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NBA Owners Still Looking To Form A European Circuit

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David Stern wanted a NBA Europe conference two decades ago.

The league is exploring options.

The National Basketball Association’s Board of Governors, also known as the 30 franchise owners, has apparently decided to go ahead and try to figure out how to establish an NBA circuit in Europe. About two decades ago then NBA Commissioner David Stern was exploring a way to create a European conference but Stern concluded at the time, Europe lacked early 21st century state-of-the-art venues and that the league could not succeed. The NBA Board of Governors will work with FIBA, the international governing body of basketball, in an attempt to build a league. But the timing of an American-owned sports league in Europe is coinciding with a possible trade war between the United States and the European Union. There are people protesting in Europe about the views of the present American administration. An American-owned league might be a difficult sell in countries with the population centers needed for the circuit. Those countries include France and Germany where the NBA presumably would like to place franchises in cities like Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt or Munich.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is of the thought that the NBA could build a league of 16 teams, with 12 permanent members and four spots available to play into or be tossed out of the group each season. There is nothing set in stone at this point and Silver admitted that. “One of the things I’m fascinated in exploring,” Silver said, “is to the extent we have the ability to create a league from scratch. How would we do things different based on 79 years of learning in the NBA and based on decades of learning for FIBA?” There is an established Europe league and established well known European teams. Building a league might be easy but jumping over the hurdle of geopolitics might not be as simple.

Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191

Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com

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Caballero slugs 1st career slam and Rays win 5-4 over Angels with teams combining for 6 homers

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Tampa Bay Rays’ José Caballero (77) celebrates his grand-slam home run while rounding first base during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Wednesday, April, 9, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — José Caballero slugged his first career grand slam and the Tampa Bay Rays held on for a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night to snap a five-game losing streak.

Caballero gave the Rays a 4-0 lead in the first inning before the Angels hit solo homers in the second, fourth and fifth to cut the margin to one. Yandy Díaz added a solo homer in the seventh for a two-run cushion before Los Angeles’ Kyren Paris hit his second solo shot of the game in the eighth.

All six homers went to right field where down the line it is just 315 feet at George Steinbrenner Field, the Rays’ home while Tropicana Field undergoes repairs from hurricane damage last fall. Caballero’s homer — his first of the season — traveled 327 feet as did Díaz’s drive, also his first.

Paris’ homers were his fourth and fifth of the season. Jorge Soler hit his third and Taylor Ward his first.

Ryan Pepiot (1-1) went five innings and gave up three solo homers. Pete Fairbanks was the fourth Rays reliever and worked a scoreless ninth for his second save.

Yusei Kikuchi (0-2) pitched six innings and gave up four runs.

Díaz and Curtis Mead each had a pair of hits for Tampa Bay. Nolan Schanuel had two hits for Los Angeles.

Angels third baseman Yoán Moncada left the game with right thumb soreness.

Key moment

Fairbanks got the first two outs in the ninth before walking Schanuel. Mike Trout fouled out to end the game.

Key stat

Caballero’s first slam came in his 688th at-bat in his third major league season.

Up next

The teams conclude their series Thursday with Jose Soriano (1-1, 3.65 ERA) scheduled to pitch for the Angels against Zack Littell (0-2, 4.15).

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb





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Matthew Knies scores in OT for his second hat trick and the Maple Leafs beat the Lightning 4-3

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Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Matthew Knies (23) celebrates afrter scoring past Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Knies scored a game-winning goal in overtime to record his second hat trick of the season, and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 on Wednesday night.

Toronto opened up a three-point lead on Tampa Bay for first place in the Atlantic Division with four games left for each team.

Knies finished off his hat trick with 1:04 left in the overtime.

Mitch Marner had a goal and three points and Auston Matthews had three assists. Anthony Stolarz finished with 25 saves.

Oliver Bjorkstrand, Victor Hedman and Nick Perbix scored for the Lightning, which moved three points ahead of Florida for second place in the division. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves.

Toronto scored twice in the opening 3:33, with Marner scoring his 25th of the season at 1:13 followed by Knies off a rebound for a 2-0 lead.

Perbix scored with 1:02 left in the first period. Bjorkstrand tied it on a power-play goal 50 seconds into the third before Knies regained the lead on a Toronto power play at 2:02.

Hedman tied the game at 11:05 of the third on the power play.

Takeaways

Maple Leafs: Marner recorded his 202nd career multi-point game and passed Dave Keon for fourth most in franchise history. … Knies has 10 goals in nine career games against Tampa Bay.

Lightning: Center Luke Glendening left the game in the first period and did not return. … LW Jake Guentzel missed the game for family reasons.

Key moment

Brayden Point was cross checked by Bobby McMann and dropped the gloves with the Toronto forward to fire up his team. McMann earned the extra penalty on the play that led to Victor Hedman’s tying goal at 11:05 of the third.

Key stat

Toronto finished with 32 blocked shots.

Up next

Tampa Bay hosts Detroit on Friday and Toronto hosts Montreal on Saturday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl





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After 2 years in an Argentine prison, former Masters champ Angel Cabrera is back at Augusta National

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — It has been six long years since Angel Cabrera walked the verdant green fairways of the Masters.

Two were spent in a gray Argentine prison cell.

Once feted with a parade through the streets of Cordoba for his U.S. Open triumph in 2007, and celebrated again for his victory at Augusta National two years later, Cabrera found himself staring down prosecutors in July 2021. The man known as “El Pato,” or “The Duck,” for his waddling gait had been accused of making threats against one of his former partners.

Cabrera ultimately was sentenced to prison, and a year later, pleaded guilty when another ex-girlfriend came forward with similar claims. The court made the two sentences concurrent, but the result was still three years and 10 months behind bars.

He was released on parole in August 2023 and cleared to return to the PGA Tour Champions later that year.

Now, after winning the Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational on Sunday, the 55-year-old Cabrera is back at the Masters, where chairman Fred Ridley affirmed that his lifetime status as a former champion remained intact.

“We certainly abhor domestic violence of any type,” Ridley said on the eve of the tournament Wednesday. “As it relates to Angel, Angel has served the sentence that was proscribed by the Argentine courts and he was a past champion, so he was invited.”

Cabrera spent 15 minutes speaking with a small group of reporters Tuesday, beneath the stately oak that serves as a popular meeting point near the Augusta National clubhouse. He was honest but succinct. He was contrite. He acknowledged the mistakes that he had made, and said that he was was back with feelings of both hope and gratitude.

“Life has given me another opportunity. I got to take advantage of that,” Cabrera said, speaking in Spanish. “There was a stage in my life of five years — four, five years — that they weren’t the right things I should have done. Before that, I was OK.

“So I just have to keep doing what I know I can do right.”

That includes striking a golf ball.

After he was paroled, and before Cabrera could secure his visa to travel outside of Argentina, his longtime coach, Charlie Epps, brought him a set of clubs to begin practicing again. There was a bit of rust, but the swing didn’t feel a whole lot different than it had a couple of years earlier, when Cabrera made the cut in the Senior Players Championship.

“I started to practice a lot, getting in form,” Cabrera said. “I don’t know if exactly my game’s back technically.”

It was good enough to win Sunday. Cabrera was tied with K.J. Choi in a PGA Tour Champions event that he only got into at the last minute when Mark Hensby withdrew, until a birdie on the 17th hole. Cabrera safely found the 18th green, two-putted from 18 feet for par, and he was able to celebrate a victory that seemed a decade in the making.

Or perhaps longer during those long nights in prison.

“Obviously I regret things that happened and you learn from them,” Cabrera said, “but at the same time, those are in the past and we have to look forward to what’s coming.”

That included the Champions Dinner on Tuesday night, when Cabrera was able to once again join a collection of past winners to celebrate and reminisce. Scottie Scheffler, as the reigning champion, chose the menu, and Cabrera was looking forward to having a chance to catch up with old friends like Gary Player, who has become one of his biggest supporters.

“I can’t wait to see him,” said Adam Scott, who beat Cabrera in a playoff to win the 2013 Masters. “It’s a happy thing for me. We’ve got a fairly long history. I first met him on the European Tour before we both were on the PGA Tour. We have played in Presidents Cups, we’ve been partners. I’m thrilled he’s going to be back joining us this year.”

Cabrera understands if there are some who feel differently. Not everybody is predisposed to forgive and forget.

“Everybody has their own opinion,” he said, “and I respect that.”

But Cabrera is also steadfast in his belief that he belongs at Augusta National again.

“I won the Masters,” he said. “Why not?”

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf





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