Sports – Todays Live Info

NASCAR tweaks appeals process amid continuing debate over rules violations

April 10, 2023/in Sports /by todaysliveinfo

A couple of days after losing an appeal on penalties for wrecking Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin remained incredulous and befuddled.

“I still don’t understand the ruling, considering all the examples and all the precedent, and even the real data that I brought to the table,” said Hamlin, who thought the telemetry data from his car showed he didn’t violate NASCAR rules.

“It still doesn’t make sense, which is the disappointing part, especially NASCAR’s stance on it. Refuting real data was just a tough pill to swallow.”

Hamlin wasn’t the only one who seemed a little confused on a decision last week, except this time the roles were reversed with NASCAR officials as the ones who left disappointed.

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NFL kicker and soccer player Josh Lambo announces retirement from both sports

March 17, 2023/in Sports /by todaysliveinfo

Josh Lambo isn’t the first name sports fans think of when they hear “two-sport athlete,” but he is among the small fraternity of athletes who have played in two American pro leagues, and now he’s hanging up the cleats.

Lambo, who was an NFL kicker and also a goalkeeper in Major League Soccer, announced on social media today that he will no longer play either sport.

“Today, I officially retire from pro sports. 4 years in MLS and 7 in the NFL have led me to things I could only dream of, and now I want to help others accomplish their goals as I become a speaker and author. Thank you to the fans that supported me and the teammates I worked with,” Lambo wrote.

Lambo was a first-round draft pick of the MLS in 2008, when he was only 17 years old, and played pro soccer until he was 2012, when he decided to give football a try and went to Texas A&M. In 2015 he signed as an undrafted rookie with the Chargers, spent two years with them, then played for the Jaguars from 2017 to 2021.

His departure from the Jaguars in 2021 may be how he’s best remembered in the NFL: His accusation that Jaguars coach Urban Meyer walked up to him on the practice field, said, “Hey, dipshit, make your fucking kicks,” and then kicked him in the leg, proved to be the last straw before Meyer’s firing in his first year as an NFL coach.

After Meyer cut Lambo in Jacksonville, he had a very brief stint on the Steelers’ practice squad, then he played one game for the Titans in 2022. Now he walks away after a unique athletic career.

What to watch for in WPIAL sports on March 17, 2023: Penn Hills to meet Cathedral Prep

March 17, 2023/in Sports /by todaysliveinfo

Cathedral Prep once owned the WPIAL and City League in the PIAA boys basketball playoffs.

In a four-year span from 2012-15, the Ramblers were a combined 8-1 against Districts 7 and 8 teams with the only loss coming in the 2013 Class 4A quarterfinals to New Castle, 80-70. However, Cathedral Prep has come back to Earth and is 1-2 against WPIAL teams in the state playoffs since.

On Friday, the District 10 champion squares off with the WPIAL champion when Cathedral Prep (23-3) faces Penn Hills (23-3) at Sharon at 7 p.m.

This is the fourth time the Ramblers and Indians have met in the PIAA basketball postseason. Penn Hills has won twice, beating Cathedral Prep in the 1987 first round, 65-64, and knocking out the Ramblers in the 1999 opening round, 52-48.

The lone Ramblers victory was in a 1994 semifinals game as they plowed the Indians, 62-43.

Recent Cathedral Prep vs. WPIAL matchups include a 52-50 overtime victory against New Castle in the 2021 PIAA bracket that had only district champions. In 2017, the Ramblers’ season ended with a 72-61 loss to Mars. In 2018, they lost to Trinity, 45-42.

The other 5A quarterfinal game on the “western” side of the bracket has WPIAL runner-up Peters Township (24-4) facing District 3 champion Exeter Township at Bald Eagle at 6 p.m.

Home cooking

The Road to Hershey has become the road hardly traveled for WPIAL 4A boys champion Lincoln Park.

The Leopards were home in the first round against WPIAL No. 7 seed South Allegheny and won, 80-63.

In the second round, Lincoln Park met WPIAL No. 4 seed Highlands at North Allegheny and prevailed, 84-72.

Now Lincoln Park (27-1) heads east … to Norwin to battle the WPIAL No. 3 seed Laurel Highlands (24-3) at 7:30 p.m..

These powers met back over the holidays in the Central Valley Holiday Tournament with the Leopards edging the Mustangs, 70-66.

In the other quarterfinal on the western half of the bracket, Uniontown (22-5) will challenge North Catholic.

Four-game sweep?

Carlynton (19-7) has had a fantastic boys basketball season, winning 19 games, reaching the WPIAL final four and now participating in the PIAA sweet 16.

However, the one puzzle the Cougars have not been able to solve is WPIAL champion Union (24-3).

Carlynton has lost seven games, three of them to Union.

The Scotties swept the two regular season Section 1-A games, winning two dandies by scores of 62-60 and 57-54.

When the teams battled in the district semifinals, it wasn’t as close as Union won big, 80-58.

Meeting No. 4 comes Friday at North Allegheny at 7:30 p.m.

It will be the nightcap of a Class A state doubleheader at North Allegheny.

In the first game, it’s WPIAL champ vs District 10 winner when Imani Christian (20-6) takes on Farrell (22-4) at 6 p.m.

Looking to even the score

After Upper St. Clair earned the top seed in the 6A playoffs by winning Section 2 outright and putting together an impressive resume, the debate began about who should be No. 2.

North Allegheny (22-5) and Norwin (23-4) had tied for the section crown and split their two regular season meetings with each winning at home.

Norwin won by 21 points in early January while North Allegheny prevailed by seven points in late January. Using the “what have you done for me lately” tiebreaker, the Tigers were No. 2 and the Knights No. 3.

The rubber game came in the WPIAL semifinals when North Allegheny came back to edge Norwin at Fox Chapel in a defensive struggle, 38-36. NA would later beat Upper St. Clair to win the district title.

Now Norwin looks to even the score as they two collide again at Fox Chapel on Friday at 7:30 p.m. with a berth in the PIAA semifinals up for grabs.

District 7 runner-up Upper St. Clair (23-3) remains alive after two state playoffs win and will mess with perfection on Friday. The Panthers battle District 3 champion Cedar Cliff (28-0) at Altoona at 6 p.m.

Strange turn

Four WPIAL 3A girls basketball teams survived the first round of the PIAA playoffs and advanced to the second round Tuesday.

Two of them were winners and two saw their seasons end.

However, the interesting twist was the two WPIAL finalists, Avonworth and Laurel, came up short.

In fact, the two teams Avonworth beat in the quarterfinals and semifinals are now advancing to the third round of the state playoffs.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (21-7) will face District 6 runner-up Westmont-Hilltop (27-2) at 6 p.m. in the first game of a 3A girls doubleheader at Armstrong.

The second game pits Shady Side Academy (25-3) against District 6 champion River Valley (27-2) at 7:30 p.m.

Only two

After two rounds of the PIAA postseason, the WPIAL only has two Class 2A girls basketball teams alive and that will be sliced to one after they go head to head.

Greensburg Central Catholic (23-5) will challenge WPIAL champion Shenango (24-4) at Fox Chapel at 6 p.m.

The winner will face the Kennedy Catholic/Bishop McCort winner in the semifinals Monday.

3A state splashing

Friday marks the first of two days for Class 3A swimmers and divers in the 2023 PIAA championships at Bucknell University.

Friday will consist of six preliminary races starting at 8:10 a.m. for the 3A girls and 10:45 a.m. for the 3A boys.

The consolations and finals in those events will take place at 3:25 p.m. for the girls and 6:05 p.m. for the boys.

The girls 3A diving championships are scheduled for 12:35 p.m.

Germany cancels World Cup event after Russia, Belarus readmitted

March 17, 2023/in Sports /by todaysliveinfo

Germany’s fencing federation has canceled a women’s foil World Cup event after the sport’s global governing body (FIE) reversed a ban on athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus, it said on Thursday.

Athletes from the two countries were banned from many international competitions after Russia invaded Ukraine last February in what Moscow calls a “special military operation.”

More than 60% of nations voted to allow Russians and Belarusians to resume competing in FIE events at last week’s extraordinary congress.

German federation (DFB) President Claudia Bokel, a team epee silver medallist at the 2004 Olympics, said the decision had triggered “heated discussions.”

“Our solidarity goes to the people of Ukraine who are suffering from the war of aggression,” Bokel said. “The German Fencing Federation accepts last Friday’s decision.

“We now want to give a clear signal that we would have liked a different result and that we still see a large number of open implementation questions from the world federation, which make it impossible to carry out the tournament.”

Women’s World Cup prize money still one-third of men’s after 300% increase

March 17, 2023/in Sports /by todaysliveinfo

The total prize money for this summer’s Women’s World Cup will jump to more than $150 million — a figure that’s still far below the $440 million men received for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Why it matters: The increased pool, announced by FIFA on Thursday, is more than three times higher than the 2019 women’s tournament and 10 times higher than the 2015 tournament.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the organization’s “ambition” is to have full parity between men’s and women’s prize money for the 2026 and 2027 World Cups.
Zoom in: The $150 million fund from FIFA will go toward prize money for teams, team preparation and payments to club benefits, ESPN reports.

Some of the prize money should be used to pay players, Infantino said.
“Women deserve much, much more than that and we are there to fight for them and with them,” he said.
Infantino also encouraged broadcasters to pay more for the rights to air the upcoming Women’s World Cup.
Between the lines: Pay disparity between men and women in soccer has been an ongoing issue in recent years. The United States, Canada, France and Spain have all campaigned for equal pay with the men’s soccer teams.

The U.S. women’s national soccer team settled a gender-based pay discrimination lawsuit with the US Soccer Federation for $24 million in February 2022.
The federation announced last May that it will ensure equal pay for all competitions through collective bargaining agreements with both teams.
Under the agreement, the FIFA prize money from the men’s and women’s World Cup matches will be pooled and then divided equally between the members of both teams.

The 6 biggest Classic storylines left to follow

March 17, 2023/in Sports /by todaysliveinfo

After Japan’s 9-3 victory on Thursday, joining Cuba in the World Baseball Classic semifinals, the tournament now has only six teams left.

On Friday night Mexico will play Puerto Rico in Miami for the right to play Japan on Monday, and then on Saturday the United States will square off against Venezuela (also in Miami) with the winner facing Cuba on Sunday.

Watch the World Baseball Classic live on FOX, FS1, FOX Deportes
Long story short: This thing is coming down to the wire now. It only gets more fun from here.

So, to reset before the weekend’s action, here’s a look at the major storyline for each of the six teams remaining.

Puerto Rico: Can they recover from the devastating Díaz injury?
Up until the moment Edwin Díaz collapsed underneath several of his celebrating countrymen, Puerto Rico had to think that maybe this was their year. After two consecutive second-place finishes in the WBC, the team this year had thrown a perfect game, knocked out the vaunted Dominican Republic team and set up a fascinating matchup with Mexico for the right to go to the semifinals. It was noteworthy how well manager Yadier Molina, a man long thought to be managerial material but doing this for the first time, had set up his bullpen and roster; it was all going exactly to plan. And then Díaz went down. That’s obviously going to be a problem for the Mets, but it’s a problem for Puerto Rico too, and not just because the team is now down its closer. How does a team rebound emotionally from such whiplash? They have roughly 40 hours to figure it out.

Mexico: Is Randy Arozarena on another one of his heaters?
Randy Arozarena has established himself as an impressive MLB regular with the Rays — he did win the AL Rookie of the Year award a couple of years ago, after all — but he’ll forever be known for his 2020 postseason, when he basically turned into Babe Ruth and carried the Rays into the World Series. It sure looks like he’s back at it again in the WBC. He is tied with Japan’s Masataka Yoshida for most RBIs in the tournament (9), and is only three RBIs behind the all-time record of 12, held by Wladimir Balentien (2017 Classic). He’s already become a clear folk hero in Mexico, and a trip to the semifinals could elevate him to legendary status. There may be nothing scarier than Arozarena in a short series.