#Class-A

So who is the real Beast from the East now? Much to the disappointment of the home fans, the title changed hands in a Sha Tin showstopper yesterday as Japanese star Maurice climbed off the canvas to better Able Friend and take the mantle as Asia's best miler. When Able Friend went three parts of a length up on me, I just couldn't go with the big…

Bank of America analysts recently outlined 11 key stock picks that investors should consider in the new year. "Given our house view that 2023 could be a tale of two halves-a recession and a recovery-stocks may fare differently in these two periods," the analyst team led by equity strategist Savita Subramanian wrote. Investment analysts agree that…

CHICAGO -- It's safe to say the Guardians are in scramble mode following their second COVID outbreak in less than three weeks. One of their biggest concerns, outside of the health of those who tested positive on Wednesday before MLB postponed their series finale against the White Sox, is putting together a coaching staff. Manager Terry Francona and…

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Guardians still need a catcher. Manager Terry Francona said patience is required and that executives Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff will deliver a backstop. That is a good thing because as Casey Stengel said a long time ago, "If you don't have a catcher, you're going to have a lot of passed balls." The winter meetings…

With a show-stopping 89% of the vote (as of the time of writing), Elly De La Cruz has run away with the #1 ranking in the 2023 Red Reporter Community Prospect Rankings with the same fervor with which he socked all those homers and swiped all those bags against his opposing pitchers last year. Even if half of his talents fail to pan out, he'll end…

A new era begins with former Cardinals manager Mike Matheny taking over in the dugout and John Sherman taking over in the boardroom after buying the team from David Glass. Kansas City is eager to return to relevance after consecutive 100-loss seasons; it just won't happen this year. The Royals have a few cornerstone players - Whit Merrifield,…

ANAHEIM - When the MLB trade deadline passed and Shohei Ohtani remained in the Angels' clubhouse, it signaled that the club has no intention of rebuilding in 2023. And one of the moves they did make - trading closer Raisel Iglesias and the $51 million remaining on his contract - left no doubt that they are creating space to reload for another run…

Being a first base coach is among the least stressful jobs in baseball. Or so it seems. Tell a guy when to get back to the bag on a pickoff play. Yell at a guy to go on a wild pitch. Share a few stopwatch splits with baserunners. Spit a lot of sunflower seeds. A substitute first base coach? Easy living. This was Bucky Dent's role on June 2, 2000.…

Baseball is than I'd thought. According to ESPN.com, as soon as 2023, we could see a return to two infielders on each side of 2B and none playing in the outfield grass. At least that's what it sounds like. It's sure being studied rigorously. MLB consultant Theo Epstein wrote in an e-mail to ESPN, "Ultimately, the new joint competition committee…

The Ohio Casino Control Commission was also told Wednesday of administrative actions taken against Barstool Sportsbook and PlayUp, albeit over different allegations. The timing of a huge college football game won't be enough to move the start date for legal sports betting in Ohio. Fourth-seeded Ohio State will play first-seeded Georgia in a College…

Planet Sport's focus in on the racing at Chelsmford and Southwell on Thursday with a look at Ffos Las and Naas as well. Here's a quick bit of detail on our key selections for Thursday's action, you can find a full list of tips for every race across all the tracks at the bottom of the page. Don't forget to check out the racecards, results and live…

Every high school football team in the state wishes they were playing this week. Only 24 get the honor. And most high school football writers in the state hope for the chance to cover a game this week. Few of us also get that honor. I became a sports writer in 2007. This is my 16th high school football season as a journalist. On Wednesday, I am…

My first full-time job in journalism was at The Vindicator in Youngstown, a city where I once saw a man at the grocery store buying just two things: a ball of mozzarella cheese and a package of "Just For Men" gel. The Vindicator was an afternoon newspaper when I first started and I would occasionally get phone calls at 5:30 a.m. from a guy who…

Happy Tuesday everyone! In the first game of a new series, the Seattle Mariners travel to Guaranteed Rate Field to square off with the Chicago White Sox. It is time to take a look at our MLB odds series, where our Mariners-White Sox prediction and pick will be made. In their first series of the newly acquainted 2022 season, the Seattle Mariners…

Over the second half of the 2022 college football season, Utah State head coach Blake Anderson - in every postgame press conference, weekly press conference, you name it - made certain to reference bowl eligibility and how badly he wanted the Aggies to get into a bowl game. At first, that goal seemed pretty lofty, considering Utah State started the…

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Myles Straw wants to make one thing clear. He's here to play 162 games this season. "No days off, baby," said the Guardians center fielder. "All 162 this year. That's the goal." Straw, however, wasn't in the starting lineup Wednesday against Kansas City after appearing in the first 45 games of the season. He did enter the game as…

BALTIMORE -- The Guardians are being careful with catcher Austin Hedges. It's the reason he wasn't in the lineup Sunday in the series finale against Baltimore at Camden Yards after tweaking his left hip beating out an infield hit in the eighth inning on Friday. Luke Maile replaced him Saturday. Initially manager Terry Francona and Hedges felt he'd…

TEMPLEGATE breaks down the big money Gordon Stakes at Goodwood on Thursday. Our man goes through each runner and reveals his tip at the bottom. Back a horse simply by clicking their odds. DEAUVILLE LEGEND 3 DEAU can go. Good second in a Royal Ascot handicap when upped to this trip and showed that was no fluke when taking a Newmarket Group 3 last…

IT'S not the race that stops the nation. It's the other one. When Saturday comes it will bring in its duffel bag the time-honoured Caulfield Cup, which will be honoured for the 139th time at triangular eastern Melbourne racecourse, Caulfield. It's not the biggest thing on the Australian racing calendar but it is the major lead-up to it - that one,…

With a month or so to go till the Cheltenham Festival, the ante-post markets are really beginning to take shape with racing fans across the country hoping to seek out value ahead of those famous four days in March. It's a very busy time for the trading team too, and we asked William Hill's Director of Racing, Mark Howarth how things are looking…

Galvin, Conflated and Fil Dor are among the big names set to be in action for Gordon Elliott over the festive period as the Cullentra handler shuffles his pack for Leopardstown's Christmas Festival. Elliott has enjoyed huge success at the four-day meeting in recent years, with Galvin's thrilling Savills Chase victory over A Plus Tard a clear…

The Diamondbacks are rebooting, and it is hard to blame them. The wall-to-wall changes began with the hiring of Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa as chief baseball officer last May, and also include new GM Dave Stewart, new director of baseball operations De Jon Watson and new manager Chip Hale. While it remains to be seen if the overhaul from a…

Four years after their last playoff appearance and 20 months after the trade of Justin Verlander signaled a new direction, the Tigers are deep in the throes of a difficult rebuild as the 2019 season approaches, having nearly halved their payroll from the free-spending days of just a couple years ago. Longtime designated hitter Victor Martinez, who…

In their 50th season in Texas, it's entirely possible the Rangers will flirt with 100 losses for the first time since 1973. The roster was thin to start with and a number of spring training injuries, particularly in the bullpen, put them in an extra perilous position. The schedule, studded with long stretches against contenders, works against them.…

Across the country, fans attending professional sports games can expect to see something new inside their stadiums and arenas: the sportsbook. It can look like a typical sports bar that's been dipped in the brand of a sports gambling conglomerate such as Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings or FanDuel. With televisions displaying half a dozen…

Breeding authority Peter Wharton presents all the harness racing news on breeding from Australia, New Zealand and North America every Friday brought to you by Garrard's Horse & Hound. The two latest qualifiers for the NSW Ladyship Mile are the Rock N Roll Heaven mare The Honey Queen and Stylish Memphis, who won the $50000 Sibelia Stakes at…

On the Gate to Wire podcast Episode 2, Michael Vale asked Pick 6 King, Jon Stettin to comment on the winning ride executed by Ricardo Mejias on the long shot, Dean Martini in the Ohio Derby. Jon answered "Nowadays, aggressive rides win more than the patient ones.'' A few hours later, one of the world's most prestigious classics, the Investec Epsom…

How so? Well, there's the small matter of the Rattray-owned Golden Ducat's jaw-dropping return to action in the Gr3 Cape Mile at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth after an injury-enforced absence of eighteen months. Now six, the dual Gr1 winner looked a picture and ran out of his skin to finish third. Let's hope he pulled up sound and that he will grace us…

This past season the Texas Rangers were lucky to have four prominent players with at least 20 home runs. Of those four players, it was Nathaniel Lowe's first time hitting 20 or more home runs. And he did that while maintaining a batting average over.300. Lowe is a real deal, and he has already proved that in the 2022 season. His 1252 PO (what…

Talk of Arsenal continues to dominate the Mailbox, but a Premier League team of the season is always fun. Send your views on any subject to [email protected] PL team of the season so far As Phase 1 of this ridiculously structured Premier League season comes to an end, I thought I'd name my current team of year: GK: Kepa - no real standouts…

About 72 miles of Kentucky bluegrass separate Lexington's limestone looker of a racetrack, Keeneland, from horse racing's best-known venue, Churchill Downs. But the two tracks are a world removed atmospherically. Like Louisville, the city in which it lies, Churchill is bigger and bawdier, with more mass appeal. But for more refined fans of the…

One of the area's longest running rivalries is adding bigger stakes this year when Oak Hill hosts Woodrow Wilson for the 79th time Friday at John P. Duda Stadium. Woodrow Wilson (5-3) enters the week No. 15 in the Class AAA playoff ratings and Oak Hill (5-4) is right behind at No. 16. The stakes could not be higher for the ancient adversaries,…

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where.

The Miami Marlins are reportedly hiring former Cardinals bench coach Skip Schumaker as their manager. The 43-year-old will replace Don Mattingly, who served as Miami's manager for seven seasons and left as the franchise's all-time leader in wins before retiring. Miami eliminates one of the White Sox's biggest competitors for Joe Espada. According…

Baaeed brings an unbeaten record and his status as the world's best racehorse to the Qatar Sussex Stakes (3.35) - but trainer William Haggas insists: "It's no penalty kick." The son of Sea The Stars has proved a class a part in eight career starts - the last four in Group 1 company - and is a white-hot 1-6 favourite with William Hill for the…

Leaders dominated last week at Eagle Farm and with rail going out to four metres much of the same can be expected. Once again, there are southern raiders coming up in search of good ground but previous experience on the track is advantageous. The talented 3kg claimer Angela Jones is currently leading the Queensland Metro Jockeys premiership and I…

Are esports real sports? This question has been around for as long as the professional gaming scene itself. People from both camps are bringing in cold hard facts to the debate and the lines are still blurred. One thing is certain - esports as a whole has a massive following and people are betting on esports in ever-increasing numbers. That has to…

The playoffs are moving into the Division Series, and the Rangers are watching from their couches for the sixth straight October. But if they feel like catching a game, they won't have any trouble spotting familiar faces. They could watch the Padres (featuring Yu Darvish and Jurickson Profar) take on the Dodgers (Joey Gallo and Chris Martin). They…

Mixed martial arts (or MMA) is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. As such, it's no wonder that the best betting sites now support MMA betting and have included it into their range of sports and sometimes provide Free bets and other betting offers. However, though this can be a very thrilling experience, not every punter knows what MMA…

Like many of OTE's posters and contributors, I am an academic by occupation. As someone with training in both history and political science, I've had some exposure to game theory, which is a way of using mathematical modeling to predict human behavior under varying sets of circumstances, and with varying degrees of information. At the core of game…

PUNE, India, Sept. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The New Report " Global Sports Betting Market Size, Statistics, Trend Analysis, and Forecast Report, 2022 - 2032 " estimates the Global Sports Betting Market size at U.S. $84.6 Billion in 2022 (year-end adjusted data) and forecasting to reach U.S. $288.2 Billion by 2032. The fastest growing regions…

Cole Snyder understands the visibility and responsibility that comes with playing college football close to home. The University at Buffalo quarterback grew up in the Southern Tier, played high school football at Southwestern, and joined what is essentially his hometown program after a three-season stay at Rutgers. Snyder will be UB's starting…

With the second pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, there's likely just four players the Oklahoma City Thunder are seriously considering. While some would consider the top tier of this class being a race between three players, a fourth prospect is beginning to emerge. With just over three weeks until the 2022 NBA Draft, the top four players appear to be…

THE big race on day two of the Ebor Festival is the Yorkshire Oaks, with the Irish Oaks winner Sea Of Class a red-hot favourite. She faces off against the winner of the French Oaks, the Karl Burke-trained Laurens. High-class four-year-old filly won easily in a Group 2 at this track in May, and the form of that race has worked out well. She ran up…

No horse since Frankel in 2012 has earned a higher rating on turf than the figure of 137 awarded to Baaeed for his outstanding display in the 2022 Juddmonte International at York. Baaeed was a stunning six-and-a-half-length winner of the Knavesmire Group 1 on his first crack at a trip beyond a mile, taking his record to a perfect ten. He had…

The New York Yankees head south to face the Tampa Bay Rays in a three game series at Tropicana Field starting Friday, September 2 (9/2/2022). All three games will be broadcast in market on YES Network and Bally Sports Sun, and games 1 and 3 will be available out of market on MLB Network. Cord cutters will need a streaming service like DirecTV…

Iowa Hawkeye fans support all the athletes who wear the black and gold. But it is an added bonus when they come from the team's own backyard. This season there are four Hawkeye football players from Iowa City and nearby towns: redshirt freshman wide receiver Alec Wick, sophomore defensive lineman Anu Dokun, redshirt freshman linebacker Kelby…