Steelers running back James Conner said celebrating his first NFL touchdown with his offensive linemen was all about thanking them, and not an attempt to send a message to teammate Le’Veon Bell, who has yet to sign his franchise tag to join the team.
We’re not satisfied with just identifying the game’s 10 best prospects as of now. Let’s raise the degree of difficulty and look even deeper into the future.
Future Hall of Famer Drew Brees heaped praise on QB Baker Mayfield, saying the Browns rookie has got “all the tools” and that “he’s a great competitor.”
Aaron Rodgers said he could not commit to playing Sunday, but Vikings coach Mike Zimmer expects the Packers QB to be out there since “he walks on water.”
Tadd Fujikawa, who as a 16-year-old amateur made the cut at the 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii, announced on his Instagram account this week that he is gay. He is believed to be the first openly gay male professional golfer. Fujikawa wrote that he decided to make the announcement “in hopes of being an inspiration and making a difference in someone’s life.â€� “I thought that I didn’t need to come out because it doesn’t matter if anyone knows,â€� he wrote. “But I remember how much other’s stories have helped me in my darkest times to have hope. I spent way too long pretending, hiding, and hating who I was. I was always afraid of what others would think/say. I’ve struggled with my mental health for many years because of that and it put me in a really bad place. Now I’m standing up for myself and the rest of the LGBTQ community.â€� In 2006, Fujikawa played in the U.S. Open as a 15-year-old. He made the cut the following year at the Sony Open in his native Hawaii, turning 16 the Monday of tournament week. He is the third-youngest player to make a PGA TOUR cut, trailing only Tianlang Guan and Bob Panasik. Fujikawa finished T20 after shooting consecutive 66s in the second and third rounds. He turned pro later that year. Fujikawa also contended in the 2009 Sony Open after shooting a third-round 62. He started the final round in sixth place before shooting 73 to finish T32. He also finished T19 at the 2012 Sony Open. He has competed in 15 PGA TOUR events, most recently in 2017 after he Monday qualified for the Sony Open. He last competed in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event in 2017, playing five times on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada. Fujikawa wrote last October about his struggles with anxiety and depression. He won the Hawaii State Open two months later, his first professional victory in seven years. “Honestly never thought this day would come again,â€� he wrote. “(Thank you) to everyone who has supported me and helped me to keep going when I was at my lowest. I am forever grateful.â€�
A field of 9 was entered for the 2018 Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1) #WoMile on Saturday with 5-2 favorite Delta Prince drawing post position 3. Olympic sprinter Andre De Grasse was the honourary drawmaster.
After three years away from LA, Matt Kemp is determined to make the most of his second stint with the team that made him a star.
Bridgestone’s new Tour B JGR line was designed with the mid- to high-handicapper in mind, but even the best players in the world can get behind more forgiveness and ball speed. Earlier this season, Tour staffers Brandt Snedeker and Matt Kuchar added the Tour B JGR driver to the bag after noticing an uptick in speed and distance during testing. Snedeker would go on to shoot 59 during the first round of the Wyndham Championship with the club in the bag. A 9-time TOUR winner, Snedeker admitted he was somewhat surprised by how seamless the transition was from the previous version to the new driver. “I didn’t expect to make the switch so easily,” Snedeker said, “but when I compared the data on trackman, I was seeing three mph more ball speed and an extra six yards.” The new Tour B JGR driver (9.5, 10.5 and 11.5 degrees; $399), fairway woods and hybrids all feature the company’s Boost Wave Crown technology, comprised of internal and external channels that assist the crown in flexing more effectively at impact for a higher initial launch and increased ball speeds. The rear portion of the crown has been thinned out as well to allow the entire structure to flex. While the Boost Wave Crown is found in all three woods (driver, fairway and hybrid), only the driver boasts a rib-like design in the sole that works in tandem with the Boost Wave Crown technology to stabilize the lower portion of the face, while allowing the crown to flex more at the same time. A redesigned power milled face offers double the depth of its predecessor to reduce slippage at impact and keep the ball on the face longer at impact, decreasing the amount of unwanted spin on off-center shots. For the high-handicapper, the driver offers a 25-gram internal weight in the heel for a built-in draw bias; an external 10-gram weight port can be found in the heel as well. With so much weight positioned in one area of the head, it’s clear Bridgestone is trying to help those players who fight a considerable slice. The Tour B JGR fairway woods (15 and 18 degrees; $229) and hybrids (19, 22 and 25 degrees; $219) come with a Boost Wave Crown and variable thickness face designed to help with ball speed protection, particularly on mishits that find the low portion at impact. Taking a page from the metalwoods, the Tour B JGR HF1 (1030 forged construction; $849) and HF2 (1025 forged construction; $899) irons were designed with a power slit face design, whereby the junction of the face and sole is noticeably thinner than the surrounding areas. The design is supposed to improve initial launch and ball speeds by acting as a hinge at impact. “Our JGR lines have built up a loyal following since the original launch in 2015. The new TOUR B JGR builds on that success by providing golfers with the combination of style and forgiveness,â€� said Zack Kupperbusch, Bridgestone, golf club marketing. The HF1 offers slightly stronger lofts, a larger profile and wider sole with a hollow cavity that “provides easy launching distance in an extremely low COG forged head.” The forged two-piece HF2 is geared more for the mid-handicapper with a slightly more compact profile and rubber polymer insert that was added to the cavity to enhance feel and sound while reducing unwanted vibrations at impact. Bridgestone’s Tour B JGR line will be available Oct. 12, with the following stock shaft offerings: UST Mamiya Recoil 460 ES (driver), UST Mamiya Recoil 460 ES FWY (fairway wood), UST Mamiya Recoil 780 ES (hybrid), UST Mamiya (HF1) and True Temper XP 95 (HF2). PGA TOUR SUPERSTORE: Buy equipment here
Russell Westbrook might miss the opening few games of the 2018-19 season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday.
Blake Snell continued to state his case that he’s the best that the American League has to offer during the Rays’ 3-1 win over the Indians on Wednesday at Tropicana Field. The left-hander allowed just a single hit over seven innings, including no hits through his front six, en route to his Major League-leading 19th win of the season. Carlos Carrasco worked seven innings of his own for the Indians, allowing three earned runs. Indians second baseman Jose Ramirez hit a solo home run, his 38th of the year.
