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Messi booed on farewell as PSG slump to defeat

Published in Soccer
Saturday, 03 June 2023 15:33

Lionel Messi's final game for Paris Saint-Germain ended in a shock 3-2 home defeat to Clermont Foot amid boos directed in his direction from some home fans at the Parc des Princes.

PSG confirmed before kick-off that Messi would not extend his two-season stay at the club beyond this campaign, making this his farewell to supporters.

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The Paris club sealed the Ligue 11 title last weekend but the season has been a disappointment following a round of 16 exit in the Champions League for a second successive season and the club's fans have made their displeasure known in recent weeks.

Sergio Ramos opened the scoring in what was also his final game for PSG when he headed in a deep cross from Vitinha, before Kylian Mbappe made it 2-0 from the penalty spot for his 29th goal of the season that helped him secure the Golden Boot.

Clermont, who had a Grejohn Kyei goal disallowed for handball when the score was 0-0, struck back through Johan Gastien, but the unfortunate Kyei then put a penalty wide.

Clermont did have their equaliser on the stroke of half-time though when the ball rebounded kindly to Mehdi Zeffane and he tapped home.

Messi had a golden chance to put PSG back in front after beating set up by Mbappe but the World Cup winner skied his shot high over the bar when one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The miss was followed by audible boos and whistles from the club's supporters.

Kyei then finally got his goal with a close-range finish just past the hour-mark to give Clermont the win.

It was an emotional night in Paris where players from both sides paid tribute to PSG goalkeeper Sergio Rico, who remains in intensive care following a horse-riding accident in Spain last weekend.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

Ben Stokes met Josh Tongue for the first time when the England squad gathered in London on Monday ahead of this one-off Test against Ireland. Less than a week on, Tongue has imprinted himself as permanently on his skipper's heart as on the Lord's honours board.
With five for 66 in the second innings to confirm a victory that required far more of day three than anticipated, the 25-year-old Tongue has seemingly settled a developing headache for England. Jofra Archer has been ruled out of any involvement in the Ashes, Olly Stone is unlikely to feature either, and Mark Wood certainly can't fulfil the fire-breathing role for all five Tests on his own. Just when it looked like England were a speedster light, another came to the fore.

Mayday calls to county cricket for emergency fast bowlers rarely get answered as quickly or effectively. Yet the Worcestershire seamer was not only a point of difference on his England debut, but seamlessly slipped into the various roles his captain requested.

"He must think I'm a pretty good bloke giving him his Test debut," Stokes joked, speaking after he had led the team to an 11th win in 13 Tests. The sentiment is clearly reciprocated because of Tongue's expertise and enthusiasm.

"I told him the role that I saw him playing in this team as our third seamer, and used him in a way to get different types of spells out of one bowler," Stokes added.

"His first spell, he came on and bowled really well pitching the ball up. Then we looked to use his pace to use him as the aggressor when we needed to and the wicket got a bit flat. For him to show he's more than one type of bowler does us the world of good as a team going forward, knowing we've found someone else who can fulfil the role of the guys with the extra pace."

There was durability, too - a characteristic Stokes admires in others, even if his own is under the spotlight because of chronic issues with his left knee. That Tongue maintained his speeds not just over two innings but also long spells surprised the captain.
Over the final 24 hours of this match, there were eight overs straight (taking 3 for 27) on Friday evening, before seven- (1 for 29) and six-over stints (1 for 10) across Saturday, and that is a testament to Tongue's journey to this call-up. This time last year, he was contemplating retirement after 15 months on the sidelines because of thoracic outlet syndrome in his right shoulder.

"Bowling the long spell yesterday and two long spells today, I wasn't quite sure of how to manage him so early on," said Stokes. "But I was very, very impressed with the way he just said yes to the plans I wanted him to operate under."

Having toured with the England Lions at the start of the year - taking five on debut no less, against Sri Lanka A - Tongue returned knowing Test cricket was within reach. It helped, too, that Rob Key was watching that performance in Galle, having presented Tongue with his Lions cap.
The managing director was no doubt pivotal in stating Tongue's case around the selection table, particularly when it became apparent that England needed to cover the absences of Anderson, Wood and Ollie Robinson. Key's opinion, along with that of ECB performance director Mo Bobat who coached the Lions, would have ensured the seamer was not judged solely on a rather unspectacular haul of 11 Division Two wickets at an average of 41.45 in the County Championship this season.
During those four Championship appearances, there was a sense from some at Worcestershire that Tongue was trying a bit too hard to push on to the next level, delivering a few more boundary balls than he ordinarily have done. Nevertheless, there were sound spells in that period too, including trapping Steven Smith lbw in the Australian's first match of his Sussex stint.
Of course, that's not the sole reason he was included for the Ashes squad for the first two Tests. But it does back up what many who have seen Tongue develop into this strapping, 6'4" quick - he has a knack of getting out good players.
You could perhaps put Harry Tector in that bracket, though the Irishman's demise was squarely his own fault. A fourth half-century had been bagged before Tector slapped a long-hop to backward point, where Harry Brook took the catch. Similarly, Fionn Hand was culpable for his demise - Tongue's fifth - with exactly the kind of flash to second slip you would expect from a No.10 batter.

But Tongue's opening burst on Friday evening for his first three wickets was proper, and in many ways the perfect distillation of what he offers. As were the 13 overs, 0 for 40, on day one, which was the prologue to him raising the ball to all sides of the ground on Saturday.

"He was very unlucky not to get a wicket in the first innings but he definitely reaped the rewards [in the second]," Stokes said. "The way he bowled contributed to the five wickets he got in that innings because they were already on the back foot against him, knowing he's got that extra bit of pace. He can bowl 90mph full and short, so he was sort of one step ahead in the second innings already because of how he bowled in the first innings."

Ahead of that maiden spell, Stokes had taken it upon himself to strip away as much of the occasion as possible, once James Anderson had presented Tongue his cap. It was only when Tongue came onto bowl after 10 overs on day one that there was anything akin to a pep talk.

"I kept it simple," Stokes said. "I told him to just run in and do what you do - and then I'll worry about the rest of the stuff. Let the lad go out and bowl in the way that's got him here in the first place."

By all accounts, he did not seem daunted by coming into a side on such a high. Vice-captain Ollie Pope remarked on Friday that it had not looked like Tongue was around the squad for the first time. On personality as well as skill, he has fitted into the dressing-room.

"Everyone is real easy to get on with and I guess it helps someone like that, who no doubt would have been quite nervous and anxious about being in his first dressing-room as an England player for the first time," Pope said.

And now it's official. It won't be the last time he sets foot in that dressing-room, certainly not this summer. Having grasped an unlikely opportunity on and off the field, it seems Tongue has banked at least two Ashes Tests.

Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo

Source: Bills, Oliver agree to 4-year, $68M deal

Published in Breaking News
Saturday, 03 June 2023 16:01

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills finally have a defensive tackle under contract past the 2023 season. The Bills agreed to terms with 2019 first-round pick Ed Oliver on a four-year, $68 million extension, including $45 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The deal keeps Oliver under contract through the 2027 season, per source.

The $45 million guaranteed is sixth-most among active defensive tackle contracts, per ESPN Stats & Info. Prior to reaching an agreement with the former ninth-overall pick on the extension, the Bills did not have a defensive tackle signed for the 2024 season or beyond.

"I would like to not end the season and be at zero [defensive tackles under contract in 2024]," general manager Brandon Beane said during the team's rookie minicamp. "That would be my hope. But it would have to make sense. If it's somebody that's here, now, it would have to make sense to do an extension with any of those guys, so we'll see. You know me well, we've found a way to sometimes do an extension or two in training camp, so maybe we look at it at that point, see where the guys are at, who's all in. who's looking good and if there's a chance to get one extended, we might look to do that."

The team has a number of veterans at the position, but did not address it in the draft despite general manger Brandon Beane saying afterwards that he had hoped to do so. The team signed Poona Ford to a one-year, $2.25 million deal with $1.5 million guaranteed, in the days after the draft, and have a number of returning veterans at the position, including DaQuan Jones, Jordan Phillips and Tim Settle.

Oliver, 25, was set to play on his fifth-year option in 2023 at $10.753 million. He is coming off a mixed 2022 season that began with a right ankle injury in the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Oliver went on to miss the next three games and slowly increased his participation with Beane describing that he "wasn't himself for a while," even after returning.

He finished the season playing 13 games with 2.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss and six pass breakups. Oliver was second on the team with a 41.5% run stop win rate (behind Jones). His season-best performance came in a Thanksgiving win over the Detroit Lions. Oliver finished the game with a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a safety, six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.

"I think you have to weigh when did you think he was healthy? And what did that look like? And how did he affect the whole group," Beane said in March on evaluating Oliver. "And, you know, he definitely didn't have the production he wanted, but how much of that was affected by missing games or he was playing at 85% versus being 100%?"

Oliver has shown the ability to make splash plays over his four years in Buffalo, but coach Sean McDermott said that he would like to see him have a "real good, consistent season," and that they had the confidence in him to do so. Senior defensive assistant/defensive line coach Eric Washington noted that Oliver's speed of processing is one area they are working on.

"When you have the kind of talent that Ed has, you gotta understand situations, that could mean the difference in separating yourself from the opponent," Washington, who also noted he has seen Oliver being more vocal and confident this offseason, said. "I've gotta be able to process very, very quickly and, so that I can win my one-on-one, so I can play ahead of a play as opposed to playing with the sequence of that particular play. So, with where Ed is, from an experience standpoint, we need him to anticipate and play ahead as opposed to playing with the tempo of the play."

Oliver joins tight end Dawson Knox, who received a four-year extension of his own in September, as the only members of the team's 2019 class still on the roster.

Heat's Martin ill; no change to Herro's status

Published in Basketball
Saturday, 03 June 2023 16:01

DENVER -- Miami Heat guard Caleb Martin missed practice Saturday because of an illness, the team announced.

On top of Martin's absence, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra didn't definitively rule out Tyler Herro from Game 2 of the NBA Finals vs. the Denver Nuggets as he continues to recover from a broken right hand. However, Spoelstra did not want to put a timeline on the guard's return.

Herro, who has been out since breaking the hand in Game 1 of the Heat's first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, has been doing more in his workouts over the last week as he inches closer to a return.

"The status has not changed yet," Spoelstra said prior to the Heat's practice. "I'm not trying to be elusive about that. ... All we are focused on right now is his process, continuing to do work and get prepared. Whenever that timeline is, where he's ready to go, I'll let you know."

When asked specifically if he could rule Herro out for Sunday's game, Spoelstra reiterated his stance.

"We're doing this game-by-game," Spoelstra said. "I'll let you know [Sunday]. The status hasn't changed. You can read into that."

As the Heat wait to see how Martin is feeling, and how Herro's hand responds to more rehab work, the group remains confident that it will respond well after losing Game 1 to the Nuggets. The Heat were calm and confident as they prepared for Saturday's practice.

"I don't think too much has to be said," Heat star Jimmy Butler said. "I really don't. Down 0-3, up 3-0, you've got to get to four. It's never over. Nobody is ever counted out. You've got to get to four. Once you get to four, it's over with.

"So down 0-1, we know we are going to get to four. We are in there laughing, in there smiling, knowing that we could play better. We will play better. We have to be better if we want to win. Not too much is said. It's all about what we're going to do."

Malone: Nuggets 'haven't done a damn thing' yet

Published in Basketball
Saturday, 03 June 2023 15:54

DENVER - Michael Malone didn't mince words about how he thought the Denver Nuggets played in Game 1.

After watching the film, the Nuggets head coach saw a variety of things he did not like even though Denver led by as much as 24 points before beating the Miami Heat, 104-93, in Game 1.

"I don't think we played well in Game 1," Malone said on Saturday. "I watched that tape, and they were 5 of 16 on wide-open 3's. As I told our players this morning, the fact that they got 16 wide-open 3's is problematic. And if you think that Max Strus is going to go 0 for 9 again or Duncan Robinson is going to go 1 for 5 again, you're wrong."

Malone cited that the Nuggets' defense needs to play much better in the fourth quarter, when Denver surrendered 30 points and 60% shooting to allow the Heat to climb back within nine with 2:34 remaining on Thursday.

Malone's message to the team was not to listen to any outside hype about how good Denver played in building that 24-point lead and Nikola Jokic finishing with a triple-double and Jamal Murray having a double-double in their Finals debut.

"I told our players today, don't read the paper," Malone said. "Don't listen to the folks on the radio and TV saying that this series is over and that we've done something, because we haven't done a damn thing."

The message was similar to after the Nuggets' Game 1 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals. The Nuggets built a 21-point lead only to see the Lakers get within three points on three separate occasions in the final four minutes.

Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who brings championship experience from his time with the Lakers, wanted to keep his teammates focused.

"Stay motivated," Caldwell-Pope said of his message. "We're here; don't fumble the ball on the 1-yard line I would say. We've got three games left, let's stay focused and let's get this championship."

The Nuggets know they simply cannot let their guard down against a scrappy Heat team.

"You just can't be complacent with this team," Denver forward Aaron Gordon said. "You can't be lackadaisical. You can't sleep on this team. This team has no quit. They will continue to fight through the entirety of the game. You've got to understand that about this team.

"You can't take your foot off the gas with these guys."

The Nuggets know they can shoot better from the outside, where they went just 8 for 27 from behind the arc. Michael Porter Jr. missed 9 of 11 3-point shots but liked the looks he got.

The Nuggets want to execute better against the Miami zone which was able to slow down the Denver offense a little bit in the fourth quarter.

"There definitely was a period in that game where we were just launching deep threes, contested shots," Porter said. "I don't think we've really seen a zone the way they do it, so it's hard to make adjustments in the middle of a game when you don't really know what's going on.

"But that's what the playoffs is about. We watch film, saw what they're doing with their zone. Hopefully attack a little bit better and make a few more of those shots."

Malone said he expects the Heat to make their adjustments, mostly in spirit and intensity for the start of Game 2.

"Knowing Spo the way I do, it's not about adjustments," Malone said of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. "It's about energy and effort. I know I learned a long time ago when I first got in the league, before you make an adjustment, you have to ask yourself two questions: Are we executing the game plan correctly, and are we doing it with energy and force?

"... I expect the Miami Heat to come out with a much greater energy and force and attack mindset tomorrow evening."

Twins' Gallo heads to IL with hamstring strain

Published in Baseball
Saturday, 03 June 2023 14:52

Minnesota Twins first baseman/outfielder Joey Gallo has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, the team announced Saturday.

The 29-year-old Gallo, a two-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner, is batting .188 with a team-leading 11 homers and 23 RBIs in 46 games in his first season with the Twins. He also leads the team in OPS (.799).

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Gallo has been dealing with the injury for "a little while now."

He had been trying to play through the injury since suffering it May 14, but he had hit just .154 with 28 strikeouts in 52 at-bats since.

Gallo also missed 10 games in April while on the injured list with a right intercostal muscle strain.

In a corresponding roster move, the Twins recalled outfielder Kyle Garlick from Triple-A St. Paul. He has appeared in eight games for the Twins this season, batting .235 with two homers and four RBIs.

Baldelli is not with the team on Saturday as he deals with an illness. Bench coach Jayce Tingler will be the acting manager in his place

Outfielder Byron Buxton and shortstop Carlos Correa are also out of the starting lineup for the second straight game. Buxton has sore ribs after being hit by a pitch on Thursday, and Correa is dealing with plantar fasciitis.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ukrainian player Lesia Tsurenko says she considered quitting tennis after the Russian invasion of her country but continued playing to raise funds to help those back home.

Tsurenko beat Bianca Andreescu 6-1 6-1 to reach the French Open fourth round.

"I want to earn as much as I can to donate as much as I can," the 34-year-old said on Saturday.

"This is a bigger thing that I had in my mind when I decided that I will continue playing."

Tsurenko previously said she felt "guilty" for playing tennis at Wimbledon last year after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

After reaching the third round, she donated 10% of her Wimbledon prize money to help Ukraine and wears a ribbon in the country's blue and yellow flag colours at every match.

Tsurenko said a conversation with former player Alex Dolgopolov, who joined Ukraine's territorial defence unit after the invasion, helped her decide to continue playing.

"A year ago, it was a point where I was thinking I go back home and I will be a volunteer and do whatever is necessary for my country," she said.

"He [Dolgopolov] told me that we need money. I said OK.

"So I continue playing. I want to improve myself. I want to improve my game - and I will donate. I feel better when I do that because I still feel quite guilty that I'm not in Ukraine."

Tsurenko will face world number one and defending champion Iga Swiatek next as she bids to reach the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the first time.

"When I have tough moments in my match, I remind myself that I'm from Ukraine, that I'm Ukrainian and I'm a part of the strongest nation," she added.

"I have to be proud - and I am proud that I'm Ukrainian."

Exeter Chiefs beat Gloucester-Hartpury to secure second place in the Premier 15s and a home semi-final in the play-offs.

The Chiefs successfully avenged their season-opener defeat to Gloucester in a dominant 58-19 victory.

Saracens claimed third with a win over Loughborough Lightning and Bristol Bears clinched the fourth and final play-off spot by defeating Wasps 41-22.

The play-off matches begin on 10 June, with the final taking place on 24 June.

DMP Sharks and Wasps were unable to make their final appearances in the Premier 15s one to remember as they both suffered home defeats.

Wasps finish their season in the top flight winless and are now expected to play in National Challenge 1 South East (North) next season.

Darlington Mowden Park Sharks, who lost 34-5 to Sale Sharks, have provisionally applied to play in Championship 1 North.

Harlequins and Worcester Warriors, who finished fifth and sixth respectively, rounded-off their seasons with a 33-33 draw.

Gloucester-Hartpury will now host Bristol Bears on 10 June, whilst Saracens travel to Exeter Chiefs on 11 June.

Panthers, Knights pledge $100K to veterans

Published in Hockey
Saturday, 03 June 2023 12:52

The owners of the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers are teaming to donate $100,000 to organizations serving veterans at the end of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.

The best-of-seven series between the clubs begins Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Knights owner Bill Foley and his counterpart, Vincent Viola, announced their donation on Saturday. Both are graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Foley went on to serve in the Air Force and Viola in the Army.

The owners chose the organizations that will receive the donation from the other owner. As a result, Viola and the Panthers will contribute to The Folded Flag Foundation, while Foley and the Knights will send a check to Gold Star Teen Adventures.

Both nonprofits focus on the children and families of deceased military and law enforcement personnel.

Scottie Scheffler has won twice in the past four months (both designated events), has 11 top-10 finishes on Tour this season, and is on a run of top-5 finishes over the past three weeks: T-5 at the AT&T Byron Nelson, T-2 at the PGA Championship, T-3 at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Scheffler is also in his fourth start in as many weeks, and for the second-straight week, is currently first in SG: Tee to Green and last in SG: Putting — a weakness in his game that has plagued him much of this year.

Safe to say, the current world No. 1 isn't happy with what he's been putting out on the course as of late. He's struggling (for Scottie Scheffler, that is), and he's honest about it.

"I would say this morning was one of those mornings where it was tough getting up out of bed," Scheffler said after his third round at the Memorial Tournament. "Fourth week in a row, make the cut on the number, woke up. I had a crick in my neck this morning. I just wasn't feeling good getting out of bed."

The day did turnaround somewhat: After shooting over par in the first two rounds, the 26-year-old star came to some kind of compromise with his putter and fired a 4-under 68 on Saturday, including five birdies to just one bogey.

He needed just 28 putts compared to 31 in his first two rounds.

"I feel like I rolled it better today," Scheffler said. "I was really close to playing really good... I hit a lot of good putts. Definitely better than the last two days, but still not where it needs to be."

Scheffler is once again climbing the leaderboard. He's 1 under overall and T-34 as of publishing, eight off the lead. Now if he could just find that missing piece that players across the globe are all too often finding and losing (again) at a regular cadence.

For the third-consecutive day, Scheffler went to the putting green after his round. He's been tinkering with multiple putters all week, and a breakthrough feels imminent, even if the struggle is front and center at the moment.

"I feel comfortable over the ball, and hopefully, things will start improving."

"Improving" in Scheffler's definition of the term means winning, so hold please, while he figures this hiccup out. It's only a matter of time before the riddle is solved and everyone is on red alert for the guy who is his own worst critque.

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