Month: August 2017

Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott to attend appeal hearing; accuser will not

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Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will plead his case next Tuesday as he appeals the six-game suspension recently levied against him by the NFL after allegations of domestic violence.

While Elliott will be in attendance at the hearing, his accuser, Tiffany Thompson, will not.

Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem isn’t only causing him negative attention from many circles, it’s also resulted in threats made against his life.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback said he has received a number of death threats since he decided not to stand during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Kaepernick said he hadn’t told team security.

“To me, if something like that were to happen, you’ve proved my point and it’ll be loud and clear to everyone why it happened,” he said, via CSN Bay Area. “And that would move this movement forward at a greater speed than what it is even now.

“I don’t want this to happen, but that’s the (reality) of what could happen.”

Johnson quickly flamed out as a high-priced player in Tampa Bay after just one season before he came back to the Bengals in 2015. Johnson isn’t a bad player, but it’s doubtful anybody else in the league would have gone to $5 million a year when he hit free agency. He’s overpriced by $1 million-$1.5 million a season.seahawks_125

Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala, and Richard Jefferson talked championship rings at Kent Bazemore’s wedding

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Warriors Steph Curry and Andre Iguodala attended former Warrior Kent Bazemore’s wedding on Saturday night, and someone seated Cavaliers vet Richard Jefferson way too close to the reigning champs.

Iguodala and Curry went back and forth with Jefferson in a rings debate, but Jefferson stood strong, reiterating that he is 1-1 against them in the finals. (He could have been 1-0 had he stayed retired.)

If you don’t remember, Curry, Bazemore, and Jefferson were all teammates with the Warriors in the 2012-13 season. But there was no talk of rings back then as the Warriors finished 47-35 and were knocked out in the second round of the playoffs. Jefferson played nearly as many minutes as Draymond Green back then, and Curry was just a shell of the player he is now.

Game Youth Paul Worrilow Jersey Millsap is a top two-way power forward whose shooting efficiency has slipped as Atlanta has hemorrhaged talent. Put him in the right setting and his efficiency could bounce right back. The risk here is due to his age — he’s 32 — and his inability to develop consistent three-point marksmanship. His excellent defense makes up for it, but there’s a chance that Millsap could become an anchor on the back end of his contract if he loses a step and can’t guard agile bigs going forward.

Game Youth Jalston Fowler Jersey Ibaka salvaged his contract year by playing well down the stretch for Toronto after getting lost in the Orlando morass for the first half. Serge remains a top-notch defender despite losing an edge over the years, and his jumper is reliable. (It’s worth noting that Ibaka is a superior deep shooter to Millsap.) He’s had just one major injury over eight seasons, and will be just 28 years old next season.

Why would you now question it when injury forces him to bow out of a low-stakes tournament?

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The Greeks want renewed glory in Europe, and they are upset Giannis can’t lead them to it in 2017. But he can lead Greece back to global prominence in 2019 or 2020 … if the federation doesn’t alienate him, the Bucks, or the NBA.

This is a case of some official or officials at Greek Basketball headquarters failing to see the forest for the trees. Antetokounmpo’s presence in 2014 and 2015 and his attempt to play this summer shows his commitment to the national team.

Why would you now question it when injury forces him to bow out of a low-stakes tournament? Why would you drive a wedge given that in two years’ time you’ll be asking him to join up again, and you’ll need the Bucks’ cooperation to make it happen?

Wall is doing his part. Backpacks seem like such a trivial, insignificant thing. But for children growing up in difficult circumstances, they hold so much importance. It keeps them in school and out of trouble. For parents, it keeps some money in their pockets so they can afford to keep the lights on and buy groceries for the month.

Last year, parents spent $659, on average, on back-to-school supplies according to CNBC. By providing backpacks, Wall isn’t just helping children, he’s helping families. And for him to do that, in this area, is special.
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Game Womens Jaromir Jagr Jersey In the lead-up to the NBA Draft, the Spurs rumor mill whirred as loudly as ever as fans, against their own experience and better judgment, leaned into the possibility of the team taking a big off-season swing for the fences. Reports percolated that PATFO was pursuing a landing spot for the reputedly disappointing, allegedly malcontent LaMarcus Aldridge, with designs to net a top 5 pick in return and create enough cap space to chase a marquee free agent.

Steph and Seth Curry faced a 10-foot inflatable puppet on Korean TV

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Stephen Curry visited South Korea last week as part of his Asia Tour with Under Armour. He and brother Seth Curry not only spent time playing against fans and celebrities, but they also appeared on MBC’s variety show Infinite Challenge. The show’s hosts wanted to play against Steph and Seth, but knowing that they’d get destroyed, they decided to buff up their defenses. They gave one player a literal extra set of hands, and turned another player into an 10-foot inflatable puppet master with two other inflatable basketball tube men on both of his sides. Also, the hosts had a comically large hoop to shoot at.
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Let’s make sure we add proper context to this, because leaving it out is why so many athletes are nervous about being this candid. Deron Williams came on the Road Trippin’ podcast a few episodes before this, and it’s clear that he’s friends with Jefferson. Here’s that episode.
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The entire exchange between Jefferson, McNemanin, and Geeter in the most recent episode was lighthearted and certainly not a mean-spirited shot at the still-unsigned free agent point guard.

Cleveland has replaced Williams with Derrick Rose, which might not make as much sense basketball-wise. But this sheds light on Williams perhaps not having as great of a time with the Cavaliers as we otherwise might have imagined.

NYC law enforcement members hold a rally in support of Colin Kaepernick

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The quality of a football field surface matters. If it’s not quite right, players could get injured, and nobody wants that. That’s why the Colts have people out on the field before Sunday’s preseason game against the Lions removing excess paint from some logos with redskins_098_f38f2859ef1b6b45-180x180.

The issue was that the Play 60 logos on each 30-yard line had too much paint, according to Tom Pelissero. Colts head coach Chuck Pagano and general manager Chris Ballard were out on the field to check out the progress. So were Lions head coach Jim Caldwell and general manager Bob Quinn.

Matthews was a perfectly fine and productive wide receiver in Philadelphia, and Gaines developed into a solid starter for the Rams. But Matthews doesn’t bring the game-breaking ability that Watkins does, and Darby had a stronger start to his career than Gaines.

The Bills made both deals because the team is stacked for the 2018 NFL draft. After the Kansas City Chiefs moved up to draft Patrick Mahomes, the team sent a first-round pick to the Bills. Now the team has two selections in each of the first three rounds — the Chiefs’ first-rounder, the Rams’ second, and the Eagles’ third.

“I want to support him and support what he’s standing for and his beliefs,” Britt told the official team site. “I’m going to continue to try to understand what’s going on in the world and why it’s happening. None of it’s right and none of it should be happening. I’m going to continue talking with Mike and exploring and helping myself understand things. I wanted to take the first step tonight and that’s what I felt like I did.”

How Maple Leafs could make a John Tavares deal work next summer

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John Tavares could potentially be the biggest impact player to hit unrestricted free agency since Brad Richards in 2011, but while the superstar publicly is focused on re-signing with the Islanders, a number of NHL teams are preparing for the possibility that he hits the open market next July.

The Islanders have an unstable arena situation, with the team likely to opt out of their current lease with the Barclays Center in Brooklyn before next season, even though there is no other suitable option for them to play currently in New York. Tavares is also concerned with the on-ice product, where the addition of Jordan Eberle may not be enough to ease the concerns of the Islanders’ captain.
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The rest of the National League should be scared. Even if it’s right to wonder why in the heck the team with multiple Drew Storen postseason memories waited until the middle of the season. They’re the Ghost of Baseball Present, getting better at the only part of the roster they could still drastically improve. They were a scary team already, and they’re getting scarier.

Authentic Womens Donte Moncrief Jersey Tavares is a native of Mississauga, Ont., and it’s an intriguing thought for the Leafs to bring him back home, as has been speculated about pretty much since the day the Islanders selected Tavares first overall in the 2009 draft. Certainly, pairing Tavares and Calder Trophy winner Auston Matthews as franchise cornerstones down the middle is an appealing idea.

Adrian Beltre is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and I’m not sure when that happened

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Adrian Beltre is the newest member of the 3,000-hit club. He’s a delight and a consistent fount of amusement and wonder, whether he’s falling on one knee to hit a home run, glaring at Elvis Andrus for playing pop-up shenanigans, getting his head touched and cocking his fist back, or moving the entire on-deck circle. He’s the best.

It was a mess. It will continue to be a mess. But there’s only one lesson to learn, and it’s not a very helpful one. Sometimes, things just go all screwy.
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I’d love to take a straw poll of the front office to see how many team executives would try a few bites of human flesh if it would guarantee the Dodgers a pennant, even. I’d guess more than half.

This brings us to Darvish. The Dodgers have had an opportunity to trade for several excellent pitchers over the past few years. David Price, Chris Sale, Jon Lester, Cole Hamels, and Johnny Cueto come to mind, and that’s just since 2014. Every time, the Dodgers demurred. There were always reasons, and some of them were excellent. They already had Zack Greinke as Kershaw’s complement. They didn’t want to give up Corey Seager or Cody Bellinger or Julio Urias. There was logic behind their decisions to stay away from the premium trade targets.

And, if Darvish does go elsewhere, it’s something he might have done even if the Rangers had held onto him. The difference now, the guarantee now, is that they have already acquired three pieces for their future, regardless of what Darvish does. The rest is now a bonus.

Mookie Betts showed off his pilot skills by flying Chris Archer to the All-Star Game

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Mookie Betts is a man of many talents — not only is he an All-Star right fielder for the Boston Red Sox, he’s apparently a pilot as well. Yes, a pilot. As in, like, airplanes.

The Red Sox star personally flew Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Chris Archer to the All-Star Game in Miami after the two faced off in a game Sunday afternoon. Betts piloted the plane from Tampa Bay to Miami — a roughly hour-long flight — while Archer just looked bewildered (and maybe a little bit nervous).

And while they made it safely to Miami, it’s hard to blame Archer for second-guessing Betts’ piloting skills. After all, just last year, Betts was swearing off driving entirely after plunging a golf cart into a pond.
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Whatever happens once the Mets start getting rid of various pieces for the best return possible, Granderson has already given thought to the upcoming end of his time with New York and possible end of his career.

In a conversation with the New York Post, the veteran was open about where he sees his career going after this, should it continue at all:

Dee Ford Game Jersey I’ve made my peace with it. I’m going to enjoy this season. If an opportunity presents itself for me to play, that’s great. If not, I’ve had a great run and I enjoyed it.

I’m 36 years old. I never thought I’d be playing this long. I thought I was only going to play two years and get released, and they kept letting me come back for 12 [full] seasons. We’ll see what happens, but there are other things I know I want to do.
The 36-year old is hitting .228 for the Mets this year, where he’s in the last year of a four-year, $60 million contract, but he has a batting average of only .111 in July with nine strikeouts to go along with that dismal number.

Dolphins’ woes continue as CB Tony Lippett tears Achilles

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The Dolphins have lost yet another key member of their team to injury.

Cornerback Tony Lippett tore an Achilles tendon during practice Monday and will have season-ending surgery, coach Adam Gase confirmed.

“I can’t say that Luck will be ready for the Rams game but he will be ready for the start of the season,” Irsay said vaguely, via CBS4 Indy.

He added, per the Indy Star, “I would say his progression could not be better”

Sunday’s 24-10 preseason loss to the Lions did nothing to ease Colts’ fans concerns about Luck’s absence, as none of the Indy quarterbacks played particularly well. Scott Tolzien went 2 for 5 for 24 yards, Phillip Walker went 9 for 20 for 86 yards, and Stephen Morris went 13 for 20 for 94 yards.

Detroit’s opening month could get ugly, depending on which Cardinals team shows up in Week 1. The next two weeks — a Monday Night Football game at MetLife Stadium and a home game against the defending NFC Champions — will set the tone for how the rest of the season goes. Split these games and the Lions should gain some confidence early.

The Lions’ October will go a long way to determine whether or not they’ll smell the playoffs. Both road games are winnable — Detroit beat both Minnesota and New Orleans on the road in 2016 — and they should have confidence to take care of business at home. The Sunday Night Football game against the Steelers will be another playoff-caliber test for the Lions, and it comes at a favorable time after the bye week.

Detroit’s first matchup with Green Bay is in prime time the week after it hosts Pittsburgh on Sunday night, but after that, the Lions could win out in November. The road game against Chicago might be a trap game — they lost at Soldier Field last season — and they host Minnesota on Thanksgiving for the second consecutive season.
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Add the Hall of Fame’s Parade of Legends to your induction weekend bucket list

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Limited Kevin Huber Jersey The folding camp chairs started to line Main Street on Friday night, as many as three rows deep in the choicest spots near the Baseball Hall of Fame entrance.
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The fans who have experienced induction weekend in the past came prepared, with laminated signs to mark their territory for Saturday evening’s annual parade. The newbies weren’t totally out of luck, though. The CVS on Main Street had plenty of the camp chairs for sale — at a very reasonable $14.95 each — and the nice folks working there even offered to let customers use a Sharpie to write their name on the chair, just so there was no confusion when the spot-claiming really picked up Saturday afternoon.

This was my first Hall of Fame Parade, too, but my goal — as always at events like this — was to wander around and take in the scene, so finding a semi-permanent spot wasn’t a priority. I’d looked forward to the parade for a long time now, but even more so after I talked with Class of 2015 Hall of Famer John Smoltz on the phone earlier in the week. The excitement in his voice was obvious as he talked about experiencing the parade.

But following the you can never have too many good relievers theory, the Cubs have been connected to all kinds of relief options. Team Zach Britton with Davis in the eighth and ninth innings, and the Cubs might not blow a late-inning lead the rest of the season. But Britton might cost too much for the Cubs to stomach.

While the Yankees suffered a little slump before the All-Star break, they are back leading the AL East heading into Monday’s action. Gray’s arrival, along with southpaw Jaime Garcia will give fans hope that this team is capable of making a World Series run this season.