Latest from Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
15 minutes ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Hermann's debut heroics lead South Africa to T20 victory over Zimbabwe
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — South African batter Rubin Hermann made an impressive T20 debut and led Proteas to a five-wicket victory against Zimbabwe in the opening game of the tri-series on Monday. The 28-year-old Herman top-scored with 45 off 37 balls and made up for the top-order collapse before South Africa cruised to 142-5 in 15.5 overs in its first T20 this year. Dewald Brevis smashed five sixes in his belligerent 41 off just 17 balls in a strong Proteas chase. Zimbabwe was earlier limited to 141-6, despite an unbeaten 54 from its skipper Sikandar Raza, with George Linde picking up 3-10 after South Africa captain Rassie van der Dussen won the toss and elected to field. Fast bowlers Lungi Ngidi (1-15) and Nandre Burger (1-22), returning after almost 10-month absence from lower-back stress fracture, bowled well upfront before Raza and Ryan Burl (29) provided the acceleration for Zimbabwe in the second half of the innings. South Africa will take on New Zealand in the second game of the tri-series on Wednesday. Hermann and Brevis control the chase Tall fast bowler Richard Ngarava (3-35) struck twice inside the powerplay when another debutant Lhuan-dre Pretorius offered a return catch off the first legitimate ball in Proteas' chase and Reeza Hendricks' middle stump was knocked over when he tried to go for an ambitious drive and got a big inside edge. Captain van der Dussen struck two sixes, but was caught at mid-on off fast bowler Trevor Gwandu (2-15) as South Africa slipped to 3-38 in the sixth over. But Herman and Brevis steadied the chase with 72-run stand as Brevis smashed Burl for 25 runs in one over that featured three sixes and a boundary. Brevis fell in the 12th over when he tried to hit Gwandu inside out over extra cover and sliced a catch to Bennett. Ngarava flattened Hermann's off-stump off a ball that kept a bit low with only 12 needed for victory. Pace and spin pin down Zimbabwe Fast bowlers Ngidi and Burger didn't allow Zimbabwe batters to score freely in the first half and Brian Bennett's (30) patience also ran out as he holed out to deep mid-wicket when he tried to push the acceleration against Linde in the 11th over. Raza and Burl tried to up the ante in the death overs but Burl was caught by Hermann at long off in the 18th over after scoring 29 off 20 balls. Linde picked up two wickets of successive balls in the final over before Wellington Masakadza avoided the hat-trick ball, but left-arm spinner Linde finished off well without conceding a boundary off his three overs. ___ AP cricket:
Winnipeg Free Press
30 minutes ago
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
NASCAR teams 23XI and Front Row seek urgent court order to retain charters
The two race teams suing NASCAR over antitrust allegations filed for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction Monday to be recognized as chartered organizations for the remainder of 2025. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are locked in a lengthy legal battle over the charter system, which is the equivalent of the franchise model in other sports. 23XI, owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row, owned by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, last September rejected NASCAR's final proposal on extensions and instead filed an antitrust suit. The case is winding its way through the court system but now with urgency: the teams are set to lose their charters Wednesday and in the latest filing, they allege NASCAR has indicated it will immediately begin the process of selling the six tags that guarantee entry into every race as well as monetary rewards and other benefits. Should the teams have their six combined charters revoked, the drivers would have to qualify on speed to make each week's race and would receive a smaller percentage of the purse. They may also have to refund money paid out through the first 20 races of the year. NASCAR accused 23XI and Front Row of filing 'a third motion for another unnecessary and inappropriate preliminary injunction' and noted it has made multiple requests to the teams 'to present a proposal to resolve this litigation. 'We have yet to receive a proposal from 23XI or Front Row, as they have instead preferred to continue their damaging and distracting lawsuit,' NASCAR said in a statement. 'We will defend NASCAR's integrity from this baseless lawsuit forced upon the sport that threatens to divide the stakeholders committed to serving race fans everywhere. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'We remain focused on collaborating with the 13 race teams that signed the 2025 charter agreements and share our mutual goal of delivering the best racing in the world each week, including this weekend in Dover.' Later Monday, Rick Ware Racing and Legacy Motor Club had a scheduled court date in North Carolina over their fight for a charter. Legacy, owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, contends it had an agreement with RWR to lease one of its two charters in 2026. RWR contends the agreement was for 2027 and it already has a contract with RFK Racing to lease that team a charter next season. ___ AP auto racing:
Winnipeg Free Press
30 minutes ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fred Warner is voted the top off-ball linebacker in the NFL by AP writers
Whether it's stopping the run game, dropping into pass coverage or even rushing the quarterback, Fred Warner thrives for the San Francisco 49ers. Warner's strong all-around play for San Francisco helped him win the honor of being voted the top off-ball linebacker in the league by The Associated Press. A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at off-ball linebacker, basing selections on current status entering the 2025 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points. Warner got seven of the eight first-place votes to go with one second to win the voting easily. Three other players were selected on all eight ballots, with Baltimore's Roquan Smith getting the other first-place vote to come in second, Philadelphia's Zack Baun finishing third and Washington's Bobby Wagner coming in fourth. Indianapolis' Zaire Franklin rounded out the top five. New Orleans' Demario Davis, Denver's Dre Greenlaw, Minnesota's Blake Cashman and Pittsburgh's Patrick Queen also received votes. 1. FRED WARNER, San Francisco 49ers Despite playing most of last season with a broken bone in his ankle, Warner still performed at a high level and earned his third straight and fourth overall first-team All-Pro honor. Warner had 131 tackles, five tackles for loss, two interceptions, seven passes defensed and four forced fumbles last season. Warner has 10 sacks, 10 interceptions, 15 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, 36 tackles for loss and 53 passes defensed in his first seven seasons. He is one of three active players with at least 10 sacks, interceptions and forced fumbles, along with Minnesota safety Harrison Smith and Tampa Bay linebacker Lavonte David. 2. ROQUAN SMITH, Baltimore Ravens The midseason trade in 2022 that sent Smith from Chicago to Baltimore helped lift the Ravens' defense by solidifying the middle of the field. In 41 games with Baltimore, Smith has 398 tackles, five sacks, three interceptions and 15 passes defensed as he has earned first-team All-Pro honors the past three seasons. 3. ZACK BAUN, Philadelphia Eagles After struggling to get on the field on defense as an edge rusher his first four seasons in New Orleans, Baun was a revelation at linebacker in his first year with the Eagles. He had 151 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks and one interception in the regular season and also had a pick against Patrick Mahomes in the Eagles' Super Bowl win. Baun earned All-Pro honors, finished fifth in voting for the AP Defensive Player of the Year award and cashed in with a three-year, $51 million deal in the offseason. 4. BOBBY WAGNER, Washington Commanders Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Coach Dan Quinn brought his former linebacker from Seattle to Washington in his first season as coach of the Commanders for veteran leadership. Wagner, who turned 35 last month, showed he can still perform at a high level. Wagner had his 13th straight season with at least 100 tackles and earned his fifth second-team All-Pro selection to go along with six first-team picks. Only Reggie White (13) and Jim Otto (12) have been picked as a first or second-team All-Pro more than Wagner. 5. ZAIRE FRANKLIN, Indianapolis Colts Franklin led the NFL with 173 tackles last season, becoming the second player since at least 2000 with three straight seasons with at least 165 tackles. His 518 tackles in three seasons since becoming a full-time starter in 2022 are the most in the NFL in that span. ___ AP NFL:
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Elmo's hacked X account posted racist messages. Sesame Workshop is trying to regain control
Sesame Workshop was trying to regain full control over its Elmo account on the X platform Monday after a hacker gained access and posted a string of racist and antisemitic messages. 'Elmo's X account was compromised by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts. We are working to restore full control of the account,' a Sesame Workshop spokesperson said Monday. Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit behind 'Sesame Street' and Elmo. The account was compromised over the weekend and instead of the usual posts of encouragement and kindness, Elmo's 650,000 followers were given antisemitic threats and a profane reference to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation. Those tweets were soon deleted. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. X did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Elmo's social media account has lately become a place for mental health awareness. Last year, the red fuzzy monster, eternally 3 1/2, caused a sensation when he asked: 'Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?' It prompted responses from then-President Joe Biden and Chance the Rapper.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Saquon Barkley is selected as top running back by the AP after a record-setting season
Saquon Barkley's first season in Philadelphia featured record performances on the field, a Super Bowl title and a new contract that is the richest ever for a running back. Barkley's performance with the Eagles also helped him score the honor of being voted the top running back in the league by The Associated Press. A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at running back, basing selections on current status entering the 2025 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points. Barkley got seven first-place votes and one second to win the voting easily. Baltimore's Derrick Henry was the only other player selected on all eight ballots and came in second with one first-place vote, five seconds, one third and one fifth. Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs got the remaining two second-place votes and finished third. Atlanta's Bijan Robinson and San Francisco's Christian McCaffrey rounded out the top five. Indianapolis' Jonathan Taylor, Green Bay's Josh Jacobs and Tampa Bay's Bucky Irving also received votes. 1. SAQUON BARKLEY, Philadelphia Eagles Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards in the regular season, falling 101 short of breaking Eric Dickerson's regular-season record because he was rested rather than playing in a meaningless Week 18 game. His 2,504 yards rushing including the playoffs broke Terrell Davis' record of 2,476 and featured a record seven TD runs of at least 60 yards. Barkley parlayed that into a two-year contract extension worth $41.2 million with $36 million guaranteed, which is the richest ever for a running back. 2. DERRICK HENRY, Baltimore Ravens Anyone expecting Henry to drop off in his 30s was disappointed last season when a move to Baltimore helped spark a resurgence to his career. Henry, who turned 31 in January, rushed for 1,921 yards last season for the most ever for a player after turning 30, topping the 1,860 yards Tiki Barber had at age 30 in 2005. Henry has the 11th-most yards ever in a season and the most for a player who didn't win a rushing title as he remains one of the best pure rushers in the game. 3. JAHMYR GIBBS, Detroit Lions Skeptics questioned the decision by Detroit to draft Gibbs 12th overall in 2023, but he has more than delivered in his first two seasons as a dangerous runner and receiver. After a strong rookie season, Gibbs took a big step last season when he rushed for 1,412 yards and 16 TDs to go with 517 yards receiving and four more scores. Gibbs' 36 overall touchdowns in the regular season and playoffs are the second most ever for a player in his first two seasons, trailing only the 37 for Hall of Famer Curtis Martin. 4. BIJAN ROBINSON, Atlanta Falcons Picked eighth overall in 2023, Robinson has quickly earned his place among the top running backs in the league thanks to his skill as a runner and receiver. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Robinson ranked fourth among running backs last season in yards from scrimmage (1,887), tied for sixth in touchdowns (15) and second in first downs (102). 5. CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY, San Francisco 49ers Injuries to his Achilles tendon and knee hampered McCaffrey last season as he played only four games after winning AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2023. But when he's healthy, there are few players more productive than McCaffrey, as evidenced by his 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 TDs in 16 games in 2023. ___ AP NFL:
