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Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Lowe, Caminero hit 2-run homers in the Rays' 8-2 victory over the Athletics
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Brandon Lowe and Junior Caminero hit two-run home runs, Drew Rasmussen threw six innings and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Athletics 8-2 on Wednesday night. Lowe's second-inning home run off J.T. Ginn (2-5) — his 24th of the season — made it 6-0. Caminero homered in the ninth. Rasmussen (10-5) reached double-digit wins for the second time in his career, but saw his AL-best scoreless streak end at 17 1/3 innings when Lawrence Butler hit a two-run homer in the third. It was the first extra-base hit allowed by Rasmussen in his last four starts. Caminero, Josh Lowe, and Jake Mangum each had RBIs in the top of the first, and Mangum scored on a throwing error. Ginn allowed six hits and six runs — five earned — in two innings. Key moment Lowe's two-run homer to left center extended the Rays' lead. Key stat Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The Rays won their first road series against the A's since May 2-4, 2022, at the Oakland Coliseum. Up next Both teams are off Thursday. The Athletics host the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night, with RHP Jack Perkins (1-2, 4.08) to to start opposite Los Angeles LHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-7, 3.37). The Rays are at San Francisco on Friday night. RHP Joe Boyle (1-2, 3.82) was set to face Giants RHP Landen Roup (7-6, 3.11). ___ AP MLB:
Globe and Mail
10 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Polish-born NHL defenceman John Miszuk came to Canada as a refugee after the Second World War
John Miszuk, a refugee from war-torn Europe who only learned to skate at age 12, overcame a late start to forge an 18-season career in professional hockey. A dependable, stay-at-home defenceman, Mr. Miszuk (pronounced MISH-ook) gained a reputation for delivering punishing bodychecks, including once knocking out an opponent with a clean hit during a playoff game. Mr. Miszuk, who has died at age 84, was an original member of the expansion Philadelphia Flyers. He skated in 237 National Hockey League games for the Flyers, the Detroit Red Wings, the Chicago Black Hawks (now Blackhawks) and the Minnesota North Stars. The 6-foot-1 (185-centimetre), 192-pound (87-kilogram) defenceman rarely rushed the puck, preferring instead to pass to forwards. He was known for playing his man, pushing a rival from the front of the net, or knocking him into the boards. 'You don't have to be a great skater to play that style,' he said in 1976, 'which suits me fine because I'll never make it to the Ice Capades.' The defenceman joined the likes of Denmark's Poul Popiel and Stan Mikita, who was born in the Nazi client state of the Slovak Republic, as rare European-born players in the NHL in their era. As a teenager, Mr. Miszuk became determined to become a pro hockey player, much to the disappointment of his parents, who wanted him to learn a trade. 'I know it will be tough, but I've already beaten a lot of tough things,' he said then. 'When I was two, Hitler drove my parents out of Poland and into slave labour camps in Germany. When I came [to Canada] at nine, I had to learn English. A lot of people say I won't make the pros, but at least I'll give it a try. I'll never be satisfied if I don't give it a try.' Jan Miszuk was born on Sept. 29, 1940, in Naliboki, a Polish village occupied the previous year by the invading Red Army of the Soviet Union. His parents Maria (née Nowicki) and Kazimierz Miszuk were farmers who had the great misfortune of living in the heart of what historian Timothy Snyder would later describe as the Bloodlands. At the time of the boy's birth, the village, about 80 kilometres west of Minsk, had been absorbed into the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. The German army swept through the village in 1941. The family was removed from their farm, and the parents were conscripted as forced labourers in Germany. They spent time in transit and relocation camps. Even Germany's surrender did not end their deprivations. 'We lived in seven different places in Germany,' the hockey player told the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper in 1967. 'It wasn't pleasant. We had a family of six and you were lucky to get an apartment with two rooms. There wasn't much work either. My father had a tough time.' With the family farm once again in territory controlled by the Soviets, the family sought to build a new life outside of Europe. They were among 157,000 refugees known as displaced persons who came to Canada after the Second World War. The boy's father and an uncle left a resettlement camp at Bremerhaven, Germany, for Canada in the summer of 1950. In January, 1951, the 10-year-old boy joined his mother and two sisters, the younger one having been born in Germany, aboard the United States transport ship General C.C. Ballou, which carried about 400 passengers bound for Halifax. Many were miners and woodsmen seeking work in the Val d'Or region of Quebec and lumber camps in northern Ontario. The family settled in Hamilton, where the father found a job as a shipper with Mohawk Mills, which produced yarns for hosiery and underwear, before working as a labourer with the International Harvester Company. The mother became a dietary aide at St. Joseph's Hospital, a position she held for 31 years, while his older sister worked at a shoe factory. The boy became a newspaper carrier for the Hamilton Spectator, using his earnings to buy clothes and a bicycle while taking industrial courses at Central Secondary with plans to become an electrical engineer. He played baseball, softball, basketball and soccer, once scoring six goals to lead his Hamilton team to a 12-0 victory over a squad from Belleville to claim the Ontario bantam championship. Hockey was his favourite sport, though he was several years behind in his development compared to peers, and he thrived playing in leagues organized by the Hamilton Police Minor Athletic Association, which developed such future NHLers as Harry Howell and Murray Oliver, as well as Bill Friday, a referee whose father helped create the association. Mr. Miszuk played junior hockey for the Tiger Cubs and Red Wings in Hamilton before turning pro with the Edmonton Flyers in 1961. Under coach Norman (Bud) Poile, the Flyers won the Lester Patrick Cup as champions of the Western Hockey League. The defenceman made his NHL debut with Detroit during the 1963-64 campaign, seeing spot duty over 42 games as a fill-in for injured defencemen. 'Miszuk isn't the world's best skater,' said Red Wings coach and general manager Sid Abel, 'but he seems to block [opponents] out and get the job done.' He was traded to Chicago in 1964, playing in five regular-season and five playoff games over two seasons. He knocked out Detroit's Dean Prentice with a clean bodycheck into the boards in a 1966 semifinal game. At training camp in 1966, he lost a competition for the fifth defence spot on the Chicago roster to Ed Van Impe. At a time when the NHL only had six clubs, the late bloomer seemed doomed to spend most of his career in the minors, playing for such farm teams as the Pittsburgh Hornets, Buffalo Bisons and St. Louis Braves. The NHL doubled in size with expansion in 1967. The Philadelphia Flyers selected Mr. Miszuk in the ninth round, 51st overall, reuniting him with the expansion club's general manager, Mr. Poile. (Mr. Van Impe was taken by the team in the third round.) 'I'm really glad about going to a new club because I feel I'm finally going to get a real chance to show what I can do,' Mr. Miszuk said. 'I feel I have what it takes to be a frontline defenceman and that's the only way to play hockey.' When the Toronto Maple Leafs made their visit to the Spectrum in Philadelphia that season, Mr. Miszuk was the surprise scoring star, putting two pucks past Johnny Bower in the Toronto goal in the first period. He said later he could not remember ever having scored two goals in a game as a professional. He would record only five in the season. In his NHL career, he scored seven goals with 39 assists. He had three assists in 19 playoff games. After two seasons in Philadelphia, the defenceman was traded to Minnesota. In 1974, he signed a free-agent contract with the Michigan Stags of the World Hockey Association, a major-league rival to the NHL. The Detroit-based franchise failed at the gate and on the ice, becoming the Baltimore Blades midway through the season only to go bankrupt and fold. The next summer, he paid his own way from San Diego to try out with the WHA's Calgary Cowboys, only to have coach Joe Crozier tell him all roster spots were filled. He persisted, hanging around the club until injuries opened a spot. 'At first I didn't think I needed him,' the coach said, 'but by November he was my best defenceman. He isn't fancy, but he's steady.' Mr. Miszuk skated with the Cowboys for two seasons. He also played for the minor-league Iowa Stars, San Diego Gulls and San Francisco Shamrocks before ending his career in 1979 with the San Diego Hawks. He played games for charity for another two decades as a member of the touring NHL Alumni club. In 1998, he was added to the Copps Coliseum (now TD Coliseum) Wall of Fame in Hamilton, a display that has since been dismantled. After retiring from hockey, he and his wife became well-known Tim Hortons franchise owners and philanthropists. In 1992, they opened a new, 4,000-square-foot, 116-seat restaurant in downtown Hamilton, the coffee-and-donut chain's largest in Ontario. Prime Minister Kim Campbell attracted 300 people when she held a campaign town hall in the outlet the following year. Six years ago, he traveled 7,000 kilometres to visit his birthplace in what is now Belarus. The family farm had been burned to the ground during the war. He returned to Canada with an envelope filed with a handful of the bountiful soil his family once tilled. Mr. Miszuk died at home on July 28. He leaves his wife of 63 years, the former Cora Bakalech, whom he met while playing in Edmonton. He also leaves two sons, two daughters, five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and two sisters. A grinder and journeyman for much of his career, the defenceman once appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. Under the headline 'Those big bad Black Hawks,' a photograph shows a furious Bobby Hull tangling with a rival player identifiable only by his No. 18 Red Wings sweater. The rookie was pleased with the outcome of his first NHL fight. 'You've got to show them you belong up here,' he told The Hockey News. 'I figure I was lucky to get a standoff, though. He's a pretty strong boy.' You can find more obituaries from The Globe and Mail here. To submit a memory about someone we have recently profiled on the Obituaries page, e-mail us at obit@
Globe and Mail
16 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
NIKE Bets on EMEA Growth: Can This Strategy Pay Off in FY26?
NIKE Inc. 's NKE EMEA strategy is emerging as one of the most promising growth levers for fiscal 2026, building on progress already made in cleaning up the marketplace and repositioning NIKE Digital as part of an integrated channel strategy. In fourth-quarter fiscal 2025, the region delivered growth in key performance categories like running and training, while women's sportswear footwear returned to growth. Wholesale sportswear also posted gains, reflecting the benefits of diversifying beyond classic franchises such as Air Force 1, Dunk and AJ1. The company ended the quarter with inventory slightly ahead of targets and a healthier balance of full-price sales. A core pillar of NIKE's EMEA push is the 'sport offense' realignment, dedicated cross-functional teams focused on specific sports to deepen athlete relationships, drive targeted innovation and tailor storytelling by market. This sharper focus enables the company to match local consumer demand with sport-specific product pipelines, such as high-performing running footwear (led by the Vomero 18 franchise) and expanded women's basketball offerings. The approach also supports sharper marketplace segmentation, allowing NIKE to deliver unique assortments to wholesale partners like JD Sports while maintaining premium positioning in NIKE Direct. In fiscal 2026, NIKE expects the EMEA region to benefit from a stronger holiday order book, bolstered by growth in performance categories and new dimensions in sportswear to offset declines in classic franchises. Momentum in the region is also supported by improved wholesale sell-through rates, healthier inventory levels and higher full-price sales penetration. If the sport offense model continues to generate both consumer excitement and channel profitability, EMEA could be a key driver of the company's return to sustainable growth in fiscal 2026. NKE's Competition in the Global Arena adidas AG ADDYY and lululemon athletica inc. LULU are the key companies competing with NIKE in the global market. adidas remains one of NIKE's strongest global competitors, leveraging its deep heritage in performance sports and lifestyle segments to maintain a strong foothold in markets like EMEA and Asia-Pacific. The brand continues to benefit from its credibility in football, running and training, reinforced by partnerships with elite clubs, athletes and cultural icons. In recent years, adidas has accelerated its innovation cycle, introducing performance-driven footwear like the Adizero and Ultraboost lines, while expanding its sustainability initiatives, such as increasing the use of recycled materials through its Primegreen and Primeblue platforms. lululemon has carved out a premium niche in athletic apparel, dominating the global yoga, studio and athleisure markets while steadily expanding into high-performance categories like running, training, golf and tennis. lululemon's vertically integrated model, with a strong direct-to-consumer foundation, allows for tight control over pricing, product drops and customer experience. NKE's Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates Shares of NIKE have lost 1.1% year to date compared with the industry 's decline of 5.2%. From a valuation standpoint, NKE trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 40.07X compared with the industry's average of 29.34X. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NKE's fiscal 2025 earnings implies a year-over-year decline of 12.04%, while that for fiscal 2026 indicates growth of 1.9%. The company's EPS estimate for fiscal 2025 and 2026 has been unchanged in the past seven days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research NIKE currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. See our %%CTA_TEXT%% report – free today! 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report NIKE, Inc. (NKE): Free Stock Analysis Report lululemon athletica inc. (LULU): Free Stock Analysis Report Adidas AG (ADDYY): Free Stock Analysis Report
