Posts

Traditionally the final event of the Triple Crown, the race will instead be the first of the three races this year, with the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes both postponed until September and October, respectively. Like its Triple Crown counterparts, the Belmont Stakes was also postponed, with organizers moving the race from its original June 6 slot to June 20 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The calendar reshuffling has also forced the New York Racing Association to shorten the race from the traditional 12-furlong (1....

“Make sure you sit in the Ichiro section,” he said. “We love Ichiro here.” MORE: Barry Bonds’ career, in photos He wasn’t kidding. I just happened to be in Seattle as the city hosted the All-Star festivities — I was in the middle of a meandering month-long road trip through the western half of the country, a handful of years before I started working at Sporting News — and I was going to watch the first Mariners game after the All-Star break with a buddy....

“I told Ben (Bentil) I was a fan today,” he said. “I was literally a fan today to see the ball going in the net like that, and he scored it every imaginable way — drives, shots, step-backs…” MORE: Stats, shot charts and more from Providence’s win | Villanova rolls past Georgetown The 6-8 sophomore forward had the performance of his career on Thursday afternoon, scoring 38 of the Friars’ points en route to a 74-60 victory over Butler in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals....

The voting bill was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp last month. The law has been widely condemned for adding restrictions to the voting process in the state. Among its much-criticized provisions is a misdemeanor charge against people handing out food and water to voters waiting in lines at the polls. Atlanta-based companies such as Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines have criticized the law. Will Smith’s upcoming film Emancipation pulled its production from Georgia, and Major League Baseball announced it would no longer hold its 2021 All-Star Game in Atlanta....

While the former No. 1 pick demanded a trade, Daryl Morey remained patient until they found a suitable package. Hours before the trade deadline, a move was agreed to send James Harden to Philly in exchange for the disgruntled star. Since the trade, Ben Simmons is yet to make an appearance for the Brooklyn Nets. However, the three-time All-Star finally spoke out about his situation with former teammate JJ Redick on “The Old Man and The Three” podcast....

On March 1, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Simmons was considered “week-to-week” because of back soreness. Windhorst revealed the Nets initially had a plan in place to bring back both Simmons and Kevin Durant, who was sidelined at the time after spraining his left MCL on Jan. 15, ahead of their matchup against the Sixers on March 10. Simmons’ injury forced Brooklyn to “scrap” that plan. When can we expect to see Simmons back on the floor?...

Stokes has been absent from the international arena since a late-night incident outside a Bristol nightclub during England’s ODI series with West Indies last September. The 26-year-old – who missed the Ashes series in Australia but played briefly in New Zealand’s domestic 50-over tournament amid uncertainty over his participation – pleaded not guilty to a charge of affray last week and has been released on bail, with his case sent to Bristol Crown Court, where he is not required to attend the first hearing March 12....

After losing 2-1 at home to RB Leipzig in their Group G opener, Benfica committed a series of defensive errors in a one-sided game at Saint Petersburg Stadium, where Raul de Tomas’ consolation strike came far too late to give his side any hope. Artem Dzyuba opened the scoring after 21 minutes after Benfica’s Lubomir Fejsa was caught in possession on the edge of the box, and matters were made worse for the visitors when Ruben Dias scored an own goal 20 minutes from time....

Barca respond to Messi to Man City talk Benzema, 28, scored late on in Portugal after Adrien Silva appeared to have salvaged a point for the home side by cancelling out Raphael Varane’s opening goal. The Frenchman has now netted 48 goals in 87 appearances in Europe’s top competition and is level with Andriy Shevchenko and Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the all-time list. He is just one short of Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano and two behind Thierry Henry, who is currently the most prolific Frenchman in the competition’s history....

The FTC is now suing to block the purchase, which has stated that the acquisition would give Microsoft too much power, giving it control over pricing, the quality of the games produced, and which systems they are released on. Microsoft has attempted to combat these claims by offering 10 year guarantees of bringing Call of Duty to various platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, but it seems this move wasn’t enough to prevent the FTC from pursuing legal action....

This time, we don’t have a Triple Crown to root for after Nyquist won the Kentucky Derby and fell to Exaggerator in the Preakness. The two were supposed to settle the score in the Belmont, but Nyquist withdrew after suffering from a fever and low white blood cell count after the Preakness. Exaggerator will now enter as the odds-on favorite. MORE: Must-see Belmont photos | Belmont records, all-time leaders...

The world number 20 was stripped of his prize money at the Shanghai Masters and fined $10,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct after quitting midway through his first-round match against Steve Johnson last week, stating that he was struggling with illness and a shoulder injury. Wildcard entry Kyrgios suffered another blow when he went down 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-3 to unheralded Belgian Bemelmans in Antwerp after being given a first-round bye....

A secret Instagram account, or a Finsta (fake Insta) are widely used by celebrities and non-celebrities for privacy or fun, as a social media outlet away from the pressures of keeping up appearances online, whether for work or maintaining a certain image. They are usually private accounts, used to post funny and personal photos with a small group of friends. In The Know reporter, Kelsey Weekman made the discovery on Thursday and shared her amusing findings with the world....

“It is a dystopian thriller and so, the politics are very communistic in nature,” Shapiro said in his YouTube review of the Korean drama. The conservative pundit’s review examines how the show is a very obvious scathing commentary on capitalism. Shapiro says that the series’ politics are “extraordinarily far to the left” and questions why it has such a big budget and international platform for this reason. “The basic idea is that capitalism provides so little opportunity that you would rather play a game where you might get shot just to make money, than attempt to live out your life in the regular world,” Shapiro says....

In 32 minutes off the bench, Simmons flirted with a triple-double by posting season-highs of 15 points and 13 rebounds to go along with seven assists. The Nets outscored the Trail Blazers by 13 points with him in the game, giving him the second-best plus-minus on the team. Simmons also came up big down the stretch. A career 59.6 percent free throw shooter, the Trail Blazers intentionally fouled him a couple of times in the closing minutes of the game to send him to the line, and he connected on three of his four attempts....

However, he was present on the Nets’ bench, ready to hear it from the raucous 76ers fan base who felt he could’ve made his exit from the city of brotherly love a little smoother. Ahead of Thursday’s contest, Nets head coach Steve Nash said Simmons wanted to be on the sidelines with his new Nets teammates, ready to hear it from Philly faithful. MORE: Does Simmons deserve a tribute video in Philadelphia?...

Marc Spears of The Undefeated first reported the news of Wallace’s impending enshrinement; several other outlets corroborated the report with their own sources. The entire 2021 enshrinement class will be announced on Sunday. If Wallace is inducted, he will become the first undrafted player in NBA history to make the Basketball Hall of Fame. MORE: How to watch Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan’s HOF induction Wallace attended Cuyahoga Community College (Cleveland, Ohio) from 1992-94 before transferring to Division II program Virginia Union from 1994-96....

Overview of Sickle Cell Disease Sickle cell disease is a heritable medical condition resulting from a genetic mutation. The mutation causes a change in the way a specific protein is made, hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is what makes up red blood cells, the cells that transport oxygen around your body. Because of the mutation, red blood cells in people with this disease take on an abnormal, “sickled” shape. The cells are fragile and prone to breakdown....

Benfica opened their European season with an entertaining 4-2 victory against Lech Poznan, whereas Standard slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Rangers. Visitors Standard Liege are winless in three games, and lost their last match 2-0 against minnows Sint-Truiden. Les Rouches are lacking in confidence and will likely find it difficult to cope with Benfica’s offensive might. The Portuguese find themselves on top of their domestic league table with five wins from five games and are looking frighteningly good at the moment....

Rather than give the ball to Mixon, Cincinnati handed it to Samaje Perine, who was tackled for no gain up the middle on third-and-1. On the next play, Aaron Donald pressured quarterback Joe Burrow and forced an incompletion that ended the game. “Yeah, they were getting a little softer and we thought we could steal a first down there and come back and take some shots at the end zone,” coach Zac Taylor said after the game....