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Shedge, Suryakumar power Mumbai to Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy glory
Mumbai 180 for 5 (Suryakumar 48, Rahane 37, Shedge 36*, Tripuresh 2-34) beat Madhya Pradesh 174 for 8 (Patidar 81*, Dias 2-32, Thakur 2-41) by five wickets
Rahane and Suryakumar built steadily, but with another 110 runs required from the remaining 69 balls, Suryakumar accelerated. He scooped and lofted Rahul Batham for four and six. Rahane started the next over by reverse sweeping and pulling Kumar Kartikeya for four. Venkatesh got Rahane for 37 in the 12th over, but Suryakumar bashed Batham for two sixes in the 13th.
Shivam Shukla then had Suryakumar caught at short fine leg for 48. When Shedge and Ankolekar came together Mumbai needed another 46 from 32 balls, and the match could have gone either way. But the two ensured the trophy came home.
Earlier, MP needed Patidar, their captain, to make a match out of it on Sunday. He was only behind Rahane among the run-getters this season and cracked an unbeaten 81 off 40 balls with six fours and six sixes. MP were 86 for 5 at the start of the 13th over, but Patidar looked immovable while helping MP score 80 runs in the last seven overs.
There was the pull, the loft, the upper cut, the slice, and the swipe to savour for a sizeable Chinnaswamy crowd, as Patidar picked up pace after managing just nine from as many deliveries at the start. His shots had plenty of power as the ball crashed into the stands, and made for fearless T20 hitting. But at the end of the day, Patidar's heroics couldn't take MP over the line.
Shakib suspended from bowling in all top-level cricket, domestic and international
India 195 for 4 (Rodrigues 73, Mandhana 54) beat West Indies 146 for 7 (Dottin 52, Sadhu 3-37) by 49 runs
Mandhana's new opening partner
With Shafali Verma dropped, Mandhana had a new opening partner in Uma Chetry, who was playing her fifth T20I. West Indies introduced spin as early as the second over after opting to bowl first, bringing in left-arm spinner Zaida James to bowl to Mandhana. Thirteen runs came off it, with Mandhana pulling her for a four first ball and Chetry punishing her with back-to-back boundaries through the covers. Hayley Matthews brought herself on in the fourth over to bowl against the left-handed Mandhana but she was instead taken for two consecutive fours off the first two balls. Mandhana found her flow, making more than half of the runs in the openers' 50-run stand at the end of the powerplay.
Despite getting a life on 14, having been dropped in the slips, Chetry couldn't capitalise on it, struggling to score in the legside and slowing down against offspinner Karishma Ramharack. She was eventually bowled trying to flick Ramharack for a 26-ball 24.
The wicket, however, ended up being a positive for India, with Rodrigues joining Mandhana in the middle. Rodrigues stuck to her strengths, sweeping and reverse-sweeping the ball well from the get-go for her boundaries. Mandhana, meanwhile, went on the back foot to put the spinners away and was scoring boundaries at regular intervals as well, as the duo went hard at the balls that were pitched up. Together they took on Matthews for 19 runs in the 13th over. Their partnership just crossed 80 when Ramharack came back to dismiss Mandhana for 54.
Richa Ghosh, coming in at No. 4, made sure India did not slow down, hitting two fours and six off the first seven balls she faced. But she did not last long, with Dottin having her caught at deep midwicket. Rodrigues, however, continued to pile on the runs, bringing her fifty off just 28 balls. She hit boundaries all around the ground and also ran quickly between the wickets without tiring. She was run out in the last over for 73 off 35 balls but not before giving India a massive total.
Michigan RB Edwards opting out of bowl game
Michigan running back Donovan Edwards is opting out of the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama, marking the end of his Wolverines career.
Edwards is second on the team behind Kalel Mullings in carries (128), rushing yards (589) and rushing touchdowns (4) this season. He had 11 rushing yards on four carries in Michigan's Nov. 30 upset of Ohio State.
"I just have a lot on my mind right now," Edwards told WXYZ-TV on Saturday. "I haven't really had the opportunity to look back and reflect, but for the most part, I've always been grateful for all the support that the Michigan fans have given me. ... This place will always have a special place in my heart."
Edwards joined Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers on the cover of College Football 25, the EA Sports game that returned this summer after an 11-year hiatus. He was a team captain after helping Michigan to a national title and becoming the first player to record multiple touchdown runs of 40 yards or longer in the CFP national championship game.
He also had memorable performances in 2022 against Ohio State and then Purdue in the Big Ten title game but played most of his career behind other Wolverines running backs.
Michigan also will be without defensive tackle Mason Graham, cornerback Will Johnson and tight end Colston Loveland -- all top NFL draft prospects -- when it faces No. 11 Alabama on Dec. 31 in Tampa, Florida.
Jeanty: 'Should've walked away' with Heisman
Ashton Jeanty is on the brink of a historic season for a running back, and the Boise State star thinks that should have been enough to push him to the Heisman Trophy over Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter.
"I really felt like I should've walked away with the award, but kudos to Travis for winning," Jeanty told reporters Saturday after finishing as the Heisman runner-up. "But yeah, it's simple as that. Work harder, go harder."
Hunter won the Heisman after receiving 552 first-place votes and 2,231 points. Jeanty was second with 309 first-place votes and 2,017 points, making it the closest margin of victory since 2009, when Alabama running back Mark Ingram edged out Stanford running back Toby Gerhart.
Jeanty has rushed for 2,497 yards this season and needs 132 in the College Football Playoff to break Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record of 2,628 that was set at Oklahoma State in 1988.
The Broncos will face the winner of the SMU-Penn State game in a CFP quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31.
Jeanty, who on Thursday won the Maxwell Award as college football's top player and the Doak Walker Award for the nation's top running back, said he was "100%" motivated by not winning the Heisman.
"There's a lot more to come," he told reporters. "This isn't the end, this is just the beginning. So I just have to do that much more to get the things that I want."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
The Atlanta Braves signed outfielder Bryan De La Cruz on Sunday to a one-year nonguaranteed contract for the 2025 season.
Financial terms were not disclosed by the team for De La Cruz, who was non-tendered by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Nov. 22 after struggling during his brief time with the team.
De La Cruz batted .200 with three homers and 17 RBIs in 44 games after being acquired by the Pirates from the Miami Marlins on July 30. By comparison, he hit .245 with 18 homers and 51 RBIs in 105 games earlier last season with the Marlins.
De La Cruz, who turns 28 on Monday, is a career .253 hitter with 427 hits, 58 homers and 208 RBIs in 475 career games with the Marlins and Pirates.
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman's walk-off grand slam ball from Game 1 of the 2024 World Series sold for $1.56 million -- including buyer's premium -- at SCP Auctions late Saturday night.
It's the third-most expensive baseball ever sold, behind Shohei Ohtani's $4.392 million 50/50 home run ball and Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball, which sold for roughly $3 million in 1999.
Freeman's homer surpassed Aaron Judge's 62nd home run ball, which sold for $1.5 million in 2022.
The Dodgers won the series in five games, with Freeman named MVP, his second World Series title in four seasons.
"We are so honored to have handled one of the most important artifacts in World Series history, dating back to 1903," SCP Auctions president David Kohler said in a statement.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Freeman's slam "might be the greatest baseball moment" he's ever witnessed.
The fan who caught the ball was of some note: Zachary Ruderman, 10, was told he was leaving school early to get his braces off, but his parents surprised him by taking him to Game 1 instead. When Freeman's historic blast -- the second walk-off grand slam in MLB postseason history -- rattled around under the seat in front of Zachary, he batted it to his father, who jumped on it.
The Ruderman family, in a statement from SCP Auctions, said they hoped the baseball would one day be displayed in Dodger Stadium.
In the same auction, the only Lou Gehrig World Series jersey to ever surface, worn in several games in the 1937 season, including the World Series, went unsold. It was expected to fetch upward of $4 million, but bidding didn't meet the set reserve price -- which a spokesperson from SCP Auctions told ESPN they could not disclose.
England bat first, Cross injury hands MacDonald-Gay debut
Englandwon the toss and chose to bat first vs South Africa
Cross suffered the injury in the 3rd ODI but trained on the eve of the Test. Captain Heather Knight said he was "not too far away," from playing but left out with workload considerations and the upcoming Ashes in mind. For that same reason, on what is a historically flat deck, England included an extra seamer in a four-seam, two-spin attack, as the look to distribute overs among more players.
How they will manage that will have to wait for later in the match after Knight chose to bat first in warm, windy conditions with clouds rolling in. That may please Laura Wolvaardt, who also has five seam options and one frontline spinner at her disposal. Sune Luus and Chloe Tryon will provide offspin and left-arm spin options. All South Africa's players have been capped at Test level before.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) explained that they were prioritising the use of DRS in white-ball games, given the cost implications of using the technology, which runs into the thousands of dollars.
South Africa: 1 Laura Wolvaardt (capt), 2 Anneke Bosch, 3 Annerie Dercksen, 4 Sune Luus, 5 Marizanne Kapp, 6 Nadine de Klerk, 7 Chloe Tryon, 8 Sinalo Jafta (wk), 9 Tumi Sekhukhune, 10 Nonkululekho Mlaba, 11 Ayanda Hlubi
England: 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Maia Bouchier, 3 Heather Knight (capt), 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 5 Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, 6 Amy Jones (wk), 7 Charlie Dean, 8 Sophie Ecclestone, 9, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, 10 Lauren Filer, 11 Lauren Bell
'Awesome' Blackwood stops 38 in Avalanche debut
DENVER -- Veteran goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 38 shots in his Colorado Avalanche debut, and his new team held off a late Nashville Predators surge to post a 5-2 victory on Saturday night.
Nathan MacKinnon had two goals and an assist, Artturi Lehkonen scored twice and Ross Colton had a goal for the Avalanche.
Steven Stamkos and Luke Evangelista scored for Nashville, and Juuse Saros finished with 29 saves.
Colorado acquired Blackwood from the San Jose Sharks on Monday, and he made a great first impression in front of the home fans. He stopped the first 37 shots he faced before Stamkos scored with 6:57 remaining in the third.
"He's a big man. Obviously, it's not just his size; he has great ability," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said of his new, 6-foot-4 goaltender. "He moves really well in net. And tonight, he managed the game perfectly."
It's been a solid run for Blackwood in December; he just didn't have the wins to show for it while with the struggling Sharks. Last Saturday, in fact, he made 51 saves in a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.
"It feels great," Blackwood said after his winning debut. "It's been a tough week coming here, didn't skate much, but it was a great game to be a part of, and I'm so thankful we can come out with a win in the first one."
Evangelista made it a one-goal game on a delayed penalty with 4:52 to go, but MacKinnon and Lehkonen scored empty-net goals in the final two minutes to seal the win.
Midway through the second period, Stamkos got behind Colorado's defense and skated in alone on net, but Blackwood made the save to keep the game scoreless. Less than three minutes later, Colton gave the Avalanche the lead.
"It was Blackie's first taste of some Avalanche hockey," Colton said. "He was awesome, he made some huge saves, kept us in, and that gave us some momentum."
Blackwood joined the Sharks last season after spending five years with the New Jersey Devils. He has never appeared in more than 47 games in any one campaign, but Saturday's win was his 20th appearance this season, and he could be in line for plenty more with Colorado.
"You've got to appreciate that. It feels great," Blackwood said of the Colorado fans chanting his name during the win. "So, hopefully, I can continue to play well in front of them."
MacKinnon, who now has 50 points for the season, tops in the NHL, is heating up after a slow stretch. He had just one goal in 13 games in the last half of November, but he has scored five in December, including a goal in three straight games. He passed Michel Goulet for third on the franchise list in scoring with 948 points.
Nashville defenseman Roman Josi missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jets to interview Robinson, Riddick for GM job
As the New York Jets prepare to play the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, their more significant business will commence this week when they begin their general manager interviews, league sources told ESPN.
Included on the list of candidates expected to interview for the Jets job are former Titans GM Jon Robinson, who at one point helped build one of the league's better rosters in Tennessee, and ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, who previously has worked in Philadelphia and Washington front offices.
There will be other candidates as well, and the Jets plan to announce or confirm each GM interview after it is completed, but Robinson's is expected this week, with Riddick's coming at a later date, according to sources.
The Jets are not married to hiring a GM first and a head coach second -- nor vice versa -- as the organization undertakes a thorough process aimed at yielding the best candidates in each position. It just happens that the interviews for the GM job will start first.
Robinson and Riddick are free to meet with the Jets any time they wish, whereas other candidates who are with NFL organizations cannot interview with the team until after the regular season ends. That's why the process with candidates not employed by other NFL teams starts this week.
During his time in Tennessee, Robinson oversaw the Titans' drafting of running back Derrick Henry and wide receiver A.J. Brown. The team never had a losing season and made the playoffs four times during Robinson's seven years as GM before he was fired in December 2022 in a move that floored people across the league.
Robinson is the second-winningest general manager in franchise history, with 69 wins (including playoffs), trailing only Floyd Reese (111).
Riddick has been linked to multiple front office vacancies in recent years and interviewed for the Steelers' GM job that went to Omar Khan in May 2022. Riddick is doing the color commentary for Monday night's Falcons-Raiders game, and in part because of his ESPN duties, is expected to interview in the coming weeks.
Riddick played seven seasons in the NFL for four teams after being drafted by the 49ers in 1991. He followed that with nearly 13 years in front office roles with Washington and Philadelphia, including leading the pro personnel departments of both franchises. Riddick also interviewed for GM openings in 2020 with the Lions and Texans.
The Jets recently retained The 33rd Team to support them in their GM and head coaching searches. Former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and former Vikings GM Rick Spielman are leading the project for the NFL technology and media company. The 33rd Team has been providing its data analysis and lending its experience to assist the Jets.
The Jets (3-10) fired Joe Douglas as their GM last month, six weeks after ousting head coach Robert Saleh.
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