Taking on the NFL and football’s Super Bowl champs
Cowboys Michael Gallup Jersey , President Donald Trump gave the boot to a White House ceremony for the Philadelphia Eagles and instead threw his own brief
”Celebration of America” after it became clear most players weren’t going to
show up.
Both sides traded hot accusations about who was to blame.
Trump tried to turn the fracas into a referendum on patriotism and tie it to the dispute over players who have taken a knee during the national anthem to
protest racism and police brutality. However, Eagles players never knelt during
the ”Star-Spangled Banner,” throughout the 2017 season and their march to the
Super Bowl.
The White House accused Eagles team members of pulling a ”political stunt” and abandoning their fans by backing out at the last minute. Indeed, few
apparently were going to come, though some expressed disappointment that they’d
been disinvited and complained Trump was unfairly painting them as
anti-American.
CLEVELAND (AP) – Stephen Curry and LeBron James spoke their minds last year. They have not changed their minds this year.
No matter whose team wins the NBA championship, neither superstar will be at the White House anytime soon.
On the day when the Philadelphia Eagles were supposed to be there to commemorate winning the Super Bowl – a visit that was canceled by President
Donald Trump – Curry and James were among those speaking out at the NBA Finals
in support of the Eagles.
GYMNASTICS
WASHINGTON (AP) – The former president of USA Gymnastics refused to answer questions from a Senate subcommittee about how he handled allegations of sexual
abuse by former team doctor Larry Nassar, and another former executive sat next
to him and asserted that her former boss instructed her and others to keep quiet
about athletes’ claims.
Rhonda Faehn, the former senior vice president of USA Gymnastics, said she first reported an allegation against Nassar to Steve Penny, her then-boss, on
June 17, 2015. Nassar was not arrested until more than a year later. He is now
serving decades in prison for sexual assault and possession of child
pornography, and hundreds of athletes have said they were abused by
him
Denzel Ward Jersey , including Olympic gymnasts Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Simone Biles.
The revelations about Nassar’s conduct over two decades and the way it was handled by Penny and others have led Congress to call for drastic reforms of the
U.S. Olympic Committee, USA Gymnastics and other sports’ governing bodies.
Faehn said Penny warned her and others not to discuss the allegations against Nassar and that she wrongly assumed he had taken the allegations to law
enforcement.
NHL
NEW YORK (AP) – Lou Lamoriello moved quickly to shake up the New York Islanders by firing coach Doug Weight and general manager Garth Snow and naming
himself the team’s new GM just two weeks after taking over as president of
hockey operations.
Lamoriello made the moves that begin to reshape the organization in his image, two weeks to the day ownership said he’d have ”full authority over all
hockey matters.” Lamoriello left the Toronto Maple Leafs to run the Islanders
and will begin the search for a new coach immediately.
The end of Snow’s tenure seemed inevitable after owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin brought in Lamoriello to oversee the hockey operations department. The
Islanders missed the playoffs eight times in Snow’s 12 years as general manager,
including the past two seasons.
Weight, who took over for the fired Jack Capuano in January 2017, just finished his first full season as head coach.
HORSE RACING
NEW YORK (AP) – Something Bob Baffert always dreads has come true ahead of the Belmont Stakes: Justify drew the No. 1 post for the colt’s bid to sweep the
Triple Crown.
The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner was made the early 4-5 favorite in the 10-horse field for Saturday’s race.
Baffert is not a fan of the inside post for his horses, no matter what the race.
History, however, may be on Justify’s side. Since 1905, a leading 23 horses have won from the No. 1 post. The last to win from there was Empire Maker in
2003 when he spoiled Funny Cide’s Triple Crown bid.
Justify won the first two legs of the series from the No. 7 post. He ran on sloppy tracks both times and the forecast for Saturday calls for a 60 percent
chance of rain.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Pitcher Meghan King settled down after a rough start to complete a record-setting Women’s College World Series, and Florida State beat
Washington 8-3 to claim its first national title.
The Seminoles (58-12) won the best-of-three championship series 2-0. They lost their opener before winning six straight to become just the third team to
come through the losers’ bracket and take the title.
King broke a World Series record for lowest ERA among pitchers who threw at least 10 innings with a mark of 0.20. She earned four wins and a save in
Oklahoma City while allowing just one earned run in 34 1/3 innings.
King was on such a run that Florida State’s ace throughout the season, Kylee Hanson
Fernando Valenzuela Jersey , never had to pitch in the championship series.
Florida State’s Jessie Warren, who hit .520 in the World Series, was named most outstanding player. She went 3 for 4 with a homer on Tuesday.
TENNIS
PARIS (AP) – Novak Djokovic’s neck was bothering him. Then his right leg was.
The way he faltered at the most crucial of moments in the French Open quarterfinals might have hurt him the most against an opponent who never won a
Grand Slam match until last week and Justin Turner hit Los Angeles‘ seventh home
run of the game, a go-ahead drive in the 11th inning that lifted the Dodgers
over the New York Mets 8-7 on Sunday.
Cody Bellinger and Kike Hernandez each homered twice as the Dodgers beat the Mets for the 12th straight time dating to 2016. Max Muncy and Joc Pederson also
connected for Los Angeles. Hernandez and Muncy led off the game with
back-to-back shots.
The Mets matched a team record for the most homers allowed in a game, and lost their sixth in a row overall.
Turner, a former Met, homered off Chris Flexen (0-1) with two outs to put the Dodgers up for good. Los Angeles had squandered a 7-4 lead in the eighth when
Kevin Plawecki hit a tying three-run shot.
Daniel Hudson (2-2) picked up the victory with two scoreless innings.
INDIANS 12, TIGERS 2
CLEVELAND (AP) – Edwin Encarnacion hit an eighth-inning grand slam, helping the Indians to their season-high seventh straight win.
Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez and Jason Kipnis also connected for Cleveland, which outscored Detroit 26-3 in the three-game sweep. Ramirez finished with
three hits, extending his streak of reaching base to 31 consecutive games.
Adam Plutko (4-1) pitched six innings of two-run ball, becoming the second rookie starter to beat the Tigers in the series. Shane Bieber pitched seven
innings in Friday night’s 12-0 win.
Tigers starter Matthew Boyd (4-6) allowed a season-high six runs in three-plus innings in his shortest outing of the season.
Detroit has lost five straight overall and is 3-10 against Cleveland this season.
RED SOX 5
Nathan Shepherd Jersey Jets , MARINERS 0
BOSTON (AP) – Chris Sale struck out 13 over seven dazzling innings and Mitch Moreland hit a two-run homer, leading Boston to the victory.
Sale (7-4) gave up four hits and walked one. Joe Kelly and Matt Barnes each pitched an inning to complete the four-hitter.
Jackie Bradley Jr. had three singles and Rafael Devers added an RBI double for Boston, which struggled offensively in a 7-2 loss Saturday night after
putting up 14 runs and 20 hits in the series opener.
The Mariners fell to 1-5 on their 10-game East Coast trip. Marco Gonzales (7-5) gave up five runs in six innings.
REDS 8, CUBS 6
CINCINNATI (AP) – Pitcher Michael Lorenzen and Jesse Winker connected for pinch-hit homers in Cincinnati’s seven-run seventh inning, sending the Reds to
their seventh straight victory.
Lorenzen’s homer was the third of his career and second in two games by a Reds pitcher. Anthony DeSclafani hit a grand slam on Saturday – the first by a
Reds pitcher since 1959.
Jackson Stephens (1-0) got the win as the Reds completed a four-game sweep of the Cubs for the first time in 25 years. Raisel Iglesias worked the ninth for
his 13th save.
Anthony Rizzo and Albert Almora Jr. homered for Chicago, and Pedro Strop (3-1) got the loss.
RAYS 7, YANKEES 6, 12 INNINGS
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Rookie Jake Bauers led off the 12th inning with a home run, finishing off Tampa Bay’s three-game sweep.
The Yankees also lost catcher Gary Sanchez when he pulled up while running out a double-play grounder in the 10th. Manager Aaron Boone said Sanchez hurt
his right groin/hip abductor and is probably headed for the disabled list.
Giancarlo Stanton homered while going 5 for 5 for New York. The Yankees had been the only team in the majors that hadn’t lost three in a row this year.
Bauers connected on the first pitch from Chasen Shreve (2-2). Ryan Yarbrough (7-3) pitched an inning for the win.
BRAVES 7, ORIOLES 3
ATLANTA (AP) – Freddie Freeman hit a two-run single in the first, pinch-hitter Dansby Swanson belted a two-run homer in the eighth and the Braves
earned their first win over the Orioles in six years.
Baltimore won the first two games of the series and swept the last set between the teams in 2015. Atlanta ended a stretch of seven straight losses to
the Orioles since 2012.
Mark Trumbo and Trey Mancini homered for Baltimore. David Hess (2-4) gave up five runs in four innings.
Braves right-hander Brandon McCarthy (6-3) yielded three runs in five innings.
DIAMONDBACKS 3, PIRATES 0
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Clay Buchholz pitched five solid innings before leaving with an injury
Authentic Courtland Sutton Jersey , and the Diamondbacks completed a four-game sweep of the Pirates.
Buchholz (2-1) retired his first 11 batters before Starling Marte doubled down the right-field line with two out in the fourth inning. Despite throwing
just 53 pitches, he was pulled after experiencing tightness in his left
side.
The injury occurred on a swing in the fifth. Buchholz called the early exit ”more precautionary.”
David Peralta hit a two-run homer for Arizona, and John Ryan Murphy also went deep. Brad Boxberger worked the ninth for his 17th save.
Pirates right-hander Trevor Williams (6-5) allowed three runs in six innings.
CARDINALS 8, BREWERS 2
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Luke Weaver won for the first time in eight starts and Jose Martinez hit a three-run homer for St. Louis.
Weaver (4-6) allowed two runs, both in the first, and five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out a season-high nine in his first victory since May 11.
Martinez’s 11th homer capped a five-run fourth that made it 6-2 Cardinals.
Christian Yelich homered for the NL Central-leading Brewers. Jhoulys Chacin (6-3) allowed a season-high eight runs in 4 1/3 innings.
TWINS 2, RANGERS 0
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Jose Berrios struck out a career-best 12 in seven innings, and the Twins beat Bartolo Colon and the Rangers.
Eddie Rosario had two hits for Minnesota, which snapped a three-game losing st.
