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☆ Arsenal's Arteta wary of 'well-coached' Newcastle's record at St James' Park
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A 2-0 defeat at St James' Park last season saw Arsenal eventually finish fifth in the league while Newcastle finished 11th when relegation was a possibility midway through the season before Eddie Howe took over. We're going to have to play much better than we did last year, that's for sure," Arteta told reporters ahead of Sunday's trip. "We know it's going to be a really tough game because especially at home they've been really, really good." "They're a really good side, they are well coached, good players, the right environment around the club right now. Pain-wise and the things he (Saliba) can do now off the pitch, he's in a good place," Arteta said.

☆ The trans soccer team that’s making history
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Hannah Ryan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

On the rainy evening of March 31, 2023, he captained what he says is the first ever all trans masculine soccer team in Europe in a match. “I was quite nervous before the match,” Webber told CNN. They now also aim to make soccer a more inclusive sport and connect the trans community. “After the all trans feminine team played their game and once I’d played with the all-gender team, she took me aside and said she’d been thinking about what we could do next and asked if I’d be interested in captaining an all trans masc team,” Webber said. “One day, there’ll be hundreds of trans people playing football all over the country at all levels.”

☆ Man City face Leeds with points vital for very different reasons
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Lori Ewing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The pair were also brought in to try to save their teams from the threat of relegation this season. The match is a departure from the usual rules that ban the TV screening of live games on Saturday afternoon. Watching avidly no doubt will be everyone at Arsenal, hoping Leeds can do them an unlikely favour as the Gunners cling to the fading hope of their first league title since 2004. A loss at third-placed Newcastle coupled with a City win over Leeds would all but end Arsenal's title challenge. They are third with 65 points, six ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool, who have played a game more.

☆ Tee-k Tock: The ‘appalling’ slow play controversy riling golf’s biggest stars
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Koepka, whose frustrations with slow play lit the touchpaper of a fiery feud with rival Bryson DeChambeau in 2019, made no secret of his grievances. It does become frustrating when you are waiting so long.”1-on-1 with newly minted PGA Tour winner Matt Fitzpatrick 03:48 - Source: CNNFurther complaints came from beyond the confines of the PGA Tour. I was penalized on LPGA for slow play … and it forced me to speed up,” Alvarez said. “It’s not very pleasant to watch somebody stand over the ball for half an hour.”Nicklaus is not a fan of slow play. “We want to keep the focus where it should be: on world-class shot-making.”Solutions: Golf’s shot clock eraSo how do you solve a problem like slow play?

☆ Man City have 'the mental strength' in home stretch, says Guardiola
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 2 (Reuters) - Manchester City have the mental strength to endure their packed schedule in the final stretch of the season as they target a possible treble of trophies, manager Pep Guardiola said on Tuesday. Everything is here, the mental strength, the best period we can live and we are not tired. I'm pretty sure he'll score more in the Premier League before the end of the season," Guardiola added. It is a surprise for us, but maybe not for him to do what he's done in this difficult league. Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Passionate Baseball Fans and (Very) Thin Air Let Mexico City Shine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( James Wagner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY — A day before Major League Baseball played regular-season games here for the first time, Nick Martinez, a pitcher for the San Diego Padres, had an idea. On the way to the church, Martinez noticed several shops selling piñatas. He bought a few, hoping they could be smashed by the player of the game after each of the contests. “Being in San Diego, Mexican culture is very much a part of our culture,” Martinez said. His teammates cheered him on while wearing Mexican lucha libre wrestling masks.

☆ The business case for green sports stadiums and arenas is growing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

A general exterior view of Climate Pledge Arena before the game between the Seattle Kraken and the Carolina Hurricanes on October 17, 2022. Much like the broader world of commercial real estate, arenas, and stadiums have been slowly adopting sustainable practices over the last few decades, from recycling programs to energy efficiency efforts. That led to what has become the Climate Pledge Arena. AMBSE has even created a "playbook" for other stadium operators to follow if they also want to get to zero waste. It's reached a level of critical mass where people have moved past greenwashing, and they're making substantive changes to their business practices," Cannon said.

☆ Phoenix Suns and Mercury will air games on free TV and streaming, becoming first teams to break with bankrupt broadcaster Diamond Sports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Phoenix Suns and Mercury have become the first teams to move on from the troubled broadcaster Diamond Sports Group. The NBA and WNBA's Suns and Mercury will show their games on TV and streaming going forward. The price of the streaming service hasn't been announced yet, but the teams said fans will be able to watch the Mercury for free for at least the first season. Diamond said the move violates bankruptcy law and previous contracts with the teams that expired recently, the AP reported. Suns CEO Josh Bartlestein told ESPN Diamond's claims were "inaccurate," and it wouldn't stop the teams from moving forward with the new agreement.

☆ Everton's 69-year top-flight run hanging by a thread
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Mitch Phillips | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Thursday's 4-1 home defeat to Newcastle United left Everton 19th on 28 points after mustering one win in 10 games. Their only realistic hope of survival is to claw their way above two of Leicester (29), Nottingham Forest (30) and Leeds (30). Last season a late surge hauled them to safety, with the team inspired by raucous support from the Goodison Park fans. Founder members of the Football League, they have spent only four seasons outside the top flight - 1930-31 and three in the early 1950s. "At a club like Everton the stakes should be high, that's what the players need to remember," Dyche said of the Leicester game.

☆ Baseball’s ‘Peculiar’ Pull Draws in a Former Star
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Noah Gittell | Hiroko Masuike | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — Daniel Murphy looked out over the grass at Fairfield Properties Ballpark, where the Long Island Ducks were practicing under cloudy skies. “Baseball is a beautiful game,” he said, “and it makes people do peculiar things.”Murphy would know. A three-time All-Star who played his last Major League Baseball game in 2020, he is attempting a comeback with the Ducks, whose 126-game season began on Friday with a road game in North Carolina. Murphy, along with some other long shots, intends to grind it out in the Atlantic League despite being 38 and having earned nearly $80 million in a 12-season major league career. The Atlantic League, which has been active since 1998, is a place of optimism and experimentation.

☆ NBA's Phoenix Suns sign new TV deal after broadcaster bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Dietrich Knauth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Apr 18, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) with guard Devin Booker (1) against the Los Angeles Clippers during game two of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsApril 28 (Reuters) - The NBA's Phoenix Suns and WNBA's Phoenix Mercury announced a new television and streaming rights deal for their basketball games on Friday, over the objection of the bankrupt U.S. sports broadcaster that currently televises Suns regular-season games. "Cord cutters, cable subscribers, fans with an antenna – everyone will be able to watch Suns and Mercury games," Ishbia said in a statement. The Phoenix Suns current television broadcast partner Diamond Sports Group said it would oppose the deal. The Suns and Mercury did not disclose financial terms of the new broadcast deal or the terms of the current Diamond Sports contract.

☆ Napoli on verge of first Serie A title in 33 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Tommy Lund | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Napoli on brink of winning titleInter under pressureRoma battling injury issuesApril 27 (Reuters) - Runaway Serie A leaders Napoli could seal their third Scudetto in record fashion this weekend if they beat lowly visitors Salernitana and second-placed Lazio drop points at Inter Milan. Spalletti urged his Napoli players not to get ahead of themselves despite being tantalisingly close to ending the city's 33-year wait for the Serie A title since Diego Maradona led the team to two championships in 1987 and 1990. Salernitana have improved dramatically since Paulo Sousa took over from Davide Nicola in mid-February and have pulled well clear of the relegation scrap. Gian Piero Gasperini's seventh-placed Atalanta, who have 52 points, travel to Torino on Saturday while Juve, with 59 points, visit another mid-table side in Bologna on Sunday. Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fanatics moves one step closer to IPO, hiring Meta's head of investor relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

While an IPO is not on the immediate horizon, the company is taking a step in the direction of preparing for one, hiring Meta's investor relations head to further build out its engagement with current and future shareholders. Deborah Crawford, who has served as Meta 's vice president of investor relations for more than eight years, is being appointed as Fanatics' head of investor relations, a new position at the company. Prior to Meta, Crawford was head of investor relations for Netflix, where she helped initiate the streaming company's first formal investor relations function, according to Fanatics. Schiffman declined to comment on the potential timing of a Fanatics IPO but confirmed the company has a goal of going public. Fanatics has seen its valuation and investor roster drastically expand in recent years, which has also helped to fuel IPO chatter.

☆ This must be a freak season, says Liverpool's Alexander Arnold
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 27 (Reuters) - Liverpool may be ending the season with a flourish and could still qualify for Europe but what has gone before has been unacceptable, according to right back Trent Alexander Arnold. While a Europa League berth would be some consolation, Alexander Arnold said Liverpool must improve next season. "Some tweaks (need to be made) -- it has to be just a blip," Alexander Arnold told the BBC. "It needs to be a freak season and then next season be back in title races -- that's our aim." Alexander Arnold pointed out that some tactical changes had allowed Liverpool to hit their stride again.

☆ We suffered tonight, says Arsenal's Arteta, after Man City mauling
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Reigning champions City will go top with a game in hand if they beat Fulham at the weekend having trailed Arsenal for more or less the whole season. "For sure we have to lift the players up first because they suffered tonight. "The first 30 minutes all the basic things you have to do against a top team we didn't do it and we got punished," Arteta told reporters. "The stats at the start of the season said we'd finish sixth or seventh and we are where we are," Arteta said. The fact we are competing toe to toe with this City team is incredible."

☆ De Bruyne rises to the occasion again for superb City
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Arsenal came into the match stuttering from three draws while City, like all the great teams, were girding their loins for the last big push when the trophies are decided. And it was the Belgian midfielder who set the tone and then maintained it as City really should have reached halftime four or five up instead of 2-0. As is becoming the norm, De Bruyne was withdrawn by manager Pep Guardiola, as ever, looking disgruntled at the decision, as Holden pulled one back for the visitors before Haaland ensured City finished on a high. De Bruyne revelled in that freedom and City looked much more of a goal threat than so often when they patiently probe up and down the flanks trying to manoeuvre themselves into dangerous positions. “We know what people will say, but it is still seven games,” he said.

☆ Google's cloud business turns profitable for the first time on record
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Alphabet said Tuesday that Google's cloud business is profitable for the first time in the three years it's been reporting operating metrics for the division. The cloud business includes the Google Cloud Platform, which rents out cloud infrastructure and services that companies can use to build and run their own applications, as well as Google Workspace productivity software subscriptions. Amazon Web Services, the leader in cloud infrastructure, popularized the market in the mid-2000s and has been profitable every quarter since 2014. Alphabet started disclosing cloud revenue in 2020, and the following year began providing information on the scale of its operating losses. Last week Alphabet restated operating income for cloud and its other segments, resulting in lower cloud losses in 2021 and 2022.

☆ Manchester City now looks likelier than ever to win elusive Treble
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Manchester City comfortably beat Sheffield United 3-0 in the FA Cup semifinals. “I’ll talk to you about it after we have won the FA Cup and Premier League,” he told reporters after the FA Cup semifinal, per the BBC. “Before the final of the Champions League we will start to talk of the Treble. Can any team stop Manchester City this season? “One year you can do it – I don’t want to win one Champions League and after be in the bottom,” he aded.

☆ How to watch Man City vs. Sheffield United FA Cup live stream for free from anywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Brendan Griffiths | Senior Commerce Director | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Are you looking to watch a Man City vs. Sheffield United live stream for free today? Watch Man City vs. Sheffield United online for free from anywhereA VPN is the best way to get around geo-restrictions and is a viable option for today's game if you want to watch the UK's free FA Cup live stream on ITV. How to watch Man City vs. Sheffield United with a VPNSign up for a VPN if you don't have one. Where to watch Man City vs. Sheffield United (UK)Ah, the FA Cup semi-final, one of the remaining English football matches still showing for free on terrestrial TV. If you'd rather watch online, you can tune in to the recently-rebranded ITVX streaming service for the FA Cup live stream.

☆ MLB Suspends Max Scherzer Over Use of ‘Sticky Stuff’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Mets pitcher Max Scherzer was ejected by umpire Phil Cuzzi during Wednesday’s game. Photo: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConMajor League Baseball has issued its highest-profile punishment to date for the use of “sticky stuff” by a pitcher. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer of the New York Mets was given a 10-game suspension following his ejection from Wednesday’s Mets-Dodgers game in Los Angeles. Scherzer was tossed after an umpire checked his hands three times and determined that he was in violation of league policy.

☆ Ball Doctoring: A History of Excuses, Denials and Knowing Winks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Benjamin Hoffman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For nearly as long as baseball has existed, pitchers have been using various methods, legal and otherwise, to doctor the ball. Some want the ball to spin more, some want it to spin less. Some are looking for more movement, and others are looking for more control. In this case, Scherzer, who was ejected from Wednesday’s win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, insists he was using rosin — which is legal — and nothing more. Scherzer made little in the way of excuses or denials about the stickiness of his hands when asked about his decision to drop his appeal and serve a 10-game suspension.

☆ MLB roundup: 9th-inning slam lifts Dodgers over Cubs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Outman also homered in the third, one inning after Max Muncy's eighth home run of the season for Los Angeles. Matt Strahm (1-2) gave up three hits and three runs, struck out a career-high 11 and walked two in 5 1/3 innings. New York starter Nestor Cortes (3-0) allowed three runs in six innings. For the Angels, Logan O'Hoppe had three hits and two RBIs, Luis Rengifo scored two runs and Patrick Sandoval (1-1) allowed five runs and four hits in four innings. Pittsburgh starter Roansy Contreras (2-1) allowed one run and five hits in 6 2/3 innings, with eight strikeouts and two walks.

☆ The Champions League Ventures Down Memory Lane
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Rory Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Bayern Munich will not take this well. The club is unlikely to shrug its shoulders at being eliminated from not only the Champions League but the German cup, too, in the space of a few days. Thomas Tuchel, freshly installed as Nagelsmann’s replacement, should be safe for now, but all around him will be a blur of change. There was a sense, watching Manchester City hold Bayern at bay on Wednesday evening, of two clubs moving in opposite directions. Like Juventus and Barcelona before it, Bayern Munich will at some point bow to, or be bowed by, England’s economic primacy.

☆ Scherzer faces 10-game suspension for foreign substance
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Apr 19, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer (21) reacts after being ejected during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsApril 20 (Reuters) - New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer received a 10-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for violating the prohibitions on foreign substances, the Major League Baseball (MLB) said on Thursday. According to the MLB rules, rosin may be determined to be a prohibited foreign substance when used excessively or when combined with other substances. "Both umpires reported difficulty removing the substance from their own hands for multiple innings. Consistent with the Official Baseball Rules, the umpires then appropriately ejected Mr Scherzer from the game."

☆ The Oakland A’s Say They’re Leaving for Las Vegas
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Oakland Athletics believe that a new ballpark in Las Vegas could be ready for use by the 2027 season. Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Associated PressThe Oakland A’s long and colorful residency in Oakland has generated dynastic World Series champions, some of baseball’s biggest personalities and a revolutionary roster-building strategy known as Moneyball. What it has mostly lacked, however, is what the team feels is the combination of fan and government support that would make it a business success, too. So the team said Thursday it has decided to leave the Bay Area for Las Vegas as soon as the end of the 2024 season—with Major League Baseball’s blessing.

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