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Giannis says he's at '60 percent' of his potential
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Basketball
Saturday, 13 July 2019 22:40

LOS ANGELES -- After a dominant MVP season in which he led the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA-best 60 wins, Giannis Antetokounmpo said he's at only "60 percent" of what he can fully become.
Antetokounmpo said one of the biggest takeaways he took from the Bucks' run to the Eastern Conference finals is that he has a lot more to work on despite averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals last season.
"There's a lot of things I can improve on," Antetokounmpo told ESPN after filming for the PUBG MOBILE Team Up Superstar Showdown event. "First of all, [I have to] look at myself before I look at anybody else. Try to self-improve as much as possible. There are a lot of things that I got to work on in my game.
"A lot of people say, 'You are the MVP, you are one of the best players in the league, you are so dominant,'" he continued. "But I think I can get better. I think I am at 60 percent of my potential, as good as I can be. I just want to be better. If I am in the same situation again [in the conference finals], react better, play the game better, play better, execute better."
Antetokounmpo, 24, shot 57.8% from the field but just 25.6% from behind the arc in the regular season. He felt like the Bucks were the favorites to win the Eastern Conference before falling in six games to the Toronto Raptors in the conference finals. The Bucks star said he liked the moves Milwaukee made in free agency, such as re-signing Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez and adding the likes of Robin Lopez and Wesley Matthews. He also is excited about playing with his brother, Thanasis, who agreed to a two-year minimum contract with the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo has publicly and repeatedly voiced his adoration for the city of Milwaukee. When asked about potentially having one of the longest tenures with the same team someday, Antetokounmpo reiterated how important winning and being on the same page with an organization committed to winning a championship is to him.
ESPN reported in April that reaching the NBA Finals next season could help the Bucks to sign Antetokounmpo to a supermax contract in the summer of 2020.
"I'm going into Year 7, it's insane," Antetokounmpo said of his Bucks tenure. "... My goal is going to stay the same -- it's get better, take it day by day, step by step and the ultimate goal is to win a championship. As long as that we are all on the same page, and we are all focused on that goal, why not play for the Bucks 20 years, why not play 25 years? Why not after playing, be a member of the coaching staff or a member of the front office. But we got to have the same goal. We got to have the same principles ... we got to focus on winning a championship.
"I want to be a part of a winning team," Antetokounmpo continued. "As long as we have the same mindset and same approach to the game, there's no reason for me to move and not be like Steph [Curry], not like be like Dirk [Nowitzki] or Kobe [Bryant] or Tim Duncan."
Stars, though, are on the move more than ever, as this summer's flurry of moves and trades have proven. Like the rest of the NBA, Antetokounmpo couldn't believe so many of the free-agency transactions that have altered the landscape of the NBA.
"It's insane, obviously, but it evens up the balance in the NBA," Antetokounmpo said of watching stars such as Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Paul George and Russell Westbrook all change teams. "You can see a lot of stars all over the place. Clippers, Lakers, Brooklyn, Sixers, Boston ... it's good."
Despite several superstars changing addresses and forming formidable duos in some cases, Antetokounmpo still believes the best team will win a championship, like Toronto did. Milwaukee largely kept its main core and hopes continuity will help the Bucks reach the Finals next season.
Antetokounmpo said he wishes Leonard had actually remained in Canada instead of going to the Clippers with George.
"For me personally, I would love for Kawhi to stay in the East and stay in Toronto because I would love to go through the series [with them] again," Antetokounmpo said. "But unfortunately, this is the NBA we are talking about. Moves happen, people change teams. But we got an opportunity right now. We got to take advantage of it, and hopefully, we can seize the opportunity and make big things happen."
"It's insane," Antetokounmpo added of all the changes this summer around the NBA. "Like people ask for a trade and a trade happens. Players ask for a trade, 'I want to get traded there,' and players go there. It's insane. A lot of star players have a lot of power right now. This is the league we live in. I think it's good to control your own destiny and your own career."
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CLEVELAND -- Max Kepler has Trevor Bauer's number.
Kepler connected for home runs his first two times up Saturday night against Cleveland's hard-throwing starter, giving the Minnesota outfielder five homers in five straight at-bats against the right-hander.
Kepler homered three times off Bauer in Minnesota's win on June 6, and also drew a walk.
He made it four homers in four straight at-bats with a leadoff shot Saturday night, then connected in the second inning, one batter after rookie Jake Cave homered off Bauer.
Bauer finally got the best of Kepler in the fourth inning, striking him out, but only after Kepler hit a deep foul ball into the upper deck in right. He finished the night 2-for-5 as the Twins beat the Indians 6-2 to move 7½ games ahead of Cleveland in the American League Central.
According to Elias Sports Bureau research, Kepler matched the longest streak in the expansion era for homers in consecutive at-bats against one pitcher. Carlos Delgado did it against Jorge Sosa (2003-04), and Frank Howard connected against Bob Hendley (1963-64).
After the game, Kepler didn't make much of his achievement.
"Every pitcher is the same,'' Kepler said. "I have the same approach. I just try to simplify it when I go up there.''
Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli was more effusive in his praise.
"It's unfathomable that it's happening right in front of our eyes,'' Baldelli said. "Nobody has seen anything like it.''
Kepler has 13 career homers against the Indians, including 11 at Progressive Field. He also had a three-homer game in Cleveland as a rookie in 2016.
Saturday marked Kepler's fourth multihomer game of the season, matching his total from the previous three seasons.
Kepler's five home runs vs. Bauer are his most against any pitcher in his career, and the most by a batter against Bauer in the pitcher's career.
"I don't know,'' the right-hander said. "How do you explain it? It's just one of those baseball things ... he's just locked in against me -- for whatever reason. It won't be that way forever. He'll cool down, and he'll go through a 0-for-10 with seven punchouts or whatever and miss pitches. It's just one of those things right now.''
ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Hall of Fame right-hander Bob Gibson, who won the Cy Young and National League MVP awards in 1968, sent a letter to living Hall of Famers informing them he is battling pancreatic cancer.
Gibson, widely considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time, was diagnosed with cancer several weeks ago, his longtime agent, Dick Zitzmann, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Zitzmann told the newspaper that he has spoken to Gibson and that chemotherapy is expected to begin Monday in Omaha, Nebraska, the pitcher's hometown. Gibson, who turns 84 in November, has been hospitalized in Omaha for the past two weeks.
"We all know what a competitor he is," Zitzmann told the Post-Dispatch.
Gibson went 22-9 and led the majors in ERA (1.12), shutouts (13) and strikeouts (268) in 1968 for the St. Louis Cardinals. The year before, he went the distance in three games, all wins, and St. Louis beat the Boston Red Sox in seven games in an epic World Series.
In 1969, Major League Baseball lowered the pitcher's mound from 15 inches to 10 inches in hopes of boosting offense. Gibson remained dominant, winning 20 games for the fourth time and completing 28 games in 33 decisions.
Gibson, who spent his entire career with the Cardinals, won 251 games over 17 seasons. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1981.
The Cardinals offered their well wishes Saturday night, tweeting: "Get well soon, Bob. All of Cardinal Nation is behind you!"
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MONTEREY, Calif. – Jonathan Rea emerged victorious in Saturday’s World Superbike event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
The victory, combined with a crash by his championship rival Alvaro Bautista, allowed Rea to extend his championship advantage to 49 points over Bautista.
Rea got the best start off the line, with the Ducati duo of Bautista and Chaz Davies giving pursuit. Behind them was Toprak Razgatlioglu, who got a blistering start to move into fourth by turn five ahead of Tom Sykes in fifth.
New lap records came quickly, with Davies setting the record first before Bautista eclipsed him on the third lap. On the fourth circuit Rea’s teammate, Leon Haslam, went down in the Corkscrew.
On lap five Davies challenged Rea in the first two corners, but Davies ran wide after taking the lead and allowed Rea to regain the lead. Bautista remained in pursuit of the front duo, but he soon went down in turn five as Rea and Davies continued on at the front.
With Bautista out of the mix, Rea expanded his lead to roughly five seconds with Davies running a lonely second. In the end Rea easily crossed the line in first to grow his championship lead.
Razgatlioglu ended the day third, with Sykes finishing fourth and Alex Lowes coming home fifth after a late-race battle with Jordi Torres. Michael van der Mark, Loris Baz, Marco Melandri and Michael Ruben Rinaldi completed the top-10.
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ELKO, Minn. – Christian Eckes won the General Tire Pole Award for Saturday’s ARCA Menards Series Menards 250 at Elko Speedway, nipping by Ty Gibbs by just .024 seconds.
Eckes’ fast lap was 14.403 seconds/93.730 mph, giving him his first pole award since the season opener at Daytona and the fourth in his ARCA Menards Series career.
Eckes also led practice earlier in the afternoon, also narrowly edging Gibbs in that session as well.
“We almost won here in 2017,” he said. “We had the pole here last year and almost won again so I hope we can close the deal tonight with our JBL Audio Camry. Kevin Reed and the Venturini Motorsports guys have given me a great car. We’ll try to keep the fenders on it and end up in victory lane.”
Gibbs’ fast lap was 14.427 seconds at 93.575 mph around the tight .375-mile oval, giving him his second front row start of the season and his first since he also started second at Nashville.
Corey Heim will start third after turning a lap of 14.516 seconds at 93.001 mph. Heim is driving for the team that won the last ARCA Menards Series event at Chicagoland Speedway with Ty Majeski driving. Michael Self, who won General Tire Pole Awards earlier this season at Toledo, Charlotte, Michigan, and Chicagoland, qualified fourth with a lap of 14.521 seconds at 92.969 mph. Self’s lap was matched to the thousandth of a second by Carson Hocevar, the General Tire Pole Award winner earlier in the season at Salem Speedway. Self will start fourth with Hocevar fifth.
Joe Graf Jr., Chandler Smith, Sam Mayer, Travis Braden and Bret Holmes rounded out the top-10 qualifiers.
The only incident in General Tire Pole Qualifying involved Tommy Vigh Jr., who spun while crossing the line to take the checkered flag and made slight contact with the inside wall. His team will make repairs and he will drop to the tail of the field for the start of the Menards 250.
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TORONTO – Roman De Angelis has been on a roll in Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama this season entering the Indy Toronto weekend, with five consecutive wins through six rounds.
If there was one factor, though, that could have thrown the 18-year-old off his game on Saturday ahead of race one, it was weather.
A strong summer storm rolled in over the Streets of Toronto just as the GT3 Cup Challenge Canada green flag time was approaching and ultimately caused a near two-hour delay. However, the storm passed, allowing the field of Porsches to battle not only each other, but also changing track conditions as the surface dried over the course of the 45-minute race.
For De Angelis, overcoming the challenges to score a dominating 45-second, flag-to-flag victory on the 1.786-mile street course made this particular victory a bit sweeter than the rest in his No. 79 Mark Motors Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.
“There was a pretty big build up right before the race,” said De Angelis, of Belle River, Ontario. “There was probably two hours where we were sitting there waiting to see if we were going to race or not tonight. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever driven better in my life. Something about Toronto and the rain earlier on just fitted the Mark Motors car and the conditions. It was a lot of fun on the slicks early on. Once again, I just can’t thank Mark Motors enough. This is our sixth win in a row here and probably one of the best feelings I’ve ever had right now.”
De Angelis will seek another weekend sweep in GT3 Cup Challenge Canada on Sunday, with race two of the weekend scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
Earning his second runner-up position in three races was Jeff Kingsley in the No. 16 Policaro Motorsport Porsche. Kingsley held the position throughout the race after qualifying second earlier in the day.
Rounding out the podium was Parker Thompson in the No. 3 Porsche for SCB Racing.
“What a day,” said Thompson, who is pulling double duty this weekend between GT3 Cup Challenge Canada and the Indy Pro 2000 series. “I was running back and forth between two categories and honestly, this SportsCarBoutique No. 3 was on rails this whole weekend. Unfortunately, I missed it in qualifying and ended up P7, which is disappointing. It’s one of our worst of the year and honestly, the car is the best it’s been.
“I wanted to make sure I put on a show and drove that car up the field and that’s what we did. No better way to showcase your talent than half wet, half dry. The car was unreal. I can’t thank the crew enough, Owen Hayes, Ilker Starck, our owner. These guys work so hard to get to track every weekend so it’s awesome to reward them with a podium.”
In the Platinum Masters class, Marco Cirone is on a streak of his own in the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche. After sweeping both victories at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park just last week, Cirone repeated on Saturday in the class for drivers 45 years and older.
Cirone described his race strategy as one with a bigger picture in mind, as he seeks his sixth Platinum Masters championship in 2019.
“The weather conditions were very, very challenging,” said Cirone. “It was very difficult to put the power down and there was a lot of action in front of me and behind me. I wanted to protect my point lead and here if you make a mistake, you’re in big trouble. I wasn’t aggressive as much as I should’ve been, but I don’t regret it. I’m glad I got the win, I’m glad I preserved the car and I’m here to race tomorrow.”
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The St. Louis Blues have reached a deal with goaltender Jordan Binnington on a two-year contract with an annual average value of $4.4 million, the Stanley Cup champions announced Saturday.
Binnington had been a restricted free agent and avoided arbitration by agreeing to the deal on Saturday.
"I'm happy to get this deal done with the St. Louis Blues," Binnington told the team's website. "To the city of St. Louis, thank you for welcoming me in and trusting me to do me. I'm excited and motivated to keep doing my job and keep bringing success to the St. Louis Blues organization."
Binnington, who turned 26 on Thursday, couldn't have helped himself more this season. Working off his third straight one-year contract and sitting fourth on the depth chart at the beginning of the campaign, Binnington took control of the Blues crease in January and led St. Louis to the Stanley Cup.
In the wake of the Game 7 win over the Bruins, even general manager Doug Armstrong admitted that Binnington was looking at a "big pay raise."
"We are pleased to have Jordan signed for two more years," Armstrong said in a statement Saturday. "His play was outstanding and we look forward to seeing him continue to be a major contributor for our team."
Binnington played in 32 games during the regular season and posted a 1.89 goals-against average and .927 save percentage, leading the Blues from the worst record in the NHL to the playoffs. In the postseason, he won a rookie-record 16 games, posting a 2.46 GAA and .914 save percentage.
The Blues' goaltending situation is complicated by the fact that Jake Allen, who began last season as the starter, is still on the books for two more seasons with a cap hit of $4.35 million.
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Parel leads Goosen, Stricker through 54 holes at Senior Players
Published in
Golf
Saturday, 13 July 2019 12:38

AKRON, Ohio - Scott Parel took advantage of Retief Goosen's problems Saturday to take the third-round lead in the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship, the fourth of the PGA Tour Champions' five major tournaments.
Seven strokes behind Goosen at the start of the day, Parel birdied two of the last three holes - holing a 30-footer on the par-4 18th - for 3-under 67 and a one-stroke lead over Goosen at Firestone Country Club.
''I had quite few short ones on the front nine that I didn't make,'' Parel said. ''I guess it all evens out.''
Goosen followed his opening rounds of 69 and 62 with a 75. The South African played the first four holes in 4 over, making a bogey on No. 1, a double bogey on No. 3 and another bogey on No. 4. He had two more bogeys in the back nine and made only one birdie in the round.
''I started off pretty scruffy, let me put it that way,'' Goosen said. ''It was a tough day out there for me. Everything seemed to go wrong. Get the wrong lies in the bunkers and all that kind of stuff. But I just kept fighting. I kept telling myself, 'Stay in this thing, we still have another 18 tomorrow. It's not the end of the world.'''
Parel had a 5-under 205 total. He won twice last year on the 50-and-over tour.
''It's only Saturday,'' Parel said. ''It would be great if that happened tomorrow, but today is only Saturday, so the lead means nothing today.''
He was surprised that Goosen and the second-round leaders struggled.
''I thought it was pretty soft. The greens I felt were a little softer than what I thought they would be, so I was kind of surprised,'' Parel said. ''I thought scoring behind me would be pretty good, so I don't know what happened. But this golf course, it will get your attention. You start hitting some wayward tee shots and you can get in some bad spots out here.''
Steve Stricker (73), Kent Jones (70) and Brandt Jobe (73) were 3 under. Stricker is coming off a victory two weeks ago in the U.S. Senior Open at Norte Dame, and also won the major Regions Tradition in May.
Firestone is a longtime PGA Tour venue, hosting the World Golf Championships event and previously the World Series of Golf.
''It's just a good golf course,'' Stricker said ''If you don't hit it in the fairway, it's a struggle. Sometimes you do hit it in the fairway and you've still got to maneuver a ball around a tree or overhanging limbs or branches. But the wind came up a little bit at times today, made things a little bit more difficult. A different direction as well, three different days really wind-wise. But it's a course you need to be on, and if you're not, it exposes some things and you've got to fight your way around.''
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STATELINE, Nev. - Defending champion Tony Romo increased his lead to nine points Saturday in the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.
The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback turned NFL analyst shot his second straight 2-under 70 and scored 25 points for a total of 51 in the celebrity tournament that uses the modified Stableford scoring system. He has played in two PGA Tour events this year.
''I felt good about the game coming in and it's kind of held up this week,'' Romo said. ''Ball-striking has been real good. I missed a few putts, but everyone is going to do that. You just have to be aggressive and hopefully a few go in.''
Former major league pitcher Derek Lowe and former tennis Mardy Fish were tied for second.
''He's a great golfer,'' Fish said about Romo. ''We'll see if we can chase him down. I would need something in the 30s and then some help, maybe. The most disappointing thing is we only have one round left.''
Actor Jack Wagner was fourth at 38. Former pitcher Mark Mulder, the winner from 2015-17, followed at 37.
John Smoltz, the Hall of Fame pitcher who played in three PGA Tour Champions events this spring, had 34 points. Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry eagled the par-5 18th hole for the second straight day to get to 30 points, three behind father Dell Curry.
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Transfer Talk: Bayern back with bigger bid for Chelsea's Hudson-Odoi
Published in
Soccer
Saturday, 13 July 2019 16:38

The European transfer window is open. Click here to review all the latest transfers, and keep up to date with the latest gossip below.
Top free agents in 2020 | What do Europe's elite need
Bayern prepare fresh Hudson-Odoi bid
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are refusing to accept defeat in their pursuit of Chelsea starlet Callum Hudson-Odoi, with the Daily Mail claiming the Germans are set to make a renewed bid for the winger.
The new proposal from Bayern is believed to be in the region of £45 million -- a full £10m more than they offered at the backend of the January transfer window earlier this year.
The Bavarians are keen to make the 18-year-old the centrepiece of their long-term rebuild, following the departures of veteran wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.
Despite new Chelsea boss Frank Lampard declaring that Hudson-Odoi was a vital cog in his long-term plans at Stamford Bridge, Bayern haven't been put off in their plans to make a fresh approach.
The Blues are willing to resist any advances while they remain under a transfer ban, but they run the risk of losing their prized youngster for a substantially lower fee if he agrees a pre-contract with Munich at the start of 2020.
Reds and Gunners head chase for Chalov
Liverpool have joined the race for CSKA Moscow striker Fedor Chalov, who has been tipped by many as the next big thing in Russian football.
The Mirror claims all of the Premier League's "big six" are in the running for the 21-year-old, while clubs in Germany, France and Spain are also credited with an interest in the forward, who finished last season as the top goalscorer in the Russian Premier League.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is on the lookout for a striker after the Reds parted ways with Daniel Sturridge, but Chalov is believed to be concerned about a possible lack of playing time at Anfield, and could lean towards a switch elsewhere.
Arsenal are also keeping a close eye on the Russia international -- and have been since early April, when he scored against the Gunners in their Europa League quarter-final.
Roma seek Suso switch
Serie A giants Roma and AC Milan have opened discussions over a possible deal for Rossoneri midfielder Suso, according to reports in Gazzetta dello Sport.
New Milan boss Marco Giampaolo is rumoured to be keen to dispense of the Spaniard, who he believes to be unsuitable for the style of play he wants to deliver at the San Siro.
Roma, on the other hand, see the former Liverpool youngster as a great fit for manager Paulo Fonseca's 4-2-3-1 system that deploys a left-footed wide-right midfielder. Suso is believed to be biding his time to see if he has a future at Milan before making any decision on his next move.
The 25-year-old has a release clause in his contract of around €40 million, but Roma sporting director Gianluca Petrachi is said to have no intentions of paying the full fee.
Tap-ins
- Marca claims Real Betis and Arsenal have joined Real Madrid in the race for highly-rated Las Palmas goalkeeper Josep Martinez. The 21-year-old will only be allowed to leave Gran Canaria if a potential suitor meets his €10 million release clause, with the player also believed to be happy to stay put.
- Reports in The Sun claim Burnley are lining up a double swoop for Genk duo Joakim Maehle and Ruslan Malinovskyi. Denmark Under-21 defender Maehle and 26-year-old Ukrainian midfielder Malinovskyi could be heading to the Turf Moor in a £19 million deal.
- Marseille are in the market for a new midfielder, and French outlet L'Equipe have linked them with a move for Nantes destroyer Valentin Rongier. Andre Villas-Boas' side may have to dig deep to secure a deal for the 24-year-old, however, with the defensive midfielder under contract at Les Canaris until the summer of 2022.
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