Novak Djokovic congratulated Australian Open runner-up Elena Rybakina on "an amazing tournament." On Saturday, 23-year-old Rybakina fell just short of landing her second Grand Slam title. In the Australian Open final, Rybakina was up by a set before 24-year-old Aryna Sabalenka stormed back to win 4-6 6-3 6-4.
Six months ago, Djokovic and Rybakina lifted titles at Wimbledon. "@lenarybakina, amazing tournament," Djokovic captioned his Instagram Story.
Novak Djokovic congratulates Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina
Rybakina has now made Grand Slam finals in two of the last three Major tournaments.
After winning Wimbledon and finishing as runner-up at the Australian Open, Rybakina admits her confidence levels have increased and she now believes even more that she can win Grand Slams. “For sure, that’s the goal, to be in the second week of all the Grand Slam, to play finals.
I mean, now I have more confidence of course even after this final. I just need to work hard, same as I did during pre-season and actually throughout the years, be healthy, and for sure the results are going to come. I would say I’m trying to not think about expectations and everything.
Still after a great pre-season like this I was thinking I should show it on the court. Then, of course, the results are going to be there. First few weeks was not that great…but I think in the end it’s just confidence to go forward, to keep on working.
I feel now good physically also. I know if I’m going to keep on working, the results are going to be (good)," Rybakina said after the match, per Tennis Majors. Rybakina has proved over the last six months that she has what it takes to be a legitimate Grand Slam contender.
En route to reaching the Australian Open final, Rybakina defeated world No 1 Iga Swiatek. It will be interesting to see how will Rybakina do after a strong Australian Open run.
CONMEBOL’s men’s Copa America will be played in the Concacaf region and will include all 10 CONMEBOL national teams and six Concacaf guest teams
2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup will include eight Concacaf women’s national teams and four CONMEBOL guests
The confederations will create a new competition that will include the participation of the best men's clubs in South America and Concacaf
CONMEBOL and Concacaf have announced the signing of a strategic collaboration agreement to strengthen and develop football in both regions. The agreement includes men's and women's national team competitions and a new men's club tournament.
The CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 will be played in the United States, in the summer of 2024, and will include 10 CONMEBOL teams and the six best Concacaf teams, as guests. This traditional CONMEBOL tournament will be co-organized by both confederations.
The six Concacaf national teams will have the opportunity to qualify for this competition through the 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League.
For CONMEBOL, this agreement will support its men's national teams in their preparation for the upcoming World Cup through an expanded Copa America featuring six elite Concacaf teams, organized in the region that will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Similarly, this agreement will allow Concacaf to provide more high-quality competition for its men's national teams over the next two years, including the conclusion of the 2022/23 Concacaf Nations League, the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup and the 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League.
For women's national teams, Concacaf has invited the top four CONMEBOL national teams to participate in the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup. The inaugural edition of this 12-team tournament, which is a key part of Concacaf’s new women's national team ecosystem, will be played in the United States.
The two Concacaf teams that will participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics (United States and Jamaica or Canada) will qualify directly for the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup. The remaining six Concacaf teams will be determined through the 2023 Road to Concacaf W Gold Cup.
The four guest CONMEBOL teams that will participate have been determined based on the results of the 2022 Women’s Copa America: Brazil (champion) Colombia (runner-up), Argentina (third place) and Paraguay (fourth place).
CONMEBOL and Concacaf will also organize a centralized "final four" style club competition featuring the best clubs from the respective confederations. The four participating teams (two from each confederation) will qualify through existing CONMEBOL and Concacaf club competitions and the two confederations are working towards the first edition of this tournament being played in 2024.
Regarding the important agreement, Alejandro Domínguez, president of CONMEBOL, stated: “CONMEBOL and Concacaf are united by historical and affective ties. But above all, we are united by the passion, characteristic of all the Americas, for football and sports. We are determined to renew and expand our joint initiatives and projects. We want this passion to translate into more and better competitions and for football and its values to grow and strengthen throughout the hemisphere. Without a doubt, both confederations believe in big, and we will work with this orientation.”
Victor Montagliani, president of Concacaf, said: “This is a partnership to support the ongoing growth of men’s and women’s football in Concacaf and CONMEBOL, and will truly be of mutual benefit to both Confederations. Working hand in hand with CONMEBOL, we will deliver elite competitions that will provide more opportunities for our federations, and that we know passionate fans want to see. We look forward to working together to ensure that football in both regions continues to thrive.”
LANGLEY, British Columbia -- Connor Bedard was the center of attention during the 2023 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at Langley Events Centre on Wednesday.
The 17-year-old forward with Regina of the Western Hockey League, and projected No. 1 pick in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft, had a bit of a home-ice advantage. He grew up about 30 minutes away in North Vancouver.
"I'll have a good amount of people there," Bedard said before the game. "I think some relatives. Obviously, my sister, my parents and some buddies for sure. I should have a decent crowd."
Tom Bedard, Connor's father, was relishing the rare chance to see his son in person; Regina is a 20-hour drive.
"My wife (Melanie) actually is in Regina with Connor, so she gets to go to a few more games," Tom said. "I get out five or six times a year but it's difficult. It's nice to have things close to home."
It was a good show for family and friends. Bedard had a game-high six shots on goal for Team Red in a 4-2 loss to Team White.
The only people watching Bedard as closely as his family was the opposition.
"Keeping him off the scoreboard, that was kind of a team goal," Team White goalie Scott Ratzlaff said. "Just making sure he's always covered, making sure we've got eyes on him. It was good."
There was a fair amount of physical play aimed at Bedard, including Team White defenseman Lukas Dragicevic taking a cross-checking penalty against him 20 seconds into the first period. Bedard also had a game-long, trash-talking conversation with Team White defenseman Oliver Bonk.
The frustration led to Bedard taking a penalty for cross-checking Bonk at 16:30 of the third. Bonk said the back-and-forth wasn't anything malicious, more about the respect for Bedard's ability to take over a game.
"He's the best [2005-born player] in the world right now," Bonk said. "It was good to get him off the ice for two minutes for our guys."
Bedard (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) is used to physical play and won't shy away from it. He was a presence in front of Team White's goal on most of his shifts and had no problem battling in all areas of the ice.
"It's hockey," Bedard said. "It's competitive and you're allowed to hit so you've always got to expect that. It's a contact sport and you're going to get hit and you're going to give hits. That's part of it and it was good."
Despite the physical play, Bedard still displayed his game-breaking ability. With Team Red on the power play in the first period, he wheeled through the high slot and fired a shot on net that Ratzlaff saved. Midway through the second, Ratzlaff had to make a spectacular pad save to stop Bedard at the net on a give-and-go with Zach Benson.
"The goalies played well and obviously it would have been nice to see a few go in, but it didn't happen," Bedard said.
Ratzlaff also plays in the WHL, for Seattle. Though it was his first time facing Bedard in a game, he knows exactly what he's capable of doing.
"He's just so dynamic, and he's just good from anywhere," Ratzlaff said. "You think, 'Oh, I've got to commit because he's going to shoot,' and then he makes a pass backdoor right on the guy's tape. So, I think just being ready for anything because he's just so good and just patient with the puck so he can really create, turn nothing into something."
Bedard said his focus now returns to Regina, where he leads the WHL in goals (39), assists (42) and points (81). Since being held off the score sheet in the season opener, he has a point in 32 straight games. He's No. 1 in NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American players presented by BioSteel and almost a certainty to hear his name called first at the 2023 draft at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on June 28.
"When you look, you can see his similarities with his quickness, offensive smarts, that go up to the Connor McDavid level, but then just the pure substance and overall makeup of his game is reminiscent of Sidney Crosby," said Dan Marr, vice president of Central Scouting. "He's right up there with those players that are going to be all stars and win a lot of hardware moving forward."
Bedard has said the draft is something he'll worry about down the road. Now that all the attention from the Top Prospects Game has passed, he's focused on helping Regina reach the WHL playoffs.
"I want to win in Regina," he said. "We've been playing well of late, [won] four of the last five, so we want to keep that going and I'm excited to get back and get to work."
HAMILTON — Bo Levi Mitchell is a Hamilton Tiger-Cat.
The veteran quarterback signed a three-year deal with Hamilton, the club announced Tuesday. The Ticats acquired the rights to Mitchell in November from the Calgary Stampeders.
Mitchell, 32, joined the Stampeders in 2012 and had played his entire CFL career in Calgary. He lead the franchise to two Grey Cup titles while twice being named the league's outstanding player.
Two-time MOP Bo Levi Mitchell signs three-year deal with Tiger-Cats ✍️
But the Texas native lost his starting job this year to youngster Jake Maier, who signed an extension with the Stampeders through the 2024 campaign during the 2022 season.
Mitchell, 32, started 117 of 165 games with Calgary, completing 2,496 of 3,866 passes (64.6 per cent) for 32,541 yards with 188 TDs and 89 interceptions. The six-foot-two, 190-pound Mitchell started nine-of-18 games last year, finishing 160 of 261 passing (61.3 per cent) for 2,101 yards with nine touchdown passes and six interceptions.
"Bo Levi has an incredible record of achievements in the Canadian Football League and is a proven champion," Orlondo Steinauer, Hamilton's head coach/president of football operations, said in a statement. "Throughout the process, it became clear that Bo, both as a person and as a player, would be an excellent fit for our organization and we are excited to welcome Bo Levi, Madison, and their two children to the city of Hamilton and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Football Club."
Bo Levi Mitchell’s 3-year deal with the @Ticats is believed to be worth just over $500,000 per season. That’s good @CFL starting QB money, but have to believe — with some teams still unsettled at QB — he could have got more on the open market.#CFL#Ticats
Hamilton will host the 2023 Grey Cup game at Tim Hortons Field on Nov. 19.
Mitchell is a two-time CFL all-star and the league's active leader with 32,541 passing yards.
"I am excited and honoured for the opportunity to help deliver a championship to the incredible fans in Hamilton," said Mitchell. "This is an excellent organization that goes above and beyond to ensure that everyone has what they need to be successful and I have the utmost faith in Coach O, his staff and all the elite players on the roster.
"I look forward to earning my place in the locker room and being a part of something that I believe can be very special. I can't wait to get to work."
When a team trades for a pending free agent QB’s rights, they will sign him: — Reilly to Edm — signed. — Franklin to Tor — signed. — Arbuckle to Ott — signed. — Mitchell to Ham — signed. Water runs downhill … #CFL
The signing of Mitchell completes Hamilton's deal with Calgary. The Ticats also acquired the Stampeders 2023 first-round pick (fifth overall) and a 2024 third-round selection.
The Stampeders receive Hamilton’s 2023 first-round pick (fourth overall) as well as third- and sixth-round selections in addition to a 2024 second-round selection.
Hamilton (8-10) finished third in the East Division last season, Dane Evans' first as the club's starter. The Ticats signed Evans to a two-year extension last January, allowing then incumbent Jeremiah Masoli to join the Ottawa Redblacks as a free agent.
Hamilton ended its season by losing 28-17 to the Montreal Alouettes in the East Division semifinal.
Evans, who was Hamilton's starter in the 2019 and '21 Grey Cups, completed 305 of 457 passes (66.7 per cent) for 3,883 yards. But he also led the CFL in interceptions (16), fumbles (eight) and fumbles lost (seven) while winning just six of 14 regular-season starts.
That Hal Laycoe became the first ex-coach of the Vancouver Canucks on May 2, 1972 wasn’t a big surprise.
Under Laycoe for their first two NHL seasons, the Canucks went 44-96-16. They were, after all, the only western franchise in the tough East division, playing against five of the original six franchises and fellow 1970 entrant Buffalo Sabres.
With Vic Stasiuk replacing him, Laycoe got kicked upstairs to the front office. The vice-president of player development and scouting became general manager in 1973.
When Stasiuk was introduced, reporters of the day noted that owner Tom Scallen was absent from the news conference - just like today’s owner, Francesco Aquilini, when Rick Tocchet replaced Bruce Boudreau on Sunday.
It was the latest in the Canucks’ history of dubious departures.
November 22, 1984
Roger Neilson was shown the door Jan. 18, 1984, about a year-and-a-half after he famously guided the suspended Harry Neale’s team to the Stanley Cup finals, losing to the New York Islanders in a sweep. Later in 1984, Neilson sued the Canucks for $53,500 for breach of contract.
Neale stepped back behind the bench, but hired Bill LaForge in the off-season. The 32-year-old NHL rookie was famous for his “Pride, Hustle, Desire" mantra.
But the Canucks began the season pitiful and hapless, with 14 defeats in 20 games. So Neale fired LaForge and returned to coaching after a 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues in the half-empty Pacific Coliseum.
Neale got the axe at the end of the season, which was the club’s worst yet.
Nov. 4, 1997
Seattle’s McCaw family invested some of their cell phone profits into the Canucks when the Griffiths family felt the pinch of downtown arena construction cost overruns and the Grizzlies’ exorbitant NBA expansion fees.
By 1996, the McCaws had bought out the Griffiths. Former BC Gas CEO Stephen Bellringer had been installed as the CEO of Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment. When the Canucks started the 1997-1998 season at 3-10-2, Bellringer fired president Pat Quinn rather than head coach Tom Renney during a seven-game losing streak.
The mighty, beloved Quinn had been a member of that original 1970 team under Laycoe, the team’s “super boss” since 1987 and head coach of the 1994 Stanley Cup finalist who hired, fired and replaced coaches Bob McCammon and Rick Ley.
Renney was next, nine days later. His replacement, Mike Keenan, was reunited with the Canucks’ controversial offseason free agent acquisition, Mark Messier.
Jan. 24, 1999:
More change at Griffiths Way. After Keenan’s first year as both head coach and de facto general manager, Brian Burke, Quinn’s understudy in 1987, had returned to the Canucks on June 23, 1998 to fill Quinn’s shoes.
Under Keenan, the Canucks traded away fan favourites from the machine Quinn built, including Trevor Linden and Kirk McLean. Under Burke, Pavel Bure was dealt to the Florida Panthers on Jan. 17, 1999 in a blockbuster trade involving six players and two draft picks changing coasts.
A week later, Keenan was gone, replaced by Marc Crawford, the former Canuck who coached the Colorado Avalanche to their first Stanley Cup championship in 1996.
The Canucks finished last-place in the Western conference, out of the playoffs for the third straight season. The highlight of the off-season proved the saying that it’s darkest before dawn.
With the second and third picks in the June 26, 1999 draft, the Canucks picked the Sedin twins.
July 25, 2018
Owner Francesco Aquilini went to Twitter to say that Trevor Linden had “stepped down” as president of hockey operations, a role the team’s greatest captain had occupied since April 2014.
“He’s looking forward to pursuing other opportunities and spending time with his family,” Aquilini Tweeted, leaving many Canucks’ fans confused.
The move made Jim Benning the head of hockey operations, reporting directly to the Aquilinis.
“Jim and Travis Green will continue rebuilding the team as per the plan we have in place. A new president will be named in due course.”
Aquilini said he had one unfulfilled dream: “I want to bring the Stanley Cup to Vancouver.”
Jan. 22, 2023
That dream remains unfulfilled.
The Benning and Green era ended Dec. 5, 2021. Bruce Boudreau replaced Green the next day, and Jim Rutherford as president three days after that.
The Canucks were a different team under modest, easy-going Boudreau, racking up pre-Christmas wins. Fans chanted “Bruce (There It Is)” a-la one-hit wonder Tag Team’s “Whoomp (There It Is).”
Boudreau lasted 412 days — less than Keenan’s 436. No tears were shed when Keenan departed. It was a different story for both Boudreau and Canucks’ faithful the night before Rutherford fired him and introduced Rick Tocchet - two coaches whose career paths couldn’t have been more different.
In 1977, Boudreau had a bit part in the ultimate hockey movie Slap Shot. Tocchet pleaded guilty in 2007 - and got two years probation - for conspiracy and promoting gambling in New Jersey after an FBI sting code named "Operation Snapshot.” Commissioner Gary Bettman reinstated Tocchet almost nine months later, in February 2008.
No bonus top five this week because I’m cranky. Instead, I’m going to ask you to let me vent for a bit.
I’m a bit of an NHL history buff. You may have picked up on that based on roughly half the columns I post here. I also wrote a book on the subject. I’m not an expert, but I feel like I know my stuff.
I’ve never seen anything like this Bruce Boudreau story.
Never. And I lived through the era of Harold Ballard, an owner so mean and awful that he once asked Roger Neilson to wear a paper bag over his head. Neilson told him to get stuffed, and Ballard backed down because even the worst of the worst are still capable of realizing when they’ve gone too far.
The Canucks went too far. Way too far. Their treatment of Boudreau over the last few months went from comical to bizarre to outright cruel, which is where it’s been for weeks now. Yesterday’s announcement of the inevitable was just one last act in a bad farce. The way this was handled makes Gerard Gallant’s infamous taxi look like a stretch limo.
Look, coaches get fired. It’s never pleasant, but it happens, to almost everyone, and it’s part of the game. You could absolutely make the case that Boudreau deserved a pink slip based on how this season went, or at least that the coach taking the fall for a flawed roster would be the standard operating procedure in plenty of places around the league. That’s fine. Maybe Rick Tocchet will be the better fit.
But there’s no reason to do it like this. None. We’ve known the coaching change was coming. We knew who’d be replacing him. The exact date it would happen leaked out a while ago. And yet the team still sent Boudreau out there, night after night, as dead coach walking. Just fire him! If Tocchet can’t take the job right away because of TV commitments or whatever, then let Mike Yeo run the bench for a few games on an interim basis. There’s no reason to let a respected coach with over 600 career wins who almost saved your season last year twist in the wind like this. No reason to have Jim Rutherford periodically show up to kick him when he’s down. No reason to send him out there for what everyone knew would be his final games, then watch him have to clarify to the media that he hadn’t actually been fired yet.
If there’s a positive in any of this, it’s that the last part at least allowed Vancouver fans to step up to the plate. Their final Bruce chant, and Boudreau’s reaction to it, was a genuinely touching moment, even if it should have never happened.
Vancouver sends Bruce Boudreau off the ice with “Bruce there it is” chants.
Seriously, what does the Canucks organization gain from this? Possibly a coaching upgrade, although that remains to be seen. Beyond that, it’s hard to imagine the purpose behind all of this. Maybe there’s some behind-the-scenes grudge. Maybe Rutherford, or ownership, or (tries to remember the name of that GM who hasn’t been seen in months) Patrik Allvin genuinely hates the guy. Maybe they thought their weird excuses and quasi-apologies would actually land. Maybe they’re in the increasingly large group these days that mistakes cruelty and pettiness for bold leadership. I have no idea.
What I do know is that the Canucks look awful in all of this. Drance gets into some of the bigger picture stuff here, and he nails it in one key sentence: “the way an organization treats people matters.” The fans are ticked off. The Province reported that the players are too, and this could impact the Canucks’ ability to re-sign key pieces or attract free agents. And around the hockey world, all anyone can do is shake their heads and wonder how it came to this.
I thought the #Canucks hit rock bottom about 13 months ago when they cleared the front office and coaching staff out. Hard to believe they've already found a way to sink even lower
I can honestly say that, in my 15 yrs covering the NHL, I have never seen anything like this Bruce Boudreau fiasco. I have no clue how any organization—even one as apparently as dysfunctional as the Canucks—could operate this way. The cruelty of it aside, it’s just so ridiculous.
And if that’s not enough, this guy is ready to put someone through a table.
I’ve never met Boudreau, and I’m not going to pretend I know he’s some great guy based on his public persona. But the mere fact that he has a public persona is worth something, especially in a league where all we see most coaches do is stare at iPads after goals, grunt out dismissive non-answers at press conferences, and bag skate their teams after 5-4 wins. Boudreau always seemed like he enjoyed his job, and understood that he was in the entertainment business. He even seemed to be, dare we say it, having fun.
Maybe that’s why he had to be publicly humiliated and cast aside. Maybe it’s something else. Maybe it’s no reason at all, other than Rutherford or whoever realized that they could.
Good luck to Rick Tocchet. Hell of an organization you’re stepping into there, coach.
Road to the Cup
The five teams with the best chances of winning the Stanley Cup.
By the way, hope everyone enjoyed weekend number three of at some point going “Wait, is the All-Star Game happening today?” The original rosters were announced four months ago, and the voting went on for seven weeks, I think they announced the winners recently but I saw Stuart Skinner on the list so it may have just been a meme, and it turns out it wasn’t this weekend after all. Will it be next weekend? Nobody knows, tune in to find out.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs (28-11-8, +34 true goals differential*) — After last week’s dramatic handwringing over dropping the Avalanche out of the top five, I’ll admit it was tempting to quietly slip them right back in as if nothing had happened. Instead, we’ll reluctantly go back to the Leafs, who collected five of six points this week despite rarely looking especially impressive.
4. New Jersey Devils (30-12-4, +40) — Well, look who’s back. After a three-week absence, the Devils return to the top five. Yesterday’s win over the Penguins left them with the third-best points percentage in the league, which helps dispel any lingering notions that they’d settled into mediocrity after that long stretch of early season dominance. And I have to say, this Timo Meier talk is making some sense to me.
(Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
3. Dallas Stars (28-13-7, +44) — It was the week of the 4-0 win, as they racked up three of them. That’s more than enough to move them back into the Central’s top spot after the Jets slipped past them last week. They’ve started an eight-game homestand that will include visits by Carolina, New Jersey, Tampa and Boston, so we’ll get a good sense of how they can handle the league’s big kids.
2. Carolina Hurricanes (29-8-8, +26) — Absolutely devastating news on the Max Pacioretty injury. Awful for the player, who’d worked so hard to get back and now faces an uncertain future. Awful for a team that had paired creativity with patience in the hopes of adding a legitimate scoring threat. Just a genuinely miserable moment.
1. Boston Bruins (37-5-4, +82) — They won all four games this week, but gave up two goals in the process. Unacceptable, really. Here’s hoping they can get themselves out of this tailspin.
*Goals differential without counting shootout decisions like the NHL does for some reason.
Not ranked: Pittsburgh Penguins — It’s time to check in with our quasi-monthly feature called “Do the Penguins make any damn sense yet?”
This week’s answer: Nope.
The good news is that they’ve steadied things a bit since snapping a six-game losing streak, winning four of their last eight and earning loser points in two more. But those four wins have come against the Coyotes, Canucks, Ducks (barely) and Senators, so it’s hard to declare the team is fixed. They looked completely off in Ottawa on Wednesday. The blue line badly misses Kris Letang, now on the LTIR, and the goaltending wasn’t great during three weeks without Tristan Jarry. They really haven’t looked especially dangerous since before the holiday break. That’s bad.
But Jarry is back now, starting Friday’s win over the Senators and looking fantastic, making 44 saves in a 4-1 win. Jeff Petry is back too, which should help the blue line. And despite all the negatives, the Penguins are still holding down a wild-card spot, ahead of the struggling Islanders, the intriguing Sabres and the suddenly feisty Panthers. That’s … well, I’m not sure holding down a wild-card spot is good, but it’s not terrible as far as worst-case scenarios go.
It’s not all that hard to look at this team as a talented group that hit a patch of tough injury news, weathered it, and is now well-positioned to lock down a playoff spot in the second half. The Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin duo is still dangerous, and Letang should be back at some point. If you believe in Mike Sullivan, you have to figure that he’ll get the penalties under control and maybe get the power play working again. (Jesse Marshall has some interesting thoughts on that here.) And while it feels unlikely, maybe Ron Hextall does … something? Stranger things have happened.
Of course, you could also go down Josh’s recent checklist and note that many of those problems can’t be fixed in the short term. They’re not going to get younger, faster or bigger. Maybe Sullivan can get them to improve the defensive coverage issues, but they’ve had half a season to do that. Yes, they can probably make the playoffs despite all that, but is anyone going to pick them to beat Boston or Carolina? They didn’t bring the core back so they could serve as a first-round warmup for a real contender. And right now, that sure seems like where they’re headed.
They’ve got those Panthers tomorrow, which should be a fun one. Will it provide any clarity on where this team is headed? No, because we’ll never get that until the season is over. Right now, it sure feels like we can pencil that in for roughly five games into the postseason.
The bottom five
The five teams that are headed toward dead last, and the best lottery odds for Connor Bedard.
Hockey parents are the absolute best.
5. Montreal Canadiens (20-24-3, -50) — The standings don’t think they’re this bad, but we’re predicting the future here, and the Habs have become the first team to hit the “everyone that’s hurt gets shut down for the year” mark.
Add Cole Caufield to this list (via @hockey_ref). The Habs have some catching up to do in the Bedard sweepstakes. Maybe this will do the trick. pic.twitter.com/q64b0QiWoV
That’s a crucial milestone for a tanking team — I say this from personal experience — and it works. As an added bonus, the players who get shut down have a chance to fully recover in time for next year. You need Cole Caufield’s shoulder to be ready for opening night because all those Connor Bedard-assisted goals aren’t going to celebrate themselves.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets (14-30-2, -61) — Pulling off the impossible by losing to the Ducks in regulation was big, but they couldn’t keep the momentum going with a disappointing win over the Sharks. The good news is that the next 10 games are rough, so even in a crowded field of four absolutely terrible teams, they can still take this.
2. Arizona Coyotes (15-27-5, -47) — Last night’s upset win over the Golden Knights was their first non-shootout victory since the final days of 2022 when they beat (checks notes) the Leafs and Avalanche. Sure, why not, hockey makes sense.
1. Chicago Blackhawks (14-27-4, -53) — They’d won six of seven before last night’s loss to the Kings, the sort of stretch that threatens to tank a tank just a few weeks after they looked like they had last place in the bag.
I’m keeping them in the No. 1 spot for now because they still have the Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews trades to navigate. In terms of being bad, I still think they have another level. But the last few weeks have hurt, and this is a race again.
Not ranked: San Jose Sharks — They slip out of the bottom five this week, but need a mention because it’s starting to feel like an Erik Karlsson trade could actually happen. He talked to Pierre about the situation this week, and his comments are worth a read. He certainly doesn’t sound like a guy who wants out of San Jose. But he also doesn’t sound like a guy who’s completely shut the door on the idea.
That’s crucial here, obviously, because Karlsson has a full no-move clause and controls his future. Remember, he has four years left on his deal and wouldn’t be a rental, so this isn’t a situation where somebody is only committing to go chase a Cup for a few months at most. If he moves, it’s for the foreseeable future, so he has every right to be picky.
Still, he says he wants to win, and right now the Sharks can’t offer that. And while his massive contract would have made any trade scenario feel unworkable heading into this season, Karlsson’s monster season might be changing that. I’ll emphasize that “might” because we’ve never seen a contract like this get traded in the cap era, let alone at midseason. Still, we’re told that teams are calling. And if they are, Mike Grier should absolutely be answering. (Mike, you got my note, right?)
Fans of deadline blockbusters shouldn’t be getting our hopes up quite yet; we’re already seeing caveats about how a deal might be easier in the offseason. I don’t see how that makes sense since you’d think you only even consider adding this contract if you know you’re getting a playoff run from its best season. The most likely outcome here is still that everyone hems and haws and eventually talks themselves out of doing anything bold.
But that doesn’t feel like a sure thing anymore, and that’s intriguing, to say the least. Karlsson is one of the best defensemen of his era, and he’s in the middle of what could be a career year. If he actually switched teams, it could change the entire dynamic heading into the playoffs. I don’t think it happens, but let’s see if anyone out there proves me wrong.
Lincoln Financial Field will play host to a Saturday night NFL Divisional Round battle between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants (10-7-1) turned things around thanks to first-year head coach Brian Daboll and the resurgence of RB Saquon Barkley (1,312 rush yds). On Sunday, New York rolled up 431 yards of total offense during a 31-24 road victory against third-seeded Minnesota.
Saquon Barkley scored the game-winning touchdown midway through the fourth quarter and finished with 109 yards from scrimmage. New York QB Daniel Jones threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns to go along with a team-high 78 rushing yards.
The Philadelphia Eagles started the season off with eight consecutive victories and finished third in the league in total offense. QB Jalen Hurts thrust himself into the MVP discussion with 3,701 passing yards and 35 total touchdowns. Last time out, Philadelphia clinched the number one seed with a 22-16 home victory versus New York.
Jalen Hurts returned from a two-game absence due to shoulder injury and finished with 229 passing yards. Jake Elliott nailed five field goals and Boston Scott contributed an eight-yard touchdown run for the Eagles. A.J. Brown led the Eagles with 95 receiving yards on four receptions.
Daniil Medvedev has compared Sebastian Korda to Novak Djokovic after crashing out of the Australian Open at the third round stage on Friday. The Russian, who reached the Melbourne final in 2021 and 2022, was dispatched by Korda in straight sets after being outplayed from start to finish.
“The most difficult [thing] is that he hits very strong the ball,” Medvedev explained after his defeat. “Probably one of the strongest hitters. Also takes it very early. There are some other guys playing like this, but they miss more than him. And he didn't miss that much.
“His game, yeah, kind of different from everybody because very aggressive and very early he takes the ball. A little bit maybe like Novak. But, yeah, well, not every player is capable of doing that - so that's beautiful and that.”
Medvedev was under pressure from the outset against his American opponent and was broken in his first service game. Korda went on to break the world No 7’s serve on four more occasions throughout the showdown and held his nerve in two tiebreaks to win the match 7-6 6-3 7-6.
“Actually, when he was missing, I kind of took my opportunities I feel like. I don't feel like there were a lot of missed opportunities, and that's why I'm saying in general it's not like this point I had to do better, that point I had to serve better. I just had to be better in average on the whole level of the match, which I didn't manage to do.”
Following the showdown, Korda has been tipped to challenge for the Australian Open title. But Djokovic is still the overwhelming favourite to win the tournament for a 10th time as he looks to draw level with Rafael Nadal’s record 22 Grand Slam title successes.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to move on to the fourth round of the Australian Open.
The Montreal native fired nine aces and won 85 per cent of first-serve points, in addition to breaking on six out of 20 chances.
He also had 38 winners to Cerundolo's 22 in a match played Friday afternoon in Melbourne.
After cruising through the third set, the sixth seeded Auger-Aliassime was met with quite the challenge from Cerundolo in the fourth.
After falling behind 2-1, the 22-year-old Auger-Aliassime strung together three consecutive games to go up 4-2.
Cerundolo, however, trimmed the deficit thanks to an error from the Canadian after a forehand winner provided him the advantage out of a deuce.
It then turned into a back and forth affair as the two would match one another after every game won.
But that failed to work in favour of the Argentine, as Auger-Aliassime cruised through the final game, taking match point with an ace.
"I was playing a bit tight and not going for it in the second set and he did, so credit to him," said Auger-Aliassime, who advanced to the fourth round in Melbourne for the third consecutive year. "I'm happy with how I was able to turn it around and the last two sets were probably some of my best ones so far in this tournament. It's a good start and just happy to be through."
Auger-Aliassime will next meet Jiri Lehecka in a Round of 16 match on Sunday.
Canadian Denis Shapovalov was defeated in his third-round matchup against Poland's Hubert Hurkaczv in men's singles action. The Richmond Hill, Ont. native battled back from two sets down to force a deciding fifth set, but ultimately fell 6-7, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 3-6.
In women's doubles action, Canada's Gabriela Dabrowski and partner Giuliana Olmos of Mexico defeated American Shelby Rogers and Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the opening round.
Dabrowski and Olmos fired three aces to just one double fault and won 73 per cent of first-serve points. They also broke on 5-of-9 opportunities.
The third seeded-duo had 25 winners to their opponents' 21.
Dabrowski and Olmos will next meet the Swiss pair of Belinda Bencic and Jil Teichmann.
Meanwhile, fellow Canadian Leylah Fernandez and Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the U.S. fell 7-6 (5), 4-6, 3-6 to Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia and China's Zhang Shuai in their first-round match.
After winning the opening set, Fernandez and Mattek-Sands fell apart following a great start to the second.
The duo won the first four games of the middle set. From there, Haddad Maia and Zhang took over with six consecutive games to win the set.
In the third, they built on their momentum, taking three of the first four games. Fernandez and Mattek-Sands could not get any closer than within two games in hopes of a comeback.
Fernandez and Mattek-Sands broke on four of their 12 opportunities in comparison to their opponents going 6-for-10.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2023.
Professional soccer player Anton Walkes has died from injuries he sustained in a boat crash off the coast of Miami, authorities said Thursday.
Walkes, who was 25, was found unconscious and taken to a hospital after the crash between two boats Wednesday near the Miami Marine Stadium basin, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Walkes was operating one of the boats that crashed, the state agency said in a statement.
It was unclear whether anyone else was injured. The agency's investigation is ongoing.
We are deeply saddened to share that Anton Walkes has tragically passed away this morning.<br><br>May he rest in peace. <a href="https://t.co/8oUcHvWW6g">pic.twitter.com/8oUcHvWW6g</a>
Walkes, a defender, was entering his second season with MLS club Charlotte FC. The team had arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 9 for its first leg of preseason training and had a friendly scheduled with St. Louis on Saturday. That match has been cancelled.
Charlotte FC owner David Tepper said all at the club were "devastated by the tragic passing of Anton Walkes."
"He was a tremendous son, father, partner and teammate whose joyous approach to life touched everyone he met," Tepper said in a club statement.
Walkes joined Charlotte for the club's debut MLS season in 2022. He played in 23 matches with 21 starts and had five shots on goal this past season.
"Anton made those around him better people in all areas of life and represented Charlotte FC to the highest standard both on and off the pitch," Tepper said.
There are no words to describe the sorrow of everyone in Major League Soccer today after learning of the tragic passing of Anton Walkes of Charlotte FC. Anton was a talented and dedicated player who was loved by his teammates and fans. <a href="https://t.co/9S7hT3fMiM">pic.twitter.com/9S7hT3fMiM</a>
Fans began laying flowers outside of the east gate of Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium on Thursday.
Walkes began his career with English Premier League club Tottenham and also played for Portsmouth before signing with Atlanta United in the MLS, where he spent three seasons.
The MLS released a statement saying "there are no words to describe the sorrow of everyone in Major League Soccer today."
"Anton was a talented and dedicated player who was loved by his teammates and fans," the statement said.
In 2016, a boat crash off Miami Beach killed Major League Baseball player Jose Fernandez, a star pitcher for the Miami Marlins. Fernandez and two other people died when their 32-foot vessel slammed into a jetty, according to authorities.
Charlotte FC teammate Jaylin Lindsey said he was "heartbroken" to learn of Walkes' death.
"Fly high my brother, you're the best teammate I could've asked for," Lindsey Tweeted. "Love you man."
Tottenham Hotspur also tweeted: "We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former player, Anton Walkes. The thoughts of everyone at the Club are with his family and friends at this incredibly sad time."
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former player, Anton Walkes. <br><br>The thoughts of everyone at the Club are with his family and friends at this incredibly sad time 💙 <a href="https://t.co/NCPvFU4A6v">pic.twitter.com/NCPvFU4A6v</a>
Caroline Garcia needed to fight hard on Thursday to reach the third round of the Australian Open for the first time in four years.
The No.4 seed beat 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 7-6(5), 7-5 inside Rod Laver Arena to reach the last 32 in Melbourne for the fifth time in her career.
Here are three takeaways from the Frenchwoman's hard-fought win.
Garcia continues to dominate Canadians: After a dominant 6-0, 6-3 opening round win against qualifier Katherine Sebov, Garcia was pushed much harder by Canada's top-ranked player.
She came from a break down in the first set and saved a set point in the second set in 1 hour and 52 minutes. She also saved two break points each at 4-4 and 5-5 in the opener and came from 4-0 and 5-2 down in the first-set tiebreak.
Garcia is now 12-3 in her career against Canadians and has won the past six matches.
More from Day 4:
1-2 punch overwhelms Fernandez: To do that, Garcia found big serves and bigger returns in the crucial moments. She hit 40 winners, including 11 aces in victory. That was more than double the winner total of Fernandez (18) who also didn't hit a single ace.
Impressively, Garcia hit her way out of several of her deficits. She hit an ace to get on the board in the first-set tiebreak after trailing 4-0, and hit five winners in the set's last five points.
Staring down set point in the 10th game of the second set, she hit another ace.
Opportunity knocks: Garcia came into the match knowing that she's the only Top 16 left in the third quarter of the women's singles draw.
She'll next face former Top 30 player Laura Siegemund, who's through to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2020, with either No.19 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova or Magda Linette awaiting for the winner in the last 16.
Garcia's best result Down Under was a fourth-round showing in 2018.
Ivan Provorov, who is Russian Orthodox, refused to wear a Pride-themed jersey prior to Tuesday's game between the Flyers and Ducks. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Philadelphia Flyers held their annual Pride Night on Tuesday to celebrate and support the LGTBQ+ community.
As part of the festivities, the Flyers wore Pride-themed warmup jerseys and rainbow-taped sticks that will be auctioned off with proceeds going towards Flyers charities aiming to grow hockey in less represented communities.
One player was notably absent when the Flyers took the ice for warmups: defenseman Ivan Provorov, who eventually made his way to the bench and ended up playing a game-high 22:45 in Philadelphia's 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
Reports circulated after the game that Provorov declined to wear the Pride Night jersey in warmups, prompting the Flyers to issue the following statement:
“The Philadelphia Flyers organization is committed to inclusivity and is proud to support the LGBTQ+ community. Many of our players are active in their support of local LGBTQ+ organizations, and we were proud to host our annual Pride Night again this year. The Flyers will continue to be strong advocates for inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community.”
Flyers head coach John Tortorella confirmed the reports after the game, explaining the defenseman made the decision due to his religion.
"He's being true to himself and his religion. This has to do with his beliefs and his religion," Tortorella said. "It's one thing I respect about [Provorov], he's always true to himself." Tortorella said he didn't consider benching Provorov over his decision.
Provorov, who is Russian Orthodox, met with the media shortly after and addressed his decision.
“I respect everybody and respect everybody’s choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion,” he said.
The controversy cast a shadow over what was an otherwise positive night for both the Flyers and the LGBTQ+ community.
Prior to the game, the Flyers held a skate for local LGBTQ+ youth and officers from the Greater Philadelphia G.O.A.L organization, whose mission is to "advocate for and on behalf of LGBTQ+ first responders and military members, help educate first responders in LGBTQ+ competency, and provide community outreach to advance relations between the LGBTQ+ public and first responder agencies."
After the game, forwards James van Riemsdyk and Scott Laughton did a meet and greet with Tuesday's guest of honor, 13-year-old nonbinary hockey player Trin Stephens, and his family. Laughton and van Riesmdyk first met Stephens in November through an LGBTQ+ nonprofit organization they have partnered with.
"It's super amazing because it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have, being an LGBTQ youth doing this," Stephens told NHL.com. "I would totally love for people to be included in sports and be themselves and not have to hide it from the world."
Here’s a sneak peek of the construction and progress for the Blue Jays brand new renovations to the Rogers Centre, as the club announced that the stadium will transform into a ballpark focused on modernizing the fan experience. Credit: Toronto Blue Jays.
Si Woo Kim pulls off some late heroics, the PGA Tour kicks off the West Coast swing, LIV Golf readies for more disruption and more in this week's edition of the Monday Scramble:
It wasn’t quite a Rahm-esque rally, but Si Woo Kim pulled off another Hawaiian comeback Sunday to steal the Sony Open.
Throughout Kim’s impressive but inconsistent career, he has always been adept at touchy pitch shots – only once has he finished a season ranked worse than 32nd in strokes gained: around the green.
Never did that pay off more than at Waialae Country Club, where his tee shot into the 17th green bounded over the back and into a grainy lie in the rough. Hearing Hayden Buckley ram home a birdie putt a hole behind him, Kim believed he had nothing to lose and went for the hero shot.
He pulled it off, pumping his fist and playing to the crowd:
The unlikely birdie kept Kim in a share of the lead and sent a charge into what was an otherwise sleepy event.
On the final hole, Kim hit a stellar shot from the fairway bunker and then two-putted from 40 feet to pull ahead for good. Weekend 64s gave Kim his fourth Tour title, and first in two years. He’s back inside the top 50 and assured of a spot in the Masters.
Buckley could have used some of Kim’s short-game prowess.
His approach shot into the final hole leaked just right and wound up in the collection area short of the green, leaving a dicey pitch to an elevated green with a tucked, back-right pin. Buckley couldn’t get his shot closer than 12 feet, and his putt to force a playoff drifted right of the cup. He also missed a pair of putts inside 5 feet on the back nine, spoiling his bid for a breakthrough title.
“Winning on the PGA Tour is the hardest thing to do,” Buckley said, “and sometimes you just get beat. I feel like that’s what happened today.”
We’re only two weeks into the "new era" of the PGA Tour, but so far, at least, it seems … very similar?
Even before it became one of the Tour’s designated events with a larger purse and guaranteed top field, the Sentry Tournament of Champions always carried the feel of a limited invitational. And that’s because it was – the spots reserved solely for tournament winners, with the field now beefed up with the addition of the Tour Championship qualifiers. The new status simply made what was already a good event even better.
The Sony Open was the first non-designated event of the year, but that, too, carried on much as it has for years. The event attracted nearly as many top-50 players (14) as last year (16), with Jordan Spieth and Tom Kim serving as headliners, and the 144-man field produced an, um, eclectic leaderboard in which nine of the top 16 players going into Sunday were looking for their first win.
So, the Hawaiian swing had a little something for everyone – all of the stars at Kapalua, then the guys trying to alter their career trajectories at Waialae. That’s pretty much how it’s always been. The only difference now is they’re explicitly calling out that status.
But for all the handwringing about a new A Tour for the stars and B Tour for the middle class, there remains much to like about the beginning of the West Coast swing. This week’s American Express has five of the top 7 players in the world. Next week’s stop at San Diego has a smattering of stars too, including heavyweight Jon Rahm. At least early on, players will pick and choose their favorite spots to fine-tune their games and get ready for Augusta.
As the season progresses, there will, of course, be events that get pinched – Honda, Mexico, Rocket Mortgage and 3M immediately come to mind – but those tournaments have always struggled to attract the big names. Instead, those non-designated events will lean into what they CAN offer: a Masters berth, full FedExCup points … and, oh yeah, a spot in the designated season opener at Kapalua.
This is the bridge year until the PGA Tour unveils its revamped schedule for 2024 and beyond.
This week should finally bring some clarity.
After weeks of delays, boardroom reshuffling and courtroom wrangling, LIV Golf is expected this week to formally announce its full roster of players for the 2023 league season, according to published reports.
As colleague Rex Hoggard reported last August, Mito Pereira should be among the latest batch of signings. The Chilean, ranked 45th in the world, came within four strokes of winning the PGA Championship last May before a disastrous final hole left him out of the playoff eventually won by Justin Thomas. Pereira is expected to join LIV’s strong Latin American contingent with Joaquin Niemann, Abe Ancer and Carlos Ortiz, all of whom were Tour winners.
Following months of rumors, however, Pereira is the only player who has been named in published reports. LIV CEO Greg Norman said in November that he expected to return “85 to 90%” of the players for this season – meaning he was trying to land six or seven more players, which he said would come from the top 20 in the world.
That doesn’t appear to be the case.
In other LIV-adjacent news, Golfweek reported that Rookie of the Year Cameron Young and long-hitting Cameron Champ were among those who have been granted releases to play in next month’s Saudi International, an Asian Tour event that is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
It’s not yet known whether those players will actually tee it up in the Feb. 2-5 event (held opposite Pebble Beach), but Young’s inclusion would be particularly interesting – he said last year at East Lake that he was very intrigued by the LIV model, and that his only regret was that the lucrative offer for the breakaway league had come so early in his career, when he still had so much he wanted to achieve and didn’t want to jeopardize his standing.
THIS WEEK'S AWARD WINNERS ...
See You in Augusta: Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira. Staked to a four-shot lead in one of the game's most consequential amateur tournaments, all the 22-year-old from Argentina did in the final round was post a way-too-easy 67 that allowed him to cruise to the title at the Latin America Amateur Championship. Seriously impressive stuff, given all of the perks up for grabs. With the victory, he’s now invited to three of the 2023 majors, including in a few months at the Masters. Fernandez de Oliveira also joined Niemann and Alvaro Ortiz in winning the LAAC a year after finishing in second place.
Laughable: Ian Poulter. It’s only Jan. 16, but we already have what is sure to be one of the year’s pettiest quotes, with Poulter whining that the European Ryder Cup team’s official Twitter account didn’t formally wish him a happy birthday. Keep in mind, of course, that Poulter’s new employer, LIV Golf, hadn’t either … until they rushed and pushed one out about 20 minutes after he complained. Delicious.
To Be Determined: Tiger Woods’ Ryder Cup role. At the Sony, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson said of Woods: “He’s a part of the team. It’s just a matter of to what degree, right?” It’s a stretch to think that Woods will even be considered for what should be a loaded squad; he’s likely just to play the majors, if that, and Marco Simone is “definitely hillier” than Augusta National, according to Johnson. Woods was involved behind the scenes with last year’s Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow too, but he still wasn’t formally part of the team, earpiece in, zipping around the course in a cart. Will he be there, physically, in Rome, or is it just another shadow captaincy?
One of Those Days: Jordan Spieth. You never, ever, ever want to go full Camilo, but that’s exactly what Spieth did at the Sony, where he shared the first-round lead but missed the cut, by one, after a no-good, very-bad 75 at Waialae in which he said that he didn’t do much wrong, other than being slightly out of position. (For those wondering, the last player to go from 1st to MC: Matt Every, in 2020.) Spieth wasn’t about to sweat the early exit, especially with how much golf he’s soon to be playing: Beginning with the Phoenix Open, he’s set to play seven of the next eight weeks.
Coming Soon: PGA Tour Netflix doc. The docuseries following the lives and drama of the Tour is slated to be released Feb. 15, the day before the Tour stars begin play at Riviera for the Genesis Invitational. In the trailer released last week, Rory McIlroy (who wasn’t previously announced as having participated) appeared to sit for an interview, but the cameras also tracked others like Spieth, Justin Thomas and Tony Finau, as well as LIV defectors Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Poulter. There will be memes – and, sure, probably some fallout, too.
Possible Harbinger?: Hero Cup. Led by a rejuvenated Francesco Molinari, the Continental Europe squad convincingly defeated Great Britain and Ireland to capture the tuneup for the Ryder Cup. Molinari’s 3 ½ points were tied among the most of any player as the 2018 major champion, having dropped recently outside the top 200 in the world, still believes he can contribute to the European side in a home game later this year. “It’s a great motivation for me,” he said. An in-form Frankie would be bad news for the Americans – it was five years ago that he became the first European player to hang a 5-0 record on the board in Paris.
New Look, New Sticks: Nelly Korda. Over the weekend Korda posted on social media that she had signed with Nike, but gearheads immediately noticed that the club she was swinging in the ad was cut off. Scrubbed, too, was any mention of her on the Titleist website; just her sister Jessica appeared. But sure enough, on Monday morning, Korda was unveiled as a new TaylorMade staffer. She'll debut her new gear this week at the season-opening Tournament of Champions.
Be the Change You Want: Adam Scott. The affable Aussie has been on Tour for two decades, but for the first time he’ll serve on the Tour’s 16-man Player Advisory Council. And, just like that, he's also one of the three nominees (along with Maverick McNealy and Kevin Streelman) for PAC chairman. It’s another blow for LIV Golf, which had been actively courting Scott, but it also is also a win for the Tour, which will benefit from the veteran’s thoughtful approach and likability across the membership spectrum.
Blown Fantasy Pick of the Week: Tom Kim. After a spectacular start to the year, Kim headed to Honolulu and put up a stinker, missing the cut after rounds of 72-69 – his first MC since last year’s PGA. Kim led the field from tee to green at Kapalua but he was out of sorts on the greens at Waialae, putting up the worst SG performance of his young career in Round 1, losing nearly FIVE strokes (4.989) to the field. Yeah, let’s go ahead and chalk that one up to a fluke.
