The United States men’s basketball team played one of its best games of these 2020 Olympics in a 95-81 win over Spain in the quarterfinals on Tuesday morning in Tokyo. They advance to play the winner of Australia and Argentina in the semifinals on Thursday.

Kevin Durant led the U.S. with 29 points and Ricky Rubio paced Spain with 38 in a battle of the two top-ranked teams in the world.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

Los Angeles, the defending World Series champions, are finalizing a trade to acquire pitcher Max Scherzer and shortstop Trea Turner from the Nationals with a prospect-heavy return, according to ESPN. Triple-A catcher Keibert Ruiz, Baseball America’s No. 16 ranked prospect, right-handed pitchers Josiah Gray and Gerardo Carrillo and outfielder Donovan Casey are heading the Nationals in return, the Athletic reported.

The Dodgers have some uncertainty in their rotation with Trever Bauer still on administrative leave as MLB continues to investigate sexual assault charges against the reigning NL CY Young winner. Turner could move into the outfield for the Dodgers with shortstop Corey Seager slotted to return to the IL on Friday.

The news of the Dodgers deal at the MLB trade deadline comes after reports earlier on Thursday that Scherzer, 37, was close to being on this way to the Padres. The Giants lead the NL West by three games over the Dodgers and six over San Diego.

Scherzer is currently 8-4 with a 2.76 ERA and 147 strikeouts in 111.0 innings and is a free agent after this season. Turner, 28, is hitting .322 with 18 home runs and 48 RBI and 66 runs scored. He is arbitration eligible in 2022.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

All-Star Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier, who the Mets had some interest in, is being traded to the San Diego Padres, according to multiple reports.

Prospects Tucupita Marcano (infielder), Jack Suwinski (outfielder) and pitcher Michell Miliano would head to San Diego, according to The Athletic. The Pirates will also send about $1.4 million in cash to the Padres to bring down the money owed Frazier.

The 29-year-old Frazier leads all of baseball in hits and will not be eligible for free agency until after next season. If the Mets had acquired Frazier, it likely would have meant a move to third base for Jeff McNeil. Frazier brings some versatility as he also plays the outfield and the Padres intend to use him in a super-utlity role, The Athleric reported.

The Padres currently trail the Giants by 5 ½ games in the NL West and have a 5 ½-game lead over the Reds for the second NL wild card.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

Cena, who was last seen on WWE programming at a fanless WrestleMania 36 last April, confronted Universal champion Roman Reigns after the Tribal Chief defeated Edge in the main event of the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday night. The fans delivered an all-timer of a pop when the 16-time world champion’s music hit — adding another one to Cena’s collection. Reigns just stared at Cena with a look of total disgust and a feeling of how dare he steal my spotlight. 

It sets up a likely and epic main event for SummerSlam at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Aug. 21. Cena is one of the biggest movie stars in the world with “F9” out and “The Suicide Squad” on the way. He delivers the immediate name notoriety, headlines and the probable ratings WWE desperately desires now that fans have returned. It’s a signal flare to the world that WWE is back and there are big things happening. Cena already said in a video on WWE’s social media after the show that he will be kicking off “Monday Night Raw.”

It’s only one of the reasons this was the right moment and match for Cena’s return. Yes, WWE gets criticized for leaning too heavily on its past stars when it needs a boost. Cena, however, is a no-brainer. Doing this too often with other talents in the next two to three months will be overkill, though.

So why is this happening at all? Well, Roman Reigns is operating on a level only a handful of people are at right now in pro wrestling. If you’re Cena, you want a piece of that for yourself and try to help WWE continue to build its next potential crossover star. More places and media outlets are going to be talking about and taking a look a Roman Reigns because he’s in a match with Cena — who is also the voice of Honda commercials.   

Think back to when Reigns’ cousin The Rock came back to have a program that lasted two WrestleManias with Cena in 2012-13. There is a similar feel here in star power even with Reigns at a different point in his career than Cena was at that time. Cena was a more established star but at the time he was WWE’s best guy just like Reigns is right now. Cena’s last match in front of fans was in January 2019.

WWE also likely doesn’t get Cena back without a clear story to tell. This one dates back to 2017 when he absolutely embarrassed Reigns during a promo. Back then, Reigns was floundering as the WWE was trying to shove him down the fans’ throat as our classic babyface, including some of the worst-worded promos you will ever hear. Still, Reigns beat Cena in a singles match at the No Mercy pay-per-view that year.

So now you have a returning Cena, one world title win away from breaking Ric Flair’s record, testing to see if Reigns is still the guy he ran word circles around last time they had a program together, trying to find out if Reigns really is as good as the hype that’s now around him. For Reigns, it’s a chance to further cement that he’s not the same guy he was in 2017, to dethrone Cena as the face of WWE and to add him to Daniel Bryan and Edge on the list of heroes he’s cast aside. 

Reigns needs to beat Cena — clean if there are no plans to run this back at WrestleMania 38 in Dallas. There needs to continue to be a feel of if Bryan, Edge, and Cena can’t beat Reigns then who the heck can? It will only make a regular Reigns’ loss or Big E cashing in his Money on the Bank contract to become champion mean that much more.

Cena is back to work with WWE’s biggest name in the biggest storyline at the biggest show this year. Embrace it. Enjoy it. It’s everything WWE needs and everything that makes pro wrestling great — if done correctly.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

The Mets first baseman, who won the event in 2019, hit a first-round record 35 home runs at Coors Field on Monday Night. He broke the previous record of 28 set by the Rangers’ Josh Hamilton in 2008 at Yankees Stadium when the competition was competed in a different format.

“This is everything I dreamed of when I was a young kid,” Alonso told ESPN. “I’m living in the moment right now.”

Alonso’s longest home run traveled 514 feet and his hardest was hit 115 mph. He clobbered 16 of his blasts 450 feet or more. He declared prior to the event at this year’s MLB All-Star Game that he would win it again and easily moved on to the next round after the Royals’ Salvador Perez hit 28.

“Wow, just wow,” Fernando Tatis told ESPN of Alonso’s first round. The Padres star admitted he’d love to go head-to-head with the 26-year-old slugger. “Some day, I’m looking forward to it.

The 26-year-old Alonso is batting .250 with 17 homers and 49 RBIs this season for the first-place Mets.

There wasn’t a home run derby in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

Sha’Carri Richardson’s U.S. Olympic Trials performance in the 100 meters was disqualified Thursday after she failed a drug test, according to multiple reports. The Gleaner, a newspaper in Jamaica, was the first to report the news. The test was administered as last month’s trials.

Richardson, 21, is facing a potential 30-day suspension for testing positive for marijuana, according to reports. The Gleaner reported her ban could range from one to three months. If she is suspended for only a month, the ban would end in time for her to potentially run as part of the 4 x 100 women’s relay team. The Tokyo Games are set to open on July 23 and run until Aug. 8, with the first round of the 4 x 100 set for Aug. 5.

Richardson was one of the favorites to challenge for gold in 100 meters. She won the U.S. Olympic trials in a time of 10.86 seconds on June 19, but that performance was provisionally disqualified after the positive test. Her personal best time of 10.73 is the second fastest in the world this year. The fourth-place finisher at the U.S. trials, Jenna Prandini, would replace Richardson on the team if she is disqualified or suspended.

During her post-race interview with NBC after winning the 100 meters at the trials, Richardson revealed her biological mother had recently passed away. She praised her family for their support, saying “without them, there is no me. Without my grandmother, there would be no Sha’carri Richardson.”

Richardson, who tweeted “I am human” on Thursday afternoon, withdrew from Sunday’s Diamond League meet in Stockholm, Sweden. She was scheduled to run the 200 meters.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

The new documentary about the WWE legend’s rise and fall, “VICE VERSA: Chyna,” will air Thursday at 9 p.m. on VICE TV — the same network known for its “Dark Side of the Ring” series. The film, directed by Marah Strauch of “Sunshine Superman,” gives a deep and emotional look into Laurer’s career, upbringing and the factors that led to her life spiraling out of control before her deadly 2016 overdose at the age of 46.

“A lot of things that have come out about her in the past were from other people’s point of view,” Strauch said in a phone interview. “So as much as possible we really tried to use her voice, which even in this doc within a doc, people are trying to take over her voice.”

The film revolves around the final year of Laurer’s life. The first woman to win WWE’s Intercontinental championship returns to the U.S. in 2015 after three quiet years in Japan — during which she was an English teacher — with the intent to make a documentary. She and her inner circle hope “The Resurrection of Chyna” will fuel a comeback and her induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.  

“Chyna” executive producer Daisy Hamilton was able to acquire the footage from that unreleased documentary for VICE. Included in what they were given were interviews with Lauer’s manager Anthony Anzaldo and “The Resurrection of Chyna” director Erik Angra that were supposed to be used in the original film.

The VICE documentary uses it to put into context what Laurer was battling at the end of her life and it also shows members of her inner circle dealing with their own toxic issues while trying to help her.

“There’s a mix of emotions because the footage can be really difficult [to watch] as well,” Strauch said.

The VICE film leans heavily into the old clips along with interviews they did with Laurer’s family, close friends and wrestling colleagues, including ex-boyfriend Sean Waltman, Mick Foley and Billy Gunn.

At one point during the documentary Vince Russo, WWE’s head writer for most of Laurer’s time with the company, says, “I believe she would say, ‘I just wanted to be loved.’ That’s what she was always searching for. It was the love and the approval and the acceptance.” It was a quote Strauch fought to keep in because she felt it summed up one of Laurer’s lifelong struggles.

“That was a line that people kept wanting to take out of the film,” Strauch said. “I kept saying, ‘but it’s like the whole film.’ I think she was a person that was an entertainer and a people pleaser and a person that really wanted to be liked and she really wanted the love and approval of pretty much everybody.”

The groundwork for that was laid in Laurer’s family relationships, which the film explores through interviews with her mother, Jan LaQue, and her sister, Kathy Hamilton. LaQue talks about a time Laurer saw her father, Joseph, who LaQue says was an alcoholic and drug addict, stab LaQue with a butcher’s knife.

The two divorced early in Laurer’s life, she moved in with her dad at 16 and that was the last time her mom saw her. The two were supposed to meet again in person during the final year of Laurer’s life, but she died before it could happen. Hamilton believes all of it left a lasting impact on her sister because she was so young at the time. Family trauma can be an underlying factor in addiction.

“There is a lot of generational trauma that occurred and it can’t be denied that she didn’t have a stable foundation, and I think that’s really hard when you’re famous or getting all this stuff to kind of hold your own,” said Strauch, who noted she pursued Laurer’s family for months to get them on board.  

Laurer, who was trained by Killer Kowalski, found a second family and a passion in professional wrestling. The documentary includes rare footage of her wrestling and cutting promos prior to joining WWE (then WWF) and talks about her love for entertaining. Strauch hopes it gives people a look into Laurer’s young, “scrappy” side.

“I don’t think it’s been shown since it was taken, so it’s really to me some of the most pure footage of this person that you can find,” she said.

Laurer debuted in WWE as Chyna in 1997. She was the bodyguard for eventual boyfriend Paul “Triple H” Levesque. She was known as “The Ninth Wonder of the World” and became a vital member of the legendary D-Generation X faction before making a name for herself as an in-ring performer unlike anything seen before in WWE as she often wrestled the male superstars. She became the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble, a WWE women’s champion and was one of a number of the company’s female performers to appear in Playboy.

“Wrestling her and wrestling guys was no different, she just hit a lot harder than guys,” Gunn says in the film. “She was the main thing. She was the ‘Stone Cold’ [Steve Austin]. It was Chyna, like that was a thing.”

Her contract was not renewed by WWE in 2001 after she is said to have had a meeting with Vince McMahon about Levesque’s romantic relationship with McMahon’s daughter Stephanie, whom he eventually married. Jim Ross, WWE’s head of talent relations at the time, has said Laurer refused to sign a contract with less than a $1 million downside guarantee – believing her popularity and crossover into the mainstream was as valuable as any of the company’s top male stars.

WWE distanced itself from Laurer for many years, especially after she got into the adult entertainment industry. She was eventually inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 along with the rest of DX and appeared as a playable character in the WWE 2K20 video game.

Levesque was not interviewed for the documentary and Strauch said she did not reach out to WWE about the chance to talk to him or anyone else working for the company. In her eyes, it defeated some of the purpose of what she was trying to accomplish.

“It just didn’t feel like the right choice for this documentary,” she said. “Because we really wanted it to be more Joanie’s point of view. We would have been happy to speak to Hunter but I think more than anything it might have been difficult to get to speak to people in the WWE.”

She did little in wrestling after WWE – outside of short runs in New Japan in 2002 and Total Nonstop Action in 2011 — and no longer had the family of co-workers around her for support. Laurer, who also did some reality TV, began to spiral and battle the drug and alcohol addiction that ultimately led to her dying from a combination of muscle relaxers, painkillers and alcohol.

In Laurer’s final interview for the original documentary, two weeks before her death, she said if she had to go back and do it again she wouldn’t have wrestled. Strauch sees that as her being a contradiction because she loved wrestling, the wrestlers and her time in WWE. She had just lost the will to fight to get some of it back and needed help,

“So for her to say that, I think was said in a moment where she was done, if that makes sense,” she said. “She didn’t have the stamina to have a comeback one more time, to rise above one more time.”

The film potentially gives Laurer a chance to do that with what Strauch feels is “the truth.” It gives people a chance to see a new take on who Laurer is, what she accomplished and what led her down a toxic path.

“She’s this big, strong, amazing person in the ring and then she’s what people kind of portrayed as kind of a train wreck or this person that has all these demons,” Strauch said. “I’d say that she’s also just a person and a person that was super intelligent and really had a lot of strengths besides wrestling. I hope that people can kind of humanize her.”

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

Fassel suffered a heart attack and died while under sedation at a local hospital near where he lived in Las Vegas, according to the LA Times report. He had been experiencing chest pains Monday and was taken to the hospital by a friend.

Fassel coached the Giants from 1997 to 2003, winning NFL Coach of the Year in 1997 and leading the team to Super Bowl XXXV three years later, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens.

He reached the playoffs three times with Big Blue and compiled a 58-53-1 record, but never got another opportunity to be a head coach in the NFL after being fired by the Giants. He was also an assistant with the team from 1991 to 1992.

Fassel was born in Anaheim, California, and graduated from Anaheim High School before playing football at Fullerton College, USC and Long Beach State. He was drafted by the Bears to play quarterback in 1972 but had a short playing career, bouncing among three teams that year before stints in the CFL and World Football League.

He began his coaching career soon after and ended up as the offensive coordinator for Stanford University, where he helped recruit John Elway and turned him into the No. 1 overall pick in 1983.

He was the head coach at the University of Utah from 1985 to 1989 before entering the NFL, working as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for a number of teams including the Giants and Broncos, where he reunited with Elway.

His tenure as Giants head coach lasted from 1997 to 2003 and was full of ups and downs – his 2002 team blew a 24-point lead to the 49ers in the playoffs – but he was remembered fondly by Giants fans.

His most recent coaching experience came in the since-disbanded United Football League, where he led the Las Vegas Locomotives to two championships in 2009 and 2010.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

The latest incident occurred Monday night when a fan was tackled by security while attempting to run onto the court during Game 4 of the Wizards-76ers series in Washington.

The male, who later was arrested and banned from the arena, according to reports, didn’t get far as he was tackled by the legs and then restrained by a security guard along the baseline with Washington up 80-74 late in the third quarter.

This is just another example of an NBA fan acting out during the playoffs. On Sunday, a Celtics supporter in Boston was arrested after throwing a water bottle that nearly Nets star Kyrie Irving.

The Hawks’ Trae Young was spat on at Madison Square Garden and Russell Westbrook has popcorn dumped on him in Philadelphia. Grizzlies guard Ja Morant parents said they were berated by Jazz fans with vulgar and racist remarks during their series.

All of the fans believed to be involved in these prior incident have been banned indefinitely by the respective arena.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

Jacksonville’s headman and his assistant Charlie Strong both made a cameo during the main event of All Elite Wrestling’s “Double or Nothing” pay-per-view on Sunday night.

Chris Jericho and Maxwell Jacob Friedman made their way into Meyer’s office at TIAA Bank Field during the Stadium Stampede match between The Pinnacle and Inner Circle factions. The Khan family owns both the Jaguars and AEW.

“I think that we have the same boss, who was probably like, ‘Come do this,’ ” Jericho told the media after the show when asked how Meyer got involved.

After throwing MJF against one of the office chairs, Jericho enlisted the coaches’ help. Strong tossed the wrestling legend two footballs that Jericho immediately hit MJF with. He then asked for Meyer’s open Dell laptop, which the former Ohio State coach nervously handed him. Jericho proceeded to smash it over his opponent’s head twice.

The segment came to a close with Jericho pushing MJF out of the room in a wheelchair and then telling the coaches to “have a great season.” Meyer ended things by responding with “Holy s—t” after seeing the action unfold. Jericho’s Inner Circle went on to win the match.

“He was super awesome,” Jericho said. “And the best part was when we said, ‘do you mind saying holy s–t?’ And I thought he’d say no, he was like ‘yeah I’ll say it.’ I was like that’s great. … Like a great action move there’s a little levity. The Urban Meyer scene was great. We played it straight so it’s not ha-ha slap-stick comedy, and he was one of the highlights for sure. It was a lot of fun.”

The Jaguars can only hope Meyer can also help turn them into winners in his first season as an NFL coach. He is taking over a team that went 1-15 last season but landed the No. 1 draft pick and selected quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Jacksonville also recently signed Tim Tebow as a tight end. If Meyer can’t turn the Jags around, he could always join the Inner Circle after his big assist.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

A male Celtics fan at TD Garden threw a water bottle at the Nets star as he walked off the court after Brooklyn routed the Celtics 141-126 in Game 4 on Sunday night. The bottle did not hit Irving as a YES camera captured what happened.

Michael Grady of YES tweeted a photo of a fan being escorted out of TD Garden by local police.

“Grow the f–k up,” Nets star Kevin Durant said when asked about the incident.

Irving, who scored 39 points, is a bit of a villain in Boston after leaving the Celtics to sign with the Nets in 2019.

Following the win, Irving stomped on the Celtics’ center-court logo.

The water-bottle throw is the latest concerning incident involving NBA fans. Hawks star Trae Young was spat at by fan at Madison Square Garden and Wizards star Russell Westbrook had popcorn dumped on him in by a fan in Philadelphia.

The Nets lead the Eastern Conference first-round series, 3-1 after Sunday’s victory.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

The Mets right hander’s first comments since being shut down for six weeks with right elbow inflammation were certainly a bit cryptic. Syndergaard, in a Twitter post on Friday, wrote “I’m A-OK everyone. See you soon. #LFGM.” Along with that was a GIF of Leslie Nielsen from the movie “The Naked Gun” saying, “Nothing to see here. Please disperse” as a blown-up building burns behind him.

Though this is likely the 28-year-old Syndergaard — who is known for his levity on Twitter — having some fun, he is certainly leaving some things open to interpretation.

The Mets’ history, both current and past, with injuries are no laughing matter. The Mets already have stars such as Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto and Jeff McNeil, and pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Seth Lugo still on the injured list.

Syndergaard was pulled from his rehab start for Single-A St. Lucie on Tuesday and will have to build up from scratch once he is cleared to throw again. It means the Mets likely won’t see him back until mid-August or later.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

Phil Mickelson, who will turn 51 in June, became the oldest golfer to win a major by claiming the PGA Championship on Sunday with a score of 6-under at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course in South Carolina.

It is the sixth major victory for Mickelson and his second time winning the PGA Championship — 16 years after his first.

Mickelson’s last major victory was at the 2013 British Open.

Julius Boros had been the oldest major winner, taking home the 1968 PGA Championship at 48.

Mickelson held off second-place finishers Brooks Koepka and Luis Oosthuizen (4-under) to claim the Wannamaker Trophy. He now has momentum going into next month’s U.S. Open, the only major that has eluded Mickelson in his legendary career.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

WrestleMania Backlash continued a recent string of WWE pay-per-view filled with great matches and compelling stories, but many will remember this one for the terrible, cheap-plug zombies. Thankfully the actual wrestling was good enough to stop one of the company’s worst ideas from truly dragging the show into the muck.

Here are five takeaways from Sunday’s show:

Table for Two

Roman Reigns is working at the highest level right now, both in the ring and with his storytelling. The Head of the Table even called out the vanquished Daniel Bryan (“DB”) to the camera at one point. While Reigns retaining the Universal title was pretty much a foregone conclusion, he and Cesaro took the audience on an emotional ride worthy of the main event. Both men left better than they came in, even with Reigns leaving Cesaro passed out in the guillotine submission.

Reigns working Cesaro’s arm throughout the match made the Swiss Superman’s feats of strength later on – a top rope superplex with Reigns on the apron – that much more impressive. It also kept him from delivering a Neutralizer. Cesaro rose to the occasion of his first pay-per-view title match in the main event. Reigns being able to outwrestle someone like him and win without the help of Jey Uso adds another layer of what will it take to finally beat him. He’s a video game boss at this point.

Uso, who continues to be hounded by Jimmy for being Roman’s lackey, attacked Cesaro after the match. Seth Rollins, in another outstanding suit, appeared. Instead of turning on Reigns, he pummeled his rival Cesaro. Rollins put Cesaro’s bad arm in a chair and slammed it to the mat. These two seem to have unfinished business, while Reigns’ family drama will likely continue. Cesaro eventually being the one to beat Reigns, either clean down the road or via Money in the Bank, should be considered. It would be the story of Cesaro refusing to go away until he gets the job done.

Dead Men Walking

Zombie Lumber Jacks. Yes, read that again. WWE turned the lumberjacks for The Miz-Damien Priest match into zombies as basically a big ad for Dave Bautista’s new movie, “Army of the Dead,” which sponsored the show. Kudos to those two and John Morrison for trying to make the most of this absolute disaster. Priest and Miz even teamed up to fight the zombies at one point.

WWE did put the zombies in context by showing a tweet from Bautista saying he couldn’t make it but “some of my friends will.” It all made for one of the worst things WWE has ever done. They even dimmed the lights and filled the ThunderDome video board with spooky house graphics.

Somehow the zombies, which arrived from all around the arena and scared the broadcast team away, knew not to enter the ring during the match. But they made sure to “eat” the Miz in the middle of it following his defeat. WWE even had Priest’s bow-and-arrow routine lead to an ad for the movie after he won. The match felt so secondary. Compromising your creative and product on a pay-per-view that much to promote a movie just leaves a bad taste.

Miz will likely be right back on “Monday Night Raw” this week with some lame excuse for how he survived. Either that or we get a Zombie Miz and Morrison, who was also eaten. Just for due diligence, we have now seen WWE burn a man alive (The Fiend) and have one eaten alive by the blood-thirsty undead in the past six months.

‘WrestleMania’ moment

At least the strangely-named WrestleMania Backlash delivered a moment worthy of being on the real thing. WWE told a tremendous underdog story with Rey Mysterio and his real-life son Dominick. (No one does underdog quite like the Mysterios).

SmackDown tag team champions Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode attacked Dominick backstage on the kickoff show, leaving Rey to wrestle a handicap match to start. Rey kicks out of absolutely everything Roode and Ziggler hit him with (four false finishes and a count-out save at nine). It all built a tremendous amount of anticipation. A sluggish Dominick would make his way out to ring and he eventually got the pin after a Frog Splash set up by a 619.

The victory makes the Mysterios the first father-son team to win WWE tag team championships. All of it made for an incredibly emotional and real moment between father and son as they hugged. For Dominick to win it with Eddie Guerrero’s move was sweetly fitting because of how close he was with Rey. Dominick’s first WWE appearance came in 2005 in a storyline where Guerrero was claiming to be his father. This was one a moment you wished fans were there to see.  

New Kids in Town

WWE’s reshaping of the main event scene in the women’s division got a boost from excellent matches and storytelling. The new champions, Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair, retained by beating some of the biggest names in the company to solidify their standing.

Ripley, Charlotte Flair (sporting awesome Cruella Deville-themed gear) and Asuka delivered one of the better triple-threat matches you will see for the Raw women’s championship. The quick and sometimes frantic pace made it very different than the men’s match. They told the story early of Ripley and Asuka trying to team up against Flair. Ripley telling Flair to try to knock her down was a fun spot as well. Then there was Flair trying to be like Roman Reigns by covering both opponents after a double Natural Selection.

The series of counters before the finish really added drama. It ended when Flair hit Asuka with a boot from the ring apron that sent the Empress toward Ripley. The champ intercepted her and hit the Riptide for the 1-2-3, much to the disgust of Flair. It continued to put Ripley and Flair on course for their singles rematch from WrestleMania 36.

Over on the SmackDown side, Belair now owns a win over Sasha Banks and has won two of three from Bayley. This match told the story of the veteran savvy of Bayley verse the sheer physical talent of Belair. It made the creative finish even better because it was Belair outsmarting Bayley, who tried some dirty tactics, to win her first title defense. The EST reversed Bayley’s attempt to use her long braid against her and instead used it to further hook Bayley’s leg during the deciding pin. She didn’t hold it for long and Bayley will contest she kicked out in time – something Michael Cole only helped with his call. It likely means we will see Bayley and Belair go at it one more time.   

Big Men Doing Big Things

Braun Strowman vs. Drew McIntyre vs. WWE champion Bobby Lashley was everything you could hope for and more. These three large men beat the heck out of each other, which the biggest spectacle coming when McIntrye threw Lashley through one of the stage’s LED boards. They even threw in a few things athletes their size aren’t supposed to do. Strowman came rolling off the apron into his two opponents, later landed a senton right onto McIntyre’s chest. The Scotsman paid him back with a wild michinoku driver before Strowman caught a leaping McIntyre and put him through the announce table. McIntrye eventually hit Strowman with a Claymore only to see Lashley return to throw him out and deliver a spear to the Monster Among Men for the win. The finish keeps McIntyre in line for a singles rematch with Lashley at some point, maybe at Hell in a Cell in June.  

Kickoff match

Sheamus over Ricochet

Despite being beaten clean in the middle of the ring after a very, very physical match, Ricochet opened the door for this story to continue. He attacked Sheamus, the United States champion, from behind after losing. Ricochet even put on Sheamus’ fedora and jacket. This felt like the opposite scenario of what we are used to from WWE, making it a bit refreshing.

Biggest Winners: Rey and Dominik Mysterio

Biggest Loser: The Miz, John Morrison and Damien Priest

Best match: Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro (Universal Championship)

Grade: Zombies – F, Everything else – A-, Overall — B

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

The former Mets prospect and current Mariners outfielder’s first hit in the major leagues was a two-run homer in the third inning of Seattle’s game against the Indians on Friday night. The 21-year-old left fielder drilled a 1-0 pitch from Aaron Civale 403 feet and into the right field stands at Safeco Field to put the Mariners up 3-0.

Kelenic was sent to Seattle by former Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen in a highly criticized trade that brought Robinson Cano and closer Edwin Diaz to Citi Field in 2019.

Cano is suspended for the 2021 season after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. Diaz’s career with the Mets have been a roller coaster. He is currently 1-1 with a 3.14 ERA and is perfect in five save opportunities.

Kelenic, one of the top prospects in the sport, did have a rough go of it in his first big league game on Thursday, when he went 0-for-4. A first-hit home run is certainly a great way to rebound.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

The once-slumping Mets shortstop drilled a 2-2 pitch from Diamondbacks reliever Caleb Smith into the left-field stands for a two-run homer that tied the score at 4-4 on Friday night. The blast brought the fans at Citi Field out of their seats and certainly excited Mets owner Steve Cohen.

“That was BIG,” Cohen tweeted.

Lindor, whom Cohen gave a 10-year, $341 million contract in March, had been in a 0-for-26 slump until he singled in his final at-bat in the Mets’ win over the Cardinals on Thursday. His home run Friday was his second hit of the night. Lindor, who was 2-for-4 through seven innings, singled in the third and later scored on a Michael Conforto single.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

The Packers made one of the stunning moves of the draft last year, trading up to select Utah quarterback Jordan Love No. 26 overall while still having a then 36-year-old Rodgers, who won the MVP this past season, under contract until 2023.

Love, 22, was the first offensive skill player the Packers selected in the first round since 2005, when Rodgers was taken to eventually replace Brett Favre. McAfee, the former Colts punter and host of “The Pat McAfee Show” on SiriusXM, believes it continues a trend of Green Bay planning for the future instead of doing everything it can to win a Super Bowl right now.

“If you look at the top of the AFC and if you look at the top of the NFC, there are teams that are absolutely loaded with talent, just an immense amount of talent,” McAfee, who recently joined WWE’s commentary team on “Friday Night SmackDown,” said in a phone interview. “They got weapons galore. If you went all-in around Aaron Rodgers and got him maybe a talented wide receiver, another one even though Davante [Adams is] incredible, and big Bob Tonyan’s great and MVS [Marquez Valdes-Scantling] is a stud.

“But if they would go in and get more weapons around him so if somebody gets injured they’re OK and they can make a run, or maybe bulking up that defense that seems to get beat whenever they have to make a stop. There’s a lot of things they could do, but with the Packers it seems like what they always do is they just prepare for the future and kind of mail it in.”

Green Bay, which lost at home to the Buccaneers in the NFC Championship game last season after going 13-3, will pick at No. 29 in the 2021 NFL Draft on Thursday. Rodgers has expressed uncertainty about how much longer he will be wearing the green and gold, but Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters Monday the team remains committed to Rodgers “for the foreseeable future” and “Aaron’s our guy.”

McAfee, while unsure what the Packers will do, expects them to take the “boring route” and continue to lay a foundation for the future while the rest of the NFL’s elite teams are doing everything they can to win a championship in 2021. He could see them drafting an offensive lineman after losing center Corey Linsley to the Chargers in free agency.

“They’ll make some boring move that will end up being good for them as they get three years from now and the team will still be good, but Aaron Rodgers is the best in the game, the MVP,” said McAfee, who had Rodgers as a weekly guest on his radio show last season. “If they were just to make some moves and go all-in and think differently than they’ve chosen to do it would be great news for everybody, including Packers fans.”

While McAfee is leery of Green Bay’s willingness to go for it all, he loves how aggressive the Giants have been in free agency with co-owner John Mara saying he’s tired of losing. He could see Big Blue also drafting an offensive lineman to get further protection for quarterback Daniel Jones.

“I just like the fact that it seems like the mindset of the Giants is that they are gonna go all-in and try to win some games,” McAfee said.

As the Giants look to take the next step with Jones, the Jets are starting over again at quarterback. McAfee hasn’t seen a ton of film on quarterback Zach Wilson, whom it’s presumed the Jets will take No. 2 overall, but those he’s talked to about the former BYU star have spoken highly of him. He believes Wilson has “all the traits to be a great pro” and his success will come down to what pieces general manager Joe Douglas is able to put around him.

“He’s incredibly athletic, he has this incredibly calming demeanor, he’s been there, done that with everything it feels like,” McAfee said of Wilson.

He also isn’t ready to give up on Sam Darnold, whom the Jets traded to the Panthers for a bevy of draft picks. McAfee believes the former No. 3 overall pick still has a chance to be a great quarterback. We will soon find out if former Jets coach Adam Gase was part of the reason he never panned out in New York.

“Is Sam Darnold an absolutely incredible football player? We just don’t know because of the situation he’s been in,” McAfee said. “We’ll find out in Carolina. I think he needed a fresh start. I think the Jets needed a fresh start.”

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

The footage, published by TMZ, shows officers stopping the 26-year-old in Chico, Calif., after Rosas allegedly T-boned another car and fled the scene. Rosas is seen walking along the side of the road as two police cars pull up in front and behind him before he is ordered to get down on his knees and eventually complies.

It’s then that one of officers notes the former Pro Bowler’s injuries, asking if he was ‘hurting anywhere” or “are you just all bloodied up and not hurting?” Medical personnel was brought to the scene because Rojas’ bare feet were described by a police officer as “pretty messed up.”

The 6-foot-3, 221-pound Rosas ended up pleading no contest to reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a valid license. He received three years of probation and no jail time. Rosas, a California native, was suspended four games by the NFL for a personal conduct violation and released by the Giants before training camp after three years with the team. He was picked up by the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4 and played six games.

Rosas had been arrested and charged with DUI before signing with the Giants in 2017. During his 2018 Pro Bowl season, he made 32 of 33 field-goal tries. Things only got worse as he made just 12 of 17 field goals and 35 of 39 extra points the next season.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

Hideki Matsuyama, 29, finished 10-under par to win his first Masters on Sunday at Augusta.

The victory earns him his first major title and makes him the first Japanese player to earn the green jacket.

Matsuyama also is the first player from Japan to win a men’s major championship.

The closest Matsuyama came to a major championship prior was a second-place tie at the 2017 U.S. Open.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski

The former Yankees star and his partner, Jennifer Lopez, lost out on purchasing the Mets to Steve Cohen, but now A-Rod and his close friend Marc Lore are finalizing a deal to become the new owners of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, according to reports.

Rodriguez and Lore, an e-commerce mogul, have a 30-day window to get the deal done after signing a letter of intent with current owner Glen Taylor on Saturday, according to The Athletic. Rodriguez and Lore would be 50-50 partners and would spend the first two and a half years as limited partners so Taylor, who has owned the Timberwolves for 27 years, can bow out.

The purchase price for the team, which hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2017-18 season, is expected to be in the $1.5 billion range, according to ESPN.

“We look forward to entering this phase of the process with Glen Taylor,” Rodriguez and Lore said in a joint statement. “Our respect for him and the legacy he has built lays an amazing foundation for what is to come. We are excited by the prospect of getting to know the Timberwolves organization, the talented team and their incredible fans.”

The Post reported in September that Rodriguez and his group of investors’ bid to buy the Mets was in the ballpark of the $2.4 billion Cohen paid.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Joseph Staszewski