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Leafs not guaranteed to match Marner offer sheet

Published in Hockey
Thursday, 20 June 2019 21:29

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- If restricted free-agent star forward Mitch Marner plans on signing an offer sheet to set his price tag, there's no guarantee the Toronto Maple Leafs will match it, according to general manager Kyle Dubas.

Marner, who led the team with 94 points last season, is one of three RFAs whom Dubas is negotiating with, along with forwards Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson.

"I think we're at the point where we can speak openly about it. It's not just one guy, it's a number of them," Dubas said after the NHL's general managers meeting in Vancouver on Thursday. "If there were an offer sheet, we would look at what they are, what the compensation is for our team, and make the decision based off of that. They're all very important players for us. It's our intention they're all here for as long as we can possibly keep them."

Teams that successfully sign restricted free agents via an offer sheet must compensate the player's former team. For example, if Marner was to agree to a contract that paid him north of $10,568,590 annually, the team that signs him would owe the Leafs four first-round draft picks as compensation.

"If the dollar amount doesn't make sense in terms of our internal economics and the marketplace, and the compensation is such, it's going to be a decision as to what we're going to do," said Dubas.

This is a different tact than the one Dubas took in December, when he told Sportsnet that the Leafs were positioned to match any offer sheet that came their way.

"Our salary cap situation is set up that we could defend any of those threats with no worry at all," he said at the time. "I know that they've become a huge topic of late, but I spend zero percent of my time having any worry about that. If a team wants to go down that path with us, that's the way it goes."

Whether it's a negotiating ploy or the reality of the Leafs' salary structure -- as Toronto currently has $7.79 million open for next season -- Dubas isn't sounding as gung-ho about their ability to match an offer sheet for a player like Marner.

"I don't think there's any fear in addressing it. If it happens, it happens," he said. "It's been clear to all that it's going to be where they're at. Where they fit in our internal economics. We'll see. I hope it never comes to that. But I also don't think it benefits to shy away from the fact that it may happen."

Marner, 22, has come under criticism from some Leafs fans for reportedly seeking a salary in the neighborhood of that of 21-year-old Toronto star center Auston Matthews, who signed a five-year contract extension worth $11.634 million annually earlier this year.

Dubas defended Marner's reputation, in the face of accusations of avarice.

"He loves hockey. Loves playing in Toronto. I get that these matters become complex because of the number of dollars that are in play. People hear them, whether they're factual or not, and draw certain conclusions about players and what their motivations are," Dubas said. "But when it comes to Mitch Marner, I think anybody that's being negative about him is way off."

In other Leafs news, Dubas said that the Leafs are trying to "accommodate" 39-year-old center Patrick Marleau, who has one more year left on his contract at $6.25 million against the salary cap. Marleau's family recently moved back to the San Jose area, where he spent the first 19 years of his career, and Marleau put his Toronto home up for sale.

"All that said, if Patrick Marleau were back with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the beginning of next year, that wouldn't be a problem for Patrick," Dubas said. "There's a strong chance he'll be back next season."

CHASKA, Minn. – Hannah Green got just about everything wrong in the KPMG Women's PGA Championship except what mattered: Her score.

Green didn't have wet weather gear when she teed off Thursday at Hazeltine as it started to rain - she doesn't like rain pants, anyway, because they make too much noise. On a long, tough course at Hazeltine National, she missed nine greens and never had a tap-in for par.

No matter. She took 23 putts, none on the par-5 seventh when she holed a bunker shot, and she kept bogeys off her card for a 4-under 68 for a one-shot lead over Hyo Joo Kim and Mel Reid.

"I guess I just had a lot of luck today with putts going in and getting good bounces," Green said.

Kim set small goals to help her on a big course. She wanted to hit 12 greens and take no more than 30 putts, and she accomplished both in her 69. Reid played in one of the final groups and finished strong, hitting just inside the hazard right of the 16th fairway, taking her shot over a tree and grandstand and onto the green.

Hazeltine was as tough as advertised, playing at 6,831 yards - just 244 yards short of the Pebble Beach scorecard last week at the U.S. Open.

It was long enough that Ariya Jutanugarn not only carried a driver for the first time all year, she hit it - twice.

"Made bogey" she said with a laugh after her 70.

And it was tough enough - especially with a mixture of rain, wind, a drop in temperatures, sunshine and more rain - that only 16 players broke par and 20 players shot 80 or higher. One of them was Michelle Wie, who returned from two months off with an injured right wrist and matched her highest score as a pro with an 84. She was happy to be playing golf again, which made her score feel even worse.

"I'm not entirely sure how much left I have in me," Wie said as she began to cry. "I love being out here."

Green had everything going her way except for being prepared for the elements. She opened with a 15-foot par putt. She followed with a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-5 11th, which played so long in these conditions - 557 yards - that she had 7-iron for her third shot. Most of the pars she saved were in the 6-foot range.

'"I don't really think I ever had a tap-in putt for my par putts when I missed the green," she said. "I made all of them. Very happy with that."

She also had her own cheering section.

Karrie Webb, Australia's most prolific major champion, has been offering scholarships to two amateurs for the last several years. They are with Webb this week, and followed Green along. They're all staying in the same house, cooking and working on a 2,000-piece puzzle they wanted to finish in time for their barbecue Saturday.

This is meaningful to Green because she was a Karrie Webb scholarship winner four years ago, coming over to America for the U.S. Women's Open - the first golf tournament she saw as a spectator. She even toured the media center, and there she was Thursday evening answering questions about her round.

"That was a real eye-opener for me, and I guess it's pretty cool now to be doing that today," Green said.

The rain wasn't too much of a burden. A Hazeltine staff member brought out extra towels. Her boyfriend ran back to the house to get a heavier jacket to cope with the chill. She might even buy rain pants.

Jutanugarn is so powerful off the tee that she typically doesn't carry a driver. The Thai is just as effective with a 3-wood or a 2-iron.

Hazeltine made her change.

"I hit my driver twice today - pretty good," Jutanugarn said.

Her bogey was on the par-5 11th hole. She also hit her driver on the par-5 15th into the right rough, leaving her 260 yards away. She laid up and made birdie the conventional way, and relied on a 3-wood and a 4-iron to set up birdie on the 528-yard seventh hole with water guarding the front of the green.

Defending champion Sung Hyun Park and I.K. Kim also were in the group at 70 with Jutanugarn. The group at 71 included major champions So Yeon Ryu and Lydia Ko.

Most of the early starters were finishing when a blue sky and moderate breeze gave way to wind and rain.

"I was wearing my sunglasses and I wondered if it was the sunglasses that were dark," Ko said. "No, it's dark. The wind was really blowing and at one point, when you're hitting straight into the wind, I think I hit one of my drives 200 yards because I didn't hit it very well and it went straight up."

On the 382-yard sixth hole, with the wind at her back, she hit driver and a sand wedge into the green to set up her final birdie.

"I was hitting 7-iron yesterday," she said.

It was like that for Green all day. Hardly any of the clubs she hit it practice rounds were same for the opening round. The putter was working at most any length.

Sources: Celts send C Baynes, 24th pick to Suns

Published in Basketball
Thursday, 20 June 2019 20:40

The Boston Celtics have agreed to trade center Aron Baynes and the No. 24 pick in Thursday night's NBA draft to the Phoenix Suns for their 2020 first-round pick (via the Milwaukee Bucks), sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Suns used the 24th pick to select Virginia shooting guard Ty Jerome.

Boston had acquired the Nos. 24 and 33 picks from the Philadelphia 76ers for the Celtics' 20th pick earlier Thursday, league sources told Wojnarowski. Philadelphia used the No. 20 pick to select Washington small forward Matisse Thybulle. The Celtics used the No. 33 pick on Purdue guard Carsen Edwards.

Baynes, a seven-year veteran, was plagued by injuries in the 2018-19 season, averaging 5.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in 51 games.

The Celtics had been offering Baynes -- with his $5.4 million expiring contract -- into salary cap space elsewhere, league sources tell ESPN. Without Kyrie Irving and Al Horford on the books, Boston is now sitting at $25.8 million in room under the cap after the trade with Phoenix. That could increase to $34 million without guard Terry Rozier, who is a restricted free agent.

After acquiring Baynes and the rights to Jerome, the Suns now have a projected $14 million in cap space.

The Milwaukee pick going to Boston via the Suns is protected for picks Nos. 1-7 in 2020 and becomes an unprotected first-rounder in 2021 if not conveyed. That means Boston now has the potential to have three first-round picks in 2020.

Earlier Thursday, the Celtics selected Indiana's Romeo Langford with the 14th pick. A 6-foot-6 guard, Langford played through a thumb injury and finished sixth nationally in freshman scoring in his lone season with the Hoosiers, averaging 16.5 points.

Langford is the third wing player Boston has selected in the first round in the past four drafts.

Langford said he hasn't had a chance to watch many NBA games recently because he didn't have cable in college.

But Celtics coach Brad Stevens called him "a guy that we think has a lot of things that can translate to the NBA.''

Stevens said Williams, who averaged 18.8 points and 7.5 rebounds as a junior, plays with a point guard's mind.

"You can run offense through him,'' Stevens said. "He thinks the game. He's a tough, tough guy, and he's a versatile player who can shoot the ball.''

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LOS ANGELES -- It was five years ago Tuesday that Clayton Kershaw's greatness reached its pinnacle. He twirled nine masterful, no-hit innings against the Colorado Rockies that night. Fifteen batters struck out and only one of them reached base, on a Hanley Ramirez error that prevented a perfect game. At season's end, Kershaw captured his third Cy Young Award in four years and became the second pitcher in nearly three decades to win the MVP. He was in the thick of a prime that at times felt like it could last forever.

"It doesn't seem like that long ago, but when you think about all the years in between, it does seem like a long time ago," Kershaw said. "Your career goes fast. It's a blink of an eye. You're an ex-baseball player longer than you're a baseball player."

Kershaw isn't yet nearing the end, but it's no longer far enough to ignore. His most recent start resembled the vast majority of his outings this season -- he fought through shoddy command, pitched out of trouble, and in the end, led his Los Angeles Dodgers to victory.

This one consisted of seven scoreless innings, on two walks and three hits, in a 9-0 win over the San Francisco Giants, a floundering team that entered with the second-lowest batting average in the sport. Kershaw improved his record to 7-1, lowered his ERA to 2.85 and notched his 11th quality start in 12 outings this season. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts credited Kershaw's ability to minimize damage and his "relentless preparation" for his sustained success through diminished stuff.

Another potential reason: extra rest.

The Dodgers have been more proactive in recent years about giving Kershaw an extra day or two off in between starts. Tuesday marked only the third time he took the mound on regular rest, which consists of four days in between. Since the start of 2018, Kershaw has made 14 more regular-season starts on extra rest than he has on regular rest, the Dodgers' answer to the growing NBA trend of "load management."

"Just the mental thing of having an extra day every once in a while is helpful," said Kershaw, who racked up more than 2,000 innings before his age-31 season in 2019. "I don't think anybody can argue with that. Whether it really helps your performance, who really knows."

It isn't just Kershaw. The Dodgers, who will soon deploy a sixth starter to combat a stretch of 18 games in 18 days, have had 42 of their starts come with an extra day of rest, fifth-most in the majors. The four teams ahead of them -- the San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers and Giants -- have rotations that are either a lot younger or not nearly as effective or both.

Roberts called the extra rest "a benefit," to Kershaw and to the entire staff. Kershaw, as routine-oriented as anyone, downplayed it.

"I love pitching on regular rest; I love being in that routine, and extra days are great every once in a while to give you a blow," he said. "I don't like doing it over and over again. It just becomes the new norm, and so regular rest sometimes feels shorter. So I don't really like that. But it shouldn't matter too much. My routine doesn't change too much, just with that extra day."

Kershaw's fastball velocity (90.5 mph coming in) is down for the fourth straight year, and his reliance on breaking balls (58.1 percent) is up for the fourth straight year. He's nearing a career high in home run rate, but he isn't shying away from contact -- as evidenced by a walk rate of 1.6 -- and he's still recording outs efficiently.

Kershaw had two on with one out in the second inning, then fooled Brandon Crawford with a slider and got Steven Duggar to pop out. With a man on second and two out in the third, he got Tyler Austin to ground out. With a man on first and one out in the sixth, he watched Cody Bellinger make a catch up against the fence, then picked off Donovan Solano -- his 63rd career pickoff, 26 more than any active player.

The Dodgers had two on and one out in the bottom half of that inning, their lead at only three, but Roberts let Kershaw hit, even though he had already thrown 83 pitches. He went on to retire the first two batters in the seventh. And after Kevin Pillar reached second base on a line drive that sailed over Alex Verdugo's head, Kershaw came back to strike out Crawford on another slider, his 100th and final pitch.

"He just kind of outwills the other team, kind of grinds it out," Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes said. "He had seven shutout innings, and I don't really think he ever felt that great today."

To mark the anniversary of Kershaw's no-hitter, the Dodgers distributed a commemorative bobblehead and invited his two young children to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Kershaw's only son, Charley, hadn't yet been born when his father completed the most impressive start of his illustrious career. At one point, with the bobblehead in one hand and his miniature glove in the other, Charley lifted both arms, mimicking Kershaw's signature celebration.

In recent years, Kershaw has talked about how fatherhood has softened him off the field, filled his life with some much-needed perspective. The continual threat of injury, and the limitations it has created, has also made him more open-minded about deviating from his stringent routine.

Agreeing to a little extra rest every now and then is only one example.

"He's all-in," Roberts said. "This is something we've done over the course of three years, too. I think if you look back at his career, he's gone on regular more times, but the last few years, we've built in some extra days of rest. And the numbers speak to he still hasn't lost any production."

LOS ANGELES -- The BreakingT Slack channel is usually quiet on Sundays, even during baseball season. But that changed on June 9. Its director of marketing, Dominic Bonvissuto, an avid fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, watched Max Muncy homer off Madison Bumgarner and get into a heated back-and-forth with the San Francisco Giants' longtime ace as he circled the bases. Bonvissuto posted a link of the exchange to the Slack channel and added a request.

"Let's monitor this."

The owner of RotoWear, Kenneth Cashman, has Muncy on his fantasy team and found out about the home run instantly, expressing a similar impulse.

RotoWear, like BreakingT, is a small company with only a handful of full-time employees. They both specialize in quickly producing T-shirts that convey memorable events and themes around sports, largely related to Major League Baseball. Bonvissuto and Cashman know T-shirt fodder when they see it. The Muncy-Bumgarner tiff certainly qualified, but it needed a hook.

And then, more than two hours after his prodigious home run at AT&T Park, Muncy elaborated on the discussion during an on-field interview with SportsNet LA.

"I hit the ball and then he yelled at me," Muncy told Alanna Rizzo. "He said, 'Don't watch the ball. You run.' And I just responded back, 'If you don't want me to watch the ball, you can go get it out of the ocean.'"

There it was: "Go get it out of the ocean."

"That's when we knew it was going to be a shirt," Bonvissuto said. "As soon as we saw the quote, we had the tag."

"It was probably one of the greatest quotes I've ever heard," Cashman said. "As soon as I heard it, I had the idea."

And because of that, Muncy now has his two favorite T-shirts. One, from RotoWear, has a squiggly line below the phrase to depict a body of water and shows a baseball sailing through it. The other, from BreakingT, placed the comment next to a likeness of Muncy's backswing. Throughout this homestand, Muncy has basically alternated between the two of them each day, putting one on as soon as he reaches his locker.

"I didn't want it to become a huge thing because it's not my personality, but at the same time, it was kind of a cool thing," he said, looking down and tugging at one of the shirts on Wednesday afternoon. "On top of that, it's a comfy T-shirt. Seriously. It's more comfortable than a lot of the shirts we get to wear in there."

Muncy retreated to the clubhouse after his comments and found an avalanche of messages from family and friends. He checked social media and realized that he had become a viral sensation. Later that Sunday night, his wife saw the RotoWear shirt on Instagram and, at Muncy's request, asked if it could ship some to L.A. BreakingT -- which, unlike RotoWear, has a license from the MLB Players Association -- had its shirt up for sale by noon on Monday. The next morning, the company folded a dozen shirts into a cardboard box and sent them to the Dodgers' clubhouse unannounced.

At 1:15 p.m. on Friday, Muncy sent BreakingT a direct message to thank the company.

Three hours later, at the behest of teammates, he and second baseman Enrique Hernandez took the field for batting practice wearing the shirts, igniting surges in sales and persistent chatter on social media. The shirts might make another on-field appearance on Thursday, 11 days after the confrontation, before the presumed rematch between Muncy and Bumgarner.

"I might break it out again," Muncy said behind a wry smile. "It's more my personality to not do that, but we'll see what happens."

Bumgarner has a history of taking exception to on-field celebration, most of his anger directed at former Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig. But he appeared self-deprecating in the aftermath of his exchange with Muncy, saying, "The more I think about it, just let the kids play. That's what everybody is saying. But -- I can't."

Muncy is as mild-mannered and reserved as they come, but he is clearly having fun with this.

"You have to," he said. "Everyone keeps wanting to bring up the situation. I don't know if he's said anything about it, but I believe we're both on the same page that it was just one of those things that it's the heat of the moment, two guys competing, and that's all there was to it.

"From what I understood, he kind of laughed at the comment. It was nothing personal; it was nothing against him. He's one of the toughest pitchers out there. It's one of those things that happened and it's over with, and you kind of have fun with the moment. If you can't do that, then you're going to drive yourself into a hole."

Muncy didn't establish himself in the major leagues until he was 27 years old. He was jobless in the spring of 2017, then suddenly became one of the game's fiercest hitters through the summer of 2018. He'll enter his rematch against Bumgarner with a .307/.407/.600 slash line since the start of May, further validating himself as a legitimate slugger. His words suddenly carry weight, enough to be emblazoned on T-shirts.

RotoWear and BreakingT both say their "Go get it out of the ocean" shirts rank within their top five direct-to-consumer sellers this year and No. 1 among any Dodgers-related apparel the companies have ever produced. They were sprinkled throughout Dodger Stadium all week and will be out in full force for Thursday's series finale, which, given the approaching trade deadline, could mark Bumgarner's last L.A. start in a Giants uniform.

As soon as he made the comment on camera, Muncy figured it would blow up.

"It was one of those things where in the back of my head I thought this might be a problem, it might get big," he said. "But you gotta have fun with it."

Britain's Andy Murray will return to Wimbledon in the doubles with France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert six months after a career-saving hip operation.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Murray, 32, had hip surgery in January, but made a winning return alongside Feliciano Lopez at Queen's.

Murray also wants to play mixed doubles at Wimbledon but has yet to finalise who his partner will be.

"[Herbert] is a brilliant doubles player," Murray told BBC Sport.

"He hadn't planned on playing doubles at Wimbledon this year. In the last couple of weeks he chatted with his coach and thought it would be a nice opportunity.

"I told him my expectations are pretty low and it worked itself out."

Murray has found a good men's doubles partner in Herbert, who has won all four Grand Slam doubles titles.

The Brit clearly relished playing with Lopez at Queen's as the pair clinched a straight-set victory against Colombian top seeds Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal.

And Murray says he wants to "enjoy playing now" after learning to walk again after his injury.

"Physically I couldn't extend my leg for the last 18 months, two years," he explained. "My walking gait was terrible - I wasn't limping because I wanted to.

"Now I have zero discomfort and no pain after the match."

More Murray on Friday

Murray and Lopez will face either British duo Dan Evans and Ken Skupski or the Canadian-Australian pairing of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur in Friday's quarter-finals at Queen's.

The match will be fifth on a packed centre court schedule and you can watch it live on BBC TV and the BBC Sport website.

Andy could face older brother Jamie in the last four if they both come through their last-eight matches.

Jamie and Neal Skupski face Henri Kontinen and John Peers in the match before Andy's.

Is Xu Xin China’s go-to doubles specialist?

Published in Table Tennis
Thursday, 20 June 2019 14:40
A man in the spotlight

Following a highly successful outing at the recent Seamaster 2019 LION Japan Open in Sapporo, where he won all three titles he was eligible to compete for, Xu Xin is very much a player of significant relevancy at this period in time.

So far in 2019 alone Xu Xin has collected six ITTF World Tour trophies to his name, five of which have come in doubles. Combining with Liang Jingkun and Fan Zhendong to men’s doubles success Xu Xin has also prevailed with two different partners in the mixed doubles, winning silverware twice with Liu Shiwen and once most recently with Zhu Yuling. More importantly Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen emerged victorious at the Liebherr 2019 World Table Tennis Championships.

Xu Xin’s efforts as a singles player at the recent Japan Open should also be recognised for it was he that ousted World no.1 Fan Zhendong in an all-important semi-final clash before seeing off up-and-coming Chinese Taipei star Lin Yun-Ju in the final.

Plethora of strengths but is there a cost?

A unique player in his own right but Xu Xin’s fundamentals draw similarities to many of his penhold predecessors. Similar to three-time Olympic silver medallist Wang Hao, Xu Xin uses the backhand to top spin and block but he also likens to Liu Guoliang and Ma Lin who, in their day, used the backhand top spin not as a winning stroke but one to unleash a thunderous forehand top spin.

An advantage from a doubles point of view is that Xu Xin is left-handed which when used in combination of a right-handed player allows both the penhold specialist and his partner extra space to operate their forehand attack. Lightning quick sideways movement, Xu Xin excels playing short near the net, returning short and creating angles. An essential feature in doubles, he creates the opening for his right-handed partner.

Yet, as with any other player Xu Xin’s game does have its potential weak spot. While the left-handed/right-handed partnership has its benefits it can at times prove troublesome especially when the right-hander opts for a ‘banana’ return, leaving Xu Xin with less room to play to the best of his abilities. However, it’s fair to say that the positives clearly outweigh the negatives when it comes to Xu Xin as a doubles player.

Does a trip to Tokyo await?

Even with the scope of talent China has to offer it’s somewhat bewildering to reflect upon the fact that Xu Xin is yet to compete in the men’s singles event on the Olympic stage, having been restricted to the men’s team line-up in 2016.

Ma Long and Fan Zhendong are the hot favourites to gain the two available singles positions at Tokyo 2020 while we can also expect the likes of Lin Gaoyuan and Liang Jingkun to challenge for the privilege. However, don’t rule out Xu Xin – a strong finish to 2019 and a solid opening to his 2020 campaign surely keeps him in the picture?

When it comes to the men’s team and mixed doubles events the odds appear very much in Xu Xin’s favour. The fact of the matter is that at Rio 2016 the penholder helped China to the top step of the men’s team podium while he has also proven a highly formidable mixed doubles competitor in the past year. Will Xu Xin be present at Tokyo 2020? Nothing is for certain but if he stays fit and continues to deliver success on the international scene, then the odds are surely favourable?

Häkkinen To Demo McLaren’s Batmobile

Published in Racing
Thursday, 20 June 2019 14:51
Mika Häkkinen will drive the 1970 McLaren M8D/3 “Batmobile” at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion on August 15-18 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

MONTEREY, Calif.  — Twenty years after earning his second consecutive Formula One drivers’ championship, Mika Häkkinen will demonstrate his considerable driving talents behind the wheel of the 1970 McLaren M8D/3 “Batmobile” at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion on Aug. 15-18 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

American racing legend Dan Gurney and British Formula One driver Peter Gethin each raced the “Batmobile” during the 1970 Can-Am season as teammates to Denny Hulme following the tragic loss of Bruce McLaren.

Gurney drove it during the first three races of the season, winning twice from the pole position at Mosport and Mont-Tremblant. Gethin raced the car seven times, scoring a victory at Road America along with two other podiums. The car was used as a spare for Bruce McLaren Motor Racing drivers Peter Revson and Denny Hulme in 1971 and was in privateer hands from 1972 to 1974.

The vivid papaya-colored race car is powered by a roaring 7.6-liter Chevrolet engine. The high strut-mounted rear wing of its predecessor – the M8B – had been banned by Can-Am, so the M8D’s rear wing was mounted low on fins, earning the car’s “Batmobile” nickname.

The McLaren team dominated the 1970 season with nine wins in the 10-round championship. McLaren drivers Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme and Peter Revson had won five straight Can-Am championships from 1967 to 1971.

This will mark the third consecutive year that Häkkinen, who had not previously driven at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, will make demonstration laps at Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. He drove the 1974 McLaren M23 in 2017 and the 1995 McLaren F1 GTR in 2018.

“This track is fun, really enjoyable,” said Häkkinen. “The track goes up and down, and some of the corners have great camber. It looks tighter than it is from a distance, so you need a lot of guts to brake later and take the right line.”

Häkkinen will make spirited exhibition laps in the M8D/3 in the noon hour during the first three days of the four-day event. The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion takes place Aug. 15-18 and will honor the 50th anniversary of the International Motor Sports Ass’n. Tickets and information are available by visiting www.WeatherTechRaceway.com or calling 831-242-8200.

Limaland Canceled, Speedweek Heads To Atomic

Published in Racing
Thursday, 20 June 2019 17:04

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – Persistent storms have forced Limaland Motorsports Park and All Star Circuit of Champions officials to cancel the Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Indy Metal Finishing event scheduled for Friday.

The Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 will now switch directions and head south on Friday, setting aim for the highbanks of Atomic Speedway in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Pit gates are scheduled to open at 2 p.m. with main gates to follow at 3 p.m. Hot laps will hit the speedway at 6:30 p.m.

Pierce Stars In Anderson Speedway Sprint

Published in Racing
Thursday, 20 June 2019 18:02

ANDERSON, Ind. – Veteran Aaron Pierce made a picture perfect crossover pass on lap 71 to take the lead from Justin Grant and win Thursday’s non-winged 410 sprint car feature at Anderson Speedway.

With a tightly bunched field track position was crucial on Sugar Fork Crossing night at Anderson Speedway.

Grant took the lead on lap 47 after an incident with Travis Welpott. The front seven cars ran nose to tail until Pierce took the point.

Bobby Santos got around Grant on lap 80 with Kody Swanson climbing from the fifth spot to third by lap 84. Santos closed on Pierce but when the leaders encountered lap traffic in the last five circuits, he went high in the first turn.

Pierce won by 1.8 seconds over Santos and Swanson.

“The car was really good tonight,” Pierce said in the Star Financial Winner’s Circle. “The field was so tight that you had to take advantage of the opportunity when it came.

“I didn’t know how close Bobby (Santos) was at the end, but I know he nudged me a couple of times.”

Santos, who is still seeking his first Anderson Speedway win, said the team learned more about racing the track.

“We keep getting close,” he said of a win. “At the end I was lucky to save it and not make contact with the outside wall.”

Swanson said he made a mistake on the only restart when he tried the outside line and was then forced to fall back into line.

“When the field sorted out some, we were able to gain some spots to finish third,” he said.

Welpott took advantage of the inversion following qualifying and led the first 46 laps before his night ended.

From the start Welpott was chased by Justin Grant, Aaron Pierce, Jacob Wilson and Bobby Santos.

He was able to hold off Grant by running the middle groove through the corners. But for several laps Welpott’s car was pushing in the corners.

On lap 47 Grant got inside of Welpott in turn one and the two made contact with Welpott flipping and coming to a rest against the retaining wall in turn two.

Swanson set fast time during qualifying just one-one thousandth of a second quicker than the lap turned by Santos with Pierce third quick.

The finish:

Aaron Pierce, Bobby Santos, Kody Swanson, Nick Hamilton, Kyle O’Gara, Jimmy McCune, Jacob Wilson, C.J. Leary, Joe Liguori, Brian Vaughn, Justin Grant, Chris Jagger, Travis Welpott, Jim Payne.

Soccer

Source: Haaland avoids sanction for ball throw

Source: Haaland avoids sanction for ball throw

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsErling Haaland will not face punishment for throwing the ball at Ga...

'Crying one': Mourinho mocked by Gala after loss

'Crying one': Mourinho mocked by Gala after loss

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho was called "the crying one" by Galat...

Sources: Barça might add GK to replace Ter Stegen

Sources: Barça might add GK to replace Ter Stegen

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Barcelona hierarchy will hold emergency talks this week to disc...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

McCoy, longtime radio voice of Suns, dies at 91

McCoy, longtime radio voice of Suns, dies at 91

EmailPrintPHOENIX -- Al McCoy, who was the radio voice of the Phoenix Suns for more than a half-cent...

Sources: Griffin, 21, mulls NBA future after buyout

Sources: Griffin, 21, mulls NBA future after buyout

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Houston Rockets reached terms on a buyout with forward AJ Griff...

Baseball

A Mets-Braves showdown and ...? What we're watching the final week of the MLB season

A Mets-Braves showdown and ...? What we're watching the final week of the MLB season

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe final week of the 2024 MLB regular season has arrived -- and th...

Reds fire manager David Bell after 6 seasons

Reds fire manager David Bell after 6 seasons

EmailPrintThe Cincinnati Reds fired manager David Bell on Sunday night after six seasons.The team an...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

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