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☆ LeBron James headlines Team USA’s 2024 Paris Olympics men’s basketball squad
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Kevin Dotson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —USA Basketball unveiled the player roster Wednesday for the men’s team that will compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The team will be anchored by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, making his fourth appearance after skipping the past two Olympics. This will be the 36-year-old Curry’s first Olympic Games, making him the fifth player to represent the Warriors at an Olympics with Team USA. The US team will hold a training camp and exhibition games in Las Vegas in July, before traveling to Paris. The Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics will take place on July 26 with men’s basketball play beginning the following day.

Persons: ”, LeBron James, James, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard, Tyrese, Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid, Paul Childs, Embiid, Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich Organizations: CNN, USA, Tokyo Olympics, Los Angeles Lakers, Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Miami, Olympic Games, Warriors, Team USA, Philadelphia 76ers, NBA, Tokyo Games, US Locations: Tyrese Haliburton, Cameroon, France, Las Vegas, Paris

☆ Why the Shohei Ohtani story is so concerning for baseball and sports
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Harry Enten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —I can’t recall a recent baseball story that has captured the public imagination like the current one involving Los Angeles Dodgers phenom Shohei Ohtani, his former translator Ippei Mizuhara and gambling. That said, assuming Ohtani has done nothing wrong, America’s pastime will emerge from this situation mostly unscathed. Ohtani stalls at second base after hitting a double during the first inning of a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Yes, one team is favored to win, but we don’t know that team will win for sure. And if it occurs involving someone as beloved as Ohtani, it could be a disaster for not just baseball, but sports around the globe.

Persons: Shohei Ohtani, Ippei, –, Ohtani, Will Ireton, Kirby Lee, Reuters Ohtani, it’s, Mike Trout, didn’t, I’ll, won’t, Sean M, I’m, It’s, they’ve, We’ve, Brad Bohannon, Bohannon, Jontay Porter, bettors, Porter, ” Porter wasn’t, Stu Foster, Sandro Tonali, Phil Mickelson, Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson –, Rose, Jackson, Tyrese Haliburton, JB Bickerstaff, Charlie Baker, Ezra Shaw, Rob Manfred, David, Goliath Organizations: CNN, Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League, Dodgers, USA, Sports, Reuters, League, Baseball, St, Louis Cardinals, American, NFL, Former University of Alabama, Alabama, Toronto Raptors, Italian Football Federation, England’s Football Association, Newcastle United, Major League Baseball, Cincinnati Reds, Black Sox, Chicago White Sox, Famers, Bettmann, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, Getty Images, American Gaming Association, Census, MLB, MLB Network Locations: United States, Nevada, Bohannon, Italy, Tonaly, England

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 42 points, becoming the fourth player in franchise history with 40 or more in consecutive games, and the New York Knicks beat the Sacramento Kings 98-91 on Saturday night. He's the first Knicks player to reach that total in back-to-back games since Carmelo Anthony on Feb. 19 and 21, 2014. Isaiah Hartenstein was a force on the defensive end, blocking five shots and grabbing 14 rebounds, along with seven points. De’Aaron Fox added 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, but was held to 5-for-19 shooting. The Knicks led 53-48 at the half and extended the advantage to nine early in the third quarter on a pair of layups by Brunson.

Persons: — Jalen Brunson, Brunson, Carmelo Anthony, Hall, Hall of Famers Bernard King, Patrick Ewing, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Isaiah Hartenstein, Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk Organizations: New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, Thursday's, Portland, Knicks, Hall of Famers, Sacramento, NEXT, Golden State, Memphis, NBA Locations: SACRAMENTO, Calif, New York, York, Golden

☆ It's a do-or-die moment for debt-riddled Warner Bros. Discovery's live-sports strategy as it vies for NBA rights
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

WBD generated $6.2 billion of free cash flow through 2023 and likely shelled out around $1.4 billion of that for NBA games. Analysts estimate that figure would be closer to $2 billion if WBD re-ups its NBA package. WBD wants a big NBA deal, despite Wall Street's wishesSixteen months ago, Zaslav said WBD didn't "have to have" the NBA. NBA ratings have been lackluster lately, with national TV games averaging 1.6 million viewers in the last two seasons. Zaslav's latest public remarks on the NBA negotiations reflect that.

Persons: —, Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, Tim Nollen, Max, Jason Bazinet, WBD, David Zaslav, it's, Jessica Reif Ehrlich, Wall, Zaslav, John Hodulik, Chuck, Ernie Johnson Organizations: Service, Basketball Hall of Famers, NBA, TNT, ESPN, Warner Bros, Business, Media, Amazon, NBC, Comcast, Apple, Netflix, WWE, Macquarie, Disney, Fox, Cable, Citigroup, Warners, of America, Street, Zaz, UBS Locations: Shaq

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Last season's All-Star Game played out in a way that the NBA hopes to never experience again. So, the league sent a message: Make the All-Star Game better. Boston's Jayson Tatum set an All-Star Game record by scoring 55 points and the game had a total — total — of four free throws, all of them shot by Antetokounmpo's team. “I’m proud of what the guys did at the in-season tournament and I’m looking forward to the All-Star Game. Durant is a 14-time selection and set to actually play in his 11th All-Star Game.

Persons: Nobody, Golden, Stephen Curry, Phoenix's Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, —, We’ve, ”, Curry, “ It’s, James, Antetokounmpo, Giannis, Boston's Jayson Tatum, ” Tatum, Doc Rivers, Chris Finch, Rivers, ” It’s, Adam Silver, Joe Dumars, Dumars, ” Dumars, “ I’m, Kareem Abdul, Jabbar, Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Jordan, Durant, Scottie Barnes, Philadelphia's Tyrese Maxey, New York's Jalen Brunson, Orlando's Paolo Banchero, ” Banchero, Julius Randle, Philadelphia's Joel Embiid, Atlanta's Trae Young, Bam Adebayo, Tatum, Damian Lillard, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous, Alexander, “, ” Durant Organizations: INDIANAPOLIS, NBA, Eastern Conference, Western Conference, Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron, “, Lakers, Milwaukee, Tyrese, Indiana Pacers, West, of Famers Locations: Indianapolis, New, Barnes, Tyrese Haliburton, Dallas, Oklahoma

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Don’t expect Denny Hamlin to stay in line during the closing laps of the Daytona 500. “In the end, you have to be selfish to win these races and certainly we realize that through results more than anything else,” Hamlin said. He’s repeatedly made it clear he wouldn’t trade any of his Daytona 500 victories for series championships. “I think Denny is really good at, like, being dramatic and building our sport up well, bringing some drama to it. I think that’s good.”The ultimate drama might be seeing Hamlin jockeying teammates and his own drivers over the final laps.

Persons: — Don’t, Denny Hamlin, He’s, “, ”, Hamlin, ” Hamlin, Ricky Stenhouse, Stenhouse, Michael Jordan, Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Hall, Hall of Famers Bobby Allison, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Gordon, Richard, Cale, it’s, Martin Truex Jr, Ty Gibbs, Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, Denny, Hamlin jockeying Organizations: DAYTONA, NASCAR, Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota, NBA, 23IX Racing, Hall of Famers, Daytona, JGR, Netflix, Hendrick Motorsports Locations: Fla, Los Angeles, 23IX

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — No one needs to remind Kyle Larson about his record at Daytona International Speedway. “It’s tougher today than it’s ever been,” three-time Daytona 500 winner and current Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon said. He's finished 18th or worse in half of his Daytona 500 starts. Truex doesn’t have a top-10 finish in the 500 since, but he did win the series championship the following year. Hall of Famers Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin are the most notable drivers to never win the Daytona 500.

Persons: Kyle Larson, He’s frustratingly, ” Larson, “, —, Larson, Jeff Gordon, “ You’ve, Ricky Stenhouse, He's, it’s, Martin Truex, Joe Gibbs, Denny Hamlin, Truex, Kyle Busch, Busch, Brad Keselowski's, Keselowski, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, ”, ” David Ragan, A.J, Allmendinger, Hall, Hall of Famers Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Famer David Pearson, Kyle Busch’s, Kurt, Dale Earnhardt, “ I’ve, we’ve, Hendrick Motorsports, Rick Hendrick, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jenna Fryer Organizations: DAYTONA, Daytona, NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Talladega, Penske, Hall of Famers, Famer, Auto Locations: Fla

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pearl Jam 's forthcoming album is called “Dark Matter,” its first single of the same title has been released, and the band will start a world tour in May. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers revealed the new details on the project and their 2024 plans on Tuesday. “Dark Matter," their 12th studio album and first since 2020's “Megaton," will be released April 19 on Monkeywrench and Republic records. A tour is scheduled to begin May 4 in Vancouver, British Columbia. “No hyperbole, I think this is our best work," Vedder said from the stage as he introduced the album.

Persons: Singer Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready, Jeff Ament, Vedder, Megaton ”, Matt Cameron's, Andrew Watt, Rick Rubin Organizations: ANGELES, Hall of Famers, Troubadour Locations: Monkeywrench, Vancouver , British Columbia, West Hollywood, Seattle, Malibu

LAS VEGAS (AP) — First-time candidate Julius Peppers headlines a 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class that has a distinctive defensive feel. He was a first-team All-Pro five times in eight seasons and helped San Francisco reach three straight conference title games and one Super Bowl. Freeney was the defensive star on the stellar Colts teams led by Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Johnson became the first player to spend the bulk of his career with the Texans to make the Hall of Fame. McMichael had 95 career sacks as a defensive tackle, was selected as an All-Pro in 1985 and ’87 and was a second-teamer two other times.

Persons: Julius Peppers, Dwight Freeney, Patrick Willis, Andre Johnson, Devin Hester, Randy Gradishar, Steve McMichael, Art Powell, Buddy Parker, Peppers, —, of Famers Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Willis ’, San, Willis, Freeney, Peyton Manning, Indianapolis hadn’t, Manning’s, Hester, Johnson, Ed Reed, Gradishar, didn’t, McMichael, Antonio Gates, Torry Holt, Reggie Wayne, Willie Anderson, Jahri Evans, Darren Woodson, Eric Allen, Rodney Harrison, Fred Taylor, Jared Allen, ___ Organizations: LAS VEGAS, Football Hall of Fame, AFL, Carolina, Panthers, of Famers, Colts, Hall of Fame, Indianapolis, Super, AFC, NFL, Chicago, Bears, Texans, of Fame, of Famer, Pro, Hall, Broncos Locations: Chicago, Green, San Francisco, Houston’s, Houston, Denver’s

☆ Terry Killens: 24 years ago, he played in a Super Bowl as a player. Now, he’s making history as an official
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Killens’ first appearance in a Super Bowl had ended in unimaginable disappointment. The linebacker, who was in the league for seven seasons, never competed in another Super Bowl during his playing days. Killens is part of the crew officials ruling over the upcoming Super Bowl – which will be played in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on February 11 between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers – making him first person to both play in and referee a Super Bowl. Dyson is tackled by St. Louis linebacker Mike Jones just short of the goal line on the last play of Super Bowl XXXIV. When we wear the stripes, we are guardians of the game,” Killens explains.

Persons: Kevin Dyson’s, Terry Killens, Dyson, Killens, “ It’s, I’ve, it’s, “, Rhonda, Tennessee Titans –, Nate Singleton, Mitchell Layton, Frank Wycheck, Hall, Hall of Famers Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Orlando Pace, St, Louis, Mike Jones, Mike Zarrilli, ”, “ ‘, ’ ”, ‘, ” Killens, “ slimming, –, Michael Zagaris, “ I’ve, Shawn Hochuli’s, Bill Vinovich’s Organizations: CNN, Tennessee Titans, Louis Rams, Rams, NFL, Super, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, National, Football, JV, Houston Oilers, Houston natives, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Titans, Hall of Famers, Killens, Sunday, Seattle Seahawks, Ohio High School Athletic Association, Chiefs, 49ers Locations: Las Vegas, Tennessee, Houston, Nashville, Atlanta

Photos You Should See View All 45 Images“We made this record like a year ago," Ament told the audience. While Vedder remains the face and voice of the band, the star of this album is drummer Matt Cameron, who joined the Jam in 1998 after starting out with Soundgarden. His relentless pounding opens many of the 11 tracks, and drowns out his bandmates' playing and Vedder's vocals at times. “Every time I've played someone the record it was like a two-day recovery,” Vedder said. The band members credited Watt, who was less than a year old when their first album “Ten” was released in 1991, for lifting them to the heights they hit.

Persons: Pearl Jam, Singer Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready, Jeff Ament, Elton John, ”, we've, ‘ Let’s, Vedder, Andrew Watt, Rick Rubin, Ament, “ We’ve, Gigaton ”, Matt Cameron, Soundgarden, “, ” Vedders, Peppers, Chad Smith, “ Matt Cameron, ” Vedder, I've, Watt, McCready, Kelly Slater’s Organizations: WEST HOLLYWOOD, Troubadour, Roll Hall of Famers, Republic Records, Pearl Locations: Los Angeles, Seattle, Malibu , California

Saudi Arabia began hosting the men’s tour’s Next Gen ATP Finals for top 21-and-under players in Jedda last year in a deal that runs through 2027. And the WTA has been in talks to place its season-ending WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia. If so, we would endorse engagement there.”Another Hall of Fame player, Billie Jean King, has said she supports the idea of trying to encourage change by heading to Saudi Arabia now. “I’m a huge believer in engagement," King, a founder of the WTA and an equal rights champion, said last year. In recent years, Saudi Arabia has enacted wide-ranging social reforms, including granting women the right to drive and largely dismantling male guardianship laws that had allowed husbands and male relatives to control many aspects of women’s lives.

Persons: of Famers Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Rafael Nadal, ”, Evert, Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jamal Khashoggi, Coco Gauff, John Pye, ___ Organizations: of Famers, WTA, The Washington, Saudi Tennis Federation, Rafael Nadal Academy, Fame, Washington Post, Authorities, ” Locations: Saudi Arabia, The, Saudi, East, Jedda, ” U.S, Melbourne, Australia

DETROIT (AP) — Eminem stood alongside Pro Football Hall of Famers Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson before the Detroit Lions hosted their first home playoff game in three decades, soaking up an electric atmosphere at Ford Field. "We've seen the Tigers win it. We've seen the Pistons win it. We've seen the Red Wings win it. We've seen a lot of good things, but never from our Lions.

Persons: — Eminem, Pro Football Hall of Famers Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, ” Johnson, “, could've, ” He's, Sanders, Johnson, Matthew Stafford, Singer Bob Seger, Jeff Daniels, Keegan, Michael Key, Roger Goodell, Eminem, Stafford, Dan Campbell, “ I'm, ” Eminem, FanDuel Sportsbook, Sweta Patel, Patel, Campbell, “ He’s, ”, Mike McCord, McCord, Darris, Riley, “ It's, “ We've, Matt Patricia, McCord's, Riley McCord, Sheila Ford Hamp, Brad Holmes, “ Detroit's, ” McCord, We've, Larry Lage, ___ Organizations: DETROIT, Pro Football Hall of Famers, Detroit Lions, Ford, NFL, Lions, Stafford, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa, Super, Buccaneers, Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, Detroit, Cleveland, Briggs, Tiger, Honolulu, Dayton Triangles, Team, Tigers, Pistons, Red Wings, ___ AP Locations: Utah, Detroit, Michigan, Motor City, India

The Rams (10-8) had a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, but Detroit’s defense held. The Lions acquired Goff and a pair of first-round picks for Stafford three years ago. Michael Badgley’s season-long, 54-yard field goal gave the Lions a seven-point lead midway through the third quarter. Stafford has made a career of fourth-quarter comebacks, a fact the fans at Ford Field were well aware of. ... RB Kyren Williams had a hand injury in the fourth quarter.

Persons: — Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, hadn’t, Stafford, Goff, Amon, Ra St, Brown, Sam LaPorta, Puka Nacua, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Nacua, Tutu Atwell, Michael Badgley’s, Brett Maher, Hall, Hall of Famers Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, Goff ”, Kyren Williams, Tyler Higbee, Jordan Fuller, KR Kalif Raymond, TE James Mitchell, Jerry Jacobs Organizations: DETROIT, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, Lions, Dallas, Rams, Super, Detroit, The Lions, Stafford, Ford Field, Motor City, Eminem, Hall of Famers Locations: Detroit, Tampa, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, St

☆ Bill Belichick is parting ways with the New England Patriots
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Bill Belichick is stepping aside as coach of the New England Patriots. AdvertisementSix-time NFL champion Bill Belichick agreed to part ways as the coach of the New England Patriots, ending his 24-year tenure as the architect of the most decorated dynasty of the league's Super Bowl era. Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo won a Super Bowl ring playing under Belichick and has interviewed for multiple head coaching vacancies since becoming a New England assistant in 2019. Related storiesThe six Super Bowl wins tie Belichick with pre-merger mentors Halas and Curly Lambeau for the most NFL championships. Meanwhile Brady won his seventh Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that same season.

Persons: Bill Belichick, Belichick, Nick Saban, —, Robert Kraft, Kraft, of Famers Don Shula, George Halas, Tom Brady, It's, Jerod Mayo, Mayo, Mike Vrabel, Josh McDaniels, McDaniels, Brian, he'd, Saban, Belichick's, Steve, Halas, Curly Lambeau, Bill Parcells, Brady, haven't, Cam Newton, Mac Jones, Matt Patricia, Jones, Bill O'Brien, Bailey Zappe, didn't, Nick Caserio, Donald Trump Organizations: New England Patriots, Service, Gillette, of Famers, Belichick, Shula, Patriots, NFL, Super, AFC, Cleveland Browns, of Famer, Tennessee Titans, Raiders, Las, Super Bowl, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, U.S, Capitol Locations: Cleveland, New England, Las Vegas

NEW YORK (AP) — Baltimore’s Félix Bautista was a unanimous winner of the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year Award and Milwaukee’s Devin Williams won the Trevor Hoffman National League honor on Wednesday. Bautista, a 28-year-old right-hander, was 8-2 with a 1.48 ERA and 33 saves in 39 chances for the AL East champion Orioles. Williams, a 29-year-old right-hander, was 8-3 with a 1.53 ERA and 36 saves in 40 opportunities for the NL Central champion Brewers. Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase was second in the AL after winning last year and Toronto’s Jordan Romano was third. Political Cartoons View All 1273 ImagesPittsburgh’s David Bednar was second in the NL and San Diego’s Josh Hader third.

Persons: Baltimore’s Félix Bautista, Mariano Rivera, Devin Williams, Trevor Hoffman, Bautista, Tommy John, Williams, Josh Hader, Edwin Díaz, Liam Hendriks, Kenley Jansen, Craig Kimbrel, Rivera, Hoffman, of Famers Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, John Franco, Billy Wagner, Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase, Toronto’s Jordan Romano, David Bednar, ___ Organizations: Mariano Rivera American League, League, Wednesday, AL East, Orioles, NL Central, Brewers, of Famers, AL, NL

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — The money from corporate support keeps poring into the LPGA Tour, which on Thursday announced a 2024 schedule with over $116 million in prize money and a record 10 regular tournaments offering at least $3 million. Political Cartoons View All 1250 ImagesThe agreement includes this week's CME Group Tour Championship. Prize money on the LPGA Tour has been steadily climbing, with recent boosts coming from the majors, particularly the U.S. Women's Open ($11 million this year) and the KPMG Women's PGA Championship ($10 million). This year, only four regular tournaments — not including the five majors or the CME Group Tour Championship — had prize funds of $3 million or more. The Women's PGA goes to Sahalee outside Seattle, while the U.S. Women's Open is at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania.

Persons: Mollie Marcoux Samaan, Marcoux Samaan, —, Andrews, Michelle Wie West, Annika Sorenstam, Annika, Robert Trent Jones, ___ Organizations: LPGA, CME, ESPN, Channel, Women's, KPMG Women's, Chevron, Lotte, AIG Women's British, Lancaster Country Club, of Famers, Palos Verdes, Solheim, Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, Ryder Locations: NAPLES, Fla, U.S, Boston, Arizona, Florida, San Francisco, New Jersey, Las Vegas, Houston, Hawaii, Asia, St, France, Sahalee, Seattle, Pennsylvania, Los Angeles, South Korea, Virginia

___The generational shift at quarterback in the NFL reached a new milestone last week. This was the first time since Week 6 of the 2002 season that no quarterback born in the 1980s took the field. That raised the total of rookie starting QBs this season to nine, tying the non-replacement record set in 2019. The youth movement at quarterback has played a role in the struggles on offense across the league in the first half of the season, with scoring at its lowest mark through nine weeks since 2007. NEW YUCK, NEW YUCKThe performance so far this season for the New York teams has been rather offensive.

Persons: Tom Brady's, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill, Russell Wilson, Arizona's Clayton, Tommy DeVito, Daniel Jones, QBs, C.J ., Jared Goff, Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, Ben Roethlisberger, Hill, Hall, Hall of Famer Frank Gifford, Gifford, Hall of Famers Charley Trippi, Red Grange, Jimmy Conzelman, Minnesota's Joshua Dobbs, hadn't, Dobbs, Paul Governali, Dare, Ka’imi Fairbairn, Ogunbowale, Wes Welker, Tony Galbreath, NEW, ___ Organizations: NFL, Jaren, Giants, Houston, Tampa Bay, Hall of Fame, Chicago, Hall of Famer, Hall of Famers, Vikings, Cardinals, Boston Yanks, New York Giants, Stroud's Texans, New, New Orleans, Green, AFC East, Miami, New York Jets, AFC West, NFC, AFC North, Cincinnati, AFC, NFC West, Seattle, Rams, New York, The Jets, Jets, The Giants Locations: C.J . Stroud, Stroud, New Orleans, Hall, Red, Miami, New England, Buffalo, Baltimore, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Francisco, Baltimore , Arizona, Green Bay

☆ They’re In the Pickleball Hall-of-Fame — Now They Can’t Even Get a Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Shalom Goodman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

If you do a Google search for the Pickleball Hall of Fame, you may find its humble website, with the biographies of the hall of famers stacked on top of each other in a rudimentary blog, hosted for free on blogspot. Do these elite athletes get stopped for autographs or get the red-carpet treatment? Not exactly. Despite pickleball’s meteoric rise from obscure to de rigueur, many pioneering picklers are hardly known—and now have to jockey for court time alongside the newbies.

Persons: rigueur Organizations: Pickleball, of Fame

PHOENIX (AP) — Corey Seager etched his name alongside three Hall of Famers, hitting 1,270 feet of home runs and getting a breakthrough single that lifted the Texas Rangers to their first World Series title. Seager joined Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson as the only two-time World Series Most Valuable Players with his trio of two-run homers against the Arizona Diamondbacks. “But I was thinking about it.”Three years after earning World Series MVP for helping the Dodgers beat Tampa Bay, Seager boosted the Rangers to the first championship in the team's 63 seasons. “I’ve got to be better at making that decision.”Seager's Game 3 drive left the bat at 114.5 mph, the hardest-hit World Series homer since Statcast started tracking in 2015. That’s the only thing on his mind, doing whatever it takes to win that ballgame,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said.

Persons: — Corey Seager, Seager, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson, Zac Gallen's, Mitch Garver's, Torey Lovullo, “, ” Lovullo, Jacksom, ” Seager, ”, Lovullo, “ I’ve, Statcast, Marcus Semien, Corey, Bruce Bochy, that’s Organizations: PHOENIX, of Famers, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas, Rangers, Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, NL, Dodgers, Tampa Bay, Arizona, ” Rangers Locations: Texas, Semien

NEW YORK (AP) — A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces are poised for a possible three-peat as WNBA champions and continue one of the greatest runs in league history. They capped off a history-making regular season with a second consecutive championship and their core group of players — WNBA Finals MVP Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray — are all returning. She stepped up Wednesday when Las Vegas needed her most, playing without Gray and starting center Kiah Stokes. She was a major reason Las Vegas won 34 games in the regular season and went 8-1 in the playoffs. New York should be Las Vegas' biggest obstacle in the Aces bid to three-peat.

Persons: — A’ja Wilson, Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray —, ”, Gray, Candace Parker, Parker, “, ” Wilson, Cynthia Cooper, Dyke, Sheryl Swoopes, Kiah Stokes, “ We’ve, Alysha Clark, Becky Hammon, She's, Van Chancellor, John Kundla, ___ Organizations: Las Vegas Aces, WNBA, Gray, Aces, The Aces, Los Angeles Sparks, Houston Comets, Sparks, Chicago, of Famers, Las Vegas, Van, Comets, Minneapolis Lakers Locations: Vegas, New York, Las

Nearly 12 months later, coach Kyle Shanahan can't even imagine what life would be like without McCaffrey driving the Niners offense. The midseason addition of McCaffrey last year immediately transformed the 49ers from a middling offense into one of the most productive. McCaffrey currently is in the top 10 for odds to win the award, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. I knew he was really, really good and really special and could do a lot of things conventional running backs can’t do. Obviously, he can run the ball, can run routes out of the backfield, can line up as a receiver and run routes.

Persons: Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Shanahan, McCaffrey, “, ” Shanahan, Adrian Peterson, FanDuel, San Francisco didn't, Trent Williams, “ I'm, ” McCaffrey, Jerry Rice's, Hall, Hall of Famers Jim Brown, Emmitt Smith, “ He’s, Kyle Juszczyk, Deebo Samuel, ”, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Madden, Kyle, ” Kittle, San Francisco, Brock Purdy, ” Purdy, Dre, Charvarius Ward, Elijah Mitchell, Jon Feliciano, WR Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings Organizations: San Francisco 49ers, Carolina, Niners, 49ers, Panthers, Hall of Famers, Swiss Army, NFC, Charvarius Locations: SANTA CLARA, Calif, Carolina, San Francisco, can’t, Swiss, San

NEW YORK (AP) — Novak Djokovic considers his mental state just as important as his physical condition when it comes to being prepared to play his best at age 36. “There’s a lot of players that never figured that out during their career. I feel strong.”Professional athletes offering frank thoughts on mental health is still a relatively recent development. “For quite a few years, actually, mental training was not really talked about much, generally, in the tennis world. "Because in the end of the day, we are also people that have to deal with the private issues that everyone has.”The ways players try to cope differs.

Persons: — Novak Djokovic, ”, Djokovic, Ben Shelton, “, ” Djokovic, you’re, Daria Kasatkina, Kasatkina, Bob Bryan, Mike, ” Bryan, Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, didn’t, ” Osaka, Michael Phelps, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, ” ___ Howard Fendrich Organizations: “, U.S, U.S ., it’s, Davis, of Famers, Madison Keys, Olympic, AP Locations: Flushing Meadows, Russia, New York

☆ Gil Brandt, architect of ‘America’s Team’ Dallas Cowboys, has died at the age of 91
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( David Close | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Pro Football Hall of Famer Gil Brandt, widely regarded as the architect who helped build the Dallas Cowboys into one of the most successful and popular sports franchises of all time, died on Thursday, according to the Cowboys. After a six-decade NFL executive career – 29 years with the Cowboys – Brandt was inducted into the Hall in 2019. As the vice president of player personnel for the Cowboys, Brandt was lauded for his acute ability to recognize player talent – having drafted nine Cowboys players who, like Brandt, are Pro Football Hall of Famers. Brandt is also credited in helping build the annual player draft into a three-day, made-for-TV event. The result was discovering future Cowboys from smaller colleges, or even off college basketball or track teams,” said Pro Football Hall of Fame President Jim Porter.

Persons: CNN — Pro Football Hall of Famer Gil Brandt, Brandt, “ Gil, Jerry Jones, –, Cowboys – Brandt, Bob Lilly, Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach, “ Staubach, ” Brandt, “, he’d, we’d, Staubach, Tex Schramm, George Gojkovich, Dallas, XII, ”, Jim Porter, Jones, Gil Organizations: CNN — Pro Football Hall of Famer, Dallas Cowboys, Cowboys, ” Cowboys, Pro Football Hall of Famers, Hall of Fame, US Naval Academy, NFL.com, Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL Scouting, Pro Football Hall of Fame

☆ Hall of Fame Tips for Presidential Candidates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Merrie Spaeth | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Wonder Land: As if Trump-Biden weren’t enough, two of the U.S.’s most prominent CEOs may actually duke it out. Images: AFP/Getty Images Composite: Mark KellyWhen the National Football League inducted a new class of Hall of Famers on Aug. 5, one thing was conspicuously missing: bad speeches. Winners droned on with a laundry list of thank-yous, reminiscing with obscure anecdotes and humorless jokes. This year, speeches were short, scripted and sincere. Inductee Joe Thomas , a former Cleveland Browns offensive tackle, was quoted as saying: “Anyone who doesn’t use a speech coach in this situation is an idiot.” From his lips to the ears of senior executives, politicians and maybe even presidential candidates.

Persons: Trump, Biden, Mark Kelly, Hall, Joe Thomas, “ Organizations: Getty, National Football League, Hall of Famers, Cleveland Browns

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