How tall is Florida basketball freshman forward Olivier Rioux? Here's what you need to know of his height:
Islanders drop fourth straight with 5-3 loss to Lightning
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Brayden Point scored twice and Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Islanders 5-3 on Saturday.
Nick Perbix and Jake Guentzel also scored for the Lightning. Jonas Johansson made 35 stops.
Marc Gatcomb, Anthony DeAngelo and Ryan Pulock scored for the Islanders, who lost their fourth straight game. Ilya Sorokin made 19 saves.
The Lightning won their third straight and matched the idle Florida Panthers’ 91 points atop the tight Atlantic Division, where the Toronto Maple Leafs entered Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings just a point back.
Takeaways
Islanders: At 32-20-10, New York is in fifth place in the Eastern Conference wild-card race with 74 points. The Islanders trail Ottawa (81), Columbus (75), Montreal (75) and the New York Rangers (75) with Saturday’s slate of games remaining.
Lightning: After a rematch with the Islanders on Monday in the opener of a four-game trip, Tampa Bay is at Ottawa, Buffalo and the Rangers, through a week from Monday.
Key moment
Kucherov and Perbix scored in the first 7:31 of the game to give the Lightning an early advantage. Point scored late in the first and second periods to extend the advantage to four goals before the Islanders clawed back with three unanswered goals in the first nine minutes of the third, making it 4-3. Guentzel’s empty-netter sealed the win.
Key stat
Kucherov scored on the Islanders’ first shot, at 2:02 of the first to fuel the fast start.
Up next
The Lightning play at the Islanders on Tuesday. New York is at the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.
3 observations after Sixers fall to their 7th consecutive loss
3 observations after Sixers fall to their 7th consecutive loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
With eight regular-season games remaining, the Sixers’ losing streak sits at seven.
Their latest loss came Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center against the Heat, who earned a 118-95 victory.
Jared Butler posted 19 points and 10 assists for the 23-51 Sixers.
All-Star Heat guard Tyler Herro had 30 points and seven assists for the Heat, who moved to 33-41.
The Sixers had eight players out with injuries. Andre Drummond (left toe sprain) will miss at least the next five games and be re-evaluated in approximately one week, according to a team official.
The Sixers will play the Raptors on Sunday night in Philadelphia. Here are observations on their defeat to the Heat:
An even 50 lineups
The Sixers added yet another unit to their ever-growing tally of starting lineups. They’re up to 50 after Butler, Quentin Grimes, Justin Edwards, Guerschon Yabusele and Adem Bona opened Saturday’s game.
A Butler-to-Bona alley-oop got the Sixers off to a bright start. Butler then drilled a jumper to give the Sixers a 5-0 lead.
Miami soon surged in front. Both the Sixers and Heat had identical first quarters shooting-wise — 55 percent from the field, 54.5 percent from three-point range — but the Heat drew more free throws.
Miami also did far greater damage on the offensive glass, scoring the night’s first 16 second-chance points. The Sixers entered Saturday ranked 24th in offensive rebounding rate and 30th rebounding rate, per Cleaning the Glass. They’re very familiar with the challenges of being undersized and undermanned.
Grimes finally held under 20
The Sixers mitigated some of their rebounding struggles with success in transition.
At halftime, they held an 18-6 advantage in fast-break points. Ricky Council IV (13 points, six rebounds, four assists) had several explosive, effective drives before the Heat’s defense could set up.
Bona (16 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks) was also eager to both start and join fast breaks. He tried to swat just about every Miami shot inside, ran the floor hard, and finished well around the rim.
The Sixers still trailed by nine points at halftime, in part because Grimes went scoreless in the second quarter after an 11-point first. Rookie Pelle Larsson played physical, solid defense against him, limiting Grimes’ chances to take comfortable jumpers or generally operate with much breathing room.
Grimes’ streak of consecutive outings with 20 or more points ended at nine games. He recorded 15 points on 6-for-14 shooting, four rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes.
Strong showing by Butler
Butler matched up at times with former Baylor teammate Davion Mitchell.
He played a high-quality game as the Sixers’ lead ball handler, running the show with confidence, hitting open teammates in the pick-and-roll, and making all four of his long-distance attempts.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that he plans to give Grimes more point guard reps in the final stretch of the season, since the Sixers envision him as a player who can handle some backup ball handler minutes when everyone’s healthy. That makes perfect sense. Butler looks like he might be in the future backup point guard mix, too.
After a Butler runner cut the Sixers’ deficit to 72-69, the Heat took control of the game.
Former Sixer Alec Burks drained four three-pointers late in the third quarter, including a buzzer-beater that built Miami’s lead to 21 points.
The Heat cruised to victory from there. Miami’s poised to be a play-in tournament team. The Sixers, meanwhile, were officially eliminated from postseason contention with Saturday’s loss.
Rays put OF Josh Lowe on 10-day IL with strained right oblique, a year after he had similar injury
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays put outfielder Josh Lowe on the 10-day injured list with a strained right oblique.
The Rays recalled outfielder Jake Mangum from Triple-A Durham on Saturday to take Lowe’s spot on the roster.
Lowe was hurt in Tampa Bay’s opener on Friday, a year after he missed 46 games with a similar injury.
He grounded out in his first at-bat and felt discomfort when he fouled off a pitch during his plate appearance in the fifth. Lowe hit a single on the next pitch and winced as he left the batter’s box and ran gingerly to first.
The 27-year-old Lowe hit .241 with 10 homers, 34 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 106 games last season. He had hip inflammation during spring training in 2024. He strained his right oblique and didn’t make his season debut until May 6, then was sidelined by the ailment between May 22 and June 5.
Mets' Francisco Alvarez participates in receiving drills with injured left hand
Francisco Alvarez still isn't expected to make his regular-season debut until sometime in late April, but the injured Mets catcher is continuing to make strides in his recovery.
Prior to Saturday's rubber game against the Houston Astros, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza shared a positive update on Alvarez, revealing that the 23-year-old participated in receiving drills with soft baseballs while using his surgically-repaired left hand. Mendoza simply called the workout "a good sign."
Alvarez, who fractured his left hamate bone on March 8 during live at-bats in camp, had stiches removed from his hand on Monday. Mendoza mentioned on Wednesday that baseball activities were on the horizon for Alvarez once strength work began. The latest news suggests that he's still on track to return on the shorter end of the initial six-to-eight week recovery timeline.
"Maybe six weeks," Alvarez said on March 12. "My goal is to make that as quick as possible... They said after the third week, maybe I can start hitting. It's on me. If my body takes more time than normal, maybe take eight weeks. But it's very on me. If I feel comfortable, if I feel good, I can move quicker."
Due to the injury, Alvarez was limited to just nine spring training games in which he hit .227 (5-for-22) with five walks, two RBI, and 11 strikeouts. He's also dealt with a string of bad luck to his left thumb, as he tore a ligament last April against the Los Angeles Dodgers and needed surgery that kept him out of the lineup until mid-June.
Only time will tell how Alvarez's thumb responds to additional catching and hitting activities, but the Mets are counting on his production in the heart of the lineup. He wound up playing 100 games last season, slashing .237/.307/.403 with 11 home runs, 14 doubles, and 47 RBI in 342 plate appearances.
Getting Close To The Playoffs Isn’t a Guarantee Year to Year
Well, for some of the well-established teams, it mostly is. For the New York Rangers, it may not be. For the Philadelphia Flyers, who were eliminated on the last day of the season, it isn’t. This league is changing, and you have to have certain bases covered before you become that team.
There’s no way I can say I am comfortable with the Montreal Canadiens goalie tandem if they want to battle for the playoffs next year. It’s not good enough and Jacob Fowler is too young to throw into the NHL no matter how good he looks.
Sam Montembeault has been up and down this year. He’s NHL mediocre. He’s no longer developing and asking him to be better than NHL average for a full season doesn’t seem possible. He is a good 1B. That’s what I think he is.
Jakub Dobes is 23. He is still developing. Is it possible for him to be a 1A starter? Maybe, but I haven’t seen that in him aside from his hot start when he was promoted to the NHL. He’s a good AHL goalie, but not at the top of the league, so in the NHL, he has some steps to take but I don’t see the Canadiens being better next year with the same tandem.
There will be changes on defense next year. Kaiden Guhle being healthy will be a big bonus and maybe they will go out and get another established defenseman to replace David Savard. I wouldn’t re-sign him under any circumstances. His game has dropped off to the point where the team can’t play as fast as they want to when he is in the game. In a reduced role, he can help another team.
The center depth has to improve as well and I don’t have a quick fix there. Kirby Dach may not be the answer any longer. He never really got to that next level and maybe he will but that’s an if and you can’t build an offseason with maybe’s.
Scherzer allows two HRs, leaves Blue Jays debut after three innings because of right lat soreness
TORONTO — Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer left his debut start with the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday because of soreness in his right lat muscle.
Facing Baltimore, Scherzer allowed two runs and three hits, including two solo home runs. He threw 45 pitches in three innings, 28 for strikes. Scherzer struck out one and walked none.
Earlier this month, the 40-year-old Scherzer had a spring training start pushed back because of thumb pain.
Baltimore’s Colton Cowser put Scherzer in an early hole with a 417-foot drive to center on the second pitch of the game.
Jordan Westburg’s two-out drive off Scherzer traveled 434 feet for the longest home run of his career.
Scherzer signed a one-year, $15.5 million contract with Toronto in February. He went 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA in nine starts for Texas last season, starting the year on the injured list while recovering from lower back surgery. He also had a stint on the IL with shoulder fatigue and didn’t pitch after Sept. 14 because of a left hamstring strain.
Right-hander Richard Lovelady replaced Scherzer in the fourth.
Corner Stones Event Week 2 In NHL 25
Corner Stones Event Week 2 is live now in NHL 25 Hockey Ultimate Team.
The new master set players are 92 overall Mats Sundin, Brian Leetch, Patrick Marleau, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, and Shea Weber.
These 92 overall master set players can be acquired for any three 89+ Corner Stones cards and any two 89+ players.
89 overall Corner Stones can be acquired for any three 87+ Corner Stones cards, while 87s can be had for any three 85+ players. There are also Collectible Sets available.
All new cards can be seen in the video above.
Any two 92 overall MSPs can be traded in for a 93 overall Corner Stones choice pack which contains 93 overall versions of the master set players.
A 93 overall Sidney Crosby and 92 overall Wayne Gretzky Milestones cards were added to celebrate Crosby reaching 20 point per game seasons.
For more NHL 25 news make sure you bookmark The Hockey News Gaming Site or follow our Google News Feed. For gaming discussion check out our forum.
Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell hits first career MLB home run
Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell hits first career MLB home run originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Boston Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell is making his presence felt.
The Red Sox rookie hit his first career MLB home run in the fourth inning of Saturday night’s road game against the Texas Rangers.
Campbell crushed a pitch over the middle of the plate and sent the ball 431 feet over the fence in left-center field:
431 FT and 112.2 MPH off the bat 🔥
Kristian Campbell sent this ball packing for his first career home run! pic.twitter.com/1uPvvamJjC
— MLB (@MLB) March 30, 2025
Campbell went 1-for-3 in the Opening Day win over the Rangers on Thursday before going 2-for-4 at the plate in Friday’s loss.
Campbell entered the season as the Red Sox’s second-best prospect and the No. 7 ranked prospect in all of baseball, per MLB.com.
He’s a tremendous hitter and a quality defender. Don’t be surprised if Campbell plays a meaningful role in Boston’s success this season.
Five Teams Brad Marchand Could Play For Next Season
NHL star left winger Brad Marchand made his debut with the Florida Panthers Friday night, but his contract status – that makes him a UFA at the end of this season – has already started speculation as to where he could wind up playing next year and beyond.
Here are five teams we could see Marchand playing for after this season:
1. Boston Bruins
Let’s get this out of the way first: Marchand OK’d a move out of Boston, but there was no sense he or the Bruins had burned bridges with each other. So, if he doesn’t find an option that’s to his liking, Marchand could elect to return to Beantown.
He’ll be 37 years old by the time he signs a new contract, so his next deal could be his last NHL deal. But if Boston can get the money right – somewhere in the area of his current annual salary of $6.125 million – it wouldn’t be out of the question to see him return to the Bruins.
Marchand served Boston well as their leader on the ice and off of it, and although he probably would’ve wanted to spend his entire career with the same team, he could, in theory, win a Stanley Cup with the Panthers, then find a way to come back to his first NHL home.
Stranger things have happened than a return to Boston for Marchand, and he might decide that a few months away from the Bruins was too long and return to the Bs at the first chance he gets.
2. Colorado Avalanche
The Avs are one of the odds-on favorites to win the Cup this season, but if the Panthers repeat as Cup champions, Marchand could choose to play with fellow East-Coast Canadian Nathan MacKinnon on a Colorado team that will have the cap space to sign him for at least a couple of seasons.
Like all the teams on this list, the Avalanche could use Marchand’s grit and playoff experience, and playing in the relative calm of Denver may be exactly what Marchand wants at this stage of his career.
Marchand would help out the Avs’ second line, and Colorado has enough cap space to get a deal done that will satisfy Marchand’s pride. Closing out his career with the Avs would allow Marchand to satisfy his competitive drive, and the Avalanche would be thrilled to land someone with the pedigree Marchand can boast of.
3. Pittsburgh Penguins
This one is admittedly more of a long shot, as the Penguins are still going to be a fringe playoff team next season. But the opportunity to play alongside another East-Coast Canadian legend in Sidney Crosby would no doubt appeal to Marchand, and the Pens would welcome Marchand as they try to win another Cup in the Crosby Era.
Marchand has been a thorn in the side of just about every opponent, so the chance to make him a Penguin would be a no-brainer for Pittsburgh GM Kyle Dubas. But the Pens would almost assuredly have to make more notable moves to assure Marchand that he’s not going to be the only new face with the Penguins.
Marchand might want to change out his Black-and-Gold Bruins colors for a similar set of colors in Pittsburgh, and the Penguins could offer him the chance of a lifetime when it comes to playing on the same side as clear-cut Hockey Hall-of-Famers in Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
4. Toronto Maple Leafs
Okay, before you get snippy, hear us out: let’s assume the Maple Leafs falter early in the playoffs once again this spring. In the wake of that disappointment, there will likely be a massive change in Toronto – and what better way to effect significant culture change than to sign a proven winner and Leafs-haunter in Marchand?
He’d have to acclimate to playing in the huge hockey fishbowl that is Toronto, but it’s not as if Marchand isn’t used to that in Boston.
The Leafs might be a bigger long-shot than Pittsburgh on this list, but if Marchand values playing in another Original Six market where hockey is everything, he could spend his remaining few seasons in Toronto and be an integral part of what could be something special. The Leafs would be motivated buyers for him, and he’d fill an obvious need for grit and spunk.
5. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Panthers were clearly Marchand’s choice to play for this season, but if Florida can’t find a way to re-sign him, perhaps the other Sunshine State team can make him a member of the Lightning.
Like the Panthers, the Bolts will be tight to the salary cap ceiling, but Lightning GM Julien BriseBois always seems to find a way to land big fish, the way he did last summer when he signed star left winger Jake Guentzel. So, Marchand could be one of the final pieces of the puzzle in Tampa next year.
The Lightning can sell Marchand on the no-tax state of Florida and the opportunity to stay on the East Coast. We don’t see Marchand agreeing to take a huge pay cut to play in any market, but in Tampa Bay, his dollars would go further, and he’d have the luxury of great weather all year long. Thus, his current experiment with the Panthers could keep him in Florida but in another market.
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Yankees set franchise record with nine home runs, including three from Aaron Judge, in 20-9 win over Brewers
The Yankees hit a franchise record nine home runs to beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 20-9, on Saturday afternoon.
Here are the takeaways...
- New York started the game off with a splash, well ... four splashes, to be exact.
Paul Goldschmidt -- batting in the leadoff spot for the first time in his career -- Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judgecrushed back-to-back-to-back home runs on three straight pitches from former Yankee Nestor Cortes in the bottom of the first inning. It was the first time in MLB history a team has hit home runs on the first three pitches they saw (h/t Sarah Langs).
Then, with two outs, Austin Wells joined in on the fun and hit his second homer of the year to give New York a 4-0 lead.
- It didn't take long for the Yanks to add to their lead, as Anthony Volpe hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the second inning to make it a 7-3 game. New York kept its foot on the gas, knocking Cortes out of the game and loading the bases in the third inning for Bellinger, who singled to drive in another run. Judge then dropped the hammer with a grand slam, pushing the lead to 12-3. Jazz Chisholm felt left out and hit a solo shot to join the party, upping the score to 13-3. The seven home runs through three innings is the most in MLB history.
- The Yanks continued the barrage in the bottom of the fourth inning. Bellinger drove in Trent Grisham on a sac fly and Judge hit his third homer of the afternoon, a two-run blast, to make it 16-4. That gave New York eight home runs in the game, tying a franchise record. The major league record for home runs in a game is 10, set by the Toronto Blue Jays on Sept. 14, 1987.
- Overlooked by the record-setting offense was Max Fried, who took the mound for the first time in pinstripes. After a quick first inning, Fried got into some trouble with two on and one out, and let up an RBI single to Vinny Capra. A throwing error by Volpe allowed another run to cross the plate, and then Fried gave up a single and made an error of his own to give the Brewers their third run. He struck out William Contreras with runners on second and third to escape the jam.
Fried got through the third inning unscathed, despite his second HBP of the day. He allowed a one-out double to Jackson Chourio in the fourth, and after a third error, surrendered an RBI single to Rhys Hoskins. Errors continued to plague the Yanks, as Pablo Reyes had his second and Chisholm had one to give Milwaukee runners on the corners. Chourio grounded out back to Fried, allowing the runner to score from third, and Christian Yelich drove in another for their sixth run, ending the lefty starter's day.
Overall, Fried allowed two earned runs on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts across 4.2 innings (94 pitches).
- Bellinger's RBI single and Judge's RBI double made it 18-6 in the bottom of the sixth. Oswald Peraza pinch-hit forReyes in the seventh inning and hit a two-run homer to put the Yanks up 20-6, helping set a new franchise record with nine jacks in one game.
- J.C. Escarra made his MLB debut in the bottom of the seventh, pinch-hitting for Wells. The 29-year-old struck out swinging against LHP Chad Patrick. Escarra popped out to third in his second at-bat in the eighth inning. With the score out of hand, veteran Carlos Carrasco tossed the final two innings and allowed three runs on five hits, including a homer, with two strikeouts.
Game MVP: Aaron Judge
Judge recorded his third career three-homer game, tying him with Alex Rodriguez and Joe DiMaggio for second in Yankees history behind Lou Gehrig's four.
The reigning AL MVP finished 4-for-6 with three homers, a double, and a career-best eight RBI.
Highlights
THREE PITCHES, THREE HOMERS.
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 29, 2025
Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judge hit back-to-back-to-back home runs! pic.twitter.com/BSrNo4MmZt
AUSTIN WELLS MAKES IT FOUR HOME RUNS! pic.twitter.com/UhXiCt89DQ
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 29, 2025
ANTHONY VOLPE JOINS THE PARTY!
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 29, 2025
The Yankees have taken Nestor Cortes deep FIVE times 💥 pic.twitter.com/mEvhG8ftmF
AARON JUDGE WITH A GRAND SLAM! 👨⚖️ pic.twitter.com/SCi8rEu5el
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 29, 2025
Jazz Chisholm Jr. hits the Yankees’ SEVENTH home run of the day
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 29, 2025
It is the third inning 😱 pic.twitter.com/BYBANuTLwJ
THREE HOME RUNS THROUGH FOUR INNINGS.
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 29, 2025
AARON JUDGE! pic.twitter.com/g9sycPzcFb
Aaron Judge narrowly missed a fourth home run
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 29, 2025
He’ll settle for his 8th RBI of the day pic.twitter.com/iuFJDjBeVq
A FRANCHISE RECORD.
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 29, 2025
Oswald Peraza hits the Yankees’ 9th home run of the day! pic.twitter.com/D3y25QQOzl
Aaron Judge had a laugh with Jake Bauers after Bauers got him to line out to left 🤣 pic.twitter.com/TvqWze87E0
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 29, 2025
What's next
The Yankees and Brewers wrap up their three-game series in The Bronx on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.
Marcus Stroman is set to take the mound and will go up against RHP Aaron Civale.
Anaheim Ducks Prospect Spotlight: Evaluating Lucas Pettersson's Options After SHL Club's Relegation
The end of March and the flipping of calendars to April indicate one thing in the hockey world: playoffs. CHL playoffs are underway as are playoffs in the European hockey leagues, soon to be followed by the AHL and, eventually, the NHL.
Anaheim Ducks Prospect Spotlight: Lucas Pettersson's Impressive Start to 2025
Anaheim Ducks forward prospect Lucas Pettersson (35th overall in 2024) recently saw his 2024-25 SHL season come to an end at the hands of fellow Ducks forward prospect Herman Traff (91st overall in 2024) in a relegation battle between Pettersson’s MoDo Hockey and Traff’s HV71.
As a result of the best-of-seven series in which HV71 won 4-2, MoDo will be relegated to the HockeyAllsvenskan for the 2025-26 season, Sweden’s second-tier professional division.
Pettersson (18) had his 2024-25 season split between playing for MoDo, the SHL club that owns his rights, and on loan for Ostersunds IK in HockeyAllsvenskan. He tallied just one point for MoDo at the SHL level (0-1=1) in 29 games while rarely playing more than six minutes per game.
Early in the season, he had played eight games at the J20 level for MoDo and scored eight points (4-4=8). The majority of the second half of his season was spent with Ostersunds IK of HockeyAllsvenskan, where he found his footing in an increased role against grown men and scored 19 points (9-10=19) in 26 games.
Remain in Sweden
The confluence of his performance at the HockeyAllsvenskan level and his club’s relegation from the SHL leaves questions about where he could play next season in 2025-26.
He could remain in Sweden and play another year in HockeyAllsvenskan for MoDo, a division he might be outgrowing.
Play in the Ducks Organization
He could make the transition to North America and have two (or even three) options in front of him. The unlikeliest is that he signs his ELC and performs well enough in Ducks training camp to earn a spot on the NHL roster. If the San Diego Gulls, the Ducks AHL affiliate, need center depth, he could play the 2025-26 season in close proximity and about 90 miles south of Honda Center.
Head to the CHL
If the Ducks organization doesn’t deem him ready for professional hockey in North America, he could play in the CHL next season. He was drafted by the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL in the second round of the 2024 CHL Import Draft (116th overall).
As opposed to the professional levels, the CHL would allow Pettersson to explore the limits of his offensive game. He is already well-lauded for his detail and two-way prowess, often compared to Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson. He possesses enough offensive tools like above-average mobility, puck skills, and change-of-pace vision to provide true offensive impact at the NHL level.
Taking the time and putting forth the effort into developing and translating those skills to the North American pro-style game could elevate Pettersson’s ultimate potential and even mold him into a significant piece of the Ducks' core moving forward.
The “win at all costs” ideals of professional hockey aren’t always conducive or ideal for growing and refining the offensive talents of teenage players. Pettersson is at a critical point in his ultimate progression, and it will be curious to monitor how the Ducks organization manages the young centerman.
Report: Ducks, Verbeek 'Good With Cronin Coming Back Next Season'
Michigan State vs Auburn predictions in March Madness for Elite 8 game
Michigan State basketball vs Auburn prediction time: Who you got? 5 Free Press writers give their picks before Sunday's Elite Eight game in Atlanta.
Andoni Iraola’s impressive Bournemouth are stuck in the silverware paradox | Jonathan Wilson
Three games from their first major trophy and in with a shout for Europe but for a club their size, these moments are fleeting
The first time Bournemouth played in an FA Cup quarter‑final was 1957 when they faced Manchester United. They were still called Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic in those days and played in the Third Division (South). They had put out Wolves and Tottenham in the previous two rounds, the excitement enticing a record crowd of 28,799 to Dean Court to see them play Matt Busby’s side.
The United centre-half Mark Jones was carried off early on and, nine years before the introduction of substitutes, Bournemouth took the lead against the 10 men, Brian Bedford nudging in after Ray Wood had flapped at a corner. Two Johnny Berry goals, the second a penalty, in the space of five second‑half minutes, though, saw United through. They went on to lose to Aston Villa in the final, when Peter McParland fractured Wood’s cheekbone after six minutes, forcing the centre-half Jackie Blanchflower to take over in goal.
Continue reading...The Great Debate Rangers On John Tortorella Or Not For Rangers Coach?
The Maven's urging the Rangers to immediately hire John Tortorella did not win immediate approval from my studious audience.
Nor will I hide the dissent from you.
"Torts is the Rex Ryan of the NHL," says avid fan and critic Steve Viuker of Brooklyn. "He may be great for an NHL Network TV gig but – as a coach – he wears thin on a team in a short period of time."
Viuker singles out a couple of reasons why Torts got canned in the NHL's homestretch.
"In his last eleven games, the Flyers won one and lost ten. Plus, they didn't have a power play goal for all of March. Torts is the baseball version of Billy Martin of the George Steinbrenner years."
By contrast, Harvey Cohen of New Jersey fires this broadside at Viuker.
"The Rangers need Torts because they need a jolt right now. They are a direct reflection of their coach," Cohen explains. "They make no in-game adjustments. Laviolette is too passive, stagnant, predictable and statuesque."
Others point to GM Chris Drury as the prime culprit for allowing a soft offensive core to remain intact while paying no attention to team defense. "Kris Knoblauch would have suffered the same result as Lavy because he would be coaching the same soft core."
A sizeable number of fans would love to see John Davidson return – this time as general manager – "because he knows the qualities that a good coach would have to have to coach in New York."
Hey! Let's not kid ourselves; the bottom line is simply that any decision will be made – or not made at all – by MSG majordomo Jim Dolan.
Until we hear differently from him, Peter Laviolette still has a job. Whether The Maven likes it or not!