O’Neill releases Irish pair
A spokesman for the Football Association of Ireland said: “The Republic of Ireland squad trained today at Gannon Park, Malahide. Players who did not play the full match yesterday evening took part. “Following training, Robbie Keane has been released to return to his club. Darron Gibson has also been released to assist recovery to a minor knock to the knee. ” Ireland face the USA in a friendly at the Aviva Stadium in their final fixture of 2014, and will look to end on a high note after suffering the first defeat of their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign in Glasgow. Keane, who was used only as a substitute in Friday night’s 1-0 Euro 2016 defeat in Scotland, has been allowed to return to club LA Galaxy, who face Seattle Sounders in the MLS play-offs next Sunday. Everton midfielder Gibson, who only returned to action from a 10-month injury lay-off in September, is heading back to Merseyside with a minor knee problem. Press Association
Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill has released skipper Robbie Keane and midfielder Darron Gibson from his squad ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against the United States.
Fernandes said his target was “not what anyone thinks”, but admitted the appointment was likely to “take a while”. Laudrup, sacked by Swansea last February, emerged as the new bookmakers’ favourite, but his agent quickly responded by saying there were several hurdles to be cleared. And the 50-year-old spoke himself, via an e-mail to Danish newspaper E kstra Bladet, saying he was currently happy with Qatari side Lekhwiya. “It is always positive to be mentioned in connection with large or larger jobs, and coach in one of the largest countries in Asia (Japan) or manager in the Premier League are big jobs,” he wrote. “That being said, I must also say that I have no intention to leave Lekhwiya at this time. We are number one in the league, starting group stage of the Champions League in two weeks and also have a cup waiting. “So the next three and a half months will be exciting and intense.” Laudrup’s comments came after representative Bayram Tutumlu indicated there would be several obstacles to be cleared before Laudrup could be lined up for a move back to England. “Laudrup is under contract with Qatari club Lekhwiya. Out of respect anyone interested in him should contact the club,” Tutumlu said to Sky Sports News HQ. The Hoops, who recorded a first away Barclays Premier League win of the season at Sunderland on Tuesday evening, appear close to appointing Harry Redknapp’s successor after chairman Tony Fernandes suggested he has landed his preferred choice. Chris Ramsey has been filling the void on a caretaker basis, with former Tottenham head coach Tim Sherwood the heavy favourite for the position – although Fernandes’ comment on Twitter seemed to distance the club from the 46-year-old. Michael Laudrup has no intention of leaving Lekhwiya “at this time”, which appears to make it difficult for QPR to make him their “dream manager”. “I don’t think they would let him go because the team are in so many tournaments and competitions.” Ramsey has refused to rule himself out of contention to become the club’s new manager on a permanent basis, and has seen his odds shorten after Tuesday’s victory, but continues to stress he will do whatever job is asked of him by the board. QPR are out of the bottom three following the 2-0 win at The Stadium of Light. Bobby Zamora, who scored the second goal on the stroke of half-time, feels the west London club can now build some momentum, with a trip to fellow relegation-battlers Hull ahead on Saturday. “It was a massive boost and has been a long time coming, we have been working so hard,” he said on the club’s official YouTube channel. “It was a great work ethic. We have had a lot of good performances this season and probably lost a few points which we did not deserve to. “We will now be looking to keep this going and to get some more points on the board.” Laudrup, who guided Swansea to victory in the 2013 Capital One Cup final, remains keen on a return to the Premier League, but only when the timing is right. Tutumlu added in an interview with the London Evening Standard: ” Michael has taken (Lekhwiya) to first place in the league and he is regarded as the most important person in the club right now. “I don’t think it is the right thing for Michael to leave now and go because he has agreed a contract with these people. I don’t think it’s possible. “I don’t want to speak about whether QPR have been in contact, that’s private. I can only say he loves English football and the Premier League. It’s just not possible right now. “In June his contract will finish and he will be free. I’m not sure if they will want compensation to let him go now, first QPR have to talk to them. “You can never say never and he could return to the Premier League. If the right club comes, the right project – why not?” QPR will have to cope without Dutch midfielder Leroy Fer for the next two months. Former Norwich player Fer scored but was later carried off in the 2-0 win at Sunderland on Tuesday. QPR defined his problem on Wednesday evening as ” a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee”, in a statement on their website. The club said they expect him to be out of action for eight to 10 weeks. Press Association
Authorities in Miami-Dade have placed two schools on lock down after a woman was fatally shot in the area.The incident occurred just after 12:30 p.m on the 400 block of Northwest 152nd Street.Reporters in the area stated that the woman’s body was put under a yellow tarp just outside of a home, however, no other details were available.Both Biscayne Gardens Elementary and Thomas Jefferson Middle School have both been placed on lock down.The shooting is still under investigation.
In a crowded field of fifteen schools at the Gold Rush in Seal Beach, the No. 1 USC women’s golf team stood head and shoulders above the rest.Led by strong efforts from freshman Robynn Ree, sophomore Amy Lee and junior Tiffany Chan, the Trojans were the only team to finish the three-round tournament under par, finishing -1 after two days of action. Each of their round scores was better than any competitor’s, including a stellar finish of 285 in the second round.The tournament’s runner-up — Fresno State — posted a +17, followed by host school Long Beach State, which finished at +26.. No.25 Brigham Young University, the only other ranked school, posted a +29, good for fifth in the tournament. USC was the only Pac-12 school to participate in the tournament.Ree led the pack with a -4. She was consistent each round, posting scores of 70 and 71 on Monday and followed that performance with a score of 71 to finish out the tournament on Tuesday. Chan tied with Long Beach State’s Haley Tygret for the best single-round score when she finished with an impressive score of 68 in the second round.Lee, the only Trojan competing as an individual, finished second overall in the tournament with a -3. Her score did not count toward the Trojans’ final tally.Ree led the field for the entirety of the tournament, but some other Trojans weren’t as consistent. Junior Karen Chung fell four spots in the final round with a +4 finish, and senior Kyung Kim dropped nine spots with a +6. Gabriella Then, USC’s final golfer, finished at +10. Then, despite having the highest total on the team, still finished tied for 23rd in the tournament — USC was the only school to have all golfers finish in the top 25.USC’s victory at the Gold Rush was the team’s third team title this season; they opened the season with a win at the Annika Intercollegiate and finished the fall season with a team victory in the East Lake Cup. Ree’s first-place finish was the second individual championship for a Trojan this season.The Trojans set their sights now on the Darius Rucker Invitational, which will take place during the first week of March in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to MoreAddThisThe Zonta Club of Alpena is currently offering scholarships for the 2018, 2019 academic year.Scholarship Committee Chair, Diane O’Connor said the club is about supporting women, and creating ways for locals to achieve their dreams of furthering their education.All together there are 6 scholarships totaling over $3,000 for deserving women in the area to apply for. For more information about each scholarship contact O’Connor at 989–358–7333.AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterShare to MoreAddThisContinue ReadingPrevious Man Arrested After Crashing into a TreeNext Fresh Takes Video Contest Includes Special Series Debut
Hearts coach Kenichi Yatsuhashi says he is not bothered with talks by some section of the club fans that he is not fit to handle the club.The Japanese American since taking over the club has come under intense pressure with some questioning his credentials.Recently board member Dr Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe came out publicly to state that Kenichi is not fit to handle their club after monitoring the club in the last four months under his watch. But Yatsuhashi says he is focused on getting the job done and will not let comments destruct him.“This is part of my job so I take those comments in good faith,” he told Joy Sports“I have nothing to say to them, it is their opinion and my job is to make sure the team plays well and that is what we are working on. “We are on course and as far as I’m concerned I will not let anything distract me.”–Follow Joy Sports on Twitter: @JoyFMSports. Our hashtag is #JoySports
“I feel great about it,” Bridwell said. “I don’t care. They can say whatever they want. I go out and I’m efficient and I’m happy how I do my job. If you’re efficient, most of the time the game is going your way. Just got to stay away from big innings.”Bridwell said he didn’t come to the majors intending to pitch this way. It just happened.“It was hard for me to throw four pitches to a batter because they were swinging,” Bridwell said. “It’s the best thing that could have happened to me.”Bridwell has thrown 3.6 pitches per batter he’s faced, which is the best rate of any Angels starter.“Back in the day, that was a good thing,” pitching coach Charles Nagy said. “Now it’s the high-strikeout, high-pitch count guys. You still need guys to go out there and eat up innings and get outs.” CHICAGO — Parker Bridwell unwittingly became an example of one of baseball’s 21st century debates.Bridwell, who makes his penultimate start of the season on Tuesday, has been successful in his rookie season, despite going against the current trend.In an era when strikeouts are booming, Bridwell has been pitching to contact. His rate of 5.79 strikeouts per nine innings ranks ninth lowest in the majors among pitchers who have thrown at least 100 innings. Nonetheless, Bridwell has a 3.86 ERA, which is better than the league average.Many analysts will tell you that his success is not sustainable, because he doesn’t miss enough bats. The trick, of course, is that you can only pitch to contact successfully if you’re pitching to soft contact. Nagy believes Bridwell does that because his repertoire keeps them off balance.“His ball moves,” Nagy said. “He sinks the ball. He cuts the ball. He’s got a really good breaking ball, a good changeup. It all comes out of the same slot. He’s around the zone with all of them. Hitters can’t sit on one pitch or one side. He puts them on the defensive and gets weak contact.”According to Statcast, though, Bridwell’s average exit velocity of 88.5 mph is worse than average. He’s also primarily a fly ball pitcher, so it’s possible he’s benefitting from the Angels’ outfield defense and his spacious home park.Whatever the reason for Bridwell’s success, he believes he can sustain it.“Just maintain and be consistent,” he said. “Throw strikes and not necessarily go for the strikeout every time. Be efficient and get early outs.”ALSOAndrew Heaney (shoulder inflammation) is scheduled for a bullpen session on Tuesday. If that goes well, Heaney is expected to rejoin the rotation on Thursday. …Yunel Escobar (strained oblique) is scheduled to play in an instructional league game on Tuesday. He could be back on Thursday or Friday, likely returning to his spot as the starting third base for the few remaining games. …After the Angels went 2-7 in a stretch of nine games in two weeks against the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros, the teams with the two best records in the league, Manager Mike Scioscia said that’s not an indictment of his team. “Although we lost most of the games against two teams that are obviously upper echelon of our league, I think we were in the games. We’re certainly not intimidated by them, but we know we need to do some things better.”
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The man once became fixated on nothing more than winning NBA championships. He woke up every day wanting nothing more than to play on the hardwood. His happiness depended on victories and defeats. But Kobe Bryant decided this past summer he would retire following the 2015-16 season for one simple reason. “My mind always started drifting to basketball. It doesn’t do that anymore,” Bryant said following the Lakers’ 107-103 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday at Staples Center. “It does that sometimes. It doesn’t do that all the time. To me, that was the first indicator.”It appeared the second indicator entailed the Lakers’ 2-14 record. It seemed the third indicator involved the 37-year-old Bryant averaging 15.7 points, while shooting a career-low 31.5 percent from the field and 19.5 percent from 3-point range in his 20th NBA season. Yet, Bryant maintained his decision to formally announce his retirement on Sunday had nothing to do with what he called “outside circumstances.” The Lakers have missed the playoffs for the past two years amid season-ending injuries to Bryant’s left knee (December 2013) and right shoulder (January 2015). The Lakers seem destined for another postseason absence.Yet, Bryant said he ruled out retiring midway through this season for reasons that have nothing to do with making $25 million in the final year of his deal.“There’s so much beauty in the pain of this thing,” Bryant said. “I appreciate the beauty in these tough times as much as I appreciate the great times. It’s important to go through that progression. That’s when you really learn about yourself.”What has he learned?“I feel really at peace with it. I worked so hard and continue to work really hard even though I continue to play like (crap),” said Bryant, who posted 13 points on 4-of-20 shooting, four rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes on Sunday against Indiana. “I do everything I possibly can. I feel good about that.”That has left Bryant determined to end his shooting slump. That has left Bryant inspired to mentor the Lakers’ young players, including D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson. That has left Bryant appreciative of fulfilling his life-long dream to play for the Lakers. “The fact I’m talked about with Magic, (Kareem), I made it,” Bryant said. “That’s enough.”Bryant credited Knicks coach and former Lakers coach Phil Jackson for that encouragement. He advised Bryant to “break the season up into sections.” Bryant reported consulting with other unnamed mentors. And Bryant admitted he thought about the finality of his NBA career amid his eight-month rehab two years ago to heal a fractured left Achilles tendon. Hence, Bryant’s insistence he is not aiming to make the 2016 U.S. Olympic team to pursue a third gold medal in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Instead, Bryant sounded passionate about another project. “I’m a story teller,” Bryant said. “I love love love storytelling and framing stories that inspire people.” Newsroom GuidelinesNews TipsContact UsReport an Error
“It’s an internal decision,” Bryant said. “I had to accept that I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m OK with that. Once I accepted that, I was OK and wanted to let everyone know.”• PHOTOS: Kobe Bryant in the home stretch of his careerBryant let everyone know on Sunday afternoon in an article published by The Players Tribune. Lakers coach Byron Scott said Bryant informed him on Saturday night he had finalized his decision. But Bryant’s idol, Michael Jordan, represented “one of the first people that was told over the summer.”“‘Don’t let any one take that away from you,’” Bryant recalled Jordan telling him. “‘The good and the bad, enjoy it.’”Bryant took those words seriously considering Jordan went on a similar journey. Jordan has the edge over Bryant in NBA championships (6-5). But Bryant surpassed Jordan last season for third-place on the league’s all-time scoring list. In his third comeback, Jordan played his last two seasons with the Washington Wizards without making the playoffs.
Delray Beach’s Coco Gauff has defeated last year’s winner of the Australian Open and the third seed Naomi Osaka.Now the 15 year old phenom is on to the fourth round the furthest she has made it in a slam. 6-3, 6-4 in the third round at Melbourne Park on Friday.Also, 23-time major champion Serena Williams lost to 27th-seeded Wang Qiang 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5Gauff pulled this off with some big serving, consistent groundstrokes and by letting Osaka largely be her own undoing.Osaka made 30 unforced errors, Gauff merely 17. This was a rematch from the third round at the U.S. Open last September; Osaka won that one in straight sets, then consoled a crying Gauff afterward and encouraged her to speak to the fans.Osaka, for her part, made her own rapid ascent to the top of tennis, claiming the trophies at the U.S. Open in 2018 and Australian Open in 2019 to rise to No. 1 in the WTA rankings. She is only 22 herself.
Pittsburgh’s Rafael Kenny Picket (8) fakes a hand off to Qadree Ollison (30) against Wake Forest during the first half of their NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018 in Winston-Salem, N.C. (AP Photo/Woody Marshall) PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh tried to lock up its backfield of the future during the early signing period that began Wednesday.The Panthers signed 18 players in all, including quarterback Davis Beville from Greenville, South Carolina, and running back Daniel Carter. Carter played for powerful St. Thomas Aquinas High in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.The 6-foot-5 Beville passed for 88 touchdowns against 20 interceptions during his high school career at Greenville High. The Panthers are trying to improve their depth behind quarterback Kenny Pickett, who was erratic during his first season as a starter. Pitt (7-6) won its first ACC Coastal Division championship and will face Stanford in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.The Panthers are also looking for fresh faces at running back with seniors Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall — both of whom topped 1,000 yards rushing this season — graduating. Carter ran for over 1,000 yards during his senior season at St. Thomas Aquinas, including 195 yards and three touchdowns in the state championship game.___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootballand https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
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