ORLANDO — Russell Westbrook made up for his unceremonious exit from Wednesday’s loss to Indiana by showing up ready to play in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 116-105 win over the Magic on Friday, starting their six-game road trip off right.
“My job as a player, as a professional, is to do my job, continue to find ways to be able to help impact winning,” Westbrook said after finishing with 18 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. “That’s all I was thinking about and turned the page to do and that’s what I tried to do tonight.”
Lakers coach Frank Vogel, who made the decision to sit Westbrook for the last four minutes of the loss to the Pacers as the point guard was struggling through a 5-for-17 shooting night and failing to execute defensively, was effusive in his praise Friday.
“Russ played a really good basketball game,” Vogel said. “He came in very focused and played efficient offensively and brought a pure energy to the game. He just wanted to impose his will, play his part and played a hell of a game.”
The Lakers fell down by 10 to the cellar-dwelling Magic (8-39), but took control in the third with a 21-4 run to begin the quarter.
Westbrook, who shot 8-for-17, extended his streak to 10 straight games without scoring 20 or more points — the first time that’s happened to him since 2009, according to data compiled by ESPN Stats & Information — but he made a difference with the nature of those points.
“His attacks are great,” said LeBron James, who scored 29 points, extending his streak to 16 straight games with 25 points or more. “Thought he did a great job of getting to the paint, either for his shot or spraying out [to shooters]. And guys just played off of his energy and effort tonight.”
Carmelo Anthony, who scored 23 points off the bench, credited Westbrook for playing with “more of a controlled pace.” Westbrook said his paint touches — either by drives or cutting off-ball to receive feeds near the hoop — are a clear way to help the Lakers, who are back at .500 (23-23) with the win.
“Just getting in the paint and finding ways to be able to make an impact by doing that,” he said. “Constantly putting pressure on the defense, which is something that I’m good at, that I think I can make an impact with this team and find ways to give guys easy shots.”
For the team and its fans, it was refreshing to hear Westbrook’s postgame comments focus on the ins and outs of the actual game and not center on his overall fit or where the Lakers’ season is going, as has happened so often since he came to L.A.
“Russ is a high-character guy,” Vogel said. “We knew we were going to respond. We communicated afterwards to make sure that we understood what was going on — we’re just coaching to win the game. And to turn the page on to Orlando. And he did a great job maintaining that focus and we’re all committed to this group getting the job done. We still believe in what we can be. It’s been bumpy throughout the course of the year. But we’re committed.”
“We started it off right with a win tonight,” Westbrook said. “Get to Miami and figure out a way we can come out of there with a win as well.
“But it’s a big trip for us. A good bonding and togetherness trip for our group and finding ways to be able to come together and come out with some wins and create some rhythm, some confidence in our group that we can be the team that we all know that we should be.”
Jacques Villeneuve believes Lewis Hamilton has gone silent since the 2021 season deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Canadian suggesting a rift between the Mercedes driver and his boss Toto Wolff is at the bottom of it all.
There has been no word from Hamilton since that night last December in the wake of his defeat to Max Verstappen. Prompting speculation he is so despondent he might quit F1 sooner than later, with Wolff fueling the debate with his well-calculated soundbites amid the deafening silence from his star driver.
1997 F1 World Champion, Villeneuve has added his theories of Hamilton’s deafening silence to growing speculation regarding the seven-time F1 World Champion’s future in the sport.
On Sky Italia, and quoted by multiple sources including Gazzetta, Villeneuve said: “I see Hamilton’s silence as a way of him deliberately putting some distance between himself and Wolff. After all, you can lose with style, whereas Toto’s antics were like that of a sore loser playing Monopoly, the moment he is down he flips the board into the air.”
Wolff’s antics during and after that frantic and controversial night at Yas Marina, and the week that followed, went viral. A protest was withdrawn at the last minute. Both Wolff and Hamilton failed to attend the FIA Awards the week after the final.
For Lewis, it was like having a diamond in his hands when suddenly it’s snatched away
During the race’s final and decisive laps, Wolff was heard over the radio directly blasting FIA Race director Michael Masi. which Villeneuve believes did the Mercedes boss no favours: “In my opinion, Wolff’s image suffered a great deal of damage. Hamilton is sensitive to that because he is thinking about his future in America, maybe even in Hollywood.”
Villeneuve went on to defend Masi: “He worked under pressure with the two team principals, in particular Wolff, who in the last five races kept screaming in Masi’s ears who did almost everything properly after that Safety-Car.
“The only drawback is that he could have sorted everything a lap earlier, but it was right to restart the race. If anything, now we need more precise rules and perhaps permanent commissioners. The alternative is to allow drivers punch each other after incidents, as happens in America.”
Villeneuve went on to describe where Hamilton’s headspace might be after the toughest season he experienced, with Max Verstappen his most formidable adversary; while Mercedes won their eighth championship in a row, their star driver was denied an eighth F1 drivers’ title on the last lap of an epic 22-race-season.
Asked if Hamilton would hang around F1 beyond the end of 2022 when his contract runs out, or even sooner, Villeneuve replied: “It depends on the car that Mercedes provide Hamilton, whether he can win easily with it or not.
“Lewis is also a bit more fatigued after this, he has had easy seasons after [Nico] Rosberg’s departure. He really won’t want to have another season like last year when perhaps he thought he would easily bring in the record eighth title, but that didn’t happen.
“That night, [in Abu Dhabi] for Lewis it was like having a diamond in his grasp when suddenly it’s snatched away from him. The manner in which he lost, hurt much more than if Verstappen led the whole race with ease,” reckoned Villeneuve, winner of 11 Grands Prix in the 163 starts he made in the top flight.
Cousins had been in conversations with the Nuggets for two weeks and will be eligible for six games in that stretch, beginning with Friday’s home game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Cousins, 31, averaged 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in 17 games for the Milwaukee Bucks this season. He had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals in his final game on Jan. 6 before Milwaukee decided against guaranteeing his contract for the rest of the season.
“We wouldn’t have been able to get through this difficult stretch of the season as successfully as we did without DeMarcus,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst told ESPN at the time. “At the end of the day, we made a strategic decision to have an open roster spot, but there’s nothing that would prevent us from partnering with DeMarcus again down the road. He was so good for us, and hopefully we helped him, too.”
Portland Trail Blazers (19-26, 10th in the Western Conference) vs. Toronto Raptors (22-21, eighth in the Eastern Conference)
Toronto; Sunday, 6 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Fred VanVleet and the Toronto Raptors host Norman Powell and the Portland Trail Blazers in non-conference action.
The Raptors are 12-11 in home games. Toronto is the Eastern Conference leader with 13.5 offensive rebounds per game led by Scottie Barnes averaging 2.8.
The Trail Blazers are 5-15 on the road. Portland is eighth in the Western Conference with 10.1 offensive rebounds per game led by Jusuf Nurkic averaging 2.7.
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The teams square off for the second time this season. In the last matchup on Nov. 16 the Trail Blazers won 118-113 led by 29 points from CJ McCollum, while OG Anunoby scored 29 points for the Raptors.
TOP PERFORMERS: VanVleet is shooting 42.4% and averaging 21.8 points for the Raptors. Anunoby is averaging 2.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Toronto.
Nurkic is averaging 14.3 points and 10.8 rebounds for the Trail Blazers. Anfernee Simons is averaging 25.7 points over the last 10 games for Portland.
LAST 10 GAMES: Raptors: 6-4, averaging 106.4 points, 46.2 rebounds, 21.7 assists, 9.3 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 42.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 103.3 points per game.
Trail Blazers: 6-4, averaging 108.5 points, 43.6 rebounds, 22.4 assists, 8.6 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 44.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.3 points.
INJURIES: Raptors: Khem Birch: out (nose), Goran Dragic: out (personal), Gary Trent Jr.: day to day (ankle), David Johnson: out (health and safety protocols).
Trail Blazers: Larry Nance Jr.: out (knee), Norman Powell: out (personal), Dennis Smith Jr.: day to day (ankle), Damian Lillard: out (abdominal), Cody Zeller: out (knee), Nassir Little: day to day (knee).
___
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Gird your loins, get back on the horse, let the show go on. Again. So soon after the Ashes debacle, it barely seems feasible that another England campaign is underway already – and to judge by Sam Billings‘ 15,000 km and four-flight sprint from Hobart to Bridgetown (to follow up his 500km, nine-hour drive from Brisbane to Hobart earlier in the month), it probably isn’t reasonable to expect the white-ball squad’s one representative from that fifth-Test thrashing to be sufficiently combobulated to take his place in Saturday’s starting line-up at the Kensington Oval.
But such time-zone gallivanting is the way of the modern touring world. Two distinct England squads, with ever fewer cross-over characters certain of a place in both set-ups, are spreading themselves across the globe, to cover off the myriad bilateral obligations that keep the creaking jalopy of international cricket on the road.
And in that respect, let no-one be under any illusions how important this particular series is. The ECB dropped a clanger in October last year, when they unilaterally bailed out of their goodwill stop-over in Pakistan – a two-match tour that should have been their first to the country since 2005, and had been arranged to say thank you for the PCB’s efforts in ensuring that the Covid-stricken summer of 2020 went ahead without a hitch.
The same and more applies to this campaign. Before Pakistan’s arrival that summer, West Indies were the first touring team to brave the restrictions of the bio-secure lifestyle, and as a reward for their over-and-above efforts to mitigate the ECB’s multi-million-pound losses, it was agreed last March that this tour would be extended from three T20Is to five, and from two Tests to three.
The timing is ironic, in a week when the ECB have been hinting at the need for quality over quantity to improve their Test fortunes in particular. But for now, the money in international cricket talks loudest and, at this crucial post-Covid juncture, so too does the goodwill.
Such rapid format-hopping isn’t actually anything new, mind you. For years it was tradition for England’s cricketers to remain Down Under after each Ashes thrashing and brace for further beastings in the white-ball format – in 2006-07, the outfield at the SCG had barely been cleared of Australia’s whitewash-sealing paraphernalia when many of the same combatants on both sides returned four days later for their one-off T20I (unsurprisingly, the result was another Australian thumping, even if Andrew Flintoff’s men miraculously bucked the usual trend in the subsequent Commonwealth Bank series.)
At least this time, you sense, the visitors will have more focus on the matter at hand. Certainly Jason Roy seems to have his game brain in gear, to judge by his blistering 36-ball hundred in England’s warm-up match against a Board President’s XI. It was the first century by an England opener since the T20 World Cup and an apt reminder of England’s enduring prowess in the white-ball format, given how quickly their efforts at that tournament became subsumed into the wider narrative of English existential woe.
The need to balance England’s ambitions across formats was an enduring theme in 2021, particularly through the thorny issue of rest and rotation, and while it was perfectly justifiable to give Eoin Morgan’s men every chance to cement their status with a second global trophy, hindsight has blown a big fat raspberry at the ECB’s attempts to compete on two fronts.
Far from being a competition to match the rollercoaster of 2019, the World Cup just gone was an anti-competitive turkey, too readily dominated by correct calls at the toss, and too easily forgettable in its squeezed window between the IPL and the Ashes. England showed their prowess in snatches – most particularly in an against-the-head win over Sri Lanka in Sharjah, and a group-stage thrashing of the eventual champions Australia – but for all the jeopardy that that campaign entailed, they’d have been better off playing heads-or-tails at the pre-tournament dinner than actually planning a coherent strategy.
That said, West Indies would have needed rather more than just a weighted coin to stay competitive at the same event. Five years on from their thrilling triumph over England in the 2016 final, an ageing outfit finally hit the buffers with a clang. Their once-radical policy of sacking off singles in favour of six-hitting came a cropper, and the rematch in Dubai was anything but, as Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid combined to rout their opponents for 55.
West Indies’ campaign culminated in four defeats out of five, the exception being a gutsy defence against Bangladesh, and it confirmed the passing of an epoch-defining generation, with the likes of Dwayne Bravo, Lendl Simmons and Ravi Rampaul all potentially saying their farewells – and so too the inestimable Chris Gayle of course, although he will surely never officially quit.
And now, with only ten months to go until yet another T20 World Cup in Australia – a tournament for which the draw was made on Friday – it’s time to mould a new team fit to lace their forebears’ Champion-dancing shoes. The initial impressions haven’t been full of promise – a 3-0 thumping by Pakistan in Karachi was followed by Ireland’s 2-1 win in their ODI series last week, after which Phil Simmons’ concerns about the quality of young batters in the Caribbean rather echoed the existential concerns about county cricket’s next generation of Test performers.
For England, however, this is a chance to take stock after the disappointments of the winter. Given the success of their own batters in the BBL, there’s no reason to think they won’t once again be among the favourites come the next World Cup in November. But as their opponents inadvertently demonstrated in the tournament just gone, a failure to evolve can catch even the most groundbreaking outfits on the hop. Morgan, in particular, may find himself chewing over that particular point with vigour.
Form guide
West Indies LLLLL (most recent first) England LLWWW
In the spotlight
Phil Salt admitted to ESPNcricinfo this week that he had been underwhelmed by his England debut in Cardiff last year – after sampling the New Year’s Eve party atmosphere at the Adelaide Oval in the BBL, and similarly rowdy venues on the T20 franchise circuit, it was all a bit genteel for his liking, as he made his international bow against Pakistan, in front of a Covid-limited crowd and in bizarre circumstances following the quarantining of the main England squad. Perhaps things might feel more real second-time around, however, as he prepares for a probable T20I debut in Barbados – the island where he spent six of his formative years from the ages of 9 to 15. Salt’s haul of 104 runs from 89 balls in three ODIs showcased a relentless, full-throttle approach that marks him out as something of a Roy clone – he has no qualms about cranking up the aggression from the outset, even if bowlers such as Shaheen Shah Afridi have got the measure of his methods. And though the eventual return of Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler is likely to squeeze him back onto the bench, Morgan is known to value selflessness when it comes to selecting his batters. He’s got a chance to impress with his intent as much as his returns in these five games.
At the age of 26, Nicholas Pooran’s time is now. The West Indies batter averages 23.47 in 49 T20Is, at a strike-rate of 128.03 that doesn’t quite reflect his pre-eminence either. However, with the passing of an irreplaceable generation, his years of apprenticeship in their batting line-up have suddenly come to an end. Two-and-a-half years have passed since Pooran’s solitary international hundred – a stunning 118 in West Indies’ valiant pursuit of a hefty Sri Lanka target at the 2019 World Cup – but he made his highest T20I score of 64 in his most recent outing in Karachi, which hints at an upward trajectory. Either way, it’s possible he’s come through the toughest run of form of his career to date, the haul of 85 runs in 12 IPL matches for Punjab Kings in last year’s IPL, which included 28 in his first seven games in India, prior to the tournament’s postponement.
Team news
There are a number of marginal calls for West Indies to make as senior players return having missed the 3-0 defeat in Pakistan. Kyle Mayers opened ahead of Shai Hope in West Indies’ practice match and may get the nod to partner Brandon King. Fabian Allen has recovered from Covid-19 and is likely to start in the lower-middle order.
Liam Livingstone missed England’s warm-up game with a mild illness and will sit out the opening T20I as a precaution – although it is understood to be non-Covid-related. Billings raced to Barbados from Hobart after his last-minute Test call-up and it remains to be seen if he is thrown in after one training session and a gruelling long-haul journey. If not, it would leave Tom Banton and Salt competing over the gloves, with England’s warm-up XI suggesting that Salt could be recast as a finisher, especially in Livingstone’s absence. England opted for a batting-heavy strategy in the T20 World Cup but may consider fielding an additional seamer, or the extra spin of Liam Dawson.
England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Tom Banton (wk), 3 James Vince, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Sam Billings/Phil Salt (wk), 7 Liam Dawson/George Garton, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Tymal Mills, 11 Saqib Mahmood
Pitch and conditions
Kensington Oval will be limited to 50% capacity, due to Covid restrictions, but administrators are anticipating good crowds throughout the five-match series. There has not been much T20 cricket played there of late but scores were surprisingly low there during the 2019 CPL, with only one team breaching the 150 mark in the five games the ground hosted. The forecast suggests that cross-winds could be a factor, and there is a small chance of a rain interruption at some stage in the run chase.
Stats and trivia
This will be the first time that Barbados has hosted international cricket since becoming a republic, in November last year.
England have won four and lost two of their six previous T20Is in Barbados, although their record against West Indies at the venue is played three, lost two.
Both of those defeats came in the 2-1 series loss in March 2014, which is perhaps best remembered for the broken wrist that Ben Stokes sustained after punching his locker door.
Morgan is England’s sole survivor from the victorious XI, although Salt – then aged 13 – was an onlooker in the stands that day.
Quotes
“In Pakistan, yes we lost the three games but there was a lot more energy, a lot more enthusiasm and that’s the group that’s coming into this series here against England. We have a lot of new faces and a lot of guys who want to make an impression and be part of the team going forward, so I think from that point of view it is not as difficult as it would seem.” West Indies’ coach, Phil Simmons believes his side has plenty room for improvement.
“We’ve got some gun players. There are some players in training that have impressed so much. You’ve seen what Banton can do, he’s an incredible talent, a young talent and will be learning a hell of a lot.” Jason Roy has high expectations from one of his potential opening partners.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
Guanyu Zhou is already 2022 Formula 1 Rookie of the Year because there are none other than him, as for his lack of experience, Alfa Romeo team boss Frederic Vasseur points out that neither did Max have much (car racing) mileage when he made his debut.
Zhou beat some formidable names vying for the seat alongside newcomer, former Mercedes man, 32-yer-old Valtteri Bottas to replace retired Kimi Raikkonen and the 22-year-old Chinese driver as his teammate in place of Antonio Giovinazzi,
An interesting combination of experience and youth, which Vasseur acknowledges may have its pitfalls: “We all know that F1 is a huge challenge. We also have a new car and only three days of testing per driver, but he is a smart driver,” insists Vasseur.
Young kids are much more mature today than they were 20 years ago
The first three-day test begins in Barcelona and runs from 23–25 February followed by the second test in Bahrain from 11–13 March, giving both drivers, rookie Zhou in particular precious little time to get into the swing of things at the highest level.
Furthermore, Vasseur rates the current grid highly and knows what’s in store for his young charge: “The competition is at a very high level but we will definitely give him some time to improve. He will feel the pressure to get results.
“However, we are convinced that we can develop the skills of a young driver and get the best out of Zhou,” explained the Alfa Romeo team principal, but likened that to a few notables.
“Max came into F1 without huge experience, also Charles did well in his first season, Russell and Norris did well in his first season. That means it’s possible.
“Of course, we have different tools than before, such as the simulator. However, I also think that young kids are much more mature today than they were 20 years ago. They are ready faster today,” reckoned Vasseur.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors felt good heading into their Thursday night matchup against the Indiana Pacers. They held a home run derby at Chase Center the day before to boost morale after a tough road trip and were ready to build momentum on their dominant win over the Detroit Pistons from two days earlier.
But as soon as they stepped on the court against Indiana’s depleted roster, all of the positive energy they had evaporated, leading them to a 121-117 loss in overtime.
The game — in which they entered as 16.5-point favorites — marked the third-largest upset in the Steve Kerr era. And Kerr took all the responsibility.
“I blame myself, number one,” Kerr said. “I don’t think I did a good job of preparing the team to be ready to play.”
The Pacers were without four of their top scorers — including forward Domantas Sabonis and starting guards Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert — making them easier to look over. But they shot 41.9 percent from 3-point range.
In addition to the team’s overall preparation, Kerr blamed himself for Golden State’s final defensive possession of regulation: Justin Holiday escaped Stephen Curry‘s defense with just enough time to catch the ball at the right elbow of the 3-point line and knocked down the shot to tie the score and force overtime.
“I’m normally a fouler, and I take the hit on that one, too,” Kerr said of not telling his players to foul Holiday or Isaiah Jackson, who assisted Holiday on the shot. “So this was my night to stink it up.”
But Curry didn’t place all of the onus on his coach, particularly on the play in which he was the primary defender on Holiday.
“I looked at the ball for like two seconds,” Curry said. “Holiday made a good cut and made a shot. I know there’s that conversation, should we have fouled and all. I was just a step slow and that one gave him too wide-open of a look. Trying to guard the inbounds and I got caught looking.”
Asked about Kerr taking the blame for Thursday’s loss, Curry said it’s “his character” to assume responsibility.
“I think that’s part of our culture,” Kerr said. “We all have a tendency to look at yourself, what you could have done differently.”
In addition to the defensive breakdowns, the Warriors also shot poorly Thursday. They were just 9-of-42 (21.4 percent) from beyond the arc, including 1-of-9 in overtime. The eight missed 3s in overtime were tied for the second-most in an overtime over the past 25 seasons.
Curry, who finished with a game-high 39 points in 44 minutes, was 6-of-16 on 3-pointers. The rest of the Warriors went 3-of-26, or just 11.5 percent, the third-worst 3-point shooting percentage from Curry’s teammates since the 2014-15 season.
Despite the numbers, Curry said he approved of nearly every 3-pointer they took. More than anything, he put the blame on the Warriors’ inability to execute.
“It was our execution on simple stuff that we know is our bread and butter, we didn’t execute well,” Curry said. “We came down, I called a play, but we didn’t execute it well. It was an anti-possession. … That’s where us as players have to keep each other accountable. On the little things we can control. We can’t control making and missing shots, but you can control execution.”
The Warriors now head into the second night of a back-to-back with Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala scheduled to rest and Curry coming off playing 44 minutes.
Kerr has less than 24 hours to fix what he said he failed to do Thursday and get his team prepared.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ proposed plan to split the season between Florida and Montreal has been rejected by Major League Baseball.
Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg announced the news on Thursday.
“Today’s news is flat-out deflating,” Sternberg said.
The idea of playing in both the Tampa Bay area and Montreal has been discussed over the past several years after attempts to build a new full-time ballpark locally failed.
“Things had progressed nicely and things had been working nicely, and then recently it just sort of took a turn to the south and we don’t precisely know why,” Sternberg said. “I have no doubt that what we tried to accomplish with our sister-city plan will become accepted in all of professional sports. Major League Baseball simply isn’t prepared to cross that threshold right now.”
When asked if he felt somewhat betrayed by his fellow owners, Sternberg replied “that’s a word.”
“The game is peculiar in a lot of senses and things happen for a lot of reasons,” Sternberg said. “Sometimes for the good, but always with good intentions for the game itself. We quite often have differing opinions on what that might mean.”
“Sometimes people don’t like to be first,” Sternberg added. “There was a fellow on this call when we went cashless a few years ago said to me, ‘I get it, I understand, but why do you have to be first.’ It’s just people have different approaches to things. We don’t mind being first on things.”
Montreal had a big league team from 1969, when the expansion Expos began play, through 2004. The Expos moved to Washington and became the Nationals for the 2005 season.
“They were as, if not more, devastated than I was at the news,” Sternberg said.
Montreal businessman Stephen Bronfman, who led that city’s group, told reporters Thursday the split-season plan is “the way of the future.”
“It’s very forward-thinking and it will happen,” he said. “But often times it takes a first group, a first league, a first person to jump in and take that leap of faith.
“We would have proved them all right. They would have done the right thing by supporting us. It’s very unfortunate they didn’t end up making that call.”
Bronfman said there is currently no “Plan B” to bring baseball back to Montreal.
“I’ve grown up with the game, I love Montreal, I believe in what we were working on,” he said. “I think we’re all a little burnt today … but anything can happen. We put a ton of work into this marketplace and I think there is a lot of data out there, there is so much positive news about what Montreal means to baseball, what it can bring.”
Tampa Bay Rays’ president considers prospect of split baseball season with Montreal
Tampa Bay Rays’ president considers prospect of split baseball season with Montreal – Sep 27, 2021
The Rays’ lease at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, where the team has played since its inaugural season in 1998, expires after the 2027 season.
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Since Sternberg took control in October 2005, the once-struggling franchise has been a success on the field, but not at the box office.
Despite reaching the World Series in 2008 and 2020, the Rays have annually ranked near the bottom in attendance. The Rays averaged about 9,500 fans for home games last season, 28th in the majors and ahead of only Miami and Oakland.
St. Petersburg mayor Ken Welch said he thought a new stadium in his city remains a possibility. Governmental officials have been working on a redevelopment plan for the Tropicana Field site.
“We are working with our county partners and city council to put together the best plan possible, which will work in conjunction with my planned evolution of the Tropicana Field master development proposals,” Welch said in a statement.
“With this collaborative approach, I am confident we can partner with the Tampa Bay Rays to create a new and iconic full-time home for Major League Baseball in St. Petersburg while also achieving historic equitable economic growth.”
“All along our goal has been to keep the Rays in Tampa Bay,” Tampa mayor Jane Castor said in a statement. “We had been working on both sister-city and full-season proposals, and now we can focus all of our energy on a full season. I am optimistic the Rays will call Tampa Bay home for many years to come.”
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Sternberg said the team will definitely explore options in the Tampa Bay area. He has no plans to sell the team or request permission to explore relocation from MLB.
“We’ll see how the stands look this year and the support we get, and that’s going to help inform us as well going forward on our plans,” Sternberg said.
After two weeks in Hawaii to start the year, the PGA Tour returns to the mainland with The American Express this week at La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta, California, beginning Thursday.
Additionally, it marks the four-feed debut of PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+.
What does that mean? Beginning this week, you can stream any of these four options:
Main feed: Primary tournament coverage featuring the best action from around the course.
Marquee group: Showcasing every shot from each player in a specified group.
Featured groups: Coverage of two concurrent featured groups.
Featured holes: A full look at a scenic, pivotal or iconic hole.
Additionally, ESPN and ESPN+ will remain the home of the Masters Par 3 Contest and 115 hours of live coverage of the tournament from Augusta National Golf Club. There are more than 50 hours of The Masters Films (1960-2020) available. The year’s second major, the PGA Championship, will have more than 200 hours of live coverage and 30 hours of library and classic content.
Here is how to watch The American Express:
All times ET
Thursday
Main feed 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Featured groups 12:15 p.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Featured holes (Nos. 4, 13, 16, 17) 12:15 p.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Marquee group 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Featured group 1 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here Featured group 2 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here Featured hole (No. 17) 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here Featured hole (No. 16) 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here
Friday
Main feed 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Featured groups 12:45 p.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Featured holes (Nos. 4, 13, 16, 17) 12:15 p.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Marquee group 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Featured group 1 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here Featured group 2 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here Featured hole (No. 17) 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here Featured hole (No. 16) 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here
Saturday
Main feed 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Featured groups 12:15 p.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Featured holes (Nos. 4, 13, 16, 17) 12:15 p.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Marquee group 12:30 p.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Featured group 1 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here Featured group 2 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here Featured hole (No. 17) 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here Featured hole (No. 16) 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here
Sunday
Main feed 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Featured groups 12:15 p.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Featured holes (Nos. 4, 13, 16, 17) 12:15 p.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Marquee group 12:30 p.m.-3 p.m. | Watch here Featured group 1 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here Featured group 2 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here Featured hole (No. 17) 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here Featured hole (No. 16) 3 p.m.-7 p.m. | Watch here
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