I Dig Sports
Fergus McFadden: Leinster wing banned for six weeks for clash with Ulster's Sean Reidy
Fergus McFadden has been banned for Leinster's Champions Cup final against Saracens on 11 May.
The winger has been ruled out for the rest of the season after being handed a six-week suspension.
McFadden, 32, was found guilty of a headbutt on Ulster's Sean Reidy during Leinster's Pro14 defeat in Belfast.
The ban, which accounts for meaningful games, runs until midnight Sunday, 25 August and also rules the player out of two of Ireland's pre-World Cup matches.
McFadden won the last of his 34 Ireland caps during the 2018 Six Nations win against France and will now miss Ireland opening World Cup warm up matches against Italy and England.
Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt will select a 45-man pre-World Cup squad in August and will reduce his panel to 38 players after the match against England at Twickenham before finalising his tournament squad in between the matches against Wales on 31 August and 7 September.
Number eight Reidy went off for a head injury assessment shortly after the first-half incident. He did not return and is a doubt for Ulster's Pro14 quarter-final against Connacht.
McFadden attended a disciplinary hearing via video conference on Thursday after he was cited for an infringement of Law 9.12 - a player must not physically abuse anyone - striking with the head.
McFadden, scored a try in the defeat in Belfast, missed last season's Champions Cup final because of a hamstring injury.
BARRE, Vt. — Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl is finally ready to open its 60th season of racing this Sunday, May 5.
The American-Canadian Tour is coming to town for the 21st Community Bank N.A. 150, and all sorts of faces familiar to central Vermont racing fans will be along for the ride.
Nearly half the drivers who have committed to the ACT Late Model Tour season call Thunder Road their home track. Racers such as two-time defending ACT Champion Scott Payea, multi-time ACT winner Jimmy Hebert, defending ACT Rookie of the Year Dylan Payea, veteran Chip Grenier, and sophomore Christopher Pelkey spent their formative racing years at the quarter-mile oval.
Many started in go-karts or the Allen Lumber Street Stocks and rose through the ranks. That experience makes every trip to Barre a homecoming of sorts as they try to win on the region’s biggest late model stage.
“It’s actually one thing we talk about a lot — how much it would mean to get an ACT win there,” Williamstown, VT’s Hebert said. “Between winning in Canada and all the other tracks we have, it just seems like our home track has always been the toughest for us, as odd as that sounds. It’s just hard with all the locals that you have to compete with — it’s definitely a lot more difficult than most tracks we go to when it comes to racing with the locals and trying to beat them.”
They and the rest of the ACT stars are hoping for a strong finish to stay on the right track. For some, Thunder Road is a chance to build on momentum from the opener at Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway. Bryan Kruczek joined the ranks of first-time ACT winners at Oxford and is going for two in a row. Hebert took third in that event, while Grenier, Rich Dubeau and both Payeas were also in the top 10.
“Momentum is huge in this sport, and it should help us quite a bit,” Hebert said. “We’re going to bring the car we ran all last year to Thunder Road, which we put on the pole for the Milk Bowl. With that and all the other success we had with it, we should have a pretty good shot at it if all goes well and we stay out of that that nice new wall!”
Other ACT stars are looking to rebound from outings that didn’t meet their expectations Wayne Helliwell Jr. is a previous winner at Thunder Road and is eager to show his full hand. Ryan Kuhn, Jonathan Bouvrette, Claude Leclerc and Trent Goodrow are also looking for strong showings.
Some of Thunder Road’s finest Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model racers are expected to join them. Defending Thunder Road Rookie of the Year Brendan Moodie has entered the event, as has 2018 winner Stephen Donahue and Joel Hodgdon.
Nearly all of them have been talking about a major change at the track. An outside retaining wall now circles the high banks for the first time in Thunder Road history. While the track looks different at first glance, expectations are that Thunder Road will be the same tough customer it’s always been.
“I remember when (other tracks have) built theirs, the first time out, it really seemed a lot different,” Hebert noted. “But after a couple practice sessions, you just kind of forget about it. I don’t think it will really change the racing much until something happens — then it will remind you it’s still there.”
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — For nearly two decades the unsung heroes of the Alpinestars Mobile Medical Unit have provided a sense of security for competitors of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.
MX Sports Pro Racing announced the longstanding partnership between the world’s most prestigious off-road racing series and this one-of-a-kind on-site medical service will continue this season, which will kick off in a matter of weeks on Saturday, May 18.
Led by Medical Director John “Doc” Bodnar, MD, and his Lead Physicians, Paul Reiman, MD, and Christopher Alexander, MD, this collection of health care professionals has been an invaluable asset to the wellbeing of the exceptional athletes that thrill fans across the country in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.
The Alpinestars Mobile Medical Unit provides critical on-site medical care to competitors, event personnel, crew members, and more at all 12 rounds of the Nationals, at no cost to its recipients. The custom-built, state-of-the-art hospital trailer is staffed with qualified and experienced medical personnel, features specialized equipment for the sport’s unique injuries, and houses a trio of on-track safety vehicles that can respond immediately to any incident.
An integral component of the overall services provided by the Alpinestars Mobile Medical Unit is its vital Concussion Program. Led by Dr. Reiman, this initiative has been at the forefront of concussion research in the sport of motocross since its inception. Each year, Dr. Reiman works alongside leading research organizations to better understand the dynamics of concussions and their occurrence in motocross, which has led to groundbreaking treatment, testing standards and advances in head protection for not only the riders competing at the professional level, but across the industry.
The 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship begins with the Bell Helmets Hangtown Motocross Classic on Saturday, May 18, from Prairie City OHV Park in Rancho Cordova, Calif.
Hall of Famer Red Kelly has died at age 91.
Kelly played 20 seasons in the NHL between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs as both a defenseman and forward.
Kelly was an eight-time Stanley Cup winner split evenly between Detroit and Toronto.
The NHL mourns the passing of Leonard 'Red' Kelly - a man whose hockey career is so storied and distinguished that it may never be duplicated.
Full statement from Commissioner Bettman: https://t.co/CQAJbv6ZJI pic.twitter.com/r32IHG9ZZn
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 2, 2019
A 12-time All-Star, Kelly won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman for the 1953-54 season with Detroit.
He also was a four-time winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy given for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct.
"Red was the ultimate hockey renaissance man who seemingly could do it all," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.
Kelly was also the Los Angeles Kings' first head coach. He also coached the Pittsburgh Penguins and Maple Leafs.
Kelly scored 281 goals and 542 assists.
Harrington: Whistling Straits won't give U.S. a big home advantage
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Next year’s European Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington made his first scouting trip to Whistling Straits, site of the 2020 matches, last week and his initial impressions of the layout were encouraging on many fronts.
Harrington said Whistling Straits, which has hosted three PGA Championships, will make a solid match-play course because of the layout’s risk/reward options. Perhaps more importantly, however, was the configuration of the links-style course that winds along the shores of Lake Michigan.
“It’s only an advantage when it’s a home venue,” Harrington said of the potential set-up options for the course that might favor the U.S. team. “Yes, [Whistling Straits] has nullified some of that. If we were going to a Hazeltine or a Valhalla it would be a lot easier for the home team to set the golf course up to suit themselves, but because it’s a windy place there’s not a lot you can do, really. The golf course is kind of the golf course.”
At last year’s matches outside of Paris, European captain Thomas Bjorn was applauded for a set up that heavily favored the makeup of his team, with tight fairways lined with thick rough. In 2016, U.S. captain Davis Love III made similar adjustments to favor his team at Hazeltine, which featured wide fairways and little rough.
“For an away captain that’s nice,” Harrington said. “The last couple have been heavily biased towards the home team.”
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump will present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Tiger Woods next week.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says an awards ceremony will be held in the Rose Garden on Monday.
Woods overcame personal and professional adversity to win his fifth Masters title last month. Trump tweeted after the tournament that he had congratulated Woods and informed him that he would be receiving the medal because of his ''incredible Success & Comeback in Sports (Golf) and, more importantly, LIFE.''
It's the nation's highest honor for a civilian and presidents have wide discretion over whom to award it.
Trump is an avid golfer who played with Woods at Trump's golf club in Jupiter, Florida, in February. Trump also watched the Masters from his Virginia golf club.
Reed (67) sees swing changes pay off with early lead at Quail Hollow
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Patrick Reed has spent a majority of this season searching for answers.
Reed has yet to record a top-10 thus far in 2019 and his best finish has been a T-13 at both the Sony Open and the Farmers Insurance Open back in January. In recent weeks, the 2018 Masters champion has spent time tweaking his swing.
“I think the biggest thing is starting from last week, once I got to last week it was, OK, we've done the work technically, now it's just go out and when I get to the golf course instead of always trying to play golf swing, play golf shots and be an athlete.”
Reed felt his swing was getting too long and disconnected at the top, and keyed on shortening and strengthening his backswing. He was seen working with noted instructor David Leadbetter at the Valspar Championship, and Leadbetter confirmed their partnership soon thereafter.
After an opening-round 4-under 67 on Thursday, he likes the adjustments he’s made.
“I stopped thinking about the golf swing and just started swinging the golf club and played golf shots. From that point I was able to go out and put the ball from point A to point B pretty well and make some putts.”
Getting off to a quick start is something Reed feels is important, especially at a place like Quail Hollow. With no blemishes on the scorecard in Round 1, Reed is starting to feel like the old Captain America again.
“I feel like the swing has been in probably the best position that the golf club has been in, it's just now timing it up,” Reed said. “I feel like that's the part that I was missing in the past and now I feel like I'm back kind of being who I am and being a golfer and playing.”
Perez able to play, but calf pain '10 out of 10 on the therapy side'
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – On March 11, Pat Perez posted a picture on Instagram of his left leg wrapped in a bandage along with a dire message: “Blew out my Achilles. See y’all down the road somewhere.”
Luckily for Perez the road wasn’t nearly as long as he originally feared.
On Thursday at the Wells Fargo Championship, following an opening-round 69, Perez explained that he was doing calf raises in the gym when he felt something snap. His initial thought was that he’d injured his Achilles Tendon, an injury that can take four to six months from which to fully recover.
When Perez returned home to Scottsdale, Ariz., an MRI revealed he’d actually sustained a grade 2 calf strain, which took only six weeks to heal. The recovery, however, has been intense.
“It’s brutal and will be with me all the way through the playoffs,” he said. “The pain is a 10 out of 10 on the therapy side. It is an absolute knot right now.”
Perez returned to the PGA Tour last week at the Zurich Classic, which was plagued by weather delays, and said it doesn’t hurt to swing a golf club but walking the course and up and down hills can be difficult.
“It’s sore and I have to get it worked on all the time,” Perez said. “It’s 100 percent healed but it’s hard to walk all the time.”
MONTERREY - CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani isn't buying recent reports suggesting that MLS and Liga MX clubs could soon be competing in the Copa Libertadores.
Montagliani is confident that the focus for clubs in the region remains the CONCACAF Champions League, which Monterrey lifted for the fourth time on Wednesday.
"I can tell you unequivocally that I think that's all media speculation," Montagliani told ESPN FC in Monterrey. "Neither MLS nor Liga MX itself as it relates to Copa Libertadores have any intention and quite frankly CONCACAF has no intention of allowing that.
"I think those days are gone," he continued. "I'm not even sure how it's a good idea. I'm not sure how geographically that would work and, secondly, confederations need to look at their own confederations."
Montagliani was in Estadio BBVA Bancomer for the Clasico Regio final and has been happy with the development of the CONCACAF Champions League.
"I think this tournament has improved every edition," said Montagliani. "This year is no exception. Higher TV rating, more goals and that the final ends up being a derby of two teams from Monterrey is probably a fitting end to this edition of the Champions League."
The format change that saw MLS and Liga MX clubs enter in the round-of-16 stage has been deemed a "resounding success," according to Montagliani, who adds there have been important developments for non-Mexican teams, even if Liga MX continued its stranglehold on the trophy.
"Last year's edition had a Canadian team in the final, this year you obviously didn't, but you also had a Panamanian team [Independiente] that broke through and knocked out an MLS team to get to the quarters," said Montagliani.
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