All posts tagged: Sports News

Vegas-Carolina Stanley Cup Final Is ‘A New Series’ Going Into Game 3 After Canes’ Comeback

Vegas-Carolina Stanley Cup Final Is ‘A New Series’ Going Into Game 3 After Canes’ Comeback

Published by Sam Flores

The same crowd that roared at the start of the series was stunned, with their beloved Hurricanes shut out through the first two periods for the first time since mid-January. They were fewer than 15 minutes away from a 2-0 hole that only five of 55 teams have overcome to hoist the Cup. The topsy-turvy ride that followed ended with Carolina winning in emotional fashion and making this a competitive series between two of the best teams in the NHL. Game 3 is Saturday night in Las Vegas. If it is anything like the first two, it is best to expect the unexpected the rest of the way. “It’s obviously a new series, a five-game series now,” said defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who leads the Hurricanes with three points so far in the final. “A lot of emotions throughout the games, too. For almost 50 minutes there it’s kind of low, and then kind of even, then really high, then low again, and then high. It’s a roller coaster for sure.” This final is shaping up …

Protests in Mexico City Capitalize on World Cup Celebrations to Pressure Government

Protests in Mexico City Capitalize on World Cup Celebrations to Pressure Government

Published by Sam Flores

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Teachers, families of Mexico’s 130,000 missing people, animal rights groups and a range of other social movements in Mexico are capitalizing on impending FIFA World Cup celebrations next week to put pressure on authorities and make demands. Protesters from the country’s teachers’ union, CNTE, blocked main throughways in Mexico City, bringing central parts of the city to a standstill this week to demand better working conditions. Demonstrators knocked down figures of World Cup soccer players, broke into a government building and on Friday played a soccer match on a blockaded street. At the same time visitors from across the world began flooding in to the Mexican capital ahead of the competition that starts June 11. “The proximity of the World Cup places a lot more pressure on the government,” said Abel Escalante, a 52-year-old special education psychologist who traveled from the southern state of Chiapas to protest, who was blocking the street around the city’s iconic Angel de la Independencia monument on Friday. The protests come just days before Mexico City …

Knicks Looking to Take Command of NBA Finals, Spurs Hoping to Tie the Title Series

Knicks Looking to Take Command of NBA Finals, Spurs Hoping to Tie the Title Series

Published by Sam Flores

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Jalen Brunson was the star of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, willing the New York Knicks to a series-opening win. Victor Wembanyama, even while struggling from the field, put up big numbers for the San Antonio Spurs in his finals debut as well. The finals, though, tends to get won by the sum of the other parts. Game 2 of the title series is Friday night in San Antonio, with the Spurs hoping to pull into a tie before the series heads to New York — and the Knicks aiming at becoming the first team since Houston in 1995 to start the NBA Finals with two road wins. Tipoff is at 8:42 p.m. EDT and the game will be aired on ABC. The Spurs are 6.5-point favorites. New York got 30 points from Brunson in the Game 1 win, in which the Knicks rallied from 14 points down in the third quarter and closed the game on an 11-0 run. And while Brunson got tons of credit, the Knicks pointed …

FIFA Cancels World Cup Tickets to About 60 Fans Who Got Them for Free Due to Error

FIFA Cancels World Cup Tickets to About 60 Fans Who Got Them for Free Due to Error

Published by Sam Flores

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — FIFA has canceled World Cup tickets issued to about 60 fans who mistakenly got them for free because of a website error. “FIFA regrets the error and any inconvenience caused,” soccer’s ruling body said. “The tickets requested by these fans remain reserved, and the affected fans have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount.” The mispriced tickets were sold through the official World Cup site on May 21, FIFA said in an email message to buyers. That date was more than three months after FIFA President Gianni Infantino said all 104 World Cup games had sold out. Tickets are still being sold by FIFA for games at the World Cup, which opens next Thursday in Mexico City. It is unclear if seats for games in less demand will drop in price under FIFA’s surge pricing model that has been controversial for fans. FIFA also is operating its own resale platform — and taking 15% commission from both buyers and sellers — in order to cut out ticket dealers …

Brayden McNabb Knocked Out of Stanley Cup Final Game 2 After Taking a Puck to the Face

Brayden McNabb Knocked Out of Stanley Cup Final Game 2 After Taking a Puck to the Face

Published by Sam Flores

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb took a puck to the face that knocked him out of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night. A slap shot from Carolina’s Nikolaj Ehlers hit McNabb square in the face just past the midway point of the first period. McNabb dropped his stick, went down to the ice and grabbed his nose as he skated immediately off and down the tunnel. “It’s a scary play,’ forward Brett Howden said. ”You never want to see that. Just hope he’s doing all right. We haven’t seen him yet but hope he’s doing OK.” McNabb did not return, and Vegas went the rest of the way with just five defensemen. “You lose a guy like Nabber who logs heavy minutes, such a good teammate, plays the game so hard, it’s tough,” captain Mark Stone said. “They battled as hard as they could.” Coach John Tortorella said “they played well” and had no update when asked about McNabb’s condition after the Hurricanes’ overtime victory that …

Belmont Park Rebuild Nears the Finish Line as the Belmont Stakes Is a Year From Returning Home

Belmont Park Rebuild Nears the Finish Line as the Belmont Stakes Is a Year From Returning Home

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK (AP) — A stroll by the paddock at Belmont Park is a glimpse into the past before becoming a window into the future. The white pine tree that has stood there for more than two centuries remains. Around it, everything else is brand new. The racetrack that straddles the border of Queens and Long Island is smack in the middle of a massive $550 million reconstruction project that included knocking down the gargantuan brick grandstand and rebuilding a smaller, modern facility suited for horse racing in the 21st century. A year from now, the Belmont Stakes will return to its traditional home at Belmont Park after a three-year hiatus upstate at Saratoga Race Course to allow for the work to get done. “It’s hugely important to get it back to Belmont,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “The opening of a new facility is something that can really give the industry a shot in the arm.” Aqueduct Racetrack will close to consolidate racing in New York to two locations after shiny new …

Artist Suing FIFA Over Destruction of Dallas Whale Mural Before World Cup

Artist Suing FIFA Over Destruction of Dallas Whale Mural Before World Cup

Published by Sam Flores

The artist who painted a giant mural on a building in downtown Dallas of life-sized swimming whales has filed a $25 million lawsuit against soccer’s international governing body and others, saying they illegally painted over his work to promote the city’s upcoming World Cup matches. The artist Wyland says he hand-painted the sprawling mural that covered roughly 17,000 square feet (1,580 square meters) across two of the building’s walls. The mural stood for nearly three decades before workers began painting over it last month, causing an uproar among residents who admired the mural’s grand scale and message of ocean conservation. The area’s World Cup organizing committee said in a statement that, in place of Wyland’s mural, new artwork is planned “that captures this current historical moment and reflects the energy, unity, and global spirit surrounding the World Cup 2026.” It said a portion of Wyland’s mural would be preserved. Wyland filed suit Monday in U.S District Court in Dallas saying that World Cup organizers, along with the building’s owner and management company, painted over his …

Serena Williams Is Coming Back to Tennis at 44, Returning to the Sport She Dominated for Decades

Serena Williams Is Coming Back to Tennis at 44, Returning to the Sport She Dominated for Decades

Published by Sam Flores

PARIS (AP) — Serena Williams is coming back to professional tennis at the age of 44, returning to the sport she dominated for two decades before famously “evolving” away from the daily grind of competition. First up for the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is the doubles tournament at Queen’s Club. But Wimbledon and the U.S. Open could be next. “It seems like she’s trying to work her way up maybe to the U.S. Open, and those fans would be so ready to see her back on a singles court there,” former No. 1 Lindsay Davenport said at the French Open after the WTA Tour announced Monday that Williams has accepted a wild-card invitation to play doubles at next week’s grass-court tournament in London. Williams won seven Wimbledon titles and six at the U.S. Open before stepping away from the game in 2022. In doubles, she won six titles at Wimbledon and two at the U.S. Open — all with her older sister Venus Williams. “She’s a legend. It’s inspiring to see,” top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka …

Celine Boutier Rallies From 4 Down to Win ShopRite LPGA

Celine Boutier Rallies From 4 Down to Win ShopRite LPGA

Published by Sam Flores

GALLOWAY, N.J. (AP) — Celine Boutier rallied from a four-shot deficit Sunday, making three birdies around the turn on her way to a 5-under 66 for a one-shot victory over Arpichaya Yubol in the ShopRite LPGA. Soo Bin Joo, the 22-year-old South Korean going for her first LPGA Tour title, lost her four-shot lead at the turn and then fell behind for good on the 13th hole, the same hole where earlier Boutier had taken the lead with a 30-foot birdie putt. Joo missed another fairway to the right into a clumpy lie, pitched back to the fairway, sent her wedge over the green with a front pin, chipped 8 feet by the hole and missed the putt, taking a double bogey to fall three shots behind. Boutier kept hitting solid shots, rarely getting in trouble. She missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the final hole to post at 9-under 204, and no one could catch her. “To have a chance to win today is definitely something very special,” said Boutier, the 32-year-old French player …

Marta Kostyuk Stuns 4-Time Champion Iga Swiatek on Big Day for Ukraine at French Open

Marta Kostyuk Stuns 4-Time Champion Iga Swiatek on Big Day for Ukraine at French Open

Published by Sam Flores

PARIS (AP) — There will be a first-time women’s champion at the French Open this year, and two Ukrainian players are among the strongest contenders. Undefeated this season on clay, 15th-seeded Marta Kostyuk showed her strong credentials as she reached the quarterfinals in Paris for the first time on Sunday by taking out four-time champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 and ruining her birthday. She will be up against her compatriot Elina Svitolina next, ensuring there will be an Ukrainian woman semifinalist at Roland Garros for the first time in the professional era (1968). The seventh-seeded Svitolina rallied past Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-4, 6-0. “There’s going to be Ukraine in the semifinals, so it’s already amazing,” said Svitolina, whose country is in a 4-year-old war with Russia. “I think it couldn’t be a better, amazing achievement for Ukrainian tennis. I think in such a difficult situation right now in the war, with the invasion, it’s really, really difficult, and I think it’s really inspiring for the next generation to really believe that it is possible one …