I Dig Sports
DUBUQUE, Iowa – Though he tried high and low, the latter worked in the end for Jeremiah Hurst Sunday evening at Dubuque Speedway.
The Dubuque ace slid by early leader Terry Neal after a caution and ultimately won the 25-lap Eichman’s Bar and Grill IMCA Late Model season opener.
“They (his crew) were down at the turn waving me to stay low and it worked,” Hurst said in Hoker Trucking Victory Lane. “The car was great. The track was great. It was a special night.”
The track, under new promoter Trackside Promotions, finally got the opener on the fifth try due to bad weather through April and first weekend of May.
Andy Nezworski also got by Neal for the runner up spot in the end, while Matt Ryan and Jeff Tharp rounded out the top five.
Jeff Larson weave his way through two and three wide groups to take the 20-lap Merfeld Brothers Automotive IMCA Modified feature. Early leader Jaden Fryer, a charging Tyler Madigan, Jed Freiburger and Austin Moyer came next.
Tyler Soppe launched from his P3 start and held off Gage Neal in a very competitive Peosta Warehousing Logistics IMCA SportMod finale. Wes Digman, Jason Roth and Jacob Ellithorpe completed the top five.
Dakota Simonsen went to the front early and capped the Kinsella Concrete IMCA Hobby Stock 12-lap feature, ahead of Daniel Wauters, Quinton Miller, Brandon White and Roger Winkers.
Wauters took the Trackside Back Row Challenge, hoping to win a bonus for coming from the back to the win, but fell one position short.
Cole Mather beat Kyle Merkes and Reece Norton in the IMCA Stock Car 12-lap feature, while Joe Zrostlik won the 4 Cylinder main over John Campbell, Robbie Harding, Jacob Welter and Rick Hempstead.
A total of 67 race teams hit the track on a chilly Mother’s Day evening to start the season.
BOSTON -- After a 6-2 blowout against the Boston Bruins in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, Carolina Hurricanes captain Justin Williams said his team needs to rediscover who they are -- and that process might not be so palatable.
"You spend all this time leading up, with everyone writing articles about how great we are," Williams said Sunday. "You come out, and sometimes you gotta eat a poop sandwich. It doesn't taste good. You have to chew on it for a couple days, we'll have to do it for a couple days, and hopefully get the taste out next game."
After allowing just five goals over four games to the New York Islanders in the second round, the Hurricanes have allowed the Bruins to score 11 goals in the first two games of this series. Carolina is in an 0-2 hole with Game 3 on Tuesday in Raleigh.
It was an eventful game for the 37-year-old Williams, who was baited in the second period into taking a holding penalty after an altercation with Bruins winger Brad Marchand. As Williams skated to the penalty box, Marchand appeared to taunt him by pointing to the box and miming a "C" on his chest. The Bruins scored on the ensuing power play.
Williams scored the Canes' first goal in the third period, but by then, the game was out of hand, as Boston had already built a 6-0 lead.
"I think he was a little frustrated that he fell down," Marchand said of the altercation. "But it was just good that we capitalized on that opportunity. I've been on that side plenty of times. It's not fun. He's their captain. He's their leader over there and bounced back with a big goal late to get them going. So he's got a lot of character, he plays hard, and he's a good player for them."
When asked if he was showing Williams which way the penalty box was, Marchand laughed. "Yeah, I guess," he said.
On the penalty, Williams said. "I'm old enough. I gotta know better."
There was some curiosity as to why Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour did not pull goalie Petr Mrazek. The 27-year-old goaltender sustained a groin injury in Game 2 of the second-round series against the Islanders and missed Games 3 and 4 before returning this series.
Brind'Amour, a rookie NHL head coach, has not pulled a goaltender for performance all season. Mrazek has given up 10 straight goals in this series.
Brind'Amour said the only bad goal was the first one, which "was no good, and he knows that." The coach said he considered pulling Mrazek and chatted about it, but the goalie said he didn't want to come out.
"He's a battler," Brind'Amour said. "A lot of other guys on the bench deserve to come out if that's what we're doing. That's not how we do it."
The Hurricanes also fell behind 0-2 in their first-round series against the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals. They won the next two games at home and won the series in Game 7. Williams is nicknamed "Mr. Game 7," as he has scored 15 goals in nine Game 7s -- the most in NHL history -- and orchestrated Brock McGinn's game-winning goal against the Capitals with an assist.
"We certainly don't think we can't do it," Williams said of climbing out of another 0-2 hole. "If they are going to advance, we're certainly going to make it as tough as we can on them, and it won't be easy."
Williams promised that his team will be much better when it returns to Raleigh.
"We gotta chew on it," Williams said, referring to his sandwich metaphor. "And Game 3 is ours."
Bruins thump Hurricanes 6-2, take 2-0 lead in East finals
Matt Grzelcyk scored twice -- his first career multigoal game -- and Tuukka Rask made 21 saves Sunday to lead the Bruins to a 6-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes and a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
Stricker leads as Regions Tradition final round postponed to Monday
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The final round of the Regions Tradition barely got underway before play was suspended because of thunderstorms.
Four and a half hours of steady rain later, PGA Tour Champions officials postponed the round until Monday. Play resumes with an early two-tee start.
A handful of players got in one hole Sunday before having to leave the course. The leaders haven't started the final round of the first of five senior major championships.
Steve Stricker holds a two-stroke lead at 14-under 202. Two-time Tradition winner Bernhard Langer, David Toms and Billy Andrade are all two strokes back.
The first round was completed on Friday after bad weather stopped play. Stricker still had five holes to go on his way to a 68 and then shot a 64 in the second round, followed by Saturday's 70.
The course was deluged by nearly an inch of rain Sunday morning.
Spieth 'ready to contend' for final Slam leg at Bethpage
Even after a disappointing final round, Jordan Spieth sees reason to be excited as he heads to the PGA Championship in search of a piece of history.
Spieth shot an even-par 71 in the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson, a score that was three shots higher than any of his previous three efforts and one that dropped him into a tie for 29th in his hometown event. After missing the Tour Championship for the first time last season, he's now gone 14 starts this season without a single top-20 finish and sits at 150th in the season-long points race.
Spieth's final round included four birdies and four bogeys, a microcosm of a lean year in which he's shown flashes of form but has struggled with consistency.
"I was very disappointed with even par, just with how score-able the conditions are. But, you know, I feel like I made some progress," Spieth told reporters. "Like the way I putted this week, continuing to putt better and better each week which is nice, frees the long game up. Better this week than it has been any week this year, so feels like good stuff coming. Just stay the course."
Spieth hasn't won since The Open in 2017, but a victory next week at Bethpage Black would be his fourth career major title. It would also give him the final leg of the career Grand Slam, joining a club that includes just five players and one that hasn't gained a new entrant since Tiger Woods in 2000.
Spieth finished T-12 at last year's PGA at Bellerive and tied for 10th in 2016 the last time the PGA Tour held an event at Bethpage, helping him take "more confidence than disappointment" from his Nelson result as he maintains belief that a big result is just around the corner.
"I think do what I did this week and just try and limit the mistakes a little bit," Spieth said. "I feel like my game is ready to contend. Just a matter of getting there and getting in the same group."
Koepka fourth at Nelson: 'Sometimes you can just get beat'
After contending but ultimately falling short in a tune-up ahead of a major title defense, don't expect Brooks Koepka to lose much sleep over his finish at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Koepka was the only player ranked inside the top 10 in the world to tee it up this week in Dallas, and he closed with a bogey-free 65 at Trinity Forest to finish the week at 20 under. But that still left him alone in fourth place, three shots behind Sung Kang who rallied to win for the first time on the PGA Tour. In speaking to reporters after the round, Koepka was quick to put his result in perspective.
"Sometimes you can just get beat. That happened this week," Koepka said. "I feel like I'm striking it really well, putting it really well, especially the putts coming down the stretch. Nice to see some kind of, something on the line. It was important going into next week."
Next week would be the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, where Koepka will defend the title he won last summer at Bellerive. After a T-2 finish at the Masters he'll renew his search for a fourth career major title, having claimed three of the last eight he has played. Koepka now adds his close call at Trinity Forest to a runner-up at the Honda Classic in February as signs that his game can elevate him into contention at nearly any type of Tour venue - including the major variety.
"I like my chances next week," Koepka said. "Just like the way I'm playing, like the way everything feels right now."
LEICESTER -- Eden Hazard said he has decided his future and is waiting for Chelsea to act on his wishes after making what is likely to be his final Premier League appearance for the club against Leicester City.
Despite starting on the bench at the King Power Stadium, Hazard's name was sung all afternoon by the travelling Chelsea supporters, several of whom held up a banner urging him to spurn interest from Real Madrid and stay at the club.
Sources told ESPN FC this week that Hazard wants Chelsea to sanction his desired move to the Spanish giants as soon as possible, and speaking after the game the Belgian confirmed he has made his feelings known to the club hierarchy.
- Johnson: Who qualifies for Europe from the Premier League?
- When are next season's Premier League fixtures revealed?
"Yes I have made my decision, but it is not just about me," Hazard said on the subject of his future. "I'm still waiting."
Asked if he has told the club, Hazard replied: "Yes. A couple of weeks ago."
Maurizio Sarri said in December that it was time to resolve Hazard's future, and the Belgian agreed that he would have preferred clarity a little earlier in the season. "Yes, I wanted that but that's not happened. I'm still waiting like you are waiting and like the fans are waiting."
Chelsea's goalless draw with Leicester, coupled with Tottenham's 2-2 draw at home to Everton, secured Sarri a third-place finish in the Premier League to cap the Champions League qualification that was sealed with victory over Watford last weekend.
Hazard, however, insisted that Chelsea's presence in Europe's elite club competition next season will have no bearing on his future. "No, I don't think so. I have made my decision, that's it. I'm still waiting."
Chelsea have a chance to end the season with silverware by beating Arsenal in the Europa League final in Baku later this month, and Hazard expects to be able to announce his decision after the game.
But the Belgian -- who registered 16 goals and 15 assists for Chelsea in the Premier League -- insisted that the persistent speculation linking him with Madrid in recent months has not affected his focus when it comes to football.
"Never, never," he said. "When you are on the pitch, you try to be focused on the pitch with the ball. That's it. When I am on the pitch I just try to do the best. I am not thinking about this and this, my situation or the club's situation. I just try to win games."
Liverpool's Sadio Mane and Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang both scored twice on the final Sunday to share the Premier League's Golden Boot award for top scorer with last season's winner Mohamed Salah.
- Usher: Mane an 8/10 after leading relentless Liverpool to bittersweet win
- Ogden: Epic title race decided by millimetres
- When are next season's Premier League fixtures revealed?
The achievement of the three African strikers left Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp especially proud as he has played such an important part in the development of the trio's careers.
They all ended on 22 goals for the league campaign after Senegalese forward Mane scored twice in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers to join his Egyptian teammate Salah.
Arsenal's Gabonese forward Aubameyang followed his midweek Europa League semifinal hat trick in Valencia with a second-half double that helped the Gunners to a 3-1 win at Burnley.
Though Mane and Salah's 44 goals proved in vain for Klopp as his side lost out on the league title to Manchester City, who won 4-1 at Brighton & Hove Albion, he had reason to smile.
"Auba too?" Klopp said, on learning that Aubameyang, his former signing at Borussia Dortmund, shared the accolade.
"Do they have three boots? It is good. They are all my players."
African and proud!!
— Aubameyang P-E (@Aubameyang7) May 12, 2019
Sharing the golden boot with my 2 brothers @MoSalah & Sadio Mané ☝??? pic.twitter.com/o3n2KQmCRl
The 22-goal winning mark was the lowest since the 2010-11 season when Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov and Manchester City's Carlos Tevez shared the Golden Boot with 20 goals apiece.
Aubameyang was delighted over the trio's African connection, and said: "I share this trophy with two other guys I like, great players and African. We are representing Africa, that's cool."
- Ogden: Epic title race decided by millimetres
- When are next season's Premier League fixtures revealed?
Salah, who had scored 32 goals last season, was not as prolific this term as in his record-breaking 2017-18 campaign but both he and Mane finished a goal ahead of champions Manchester City's top marksman Sergio Aguero.
Of course, the Argentine, who matched Thierry Henry in scoring 20 or more goals in five straight seasons in the Premier League era, probably netted the most crucial goal with his equaliser at Brighton that set City on course for the title.
Former Manchester City and Barcelona man Yaya Toure has denied that he has retired from football despite his agent claiming the midfielder called time on his playing career.
Last week, the player's agent Dimitry Seluk said that Toure had retired and planned to focus on coaching but the 36-year-old has publicly stated that he intends to continue.
"There has been a lot of confusion about my future recently," Toure wrote on Twitter. "I want to make it clear here that I love football and I'm still in contention to play for a few more years.
"Yes, I'm starting to prepare myself for coaching badges but full time coaching is not what I'm thinking right now."
Toure has been a free agent since leaving Greek Super League club Olympiakos after only three months last year.
He added: "I am now ready and focused to take new challenges in playing football. And don't worry once the time has come, I will announce my retirement personally and officially by myself."
Toure has enjoyed a successful playing career, winning two La Liga titles and a Champions League with Barca whilst claiming three Premier League titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup with City.
Liverpool will learn from their mistakes after coming agonisingly close to winning the Premier League title and hope to come back stronger next season, defender Andy Robertson has said.
The Merseyside club ended their league campaign one point behind champions Manchester City, who sealed a second successive title by coming from a goal down to beat Brighton and Hove Albion 4-1 on Sunday.
Liverpool finished with 97 points, the highest points tally of any team to finish runners-up in English top-flight history, and lost only one league game all season -- at City in January.
- Ogden: A Premier League title race decided by millimetres
- Liverpool Player Ratings: Mane 8/10 after leading relentless Reds to bittersweet win
- When are next season's Premier League fixtures revealed?
"We've not done much wrong, but we'll learn from it," Robertson told Liverpool's website. "The good thing is that City know we're here now and we're not going anywhere.
"This squad will stay together and we need to put everything into next season.
"Nobody has lost this Premier League, it's been won -- and it's been won by an unbelievable team that's set the standard. We kept up with them but we just fell short."
The disappointment of losing out on the title has been somewhat eased by Liverpool reaching their second successive Champions League final.
The club could still end their season on a high by beating Tottenham Hotspur in the Madrid showpiece on June 1 to claim their sixth European Cup.
"We're in the final now and we need to take that one step further that we didn't take last season," Robertson said, referring to Liverpool's defeat by Real Madrid in last season's Champions League final.
"If we can do it then it'll be a hell of a season. We know how hard that game against Tottenham is going to be."
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
