Sports

Jimmy Aggrey was a victim of the Chelsea racism scandal – now he wants to talk

Jimmy Aggrey was a victim of the Chelsea racism scandal – now he wants to talk

Linked media - Linked media e was the tallest player. Even at the age of 16, Jimmy Aggrey stood well over six feet. The big lads went at the back. Line up and smile for the camera, please. Chelsea liked him. They thought he had a good chance of making it. For such a tall kid, Aggrey had quick, skilful feet. His future was bright at a time, in 1995, when Chelsea were re-establishing themselves among the most glamorous football clubs in England. “When I joined Chelsea, Glenn Hoddle was the first-team manager,” says Aggrey. “Ruud Gullit arrived later. The…
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New professional women’s hockey league will launch in 6 cities

New professional women’s hockey league will launch in 6 cities

Associated media - Associated media For the first season, each team will play 24 regular season games starting in January 2024. The league says subsequent seasons will begin in November and include 32 games. Expansion is also possible in the future, he said. In its final season, the PHF had teams in Boston; buffalo; Simsbury, Conn.; East Rutherford, New Jersey; Richfield, MN; Montreal; and Toronto. With the start of the new championship, Buffalo and Connecticut lose their teams, while Ottawa gains one. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said his league was reluctant to get involved in women’s hockey as long as…
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Ken Holtzman, Who Pitched Two No-Hitters for the Cubs, Is Dead at 78

Ken Holtzman, Who Pitched Two No-Hitters for the Cubs, Is Dead at 78

Linked media - Linked media Ken Holtzman, a left-hander who pitched two no-hitters for the Chicago Cubs and won three World Series with the Oakland A’s in a 15-season career, died on Monday in St. Louis. He was 78. He had been hospitalized for the last three weeks with heart and respiratory illnesses, his brother, Bob, said in confirming the death. Holtzman won 174 games, the most for a Jewish pitcher in Major League Baseball — nine more than the Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, who is considered one of the best pitchers ever and who had a shorter career.…
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NFL Draft 2024 live updates: Latest mock draft, rankings, trades and start time

NFL Draft 2024 live updates: Latest mock draft, rankings, trades and start time

Associated media - Related media By now, you probably understand what Bills general manager Brandon Beane is all about. He has a history of trading up. He did it for Josh Allen, Tremaine Edmunds, Cody Ford, Dawson Knox, Zack Moss, Kaiir Elam, Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid. That’s eight times in six drafts, four in the first round. To his credit, he actually has traded down during one draft, doing so twice in the 2022 second round before taking James Cook. Beane said he had a trade to move down last year and would have done it if he couldn’t…
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What could Caitlin Clark’s WNBA transition from Iowa look like?

What could Caitlin Clark’s WNBA transition from Iowa look like?

Associated media - Related media Reality is coming. In the words of Diana Taurasi, as spoken to Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter, Caitlin Clark is due for a reckoning when she gets to the WNBA. After four years of dominating the college game, Clark is starting the next chapter of her career at the bottom as one of the youngest players in the most talented league in the world. Regardless of what the overall arc of Clark’s career ends up being, it is unlikely that she hits the ground running as the best player on the court every night, as…
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NFL Draft 2024 ‘The Beast’ Guide: Dane Brugler’s scouting reports and player rankings

NFL Draft 2024 ‘The Beast’ Guide: Dane Brugler’s scouting reports and player rankings

Connected media - Related media Finally! It’s here. I’m thrilled to share this year’s draft guide with everyone. I don’t remember who first referred to it as “The Beast,” but I use that moniker as motivation to make sure this annual primer lives up to the nickname — and I don’t think I’ve let you down this year. Every NFL prospect is a puzzle. And it is a scout’s job to find the puzzle pieces to create as clear a picture of each player as possible. Those puzzle pieces include everything from the player’s physical traits to his mental makeup…
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NBA Pre-Postseason Player Tiers 1 and 2: Wembanyama quickly rising; Giannis, Jokić steady at top

NBA Pre-Postseason Player Tiers 1 and 2: Wembanyama quickly rising; Giannis, Jokić steady at top

Related media - Linked media Yesterday, I largely focused on setting the table for the updated NBA Pre-Postseason Players Tiers before revealing Tier 3 (players between the 24th and 42nd spot) and Tier 4 (Nos. 43-80). Today, I’m going to get a little more into some of the more interesting and/or challenging placements, as well as note a few overall trends. For starters, a consistent bit of feedback — and one I’ve gotten from multiple sources since the release of Tiers 3 and 4 — is the always difficult evaluation of which player is more valuable between an elite role…
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U.S. Soccer took a gamble waiting for Emma Hayes, leaving USWNT’s style of play in limbo

U.S. Soccer took a gamble waiting for Emma Hayes, leaving USWNT’s style of play in limbo

Connected media - Linked media In November, U.S. Soccer gambled that it was worth sacrificing a year of continuous preparation under a permanent manager to hire Emma Hayes. For eight months following the 2023 World Cup, interim management has overseen the U.S. women’s national team. To her credit, Twila Kilgore’s tenure as placeholder helped turn over the player pool and saw her team win a pair of tune-up competitions this spring. Still, it’s been a lost year for the program at a time when it was in sore need of a clear new vision. Hayes’ first games as USWNT manager…
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Ryan Giggs and football: A very complicated relationship

Ryan Giggs and football: A very complicated relationship

Associated media - Associated media The celebration was almost as glorious as the goal itself. The fuzz of chest hair, the twirling shirt, the body swerve to evade the Manchester United fans who had run on the pitch in their euphoria. On Sunday, it is 25 years since Patrick Vieira, a genuine great of Arsenal’s midfield, played a wayward pass amid the high drama of an FA Cup semi-final between the leading two English sides of the time. Ryan Giggs took the ball and then he was off and running, picking up speed from inside his own half, slaloming past…
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Pat Zachry, Pitcher Known for a Lopsided Trade, Dies at 71

Pat Zachry, Pitcher Known for a Lopsided Trade, Dies at 71

Linked media - Connected media Pat Zachry, who was a co-winner of the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1976, but who is probably best known for being one of the players traded to the New York Mets a year later for Tom Seaver, died on Thursday at the home of his son, Josh, in Austin, Texas. He was 71. Jay Horwitz, a spokesman for the Mets, announced the death. He did not specify the cause, saying only that Zachry died after a long illness. Zachry, a 6-foot-5 right-hander, began his career with the Reds in 1976 and…
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