© Copyright 不及格社區
Fangio re-signed Friday and will continue to lead a defense he helped transform the past three seasons. He was the first candidate to interview for the Bears’ coaching job after John Fox was fired Charles Leno Jersey , but general manager Ryan Pace ultimately decided to go with former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.
Fangio was free to go elsewhere after his contract expired. Before he arrived in Chicago, the Bears’ defense ranked among the worst in franchise history. They were more than respectable in 2017 under Fangio despite losing several players to injuries, including linebacker Leonard Floyd.
Chicago’s defense ranked 10th overall, seventh against the pass, ninth in scoring and 11th against the run.
With Fangio back, the Bears have filled all three coordinator spots.
The team announced Friday that it has hired former Oregon coach Mark Helfrich as offensive coordinator and Chris Tabor as special teams coordinator. The Bears also brought in Charles London to coach running backs and Mike Furrey as wide receivers coach.
Helfrich led Oregon to a 37-16 record in four seasons. That included a run to the first College Football Playoff championship game during the 2014 season with Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota at quarterback. He was fired after a 4-8 finish in 2016.
Before becoming the Ducks’ coach Julien Davenport Jersey , Helfrich was their quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator from 2009-12 under Chip Kelly. With their fast-paced and prolific spread-option offense, the Ducks went 46-7 during that span.
Helfrich didn’t call plays as Oregon’s offensive coordinator and he won’t in Chicago. Nagy plans to do that.
The Bears are looking to get the most out of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and emerge from one of the worst runs in franchise history.
They fired Fox after three seasons with a 14-34 record that gave him the second-worst winning percentage for a Chicago coach. Nagy spent the past decade working under Andy Reid in Philadelphia and Kansas City and served as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator this past season.
He is trying to help turn around a team that missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season and hasn’t finished above .500 since Lovie Smith was fired after going 10-6 in 2012. The Bears were 5-11 in 2017.
The development of Trubisky, the No. 2 overall draft pick last spring, could go a long way toward lifting an offense that ranked 30th overall and last in passing. But the Bears will need to acquire some playmaking receivers.
Tabor spent the past seven seasons as Cleveland’s special teams coordinator. The Browns ranked sixth in kickoff return average against (21.8), seventh in the NFL in punt return average (9.9), ninth in total kick return yards (8 Christian Covington Jersey ,974) and 10th in total return yards allowed (7,627) during that time. Tabor was Chicago’s assistant special teams coach from 2008-2010.
London has spent nine seasons in the NFL – the past four as Houston’s running backs coach. He was an offensive assistant with the Bears from 2007-09.
Furrey played eight seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins. With Detroit in 2006, he ranked second in the league with 98 receptions while recording 1,086 yards and six touchdowns.
Furrey spent the past two years coaching at Limestone College in Gaffney Jose Altuve Jersey , S.C.
—
Jacksonville Jaguars All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey will miss the start of training camp after becoming a new father.
Ramsey announced Wednesday on his Twitter page that he would remain in Tennessee with his girlfriend, Bre, and newborn daughter, Breelyn, while the team opens camp Thursday.
Over a picture from Disney's "The Lion King," Ramsey wrote "for me Tyler Ervin Jersey , family is among the most important things in my life, along with my faith and football. Today starts a new chapter in my life, as Bre and I are blessed to welcome our baby into this world."
He adds "as soon as I'm comfortable knowing my family is healthy and happy, I'll return to Jacksonville to rejoin my teammates on our quest to handle some unfinished business."
Coach Doug Marrone says Ramsey let coaches know about the potential conflict months ago.
Robert Williams JerseyIf the NFL was hoping to pacify the loudest of the loud with their national anthem “compromise Jeff Heuerman Jersey ,” it doesn’t appear to be working.
Not only is the President taking a victory lap on cable news, but now other political opportunists are latching onto it to prove how star-spangled awesome they are.
Via Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com, Tennessee Congresswoman Diane Black made it clear she didn’t think the league went far enough.
Black, who is running for governor, previously gave up her Titans season tickets and vowed to boycott the NFL over the anthem protests (even though no Titans took a knee during the anthem last year).
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know that that totally makes me feel better,” Black told the Portland Leader. “That tells me that there are still a number of players that don鈥檛 respect our country.
鈥淚f you stay in the locker room Prince Amukamara Jersey , what does that say? That says that says I don鈥檛 respect that flag and I don鈥檛 respect that anthem. And I鈥檓 not sure I want to give my money to players who are making millions and sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars who don鈥檛 respect our country.鈥?/p>
If that feels like political pandering, it probably should. But it also represents the reality the NFL created for itself.
Proponents of players having the right to peacefully protest (a right which the league previously affirmed) are going to continue to believe the league is stifling dissent. People who want to use the anthem as a litmus test of a person’s patriotism will still view anything other than total compliance as a half-measure.
And that’s the tightrope the NFL is going to have to walk, after trying to craft a policy in hopes of offending the fewest people, while truly pleasing few.
Marty Hurney will be calling the shots once again with the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina re-hired Hurney as its general manager on Wednesday, marking his second full-time stint as general manager. Hurney previously worked for the Panthers from 1998-2012, beginning as GM in 2002. He rejoined the Panthers last July as on an interim basis.
Panthers COO Tina Becker said Hurney did an ”exceptional” job in helping the Panthers to an 11-5 season last year.
Article continues below ...”Marty’s guidance and vision helped build the foundation for this team Kemoko Turay Jersey , and his work this season was instrumental in returning the team to the playoffs,” Becker said in news release. ”We believe he will continue to craft a roster that will win games and contend for a championship.”
The Panthers reinstated Hurney as interim general manager last week after an NFL investigation found no wrongdoing into charges of harassment by his ex-wife.
Hurney had been on a paid leave of absence during the investigation and had disputed all accusations through his attorney.
Hurney returned to the Panthers in an interim capacity in late July 2017, prior to the start of training camp after owner Jerry Richardson abruptly fired Dave Gettleman. Gettleman had served as the team’s general manager since 2013 and had helped the Panthers get to the playoffs three times in four seasons behind a team that Hurney largely constructed.
He said he’s excited to be in charge of personnel decisions in Carolina.
”I have always felt a strong connection to this organization and viewed this job as one of the very best in the NFL because of the people here,” Hurney said. ”Mr. Richardson and Tina have been open and honest with me from the beginning, and I am thankful for the trust they have placed in me.”
The Panthers made three playoff appearances, won two NFC South titles John Ross Jersey , and played in two NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl under Hurney during his first tenure.
His last two first-round draft choices as general manager – quarterback Cam Newton and linebacker Luke Kuechly – both won NFL Rookie of the Year honors. Newton went on to become the league’s MVP in 2015 leading the Panthers to a 17-2 season, while Kuechly was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in his second season.
Hurney also traded for tight end Greg Olsen and hit home runs on draft picks like center Ryan Kalil.
He also made a few mistakes along the way, including overpaying to keep some veteran players and trading up to get wide receiver Armanti Edwards from Appalachian State, a move that never panned out.
”I gained a lot of perspective being away and then back in an interim role last season,” Hurney said. ”I feel that I am the best person to help (coach) Ron (Rivera) and this team moving forward. We have a really special core of players in place, and I’m extremely excited about the direction we are headed.”
The Panthers went 11-5 last season with Hurney as their interim general manager Allen Hurns Jersey , but lost in the wild card round of the playoffs to the New Orleans Saints.
—
Tom Straschnitzki – whose 19-year-old son Bo Scarbrough Jersey , Ryan, was badly injured in the junior hockey team’s bus crash – was in a waiting area at Royal University Hospital on Friday night when a large box was wheeled in.
Recognizing the box from Stanley Cup presentations, he immediately suspected what was inside, and his suspicions were confirmed when someone wearing white gloves lifted the trophy from the case.
Tom Straschnitzki said Ryan’s bed was the first stop Bennie Fowler III Jersey , and he says his son’s eyes grew wide as it was carried in. Ryan asked to see name of Jonathan Toews, the Chicago Blackhawks forward who visited the hospital earlier in the day to deliver jerseys the Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets wore last weekend with Broncos nameplates on them.
Tom Straschnitzki says Ryan was asked if he wanted to touch the cup, but he wanted to wait until he wins it someday.
”They know the tradition,” Tom Straschnitzki said Johnny Hekker Jersey , noting the other injured players didn’t want to touch the trophy, either.
The Straschnitzki are from Airdrie, Alberta. The family said 19-year-old Ryan couldn’t feel his legs after the crash.
Sixteen people have died as a result of a crash last week when the Broncos’ bus collided with a semi-truck just south of Nipawin. Another 13 people were injured.
Guard Forrest Lamp last played a game in December 2016 when he was a member of the Western Kentucky team that took part in the Boca Raton Bowl.
Lamp was drafted by the Chargers in the second round a few months later, but a torn ACL in training camp last year and another knee procedure this spring have kept him from taking part in a game. That’s set to change on Thursday night against the 49ers and Lamp is itching for his long-delayed Chargers debut to arrive.
“I’ll for sure be nervous and ready to go Ziggy Ansah Jersey ,” Lamp said, via the Los Angeles Times. “I’m just real excited to get that first snap out of the way and get the jitters out.”
Lamp scored a touchdown on a gadget play in that Boca Raton Bowl. That’s unlikely to happen again on Thursday, but showing he’s healthy and comfortable playing right guard would be victory enough after his long stay on the shelf.
Womens Pernell McPhee JerseyThe hockey world championships have been overshadowed by the Olympic tournament since the 1998 Nagano Games Jaylon Smith Jersey , the first to feature NHL players.
Not this year.
The NHL’s decision to skip the Pyeongchang Olympics had an impact. Amid tepid interest in South Korea, the games were often played in half-empty arenas. It will be a different story in Denmark.
The organizers say ticket sales have reached their planned target of 300,000 even before the tournament opens in Copenhagen and Herning on Friday. And there’s no need to worry about a lack of stars. Although Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are busy with their bid for a Stanley Cup three-peat, some of the sport’s biggest names will be on the ice in Denmark.
Canada will be led by NHL leading scorer Connor McDavid after his Edmonton Oilers didn’t make the playoffs, teammate Leon Draisaitl has joined Germany, and the United States will be captained by Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane.
Here’s a look at the annual tournament that will be played in Denmark for the first time:
—
THE TOURNAMENT
The event has 16 nations playing in two groups of eight, with the top four in each group advancing to the playoffs.
Olympic champion Russia, defending champion Sweden, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Belarus, Slovakia, France and Austria are in Group A. Matches will be played at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen.
Canada, Finland, the United States, Germany John Elway Jersey , Norway, Latvia, Denmark and South Korea are in Group B. They will play at the Jyske Bank Boxen in Herning.
In Friday’s opening games, Canada will take on the United States while Russia faces France.
The final is scheduled for May 20.
—
THE FAVORITES
Captained by McDavid, who just clinched his second consecutive Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer with 108 points, Canada is the team to beat at the worlds.
McDavid and Wayne Gretzky are the only two players in NHL history to win the scoring race more than once at 22 years of age or younger.
McDavid will be joined by veteran Buffalo forward Ryan O’Reilly. Both were on the team that won the world title in Russia two years ago.
New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal, who is among the finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy for the NHL’s rookie of the year, was also named in the squad.
”We have a mix of youth, experience and strong leadership qualities among these players as they have represented Canada on the international stage previously from the world juniors up to last year’s championship,” Canada co-general manager Sean Burke said. ”Their previous success and experience can only help us in our ultimate goal of bringing home a gold medal.”
The Canadians, who will again be led by Carolina Hurricanes coach Bill Peters, won the title in 2015 and 2016 after finishing second last year.
—
RUSSIAN COACH SWAP
In a surprise move less than a month before the worlds, Oleg Znarok stepped down as coach of Russia’s hockey team after leading the country to the Olympic title – its first in 26 years.
Playing as ”Olympic Athletes from Russia” because of the country’s punishment for doping, Znarok’s team beat Germany 4-3 in overtime in the final.
Znarok became coach in March 2014, taking over a team that lost in the quarterfinals on home ice at the Sochi Olympics. The Russians went on to win the world championship gold that year.
He was replaced by Ilya Vorobyov, one of his assistant coaches Joseph Noteboom Jersey , but will still work with the team as a consultant.
Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin, who is in a tight Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, won’t be available. But Vorobyov can rely on a mixture of NHL-based players and the home talents from the Russia-based KHL, widely considered the strongest league outside the NHL.
Florida Panthers right winger Evgenii Dadonov and SKA St. Petersburg veteran Pavel Datsyuk are among those to make sure Russia remains a contender for gold, even though a lack of the NHL-experienced defensemen and goaltenders could harm the team’s ambitions.
—
OTHERS TO WATCH
The United States hopes to improve on last year’s fifth-place finish and has a team strong enough to make it happen.
Kane’s presence will no doubt improve the quality of play. He last played at the world championships in 2008, his first season in the NHL and the last time the Blackhawks missed the playoffs, and was in the U.S. team at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.
Buffalo Sabres rookie and world junior MVP Casey Mittelstadt was prevented from playing by a groin injury, but some others will be there, including a trio who claimed bronze at the 2015 worlds in the Czech Republic. They include Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin, New York Islanders forward Anders Lee and Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy.
Here were the two primary goals for the Miami Heat on the final night of the regular season: Beat the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and get Wayne Ellington into the team record book.Done, and done.
Ellington scored a career-high 32 points while setting Miami’s single-season record for 3-pointers, and the Heat wrapped up the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs by beating the Toronto Raptors 116-109 in overtime Wednesday night.
”It’s just absolutely fitting that it would come down to an overtime game with this group,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ”It was a heck of a regular season. Now we’re on to the second act.”
That starts this weekend, when the Heat go to Philadelphia and take on the third-seeded 76ers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Kelly Olynyk, Dwyane Wade Zach Miller Jersey , Justise Winslow, James Johnson and Tyler Johnson each scored 11 points for the Heat, who got 10 each from Hassan Whiteside and Bam Adebayo.
Ellington needed six 3s to beat the record of 225 that Damon Jones set in the 2004-05 season. He finished the season with 227, and now gets to go to his hometown to start the postseason.
”A big-time overtime win,” Ellington said. ”We feel like if you put us up against anybody in seven games, we can beat them. That’s the kind of team we feel like we are. It’s going to be a dogfight no matter what.”
Kyle Lowry scored 28 points for Toronto, which already had the top seed in the East wrapped up – but played its regulars in this one anyway. The Raptors will meet No. 8 Washington in the first round.
DeMar DeRozan had 19 points, Jakob Poeltl had 16 and Jonas Valanciunas scored 12 for the Raptors, who were outscored 11-4 in overtime.
”We had a goal set out that we would win 60 games before these 82 were up,” DeRozan said. ”That didn’t happen. Time to clear that. None of that matters now. Get ready for this weekend.”
Even with nothing standings-wise to play for, the Raptors had no qualms about using their starters. Lowry, DeRozan, Valanciunas and Serge Ibaka combined to play more than 120 minutes.
The Raptors were 22-60 in 2010-11, the season before coach Dwane Casey came to Toronto. They ended this season 59-23.
”It’s taken us a while to build our program, to get it where it is,” said Casey C.J. Uzomah Jersey , a coach of the year candidate this season. ”This (Heat) program has multiple championships and we’re trying to get to that level organically. And it takes time. You’re just not going to wave a magic wand and turn a player into Magic Johnson or Larry Bird or anybody like that. It’s part of the process, and that’s something I know our organization is proud of.”
Ellington’s 3-pointer with 18.8 seconds left in regulation put Miami up two, and Poeltl tied it with a tip-in. But Miami scored the first five points of the extra session and didn’t look back.
A year ago on the last night of the season, the Heat were left teary-eyed and with a sour taste in their mouths after missing the playoffs.
This time, Wade and Udonis Haslem toasted each other with flutes of fancy champagne to celebrate their 15th NBA season.
”It really means something, every time you complete a season especially as you get up there,” Wade said. ”So both of us are a little tipsy.”
TIP-INS
Raptors: Key reserve Fred VanVleet left with 1:32 remaining in regulation after apparently getting hurt while trying to fight through a screen. He stayed down for several seconds near the Toronto bench before getting helped off the floor. … Toronto went 25-16 on the road, and 40-12 against East opponents.
Heat: All-Star point guard Goran Dragic missed the game with soreness in his right knee. The Heat are not concerned about his availability for Game 1 of the playoffs. … Miami finished 26-15 at home.
FIORENTINO HONORED
Tony Fiorentino, one of the Heat original employees who started as an assistant coach in the team’s inaugural season 30 years ago before transitioning to broadcasting, was honored in a halftime ceremony. Fiorentino has spent the last 15 season as the Heat television analyst, and will assume a team-ambassador position when Miami’s playoff run ends.
SIZZLING POELTL
To say Poeltl is going into the postseason on a hot streak is an understatement. Poeltl ended the regular season having made 34 of his last 39 shots in the final eight games. Poeltl is also the only Raptors player who appeared in all 82 regular-season contests.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Face Washington in Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Heat: Face Philadelphia in Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
—
That doesn't mean he might not be their No. 1 choice.
Southern Cal's gun-slinging QB visited with Cleveland's coaching staff and executives on Wednesday as the team continues to evaluate players it may possibly take with the first overall pick in this month's NFL draft.
Darnold is the second top-flight QB this week to visit the team's facility in Berea Kendall Wright Jersey , Ohio. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma's dynamic Heisman Trophy winner, met with coach Hue Jackson, general manager John Dorsey and others on Tuesday. The Browns will host UCLA's Josh Rosen, Wyoming's Josh Allen and Louisville's Lamar Jackson in the coming days.
Darnold is believed to be the favorite to land with the Browns, who are coming off a 0-16 season and have spent most of the past two decades futilely searching for a franchise quarterback.
The 20-year-old Darnold seems to check all the Browns' boxes: He's big (6-foot-3, 221 pounds) Andy Dalton Jersey , played against strong competition, and is accurate (65 percent). The major knock on Darnold, who started two seasons for the Trojans, is turnovers. He had 22 last season.
Jackson, Dorsey and owner Jimmy Haslam recently attended workouts for Darnold and Allen, considered the top two QBs on Cleveland's board. Dorsey, too Joe Mixon Jersey , has a high regard for Mayfield and attended several of his games last season before he was hired by Cleveland.
During the visits this week, Jackson and his staff will get to know each of the quarterbacks on a more personal level. They'll also get a chance to gauge how well they process information, and their football acumen.
"That's another piece of information for us," Jackson said last week. "That's probably the last piece of the process for us to bring them to campus and have an opportunity to sit down with them in a different environment and talk through the things."
Per league rules, the Browns, who also have the No. 4 overall pick and five in the first two rounds, can host 30 national prospects on pre-draft visits.
The Carolina Hurricanes terminated the contract of demoted general manager and Hall of Fame player Ron Francis on Monday.The Hurricanes announced the move in a three-sentence statement nearly two months after Francis was reassigned to another front-office position – president of hockey operations – while the team began a search for a new GM that will report directly to new owner Tom Dundon.
Francis Maliek Collins Jersey , 55, is a four-time All-Star who won the Stanley Cup twice with Pittsburgh in the 1990s and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007. He took over as Carolina’s general manager in 2014 after being groomed for the position by former GM Jim Rutherford – who now is trying to win the Cup for a third straight year with the Penguins.
The Hurricanes, meanwhile, have not made the playoffs since 2009. Their nine-year postseason drought is one of the longest in NHL history.
Francis stockpiled draft picks during the three-plus seasons he spent rebuilding the Hurricanes, but he was criticized for not making enough moves to help the current club and failing to orchestrate a consequential player-for-player trade during that time.
One of his biggest offseason acquisitions was a bust, with goalie Scott Darling coming in from Chicago and finishing with an NHL-worst save percentage of .888 in the first year of his four-year, $16.6 million contract.
The Hurricanes have several key vacancies in their management roster. They’re also searching for a coach after Bill Peters opted out of the final year of his contract earlier this month and subsequently was hired by the Calgary Flames.
Carolina was a winner at the draft lottery over the weekend. It holds the No. 2 overall pick in the June draft.
The Hurricanes also announced that Joe Nieuwendyk resigned as a pro scout and adviser for the team. Nieuwendyk Tony Dorsett Jersey , a Hall of Fame center who played for two decades, previously spent four years as the Dallas Stars‘ GM.
—
Whether it’s his freakish feats in the weight room, or his game-breaking plays during a three-year career at Penn State (during which he scored a school-record 53 touchdowns), the 6-foot, 233-pounder earned another distinction when he was selected second overall by the Giants in the draft last month instead of a quarterback.
In a QB-driven league where an every-down back is an endangered species, Barkley was the highest running back drafted in more than a decade.
The next hurdle for the Bronx, New York, native? Tempering expectations that he’ll become the Giants’ hometown hero.
”I don’t see them,” Barkley said. ”I know a lot of people try and set expectations for me. No offense to you guys, but I set my own expectations.”
Which will start by using the same mentality he’s always had.
”I have to believe in myself, set goals for myself, set expectations for myself and continue to work for those goals every single day,” Barkley said. ”Just to continue to come in Christian Jones Jersey , be humble. I don’t want to be that guy that thinks he is a high draft pick and that he has it all. Nothing is given to you. Everything is earned. You have to have that mindset that you have to work every single day. Learn every single day. Be a student of the day, learn from the guys and the coaches. The Elis (Manning) and the Odells (Beckham Jr.) on the field and off the field. Just work. Hard work got me here.”
Like the highest running back taken since Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush in 2006, Barkley is more of a do-everything player than a conventional running back, returning kicks, including two for touchdowns last season, one of which was 98 yards.
Citing Ezekiel Elliott and Le’Veon Bell as examples, Barkley talked about how valuable versatile running backs can be.
”I am not a guy that just lines up in the back field and is going to bang his head, bang his head, bang his head,” he said. ”I am a guy that is willing to do anything for his team. Whether it be a kick returner or a punt returner, running down on kickoffs, lining up in the slot Eric Dickerson Jersey , running a dummy play or a fake play, whatever it takes. I want to be an athlete, not just a running back. Obviously, I play the running back position, but I want to be an all-around guy and an all-around player.”
While coach Pat Shurmer senses the Giants drafted a quick study, he knows Barkley has to dive into the playbook before he can truly assess that.
”He needs to be everything he thinks he can be and then we’ll worry about that (expectations) later,” Shurmer said, adding: ”I’m certainly high on Saquon . If you ask him, he’ll tell you he wants to learn what he’s doing and compete at a high level and regardless of what my expectations are for him.”
The expectation among fans and some in the media is that Barkley makes an immediate impact, which would result in a potent offense featuring wide receivers Beckham and Sterling Shepard and tight end Evan Engram, as long as 37-year-old Eli Manning can return to his two-time Super Bowl MVP form.
For now, Barkley John Ross Jersey , along with the other players at the Giants’ three-day rookie minicamp this weekend, will get the first taste of what NFL practices are like, and what it’s like to not only be an NFL player but a New York Giant.
”We’re going to put them through the paces for three days here and try and teach them,” Shurmer said. ”I think what’s important is and I’ve talked to the staff, I’ve talked to our current players, we want to teach our rookies the right way from the very beginning – here is your iPad, here is your locker, here is where you need to be, here is how you need to dress, here are the fields, `please’ and `thank-you’ work, push in your chair. We want to really train these guys in the New York Giants’ way and I think it’s every facet of their life and then Malik Jackson Jersey , certainly what is most obvious, football.”
A mentality to which the well-polished Barkley is looking forward.
”It is an honor to play for this franchise. Right when you walk in the building, you see the four Lombardi Trophies and you already know what the standard is for this team and this program,” Barkley said. ”I am just happy to be a part of it.”
—
Yovani Gallardo is back with the Texas Rangers for the first time in three years.
The right-hander who grew up in nearby Fort Worth was selected from the Triple-A Round Rock roster. He was set to start Sunday at home against the Colorado Rockies.
The 32-year-old Gallardo went 13-11 with a 3.42 ERA for Texas in 2015, and signed a free-agent contract with Baltimore in 2016.
Cincinnati released him this April after three appearances with a 30.86 ERA. Texas then signed Gallardo to a minor league contract, and he went 2-1 with a 3.81 ERA in 10 starts at Triple-A.
Manager Jeff Banister said Gallardo could remain in the rotation.
”He’s one of five starters for us now, but we’ll let him get through today first,” he said.
The Rangers optioned left-hander Brandon Mann to Round Rock. They opened a spot on the 40-man roster by placing right-hander Doug Fister, who’s out with a strained right knee, on the 60-day disabled list.
Womens Josh Allen Jersey"Well, we got better on the offensive side, no question," Elway said Friday night after adding Sutton (6-foot-4, 218 pounds) and Freeman (6-foot, 238 pounds).
Also in the third round, the Broncos selected Isaac Yiadom, a lean, long-armed cornerback from Boston College who impressed the Broncos at the Senior Bowl and is expected to be a special teams stud in Denver.
Mix Demaryius Thomas' size and strength with Emmanuel Sanders' pedigree and athleticism and you've got Sutton, whom the Broncos project as a future featured receiver.
"He's big and he can really run," Elway said. "He can make the very difficult catch and make great catches. We also think he's very raw and has lots of upside."
Thomas and Sanders "are going to be great role models for him Adam Vinatieri Jersey ," Elway added.
Sanders tweeted a video of the two of them working out together last month in Dallas, saying the he and Sutton "joked about how lethal we'd be together."
Now, the laugh is on Denver's opponents.
With the first of two third-round picks, the Broncos added Oregon's all-time leading rusher in Freeman, a big back who ran for a Pac-12-record 60 career touchdowns but carried 947 times in four seasons in Eugene, putting plenty of miles on his football odometer.
"What it shows to us is durable," Elway said. "He played a lot, so obviously he can take that. And it's probably nearer at the end of his career, but who knows how much that will shorten it? But it wasn't a concern when we took him."
The Broncos needed a top-tier running back after releasing C.J. Anderson in a cost-cutting move, and in Sutton they added the big playmaker their anemic offense has sorely lacked of late.
Sutton gives quarterback Case Keenum another big, physical red-zone target who will initially be the third receiver but "has No. 1" receiver traits, according to coach Vance Joseph.
"John said it Nevin Lawson Jersey , in the future he could be our No. 1 guy," Joseph said.
Freeman could be the starting running back right away.
Elway called him a "big banger that we haven't had for a while."
Freeman is big like Anderson but faster.
"With Freeman, he is a big back with speed, so when you're down in the red zone running the football, he's definitely a nice option," Joseph said. "When you're in third-and-1, fourth-and-1, he's a great option."
Like Sanders, Sutton went to SMU, and over the years he sought his advice.
"It wasn't an everyday thing but we would talk a few times about how I get to that level and how I continue to climb to be the best that I can be, even with that big fight against me coming from a smaller school," Sutton said.
The versatile Sutton prides himself on garnering attention no matter where he lines up Mitch Unrein Jersey , but he's admittedly still a work in progress and eager for mentoring by Thomas and Sanders.
"I am very new to the position. I am learning as I go," Sutton said.
Recruited out of high school as a safety, Sutton was moved to wide receiver by former Mustangs head coach June Jones.
"I loved playing safety, but I feel like in my heart I was a true receiver," Sutton said. "They played me at safety but Coach Jones saw that I had the ball skills and they needed some grit on that other side of the ball."
After a medical redshirt in 2014, Sutton caught 194 passes for 3,193 yards and 31 touchdowns in three seasons at SMU.
The Broncos turned to offense on Day 2 after Bradley Chubb , the top-ranked defensive player in the draft, fell to them at No. 5 on Thursday night.
Elway insisted he was also surprised to see Sutton there at No. 40 on Friday.
"We feel very fortunate," Elway said. "We had a first-round grade on him."
Chubb, a defensive end at North Carolina State, will play outside linebacker in Denver Johnthan Banks Jersey , where the Broncos believe his dogged determination and relentless motor will help their defense return to dominance.
"That is really what we're excited about because I think it's contagious," Elway said Friday.
"That motor came from always wanting to make plays," Chubb said. "I always wanted to be around the ball. It was just something I was raised with. If I am going to do something, I am going to do it at 100 percent. That is my mindset every time I step on the field. I feel like I bring that to the pass-rush game."
A 5-year-old English bulldog that belonged to New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo and has been missing since June has been found dead inside the home of its trainer.The Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says the dog named Knox died in the custody of a trainer. In an Instagram post on Monday, Mayo writes that trainers hid the dog in a trash bag for two months while making it look like he ran away, was stolen or drowned, sending the family "on a wild goose hunt and our kids on an emotional roller coaster."
The animal welfare group says the trainer is being charged by the Cranston Police Department with one count of obstruction and could faces charges of animal cruelty.
Police asked for the public's help after Knox disappeared in June while going on a walk with a trainer.
Authentic Womens Michael Gallup JerseyThe Los Angeles Angels open a 10-game road trip Monday afternoon with a makeup game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
The game was originally rained out on April 15.
The Angels will continue east afterward and begin a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.
The Royals (25-54) have lost 11 of 12 and 17 of 19.
The Angels (41-37) have lost two straight and trail the Seattle Mariners by six games for the second wild card from the American League.
Los Angeles left-hander Tyler Skaggs is scheduled to start on the mound after he was scratched Thursday against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays because of a sore hamstring.
Skaggs (6-4 Tyrann Mathieu Jersey , 2.81 ERA) should have good memories of Kansas City. He threw seven shutout innings in each of his two career appearances against the Royals, both on their home field.
He allowed four hits and matched his career high with nine strikeouts on April 16, 2017, but was matched by Royals starter Ian Kennedy and Kansas City eventually scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to win 1-0.
Skaggs made his first career start in Kansas City in July 2016, which also marked his first major-league game back from Tommy John surgery performed nearly two years earlier. He allowed three hits in the 13-0 win.
The Angels are 6-0 against the Royals this season, but Skaggs has not appeared in any of those games. He last pitched July 15 at the Oakland A’s and did not allow an earned run in seven innings of an 8-4 win.
Skaggs is 3-0 in June with a 0.45 ERA, perhaps his best stretch since undergoing elbow surgery in August 2014.
“With Tyler, we’ve seen a constant growth in confidence,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia told the Los Angeles Times. “This guy’s worked so hard to get back to where he was and even a little above that now.”
Kansas City starter Jakob Junis (5-8 Carl Lawson Jersey , 4.43) has been trending in the opposite direction, losing his past five starts.
He began the season by blanking the Detroit Tigers for seven innings in a 1-0 win on April 3 and doing the same six days later in a 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners.
Junis then faced the Angels and was knocked out after allowing four runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings of a 5-3 loss in Kansas City, giving up home runs to Luis Valbuena, Justin Upton and Mike Trout.
Junis had allowed 19 home runs entering Sunday, tied for the major-league lead with Bartolo Colon.
“It’s definitely been a struggle for me,” he told reporters after his latest start. “I’ve given up a lot of home runs this year, so I’m very conscious of that. I’m trying to keep it in the ballpark, because when I do, that’s when I have success.”
Junis struggled even worse in his only other appearance against the Angels last June Nick Kwiatkoski Jersey , giving up five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 9-0 loss in Anaheim.
A look at what’s happening around the majors today:
POWER SURGE
Matt Carpenter tries to homer in his seventh straight game when the Cardinals complete a five-game series against the rival Cubs at Wrigley Field. The teams split a day-night doubleheader Saturday and Carpenter homered in both ends – even though he didn’t start the second game. He entered as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning and hit a solo drive in the seventh for his fifth homer in two days. He also had a solo shot in the opener after going 5 for 5 with three homers and seven RBIs while playing just six innings in St. Louis’ 18-5 victory Friday. Carpenter became the first player in Cardinals history to homer in six consecutive games during one season. He matched the club record held by Mark McGwire, who connected in six straight games over two years.
PRIME TIME IN THE BIG APPLE
In the rubber game of their Subway Series at Yankee Stadium, the New York Mets send All-Star ace Jacob deGrom (5-4, 1.68 ERA) to the mound against Aaron Judge and the Bronx Bombers at 8:05 p.m. EDT. Sporting the lowest ERA in the majors this season, deGrom is 0-2 with an 8.03 ERA in two career starts at Yankee Stadium. Masahiro Tanaka (7-2, 4.54) pitches for the Yankees.
BUCS BARRELING ALONG
Corey Dickerson and the Pirates go for their ninth victory in a row when they face Matt Harvey and the Reds in Cincinnati. Dickerson hit two first-pitch home runs Saturday night during a 6-2 win that extended Pittsburgh’s longest streak since an eight-game run in September 2015. Ivan Nova (5-6) opposes Harvey (5-5), who is 4-0 over his last five starts and hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of them.
BULLPEN BOOST
The surprising Athletics, who have surged into the AL wild-card picture, could have a new arm in the bullpen for their interleague game against Bay Area rival San Francisco. Oakland obtained reliever Jeurys Familia from the Mets on Saturday for two minor leaguers and $1 million in international signing bonus pool allotment. Familia Demaryius Thomas Jersey , an All-Star in 2016, was at Yankee Stadium on Saturday morning but left before the start of the Mets’ 7-6 loss. He’ll join an A’s relief corps that includes All-Star closer Blake Treinen. ”For already having a good bullpen, to be able to bring in an arm like this, man, it’s pretty significant,” manager Bob Melvin said. ”I’ll certainly talk to him before I say how this is going to be deployed as far as what innings for who. But this is a real significant pickup for us. You can’t ask for much more.”
ALL-STAR ARMS
After getting rained out Saturday, the NL East rival Braves and Nationals are scheduled to conclude their series in Washington with a potential matchup of All-Stars on the mound. Mike Foltynewicz (7-5, 2.66 ERA) was slated to pitch for Atlanta against Max Scherzer (12-5, 2.41) Rod Smith Jersey , though rain is forecast again. Braves pitcher Sean Newcomb (8-5, 3.51) and Nationals lefty Gio Gonzalez (6-6, 3.72) were Saturday’s scheduled starters. Atlanta is in a tight race with Philadelphia for the division lead. Scherzer, who started the All-Star Game on Tuesday night at Nationals Park, engaged in a heated spat with fellow ace Stephen Strasburg in the dugout during Friday night’s defeat.
—
Lewis visited Green Bay last week thinking he wanted to explore his options during his first stint as a free agent following 12 years with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He received calls from other teams John Miller Jersey , but he said that the Packers were the most persistent so he made Lambeau his first stop.
He never made another visit.
”This was the only place I took a trip … I took my trip, and Aaron was here in the locker room. I started talking to him,” Lewis said Thursday. ”I started talking to Jimmy and I kind of made my decision that day.
”When I came down here, I didn’t expect to sign anything,” Lewis added. ”I was just coming down here to get a feel. Once I saw Aaron and Jimmy, it was a no-brainer after that.”
Lewis, 34, was released by the Jaguars in March after the team had picked up his one-year Niles Paul Jersey , $3.5 million option in February. His signing filled a glaring need – a blocking tight end – and gives the Packers another veteran at the position with Graham, a five-time Pro Bowler, and Lance Kendricks.
”I don’t think we’ve had this much experience at the tight end position in my time here,” said Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who called Lewis a ”prime-time player.”
”An on-the-line tight end is something we haven’t had a lot of, as far as the way we’ve played over the years,” McCarthy added. ”He can block any defensive end on the league, and that’s definitely a huge asset.”
Lewis Pernell McPhee Jersey , who said he felt he got a ”raw deal” from the Jaguars, started 157 games for Jacksonville. He has 375 career receptions, including 24 for 318 yards and five touchdowns last year.
Still, Lewis hasn’t caught more than 25 passes in a season since 2012, when he had 52 receptions. His best season came in 2010, when he earned his lone Pro Bowl selection by catching a career-high 58 passes for 700 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The 6-foot-6, 269-pound Lewis said he takes the ”blocking tight end” moniker as a compliment, but added that ”I pride myself on being a really good all-around tight end Bruce Ellington Jersey , whatever it is that I’m called upon to do.”
It’s the type of attitude that Rodgers loves to hear. Lewis’ ability to help slow down pass-rushers should help an offensive line that has questions on the right side.
”Obviously, I’m a really good blocker, but don’t get it mistaken. I didn’t come here to be a tackle. … Be on the other side of Jimmy doing some good things,” he said. ”It’s going to be trouble out there.”
Graham’s strength is making tough catches. Kendricks provides experienced depth.
”Jimmy’s not known as a blocking tight end, but he’s willing. He will get in the way. He will punch you in the mouth,” Lewis said. ”So it’s going to be interesting. We get in that personnel with three tight ends on the field and (defenses) have to leave base on the field, it’s not going to be good.”
—
The Los Angeles Chargers have signed kicker Caleb Sturgis to a two-year deal.
The Chargers announced the move Friday. Los Angeles also signed kicker Roberto Aguayo in January, and Nick Rose is still on the roster.
Sturgis spent the past three seasons with Philadelphia Clark Harris Jersey , but he missed the Eagles' Super Bowl championship run. After winning the starting job, he injured his hip in the regular season opener and went on injured reserve.
The University of Florida product spent his first two NFL seasons with Miami. He was outstanding for the Eagles in 2016, hitting 35 of his 41 field goal attempts.
The Chargers used four kickers last season while finishing last in the NFL in percentage of field goals made (66.7).
More NFL coverage: pro32.ap.org and AP_NFL Landry Shamet JerseyST. PETERSBURG T.J. Yeldon Jersey , Fla. — The New York Yankees are the only team in baseball yet to lose three games in a row this season, but that could end Sunday with a sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Tampa Bay (36-40) posted a 4-0 victory Saturday at Tropicana Field after a 2-1 win Friday. For the second day in a row, the Rays relied on a patchwork relievers-as-starters bullpen-day approach.
The Yankees have not gone this late into a season without losing three in a row since August 1954.
The Rays have an actual starter on the mound Sunday in Blake Snell, who looks like an All-Star with a 9-4 record and 2.48 ERA. But he’s 0-2 against the Yankees with a 9.72 ERA, including his only loss in his last seven outings.
On June 14, Snell gave up four runs in five innings in a loss to the Yankees. By comparison, he has a 0.95 ERA in three outings against the Boston Red Sox.
Snell’s career record against the Yankees is 2-4 with a 4.89 ERA in 10 starts.
If Snell has the Yankees (50-24) as a nemesis, New York starter Domingo German (2-4, 4.77 ERA) is nearly the opposite — he had no wins in his first 11 appearances of the season until a June 14 game against the Rays when he lasted six innings and gave up three runs and five hits with a season-high 10 strikeouts for his first victory of the year. German made it two straight wins with a 7-2 victory over Seattle on Tuesday, striking out nine.
A Rays sweep of the Yankees would be unexpected, given that they opened the season with five straight wins over Tampa Bay by a combined score of 31-10. The Rays had lost five of seven entering the series Devon Kennard Jersey , but now are one win from a sweep.
“That road trip kind of knocked us in the mouth a little bit,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We faced arguably the two best teams in the American League (Yankees and Astros). … To be able to come back here, take the off day, get back at home and the fans, my gosh, the fan support that we’ve gotten has been outstanding, and to find a way to win two games has to be special for this clubhouse.”
The Yankees have dominated in the first three months of the season and so scoring one run in a span of two nights is concerning but nothing Aaron Boone is too worried about long term. The Yankees haven’t had extended hitting slumps this season, so he’s eager to see his lineup get back to business even before the squad leaves town.
“You’re going to hit a little dry spell like that,” Boone said. “Overall, we haven’t really been mounting much since that big inning a couple of days ago. Over the course of 162 games, that is going to happen. We just have to keep grinding at it and really come back and have that urgency (Sunday) Bobby Massie Jersey , to try to get out of here with one (win) under our belt.”
NEW YORK — A lineup shakeup produced the desired results Monday night for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Unfortunately for the New York Mets, rookie manager Mickey Callaway already unsuccessfully pulled that out of his bag of tricks.
The Pirates will look to lock up a series win Tuesday over the free-falling Mets Tuesday night, when the two teams play the middle game of a three-game set at Citi Field.
Pirates right-hander Chad Kuhl (5-5, 4.56 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Mets left-hander Steven Matz (3-5, 3.68 ERA).
The Pirates ended a five-game losing streak Monday night, when a rejiggered top of the lineup scored five runs in a 6-4 victory.
The Pirates’ top three batters — Starling Marte, Josh Bell and Josh Harrison — were all occupying those spots for the first time this season. Marte scored three runs and stole two bases, Bell hit a two-run homer and Harrison delivered a sacrifice fly and scored a run.
The six runs were the most the Pirates (37-41) have scored since an 8-6 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on June 17. Pittsburgh scored nine runs in the subsequent six games.
“If it’s broken, you have to fix it, right?” Bell said Monday night. “Changing things up, giving us all a new view. Marte hasn’t led off in a while. ‘J-Hey’ is hitting third. Changing things up Jeff Driskel Jersey , it might have been the spark that we needed.”
The Mets (31-45) have been looking for a spark for weeks. New York has lost seven straight, 18 of 22 and 20 of 64 since an 11-1 start to fall dangerously close to the bottom of the National League. The only team with a worse record in the Senior Circuit is the Miami Marlins, who rank mere percentage points behind at 32-47.
Shuffling the lineup hasn’t worked for Callaway, who had three players (second-place batter Jose Bautista, cleanup batter Dominic Smith and sixth-place batter Jose Reyes) in unfamiliar spots Monday. Smith was batting cleanup for the first time this year while Bautista and Reyes were occupying their spots for the second and third time, respectively.
Against the New York Yankees on June 9, Callaway batted Amed Rosario leadoff for the first time as a major leaguer and Todd Frazier and Brandon Nimmo second and third, respectively, for the first time this season in a 4-3 loss.
With the Mets seeing no immediate payoff for Callaway’s mixing and matching, he is left to hope the lessons learned from the extended bleak times will yield results down the road.
“As hard as it’s been, we have to understand that this is something that we can benefit from in the long run Henry Anderson Jersey ,” Callaway said Monday afternoon. “No matter how many times you fall, you can learn from it. And I think our guys understand that and we talk about that type (of) stuff all the time.”
Kuhl and Matz will both be looking to bounce back from rough losses last Thursday.
Kuhl allowed eight runs over two innings as the Pirates fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 9-3. The eight runs were the second-most Kuhl’s allowed as a big leaguer while the two innings pitched marked his second-shortest start.
Matz gave up five runs over 5 2/3 innings in the Mets’ 6-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies. The five earned runs were a season-high for Matz, who allowed three runs or fewer in his seven of his previous eight starts.
Kuhl took the defeat in his only previous start against the Mets on May 26, 2017, when he gave up five runs over 4 1/3 innings as the Pirates lost, 8-1.
Matz also lost his lone start against the Pirates on June 7, 2016, when he allowed two runs over five innings as the Mets fell, 3-1.
Von Miller Jersey