ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Shohei Ohtani didn’t merely produce for the Angels on Sunday, but he produced in the clutch. Ohtani doubled, tripled and homered, each time producing runs, in the Angels’ 6-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon. 838 more words
Shohei Ohtani, Phil Gosselin help Angels end 5-game skid — Orange County Register
Dustin Pedroia didn’t know what to expect on Friday night, but by the end, he couldn’t have asked for more. Featuring video tributes from a number of former teammates and special and surprising guest appearances, Pedroia was left in tears and plenty of smiles during a memorable retirement ceremony at Fenway Park that celebrated the…
Dustin Pedroia honored by Red Sox in memorable Fenway Park ceremony: ‘It was special’ — Lowell Sun
Ben Simmons was last seen melting down in fourth quarter after fourth quarter in the 76ers’ shocking second-round loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Could his next sighting be in San Francisco? 648 more words
Let the Ben Simmons-to-Warriors trade rumors begin — Red Bluff Daily News
“Like I said, that’s really the only teammate that really push me. Like big bro type push.”
Ayton on Chris Paul: “He was the best thing that happened to my career” — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
The NBA continues to explore concepts for a mid-season tournament including ways to incentivize its clubs and players.
NBA Wants a Mid-Season Tournament, But It Needs More Incentives — NBC Connecticut
Giannis Antetokounmpo scores 25 points, Jrue Holiday adds 22 and Trae Young struggles (15 points, nine turnovers) for Atlanta, as the Bucks cruise to a 125-91 Game 2 victory. Game 3 is Sunday.
Bucks crush Hawks to tie Eastern Conference finals, 1-1 — Daily Bulletin
After further testing on Byron Buxton’s fractured left hand, the Twins have determined their center fielder does not need surgery. Buxton suffered a “boxer’s fracture” — a broken knuckle commonly suffered when punching something — after getting hit by a pitch in Monday’s 7-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Target Field. 539 more words
Rest, not surgery, for Twins’ Byron Buxton — Twin Cities
Michael Malone didn’t want to take anything away from the Phoenix Suns, who thoroughly dismantled the beleaguered Nuggets in a 4-0 second-round sweep. And so he didn’t.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone “would love” Will Barton back, bracing for loss of assistant Wes Unseld Jr. — Canon City Daily Record
The Heat reportedly deemed Tyler Herro untouchable in trade talks before his NBA career even began.
Report: Heat likely to trade Tyler Herro — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
Former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen apparently has nothing better to do these days than to market his own brand of bourbon and criticize other NBA players. In a recent wide-ranging interview with GQ magazine, in response to a question that had nothing to do with his answer, Pippin fired a shot at Kevin Durant. […]
Sieger: Scottie Pippen can’t have it both ways — Times-Herald
The Golden Knights will have to decide whether they can keep their goalie tandem intact and what they can pay defenseman Alec Martinez this offseason to keep him.
Golden Knights face roster questions after semifinal exit — Las Vegas Review-Journal
MAPLE LEAFS HIRE RYAN HARDY AS SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MINOR LEAGUE OPERATIONS
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that Ryan Hardy is joining the organization as Senior Director of Minor League Operations. In his role, he will serve as General Manager of the Club’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, as well as its ECHL affiliate, the Newfoundland Growlers. Hardy, 35, had served as General Manager of the United States Hockey League’s Chicago Steel since the start of their 2018-19 season.
Hardy will oversee hockey operations for the Marlies and Growlers, including roster decisions and staffing. He will also work in unison with the Player Development department to track drafted prospects and participate in player personnel and scouting initiatives as needed.
“Over the last several seasons, I have developed a strong relationship with Ryan as his Chicago Steel team had great success on the ice, as well as success in developing players and staff,” said Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Kyle Dubas. “As we evaluate how best to maximize the potential of all our prospects, we felt that adding Ryan to our management team and tasking him with managing the Marlies and the hockey side of our relationship with the Newfoundland Growlers would be a great benefit to the organization.”
Laurence Gilman, who had served as Marlies GM since the 2018-19 season, will be elevated to the role of Senior Vice-President of the Marlies while maintaining his roles as Assistant General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Governor of the AHL club. He will also continue to oversee the business operations of the Marlies.
Since Hardy’s arrival in May of 2018, the Steel have compiled an overall regular season record of 116-39-8-2 in 165 games for the most wins in the league over that stretch. The club has won the Anderson Cup as the league’s regular season champion in each of the last two seasons while it captured the USHL’s Clark Cup Championship this past season.
Hardy was named the USHL’s General Manager of the Year, as voted on by his peers, in two of his three seasons – 2018-2019 and 2020-21. In the 2019-20 season, the Steel set the USHL record for highest winning percentage (.847) before the season was cut short due the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since his first season with the Steel, the Madison, Connecticut native has overseen 10 Steel alumni selected in the NHL Draft, including five from the 2019-20 roster, the most of any independent junior team that season.
Hardy joined the Steel from the Boston Bruins where he spent two seasons as an amateur scout. Prior to joining the Bruins, Hardy spent parts of four seasons (2013-2017) with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, serving as Director of Player Personnel, Assistant Director of Player Personnel and Regional Scouting Manager during that time.
In addition to his work in scouting and player personnel, Hardy has coaching experience at the NCAA level with Sacred Heart University and Williams College, and at the junior hockey level with the Springfield Jr. Blues (NAHL).
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The view from left field 