I Dig Sports
The banged-up New Jersey Devils wasted no time filling an area of need just a little more than 24 hours before the NHL trade deadline, as talks pick up around the league and players keep changing places.
New Jersey acquired veteran defenseman Brian Dumoulin from the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday for a second-round pick and the rights to unsigned 19-year-old prospect Herman Traff. The Ducks are retaining half of Dumoulin's salary for the rest of this season and will get the better of the second-rounders between Edmonton's and Winnipeg's in the draft this summer.
Dumoulin, 33, has played 768 regular-season and playoff games in the league. He won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2016 and '17 and this season has 16 points while skating just under 20 minutes on average over 61 games with Anaheim.
"Brian was good for us both on and off the ice, and we wish him well in New Jersey," Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said. "This wasn't an easy decision for us. We do feel this allows more opportunity for our young defensemen, who have proven they can play and succeed at the NHL level."
The Devils' acquisition comes after they learned leading scorer Jack Hughes is done for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery and with No. 1 defenseman Dougie Hamilton also out because of injury. With Hughes joining Jonas Siegenthaler on long-term injured reserve, they can add roughly $10 million worth of players before the deadline, even after getting Dumoulin.
General manager Tom Fitzgerald has any number of options for how to use that space. Getting a high-end forward -- ideally a center -- would help fill the void left by Hughes' absence. Hughes is tied with Carolina's Mikko Rantanen in the league scoring race with 70 points on 27 goals and 43 assists.
Rantanen's future remains the biggest mystery to watch before the 3 p.m. ET deadline Friday. Already traded once this year from Colorado to the Hurricanes in a three-team blockbuster in late January, the 2022 Cup-winning, point-a-game winger in his prime could be on the move again with no guarantee Carolina will be able to sign the pending free agent beyond this season.
Others available include several forwards: the New York Islanders' Brock Nelson, the Penguins' Rickard Rakell, the Philadelphia Flyers' Scott Laughton and the Vancouver Canucks' Brock Boeser.
Deebo labels departure from 49ers 'bittersweet'
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel called his departure from San Francisco "bittersweet" but said Washington was always one of his preferred destinations after requesting a trade from the 49ers in part because of quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Samuel, in a 2,136-word essay for The Players' Tribune, reflected on his six seasons with San Francisco and termed his relationship with coach Kyle Shanahan "ridiculous" while also looking forward and saying, "D.C., we coming."
"I got a feeling this season is about to be one of them ones," Samuel wrote.
Samuel said he appreciates where the 49ers sent him and that there's "not a lick of bad blood when it comes to me and that organization. It's always love."
Washington traded a fifth-round pick for Samuel on Saturday; the trade will be official once the new league year begins March 12. Samuel has one year remaining on his contract.
He asked Shanahan for a trade in a meeting with him after the season, saying he told the coach he didn't think he knew how hard it was for him to have this conversation. ESPN's Adam Schefter broke the news on Super Bowl Sunday.
Samuel, a second-round pick in 2019, became a dangerous offensive weapon for San Francisco, capable of big plays as a running back as well. He finished his time in San Francisco with 4,792 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns while running for another 1,143 yards and 20 scores. In his All-Pro season of 2021, Samuel finished with 1,770 yards and 14 touchdowns from scrimmage.
But after a frustrating season in which he finished with 806 yards from scrimmage -- his lowest total since his second year when he played in only seven games -- Samuel wanted out.
"After I talked with Kyle, I talked to [GM] John [Lynch], and he understood where I was coming from and gave me his perspective on everything," Samuel wrote. "We talked about why we thought it was a good move for both of us. And listen, for John and Kyle to send me to a team in the NFC that was almost a Super Bowl contender, it just shows you the type of love and relationship that we have. I know at the end of the day, they didn't have to do that."
Samuel said he liked playing for Shanahan, though the ride was bumpy at times.
"One minute, he wanna knock my head off, and the next he's just going crazy, excited at something I'm doing," he wrote. "I've always felt like he coaches me harder than anybody else because at the end of the day, he knows I ain't no sensitive-ass player."
But Samuel said their relationship was deeper than just a coach-player one.
"Kyle knows damn near everything that I've been through in my life, and I damn near know everything he done been through," Samuel wrote. "It's like that. It's a bond you could never break. So, we talked it out. It was hard, in its own way. But more than anything, I was just proud of the way we both handled it, as men."
Samuel joins a Washington team coming off a loss in the NFC Championship Game at Philadelphia, the furthest the team has gone since the 1991 season. Daniels starred as a rookie quarterback, earning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and finishing seventh in MVP voting.
Daniels and 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk are best friends from their time together at Arizona State; Samuel said he started watching Daniels when he played at LSU because of Aiyuk. Also, Commanders general manager Adam Peters spent five years as an assistant general manager in San Francisco with Samuel. Washington's run game coordinator, Anthony Lynn, was an assistant head coach/running backs with the 49ers in 2022 and 2023.
"This is one of the best possible fits for me, where I can go in and help a team," Samuel wrote. "When my agent asked me where I wanted to go, this was one of the teams at the top of my list. I knew [Daniels] was going to be a stud. Definitely ready to work with Terry for sure, because we came in the league at the same time. I've heard how hard he grinds. I'm just ready to match the energy and get to it."
Samuel reflected on his journey from playing Pop Warner to his time at the University of South Carolina. He looked back on his two Super Bowl losses with the 49ers and how close the teams were, writing that "our locker room gave college vibes." That's why he labeled his departure bittersweet. He thanked the coaching staff, the cooks and equipment managers, among others.
"When the trade happened I was happy because this is something that I wanted," he wrote. "But as the day went on, my mind just kept fading off to all these damn memories, man."
TAMPA, Fla. -- Yankees pitcher Luis Gil will be sidelined for at least three months because of his lat strain and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton would have surgery on his elbows only as a last resort, according to general manager Brian Cashman.
Infielder DJ LeMahieu told reporters Thursday that he has a Grade 1 or 2 left calf strain and will be sidelined for several weeks in his fifth straight injury-hampered season.
Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, cut short a bullpen session last Friday because of tightness in his pitching shoulder, and the 26-year-old right-hander went to New York for an MRI that revealed a high-grade lat strain.
Cashman was quoted as saying the team hoped Gil will return "sometime in the summer."
Gil was 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 29 starts last year, striking out 171 and walking a major-league-high 77 in 151 innings. Marcus Stroman likely will replace him in a starting rotation that includes Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt.
Stanton said on Feb. 17 after reporting to camp that he had not swung a bat in three or four weeks because of elbow pain. The Yankees said he has been in New York, where he received a second round of platelet-rich plasma injections in both of his elbows.
Cashman said he expected Stanton to return to Tampa by the weekend.
"We'll clearly look forward to getting him back at some point, but obviously in the near term that won't be the case," Cashman said.
Surgery is not yet being contemplated for the 35-year-old designated hitter, a five-time All-Star.
"It'd be a last resort," Cashman said. "I can't rule out a surgery, but I know it's not recommended in the front end of this thing, but obviously if you have a number of different failed attempts, then obviously you start looking at different ways of intervention."
Stanton hit .233 with 27 homers and 72 RBIs while playing 114 games last year, his season interrupted by a strained left hamstring that sidelined him between June 22 and July 29. Stanton batted .273 with seven homers and 16 RBIs in the postseason.
He signed a then-record $325 million, 13-year contract with the Marlins ahead of the 2015 season and had 59 homers and 132 RBIs in 2017, winning the NL MVP award. He was acquired by the Yankees that December and hit 38 homers with 100 RBIs in his first season with New York.
He missed 266 of 708 games over the next five seasons because of a series of injuries that included strains of right biceps, right knee, left hamstring (twice) and left quadriceps along with right ankle inflammation and left leg Achilles tendinitis.
LeMahieu was hurt Saturday in his first spring training game of the year. The 36-year-old ended last season on the injured list because of his right hip. He didn't make his season debut until May 28 after fracturing his right foot on a foul ball in spring training.
Those injuries limited the three-time All-Star and two-time batting champion to just 67 games last season, and he hit a career-worst .204 with just two homers and 26 RBIs.
LeMahieu has two years remaining in a $90 million, six-year contract.
WTA players to receive maternity pay for first time
Female tennis players will receive paid maternity leave on the WTA Tour for the first time.
More than 320 players will be eligible for up to 12 months paid leave through a new maternity fund introduced by governing body, the Women's Tennis Association.
Grants will also be made available for fertility treatment.
Players will need to compete in a minimum number of WTA tournaments over a certain period of time to be eligible.
The maternity programme will be fully funded by Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is a global partner of the WTA Tour.
Petra Kvitova and Belinda Bencic have both made their comeback from maternity leave in recent months.
Former world number one Victoria Azarenka, who gave birth to son Leo in 2016, told the BBC last year that it would be a "huge win for women in general" if the WTA was to introduce maternity pay.
Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka also spoke in support of maternity pay, saying it would be "life-changing".
It can be challenging to balance the physical and emotional demands of a professional tennis career with the complexities of motherhood and family life, WTA chief executive Portia Archer said.
This initiative will provide the current and next generation of players the support and flexibility to explore family life, in whatever form they choose."
'More Premiership club bankruptcies inevitable without change'
It is only "a matter of time" until another Premiership club goes bust unless there is "radical change" according to the administrator who oversaw London Irish's insolvency.
London Irish, Wasps and Worcester went out of business during the 2022-23 season leaving the top flight of English rugby with only 10 teams.
A parliamentary report in January 2023 concluded that the financial situation of elite clubs was unsustainable.
"There is little prospect of profitability in the medium term and therefore considerable risk of other clubs going to the wall," Lee Manning told Sky Sports., external
"I think it is [just a matter of time]. Unless the game's financial model can be radically changed.
"It only takes one other club to fail, perhaps two, and where's the viability of the league? Where's the attraction of the league?"
The last set of accounts filed by all Premiership clubs in 2022-23 showed that the sides collectively lost 30.5m and have net debts of more than 300m.
Gloucester owner Martin St Quinton is among those to have said the Premiership business model is flawed, agreeing that another club could go bust.
Irish were doomed after a proposed deal with an American consortium to take over the club and it's 30m debt fell through.
The club were bought out of administration by a group led by former Formula 1 team owner and businessman Eddie Jordan last month.
Irish, along with Wasps and Worcester, have applied to be part of a new expanded Championship next season.
However Manning says that the club's new owners are exploring the possibility of joining the United Rugby Championship, in which sides from Ireland, Wales, Scotland and South Africa compete, rather than restarting lower down the English pyramid.
"My understanding is there is an intention of seeing if they can join the URC and I think that might be the case for Wasps as well because there's no viable entry route into the Premiership," he said, while admitting that such a move may require approval from the Rugby Football Union.
MECHANICSVILLE, Md. The roar of 11,000-horsepower Nitro Top Fuel and Funny Cars will once again echo through Maryland Intl Raceway as the IHRA Presidents Cup Nationals makes its highly anticipated return on Aug. 8-9.
After a nine-year hiatus, one of the International Hot Rod Assns most celebrated events is back, bringing with it a legacy of unforgettable moments. First held from 1992 to 2010, and again from 2014 to 2016, the Presidents Cup Nationals has long been a staple of the drag racing community, showcasing some of the sports most thrilling performances.
The event has seen historic milestones, including the first-ever all 6-second Pro Stock qualified field in drag racing history on Sept. 24, 1994. It has also crowned champions across multiple classesScotty Cannons Pro Mod victory over Al Billes in the 1992 debut event, the introduction of Funny Car in 1993 when Mark Thomas took the title and the addition of Nitro Harleys in 1999 with Jay Turners win.
One of the most memorable moments came in 2002, when Jack Ostrander pulled off a stunning upset, ending Clay Millicans perfect season in the first round before defeating Paul Romine in the Top Fuel final. That years event also saw an overwhelming turnout of over 700 racers, so large that many had to park in a nearby farmers field and be towed to the track.
Maryland Intl Raceway owner Royce Miller expressed his enthusiasm for the events return:
We are beyond excited to welcome the IHRA Presidents Cup Nationals and Nitro Racing back to MIR. The nearly 20-year history of this event is filled with incredible moments for racers and fans alike. Thanks to the collaboration between IHRA and WDRA, we now have the opportunity to create even more unforgettable experiences. I hope everyone will join me in celebrating the return of this iconic event.
Maryland Intl Raceway, a premier drag racing venue in the Washington-Baltimore region, hosts more than100 events annually and has been thrilling fans since it opened in July 1966. From March through November, the track features nonstop action with professional and sportsman drag racing, car shows, and a variety of special events.
IRVINE, Calif. Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducatis Josh Herrin will roll into Daytona (Fla.) Intl Speedway this week riding high with a level of confidence that only comes from winning two Daytona 200s in a row, and three overall.
Hes not Mr. Daytona yet, but a fourth win would put him just one trip to Victory Lane away from making it a three-way tie with Scott Russell and Miguel Duhamel, who both have five wins.
But first things first. Theres a race to be run and it is historically one of the more difficult to win. You need to be quick, and you need a motorcycle that is fast and a pit crew that is both fast and mistake-free. You also need to have the instinct of being in the right place at the right time to win a last-lap battle to the tri-oval and the checkered flag that awaits there.
And you need Lady Luck riding pillion.
Case in point: Most of the winners of the Daytona 200 have only won once in the races 82-year history. Seven racers have won twice, six have won three and one has won four. Only Russell and Duhamel have won five.
And none of them have won three in a row.
Herrin and his three victories will be joined on the grid by another multi-time winner, TOBC Racings Danny Eslick. Slick has four Daytona 200 wins (2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018) and hes back for another try in 2025.
Herrins first win, meanwhile, came in 2010, 14 years before his third win in the 82nd edition of The Great American Motorcycle Race this past March.
The Daytona 200 Can Someone Stop Herrin?
Thirty-six riders will attempt to qualify for the 83rd running of the Daytona 200 on five different brands of motorcycles. The grid is again international with riders from six different countries represented with the Brits leading the foreign charge with six entries, one of whom is a 14-time Isle of Man TT winner and the all-time lap record holder on the Island with an average speed of 136.358 mph Peter Hickman. The PHR Performance Triumph-mounted Hickman will be making his second start in the 200 after making his debut in the race last year.
Speaking of the TT, Northern Irelands Michael Dunlop (yes, the 29-time Isle of Man TT winner) will make his Daytona debut this week, riding a Milwaukee Ducati MD Racing Panigale V2. Youd think Daytona would be eye-opening for a first-timer, but that likely wont be the case for someone with 29 Isle of Man TT victories. Hes seen scary.
Last year, the Daytona 200 wasnt the thriller weve come to expect. As always, there was a large pack of riders in the lead group until the pack was thinned down during the first pit stop. For all practical purposes, Herrin won the race in the first pit stop with his team turning in a quick performance while his closest challenger, Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzukis Richie Escalante, had a stop that was quite the opposite. From that point forward, Herrin was never threatened.
Escalante will be back this year, hoping Lady Luck speaks better Spanish than she does English. Escalante was robbed of what seemed to be a sure second place last year when he ran out of gas, coasting around for what would end up being a fourth-place finish. On the track, Escalante was fifth, but he moved up a spot when Bobby Fong was DQd for having a fuel tank that exceeded the legal size.
Escalantes teammate, 19-year-old Tyler Scott, will be back with another year of racing under his belt. Scott took full advantage of Escalantes bad luck last year to finish second, some 45 seconds behind Herrin. Scott did a lot of learning, and he should prove to be a threat in this years big race.
Hayden Gillim rode the Vesrah Suzuki to third place last year, but he wont be racing in this years 200. The fan-favorite will, however, be in the two Mission King Of The Baggers races this weekend.
The fastest of the Brits in 2024 was Hickmans PHR Performance Triumph teammate, Richard Cooper. Cooper is one to watch for as he ran in the lead pack until a crash took him out of the race.
As previously mentioned, four-time Daytona 200 winner Danny Eslick is entered for the 200 on a TOBC Racing Triumph Street Triple 765 RS. Eslick certainly isnt a favorite to win a fifth 200, but this is Daytona. Anything can happen.
Brandon Paasch has two Daytona 200 wins to his credit, and hes self-entered on another TOBC Racing Triumph. Paasch is serious about Daytona and is spending his own money to make it happen. If he pulls it all together, he is an obvious favorite.
Another Daytona first timer with a wealth of racing experience is Brit Danny Webb. Webb, a former 125cc GP, Moto3, World Supersport, Endurance World Championship, and Isle of Man TT competitor, will ride a Team Classic Suzuki GSX-R750 in the 200.
The Truelove brothers, Harry and Matt, are back for another Daytona 200 on their Truelove Brothers Racing Suzuki GSX-R750s.
Round two of Race Industry Now, EPARTRADEs weekly tech webinar series, is scheduled for March12. EPARTRADE will host a tech webinar every Wednesday until the end of October.
Join SPEED SPORT partner EPARTRADE for Race Industry Now Episode No. 533: Redefining The Future Of Vehicle Testing by by LABA7.
Wednesday, March 12 at 9 a.m. PST / 12 p.m. EST: Click here to register
Featuring Andrius Liskus, CEO, LABA7 and hosted by Brad Gillie from SiriusXM, Ch. 90, Late Shift.
There is no charge to attend.
ABOUT EPARTRADE: EPARTRADE (Electronic Performance And Racing Trade), is a revolutionary, trade-only product-sourcing platform that works 24/7 to connect performance parts suppliers with racing business professionals around the world. EPARTRADE, in conjunction with SPEED SPORT and RACER.com, also produces the annual Race Industry Week webinars which feature five days of live sessions with industry leaders, race sanctioning organizations and promoters from around the world.
Elliott, Slot had 'honest' talks over playing time
Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott has revealed he has had "very honest" talks with head coach Arne Slot over his lack of playing time but insists he is still hungry to contribute to his team's success.
Elliott scored the winning goal for Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain, finishing with his first touch after coming off the bench in the 85th minute at the Parc des Princes.
The 21-year-old has made 18 appearances for Liverpool this season but has started on only four occasions and, after making himself the hero against PSG, he admitted he has discussed his desire for more minutes with Slot.
"Yes, we've had conversations," Elliott said. "Very honest conversations and open conversations. It's down to me to put the work in, to be honest, and show him everything that he's told me. I'm trying to work on it, I'm trying to improve and I'm trying to get in this team.
"At the same time, I feel like I can't get too angry and frustrated because quite frankly the team is doing amazing. As I said, it's a team game. It's just not about me. I just need to make sure that I'm ready in moments like tonight where I can contribute. Just make sure I'm in the right mind frame to come on and influence the game.
"There are periods of time where I want to be playing and it's not happening. But moments like tonight, it keeps me motivated and the hunger is still within me to go out and show what I can do and influence the game as much as I can.
"I think not only myself, but any football player would want to play each and every game. It's just not humanly possible, you just need to wait for your moments. And nights like tonight, just enjoy it and take the opportunity."
Elliott joined Liverpool from Fulham in 2019 and broke into the first team under Jürgen Klopp. He impressed for Slot's side in preseason but his opportunities have been limited this term after fracturing his foot while on international duty back in September.
Reflecting on how he has dealt with the challenges of this season, Elliott said: "I think as a player you always need to stay composed. Football is full of ups and downs. You can go periods of time without playing, you can be not playing, and things don't really go your way. I think it's just about staying motivated and mentally right in the head.
"Like tonight, opportunities, although there wasn't a big amount of game time, just trying to see what you can do. Today it fell to me perfectly and I just needed to make sure I got a good connection and put the ball in the back of the net. That's what I did."
Elliott also added: "I'm still young, it's a hard thing to understand in my head really. I've played 150 games for Liverpool, and I feel like I'm very experienced in terms of that aspect.
"So there are moments within the season where I am getting angry, I am getting frustrated because I want to play, but at the same time I need to respect the situation, I need to respect the manager's decisions. Some games I'm needed, some games I'm not.
"That's just how football is. That's why I feel like we're in the position that we are in this season so far because of his decisions."
Rob Key: England would be 'stupid' not to consider Ben Stokes as ODI captain
Stokes is currently stepping up his recovery in Abu Dhabi with an England Lions training group and is expected to be fully fit to start the summer with Durham. Key was also out in the UAE, and sees no reason why the 33-year-old cannot do as he has done with the Test side and re-energise an ODI team who have lost their way.
"I think nothing's off the table really," Key said. "You look at every single option and you think, right, what is the best thing to do? How is that going to impact on other things?
"Ben Stokes is one of the best captains I've ever seen. So it would be stupid not to look at him. It's just the knock-on effect of what that means.
"He's an unbelievably good tactician, which we've seen in Test cricket, but he's a leader of men. He's someone who gets the best out of people. He's someone that, when the pressure is really on, he's able to throw a blanket around the players and actually say, 'no, no, this is the way forward. Keep going with it'.
"They're the qualities that you need in leadership. Ben's, as we know, an outstanding player, an outstanding leader. It's more about, what would that then mean to him? What would that then mean to his workload?
"We don't want to risk other things as well. But there's always a way in England, I think, where you start looking at, 'what if it goes wrong?' You've also got to think, 'what if it goes right?'. They're the decisions that I have to make."
There is no doubt McCullum would be open to having Stokes on board. He stated last week that he would be open to a different captain for each of the three international formats because of their contrasting strategies. Key, however, sees a synergy between Tests and ODIs that would allow Stokes to succeed with the latter.
"When you start looking at it, I believe that Test cricket and 50-over cricket are probably closer than T20s, which is the outlier now. So then that makes different things.
"We look at India and the way they play T20 cricket, and they've got all these young players coming through, but it's their Test players that are making the difference in 50-over cricket."
The issue, as Stokes has previously outlined himself, is the schedule. This year sees England face India and Australia in legacy-defining Test series as far as Stokes' captaincy and the Bazball project are concerned. Should the ODI job be assumed, three-match series against West Indies (May into June), South Africa, Ireland (both in September) and New Zealand (ahead of the Ashes) will be shoe-horned into his itinerary.
Brook will have a similar issue, albeit one he already has to contend with as a multi-format batter. Key has no reservations about Brook assuming a leadership role given how he captained against Australia at the end of last summer in Buttler's absence. And with Stokes on hand to guide him - as well as halve his limited-overs captaincy duties - Key sees no reason why the Yorkshire batter cannot step up another level.
"I think Harry Brook would be an outstanding captain actually. I was cautious about Ben Stokes doing it and having too much, and look how that's gone.
"I think he (Stokes) might bring out the best in Harry Brook. Being able to go out there and feel like the extra responsibility sometimes ,for people, is the best thing that can happen for them. Sometimes it's not. They're the decisions you have to work out."
Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
