List of All Articles with Tag 'al'

In honor of Pride Month, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has decreed that... teams should not wear Pride-inspired logos or patches. So much for being an ally.MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is taking the "MLB" out of LGBTQ+ this month, if the acronym had an "M", anyway.On Thurs...

The Patriots hosted free agent wide out DeAndre Hopkins on a "productive" visit but he left the faciliites without a deal in place.DeAndre Hopkins is the hottest name in NFL free agency this summer. The Patriots are hoping to he becomes the hottest name in New England when all is said ...

Stephen Kenny has insisted he does not feel under any pressure to select teenage sensation Evan Ferguson for the Republic of Ireland. The 18-year-old has emerged from the Brighton ranks in thrilling fashion this season and his Premier League form was rewarded with a first senior Ireland cap in November before a goal in his maiden start for his country against Latvia in March. Ferguson’s blossoming talent has prompted excitement back at home and he will hope for a role in Friday night’s key Euro 2024 qualifier against Greece in Athens. But asked if the clamour to pick him was a problem, Kenny replied: “No, not at all. At the moment on recent form, he’s in the team on merit. He’s been our best forward, for sure. “To score a goal in his first game can only give him confidence. I don’t feel any pressure, no. He’s a brilliant addition for us. I’m delighted to have him in the team.” Ferguson started Ireland’s opening qualifier, a 1-0 home defeat by France, a game in which he and his team-mates fought a rearguard action for long periods before ultimately going down to Benjamin Pavard’s second-half strike. Greece boss Gus Poyet is expecting a significantly different approach at the OPAP Arena – which could only be a third full as the Uruguayan attempts to lure fans back to support the national team – and Kenny did little to disabuse him of the notion. He said: “France were a penalty shootout away from being double World Cup champions. They are undoubtedly a world-class team, a team that has a lot of world stars in it. “This is a different game entirely. Greece are on a good run of form, they are a possession-based team as well, they get a high percentage of possession in a lot of their games, they like to dominate possession, they’re expansive. “We’ve shown the capacity to be like that as well in a lot of games, that’s one of our strengths as well. It’s an intriguing game really. “Is the approach different? Yes it is, so we’ll have to wait and see how that goes on Friday.” Wigan wing-back James McClean could win his 99th cap in Athens, putting him in line to become the seventh man to win 100 for Ireland against Gibraltar on Monday, although Kenny is adamant sentiment will not come into his thinking. He said: “You can’t allow sentiment to enter your decision-making process when you’re selecting the team, that doesn’t come into it. But anything is possible. “James, there’s an inevitability he will get 100 caps, it’s only a matter of when. He’s been an incredible servant to Ireland. “You see [Luka] Modric playing at 37 last night – you wouldn’t put that out of the realms of James playing to that age. He’s obsessed with his levels of fitness. He could play for several years still.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Gareth Southgate urges players not to cross the line with celebrations England Under-21s defender Jarrad Branthwaite was close to giving up on football Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele set record-breaking pace at US Open

The Denver Nuggets celebrated their NBA championship victory during a parade on Thursday and took time to throw some shade at the Los Angeles Lakers.The Denver Nuggets won their first-ever NBA championship on Monday, as they defeated the Miami Heat in five games. Next up before entering offseaso...

England boss Gareth Southgate admits there is a line his players cannot cross following Jack Grealish’s treble celebrations. The manager stopped short of criticising the forward after his partying grabbed the headlines. Grealish joined his Manchester City team-mates for a night in Ibiza – following Saturday’s 1-0 Champions League win over Inter Milan which sealed the treble – before they returned on Monday ahead of their trophy parade. The 27-year-old, Phil Foden, Kalvin Phillips, John Stones and Kyle Walker linked up with the England squad on Tuesday ahead of Friday’s Euro 2024 qualifier in Malta. They will not start and Southgate insisted any celebrations should not go over the top. He said: “There is a line but in our head we weren’t thinking of including the City players for this game. “I have spoken with the players. We have talked about where the focus needs to be, where we need them to be and acknowledged what they have experienced and that’s for me to manage. “A few of our players would be teetotal. What is different is that everyone posts everything. I wouldn’t have liked a few of my nights out to be posted publicly. My generation would have a lot more problems. “We know, talking to Hendo (Jordan Henderson), Harry Kane, Tripps (Kieran Trippier) what that game takes out of you. “It’s a huge occasion and we needed to give those guys the time to take everything in but, point number one, they all wanted to come in to be with the group, which is fantastic. “I don’t think they would have felt anything unusual about how we have dealt with this and how we have embraced the players back in to the group. “We have also got the dynamic that while they are chuffed to bits and we are proud of them, a few others are pretty p****d off that they have won it at their expense. You are always really conscious of that.” England’s last trip to Malta – a World Cup qualifier in 2017 – ended with a 4-0 victory but only after three goals in the final five minutes from Kane, Ryan Bertrand and Danny Welbeck. It saw fans turn on the team, who were drawing 0-0 at half time, and Southgate remembers the atmosphere, with the squad abused on the coach driving to the stadium, during and after the game. “Myself and Steve (Holland) were talking about it as we landed because it wasn’t a pleasant journey to the stadium and it was less pleasant going home,” he said. “I’m not sure everyone knew we had won 4-0, because they were in the bar at 1-0, some at 0-0. “For us it was a good reference to how far the relationship with the fans has come. The performances of the team are going to ebb and flow, the connection with the fans feels completely different now. “It doesn’t matter what we have done in the last few years, last few games, we have to go again tomorrow night and make sure that we give our fans something to be excited about.” Meanwhile, Kieran Trippier believes the squad needs to embrace their final games of the season. England, top of Group C, also host North Macedonia at Old Trafford on Monday aiming to solidify their lead following March’s wins over Ukraine and Italy. It will cap a season which also saw the first winter World Cup in November and December with the Premier League having finished three weeks ago. “It’s difficult. It has been a tough season for myself and obviously the lads in Europe as well,” said Newcastle defender Trippier. We know at the end of the day we are coming away with England and they are two massive games. We want to be going to Germany next year. Kieran Trippier “We know at the end of the day we are coming away with England and they are two massive games. We want to be going to Germany next year. “We know the challenges but for me it is easy to flip the switch and get back into that mode again. “It’s been a good week of training. Everyone is buzzing to be back together and hopefully we can get the result. “You have to be professional in terms of not doing too much and overloading. It’s about ticking over and just getting yourself in the best possible shape to be with England.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live England Under-21s defender Jarrad Branthwaite was close to giving up on football Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele set record-breaking pace at US Open Joselu fires Spain to Nations League final with late winner against Italy

Braves Rumors: Spencer Strider struggles sounding some alarmsSpencer Strider's start to the 2023 season was the stuff of legends, the type of performance that you could put on par with the things that Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz did for the Atlanta Braves. The young ace became th...

Antonio Brown's indoor football team, Albany Empire, just got booted out of the National Arena League. The ex-NFL player sure knows how to make an exit.It took Antonio Brown roughly three months to blow up his NFL career in the 2021 season. It also took him three months to blow up an indoor...

Jarrad Branthwaite has just helped PSV Eindhoven to Champions League qualification and the Dutch Cup, but the defender was just six weeks away from not having a football career. The 20-year-old spent last season on loan at the Eredivisie club from Everton and excelled, playing 36 times in all competitions and leaving with silverware, which was enough to earn him a call-up for the England Under-21s squad for this summer’s Euro 2023 tournament in Romania and Georgia. But it could have been so different just four years ago when his boyhood club Carlisle gave him a six-week ultimatum to prove he was worthy of a professional contract. Branthwaite, whose development was hindered by knee condition Osgood-Schlatter, felt close to giving up but it was his dad Paul who pushed him. “When I was at Carlisle at 16, it was a scholarship and they said to me that I had six weeks to prove that I wanted to get a professional contract,” he said. “I went through a stage where I was like ‘do I really want to do it?’ And he said ‘yeah, come on, you have to do it’. So I think he’s influenced me to get to where I am today. “I would probably say I was close to giving up. They said they didn’t think I had it in me to get a professional contract so they gave me six weeks. “My dad Paul gave me a training programme to do and after the six weeks, I got given a contract. The programme was just to work on my fitness and things and strength to give myself the best chance to get that contract. “It was back at home in the gym and stuff to make sure that if I looked back and had regrets, it would kick me, you know? So it was to make sure I gave my all and even if I didn’t get it, I could say I tried my best. “I told him thanks for it. It’ll be a proud moment for him if I play for England here at a major tournament.” His career path has sky rocketed since then and he has become hot property, with a host of top European clubs reported to be interested in signing him this summer. But he has hinted that a return to Goodison Park could be on the cards as he eyes a Premier League career. I would probably say I was close to giving up. They said they didn't think I had it in me to have get a professional contract so they gave me six weeks Jarrad Branthwaite “You’ve got to set your goals. To play in the Premier League continuously is a big thing for every player,” he added. “When I left Carlisle for Everton, it was my goal to play in the Premier League. I think every kid’s goal is to play in the Premier League. That would be my main ambition. Just to solidify myself in a team in the Premier League at Everton and play as many games as I can. “It’s just about hard work. You’ve got to keep working hard every day, give yourself the best possible chance and perform on the pitch. “It’s been a good, successful year for me. I moved abroad to PSV and was just looking to play games and to develop as a player. “Over the year I’ve done that. I’ve played 36 games overall so it was a good learning curve for me, getting regular game time which is the first time in my career I’ve done that. I really enjoyed my time there. It was a good experience.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele set record-breaking pace at US Open Joselu fires Spain to Nations League final with late winner against Italy Rickie Fowler hits 62 at US Open to equal lowest score in men’s major history

Joselu came off the bench to grab a late winner as Spain snatched a place in the Nations League final with a 2-1 win over Italy in Enschede. The former Newcastle forward pounced two minutes from the end of a tight encounter on Thursday after a shot from Manchester City’s Champions League final match-winner Rodri was deflected into his path. Spain had taken a third-minute lead through Yeremy Pino but Italy soon levelled with a penalty from Ciro Immobile. Italy’s Davide Frattesi then had a goal chalked off for a narrow offside and Joselu had the final say, just four minutes after coming on. The game was largely played at a slow pace but it got off to a lively start. Pino gave Spain an instant advantage after robbing Italy captain Leonardo Bonucci on the edge of the area and firing past Gianluigi Donnarumma. It was a lead that was soon erased as Italy were awarded a spot-kick seven minutes later after a shot from Nicolo Zaniolo was blocked by the arm of Robin Le Normand. Immobile made no mistake from 12 yards. Italy were unfortunate not to be in front soon after as Frattesi finished superbly from a lofted Jorginho pass but VAR intervened. Italy went close again before the break when Rafael Toloi volleyed just over and Spain had another chance when Alvaro Morata shot straight at Donnarumma. The second half lacked dynamism but both sides had opportunities. Rodri, fresh from his winner in City’s Istanbul triumph on Saturday, tried to catch Donnarumma out with an overhead kick that dropped over before Zaniolo forced a good save from Unai Simon at the other end. Rodri was involved again for what proved the winner when his shot was blocked and Joselu calmly dinked past Donnarumma. Spain will now play Croatia in Sunday’s final with Italy facing the Netherlands in the third-place play-off. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele set record-breaking pace at US Open Rickie Fowler hits 62 at US Open to equal lowest score in men’s major history Gareth Southgate facing ‘complicated’ decision on Man City stars for Malta game

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Rickie Fowler went onto an extremely difficult Los Angeles Country Club and dominated with a US Open record for a single round, firing an 8-under 62.It has been a stark turnaround in performance for Rickie Fowler over the past year as the uber-popular golfer who had seemingly lost any semblance ...

Gareth Southgate confirmed Manchester City’s quintet are available to face Malta, but the England boss is wary about the emotional impact of completing the treble and subsequent revelry. Pep Guardiola’s men became the second team in English football history to complete the treble by beating Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday. City partied long into the night in Turkey and only halted their celebrations after Monday’s rain-soaked parade back in Manchester, with worse-for-wear Jack Grealish at the heart of things. The playmaker reported for England duty at St George’s Park on Tuesday evening along with team-mates Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, John Stones and Kalvin Phillips. They travelled to Malta for Friday’s Euro 2024 qualifier, but the emotional – and for some hedonistic – build-up raises questions over their availability. “The first thing is they’re not on summer holiday,” Southgate said of the squad. “They’re all available, so everybody’s fit. We’ve obviously got a lot of considerations, particularly the boys that arrived later. “They’ve not done the majority of the week’s training and coming off the back of massive emotional high. “It’s always complicated, the decisions you have to make. This is never a straightforward week when you’re talking about international football. “But the team have trained really well, the players that have been with us all week, especially, the focus has been excellent and we’re looking forward to the game now.” On the City quintet, Southgate said: “I spoke with them when they arrived, firstly to say what an incredible achievement (it is) and huge congratulations to the whole club and to Pep. He’s done an incredible job to keep the team at the level he has for the whole season. It’s an amazing achievement. “But we’re actually heading into the unknown here because there’s no way of knowing individually how they’re all going to react and respond to what they’ve been through. “Huge emotion, celebration, need to get back into training, back in with the group, so we’re just going to have to take that bit by bit and see how they all are. “They’re all available but I’ve got to decide whether that’s a good decision. We’ve also got strength in depth in a lot of those positions as well.” Southgate’s pride at his players’ success with City was clear, but he kept his cards close to his chest when asked for his thoughts about the partying. “I’m always monitoring everything the players do wherever they are, at whatever stage of the season,” he said. “We’re used to dealing with this Champions League scenario. “It was probably even more complicated for us when Tottenham played Liverpool (in 2019) because we were then into the semi-final of the Nations League about three days later. “We’ve had several difficult situations with that, but we know how to deal with it. “We’re used to dealing with it, we know our players inside out and our focus is on the team now. “I’ve said to the players, I now have to push them. They might not want to be pushed at this stage, that’s also individually we’ll find out where they are as we go through the week. “But that’s my job. I’ve got to push the players now to get the results we need and, as we said to the wider group at the start, the responsibility lies with them. “Initially this part of the week they’ve got to drive the team and get the performance we want.” Southgate’s press conference at the Ta’ Qali National Stadium was delayed due to technical difficulties upon arriving in Malta, with his 24-man squad forced to wait on the tarmac. Eberechi Eze is among the travelling side and hoping to make his debut on Friday, as is England Under-21s international Levi Colwill, who joined the group after initially being brought into train with them this week. The pair are among those that have had to pause their post-season break at the end of a mammoth season for international duty, but Kieran Trippier says the team are fully focused. “It was important obviously that the lads had a break,” the Newcastle right-back said. “Coming into the England set-up, it’s always a proud moment for all of us to get going again. “When you say it’s been a long season, but for us players there’s nothing better… (we’re) proud to represent our country. “We know what the goal is, to try and reach a Euros and we’ve had a good week training to prepare for this game. “The lads are playing really well. We know it’s going to be a challenge tomorrow, but it’s one I’m ready for.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Will Marcus Rashford make a qualifier return? – 5 talking points Andy Murray feeling ‘really positive’ over fitness as winning run continues Gareth Southgate undecided on whether to select Man City stars against Malta