Sports

Soto and Judge have differing views on which New York baseball team has the best chance at winning the World Series.

Published

2 days ago

February 18, 2025

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Judge naturally takes issue with Juan Soto’s conclusion that the New York Mets have a better chance to win World Series titles than the Yankees.

Soto left the Yankees as a free agent in December for a record $765 million, 15-year contract with the Mets, turning down the Yankees’ $760 million, 16-year offer.

“That’s his opinion. He can say what he wants. I definitely disagree with him,” Judge, the Yankees captain, said Monday after his team’s first full-squad workout this year. “He’s going to be in a great spot. It’s going to be great having him in the town. We’re going to be battling back and forth for quite a few years.”

Judge hit third last year behind Soto and called him “one of a kind” and “a special player.” Because Soto changed his phone number, Judge wasn’t able to contact Soto until after the decision.

“I wasn’t too surprised by it. I think that’s where he wanted to be. I think that’s where is best for him and his family,” Judge said. “He got a pretty nice deal over there. I mean, you can’t say no to that. But I’m happy for you.”

Judge, who turns 33 on April 26, won his second AL MVP award in three years after leading the major leagues last season with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks. He hit .322 as the Yankees reached the World Series for the first time since 2009, only to lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.

“Getting to the dance and then losing out on it definitely is a lot worse than not even getting in,” Judge said. “So guys are motivated. Guys are ready to go.”

Judge dropped Tommy Edman’s routine fly to center in World Series Game 5 for his first error of the year as the Yankees blew a 5-0 lead and were eliminated with a 7-6 loss. Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly said his team had anticipated Yankees’ defensive mistakes.

“We heard that, but there’s nothing you can do besides you have to beat them,” Judge said. “They won. They can say whatever they want. So if you don’t like it, you got to play better.”

Judge is likely to play primarily in right field following the acquisition of Cody Bellinger in an offseason trade with the Chicago Cubs. Judge was mostly in center last year.

Oh, baby — Judge has extra motivation

Judge’s wife, Samantha Bracksieck, gave birth to the couple’s first child, Nora Rose Judge, on Jan. 27.

“Having the chance to have her grow up and watch me do what I love, if there’s any way I can inspire her through playing this game to do something special, that’s that’s going to be pretty cool,” Judge said.

“I’m getting older,” he added. “I don’t want to be the old man here in a couple of years, so I got to stay on top of my game. So she’s definitely going to motivate me, definitely keep me on my toes. and it’s going to be a fun couple of years, that’s for sure.”

Jasson Domínguez finds himself between Judge and Bellinger

Jasson Domínguez arrived to find his locker between Judge’s and Bellinger’s.

“I was kind of surprised,” the 22-year-old rookie said. “But I think it’s a good thing to be in that group and be able to learn from them.”

Domínguez struggled during 13 left field appearances with the Yankees when he returned late last season from Tommy John surgery. Before reporting to major league camp, he had been working on left field defensive routes at the minor league complex.

“The pressure is there, but I feel like it’s a good thing to have,” Domínguez said. “It’s motivation to get better, to be the player that everyone expects me to be.”

A switch-hitter, Domínguez batted .109 right-handed (2 for 19) and .216 left-handed (8 for 37) with the Yankees last season. He homered against left-hander Carlos Rodón in batting practice on Monday.

“He’s really young and he’s not real experienced,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Over time I think he’s going to be a real factor from both sides of the plate.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

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Sports

Ohio Governor Has A Stadium Funding Plan For Bengals And Browns Ownerships

Published

21 minutes ago

February 20, 2025

Austin Reed

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.

Browns ownership wants a new stadium, while Bengals ownership wants a renovation of the present facility.

In Ohio, the National Football League’s Cleveland Browns’ ownership and the National Football League’s Cincinnati Bengals’ ownership are looking for public money for a new stadium in the Cleveland market and a renovated stadium in Cincinnati. Ohio’s Governor Mike DeWine has listened to the pleas of the Haslam family in Cleveland and the Brown family in Cincinnati and thinks he has come up with a plan to satisfy both ownership’s needs. Using state sports gambling money to help fund a Browns’ facility in Brook Park, Ohio or renovate the Cleveland stadium and provide funding for a Cincinnati football stadium renovation. Time is of the essence in Cincinnati where the lease between the Brown family’s Bengals and Cincinnati and Hamilton County officials ends in 2026. The Haslams’ lease in Cleveland is up in 2028.

DeWine’s proposal would raise the state’s tax on sports gambling companies’ gross Ohio revenues from 20 percent to 40 percent and would produce hundreds of millions of dollars for the two projects. “Ohio citizens are giving, every single day, millions of dollars to the sports gaming companies,” DeWine said. “It’s time for us to raise the tax on them so that we can do things to help Ohioans. It seems to me a very logical approach.” The Haslams want $600 million from the state and $600 million from various local governments to help pay for a Browns’ stadium-village in Brook Park not Cleveland. City of Cleveland officials want the Haslams to stay. What to do with the Cincinnati stadium is a complex question. For instance should Hamilton County, Cincinnati and Ohio taxpayers kick in to help fund the cost of putting a dome on the stadium? That is one concept that Hamilton County officials are discussing. The cost of putting a lid on the stadium? Roughly one billion dollars. The Ohio stadium game continues.

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

Cleveland Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam.

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Sports

NFL Owners Want To Conquer The World

Published

17 hours ago

February 20, 2025

Austin Reed

The NFL plans to stage a game in Melbourne, Australia in 2026

Spain and Australia are targets.

National Football League owners are trying to conquer the globe. The owners have decided the league needs to go back to Australia and has scheduled a regular season game in Melbourne. A game that will feature the Los Angeles Rams and some other team. The NFL has tried Australia before in 1999 with a pre-season game in Sydney. National Football League owners are looking to get Australian dollars, money from Brazil, pounds and euros. And NFL owners want Mexican pesos. NFL owners also would like to get Flag Football into the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The NFL is not playing a game in Mexico City in 2025 because the local stadium is being renovated to accommodate 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup matches. The NFL sees gold in Mexico.

The NFL is going to Madrid, Spain in 2025. The NFL is going to Berlin, Germany in 2025. The NFL will continue playing games in London, England. But not everybody is happy with the NFL’s attempt to conquer the globe. National Football League Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell is against the NFL adding an extra game for a global stop and is concerned with the NFL conquering the globe strategy. He is worried about the players’ safety and health playing in venues that do not host NFL games. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaking on behalf of the NFL ownership group has suggested that the league plays 16 international games annually. This is all about money, nothing else. The NFL can cash in with a one-off game from gate revenues but it is more about selling caps and t-shirts than it is about developing football players in Spain or Australia. Goodell, apparently, is not worried about foreign relations impacting the quest to conquer the globe. The NFL wants to bring the circus to town.

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

The NFL will play a game in Australia in 2026

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4 Nations Tournament: Thursday’s USA-Canada rematch could set ratings record

Published

17 hours ago

February 20, 2025

Austin Reed

RANT SPORTS

In the final all hockey fans wanted

Hockey fans wanted to see a Canada-USA final in the 4 Nations tournament and will get their wish Thursday night in Boston. Last Saturday’s game in Montreal started with fans booing the US National Anthem, then came three fights before 10 seconds of the drop of the puck and a USA 3-1 win.

The war on the ice garnered 10.1 million viewers across North America, up 203% from the Canada vs USA game at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and topping any non-Stanley Cup Final Game since 2014. On Tuesday, Sportsnet also released its ratings from the Canada-USA game.

Some of the NHL’s best showing their talent

Many members of the 4 Nations rosters have had a taste of Canada vs. USA showdowns in championship and gold medal games:

* Sidney Crosby and Drew Doughty helped Canada defeat USA in the last championship showdown between the countries in a best-on-best men’s international tournament, a 3-2 overtime win at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. The Americans erased a 2-0 deficit, but Crosby scored the “Golden Goal” and Doughty was on the ice for all three Canadian tallies (a game-high +3) in the win.

* Brock Faber, Matt Boldy and Jake Sanderson all skated away from the 2021 World Junior Championship in Edmonton with a gold medal in front of the USA logo on their chest after defeating Thomas Harley and Canada. Sanderson was on the ice for both goals in the 2-0 victory.

* Adam Fox (0-3—3) and Charlie McAvoy (1-1—2) combined for five points to help USA erase a pair of two-goal deficits (2-0 and 4-2) against Anthony Cirelli and Canada, before clinching gold in a 5-4 shootout victory at the 2017 World Junior Championship in Montreal. Jake Oettinger was also part of the American roster but did not dress in the gold medal game.

* Connor McDavid, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Josh Morrissey all were part of Canada’s gold medal victory against Jack Eichel and USA at the 2013 Under-18 World Championship in Sochi, Russia. McDavid, Bennett and Eichel all were 16 years old at the time, with McDavid topping all players in goals (8), assists (6; tied) and points (14) in seven games. Shea Theodore also played in the final.

* Chris Kreider scored USA’s first goal in the memorable gold medal game of the 2010 World Junior Championship in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Canada tallied twice in the final three minutes of regulation to erase a multi-goal deficit, but USA won in overtime (Kreider was on the ice for the winning goal).

* Sidney Crosby made his international debut at the 2004 World Junior Championship in Helsinki and got his first taste of one hockey’s biggest rivalries. The 16-year-old Crosby tallied 2-3—5 through five games, before being held off the score sheet in the gold medal game as USA claimed its first-ever championship at the event.

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History means something

1996 World Cup of Hockey Final – Three-Game Final
* Game 1 – Canada 4, United States 3 (OT) – A back-and-forth thriller played in Philadelphia opened with a goal by Flyers captain Eric Lindros – coming off his only 100-point NHL season – and featured a total of three tying goals, including one by another Flyers forward, John LeClair, with seven seconds left in regulation. Steve Yzerman settled the score with his overtime tally, assisted by yet another Flyers player, Rod Brind’Amour.

* Game 2 – United States 5, Canada 2 – The best-of-three final shifted to Molson Centre in Montreal, where the tournament’s top three goal scorers – Brett Hull, John LeClair and Keith Tkachuk – all tallied to help the United States rebound from an overtime loss to force a winner-take-all finale. Mike Richter, who mishandled the puck on Canada’s overtime winner in Game 1, bounced back by making 17 of his 35 saves in the third period and received “First Star” of the Game honors.

* Game 3 – United States 5, Canada 2 – Wayne Gretzky recorded his 64th and final point at an NHL International Tournament on a tying goal by Eric Lindros to help Canada pull ahead, but Brett Hull’s second goal of the game (and tournament-best seventh overall) helped the United States secure its first major international title in men’s hockey since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” Olympics. Tony Amonte secured the clinching goal against a Canadian team that also included Mark Messier and Steve Yzerman. American goaltender Mike Richter stopped 101 of 109 shots he faced across the three-game series and secured tournament MVP.

1991 Canada Cup – Best-of-Three Final
With 18 future Hockey Hall of Famers dressed between Canada (11) and the United States (7) during the two-game final, the Canadians emerged with their third consecutive Canada Cup title (fourth overall). Mike Modano, Brett Hull, Brian Leetch, Pat LaFontaine and Mike Richter were among the American Hall of Famers who squared off against Canadian counterparts Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Dale Hawerchuk, Al MacInnis and Paul Coffey. Gretzky assisted on the first of two Steve Larmer game-winning goals in the final and claimed his fourth tournament scoring title in as many appearances despite missing Game 2 of the final. Canada assistant coach Rick Tocchet skated in both contests.