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Keegan Bradley on potential golf ball rollback: 'USGA makes a lot of mistakes'
DUBLIN, Ohio – Keegan Bradley didn’t attend Tuesday’s meeting between members of the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council and the USGA and R&A, and it’s probably best.
The rule makers spent about an hour this week at the Memorial explaining why they have proposed a new Model Local Rule (MLR) for golf balls that could, by some estimates, lead to drives for top professionals that are 20 to 25 yards shorter.
For Bradley, whose game was intimately impacted the last time the USGA and R&A made an equipment change that outlawed anchored putting, it felt all too familiar.
“I have a really strange relationship with the USGA from the belly putter. I just feel like the USGA admits to making mistakes and then they punish the players for it,” Bradley said. “I don't feel like it's our fault that they think that the ball went too far or that they should have banned the belly putter.
“They retroactively, decades later, try to adjust and then they just throw it on us. We do this as a living. This is how we make our living. I don't think that's necessarily fair that we pay for their mistakes.”
The anchoring ban, which occurred in 2013, impacted many players at the game’s highest level, including Bradley and Adam Scott, who did attend Tuesday’s meeting with the USGA and R&A.
“The scale that this [the potential golf ball rollback] affects is way bigger than the anchoring debate. That was directly affecting me and maybe a dozen other guys,” Scott said. “I don't question the governing bodies intent at all. I do believe they want good for the game, and they're trying to do their best. But I just don't know that I've seen good process out of them for years to make good decisions. There was very little evidence, other than their opinion that anchoring was any advantage.”
Bradley, like most Tour players, had an equally strong opinion on the proposed golf ball rollback.
“I think the USGA makes a lot of mistakes and I don't feel as though us, the players, should have to pay for it. I don't think that's right,” he said.
Eden Hazard will leave Real Madrid this month, the club has confirmed, after reaching an agreement to rescind his contract a year early.
Hazard, 32, joined Madrid from Chelsea in July 2019 as one of the Premier League's biggest stars, signing a five-year deal in a move worth an initial €100 million.
- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
His four seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu have been marred by persistent injury problems, and he has made just six LaLiga appearances this season -- four of them as a substitute -- scoring no goals.
"Real Madrid C.F. and Eden Hazard have reached an agreement whereby the player will be released from the club as of June 30, 2023," Madrid said in a statement on Saturday.
"Eden Hazard has been part of our club for four seasons, in which he has won eight trophies: one European Cup, one Club World Cup, one European Super Cup, two Leagues, one Copa del Rey and two Spanish Super Cups.
"Real Madrid wants to express its affection for Eden Hazard and wishes him and his entire family the best of luck in this new period."
Hazard's injury problems began during his first season in Madrid, with an ankle fracture requiring surgery and the insertion of a metal plate, which caused further problems before being removed two years later.
The former Belgium captain never recovered his form and fitness, and he saw his preferred left-wing position occupied by rising star Vinicius Junior.
He retired from international football in December, after Belgium's group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup.
A month earlier, Hazard had apologised to Real Madrid fans in an interview with the newspaper Marca, saying he was "really sorry about what has happened" and rating his impact on the field as "zero," saying he would accept a move this summer.
Pep Guardiola says he remains hopeful Ilkay Gundogan will extend his stay at Manchester City after his man-of-the match performance in the FA Cup final.
Gundogan scored twice against Manchester United at Wembley, the first after just 12 seconds, to earn City a 2-1 win.
- Dawson: City outclass United to take another step toward treble
- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
The midfielder's contract at the Etihad Stadium is set to expire in the summer but Guardiola wants him to stay.
"He knows what I think," said Guardiola.
"Maybe some of you know it, we are neighbours, we live on the same floor so for many years he is a close friend of mine.
"He plays exceptional. Hopefully we can finish in a good way. [Director of football] Txiki [Begiristain] is working [on the contract]. The season he has done is exceptional."
After lifting the FA Cup, City are just 90 minutes from completing the treble.
If they beat Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday they will emulate a feat only achieved once before in English football -- by United in 1999 -- and Guardiola has reminded his players that they may never get a better chance to write themselves into the record books.
"One more to go, they feel we are in a position we will probably never be in again," said Guardiola.
"Now two days off and then we have three or four training sessions, prepare for Milan, three days to watch it and go there to try.
"We have to win the Champions League to be recognised how the team deserves to be. It has been amazing been fun but we have to win it."
Central Sparks 142 for 9 (A Jones 45, Dean 3-27) beat Southern Vipers 135 for 8 (Wyatt 68, Ellis 4-29, Burns 3-26) by seven runs
Central Sparks retained their slender hopes of Charlotte Edwards Cup qualification with a thrilling seven-run victory win over Southern Vipers at Edgbaston.
Sparks still need to win their remaining games and hope that other results go their way. Despite the setback, Vipers know that winning their last two fixtures would still send them through.
Sparks chose to bat and started at a gallop with 17 from the first over including three sumptuous cover-driven fours by Eve Jones off Lauren Bell. Eve and Amy Jones added 41 from 27 balls but the Vipers struck back hard with three wickets for five runs in nine balls.
Dean made the vital breakthrough when she flighted one beautifully into Eve Jones' stumps. Two balls later she bowled Davina Perrin through a cross-bat heave and Burns was then well-held at deep mid-wicket by Wyatt off Linsey Smith.
Dean delivered that T20 rarity, a maiden (her eighth in the format) and though Amy Jones batted with familiar elan, she perished in pursuit of a seventh four when she lifted Georgia Elwiss to mid off. Elwiss also ended a dangerous counter-attack by Abbey Freeborn when she hit middle stump. Katie George advanced to 17 from 14 balls but became Dean's third victim when she made room to cut and missed.
Ellis offered some late impetus, but the innings had faltered badly: 41 without loss from the first 27 balls then 101 for 9 from the next 93.
Vipers were given a perky start by the in-form Ella McCaughan before she was bowled through a slog at Anderson. Just as in Sparks' innings, the first wicket was quickly followed by two more as, in the space of four balls, Nicole Faltum and Georgia Adams were superbly held at deep mid-wicket by George off Burns.
That was 52 for 3 and a good-sized crowd really started to get behind Sparks. They were celebrating again when Ellis struck with her first ball, Elwiss slicing to backward point.
When Dean lifted Burns to deep mid-wicket, pressure was growing on Vipers who needed 60 from eight overs with half their wickets gone. Wyatt completed a classy, 34-ball half-century but when she fell to a fine catch at long on by Burns off Ellis, the Vipers' sting had been drawn.
Andy Balbirnie proud of Ireland 'character' but already looking to World Cup challenge
But, he added, Ireland's eventual ten-wicket loss had "not been preparation" for the challenge that awaits next week at the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.
The smart money had been on a swift denouement on Saturday morning, after Ireland had resumed their second innings on 97 for 3 - effectively four-down, following James McCollum's match-ending ankle injury - and still 255 runs from asking England to bat again, following their formidable total of 524 for 4 in just 82.4 overs.
In the end, neither quite made it. Adair feathered an attempted ramp shot through to Jonny Bairstow for 88, while McBrine, who had insisted that McCollum didn't risk exacerbating his injury by attempting to help him to three figures, was eventually left high and dry on 86 not out when the No. 11 Graham Hume was bowled by Stuart Broad shortly after tea.
"He had the pads on, he had the boot on, it was all a bit chaotic in there," Balbirnie said of McCollum's potential late involvement in the innings, when it seemed he might emulate the likes of Graeme Smith and Colin Cowdrey of yesteryear, and come out to bat at nine-down in spite of his serious injury.
"Andy actually came in at tea and said he doesn't want him to bat. They're good mates and he [McCollum] is really sore. He really didn't want him to hobble out on the boot, but it was eventually agreed that if it was one hit away, that he would go out, and just hold up an end.
"And so it was chaos. He came out on the balcony with the crutches at tea-time and a couple of members looked over and couldn't really believe what they were seeing. It was quite entertaining.
"If the shoe was on the other foot, if you'll pardon the pun, I think Andy would have gone out for Prince [McCollum]," he continued. "But it wasn't to be. In the end it didn't really matter, but it was fairly chaotic at tea-time."
Nevertheless, Ireland's doughty displays gave another healthy Lord's crowd an entertaining day in the sun, and continued a trend of tail-end resistance from their Test team, with three of their highest partnerships in Test cricket all coming for the seventh wicket.
"[The dressing-room] was a tough place to be yesterday, in the evening particularly, but we showed character today," Balbirnie said. "We've showed in our Test career that we have that character - and that bouncebackability - but unfortunately for us, it's when our backs are against the wall, that's almost when we seem to produce our best cricket.
"We need to find a way to not get so far behind the eight-ball that you need to really scrap it out. But get to 12 ahead, it's a small win to get them batting again. And certainly, after three days like that, you have to take those small wins."
Much of the build-up to the Test had centred on Ireland's lack of first-class experience - most of the squad hadn't played a single first-class game in four years until their three Tests in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in April. And while Balbirnie reiterated his call for more red-ball opportunities, particularly on pitches such as Lord's that don't offer much sideways movement, he made it clear that a return to a white-ball focus was now the team's over-riding priority.
"I love being here and I've loved playing here, don't get me wrong, but yesterday was really tough," Balbirnie said. "You're looking around in the change-room, wondering what we can do here to get wickets to stop the run-rate. You want to go into a game knowing that, if you play your best cricket, you can be really close to beating them. But I'm not stupid. Everyone saw there was a gap and we have to close that as quick as possible. That's probably going to come from us playing more red-ball cricket. It's obvious and hopefully it happens."
For now, though, Ireland have a four-day turnaround back home, before flying out to Bulawayo on Friday to begin the campaign that truly matters. Balbirnie's men play two warm-up games against USA and Netherlands on June 13 and 15, before their World Cup qualification campaign gets underway against Oman on June 19.
They then play further fixtures against Scotland, Sri Lanka and the UAE in the space of the following eight days, with the top three teams progressing to the Super Six stage, and from there a shot at securing one of the two remaining berths at the main event in India this winter.
And with that fixture pile-up already on his mind, Balbirnie was blunt on the subject of his Lord's experience. "I wouldn't say it's been preparation," he said. "I've played in these tournaments before. It's really cut-throat. If you don't turn up for a couple of games, your qualifying tournament is over. So the guys need to be switched on, and I think they will be by the time we get out there.
"It's 9am starts, very early-morning stuff, the games are thick and fast, in a sporadic sort of a schedule. I've struggled over the years to differentiate between our [Test and white-ball] groups because it's many of the same names, but for the one-day team, next week is huge. I said at the start of my tenure that qualifying for that World Cup will be my greatest achievement as captain, and we've got three weeks to try to do that."
For the time being, Balbirnie added, he'd be switching off from cricket in a particularly homely fashion. "My wife has told me I've got a crib to paint," he said. "We have a baby coming in August so that'll take up most of my week. But it'll be just enough time to switch the pads and head out."
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
Stokes 'definitely on course' to bowl in first Ashes Test
He appeared to jar his left knee - which he has had to manage carefully for several years - when taking a catch at short fine leg to dismiss Curtis Campher, and was restricted in his movement in the field for the rest of Ireland's second innings.
"I actually didn't pick it [the ball] up, and I actually landed quite awkwardly on it [my knee]," Stokes said at the post-match presentation, when asked about the catch. "My weight went on the inside of my knee, like I hyper-extended."
Stokes insisted on the eve of the Test that he was fit to bowl against Ireland, though he added that there should not be "doom and gloom" if he did not. He briefly bowled in the warm-ups on the third morning with bowling coach David Saker watching on, and said he was "really happy" with how it felt.
"I bowled this morning - the first time I'd bowled since being back from India, so it would have been about four weeks actually," he said. "I got through that and was really happy with where I was. So no, nothing [for England fans] to worry about."
He later suggested that his grimaces after completing the catch owed mainly to his age. "I was really happy with how I bowled [before play]," Stokes said. "I bowled for about 20 minutes and I got through that really well. Obviously I have got time to build up before I push back into flat out, but I just landed quite awkwardly when I took that catch.
"I didn't quite see it so had to adjust myself and landed on my left leg and it twisted in a really strange way. It was fine, I just don't know what really happened. It was one of those things - but I am 32 tomorrow so that probably explains it."
Asked if he would consider leaving himself out of the starting XI at any stage of the Ashes - a policy that Eoin Morgan occasionally took during his tenure as white-ball captain, though never at a major tournament - Stokes' response was blunt: "No, of course not. That's not even something we've even spoken about because I'm fully prepared to be bowling at Edgbaston."
Speaking to the BBC's Test Match Special, Stokes added that he was "taking the positives" and that he "wouldn't have bowled in this match… unless everyone else went down".
England named an unchanged 16-man squad for the first two Ashes Tests on Saturday afternoon, which will report to Birmingham on June 12 before training on June 13, three days before the start of the Edgbaston Test.
In the meantime, Stokes is among a number of players due to travel to Scotland to play golf next weekend, while Australia are playing India in the World Test Championship final at The Oval.
"The new way is you get as ready as you possibly can and whatever you do, you just get yourself in the right frame of mind for the games you've got coming up," Stokes said. "This was obviously a great opportunity for us to get back together as a group and we'll be doing that again before the Ashes.
"We'll get together and spend some quality time together as a group and have some fun together before the big Ashes series starts. We're really looking forward to it."
Hope set to continue as 'more aggressive' enforcer at No.4
"It's a ticklish one, but I'm happy to bat wherever the team needs [me to]," Hope said. "Going forward, I think No.4 would give us a bit more stability. In the past, we've had some tough time in the middle overs, especially against spin. But in this series, you may see a bit of a change; the batting line-up may be a bit different to what we're accustomed to. Yeah, I think No.4 is the position that I'll stay at for a period of time and hopefully that continues to work for West Indies."
Hope attributed his boundary-laden knock in East London to both situational awareness and improvement in his power game. He had also displayed signs of his power during his BPL stint with Khulna Tigers and PSL stint with Lahore Qalandars. He batted at No.3 or No.4 in those tournaments as well. Hope encourages the rest of West Indies' batting line-up to play with similar freedom rather than just trying to protect their wickets.
"I think the way how cricket is being played now, you got to pretty much keep up with the times and find ways to adapt and improve our game," Hope said. "I'm trying to be a bit more aggressive in strokeplay and it's something I want to stem down to the team as well and want to focus on trying to find ways to score. I think in the past, we just tried to occupy the crease too much rather than executing our strengths because we're known for scoring and especially scoring boundaries."
Most of West Indies' senior players, including Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder, Rovman Powell and Kyle Mayers, are on a break after the IPL, but Hope backed the youngsters and fringe players to step up and work up some momentum ahead of the World Cup qualifier, which is set to begin on June 18.
"[Want to] continue development and try to get some progression from here in the UAE," Hope said. "Just trying to see the fellas improve in whatever way we can. I know it's going to be a long and hard journey, but I just want to see some progression and that 1% improvement every single day."
Hope is enthused by the growth of Brandon King who has batted at the top as well as in the middle for West Indies in the recent past. King has been promoted to vice-captaincy for the UAE tour and could be among the contenders to become defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs' captain in CPL 2023.
"Firstly, I just love to see him bat - whether it's in the nets or whether it's in the middle," Hope said of King. "He's one of those guys who I can relate to as well as a batter and as a person. So, I'm just hoping he can continue in this stead. He's been improving a lot, especially in his mindset towards the game, towards batting, and towards scoring runs. I must commend him for that.
"His role is a lot more important now because he's now opening the batting for us, so he has his work cut out for him. I'm very sure he's capable of doing the job for us and hope he can continue in this way."
Source: Blue Jackets to hire Babcock as coach
Mike Babcock is expected to become the next head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, an NHL source confirmed to ESPN on Saturday.
TSN first reported the news.
Babcock, 60, last coached the Toronto Maple Leafs for five seasons before he was fired in November 2019. He had an eight-year contract with the Leafs that runs through June 30, after which he's expected to join Columbus.
The Blue Jackets are still working on the details of their next coach's deal and wouldn't confirm that coach was Babcock. Their previous coach, Brad Larsen, was fired in April after two seasons.
Columbus missed the playoffs for the third straight season, finishing last in the Eastern Conference with a .360 points percentage -- the second-worst finish in franchise history. That was after the Blue Jackets made the biggest free agent splash of the offseason, bringing in star winger Johnny Gaudreau on a seven-year contract to join players such as Patrik Laine and defenseman Zach Werenski, who was limited to 13 games in 2022-23 due to injury.
Babcock has coached 1,301 games in the NHL with the Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He led the 2008 Red Wings to the Stanley Cup. His teams have won three conference championships (Ducks in 2003, Red Wings in 2008 and 2009). His 700 wins is the 13th most all time, and his .608 points percentage is the fourth best among NHL coaches with at least 1,000 games.
He also coached Team Canada to Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014. Rick Nash, director of player development for the Blue Jackets, was a member of both teams.
But Babcock's reputation was tarnished after his time in Toronto, following multiple accusations of mental abuse of players. Former Red Wings forward Johan Franzen, in the Swedish media outlet Expressen, accused Babcock of "verbal attacks" that, at one point, caused Franzen to break down on the bench and dread coming to the arena.
When Toronto forward Mitch Marner was a rookie, Babcock had him make a list of his teammates ranked by how much effort they gave on the ice. Babcock then shared the list with the players who were at the bottom of that ranking, much to the embarrassment of Marner. The incident was reported to then-general manager Lou Lamoriello.
Chris Chelios, now an ESPN commentator, told the "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast in 2019 that the accusations were "coming out to haunt Babcock for not so much his coaching as the way he treated people." Chelios cited when Babcock scratched Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Modano to prevent him from hitting 1,500 career games and when he made veteran Jason Spezza a healthy scratch for the Leafs' 2019 season opener against the Ottawa Senators, Spezza's former team.
After Babcock was fired, Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said his coaching tactics were not "appropriate or acceptable," given how times had changed in the NHL.
"We have to evolve," Shanahan said in 2019. "We all came from a certain generation where things occurred to us as players that we just sort of accepted. We all have to do a better job of just creating that kind of work environment on the ice and off the ice."
The Brooklyn Nets are hiring Kevin Ollie as an assistant coach, sources told ESPN on Saturday.
Ollie, who won an NCAA championship as Connecticut's coach in 2014, had been a finalist for the Detroit Pistons' head-coaching job this spring.
Ollie joins a reshaped coaching staff for Jacque Vaughn's first full season as the Nets coach. Ollie spent the past two years as head of coaching and player development for the Overtime Elite program in Atlanta that has become a premier feeder program for professional basketball.
After going undrafted out of UConn, Ollie spent 13 seasons in the NBA and built a reputation as a trusted leader and teammate.
In September, Ollie and UConn agreed on a settlement of $3.9 million in a potential federal race discrimination suit that he had considered against UConn. That payout included claimed reputational damages and attorney's fees to end what had been a lengthy legal battle between UConn and Ollie since his firing in 2018 for allegedly violating NCAA rules.
The Cincinnati Reds placed TJ Friedl on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain on Saturday and promoted fellow outfielder T.J. Hopkins from Triple-A Louisville.
Friedl's move is retroactive to Wednesday for the Reds, who transferred left-hander Nick Lodolo to the 60-day injured list.
Friedl, 27, is hitting .326 with three homers and 20 RBIs in 42 games with the Reds this season.
Hopkins, 26, is batting .341 with seven homers, 27 RBIs and 31 runs in 50 games this season with Louisville.
Lodolo, 25, is dealing with a stress reaction in his left tibia. He is 2-1 with a 6.29 ERA in seven starts this season.
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