Latest news with #WorldSeries'
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Gerwyn Price amazingly wins Poland Darts Masters despite losing case and brand new darts
The Iceman even spent hours filing down the points on his new set of arrows PRICE'S FRIGHT Gerwyn Price amazingly wins Poland Darts Masters despite losing case and brand new darts GERWYN PRICE seals incredible Poland Darts Masters title... despite losing his case and brand new set of arrows on the flight over. The Iceman, 40, denied 'King of the World Series' Stephen Bunting yet another 2025 crown amid his sensational year by edging a riveting final 8-7. 1 Gerwyn Price clinched Poland Darts Masters glory... but only after losing his luggage and brand new set of arrows Credit: Getty And the manner of his victory is all the more impressive after he revealed the drama he faced on landing in Poland. Following his sensational victory, 2021 world champion Price admitted he lost his luggage and his brand new set of darts. The Welsh former rugby player then had to dash out and a buy new darts last-minute... before tinkering with them by filing down the points. Reflecting on his win, Price - fresh from final heartbreak in the World Cup of Darts last month - revealed: "I'm quite chuffed that I won considering the circumstances... "I lost my case, lost my darts... I had a brand new set of darts. "I felt the points on them were too long so I was filing them down for two days. "So to be mentally strong and come through games in which I wasn't 100 per cent confident shows I've got great character and strength. "I'll probably keep these darts now and finish with them the rest of the year. It gives me confidence leading into the World Matchplay." CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Price went on to say he felt frustrated during much of the tournament - but is glad he doesn't have to "beat myself up" after finally clinching the title. He said: "It's nice to get back on the winning stage and getting trophies again, but I felt like I was a bit frustrated all the way through that game. Gerwyn Price reveals darts rival who rattled him most and it led to awkward moment on stage "I was trying too hard to get a leg in front and trying to break him but in the end I've done it. "I missed a couple of match darts where I was probably 7-6 up where I could've lost it but double-double finish. "I missed loads of doubles and kept Stephen in the game. "But I played really well against Rob, I was a bit frustrated with myself in the final but that's the way it goes sometimes. "I played really well against Chris (Dobey), Rob (Cross). Got frustrated but I won and that's all that matters... otherwise I'd beat myself up for a couple of days."
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Gerwyn Price amazingly wins Poland Darts Masters despite losing case and brand new darts
GERWYN PRICE seals incredible Poland Darts Masters title... despite losing his case and brand new set of arrows on the flight over. The Iceman, 40, denied 'King of the World Series' Advertisement 1 Gerwyn Price clinched Poland Darts Masters glory... but only after losing his luggage and brand new set of arrows Credit: Getty And the manner of his victory is all the more impressive after he revealed the drama he faced on landing in Poland. Following his sensational victory, 2021 world champion The Welsh former rugby player then had to dash out and a buy new darts last-minute... before tinkering with them by filing down the points. Reflecting on his win, Price - fresh from Advertisement READ MORE SPORT STORIES "I lost my case, lost my darts... I had a brand new set of darts. "I felt the points on them were too long so I was filing them down for two days. "So to be mentally strong and come through games in which I wasn't 100 per cent confident shows I've got great character and strength. "I'll probably keep these darts now and finish with them the rest of the year. It gives me confidence leading into the World Matchplay." Advertisement Most read in Darts CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Price went on to say he felt frustrated during much of the tournament - but is glad he doesn't have to "beat myself up" after finally clinching the title. He said: "It's nice to get back on the winning stage and getting trophies again, but I felt like I was a bit frustrated all the way through that game. Gerwyn Price reveals darts rival who rattled him most and it led to awkward moment on stage "I was trying too hard to get a leg in front and trying to break him but in the end I've done it. Advertisement "I missed a couple of match darts where I was probably 7-6 up where I could've lost it but double-double finish. "I missed loads of doubles and kept Stephen in the game. "But I played really well against Rob, I was a bit frustrated with myself in the final but that's the way it goes sometimes. "I played really well against Chris (Dobey), Rob (Cross). Got frustrated but I won and that's all that matters... otherwise I'd beat myself up for a couple of days." Advertisement List of all-time Darts World Champions BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year. The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions. That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once - Barney also won four BDO titles - and none of Eric Bristow's five BDO titles are included. 1994 - Dennis Priestley 1995 - Phil Taylor 1996 - Phil Taylor (2) 1997 - Phil Taylor (3) 1998 - Phil Taylor (4) 1999 - Phil Taylor (5) 2000 - Phil Taylor (6) 2001 - Phil Taylor (7) 2002 - Phil Taylor (8) 2003 - John Part 2004 - Phil Taylor (9) 2005 - Phil Taylor (10) 2006 - Phil Taylor (11) 2007 - Raymond van Barneveld 2008 - John Part (2) 2009 - Phil Taylor (12) 2010 - Phil Taylor (13) 2011 - Adrian Lewis 2012 - Adrian Lewis (2) 2013 - Phil Taylor (14) 2014 - Michael van Gerwen 2015 - Gary Anderson 2016 - Gary Anderson (2) 2017 - Michael van Gerwen (2) 2018 - Rob Cross 2019 - Michael van Gerwen (3) 2020 - Peter Wright 2021 - Gerwyn Price 2022 - Peter Wright (2) 2023 - Michael Smith 2024 - Luke Humphries 2025 - Luke Littler Most World Titles 14 - Phil Taylor 3 - Michael van Gerwen 2 - John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright 1 - Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler
New York Times
14-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Cubs, White Sox enter spring training with differing but modest hopes of improvement
Jed Hoyer took a swing, made contact and watched his home run attempt die in a glove. Metaphorically speaking, that is. Hoyer, the Cubs president, needed some fence-clearing pop to win the services of Alex Bregman, the last remaining star-caliber free agent, but the actual result was just another Wrigley Field fly ball. GO DEEPER Cubs detail Alex Bregman pursuit: 'We made the best offer we could make' You know the type. The fans in the stands think the swing is taking a pitcher to the bleachers, but those who are watching the outfielders know the ball is staying in the yard. No one advances, no one scores. A swing and an opportunity lost. It happens. The failure of Hoyer's free-agent swing is not difficult to comprehend. He just didn't have the financial muscle. Bregman signed with the Boston Red Sox because they offered the same money as the Cubs for fewer years, along with the opt-outs and deferrals that are all the rage. 'I feel like we made a strong offer but clearly it wasn't enough.' Jed Hoyer on Alex Bregman. — Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) February 13, 2025 You could tell, even from afar, how disappointed Hoyer was with the finality of it all. He mentions 'budget' a lot more often than 'World Series' these days. Hoyer's old employer in Boston has been in the same category as his current one in recent years — big-market teams attempting to claw their way back to national relevancy. Advertisement This offseason, the Cubs traded for one year of Kyle Tucker, while the Red Sox traded prospects for White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet and paid for three years (maybe) of Bregman. Neither team is projected to finish anywhere near the World Series. Boston's latest projected win total, according to Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA formula, is 80.4 wins, which wouldn't lift it out of the cellar of the AL East. The Cubs have a much rosier PECOTA outlook at 90.7 wins, which would easily clear their NL Central contenders. Boston's odds of winning it all are a paltry 1.1 percent, while the Cubs' are at 7.8 percent. These franchises, both of which have touted farm systems again, are not quite contenders. But his counterparts in Boston are much happier today. Odds can change, of course. Spring training just started. But spring is the time to set expectations and for the Cubs, it's winning the division. Bregman could have helped make them more formidable in the postseason, but they should still accomplish their goal of winning the NL Central and I believe that is how Hoyer, who is in the last year of his contract, will be judged. PECOTA currently gives the Cubs a 78 percent chance to win the NL Central. The betting markets have made them division favorites as well, with win totals between 85.5 (DraftKings and BetRivers) and 87.5 (FanDuel). Hoyer's boss, chairman Tom Ricketts, isn't an ultimatum-setting kind of owner — that is too bold — but he wants to see a division title and a return to the playoffs for the first time (not including the pandemic-shortened 2020 season) since 2018. I don't think that's too much to ask, even if it's too little for a man in his role to seek. For the Cubs, the World Series, once an obsession, is now a destination only in the abstract and it's still difficult for people in Chicago to handle. Wasn't the 2016 title, the remodeling of Wrigley Field, the Rickettsization of Wrigleyville and the move to a standalone TV channel supposed to herald a golden financial age? (It's a rhetorical question.) Advertisement I will be pleasantly surprised if the Cubs ever pay top dollar for a marquee free agent again, starting with Tucker. If he stays healthy and hits like he's capable of, he'll likely be an ex-Cub by this time next year. He was acquired to help the Cubs win now. Like right now. Then again, if the $120 million not spent on Bregman is reallocated to a longer deal for Tucker, I'll happily be proven wrong. But I'm not pre-writing an apology column. In an interview with the team's radio partner at Cubs Convention, Ricketts addressed the people who think the Cubs should be offering massive contracts to stars like the Dodgers, Mets and Yankees have done lately: 'I understand when fans say, 'How come you don't spend like that?' Because they think somehow we have all these dollars that the Dodgers have or the Mets have or the Yankees have and we just keep it. Which isn't true at all. What happens is we try to break even every year, and that's about it.' Not exactly rousing stuff, but Ricketts isn't exactly an inspiring owner. He's better suited to own the Milwaukee Brewers or Pittsburgh Pirates, but his family will own the Cubs forever after buying them just before the economics of baseball went bonkers. Still, his modest goals haven't been met by Hoyer or the players, as the Cubs have had a runway to win the NL Central in the last two years and finished well short with 83 wins, putting them behind the Brewers both times. Hoyer seemingly improved the bullpen this year, taking advantage of other teams shedding late-30s backend relievers, which should help. Shoddy relief pitching cost the Cubs victories the last two seasons, which is mostly why they've finished below their Pythagorean win total. (Craig Counsell didn't do much to show he was worth the biggest contract in managerial history, but perhaps his strategic edge shows up this year.) Advertisement Still, the addition of Tucker and the possibilities that Matt Shaw will rake as a rookie, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Busch will keep getting better, Dansby Swanson will return to form and Seiya Suzuki will stay healthy, well, that's what sells best this time of year right? Hope. Meanwhile, in Glendale, Ariz., where Hoyer's friend Chris Getz is running the show, the hope for the White Sox is much more modest. 'You look at our record last year,' Getz said in his opening news conference, 'we want to win more games this year. What exactly is that amount, time will tell.' Like most executives, Getz doesn't want to set an actual win-total goal, but in his case, it would be because his guess would be way too embarrassing to say in front of microphones. When asked if the Sox would provide a more watchable product than last year — when they went 41-121, breaking the 1962 Mets' mark for modern-day baseball futility — Getz reiterated his point without making a guarantee. Chris Getz, White Sox GM. Camp opens tomorrow — Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) February 11, 2025 'I do think we're going to win more games than we did last year,' he said. 'Unfortunately, there are going to be some growing pains along the way that at times are going to challenge your emotions, but that's part of the development of some of these players. We need to be patient.' The Sox have a promising farm system, led by left-handed starting pitchers Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, but even with new manager Will Venable replacing Pedro Grifol, their major-league team looks like it will again be one of the worst in baseball. I guess that's a step up from worst ever. PECOTA has them at 61.4-100.6, a potential 20-game improvement, though the projections had them winning 66 games last year. I guess their fancy algorithms weren't equipped to accurately predict the chaos of the White Sox. Advertisement It's not every day a team scores 507 runs and gives up 813. In 2025, PECOTA projects the Sox, as currently constructed, to score 627 and give up 804, the numbers of a 101-loss team. The betting markets have a lower opinion of the Sox. On BetMGM (the official partner of The Athletic), their win total is set at 52.5 (-125 for the over). You can get a slightly better price at FanDuel (52.5, -118), though the number is 53.5 (-110) at both DraftKings and BetRivers. Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox. Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox. My feelings on the team are such that I think the hook could be in play. Losing less than 100 games would warrant a party on the South Side and maybe a two-man statue for Venable and Getz. The big-league pitching staff is not promising — FanGraphs noted the Sox bullpen is the worst the website's formula has ever measured at this point in the offseason — and outside of Luis Robert, who could be traded any day from now until the end of July, the hitters aren't very scary. Still, it took a lot of bad juju for this team to win only 41 games. It can only get better, right? Like Getz said, I think so, and like him, I won't make any promises in February. (Photo of Kyle Tucker hitting against the Cubs at Wrigley Field last season: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
