MILAN — Italian professional team Olympia Milano has offered Davide Moretti a multi-year contract, according to a report on Sunday morning. Moretti has one year left at Texas Tech, and he would have to forgo his final season if he accepts the contract. In three years as a Red Raider, Moretti has averaged 9.1 points […]
Report: Italian professional team offers contract to Davide Moretti — KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com
The German Bundesliga on Saturday became the first of the major European soccer leagues to make a return after the coronavirus pandemic shut down sports across the globe, but it didn’t exactly pick up where it left off. Things looked a little different because, of course, resuming the season amid COVID-19 concerns means extra precautions…
German Bundesliga Returned Without Fans And It Was A Weird Scene — NESN.com
The German Bundesliga on Saturday became the first of the major European soccer leagues to make a return after the coronavirus pandemic shut down sports across the globe, but it didn’t exactly pick up where it left off. Things looked a little different because, of course, resuming the season amid COVID-19 concerns means extra precautions were taken to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Especially after a few of its players tested positive for the virus leading up to the first matchday since March. Between not having fans and social distancing efforts, the welcomed return of the Bundesliga was also a bit of a weird scene. Let’s just say, elite European soccer is just not the same without fans. Especially a league that’s normally so accessible to fans, as the Bundesliga is. Rather than the sound of chants and vuvuzelas from the crowd, you could hear echos of the players communication on the field loud and clear. Still, as tradition, after Borussia Dortmund defeated Schalke 04, its players played tribute to the “Yellow Wall,” or the would-be section of their fans behind the goal that would be there during normal times. Maybe it wasn’t the same without fans, but it sure beats nothing at all. Admittedly, rebroadcasts of games only move the needle so much. For soccer fans, there’s really nothing like posting up on the couch with a cup of coffee for a Saturday morning of futebol. And while things were different from a fan perspective, imagine being one of the players or staffers in attendance? On the bench were reserves from every team donning face masks and sitting a few feet apart from each other. And post-game media interviews weren’t your usual scrum of reporters suffocating players with their recorders. Social distancing efforts led to some pretty strange goal celebrations, too, with elbow bumps and awkward dancing. The social distancing celebration thing seemed a little strange to some fans, especially the ones being reminded that soccer is very much a contact sport. The good news is, the bizarreness continues Sunday and Monday with three more matches, so maybe we’ll get used to sports during COVID-19 times soon.
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/05/german-bundesliga-returned-without-fans-and-it-was-a-weird-scene/
Have we seen the last of Alex Cora as a Major League Baseball manager? Cora is suspended through the 2020 season for his role in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. But even when his suspension lifts, the 44-year-old Cora might not pursue a managerial job. Friday night, a Twitter troll told Cora his managing days…
Alex Cora Hints He Might Be Done With Managing Even When Suspension Lifts — NESN.com
Have we seen the last of Alex Cora as a Major League Baseball manager? Cora is suspended through the 2020 season for his role in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. But even when his suspension lifts, the 44-year-old Cora might not pursue a managerial job. Friday night, a Twitter troll told Cora his managing days “are over.” In response, the former Boston Red Sox skipper said, “Maybe I want to do something else.” Take a look: Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/05/alex-cora-hints-he-might-be-done-with-managing-even-when-suspension-lifts/
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/05/alex-cora-hints-he-might-be-done-with-managing-even-when-suspension-lifts/
Comfort and confidence have Timothy Liljegren in an optimistic frame of mind as the defenceman looks ahead to the 2020-21 hockey season. Read More
Liljegren shooting for top-six role on Leafs blue line, whenever that might be — Toronto Sun
Comfort and confidence have Timothy Liljegren in an optimistic frame of mind as the defenceman looks ahead to the 2020-21 hockey season.
The X factor, of course, is not knowing when he will take his next on-ice stride in the Maple Leafs organization.
“It’s going pretty good, just trying to stay in shape as much as I can,” Liljegren said on Saturday from his off-season home in Sweden. “But it’s weird. Usually there are different steps in the summer workout, but now you don’t really know when things are going to start up again.”
All the while, Liljegren, who said he has been on the ice “a couple of times” as Sweden didn’t impose a similar kind of restrictive lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic that we’ve experienced in North America, has a fairly simple goal.
During a conference call last week with reporters, Leafs assistant general manager Laurence Gilman, who also serves as the Toronto Marlies general manager, said he would “be surprised” if Liljegren doesn’t play in top seven or eight defencemen with the Leafs next season.
Liljegren has a desire to go one better.
“For sure, my goal is to get into the top six,” Liljegren said. “I played three years in the AHL and I had 11 games (with the Leafs) this year, so I think the next step would be to try to crack the roster full-time.”
After making his NHL debut on Jan. 18 against the Chicago Blackhawks — and becoming the answer to a trivia question as he became the 1,000th player in Leafs franchise history — Liljegren participated in the 2020 AHL all-star classic before getting recalled by the Leafs, playing in eight games in February and two more in March.
In those 11 games with the Leafs, there were some bumps, which was to be expected. Liljegren was on the ice for eight goals against during five-on-five play and three for, while averaging 10 minutes 18 seconds of ice a game, and in possession, he had a mark of 43.7%.
But the man behind the Leafs bench, Sheldon Keefe, was instrumental in Liljegren’s growth with the Marlies. From Keefe’s guidance with the farm club, as well as that of the assistant coaches, came discipline in Liljegren’s game.
“He has taught me to play through structure, but still be creative within that structure,” Liljegren said. “I’ve learned when to calculate the risks of being creative and choosing the right time to do certain things.
“Just the fact he has seen me play for three years is good for him and me. He knows what I can develop, and I know what I can do when he is coaching.
“He helped me a lot with the transition to the NHL.”
Liljegren indicated he would be part of the Leafs’ group of Black Aces when, or if, the 2019-20 regular season or playoffs are resumed.
In the event there is no conclusion of 2019-20 and we don’t see NHL hockey again until the start of the 2020-21 season, whenever that might be, Liljegren would be just one of two right-shooting defencemen (as of today) in the Leafs mix, along with Justin Holl. Neither Tyson Barrie nor Cody Ceci, both righties, are expected to re-sign with Toronto in free agency.
Recently signed Mikko Lehtonen, who shoots left, said he would be comfortable on the right side.
Liljegren doesn’t necessarily see a lack of right-handed shots on the Leafs blue line as an advantage in his favour.
“I think every team wants a right-hand defenceman on the right side, but if there is a player who is better than you, you’re not going to play,” Liljegren said. “It matters a bit, but you still have to be better than the next guy.”
If Liljegren, who turned 21 on April 30, does become a Leafs regular in ’20-’21, he would join six other recent Toronto first-round picks in the lineup, including Morgan Rielly, Frederik Gauthier (assuming he still is with the Leafs), William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and Rasmus Sandin.
“I gained confidence from playing at that stage, and the feeling that I can play at that level,” Liljegren said. “Gaining that experience is going to help me a lot in the future.”
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If Major League Baseball players are to return to action this summer, they will be playing in an environment that looks significantly different from what they left in March. Aside from the expected diligent testing and temperature checks, the changes include everything from pitchers bringing their own baseballs to the bullpen, wearing masks in the…
Reports: MLB submits detailed health plan to players in effort to play amid coronavirus — Press Telegram
As we’re without sports due to the coronavirus pandemic, all attention has been diverted to “The Last Dance,” the documentary series produced by ESPN about the legendary Michael Jordan. And part of his legend, the extent of the Jumpman’s gambling “hobby,” was the focus of the sixth episode, shocking some people to see the big…
Mark Cuban Tells Story Of First Time Gambling With Michael Jordan — NESN.com
Tech billionaire and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, can attest to that, and he did on Friday’s episode of “Pardon My Take.” Here’s what he had to say about one of the first times he got to hang out with Jordan, along with other stars of the NBA, NHL and pro tennis: It was a golf tournament in Reno, and I had never been to Reno. So, Charles Barkley says, “We’re going down to play Blackjack, so come on down.” And it was the craziest moment. So, there’s Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, Pete Sampras, Mario Lemieux, and me at this blackjack table. And I pull out 100 bucks, because, you know, I didn’t bring money. Jordan looks at me and goes, “What the (expletive)? You can’t play $100 at this table,” because he’s playing like $10,000 and Barkley’s playing $5,000. And (Jordan) goes to the casino guy … give Mr. Cuban a $1 million line of credit. The casino guy goes, “Mr. Cuban, would you like a $1 million line of credit?” I’m like, “sure!” You know, I played 1,000 bucks a hand, which was like the most I had ever played at that point, and it was a blast. And then we ended up with Charles Barkley, we went to, with all the guys, actually, this party they had, and Charles literally bought 50 bottles of tequila and was handing them out, oh my god. One of the best party nights ever. Cuban said he walked out of the casino up that night, though only by two grand “or whatever like that.” Relative to his counterparts that wasn’t very much, but the story is priceless.
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/05/mark-cuban-tells-story-of-first-time-gambling-with-michael-jordan/
Dwight Howard, for one, won’t be on hand Saturday when the Lakers plan to reopen their practice facility, with the blessing of L.A. County health officials. On a limited basis, the team is expected to open their doors at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic…
Lakers plan to reopen practice facility, but for now Dwight Howard will stay in Georgia with family — Daily News
“I’m in Georgia right now,” Howard said Friday afternoon on a Zoom video conference with reporters. “Probably will stay here right now until everything is cleared up, until we can leave. I would love to go back to L.A. and start working out with the team and everything like that, but I’ve been training here and once everything opens up, then I can travel on to L.A. and start working.”
In accordance with those set forth by public health officials, the NBA has issued guidelines for teams that have begun reopening their training facilities for voluntary, social-distanced workouts:
• No more than four players will be permitted at a facility at any one time;
• No head or assistant coaches can participate;
• Group activity (including practices and scrimmages) remains prohibited;
• Players continue to be barred from using non-team facilities (such as public health clubs or fitness centers) to work out.
Howard — who is surrounded by family at his Georgia home as he grieves the loss of his son’s mother, Melissa Rios, a few weeks ago — said he and his teammates don’t have concerns about the NBA’s rules for returning. They’re most concerned with getting back to their championship chase, he said.
“I think everybody’s anxious to get back playing,” Howard said. “I think we’ve all felt like this was our season and this was our time. It’s more so everyone’s just anxious to play.”
As for how Howard feels about potentially playing at a single site, sans fans, as some have suggested?
“I want to go to L.A.,” said the 6-foot-10 showman, who famously feeds off the crowd’s energy. “I want to play in front of Laker Nation, that’s what I want to do. I don’t know how we could play a game without our fans, I don’t know how anybody could … it’s like that’s the energy — we feed off that, we feed off the crowd. Especially at home.”
Games without fans might most disadvantage the Lakers, considering widespread support they’re used to in every NBA city.
“Everywhere’s at home for us,” noted Howard, who was averaging 7.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in fewer than 20 minutes per game when the season was suspended with the 49-14 Lakers sitting atop the Western Conference standings.
“When we’re hearing ‘Ko-be, Ko-be” or whatever we’re hearing, that gives us more energy. ….
The coronavirus is going to change sports in ways we can’t even comprehend yet. One potential change that is gaining more and more momentum right now is not only a short-term tweak to the NBA schedule but perhaps a permanent alteration to the hoops calendar. As the NBA begins to ramp up its efforts in…
Should NBA Go With Mark Cuban’s Idea And Start NBA Season On Christmas Full Time? — NESN.com
The coronavirus is going to change sports in ways we can’t even comprehend yet. One potential change that is gaining more and more momentum right now is not only a short-term tweak to the NBA schedule but perhaps a permanent alteration to the hoops calendar. As the NBA begins to ramp up its efforts in an attempt to find a safe date and way to resume its season after pausing due to COVID-19, the league is doing so with a measured approach. NBA commissioner Adam Silver insists the league has plenty of time to make a decision, as the parties involved are more than content with postponing the start of next season in order to crown a 2020 champion. Most of the conversation has centered around starting next season on Christmas Day. That would mean one of two things: Either the 2020-21 season will be shortened, or next season will extend through late summer. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hopes it’s the latter, and he hopes that’s a schedule the NBA adopts full time. “I’ve been saying that for 15 years, and the reason I’ve been shot down is there’s a thing called H.U.T.: households using television,” Cuban explained during an appearance on the “Pardon My Take” podcast Friday. “During the summer, that drops, right? A lot fewer people are watching TV because they can be outside. In the past, that was a big deal, so you wanted to end by June to maximize when people would watch on TV. But you guys know as well as anybody, TV’s changed. TV has changed a lot. So we’re gonna have a lot more options and a lot more flexibility to start later and end later. Rather than taking on football with our (early-season) games, let’s let them get close to the playoff and go wholeheartedly starting Christmas Day.” More: Here’s What NBA Players Poll Revealed About Resuming Season Whether the NBA makes that change full time remains to be seen, but perhaps they could use this year as a trial balloon. Everything is trending in that direction already. As Cuban explained, that sort of timeframe would give the NBA a pretty big window to finish the current season, with Cuban saying they could restart the league as late as July. “Let’s just assume we don’t start next season until Christmas Day,” he said. “If we work backward from there … let’s just say we happen to have 60 days (in between seasons). So, November, October and then a training camp — so we’d have to be done (with this season) by mid-September. … If we start sometime in July, we might be able to make it.” That certainly would be an interesting scenario. If this became a full-time thing, sports fans desperate for something other than regular-season baseball in late summer would also have the NBA playoffs to watch. As Cuban says, the goal is to be done by mid-September, which is right when the NFL season begins. Maybe the NBA tweaks its schedule so that the final game of the playoffs couldn’t be played before the football season begins, and we’d time it up perfectly so maybe Game 7 of the NBA Finals is on Labor Day weekend, and the NFL begins the very next weekend. All the while, you’d also have the MLB stretch run. Not bad, huh? Of course, the more pressing issue right now for the NBA and every league is to ensure a safe return to play. But if they’re willing (and even preferring) to wait, they might give themselves their best chance of getting it done, which could potentially set up a change that forever alters the sports landscape.
More: NBA Hopes Majority Of Team Facilities Will Be Open By May 18
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/05/should-nba-go-with-mark-cubans-idea-and-start-nba-season-on-christmas-full-time/
Grant Williams is giving back to Boston from afar. The Boston Celtics forward started mentoring high school kids last month as a way of making a positive contribution to his new community, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. From his hometown of Charlotte, N.C, where he has been living with Celtics teammate Kemba Walker during the…
Celtics’ Grant Williams Launches Virtual Mentoring Program During Pandemic — NESN.com
With the blessing of L.A. County health officials, the Lakers will reopen their practice facility on a limited basis Saturday for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic suspended the NBA season March 11 and subsequently shuttered team training centers, reported the Athletic’s Shams Chanaria on Friday morning. The facility will be open to players…
Lakers’ practice facility will reopen on limited basis Saturday — Press Telegram
Danny Ainge shares the same hope of every NBA fan. The Celtics president of basketball operations joined ESPN’s Zach Lowe’s “The Lowe Podcast” on Thursday to talk all things basketball, including how he hopes Boston’s practice facilities will re-open next week if Massachusetts loosens the stay-at-home restrictions. “Massachusetts has been one of the slowest in…
Celtics’ Danny Ainge Hopeful NBA Will Finish 2019-20 Season, Open Practice Facilities — NESN.com
As the COVID-19 global pandemic continues to make an impact around the world, Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner has concerns about the National Hockey League’s possible return to the ice. Read More
Marner ponders impact of coronavirus on NHL, Leafs re-sign Brooks to two-year pact — Toronto Sun
As the COVID-19 global pandemic continues to make an impact around the world, Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner has concerns about the National Hockey League’s possible return to the ice.
While playing an online video game with a group of players, the subject of the NHL resuming action was raised.
“What my thought on this is, OK, I’m all down for starting everything back up, let’s rock. But what if someone gets sick and dies?” Marner said on the video, which was posted to Twitter on Wednesday. “What happens? It’s awful to think about, but still.”
While that could be a question on the minds of some, the NHL, if it does wind up resuming the 2019-20 season, or starting the playoffs some time in the coming months, would have every possibility in regard to the coronavirus explored and answered, to the best of its ability.
“Interesting to see what will happen,” Marner said on the video of returning to play hockey in general. “It’s the same with the NBA. If one league plays, then all leagues have to play. If we don’t play, the amount of money we’re going to lose is going to be …”
Marner also raised the issue of players such as the Montreal Canadiens’ Max Domi, who has Type 1 diabetes. Domi was a teammate of Marner with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.
“If he gets it (the coronavirus), he is in one (situation), like bad,” Marner said.
more…….
Marner ponders impact of coronavirus on NHL, Leafs re-sign Brooks to two-year pact — Toronto Sun
The view from left field 