're in the neck, and if not, they're in the mid-back, and if not, they go to the knee. You name it. ... Let me put it this way, I feel every shot I hit. I think that's always going to be the case from here going forward.”

• The aches were evident in his iron play. A few lasers but more than a few approaches left short. He found only 11 of 18 greens. He looked like a guy who was cold and a little stiff, which apparently he was.

• The putts he made at Nos. 5 and 16 were very golf-y. He’s missed a half-dozen birdie looks from inside 10 feet the last two days, but he gets a couple 25-footers to go. “Today, I made one putt at 16 which was just trying to keep the ball on the green,” he said.

• You have to think Tiger and the cold just aren’t going to mix anymore. The guy was sweating through a half-dozen shirts a round last summer but partial dehydration seems better for his body than a marine layer.

• Let’s end on a lighter note:

Holmes out of U.S. Gold Cup roster with injury

Published in Soccer
Saturday, 15 June 2019 17:08

Midfielder Duane Holmes has been dropped from the U.S. CONCACAF Gold Cup roster because of a reoccurrence of a left quadriceps strain, and he has been replaced by midfielder Djordje Mihailovic.

The U.S. Soccer Federation announced the change Saturday, four days after the Americans replaced injured midfielder and defender Tyler Adams with Reggie Cannon.

Holmes made his U.S. debut on June 5 in an exhibition against Jamaica.

- CONCACAF Gold Cup: All you need to know
- Full Gold Cup fixtures schedule

Coming off a 1-0 loss to Jamaica and a 3-0 defeat to Venezuela, the U.S. opens its Gold Cup title defense against Guyana on Tuesday at St. Paul, Minnesota, in the Americans' first competitive match since the October 2017 loss at Trinidad and Tobago that ended a streak of seven World Cup appearances.

The U.S. face Trinidad on June 22 at Cleveland and complete group play against Panama on June 26 at Kansas City, Kansas.

The revised roster:

Goalkeepers: Sean Johnson (New York City), Tyler Miller (Los Angeles), Zack Steffen (Columbus).

Defenders: Reggie Cannon (Dallas), Omar Gonzalez (Atlas, Mexico), Nick Lima (San Jose), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal), Matt Miazga (Chelsea, England), Tim Ream (Fulham, England), Walker Zimmerman (Los Angeles).

Midfielders: Michael Bradley (Toronto), Weston McKennie (Schalke, Germany), Djordje Mihailovic (New England), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea, England), Cristian Roldan (Seattle), Wil Trapp (Columbus).

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Toronto), Paul Arriola (D.C.), Tyler Boyd (Vitoria Guimares, Portugal), Jonathan Lewis (Colorado), Jordan Morris (Seattle), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus)

Colombia put Messi, Argentina in early Copa hole

Published in Soccer
Saturday, 15 June 2019 17:59

Roger Martinez scored an outstanding goal as Colombia beat Lionel Messi's Argentina 2-0 in a Copa America Group B opener on Saturday that burst into life after a sluggish start.

In a match that feature a plethora of stars such as Messi, Sergio Aguero, Radamel Falcao, and James Rodriguez, it was Martinez who put Colombia up with a booming strike in the 71st minute.

The loss puts Argentina in an early hole at the tournament where they have finished runners-up in four the past five editions. For Messi, it adds more pressure as the Barcelona star tries to win his first senior trophy at the international level.

- Copa America: All you need to know
- Full Copa America fixtures schedule

Martinez's stunning strike came in the 71st minute and Martinez's fellow substitute Duvan Zapata made sure Colombia took all the points by pouncing from close range to knock in a cross from Jefferson Lerma 15 minutes later.

Colombia had looked stronger in the first half but Argentina were a different beast when Rodrigo de Paul replaced Angel di Maria immediately after the interval and Messi was able to find space to cause some problems.

Messi wasted the best chance of the game before Martinez's piledriver broke the deadlock when he skewed a rebound wide from close range, and also went on a thrilling solo run into the area but could not get a shot away.

A mass brawl ensued when Messi was cut down by Colombia's Juan Cuadrado in the second half while Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes fizzed two shots at goal.

A goal from Lionel Scaloni's side looked imminent but Colombia's usual talisman James Rodriguez split their defence with an impressive long pass to Martinez, who came on early in the game after Luis Muriel was forced off injured.

Martinez's stunning strike floored Argentina and although they came back with a couple more attempts, they never looked like scoring.

Colombia top Group B with three points ahead of Qatar's meeting with Paraguay on Sunday.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

Afghanistan's World Cup of self-inflicted chaos

Published in Cricket
Saturday, 15 June 2019 15:47

Don't do this, Afghanistan. There is another way.

There are alternatives to letting chaos overwhelm you. There are brighter timelines, waiting to be seized, in which dysfunction does not define your World Cup. Your opponents, South Africa, might be battling demons from their past. Elsewhere, the likes of Sri Lanka are groaning under the weight of their galactic-scale ineptitude - their manager having recently complained to the ICC about pitches, the team bus, hotels, training facilities, and probably about the photo on his official accreditaiton making him look chubby when all the other managers look sharp and handsome. But there is no reason to follow these established sides down the moronic paths they have picked out for themselves. You can be better. You should at least try.

In this World Cup so far, though, perhaps you have been the most defective outfit, saved only from more intensive media scrutiny by low expectations. Twice in two matches now, oppositions have shellacked Afghanistan with the ball, then punched the lights out with the bat. A trend has developed - a hopeful opening stand ended by a shot of breathtaking daftness, followed by a middle order that falls over like rows of library shelves crashing into each other, before the lower order looks as if it is rolling up its sleeves and readying itself for a fight, before promptly turning heel and fleeing the moment they see the size of the other guy.

WATCH on Hotstar (India only) - Full highlights

But there can be a universe in which Hazratullah Zazai does not spot a bouncer from the uber-quick Kagiso Rabada, and hole out attempting to clear the one deep fielder on the leg side, at deep square leg. The success percentage of that shot is so poor, it is possibly lower than the number of teams the ICC is planning to admit to their next World Cup. There can be a future match, in which wickets three, four, five, six and seven don't fall in the space of eight runs, multiple batsmen basically tripping over each other in their race back to the pavilion. Only Rashid Khan, with his 35 off 25, gave the innings some semblance of professionalism.

Then there is the selection. Maybe folks who make these decisions feel that normal rules don't apply to Afghanistan. It's not hard to see why they might. This team has risen to compete at a 10-team World Cup when 20 years ago, there was really no such thing as Afghan cricket. This is plainly astonishing. That Afghanistan are the only nation at the tournament not to have either borne or applied the yoke of the British empire also makes them exceptional.

But not so exceptional, that, you know, basic logic does not apply. You inexplicably drop your tournament top-scorer - a batsman who hit Afghanistan's only half-century against Australia, and made the team's best score in another game - and you should expect to weaken your top order. Najibullah Zadran's replacement in this match was Asghar Afghan, the jilted captain (its own little controversy). Instead of a batsman who has twice given substance to Afghanistan's innings this tournament, you had one who hit his fifth ball back to bowler Imran Tahir.

Captain Gulbadin Naib's justification was that Asghar was the senior player, and that he commanded a place in the top order the moment he became fit again. Okay, but Afghanistan had failed to make 200 in two matches on the trot. When you have a buffet of misfiring batsmen to choose from, why drop the guy in form? What next from the shooting-yourself-in-the-foot playbook? Batsmen have to hold the bat with their teeth? Bowlers have to do "the worm" to the bowling crease instead of running up? Fielders have to fill their pants with rocks to weigh themselves down?

These are not serious suggestions, by the way, Afghanistan. You don't have to do any of this.

On the field, Afghanistan engaged in yet more shambolism. Asghar failed to account for the spin on a ball coming to him at third man, toppled over like grain silo when he tried to correct his course, and ended up not getting a hand on the ball, which dribbled mockingly past him to the boundary. Rahmat Shah misjudged the trajectory of a ball at midwicket, ran in for a catch that he might not have made with five-metre long hands, and ended up letting the ball skid over the rope. There were more misfields, overthrows, on-field gesticulating, and a general air of despair over the performance.

After four matches, Afghanistan are now the only team without a victory. Some of this was expected, but their meekness over the last two games was not. In addition to the losses, there has also been a controversy over Mohammad Shahzad's exit from the World Cup, and rumours that administrative interference is contributing to all this on-field bungling. Their campaign is teetering, but it doesn't have to be this way. They don't have to fall spectacularly to pieces on cricket's biggest stage, like Sri Lanka in 1999, or India and Pakistan in 2007, or England in 2015, 2007, 2003, 1999 and so on.

The established cricket world tends toward farce. The bigger nations are either sacking coaches with every new moon, having their boards strung up in the courts for serious breaches, alienating vast swathes of their own populations by embracing elitism, facing serious credibility problems in the aftermath of cheating scandals, or fighting constantly with their own players. Afghanistan don't have to follow suit. But right now it seems like they are.

Colombia put Messi, Argentina in early Copa hole

Published in Breaking News
Saturday, 15 June 2019 18:08

Roger Martinez scored an outstanding goal as Colombia beat Lionel Messi's Argentina 2-0 in a Copa America Group B opener on Saturday that burst into life after a sluggish start.

In a match that feature a plethora of stars such as Messi, Sergio Aguero, Radamel Falcao, and James Rodriguez, it was Martinez who put Colombia up with a booming strike in the 71st minute.

The loss puts Argentina in an early hole at the tournament where they have finished runners-up in four the past five editions. For Messi, it adds more pressure as the Barcelona star tries to win his first senior trophy at the international level.

- Copa America: All you need to know
- Full Copa America fixtures schedule

Martinez's stunning strike came in the 71st minute and Martinez's fellow substitute Duvan Zapata made sure Colombia took all the points by pouncing from close range to knock in a cross from Jefferson Lerma 15 minutes later.

Colombia had looked stronger in the first half but Argentina were a different beast when Rodrigo de Paul replaced Angel di Maria immediately after the interval and Messi was able to find space to cause some problems.

Messi wasted the best chance of the game before Martinez's piledriver broke the deadlock when he skewed a rebound wide from close range, and also went on a thrilling solo run into the area but could not get a shot away.

A mass brawl ensued when Messi was cut down by Colombia's Juan Cuadrado in the second half while Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes fizzed two shots at goal.

A goal from Lionel Scaloni's side looked imminent but Colombia's usual talisman James Rodriguez split their defence with an impressive long pass to Martinez, who came on early in the game after Luis Muriel was forced off injured.

Martinez's stunning strike floored Argentina and although they came back with a couple more attempts, they never looked like scoring.

Colombia top Group B with three points ahead of Qatar's meeting with Paraguay on Sunday.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

'Achy' Tiger uneven again, well behind after 71

Published in Breaking News
Saturday, 15 June 2019 18:20

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- For as many good iron shots as he hit to give himself chances Saturday during the third round of the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods hit just as many puzzling ones on his way to an even-par round of 71 that left him well back of the leaders.

Known for his iron prowess throughout his career, and especially at the best times of his comeback in the past two years from back surgery, Woods has been uncharacteristically off at Pebble Beach. He hit just nine greens in regulation Thursday and only 11 Saturday, several times coming up short, which makes you wonder about any physical problems.

Woods was predictably coy when asked about any physical issues as he wore KT tape -- a therapeutic strip often worn to treat pain -- on his neck, just as he had during The Open at Carnoustie last year.

"When it's cold like this, everything is achy," Woods said. "It's just part of the deal."

Woods was tied for 27th and 10 shots back of leader Gary Woodland as the third round continued.

Asked specifically about the neck strain that kept him from competing in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and if there was any correlation, Woods said: "It's all the same. It's been like that for years. The forces have to go somewhere. And if they're not in the lower back, they're in the neck, and if they're not, they're in the mid-back, and if not they go to the knee. You name it."

Woods gave a similar answer at the Players Championship in March when he returned from the neck issue, and it's simply another example of Woods' fate, having had four back surgeries. Some days, as he has said often, are not going to be as good as others.

He only talked about it because he was asked and did not suggest it directly impacted any of his shots Saturday.

"As I say, my back impacts every shot I play. It's just part of the deal," he said. Pressed on any specific shots, Woods said: "Let me put it this way, I feel every shot I hit. I think that's always going to be the case from here going forward."

Woods got off to a poor start, bogeying two of his first three holes before birdies at the fourth and fifth. But he couldn't par the par-5 sixth, and then was up and down throughout the rest of the round, hitting some good approaches but hitting some poor ones as well.

He managed to get back to even par for the round and the tournament by holing a long birdie putt at the 16th and then knocking it on the 18th green in two and two-putting for birdie.

"I got off to an awful start and clawed it around, but still gave myself a chance, which is positive," Woods said. "And we'll see what the weather forecast is for tomorrow. There are a lot of guys ahead of me right now. Seems like everyone is doing what I was supposed to do earlier, which is play 2- to 4-under par through the first seven [holes]. We'll see what they do coming in.

"I was playing with Ben [An] today, and he played a hell of a round. Missed the ball in the correct spots, and that's what you have to do at this place."

An, 29, who won the U.S. Amateur at age 17 in 2009, shot 68 and played with Woods for the first time while moving near the top 10.

"I always dreamed about playing golf with him and especially it's the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, that's definitely something special," said An, who kept refreshing his phone on Friday night to see the pairings for Saturday, thinking he might get paired with Woods.

"It felt like two and a half hours," he joked. "I wanted to play with him, see what it's like. And I got my wish. I'm happy that I played a great round in front of the GOAT. ... He didn't have the best day, but he's still Tiger. Doesn't matter how he plays, just playing with him that means a lot to me."

What stays in Vegas? The Raptors, 1 more night

Published in Basketball
Saturday, 15 June 2019 15:53

The newly crowned NBA champion Toronto Raptors, who won the title in Oakland, California, on Thursday night, apparently are having too good of a time celebrating in Las Vegas. Expected back in Toronto on Saturday, they instead are staying an additional night in Sin City.

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the franchise, said the Raptors extended their trip and will return to Toronto in time for a victory parade and rally in the city on Monday, a spokesperson told TSN.

The players are expected to travel the parade route in open-air, double-decker buses with the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy beside them. The parade is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. ET and conclude with a 12:30 p.m. rally at Nathan Phillips Square.

Drake, the hip-hop superstar and Toronto native, was the unofficial emcee for the team's party late Friday night at XS Nightclub.

"Las Vegas, let's have cheers to this incredible team," Drake said during the festivities, according to the Review-Journal. "I want to give cheers to every one of my brothers!"

Toronto defeated Golden State 114-110 in Game 6 for the franchise's first NBA championship. The best-of-seven series was a smashing success for Canada all the way around.

The NBA said Friday that 56 percent of the Canadian population watched at least some part of the NBA Finals, with an average viewership of about 8 million for Game 6.

The league also said the total combined U.S. and Canadian audience for the Finals was up 11 percent over the combined viewership of the 2018 title series between Golden State and Cleveland.

Thursday's game was the most-watched NBA game in Canadian television history, a record that was toppled several times during this postseason because of the Raptors' popularity. Viewership for each of the six Finals games rank among the 10 most-watched television programs in Canada so far this year.

"Everybody who supported us during the season, all the fans in Toronto, everyone in Canada -- this is for you," Raptors forward Serge Ibaka said after the title-clinching win. "This is for Canada, baby. You should be proud."

The NBA said that online sales through the league's official portals smashed records for the day following the end of a championship series, up more than 80 percent from the previous mark (set when Cleveland beat Golden State in 2016) and were more than 100 percent over sales on the day following the Warriors' sweep of the Cavaliers last season.

Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.

Social media erupted Saturday night after ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that the New Orleans Pelicans had agreed to trade Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round picks.

That a trade was coming was no surprise, but the magnitude of the deal and the pairing of Davis with LeBron James still sent shockwaves throughout the sports world.

The deal cannot be finalized until July 1, but the reaction was immediate.


Sources: Lakers reach deal for Anthony Davis

Published in Basketball
Saturday, 15 June 2019 16:30

The Los Angeles Lakers reached an agreement to acquire three-time All-NBA forward Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans for three players and three first-round draft picks on Saturday, league sources told ESPN.

The Lakers paid a steep price to partner Davis with LeBron James: sending Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and the picks -- including the No. 4 overall selection in Thursday's NBA draft -- to the Pelicans, sources said. The Lakers were able to hold on to forward Kyle Kuzma in the trade, which cannot be finalized until July 6.

New Orleans' trade package from the Lakers represents one of the most substantial returns on a single star player in modern league history.

Davis, who had requested a trade to L.A. in January, joins James in Los Angeles to create one of the most powerful duos in the NBA. Davis has long indicated privately that he plans to sign a new contract with the Lakers once he becomes eligible for free agency in 2020, sources said.

The Pelicans' return for Davis was substantial and perhaps even more impressive given that the market had shrunk on New Orleans, based upon rival teams believing he would ultimately become just a one-year rental before leaving for the Lakers next summer.

The Boston Celtics had resisted including Jayson Tatum in a trade package, and that ultimately made the Lakers the clear-cut choice to strike a deal, league sources said.

The Pelicans now will have two of the top four picks in Thursday's draft -- No. 1 and No. 4. New Orleans will select Zion Williamson at No. 1 and now has the flexibility to select a player at No. 4 -- or trade it at auction in the next several days.

New Orleans has had significant interest in talks with teams in recent days on the fourth overall pick, and those talks are expected to continue over the next several days, sources said. Teams are pursuing point guards Darius Garland and Coby White high in the lottery, giving New Orleans a chance for an even bigger haul from the deal.

In addition, the language in the deal concerning the future first-round picks includes the possibility of a pick swap that could make the trade even more advantageous to the Pelicans, league sources said.

play
1:03

What else can the Lakers do in free agency?

NBA Front Office Insider Bobby Marks says the Lakers will be able to afford a max contract player, depending on the day they finalize the Anthony Davis trade.

Ingram and Ball were the key players in the trade for the Pelicans, who imagine them in a starting lineup with Williamson and Jrue Holiday. Ingram has been recovering from a blood clot in his right shoulder that ended his season prematurely. He is expected to be back on the court in July -- and ready for training camp in the fall, sources said.

If both sides agree to push back the trade call until July 30, Los Angeles will have $32.5 million in room to use in free agency.

By waiting, Los Angeles would be acting like a team over the cap and would be allowed to use the fourth pick in the draft as salary. If the trade is finalized on July 6, that number will shrink to $27.8 million.

Davis also has a 15 percent trade bonus worth $4 million that would see the Lakers' cap space shrink to $23.8 million if the trade is completed in the first week of July. Davis will have the right to void the bonus.

Like the Lakers, New Orleans could also benefit by waiting to complete the trade.

The Pelicans would see their cap space increase from $15 million to $19 million.

ESPN's Bobby Marks contributed to this report.

Tigers' Gardenhire tossed for 5th time of season

Published in Baseball
Saturday, 15 June 2019 18:32

DETROIT -- Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected in the sixth inning of Saturday's game against Cleveland.

Detroit was trailing 3-0 when Gardenhire was tossed for the fifth time this season. It wasn't clear what brought on the ejection, but immediately beforehand, Tigers pitcher Nick Ramirez appeared to stop his delivery as if time had been called.

Gardenhire was ejected, then came out and argued with plate umpire Manny Gonzalez. He then gave the ground around home plate a sweeping kick before leaving the field.

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