Lindor and Alonso snap out of slumps, power Mets to series sweep of Angels
Lindor snapped a career-worst 0-for-31 drought and Alonso ended a 2-for-34 slide as the Mets beat the Angels 6-3 on Wednesday. New York won its fourth straight after losing its first two games coming out of the All-Star break.
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Winnipeg Free Press
37 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
USA Gymnastics is entering a new era both on and off the floor as the US championships begin
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — There was a time, not that long ago really, when Joscelyn Roberson would combat the nerves that inevitably popped up before a major gymnastics meet by reminding herself of one very simple fact. 'I could be like, 'Oh no one's watching me,'' the 19-year-old said with a laugh. 'Like they're watching Simone (Biles). They're watching Jordan (Chiles). They're watching Suni (Lee) and Jade (Carey). Like, they are not watching me.' Well, they are now. Biles, Lee, Carey and Carey are all on sabbatical from elite gymnastics, perhaps for good. And when Roberson salutes the judges during the first night of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships on Friday, the world championship gold medalist and Olympic alternate will be one of the few athletes on the floor with experience on the sport's biggest stage. 'Maybe they are kind of watching me (now), so it adds a different level of nerves, but I love it,' Roberson said. Good thing, because she'll probably have to get used to it. Not just for Roberson, but the athletes who will find the spotlight pointing their way now that the icons who commanded it so completely have stepped aside, at least for now. A year after sending the oldest team in modern Olympic history to Paris, the average age of the competitors who will spend the weekend at Smoothie King Center taking their first tentative steps toward the 2028 Los Angeles Games is under 18. Hezley Rivera helped the Americans capture gold last summer. Now, the 17-year-old finds herself thrust into the role as one of the standardbearers for one of the marquee programs of the U.S. Olympic movement, and the external pressure that comes along with it. 'I definitely know that people have certain expectations, but I don't really care what people have, like, expectations-wise for me,' she said. 'I know what I want and my goals, so it's kind of just focusing on what I'm doing in the gym and what I am doing on the competition floor.' Rivera's elite 2025 debut was bumpy. She tied for 12th at the U.S. Classic last month, well behind WOGA club teammate Claire Pease, who showed uncommon poise in her first major competition at the senior level. Yes, it wasn't the meet Rivera wanted, but the reality is the year following an Olympics is all about adjusting to the sport's updated Code of Points and plotting out what the run-up to the next Olympics might look like. That's perhaps even more true this time around, not just on the floor but off it. While a new wave of athletes who grew up idolizing Biles and Lee step towards the forefront, the organization they will represent is undergoing a significant change of its own. A 'bittersweet' departure Li Li Leung, who nimbly guided USA Gymnastics out of the wake of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal, is stepping down at the end of the year. During her final 'State of the Sport' address on Wednesday, Leung grew uncharacteristically emotional during what she called a 'bittersweet' milestone. Asked if she's had any second thoughts since announcing her plan in June, Leung shook her head. 'I've accomplished everything that I set out to do when I took this role,' she said. 'It takes quite a bit of work to build up to an Olympic Games, and it would be so unfair if I made my decision a couple of years from now and not giving the next CEO the runway to be able to build successfully into LA.' Much of the groundwork has already been laid. While the organization is certainly on much stronger footing — earlier this week USA Gymnastics and NBC Sports announced they were extending their partnership through 2032, and the high-profile corporate sponsors who bailed in the aftermath of Nassar have returned — Leung stressed the job she and the rest of an organization that was in tatters when she arrived in early 2019 is hardly finished. 'The transformation of USA Gymnastics and its culture is not over, it will never be over,' she said. 'There is no such thing as a 'mission accomplished' attitude at USA Gymnastics. Instead, we will always be looking at how to build on what we have achieved.' Hitting reset That remains true on the floor as well. The faces that defined the U.S.'s lengthy run of dominance — Biles most of all — are taking a well-deserved break. And while the lure of performing in a hometown Games three summers from now may eventually prod some of them back, this year will be about getting a feel for the next generation. 'I really look at this as a rebuilding year and it's a year of opportunity,' women's program technical lead Chellsie Memmel said. 'Most of our Olympians haven't returned. And then the few we have are still very young. So it's really about building an opportunity for the younger ones.' And for some of the newly older ones (by gymnastics standards, anyway), too. Skye Blakely is all of 20. Yet she's seen her hopes of making it to the Olympics end not once but twice because of injury. The road back from the torn right Achilles she suffered on the eve of the 2024 Olympic Trials hasn't been easy. Yet she's at a point where she can compete safely on uneven bars and balance beam. While there was a part of her that wanted to give all four events a shot, she also understands there's no rush. Back when Blakely was 13, she figured she'd be done as an elite by 20. She pointed to Biles' history-making performance last summer at 27 as proof that 'old' isn't what it used to be. 'Your end is what you make it, it's not what everybody else says it is,' she said. 'I say I might not go for another 10 years, but to be completely honest, I don't know what these next 10 years will look like for me at all, because I didn't even think I'd still be doing elite at 20, and here we are.' ___ AP sports:
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Mahomes, Chiefs starters to play in preseason opener against Cardinals
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is glad that coach Andy Reid is sending him onto the field with the rest of their starters when Kansas City visits the Arizona Cardinals for their preseason opener Saturday night. 'I don't necessarily look forward to getting hit,' Mahomes added with a smile Thursday. Getting hit is exactly why some teams have eschewed playing starters at all in the preseason. When coaches finally decided it wasn't worth the risk to their most valuable players, they began sitting them for one or two games, and last year, teams such as the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles sat them for the entirety of their exhibition slate. That has never been Reid's preference, though. Nor has it been that of Mahomes, who believes it does him some good to get hit — once, at least — so that he can get into the right mindset for the rest of the preseason and ultimately the regular season. 'There's always a little shock,' Mahomes said. Now, don't get any misconceptions. The Chiefs might only have those starters on the field for a single series in Arizona, especially if it goes well. But the plan, at least after their final practice before their opener, was that each quarterback will get a full quarter — Mahomes the first, Gardner Minshew the second, Bailey Zappe the third and Chris Oladokun the fourth. The rest of the offense would presumably follow suit. There are certainly things that the three-time defending AFC champions want to see out of their preseason opener. Tops on the list is their new-look offense line, where first-round pick Josh Simmons has already turned some heads as the new left tackle and Kingsley Suamataia has the inside track on replacing two-time All-Pro Joe Thuney at left guard. The Chiefs have invested heavily in their offensive line, both in draft capital and financial resources, over the past couple years, and the need to upgrade the left side in particular became evident in their Super Bowl loss in February. There is also some competition for the final spots at wide receiver, and some different names could get some extended looks with the first-team offense. That's because Rashee Rice is sidelined with a groin injury and Marquise Brown with an ailing ankle. 'I think (my advice) is go out there and do what they're doing this camp,' Mahomes said. 'It's going to be a bigger stage going up against another team, but I think Coach Reid prepares us better than anybody else in the league to go out there and play your best football. We practice hard and we practice fast so when it gets to the game, it's not that huge step up.' It's still a substantial one, especially given Arizona is taking the same approach as Kansas City this year. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon, who held out quarterback Kyler Murray and others his first two years and barely played any starters in the preseason last year, said this week, 'I told them (Monday) night that they are going to play.' 'It's the best thing for our team this year, honestly,' Gannon explained. 'We are at a good point with our health, we're at a good point with our development, and I think this year with our team it's the best thing to do for our guys.' NOTES: Hall of Fame WR Terrell Owens watched the Chiefs practice at Missouri Western on Thursday. He played two seasons for Reid in Philadelphia. 'Just watching people grow, I'm in a great position to see that,' Reid said. … Former Raiders coach Antonio Pierce also has been in camp, helping longtime friend and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. 'Maybe we'll ask him about some Las Vegas Raiders stuff,' Spagnuolo said with a smile. … CB Kristian Fulton (knee) came off the PUP list and took part in individual drills Thursday. LB Drue Tranquill (back) also returned to practice. ___ AP NFL:
Canada News.Net
2 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Yankees remain 'steadfast' entering home series vs. Astros
(Photo credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images) The New York Yankees and Houston both have struggled lately. The difference is the Astros still lead their division while the Yankees are fighting for their playoff lives. Two teams trying to heat up again will open a three-game series Friday night when the Astros visit the Yankees. The Yankees return home after losing five of six on the road to the Miami Marlins and Texas Rangers. New York has dropped 13 of 21 since winning five straight from July 6-11. The Yankees also are 26-34 since May 28 when they held a seven-game lead atop the American League East. New York ended its third skid of at least five games by eking out a 3-2 win on Wednesday afternoon after dropping the first two contests of the series in the late innings. David Bednar notched the final five outs for his first save since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Paul Goldschmidt hit a tiebreaking pinch-hit homer in the seventh. 'It's one game,' manager Aaron Boone said. 'We gotta dig ourselves out here, but as I've said, it's there for us. I'm steadfast and I believe we have a great run in us. I believe in those guys in the room, but as we've been saying, we've got to go do it. This is just one win.' The Yankees have 47 games left to erase a 6 1/2-game deficit to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees lost three games in the standings by blowing a six-run lead last Friday in Miami, losing a 10-inning game Monday in Texas and getting blanked twice. Houston won 24 of 32 games from June 1-July 6 but the Astros are 9-16 since. Houston fell for the ninth time in 13 games when it took a 6-4 loss to the Marlins on Wednesday night. The Astros finished with 12 hits on Wednesday, marking the 10th time since the All-Star break they reached double digits. Houston was 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position and went 12-for-32 (.375) in the series against Miami in that area after going 2-for-18 in last weekend's sweep by Boston. Christian Walker homered Wednesday and has three in his past six games following a 10-game drought. Carlos Correa collected three hits Wednesday and is 9-for-26 (.346) since returning to the Astros from Minnesota. Correa also is playing exclusively at third base and Mauricio Dubon started at shortstop when Jeremy Pena was given Wednesday off. 'He says he's just bouncing back that much better playing third base,' manager Joe Espada said of Correa. 'His body's just not getting as beat up as playing up the middle and having a lot more responsibility. So I'm going to keep him over there.' Hunter Brown (9-5, 2.47 ERA) opens the series for Houston. The right-hander allowed one run or fewer for the 13th time this season when he allowed one run on four hits in seven innings in a no-decision last Friday in Boston. Brown is 1-1 with a 3.21 ERA in three career starts against the Yankees, who counter with rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler (1-2, 4.58). Schlittler last pitched in Saturday's 2-0 loss at Miami when he allowed both runs on homers and allowed four hits in five innings. He has never faced Houston.
