Canadian women's wheelchair squad set for Americas Cup quarterfinal game with Mexico
Canada finished Group B play with a 2-1 record — second behind Brazil.
The Americas Cup is a qualification tournament for the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships, which will be played from Sept. 9 to 19 in Ottawa.
Arinn Young of Legal, Alta., and Élodie Tessier of Saint-Germain de Grantham, Que., powered Team Canada on Monday against Colombia.
Young had a game-high 34 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while Tessier added 15 points, five assists and five rebounds.
Canada shot 29-for-53 from the field and converted 19 points off Colombian turnovers, while holding the hosts to just 21 per cent shooting.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2025.
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New York Times
40 minutes ago
- New York Times
Blue Jays notes: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s surge, Trey Yesavage's development and more
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays snatched a series win over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. The 2-1 victory came on the back of seven efficient innings from Max Scherzer and a clutch late-game blast from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., with both players in the midst of their season's best stretches. The Jays held the second-best offence in baseball to just six runs across three contests, expanding their American League East lead to five games. Here are four takeaways from the series and key decisions Toronto will face in the coming days. Advertisement Guerrero leaned against his locker ahead of a late-July contest, expressing a quiet confidence. He'd hit just one home run in the previous 16 games, on pace for his fewest in a full season. 'The home runs are going to come,' he said at the time. 'And I know when they come, they're going to come a tonne.' Since then, Guerrero has seven home runs in 20 games — a 56-homer full-season pace. He's hit .367 in that stretch with an OPS over 1.100. On Thursday, the franchise slugger launched a two-run shot to left field, scoring Toronto's only runs. He paused for a moment after connecting with the pitch, holding his bat up in obvious celebration. The homer came on a curveball on the outside edge of the plate, but there was no struggle for Guerrero to reach it. 'To be honest with you,' Guerrero said through team interpreter Hector Lebron, 'I saw that pitch right down the middle.' Guerrero's recent run is a mirror of his second-half surge from 2024, when he hit .376 with a 1.127 OPS after the All-Star break. That late-summer success was a footnote in a 74-win season, with the team already out of contention. This year, on a team fighting for a pennant, Guerrero's ascendance holds real meaning. George Springer cleared concussion protocol Wednesday and joined the Buffalo Bisons for a brief rehab assignment. He could return to the big leagues as early as Friday, John Schneider said. Whenever Springer is ready, the Jays are faced with a difficult decision. With Andrés Giménez healthy and optionable players like Joey Loperfido and Davis Schneider flourishing, there's no obvious demotion. For the last few weeks, the Jays manager noted these sorts of choices often have a way of working themselves out. But Springer is nearly back and no move is clear. How about a double 105.8 MPH off the bat of George Springer!? 🚀 @BlueJays — Buffalo Bisons (@BuffaloBisons) August 15, 2025 'I think it's a good problem to have,' Schneider said. 'But you probably know you're going to disappoint somebody at some point.' If the Jays want to keep every player in the organization, they'll send down Loperfido or Schneider. But both hitters have an OPS over .820 and are batting over .295 in August. Other options at the end of Toronto's roster are Myles Straw and Ty France, though both would need to be designated for assignment. Straw is well-liked in the clubhouse, a defensive whiz and a key part of Toronto's small-ball success. France, acquired at the deadline, is hitting .343 in 11 games since joining the Jays. Advertisement Perhaps a lefty-masher like Schneider becomes the undeserved casualty. After Saturday's scheduled contest against southpaw Patrick Corbin, the Jays are expected to face six-straight right-handed pitchers. But there is no easy choice and, so far, the decision has not worked itself out. Scherzer carved through five innings on just 50 pitches, dotting first-pitch strikes to 10 of his first 11 batters faced Thursday. In many ways, he was flawless — except for one pitch. The veteran starter left a curveball in the middle of the zone in the sixth inning, and Michael Busch slammed it into the right-field bleachers. It was Chicago's only run. The Jays overcame that homer thanks to Guerrero's two-run blast. The long balls haven't held Toronto back from a first-place record, but they've persisted as an undeniable trend. Blue Jays pitchers are fifth in strikeouts. They've allowed fewer walks than average and are top-10 in hits allowed. But the team entered Thursday's finale with the fifth-most homers against this season. Since the trade deadline, Toronto's starters have allowed 12 homers in 12 games. 'When we self-assess every couple weeks,' Schneider said, 'the home runs allowed is kind of always a glaring thing.' The Jays have been 'banging their heads' all year, Schneider said, trying to solve the homer issue. It's really the one weakness for an otherwise solid staff. Early on, they attempted altering pitch sequencing. They've asked catchers to adjust glove placement, hoping to lead pitches to the edges of the zone. The diagnosis, Schneider said, is missing down the middle. Toronto's pitchers want to be the aggressor, Kevin Gausman said, and those early strikes come with a cost. Pitches in the zone are easier to hit. The Jays pitchers aren't particularly nasty, either, thriving more on deception and location. They rank 24th in Stuff+, so the margin for error is higher. They can sequence and deceive all they want, but ultimately, managing mistakes is key. Last season, 37 rookies debuted in September, with seven joining 2025 playoff teams. Five pitchers came up in the final month for October-bound squads, and all but one pitched postseason games in relief. Yesavage could do the same for this year's Jays. Guys like Cleveland's Erik Sabrowski and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Edgardo Henriquez were minor-league relievers who pushed up into big-league bullpens last year. But Detroit's Jackson Jobe is the best comparison for Yesavage. Jobe debuted in his third full professional season, while Yesavage is knocking down the door in his first. Like Yesavage, the Tigers righty jumped three minor-league levels last year, skyrocketing up prospect rankings before entering Detroit's bullpen on Sept. 25. Jobe owns elite stuff, with at least three plus pitches. He appeared in two regular-season games and two playoff contests. Advertisement There's a balance between urgency, development and logistics for the promotion of top prospects like Yesavage. On the one hand, the Jays don't have an open 40-man spot, and he technically wouldn't need to be placed on the roster during the offseason. The righty is 22 years old in his first professional season, with just 20 minor-league outings. He lasted just 1 2/3 innings in his Triple-A debut Thursday, allowing two runs on one hit and four walks. He's also rapidly adjusted to every minor-league level, even after early bumps. Reaching sky-high to hurl 95 mph fastballs, he has the sort of funky delivery that could confound big-league hitters seeing him for the first time. Like Jobe, Yesavage could join a playoff push and make an immediate impact. But he'll have to earn the spot. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
40 minutes ago
- New York Times
Nazem Kadri talks Hockey Canada Olympic camp snub: ‘I deserve a chance'
Despite not receiving an invitation to Hockey Canada's upcoming national team orientation camp, 16-year NHL veteran and Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri believes he should still be considered for its roster at the 2026 Winter Olympics. 'I feel like I deserve a chance,' Kadri told The Athletic on Thursday. 'I think over the last few seasons I've certainly proven that with my statistics and the winning pedigree. I think it speaks for itself.' Advertisement Forty-two other NHLers are slated to attend a three-day, off-ice camp from Aug. 26-28 in Calgary. There, as Hockey Canada executive Scott Salmond said in a release, they will 'kick off the road to Italy.' Earlier this month, Kadri not-so-cryptically dropped three question marks in the comment section of a social media post announcing the news. 'Honestly, man, it would be an absolute dream come true to somehow crack that team,' Kadri said. 'I've been a long shot before. I'm looking forward to giving myself an opportunity. But I understand I'm going to have to play well.' Nazem Kadri comments on being left off Canada's Orientation Camp roster. HT (IG/43kadri) — BarDown (@BarDown) August 2, 2025 Kadri scored 35 goals and registered 67 points for the Flames in 2024-25, appearing in all 82 regular-season games as the team was eliminated from playoff contention during the final week. The 34-year-old forward has led Calgary in points for the last two seasons, and was tied for third in his first season there in 2022-23. Kadri joined the Flames on a seven-year, $49 million contract after stops with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche. He is now 15 games away from 1,000 in his career, having made his debut during the 2009-10 season. 'I (had a) career high in goals last year,' said Kadri, who last suited up for Team Canada in international competition at the 2014 World Championship. 'I'm playing some of my best hockey. I feel good. I take pride in looking after myself and making sure, medically and physically, that everything's balanced and in line. I put in a lot of hours and a lot of time and effort to make sure I'm prepared. I'm just a competitive guy and when that puck drops, it's game on.' Asked if he thought his social media comment would hurt — or even help — his chances of ultimately being considered for Team Canada next year, Kadri responded: 'Who cares?' Advertisement He continued: 'It could help, or hurt, I'm not quite sure. It's not as serious as most people thought it was. I just thought I'd create a little stir. Like I mentioned, I would absolutely love to be on that team. I think I should be in consideration.' Kadri spoke to The Athletic in advance of the Hockey Diversity Alliance's inaugural 'Summer Fest' event, to be held in Toronto on Saturday. Described by the HDA as the 'world's largest youth BIPOC road hockey tournament,' the event will feature 250 children from marginalized communities throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Kadri will be among several HDA members participating, along with founder Akim Aliu, retired NHL forward Wayne Simmonds and Islanders forward Anthony Duclair. Social activists and former NFL stars Marshawn Lynch and Colin Kaepernick are also expected to be present, bringing an even bigger spotlight to the festivities at Canoe Landing Park. 'The afternoon session will be great for the kids,' Kadri said. 'It's almost like a carnival-type setup. Great for families and young kids. Should have a couple of celebrities as well.' Back in Calgary, it's not just the Canadian roster that will draw eyes. Barring a trade before the puck drops on the 2025-26 season, the spotlight figures to shine brightly on one of Kadri's Flames teammates: Rasmus Andersson, the 28-year-old Swedish defenseman who has been mired in trade rumors. Andersson is entering the final year of a six-year, $27.30 million deal and could become a free agent next summer. Andersson scored 11 goals and 31 points in 81 games last season, and has scored 47 goals and 231 points in 536 career games with the Flames. The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun previously reported Andersson had ranked the Golden Knights highest on his trade wish list. Kadri, however, hopes to see his teammate stick around in Flames colors. Advertisement 'Obviously, that's between him and the team. That's their business,' Kadri said. 'But for me, (Rasmus) is a great player. He's a great friend. I'd love to see him stick around. But at the end of the day I think every player has faced, at some point in their career, a big decision they've got to make. I think he's at that point now. 'Obviously, I'd love to continue to have him on my team. He's one of our top defensemen, of course. He's been a long-time Flame. He's spent a lot of time out in Calgary. I know he enjoys the city. It's between them now. I expect to see him, obviously, at training camp, and I'm sure he'll be ready to go.' Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Twins' newest team Hall of Famer: Corey Koskie, the volleyball-playing ‘no shot' from Canada
Editor's note: This article was originally published on Feb. 11, 2002, as part of a series about the most underrated players in Minnesota Twins history. It's being republished now, in honor of Corey Koskie's induction into the Twins' team Hall of Fame on Sunday at Target Field. Corey Koskie grew up on a farm in Canada, in a community called Anola with a population of 200 or so. He barely played baseball but starred in hockey and volleyball. Koskie was recruited to play goalie for the University of Minnesota-Duluth but opted for a volleyball scholarship from the University of Manitoba. And that was almost the end of his baseball career. Advertisement After redshirting as a freshman, he was playing baseball for a summer townball team when John Smith, the head coach for Des Moines Area Community College, persuaded Koskie to switch sports and come to Boone, Iowa. 'For some reason I decided to go there and play baseball,' Koskie said years later. 'I wasn't a long shot. I view it as being a no shot.' After one successful season there, Koskie moved back home to Canada to play for Kwantlen University and the National Baseball Institute in British Columbia, where a Twins scout spotted him. Picked by the Twins in the 26th round of the 1994 draft, Koskie moved methodically up the minor-league ladder, spending a full season at each of four levels despite promotion-worthy performances. He finally reached Triple A in 1998, at age 25, and hit .301/.368/.539 with 26 homers in 135 games to earn his first career in-season promotion in the form of a September call-up to Minnesota. Despite batting just .138 with 10 strikeouts in his 11-game MLB debut, Koskie broke camp with the Twins the next spring and hit .333/.395/.564 in April to solidify his status as a big leaguer. However, manager Tom Kelly played Koskie sparingly, opting for veterans Ron Coomer, Brent Gates and Denny Hocking at third base. Koskie's fielding was a problem. He started just five of the Twins' first 54 games at third base, his only position throughout five seasons in the minor leagues, with his sporadic playing time coming mostly at designated hitter and even right field. 'I knew there was a reason I wasn't playing,' Koskie said at the time. 'I didn't want to sit and pout about it.' With the message received, Koskie worked tirelessly with third-base coach Ron Gardenhire to improve his hands and reaction time. It paid off, as Kelly noticed the strides Koskie was making and gradually gave him more starts at third base. He started 54 of the final 81 games, all of them at third base, and his left-handed bat was in the lineup nearly every day versus right-handed pitchers. Advertisement 'He has worked his butt off,' Gardenhire said in 2002. 'You can't wish anything but the best for a guy who works like he does. … I had no choice. I was the guy (Kelly) would yell at every time Corey didn't make a play.' Hard work leading to improvement isn't uncommon, but the remarkable aspect of Koskie's story was how rapidly he progressed and how much room he had to grow from a non-baseball background. He was an average-ish third baseman by his second season, and by 2001 — Kelly's last year before Gardenhire took over as manager — Koskie was one of the league's better-fielding third basemen. Corey Koskie going all out in Game 1 of the 2002 ALCS…a 2-1 Twins win. #MNTwins — Jeff (@MNTwinsZealot) October 16, 2019 Koskie required no such improvement at the plate, hitting .310/.387/.468 as a rookie and topping an .800 OPS in each of his six seasons with the Twins. His offensive profile changed, as Koskie traded some batting average for power, but his production was consistent. In those six seasons, only Chipper Jones, Scott Rolen, Troy Glaus and Eric Chávez had a higher OPS among third basemen. Koskie led Twins position players in Wins Above Replacement in three of his six seasons and was never worse than third on the team. At his best in 2001 as the Twins returned to relevance, he batted .276/.362/.488 with 26 homers, 65 total extra-base hits, 103 RBIs and Gold Glove-caliber defense. He even stole 27 bases despite a gait that could be charitably described as slow-moving. He was similarly productive in 2002, 2003 and 2004, playing for Gardenhire as one of the veterans on a squad that broke through with three straight division titles, but Koskie missed time with injuries in each of those seasons. And really, health was the main thing separating a good Koskie season from a great Koskie season, because he always had an .800-something OPS with good defense. Advertisement Even when he was young and healthy, Koskie moved at his own leisurely pace, shuffling out to his position in the field each inning and regularly causing false injury alarms for anyone watching what was the baseball-playing equivalent of a grandpa gently getting up from a couch. He'd snap into action, swiping a base or snagging a line drive, then resume his sedate way around the diamond. Because of his long journey through the minors, Koskie was already 30 in 2003, his fifth full season, and he dealt with nagging back and hamstring injuries that further gave him the look of someone for whom everything was a chore. But he kept producing. Koskie led the division-winning 2003 and 2004 teams in OPS while playing 131 and 118 games. Koskie slugged .607 with 11 homers and 11 doubles across 37 games in August and September 2004 as the Twins ran away from Chicago and Cleveland for their third straight AL Central title. He kept rolling in the ALDS, hitting .308 with a .474 on-base percentage versus the Yankees, and if not for a bad bounce Koskie would have one of the biggest clutch hits in Twins history. After winning Game 1 in New York behind seven shutout innings from Johan Santana, the Twins trailed 5-3 in the eighth inning of Game 2. They rallied off Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera, cutting the lead to 5-4 as Koskie stepped to the plate with runners on the corners and one out. Luis Rivas pinch-ran for Justin Morneau at first base, putting good speed on as the go-ahead run. Koskie slashed a Rivera cutter into the left-field corner as Torii Hunter jogged home with the tying run. Rivas was set to claim a lead that could have put the Twins up 2-0 in the series heading back to Minnesota and maybe even forever alter the now-lopsided postseason history between the two teams. Except the ball hopped over the wall for a ground-rule double, halting Rivas. 'They would have scored two (runs), no doubt about it,' Yankees catcher Jorge Posada said afterward. Instead, Jason Kubel and Cristian Guzmán stranded Rivas at third base and two hours later, in the bottom of the 12th inning, the Yankees evened the series with a walk-off victory. It took Minnesota two decades to win another playing game, including going 0-13 against the Yankees. Perhaps one bounce could have changed everything, for Koskie and for the Twins. Advertisement Koskie's double off Rivera proved to be the final big hit of his Twins career. He became a free agent after the season and the Twins made little effort to re-sign the 32-year-old, who went home to Canada on a three-year, $16.5 million deal with Toronto. Koskie bought a full-page ad in both local newspapers to thank Twins fans, calling it 'the hardest decision our family has ever had to make.' He had a down season for Toronto in 2005, missing two months with a broken thumb, and that winter the Blue Jays traded Koskie to the Brewers. He got off to a nice start with Milwaukee in 2006, hitting .261/.343/.490 with 12 homers in 76 games, but Koskie fell hard while chasing a pop-up on July 5 and suffered a concussion that ultimately ended his career at age 33. He never played again. 'It was 2 1/2 years of just dealing with this hell,' Koskie said in 2018 of the post-concussion symptoms and numerous setbacks. 'It sucked. Everything I (once) could do, I couldn't do anymore and you didn't know if you were OK. Everyone would say 'you look OK,' but you don't feel OK. It was a personal hell, and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.' Twins gift David Ortiz peanut butter in homage to epic prank. — theScore (@theScore) June 11, 2016 In addition to his strong defense at third base and consistently good production at the plate, Koskie was also known as a clubhouse prankster who pulled off his most famous trick on David Ortiz during spring training in 2002. As the story goes, Koskie was upset over some minor offense, so he went into the clubhouse during a game and filled Ortiz's underwear with peanut butter. Chunky, too. Later, a freshly showered Ortiz somehow got fully dressed — underwear, jeans, shirt, jacket, shoes — before noticing, at which point it was way too late. Years later, the Twins honored a retiring Ortiz during his farewell stop in Minnesota by having Koskie, Hunter, Gardenhire, LaTroy Hawkins and Eddie Guardado present him with a new jar of chunky peanut butter. It wasn't just pranks that made Koskie a popular teammate. Morneau, who later became a Twins leader himself, credits Koskie for taking him under his wing as a wide-eyed kid drafted out of Canada in 1999. They quickly bonded and years later, when Morneau was a top prospect invited to his first major-league spring training, Koskie was there to mentor him. They still play hockey together. 'He looked out for me and checked up on me in the minor leagues,' Morneau told The Athletic last year. 'My first big-league camp, I made plenty of mistakes. And he was there just saying, hey, you can't do this, you can't do that. There are certain ways you've got to conduct yourself. That's the way the game works. Everyone who's been there understands. They remember what it's like to be a rookie.' Advertisement Koskie probably remembered that rookie feeling more than most, since his path to the majors was anything but standard and his first manager wasn't shy about letting him know his fielding wasn't good enough. In response, he improved his defense as much as anyone in Twins history and emerged as one of the biggest driving forces for the team's return to prominence in the early 2000s. Gary Gaetti is almost universally regarded as the greatest Twins third baseman of all time. And for good reason. He spent 10 seasons in Minnesota, starred on the 1987 championship team, won four Gold Glove awards and has the eighth-most homers in Twins history. Gaetti is unquestionably an all-time Twins great and deservedly was inducted into the team Hall of Fame in 2007. Koskie is, at worst, the No. 2 third baseman in Twins history and has more of a case for the No. 1 spot than most fans would be willing to even consider. Gaetti played four more years and 67 percent more games in Minnesota, yet the career WAR in a Twins uniform is relatively close (27.1 to 22.1) because Koskie was far more consistently an all-around asset. Gaetti's production varied wildly from year to year, and he was a notorious free-swinger prone to terrible on-base percentages. He's most remembered for being a middle-of-the-order slugger on a World Series-winning team, but Gaetti was an above-average hitter relative to the league average in just three of 10 seasons with the Twins, whereas Koskie cleared that bar easily in all six seasons. Gaetti had a .744 OPS for the Twins at a time when the league as a whole had a .728 OPS. He was great from 1986 to 1988 but almost exactly average overall. By comparison, Koskie posted an .836 OPS for the Twins at a time when the league OPS was .771, and he topped the league-wide OPS by at least 40 points in every season. Koskie was a better hitter than Gaetti, often by quite a bit. In fact, Koskie was a better hitter than most everyone in Twins history. Among all players with at least 1,500 plate appearances for the Twins, he ranks seventh in OPS (.836), sandwiched between Kirby Puckett (.837) and Morneau (.832). Koskie's raw numbers are inflated by playing in a high-scoring era, but even his OPS+ — which accounts for that context — ranks 15th in Twins history. Gaetti is one of the elite defensive third basemen of all time in reputation and numbers, so he has a considerable advantage there even though Koskie was a quality fielder himself. And yet WAR, which factors in batting, fielding and baserunning, gives Koskie a sizable all-around edge over Gaetti per 150 games with the Twins — 4.1 to 3.0. Koskie was worth roughly an extra win per year. Advertisement Gaetti's far lengthier Twins career and superior durability shouldn't be brushed aside, and it's absolutely justified to consider 'The Rat' as the Twins' best third baseman. But there's also a reasonable argument to be made for Koskie, and the fact that would come as a shock to so many fans is evidence for his being vastly underrated. And now Koskie is deservedly joining Gaetti in the Twins Hall of Fame this weekend. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
