Tag: Sports

Future service dog trains with New York Mets

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Future service dog trains with New York Mets – CBS News

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Shea, a 9-month-old lab, is learning how to be a service dog at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. The dog will eventually be matched with a first responder or military veteran at no cost. Nancy Chen shares more.

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Kilmarnock 2-1 St Johnstone | Scottish Premiership highlights

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Highlights of the Scottish Premiership match between Kilmarnock and St Johnstone.

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Ukraine joins Spain and Portugal’s joint bid to host 2030 World Cup

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Soccer Football – Carabao Cup Final – Chelsea v Liverpool – Wembley Stadium, London, Britain – February 27, 2022 Liverpool fan with the big screen in the background in support of Ukraine before the match Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

John Sibley Reuters

Ukraine has joined Spain and Portugal in their bid to host the 2030 World Cup.

The partnership between the three countries was confirmed by leaders of the countries’ three soccer federations at UEFA headquarters Wednesday.

“This is the dream of millions of Ukrainian fans. The dream of people who survived the horrors of war or are still in the occupied territories, over which the Ukrainian flag will surely fly soon,” said Andriy Pavelko, president of Ukraine’s soccer federation, at a news conference Wednesday.

He said the move was sanctioned by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine has been under full-scale invasion by Russia since February.

Details were not given on how many games would be held in Ukraine, or in which cities, but the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv hosted the finals of the 2012 European Championship and the 2018 Champions League.

“Now it’s not the Iberian bid, it’s the European bid,” Spain’s soccer federation president, Luis Rubiales, said at the news conference, according to the Associated Press. “Together we represent the power of transformation football has in society.”

Spain and Portugal previously announced their joint bid in June 2021. The new bid faces competition from a collaboration between Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia, and a South American bid between Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile.

FIFA will vote to choose the host in 2024.

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Judge out of Yankees starting lineup for finale after No. 62

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ARLINGTON, Texas — Yankees slugger Aaron Judge isn’t in the starting lineup for New York’s regular-season finale Wednesday, a day after his 62nd home run that broke Roger Maris’ 61-year-old American League single-season record.

When Judge homered in the first inning Tuesday night, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Texas Rangers, it was his 55th consecutive game. He has played in 157 games overall for the AL East champions.

With the first-round bye in the playoffs, the Yankees won’t opening postseason play until the AL Division Series starts next Tuesday.

Even though Judge had indicated that he hoped to play Wednesday, manager Aaron Boone said after Tuesday night’s game that they would have a conversation “and see what makes the most sense.”

Judge went into the final day of the regular season batting .311, trailing AL batting average leader Minnesota’s Luis Arraez, who was hitting .315. Judge was a wide leader in the other Triple Crown categories, with his 62 homers and 131 RBIs.

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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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Champions League (Sky Sports)

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Champions League Fixtures | Sky Sports

Fixtures

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Man Starting To Suspect Chess Opponent With All Queens Hustling Him

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NEW YORK—Questioning whether the other player had misrepresented his skill level, local man Victor Luongo told reporters Tuesday he was starting to suspect his chess opponent with all queens was hustling him. “He insisted when we were laying down money on this game that he wasn’t very good, but we’re only a dozen moves in, and his 16 queens have already taken a bunch of my pieces,” said Luongo, who sat across from his adversary at an outdoor table in Washington Square Park, adding that he began to suspect something was fishy when he noticed his side of the board didn’t have a queen or any bishops. “I used an Italian opening, which I figured would put me in an easy position to defeat a player as bad as this guy was making himself out to be. Then the guy moved his queen to a position where I was easily able to take it with my knight, and I admit I started feeling kind of sorry for him. But soon he took my knight with another queen, and then he took my other knight with a third queen. After that, he put me in check with a fourth queen, and all of a sudden he had the advantage. I know in chess one player has all the queens, but it’s pretty frustrating to think that he’s taking me for a ride.” At press time, Luongo reportedly realized he wasn’t being hustled after all when he checkmated his opponent.

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Fan who caught Judge’s 62nd HR unsure what he’ll do with it

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ARLINGTON, Texas — As he walked through a concourse in the outfield at Globe Life Field, high-fiving with fans and surrounded by a sea of cameras, it was almost as if Cory Youmans had hit a huge home run.

Instead, he hit the jackpot.

Youmans made the catch of a lifetime Tuesday night, snagging the ball New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge launched for his American League-record 62nd homer.

The historic souvenir came sailing into the front row of section 31 in left field, a drive Judge hit to lead off the second game of a day-night doubleheader against the Texas Rangers. Youmans snared it on the fly.

Youmans, from Dallas, works in the financial world and there’s no telling yet what the ball could be worth. With security personnel around him as he took the ball to be authenticated, he was asked what he planned to do with the prize.

“Good question. I haven’t thought about it,” he said.

After the Yankees lost 3-2, Judge said he didn’t have possession of the home-run ball.

“I don’t know where it’s at,” he said. “We’ll see what happens with that. It would be great to get it back, but that’s a souvenir for a fan. He made a great catch out there, and they’ve got every right to it.”

Soon after a local TV station posted a brief interview with Youmans in a walkway, Bri Amaranthus tweeted: “THIS IS MY HUSBAND.”

Amaranthus works in local media and is an alum of ABC’s “The Bachelor.”

Youmans was among the crowd of 38,832, the largest to watch a baseball game at the 3-year-old ballpark.

Many fans came clad in Yankees caps, T-shirts and pinstripe jerseys.

Some came to watch Judge make history. Some came just for the history. Some traveled a long way.

The latter two categories included Jimmy Bennicaso of Norwalk, Connecticut.

“I’m a Met fan, actually,” Bennicaso confessed. “Cowboy and Met fan — a rough combo.”

Bennicaso was home in Connecticut on Monday night having watched Judge fail to homer in the first of four games against the Rangers in three days. He ran an idea past his girlfriend — what if he headed to Texas to take in Judge’s chase in person?

“She said, ‘Yeah, go for it,’” he said.

Bennicaso caught a morning flight to Texas. Being self-employed in real estate investments helped, he said.

Bennicaso stationed himself in the lower deck of the right-field stands in hopes of grabbing an opposite-field homer, certainly a possibility given Judge’s spray chart.

Instead, Judge pulled a home run that broke the AL record set by Roger Maris in 1961.

Empty-handed, Bennicaso planned to return home Wednesday morning.

“It was worth it,” he said. “I gave it my best shot.”

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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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Rockies beat Dodgers 5-2 after Urias departs in last start

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LOS ANGELES — Julio Urias made his final tune-up for the postseason and case for the Cy Young Award a solid one, though the Colorado Rockies went ahead after he left and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2 on Tuesday night.

Urias pitched five innings and allowed two runs — both on solo homers. He will finish the season as the National League’s ERA leader at 2.16 with a 17-7 record.

“It’s incredible,” Urias said through an interpreter about winning the title. “Last year to win 20 games and this year to focus and win that ERA title, it’s something really special.”

Randal Grichuk hit a tiebreaking two-run homer, his 19th, off Andrew Heaney (4-4) in the seventh inning.

Clayton Kershaw pitches the final regular season game Wednesday. The Dodgers have a bye and will be off until the NLDS begins Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers will play the winner of the New York Mets-San Diego Padres wild-card round.

A decision on whether Kershaw or Urias is starting Game 1 or 2 has not been made yet, according to manager Dave Roberts.

The Dodgers were held to just five hits and have lost three straight to the Rockies. The Dodgers clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs a while ago.

“I’m not worried,” Roberts said of the recent offensive struggles. “I don’t think it’s worrisome. I think there’s a part of some human nature where there’s a little edge that’s not there given the circumstances. Our guys, the ones that aren’t feeling well, there’s guys in the cage right now trying to work on some things. It’s not for lack of effort. We’ll be ready. We’ll be ready when it counts.”

The Rockies, who have 93 losses, earned at least a split in the six-game series.

Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless ninth and earned his 34th save.

“It’s bittersweet for a lot of teams who aren’t in the playoffs,” manager Bud Black said. “We had higher hopes this year for sure. It’s a little tougher for those teams that had expectations. I’ve been at this a long time. We have some young guys just starting. (Wednesday) will be emotional in a couple different ways. You learn to quickly turn to next year, turn to the offseason and start looking forward with a season of hope.”

Brendan Rodgers homered for the Rockies, hitting his 13th of the season to give Colorado a 1-0 lead. Sean Bouchard also homered off Urias, a solo shot in the third inning to make it 2-0. Bouchard has six hits over the last three games.

Joey Gallo hit a pinch-hit solo home run in the fifth to tie the game at 2. It was his 19th homer of the season.

Urias threw 83 pitches, including 22 to get out of the first, and held the Rockies to four hits.

Urias wouldn’t campaign for himself for the Cy Young Award, preferring to keep the focus on the team.

“Like I’ve said before, that’s out of my control,” Urias said. “My job is to go out there and do what I can to perform and to put the numbers that I put up. Whatever commentary is left over, that’s for everyone to pick and choose what they want to talk about. For me, it’s doing my job. I feel I’ve been doing my job every fifth day.

“The focus is now on the postseason and doing my job for the postseason and trying to get another championship for the city of L.A. and finish it off, especially with all the criticism that goes along with that 2020 season. We want to finish off strong.”

Ryan Feltner (4-9) earned the win after he pitched six innings and allowed two runs on four hits in his final start of the season. He struck out four and walked two.

OH, DRONE

The game was delayed for about 10 minutes because of a drone flying over the stadium. Players went to their respective dugouts when umpires cleared the field and play resumed without further delay. There was a delay during a game at Dodger Stadium in 2020 as well because of a drone.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: RHP Chad Kuhl (right triceps strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list and RHP Noah Davis was recalled from the taxi squad.

Dodgers: OF Chris Taylor (neck) will start doing baseball activities on Wednesday. Dave Roberts said this weekend will be “pivotal” for him to see if he can be ready for the NLDS.

UP NEXT

Rockies: LHP Austin Gomber (5-7, 5.62) will try to make his case to be back in the Rockies rotation again in 2023 after being demoted to the bullpen this season. In 10 2/3 innings in September, he allowed seven earned runs and struck out seven.

Dodgers: LHP Kershaw (11-3, 2.30 ERA) will make an abbreviated start in the regular season finale. Kershaw has won his last four starts and allowed just six earned runs over six starts in September.

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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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Maggie Alphonsi: Red Roses will deem it a failure if they don’t win World Cup; ‘England don’t know how to lose’

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Maggie Alphonsi believes England are the team to beat as they aim for World Cup glory; the tournament gets under way on Saturday in New Zealand as South Africa face France, England come up against Fiji and Australia and New Zealand clash

By Megan Wellens

Last Updated: 03/10/22 5:13pm

England hope to be celebrating World Cup success in New Zealand next month

When it comes to Rugby World Cup glory, no one knows the highs and lows as well as Maggie Alphonsi, and for the England legend there is only one team to beat this year: the Red Roses.

As a leader in the team that ended a 20-year drought and won the 2014 Rugby World Cup, Alphonsi knows the euphoria of claiming the biggest prize and believes the current Red Roses side have the capabilities to go all the way.

However, with England considered as firm favourites heading into the tournament – a record 25-match unbeaten run and No 1 world ranking cementing them as the ones to beat – many teams will be out to show they are the ones who can topple this side.

“They are very much expected to win,” said Alphonsi.

“The odds are in their favour, they are number one in the world, they are the reigning Six Nations champions, they are full of confidence and have the resources, the investments and the players.

“I just think these players are prepared for it and many will be saying if they don’t win it would be a failure.”

‘They don’t know how to lose’

The World Cup will certainly present some challenging clashes for the Red Roses and they will be pushed to their limit as sides look to put them in a situation they do not encounter very often: A match in which they are losing.

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England Women head coach Simon Middleton says despite his side’s No 1 ranking and record unbeaten run they cannot guarantee victory at the World Cup

Some see this as the best way to get under England’s skin, but Alphonsi believes they are well prepared for all scenarios, even ones they do not often have to face.

“They have a ‘we don’t know how to lose’ mindset because to go that many games unbeaten, they will naturally have that,” she added.

“Some will see that as a negative because they have not lost or been tested it is hard to know what to do when put in that scenario.

“But knowing (coach) Simon Middleton and the quality of players, they will have covered all bases, including those scenarios and how to deal with it.

“They were tested a few times in the Six Nations, especially first half against Wales in the set-piece.

“However, you can’t count out New Zealand, Canada and France because they are also feeling like it is their time.

“I think England will get to the final – crazy to say they won’t.

“If New Zealand get to the final as a home nation it would be great for the crowd and interest.

“But I am also excited by the fact that an outsider could do it, like France who always finish third.

“They might do something completely different, who knows. There are some dark horses.”

A record-breaking Rugby World Cup

Women’s sport is in a constant state of growth as more coverage and visibility drives its viewership and this year’s World Cup is expected to continue to boost those numbers.

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England captain Sarah Hunter says tournament experience could be a big factor going into the World Cup

With record attendances and media interest, Alphonsi thinks, if they can claim World Cup victory, we could see the Red Roses reach the heights of the Lionesses in this summer’s Euros when the tournament takes place in England in 2025.

She said: “My expectations are incredibly high.

Maggie Alphonsi believes an England vs New Zealand World Cup final on November 12 would be brilliant for rugby as it rides a wave of momentum

“This World Cup will break many records. There are over 30,000 tickets sold for the opening game so for that many people to come and watch in New Zealand is huge, that in itself Is amazing.

“It will be the most-covered World Cup in terms of television, print and radio and I think it is going to be a tournament that will captivate the world.

“It will add to the momentum of women’s sport especially over here and we get to put women’s sport back in the spotlight. We saw that in the summer with the Lionesses and that still blows my mind.

“The FA and the Lionesses set the bar high with an amazing tournament across the country and the amount of people that attended was brilliant.

“In 2010 we got to the final and we had a crowd of just under 14,000 which was significant back then.

“2025 is not that far away and women’s sport is on the crest of a wave and hopefully we can emulate what women’s football has done, making sure we can take it around the country and put out a statement.

“Then we can see the final at Twickenham with a sell-out capacity and good build-up.”

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MATCHDAY: Madrid, Man City seek 3rd wins in Champions League

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A look at what’s happening in the Champions League on Wednesday:

GROUP E

Chelsea is one of the top teams in early trouble in the group stage heading into a double-header against AC Milan, with the first match taking place at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea has just one point from its first two games and has a recently hired manager, Graham Potter, who is still working out his best team and best formation just two matches into his tenure. In the 1-1 draw with Salzburg in the second round of group games, Potter went with a 3-5-2 but reverted to a 4-3-3 for the win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday. He has some tough choices in defense, with Kalidou Koulibaly — one of Chelsea’s many expensive offseason signings — yet to play a minute under Potter and the likes of forwards Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech pushing for starts. Marc Cucurella could return from illness. Milan leads after collecting four points from games against Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb, who meet in Austria in the other game.

GROUP F

Real Madrid can take full control of the group with a home win against Shakhtar Donetsk, which would give the defending champions a five-point lead after only three matches. Madrid got off to a perfect start to the season in all competitions but was held 1-1 at home against Osasuna in the Spanish league on Sunday for its first setback. Leipzig hosts Celtic for a clash between the two bottom teams in Group F. Leipzig is bottom after losing both of its games so far, but new coach Marco Rose has restored some confidence and overseen a marked improvement since taking over. Leipzig warmed up for Celtic with a 4-0 win over Bochum at the weekend.

GROUP G

Manchester City can move to the brink of qualification for the last 16 with a home win over FC Copenhagen and might not need Erling Haaland to do so. The Norway striker, who has taken the Premier League by storm with 15 goals in eight games, played the entire match in the 6-3 win over Manchester United on Sunday while a number of key players were brought off midway through the second half. Haaland may be kept fresh for bigger matches ahead, while City manager Pep Guardiola has injury concerns over right back Kyle Walker and holding midfielder Rodri. City has already beaten Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund in the group stage and would advance with back-to-back wins over Copenhagen. Dortmund is in second place on three points and travels to Sevilla in the other match.

GROUP H

With Presnel Kimpembe out injured for several weeks, Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier doesn’t have many options at center back for the trip to Benfica for a match between two teams on a maximum six points. After missing out on signing Milan Skriniar this summer, PSG has to deal with makeshift solutions until the next transfer window opens, with midfielder Danilo Pereira or right back Nordi Mukiele available to play alongside Sergio Ramos and Marquinhos. In contrast, Juventus has zero points after losing its opening two Champions League matches for the first time. Massimiliano Allegri’s side travels to Maccabi Haifa, which is also pointless. Juventus is also struggling in Serie A but appears reinvigorated after the international break and beat Bologna 3-0 this past weekend.

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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Women to get more rest between hoop games at next World Cup

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SYDNEY (AP) — Players at this year’s World Cup had a few concerns about the competition, including the compact schedule and the timing of the tournament, and the women took their complaints right to the top.

FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis talked with many of the players during the course of the recently competed tournament. He offered a quick solution for the rest concerns, but changing the date will take more work.

The next World Cup in 2026 will once again feature 16 teams instead of the 12 at this year’s tournament — and players will have more time to recuperate between the final rounds.

“We will not play three days in a row, that will not happen again,” Zagklis said. “This is not something we want to see repeated. It’s too heavy on the players.”

At this year’s tournament, the quarterfinals, semifinals and medal games were played over three straight days. Overall, teams that reached the gold-medal game would have played eight games in 10 days. The 2018 World Cup had a break between the quarters and the medal round.

While the scheduling change is a welcomed positive step for the players, there’s still the issue of timing. The WNBA tried to work with FIBA by shortening its season. Still, the league’s playoffs continued until the start of the World Cup, forcing about a dozen players to basically travel a few thousand miles, get off a plane and start playing for their national teams.

Many European leagues tip off soon after the World Cup ends, so it’s difficult to move it to a later start date.

Zagklis said FIBA will be working with the stakeholders to provide the best possible solution for the players — though indicating the change will likely have to come from the WNBA or the other pro leagues.

“The World Cup is turning next year 70 years old, the women’s world has been there much before virtually every women’s league in the world and it is the top female competition,” Zagklis. “So the calendar starts again with the World Cup.”

USA Basketball chairman Martin Dempsey said there is a sense of urgency for FIBA to address the scheduling problem, especially with the WNBA set to expand over the next few years.

“The time to have that conversation is before it happens, not after,” Dempsey said. “So we really do need to figure out with the ‘W,’ the NBA and FIBA how to keep all of these enterprises viable because we don’t want to run the risk of creating a very diluted World Cup.

“We’ve got to have a really serious ongoing conversation about how to keep things in sync so that they don’t clash.”

Five of the U.S. players competed in the WNBA Finals that ended three days before the World Cup started. Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and tournament MVP A’ja Wilson missed the first two games for the U.S.

Before the scheduling change was announced, players made their positions clear.

“I don’t know if FIBA gave a damn about anyone,” Plum said.

“Rest would be a good thing,” Wilson said. “Having some time between would definitely help.”

The site for the 2026 World Cup hasn’t been announced yet and getting to Australia might have been the most difficult place for everyone because of its location.

Serbia coach Marina Maljković noticed how tired many players were. She coaches in Turkey in the winter and said players across the leagues need a break.

“You see a lot of players that lacked freshness. You can see it, any single team going from club season to WNBA, WNBA to national team,” Maljković said. “This year it’s very, very complicated. … Talking to players, they really suffered this season because of the tight schedule everywhere. I guess there will be smart people who will sit around the table and see what we can do about that.”

Aside from the logistical issues, the World Cup was a huge success in Australia. The total attendance of 145,519 was the highest in the history of the competition. There were nearly 16,000 fans at the gold-medal game between the U.S. and China, which was the largest since the 1953 championship game played in Chile in a stadium that had 35,000 fans.

“By all metrics, we have seen a tremendous effort by the hosts,” Zagklis said. “Record sales in merchandise, record attendances, fantastic atmosphere in the games, so it’s hard to challenge the conclusion that we’ve been able to experience the best World Cup ever.”

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More AP women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Third wild card creates opportunity for another playoff team

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The Philadelphia Phillies grabbed baseball’s last playoff ticket on Monday, and Bryce Harper and company partied into the night. “ We’re in! We did it! We did it! ” slugger Rhys Hoskins yelled as the celebration kicked into high gear.

It’s the first playoff appearance for Philly since 2011, and no one seemed to care that it arrived via one of three NL wild cards.

It’s the first year for the majors’ new playoff format — part of the negotiations that resulted in the March labor deal that ended a 99-day lockout. Each league has three wild cards, taking the postseason field from 10 to 12 teams.

Philadelphia clinched its spot after Seattle secured an AL wild card on Friday night for its first playoff berth in 21 years. The other wild-card teams are Toronto and Tampa Bay in the AL, and San Diego and the New York Mets in the NL.

“For us it was to end the drought so it gave us an extra opportunity,” Mariners infielder Ty France said. “But I think it’s a cool, cool structure they have and setup they have.”

The new-look October has erased some of the usual tension from the final few days of the regular season. But there is still valuable positioning at stake for the playoff teams.

The top two division winners in each league get first-round byes, and the remaining four qualifiers play best-of-three series in the wild-card round on three consecutive days. The third division winner is the highest seed in that group, with other clubs sorted by their records. The top seeds in each matchup host the entire series.

Gone are the days of the win-or-go-home wild-card games in each league.

“It has felt as a wild-card team, just to play one game and have an entire season come down to one game, never felt right,” said Chris Antonetti, the president of baseball operations for the Cleveland Guardians. “So having some additional games in the wild-card round makes sense.”

The playoffs expanded to 16 teams for the pandemic-delayed 2020 season as part of an agreement between Major League Baseball and the players’ union. But the field went back down to 10 when the majors played a full season last year.

Looking for more TV revenue, Major League Baseball proposed 14 playoff teams during the recent labor talks. But it settled on 12 after the players resisted.

“It’s not worth it, understanding the reasoning is TV money, and that doesn’t make sense for the guys that are playing,” said New York Yankees reliever Zack Britton, who serves on the union’s executive subcommittee. “We know exactly what teams would do if you continue to add more and more teams to the playoffs. There’s no incentive to win.”

It is hard to tell if the 12-team format had any effect on the postseason race. The Guardians, champions of the mediocre AL Central, are the only playoff team that didn’t make multiple deals in the runup to the trade deadline.

“I think that it’s kept more teams in it,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “And you talk about rebuilds or teams getting aggressive with getting young players up, too. I feel like it stayed very competitive. If it has changed, it’s been a positive.”

Going for its first playoff appearance since 2016, Baltimore brought up touted prospect Gunnar Henderson on Aug. 31. The New York Mets promoted catcher Francisco Álvarez from the minors on Sept. 30, giving their top prospect a chance during a pennant race.

The Orioles would have made a 14-team playoff field, along with the Brewers in the NL. Depending on the results in the final days of the season, a 14-team field might have included every big league team that finished above .500.

“I think that would have been too many teams,” Mariners pitcher Robbie Ray said. “You don’t want teams that are limping in with close to a .500 record. I think still you should still be close to 90 wins to be able to get in.”

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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum, and AP Sports Writers Tim Booth, Kristie Rieken and Tom Withers contributed to this report.

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Jay Cohen can be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap

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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Tennis star Kyrgios to fight charge on mental health grounds

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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios will apply to have an assault charge dismissed on mental health grounds, his lawyer told an Australian court on Tuesday.

Lawyer Michael Kukulies-Smith appeared on behalf of Kyrgios in a court in the tennis star’s hometown of Canberra and asked for an adjournment so forensic mental health reports could be prepared.

Magistrate Glenn Theakston adjourned the case until Feb. 3, when Kyrgios’ lawyers are expected to apply to have the charge dismissed under a section of the local crimes law.

The 27-year-old Australian tennis star will appear in court in person on that date for the first time since he was charged by police by summons in July.

The law gives magistrates the power to dismiss a charge if they are satisfied an accused person is mentally impaired, and dealing with an allegation in that way would benefit the community and the defendant.

The common assault charge, which has a potential maximum sentence of two years in prison, relates to an incident in January 2021 that was reported to local police last December.

The charge reportedly relates to an incident involving his former girlfriend.

Kukulies-Smith told the court his client’s mental health history since 2015 made the application appropriate, citing a number of public statements made by Kyrgios.

In February, Kyrgios opened up about his performance at the 2019 Australian Open, saying what appeared to be a positive time in his life had been “one of my darkest periods.”

“I was lonely, depressed, negative, abusing alcohol, drugs, pushed away family and friends,” he wrote on Instagram. “I felt as if I couldn’t talk or trust anyone. This was a result of not opening up and refusing to lean on my loved ones and simply just push myself little by little to be positive.”

Kyrgios made further references to his mental health struggles during his runs to the final at Wimbledon and the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open.

After ending Daniil Medvedev’s U.S. Open title defense last month to reach the quarterfinals, Kyrgios expressed pride at lifting himself out of “some really tough situations, mentally” and “some really scary places” off the court.

Theakston questioned whether Kyrgios would need to appear in court for the February hearing, but Kukulies-Smith said his client wanted to attend.

Kyrgios was scheduled to play at the Japan Open later Tuesday against Tseng Chun-hsin of Taiwan.

Speaking in Tokyo before his matter returned to court, Kyrgios said it was “not difficult at all” to focus on tennis despite the pending charge.

“There’s only so much I can control and I’m taking all the steps and dealing with that off the court,” he told reporters. “I can only do what I can and I’m here in Tokyo and just trying to play some good tennis, continue that momentum and just try to do my job.”

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More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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International prospects flock to London for NFL tryout

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LONDON (AP) — Jason Godrick plans to “dominate” as an NFL offensive lineman. The first hurdle seems like a big one, though.

“I’ve never played an organized game of football before,” the 6-foot-5, 293-pound Nigerian said. “I’ve been blessed to be a quick learner, a very good student.”

The 21-year-old Lagos native, who goes by “Chu,” was one of the more than 40 prospects — representing 13 countries — who competed in the NFL’s international combine Tuesday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

They’re hoping to join the league’s International Player Pathway program.

Godrick switched from basketball to football in January — coaches were impressed by his hoops “mixtape” — and a few months later he saw countryman Roy Mbaeteka sign with the New York Giants despite having not played in high school or college.

“Roy is a big inspiration for us back home,” Godrick said of the 6-9, 320-pound offensive tackle. “It was very big in Nigeria when he got signed.”

Mbaeteka, who was released from the Giants practice squad last week, had participated in last year’s combine in London and earned an invitation to the Pathway program, whose most notable alum is Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Jordan Mailata of Australia.

Godrick, like several other Nigerian prospects on Tuesday, came through a program run by former Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora.

The two-time Super Bowl winner was on hand at Tottenham’s stadium, where his former team plays the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

“They have the athletic ability, they have the size, a lot of them have the speed. All they need is just the technique refinement,” said the British-born Umenyiora, who spent part of his childhood in Nigeria.

A handful of the prospects at the combine have some U.S. college exposure, but many have played only in European leagues or universities — or not at all. Some are in their mid-20s. Many work regular jobs.

Emmanuel Falola, an inside linebacker with the Bristol Aztecs, is an accountant. The East London native took the day off for the combine.

“I haven’t been taking time off to prepare though — I’ve been working and preparing,” said the 24-year-old Falola, who also tried out last year.

Those selected for the Pathway program will begin training in the U.S. in January and could join rookies in minicamps in May.

“We don’t have that much time, especially the guys that come from other sports,” said Will Bryce, head of football development for NFL International. “Their bodies have to change. They’re used to playing rugby or soccer — you’re running a lot more, whereas in football it’s repeated sprints, different positions.”

Like last year, there were no quarterbacks, punters or kickers at the combine. The NFL listed eight Nigerian participants — the largest contingent among the countries, which included Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Panama, Mexico and several in Europe.

NFL coaches, scouts and general managers flock to Indianapolis each winter for the league’s annual scouting combine. There, pro prospects test their skills in various elements such as the bench press, 40-yard dash and vertical jump.

In London on Tuesday, it was the NFL conducting the evaluations as prospects were put through tests such as the broad jump, various sprints and the shuttle drill, which records lateral quickness.

“Let’s go Chu!” fellow prospects yelled as Godrick ran around small cones placed near the 20-yard line.

Godrick has been applying some tips he picked up from Cameroon-born Roman Oben, a former offensive tackle who is now NFL vice president of football development.

“I’ve been watching film and with his guidance, I can say my growth has been good,” said Godrick, who plans to continue training back home in Nigeria, where he recently earned a college degree in human anatomy.

“Ultimate goal? Get to the NFL, dominate, show the world that it doesn’t matter how late you start, it doesn’t matter where you are coming from, as long as you believe, you work hard, anything is possible.”

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More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

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Indonesia soccer group: Some gates locked in deadly crush

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MALANG, Indonesia — Delays in unlocking the gates at an Indonesian soccer stadium after violence broke out at the end of a match contributed to a disaster in which at least 131 people died, the national soccer association said Tuesday.

The Football Association of Indonesia said it has permanently banned the chief executive and security coordinator of the team that hosted Saturday’s match, Arema FC, for failing to secure the field and promptly issue a command to unlock the gates.

“The doors should have been open, but were closed,” said Erwin Tobing, chief of the association’s discipline commission.

Because of a lack of workers, only a few people were ordered to open the gates, and they had not yet reached some doors when spectators began rushing to escape tear gas fired by police in an attempt to control fans who had entered the field, association spokesperson Ahmad Riyadh said.

He said all gates should be unlocked 10 minutes before the end of a match. But on Saturday, 7 minutes after the referee blew the final whistle, several doors were still locked, contributing to the toll in one of the world’s deadliest sporting disasters.

Police, however, continued to insist Tuesday that the gates were open but were too narrow and could only accommodate two people at a time when hundreds were trying to escape.

According to recommendations by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation, exits at stadiums must be unlocked at all times during a game for safety purposes. Those rules don’t necessarily apply to domestic or national leagues but nevertheless are a safety standard, as is the recommendation against the use of tear gas as a crowd-control measure.

Photos from the Malang stadium showed four connecting door panels forming one gate. There were 14 gates in total.

Police said their investigation focused on video recordings from surveillance cameras at six of the 14 gates where most of the victims died.

“For those six gates, they were not closed but they were too small. They had a capacity for two people but there were hundreds coming out. There was a crush there,” police spokesperson Dedi Prasetyo told reporters. He added that the gates were the responsibility of the organizers.

Most of the deaths occurred when riot police fired tear gas and caused fans to make a panicked, chaotic run for the exits. Police acted after some of the 42,000 Arema fans ran onto the pitch in anger after their team was defeated 3-2, its first loss at home against visiting Persebaya Surabaya in 23 years.

On Monday, police announced they had removed a police chief and nine elite officers, and 18 others were being investigated for responsibility in the firing of tear gas inside the stadium.

Some survivors said some of the exit gates were locked and they were unable to escape. Most of them specifically mentioned Gate 13.

“People tried to save themselves after tear gas was fired. My group was separated from each other,” said Prasetyo Pujiono, a 32-year-old farmer from Malang who watched the match with friends near Gate 13.

“People could not stay anymore inside the stadium. We wanted to escape but the gate was closed. That is why most people died as they were trampled or suffocated,” he said. “I remember they were screaming that they cannot breathe and their eyes hurt.”

Those trying to escape finally broke through the wall next to Gate 13, leaving behind a big hole with scrawled graffiti that read: “Goodbye my brothers and sisters. 01-10-2022.”

Hundreds of Arema supporters and local residents have been paying tribute to the victims at Gates 13 and 12 since Monday. They prayed together, dropped rose petals, flower bouquets and placed several Arema scarves around the gates.

Pujianto said he moved more than 20 bodies that lay scattered around Gate 13.

“Poor them. So many bodies were scattered at Gate 13. We could not have gotten out if we had not moved them. So my friends and I carried them to the field,” he said.

Evita Triawardani, a 26-year-old Arema supporter, said that in every match she had attended, the organizers usually opened the gates 15 to 20 minutes before the game ended. But that Saturday night, she said Gate 13 was closed. She saved herself by running out of the stadium through Gate 14, which she said was open.

She said she saw people crying and gasping for air in clouds of tear gas, and parents holding their children above their shoulders so they could breathe. At least 17 children were among the dead.

The Football Association of Indonesia announced it has banned Arema from hosting any matches attended by its supporters in Malang until next year as a result of Saturday’s disaster.

Tobing said Arema’s chief executive, Abdul Harris, and the coordinator of security, Suko Sutrisno, have been banned from participating in soccer for life because they had not secured the field and delayed the opening of the gates.

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See more AP Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific

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Yankees star Judge hits 62nd homer to break Maris’ AL record

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ARLINGTON, Texas — Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run of the season Tuesday night, breaking Roger Maris’ American League record and setting what some fans consider baseball’s “clean” standard.

The long chase to top a mark set in 1961 ended when the 30-year-old Yankees slugger drove a 1-1 slider from Texas right-hander Jesús Tinoco into the first row of seats in left field leading off the second game of New York’s day-night doubleheader.

After No. 99 took a smooth, mighty swing, he had a wide smile on his face as he rounded the bases and his Yankees teammates streamed out of the dugout to celebrate with him. They stayed away from home plate, letting Judge step on it before sharing hugs and high-fives.

Barry Bonds holds the major league record of 73 home runs, set with the San Francisco Giants in 2001.

Judge’s mother and father were in the stands to see him end a five-game homerless streak, including Game 1 of the doubleheader when he was 1 for 5 with a single.

The ball was caught by Cory Youmans of Dallas, who was sitting in Section 31. When asked what he was going to do with the ball while being taken away with security to have the ball authenticated, Youmans responded, “Good question. I haven’t thought about it.”

Another fan was escorted away after leaping over the rail into a gap between the seats and the left-field wall.

Judge, eligible to become a free agent after this season, struck out on a full-count pitch when batting again in the second.

He took right field in the bottom of the inning before manager Aaron Boone pulled him from the game. Oswaldo Cabrera, who had been at second base, moved to right field and the slugger got another loud ovation as he jogged back to the Yankees dugout on the third base side.

Reaction quickly came from far beyond the ballpark.

“History made, more history to make,” President Joe Biden posted on Twitter.

Tweeted former Yankees star Derek Jeter: “Congrats @TheJudge44 on 62! Postseason next!!!”

Maris’ 61 for the Yankees had been exceeded six times previously, but all were tainted by the stench of steroids. Along with Bonds’ record, Mark McGwire hit 70 for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998 and 65 the following year. The Chicago Cubs’ Sammy Sosa had 66, 65 and 63 during a four-season span starting in 1998.

McGwire admitted using banned steroids, while Bonds and Sosa denied knowingly using performing-enhancing drugs. Major League Baseball started testing with penalties for PEDs in 2004, and some fans — perhaps many — until now have considered Maris as holder of the legitimate record.

A Ruthian figure with a smile as outsized as his body, the 6-foot-7 Judge has rocked the major leagues with a series of deep drives that hearken to the sepia tone movie reels of his legendary pinstriped predecessors.

“He should be revered for being the actual single-season home run champ,” Roger Maris Jr. said Wednesday night after his father’s mark was matched by Judge. “I think baseball needs to look at the records and I think baseball should do something.”

Judge had homered only once in the past 13 games, and that was when he hit No. 61 last Wednesday in Toronto. The doubleheader nightcap in Texas was his 55th game in row played since Aug. 5.

Judge was 3 for 17 with five walks and a hit by pitch since moving past the 60 home runs Babe Ruth hit in 1927, which had stood as the major league record for 34 years. Maris hit his 61st off Boston’s Tracy Stallard at old Yankee Stadium on Oct. 1, 1961.

Judge has a chance to become the first AL Triple Crown winner since Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera in 2012. He leads the AL with 131 RBIs and began the day trailing Minnesota’s Luis Arraez, who was hitting .315.

The home run in his first at-bat put him back to .311, where he had started the day before dropping a point in the opener.

Judge’s accomplishment will cause endless debate.

“To me, the holder of the record for home runs in a season is Roger Maris,” author George Will said earlier this month. “There’s no hint of suspicion that we’re seeing better baseball than better chemistry in the case of Judge. He’s clean. He’s not doing something that forces other players to jeopardize their health.”

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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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Viewers flock to Weather Channel for Hurricane Ian coverage

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NEW YORK — The Weather Channel reached its biggest audience in five years last week when Hurricane Ian made its destructive landfall in western Florida.

The average audience of 3.4 million people last Wednesday was more than any other day for the network since Hurricane Harvey deluged Texas with record amounts of rainfall in 2017, the Nielsen company said.

The network’s peak day came despite other cable news and broadcast networks also devoting resources to the storm, and a myriad of streaming options that gave people many different ways to follow Ian and its aftermath.

For example, the free streaming service Local Now, which is owned alongside The Weather Channel by the Allen Media Group, had a record-setting day for usage last Wednesday, the company said. Through the service, people could watch local news coverage of Ian from markets in Tampa, Fort Myers and Orlando in Florida.

Allen would not give precise figures on how many people used the service.

Another new wrinkle from the Weather Channel app were screen views that allowed users to watch the storm’s progress through fixed cameras placed in Ian’s path, in Fort Myers Beach, Punta Gorda and Venice, Florida, for example.

The average consumer who used the app spent a staggering four hours there on the day the storm hit, the Weather Channel said.

Fox Weather, a streaming service that debuted a year ago, easily had its most-used day ever last Wednesday, although Fox also wouldn’t provide specific details. During three overnight hours after the storm hit, Fox News Channel simulcast the coverage on the Fox Weather stream.

NBC was the winner again during the second week of the new television season, averaging 6.1 million viewers in prime time, Nielsen said. CBS averaged 5.7 million, ABC had 4 million, Fox had 2.2 million, Univision had 1.3 million, Ion Television had 900,000 and Telemundo had 820,000.

ESPN was the most-watched cable network, averaging 2.15 million viewers in prime time. Fox News Channel had 2.12 million, MSNBC had 1.15 million, HGTV had 796,00 and CNN had 756,000.

ABC’s “World News Tonight” won the evening news ratings race, averaging 8.4 million viewers. NBC’s “Nightly News” had 7.1 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 5 million.

For the week of Sept. 26-Oct. 2, the 20 most-watched programs in prime time, their networks and viewerships:

1. NFL Football: Kansas City at Tampa Bay, NBC, 20.85 million.

2. “NFL Pregame Show” (Sunday), NBC, 15.74 million.

3. “Football Night in America,” NBC, 11.04 million.

4. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 10.27 million.

5. NFL Football: Dallas at N.Y. Giants, ABC, 10.18 million.

6. NFL Football: Dallas at N.Y. Giants, ESPN, 7.73 million.

7. “The Equalizer,” CBS, 7.09 million.

8. “FBI,” CBS, 7.08 million.

9. “Young Sheldon,” CBS, 6.88 million.

10. “Chicago Fire,” NBC, 6.73 million.

11. “Chicago Med,” NBC, 6.6 million.

12. “Ghosts,” CBS, 6.46 million.

13. “NFL Pregame Show” (Monday), ABC, 6.28 million.

14. “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 6.111 million.

15. “NCIS,” CBS, 6.107 million.

16. “FBI: International,” CBS, 5.88 million.

17. “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 5.87 million.

18. “Chicago PD,” NBC, 5.41 million.

19. “FBI: Most Wanted,” CBS, 5.4 million.

20. “East New York,” CBS, 5.27 million.

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This story corrects the name of Fox Weather and Local New. A previous version of this story referred to the streaming services as Fox News Weather and Local News Now.

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Aaron Judge hits record 62nd home run, breaking tie with Roger Maris

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New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) rounds the bases after hitting home run number sixty-two to break the American League home run record in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.

Tim Heitman | USA TODAY Sports | Reuters

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge clubbed his 62nd home run of the year Tuesday night in Texas, making him baseball’s greatest single-season long-ball hitter — outside of MLB’s notorious steroid era.

Judge’s memorable blast came in the first inning, off Rangers pitcher Jesus Tinoco, in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

Tuesday’s homer broke a tie with Roger Maris, who hit 61 shots in 1961, for the most hit in a single American League season.

Judge had tied Maris’ record with a roundtrip shot in Toronto on Wednesday. He’s now alone in seventh place for most homers hit in any one season.

But Judge’s achievement may only stand as a record in the hearts and minds of purist baseball fans.

All the record-holders ahead of Judge are National League sluggers who did their damage in the late ’90s and early 2000s, when it was widely believed some of the best hitters and pitchers used performance-enhancing drugs.

MLB did not suspend players for steroid use until 2005. By that point, Maris’ mark of 61 had been topped six times in just four seasons (1998-2001) by Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa, San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire.

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