First pitch: Is Willson Contreras being scapegoated for Cardinals failures?
Fans of both the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals have had Monday circled on their calendars for some time as the day marks the return of Willson Contreras to Wrigley Field, the place he called home for his first eight MLB seasons.However, the return of Contreras to the Windy City now brings...
2023-05-09 00:57
NBA best bets today (Predictions for Julius Randle, Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Davis)
It’s a Monday night prop night in the NBA best bets column, as I have three players to target for the Game 4 action between the New York Knicks and Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.While I think the Warriors are in a good spot to win on Monday (28-9 following a p...
2023-05-09 00:57
MLB Rumors: Willson Contreras return to Wrigley, Mets move, Dodgers-Padres
MLB Rumors: When will Mets call up Mark Vientos?The New York Mets called up Brett Baty a few weeks ago, and it has paid dividends. Buck Showalter's bunch went to the fountain of youth, called up Baty and received instant offense. It was a joy to watch in Queens, but Baty shouldn't be the...
2023-05-09 00:53
Down 3-0, Leafs' Big 4 seeking breakthrough versus Panthers
It was almost automatic in every game this season for the Toronto Maple Leafs
2023-05-09 00:50
Madrid must halt 'unstoppable' City, not only Haaland - Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti said his Real Madrid side must stop Manchester City's whole team and not just striker Erling Haaland when they meet in the...
2023-05-09 00:29
Former Eagles star Zach Ertz reveals near-trade that occurred in 2021
Former Eagles star Zach Ertz spilled the beans on where he almost landed in a 2021 trade. It came down to the Cardinals and a top AFC team.Former Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz is currently playing for the Arizona Cardinals, but there was a scenario in which Ertz could have landed on a ...
2023-05-09 00:18
Fulham hit Leicester for five to dent survival hopes
Leicester's chances of Premier League survival suffered a blow as they collapsed to a 5-3...
2023-05-09 00:17
Matthews wins Giro 3rd stage, Evenepoel still in pink
Australian Michael Matthews prevailed in a sprint finish to Monday's third stage of the Giro d'Italia with Remco Evenepoel retaining...
2023-05-09 00:16
Another Aaron Rodgers transplant sees major difference in QB as a New York Jet
Another New York Jets newcomer and one-time member of the Green Bay Packers had some positive thoughts about quarterback Aaron Rodgers.Some of the new additions to the New York Jets this offseason are obvious, especially when you consider the team’s most prominent new face. Of course, a nu...
2023-05-09 00:15
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Everton LIVE: Premier League team news, line-ups and more
Follow live coverage as Brighton & Hove Albion face Everton in the Premier League today. Manchester City are reigning champions after beating Liverpool to the finish line in a neck-and-neck 2021/22 title race where a comeback win on the final day of the season against Aston Villa secured a fourth title in five years for Pep Guardiola's side. Jurgen Klopp's Reds were on course for a quadruple last season but were forced to settle for just an FA Cup and Carabao Cup win and will return trying to win the title again just as they did in 2020. It was a dramatic season for Chelsea a year ago with Roman Abramovich now replaced by Todd Boehly as owner in west London. He will want an instant return on his hefty investment at Stamford Bridge while Tottenham, back in the Champions League, will want to kick on once more too. It's not all about the action at the top though with Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest promoted to the top tier for 2021/22 and hoping to hold their own against the best English football has to offer and avoid the drop. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:
2023-05-08 23:58
Where are Mercedes and Ferrari? Frankly, you don’t want to hear the answer
A running joke, visible in front of the cameras, is playing out between Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso this season. After Verstappen only qualified ninth for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix, second-placed Alonso predicted – in a routine which would be laughable if it wasn’t so accurate – that the Red Bull would slingshot past him by lap 25. In similar circumstances three races back in Saudi Arabia, wily double world champion Alonso was near-enough spot-on with the same prophecy. Except this time, it didn’t take Verstappen that long. By lap 15, Verstappen had overtaken seven sitting ducks to reach the rear of team-mate Sergio Perez. Eking out the maximum performance in his set of hard tyres, the Dutchman was in prime position to overtake Perez by the time he pitted for mediums on lap 46. Two rounds of the circuit later, Verstappen stormed clear of Perez’s valiant defence to take a statement victory. That, plus the fastest lap, handed the championship leader a perfect 26-point day. His gap to Perez is now 14 points. Aston Martin’s Alonso, in third, is 44 points behind Verstappen – the closest challenger outside the Red Bull behemoth. But it is the Constructors’ Standings which really tells the tale of this one-sided bloodbath right now. Red Bull, on 224 points out of a possible 235, are 122 points ahead of Aston Martin, a surprise success story. Mercedes and Ferrari – giants of Formula 1, the supposed title challengers – are 128 and 146 points behind Red Bull respectively. We have had just five grand prix weekends. Five. Christian Horner, gleaming under the Florida sun after a fourth Red Bull one-two in five races, simply could not help himself: “We’ve never, ever had a start like this. We’re wondering: where are the others? We’ve made a normal step over the winter. “Where did Ferrari and Mercedes go?” The gap between the RB19 and the rest is truly staggering. Excluding the Australian Grand Prix which concluded under the safety car, the amassed gap between the RB19 and the next-best car is over 1 minute and 45 seconds. 106.8 seconds, to be precise, in just four grand prix. In Miami, the gap was 26.3 seconds, still less than the 38.6 second Red Bull advantage at the season-opener in Bahrain. RED BULL’S ADVANTAGE OVER THE NEXT-BEST CAR Bahrain: 36.6 seconds Saudi Arabia: 20.7 seconds Australia: 0.1 seconds Azerbaijan: 21.2 seconds Miami: 26.3 seconds In short, Mercedes and Ferrari have never been further away from the front in the hybrid era. Last year, in what proved to be a season of double world championship glory for Red Bull, Charles Leclerc was at least winning races and challenging at the start of the campaign. By the end of 2022, Mercedes seemed to have, finally, unlocked their unique package with a one-two finish in Brazil. Yet on Sunday, Leclerc was grappling with Haas’ and Alpines in the midfield on his way to seventh. Lewis Hamilton – who only qualified 13th-fastest – had to make a late surge to leap up to P6. Perhaps the most amusing moment in the closing laps was George Russell, in a state of bewildered shock running in fourth, asking his engineer: “Who is the car ahead of Fernando on track? We’re that close to Perez?!” A simple response squashed any hope. It was simply a lapped car. “No, sorry. It’s Sargeant on track.” Ever since admitting to needing to rip up their current car philosophy in Bahrain, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has referred to the next race in Imola as a potential season benchmark, with a new upgrade highly-anticipated. Yet while Hamilton insisted he needs a “one-second upgrade”, Wolff downplayed expectations. “I don’t think we’ll get there and suddenly we’re half a second faster and in the middle of a fight,” he remarked, after a weekend in Miami when he also described the W14 car as a “nasty piece of work” and “poisonous.” Ferrari, meanwhile, do have a car capable of challenging on a Saturday, as Leclerc showed in the last race in Baku with two pole positions. Yet the contrast to raceday – a reminder to the Scuderia: when the points are won – is perplexing to all those in scarlet red. “Once again today, the significant difference between the SF-23’s performance level in qualifying and the race was clear to see,” a baffled Fred Vasseur, team principal, said. Two weeks’ time in Imola will see Ferrari’s famed legion of fans, the tifosi, turn up in their thousands. What Ferrari greets them, however, remains to be seen. Upgrades are coming for both. Mercedes – and the wider F1 fanbase, truth be told – are pinning their season hopes on this upcoming renovation. Ferrari have new parts coming too, amid a scratching of heads in Maranello. Horner did point out that Red Bull’s penalty for breaking the 2021 cost cap will affect them as the season progresses. Even more reason, he says, to get “fresh air” between Red Bull and the chasing pack right now. But he need not worry. The gap already looks near-insurmountable with 18 races to go. The title fight looks likely to be played out between his men – and even then with a now-undisputed favourite. Keep those fingers and toes crossed for Imola. Maybe the upgrades can miraculously narrow the top-tier playing field. The competitiveness of this season may just hinge on it. Read More ‘Nasty piece of work’: Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes slammed by Toto Wolff Max Verstappen claims Miami boos are due to his success: ‘They don’t like who wins’ Max Verstappen sends chilling message to rivals after Miami win: ‘I always feel unbeatable’ George Russell takes aim at ‘distracting’ razzmatazz before Miami Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton would be taking gamble by leaving Mercedes, says former rival
2023-05-08 23:50
Rays vs. Orioles prediction and odds for Monday, May 8
Yesterday was a very different story for the top two teams in the AL East. The Tampa Bay Rays overcame a six-run lead to win in 10 innings against the Yankees.The best team in baseball is now 28-7 and has a 5.5 game lead on the Baltimore Orioles because the O’s got walked off in the 12th i...
2023-05-08 23:49