Follow live: Can Cardinals bats get untracked?Follow live: Can Cardinals bats get untracked?
St. Louis has just four hits and one run in the first two games of the NLCS. It may not get any easier in Game 3 against Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg.
Day: October 14, 2019
NBA Preview 2019: Rankings, projections and big questions for all 30 teamsNBA Preview 2019: Rankings, projections and big questions for all 30 teams
A new NBA season is almost here, and it’s shaping up to be as wide-open as ever. Here’s everything you need to know before Tuesday’s tip-off.
What Hamilton needs to do to clinch the F1 title at the Mexican GPWhat Hamilton needs to do to clinch the F1 title at the Mexican GP
Lewis Hamilton must finish on the podium to have a chance of wrapping up a sixth world title at the Mexican GP. Here’s what teammate Valtteri Bottas needs to do to take the fight to Austin.
Good schedule, bad schedule: Who helped, harmed their NCAA tournament chances?Good schedule, bad schedule: Who helped, harmed their NCAA tournament chances?
When the 2020 NCAA tournament rolls around, these teams could rise or fall based on the aggressiveness of their non-conference schedules.
Devilishly poor season unfolding in New JerseyDevilishly poor season unfolding in New Jersey
The Devils, who reloaded and were expected to take a step forward in 2019-20, are stuck at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Brady won’t try to lure Gronk out of retirementBrady won’t try to lure Gronk out of retirement
Tom Brady says he won’t try to lure Rob Gronkowski out of retirement but is thankful for what he did for the Patriots.
Monday Finish: Lanto Griffin completes unlikely journey in HoustonMonday Finish: Lanto Griffin completes unlikely journey in Houston
Lanto Griffin took a long, hard road to becoming a PGA TOUR winner. He was 12 when his father, Michael, who bought him his first set of clubs, died of a brain tumor. But Steve Prater, Lanto’s coach, stepped in and got the boy an honorary membership to Blacksburg Country Club. Griffin struggled professionally and considered quitting as his bank account dwindled to nearly nothing, but sponsors and a sports psychologist intervened. At the Golf Club of Houston on Sunday, he made a 33-foot birdie putt on 16, scratched out pars on 17 and 18, and won by a shot to change his life. He earned a two-year exemption and secured a spot in THE PLAYERS Championship, Sentry Tournament of Champions, Masters Tournament, and other select events. “I get to go to Hawaii for two weeks now?� Griffin said. “It’s mind-boggling.� Welcome to the Monday Finish. THREE KEYS TO SUCCESS 1. Griffin is not easily discouraged. In addition to family tragedy, he quickly fell off the PGA TOUR the first time he got there, in 2017-18. But no matter; he played his way back through the Korn Ferry Tour. He also learned how to win so that when he was tested at the Golf Club of Houston, he had something to fall back on. He’d come through under pressure at the 2015 Robert de Vicenzo Punta del Este Open Copa on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, and the 2017 Nashville Golf Open Benefitting the Snedeker Foundation and 2019 Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour. For more on Griffin’s wild ride, click here. 2. He was a birdie machine, but limited risk. Griffin, who now leads the FedExCup standings and is virtually guaranteed a spot in the Playoffs, was already leading the TOUR with 70 birdies when he got to Houston. (He had top-20 finishes in the first four events of the season.) It was no surprise, then, that he led the Houston Open field in birdies, with 24. Still, he was mindful not to be too aggressive, having aimed for every pin and played his way off the TOUR two seasons ago. Nursing a one-shot lead on 18, he aimed so far away from the water that he wound up in the right rough, which he called his fairway for the week at the difficult finishing hole. 3. He continued to putt well. Prior to this season, Griffin had never finished a TOUR event in the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Putting. Now it’s old hat. He was seventh in Strokes Gained: Putting in Houston, which marked the fourth time in five starts this season that he’s ranked in the top 10. He improved with practice, but also a putting tip from Vijay Singh last summer – the two each live in the Jacksonville area and practice at TPC Sawgrass – the week before Griffin’s Korn Ferry Tour victory. “I’m not going to give (Singh) all the credit,� he said, “but it helped.� For more on Griffin’s stats in Houston, click here. OBSERVATIONS It’s been an emotional start to the season: Lanto Griffin, 31, earned his tearful first victory in his 33rd start on TOUR. Scott Harrington pushed him with a 5-under 67 that gave him a T2 and greatly solidified his status on TOUR. Both have played through family tragedy, with Griffin just 12 years old when he lost his father to cancer and Harrington more recently stepping away from golf to help his wife with her own cancer battle. (She is one year into remission.) “I’m so happy for him,� Griffin said of Harrington’s T2. “Scotty’s story and journey is similar to mine.� Harrington, meanwhile, was happy for Griffin, whose win came just two weeks after Cameron Champ’s emotional victory at the Safeway Open. Add the deeply felt victories of Joaquin Niemann, Sebastian Muñoz and Kevin Na, and it’s doubtful any five-week stretch has better conveyed the difficulty and importance of winning on TOUR.    Korn Ferry grads had a big week: The top three finishers in Houston – Griffin, Harrington and Mark Hubbard (69) – all earned their TOUR cards via the Korn Ferry Tour last season. And all three took a huge step toward not just playing on TOUR this season, but staying there. They are just the latest examples of just how well the Korn Ferry prepares players to compete at the game’s highest level, as is Maverick McNealy. The Stanford graduate initially struggled as a pro, but earned his TOUR card this season via the Korn Ferry and now looks renewed. He spoke to his girlfriend, LPGA pro Danielle Kang, prior to the final round, and she told him not to look at scoreboards and to say two good things to himself after every shot. It seemed to work, as he made five straight birdies (Nos. 12-16) on the way to a career-low 65 on Sunday, which moved him up 29 spots and into a T17 finish. “I can build on this,� McNealy said. So can they all. QUOTEBOARD “The first one is win.� – Griffin on his 2019-20 goals, a list he keeps on his phone. “This is nothing. This is a game.� – Scott Harrington (67, T2) on the pressure he and his wife, Jennifer, felt as she fought cancer. (She’s a year in remission.) “My head is definitely a little bit elsewhere.� – Peter Malnati (73, T17), who led through 36 holes. His wife, Alicia, is due with their first child Oct. 26. SOCIAL SNAPSHOT
Let’s overreact to Week 6 in the NFL: This Chiefs team has big issuesLet’s overreact to Week 6 in the NFL: This Chiefs team has big issues
Kansas City has a major weakness. Dan Quinn will be the next coach to lose his job. It’s time to overreact to Week 6.
What are the secrets to Mercedes’ F1 success?What are the secrets to Mercedes’ F1 success?
The enduring memory of Niki Lauda and Mercedes’ continuing no-blame culture helped propel the German manufacturer to a sixth world title. It’s going to be hard to deny a seventh, writes Laurence Edmondson.
Jordan Binnington is ready to prove you wrongJordan Binnington is ready to prove you wrong
The late bloomer was called up midseason, turned the Blues around, won the Stanley Cup and was a finalist for rookie of the year. Now what?