‘Win now’ Panthers trade for Patriots CB Gilmore‘Win now’ Panthers trade for Patriots CB Gilmore
After publicly saying farewell, the Patriots have traded four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore to the Panthers for a 2023 sixth-round pick.
Day: October 6, 2021
KD sees Kyrie ‘being part’ of Nets despite statusKD sees Kyrie ‘being part’ of Nets despite status
Kevin Durant said he’s still envisioning Kyrie Irving being a part of the Nets’ championship pursuit but he also acknowledges that it will be “hard to duplicate what he brings” if he can’t play home games in Brooklyn.
‘Win-now’ Panthers trade for Patriots CB Gilmore‘Win-now’ Panthers trade for Patriots CB Gilmore
After publicly saying farewell, the Patriots have traded four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore to the Panthers for a 2023 sixth-round pick.
After win over Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler returns at ShrinersAfter win over Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler returns at Shriners
The 43rd Ryder Cup seemed to be securely in the grasp of the U.S. team as the Sunday Singles session began less than two weeks ago at Whistling Straits. The U.S. led by six points, 11-5, and in the storied history of the matches, no team ever had closed a gap that wide. But hey, it’s the Ryder Cup, and crazy things can happen. Twelve points were at stake. You never know. There was one match of the 12 that stirred particular interest among the U.S. Team early on. Ryder Cup rookie Scottie Scheffler had drawn Europe’s standout player, World No. 1 Jon Rahm, in the third match of the day. Scheffler promptly birdied his first four holes, gave away a hole at the fifth, then made another birdie at 6. Scheffler was 3 up, and he never let up, eventually closing out Rahm on the 15th green, a resounding 4-and-3 victor. How Scheffler, ranked 22nd in the world, would view his performance speaks as much about this 25-year-old’s inner confidence as did his emphatic victory. Did taking down the World No. 1 on one of golf’s biggest stages elevate him as a player? He pretty much shrugs at such a notion. “I’ve always perceived that if I was put into a position at a Ryder Cup or a major championship that I would perform well,” said Scheffler, the confident Texan who tees it up Thursday at the Shriners Children’s Open. “I’ve always kind of had that faith and confidence in myself as a player. So it may have changed y’all’s perception of me, but for me, it doesn’t change too much.” Scheffler is coming off a solid sophomore season on the PGA TOUR. He played in 29 events, advancing to the TOUR Championship for the second consecutive season. He finished in the top 10 in three majors. He was a runner-up to Billy Horschel at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin (where he once again defeated Rahm) and finished third at The Memorial. Steve Stricker added Scheffler as a captain’s pick on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, and Scheffler paid off that decision with a record of 2-0-1. He went 1-0-1 alongside Bryson DeChambeau in a pair of Four-ball matches before topping Rahm in singles. Now that he has ticked off one bucket-list item, he looks ahead to his next: Becoming a winner on the PGA TOUR. “I don’t feel a huge rush that I have to win a golf tournament out here,” Scheffler said Wednesday from TPC Summerlin. (He posted eight top-10 finishes a year ago.) “I feel like I’m going to play out here for a long period of time, and I enjoy the way my life is now for me. I just want to continue to put myself in position to win tournaments.” Randy Smith, the highly respected instructor from Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas, where he has taught for 41 years, knew there was something different and distinct about Scheffler the first time he ever watched him swing a golf club. Mind you, through the years, Smith, instructor to Open champion Justin Leonard among many other TOUR pros, has received a tap on the shoulder many times to come and view golf’s next big thing. Scheffler, who was moving to Texas from New Jersey, was only 6 or 7 at the time. “Little Scottie was tiny,” Smith said, recalling their first visit on the practice tee at Royal Oaks. “He could walk under a card table. He started to hit some balls. All I saw was right to left, up in the air, very low, left to right … out of a 6 1/2-, 7 year-old kid? He had total awareness of where his clubface was. I said, ‘Hmmm. This is a special talent.’” Smith was walking along inside the ropes at Whistling Straits as Scheffler kept pouring birdies on top of Rahm, and he noticed an innate calmness and comfort level about him, despite the huge stage. A multi-sport athlete in his youth, Scheffler thrives on the energy of a big crowd. Smith laughs and said this was Scheffler’s time to show off a little. He did. Surely winning a TOUR event is something bound to follow relatively soon. “The thing about it is, he has not been at this very long,” Smith said. “He has accomplished a lot of things, and he’s been one, two, three shots away from winning several big events. A little more marination, a little more dealing with things …. his Ryder Cup performance can do nothing but help his patience level on the golf course. “That was the best I’ve ever seen him physically swing the golf club, up in Kohler. He was balanced, he was calm in his approach, he was calm swinging the golf club. Everything technically was so good, and I think that was powered by the brain being so good.” Brooks Koepka was one of Scheffler’s teammates at Whistling Straits, where the U.S. romped to a record 19-9 triumph, and took extra measure of what Scheffler did in the third slot on Sunday. He and Scheffler share the same agent (Blake Smith, Randy’s son) and Koepka has been witnessing Scheffler’s talent for years. Koepka said his first Ryder Cup appearance in 2016 did great things for his confidence, and expects Scheffler to ride a wave of momentum after such a big week in Wisconsin. “He hasn’t won yet, but he will, and it’s going to be very quickly,” Koepka said. “… I felt like I had the most confidence after 2016 (at Hazeltine). It really kind of propelled me. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens to him. “If you look at all these big events, the majors, the WGCs over the last few years, that’s where he plays his best, it seems, the bigger tournaments. He’s a big-game hunter. I wouldn’t be surprised if he pops off a major win very shortly. That win will come.” Scheffler concurs that the bigger the stage, the better he performs. He is working on trying to be more focused at “regular” TOUR events on Thursdays and Fridays, positioning himself better for the weekends. Smith notes that Scheffler has a great awareness when it comes to scoring. He has that extra tangible gift of knowing how to grind out a 68 on a day when his ballstriking or putting might send others to a 70. One shot means something. “As far as not winning on TOUR,” Scheffler said, “I think if I wanted to do something to where I could win a random event out here, I would go play a weaker schedule than I do. For me, I like playing tournaments against the best players in the world, and that’s what the PGA TOUR is all about. I’m just going to keep trying to put myself in a position to win tournaments.” Stay patient, follow the plan, and the wins will arrive. Throughout his path, starting with a U.S. Junior Amateur, they always have. There could be some big ones in store. After taking on the World No. 1 on a huge stage, Scheffler is idling along nicely, and seems in no great rush to get to where is trying to go.
How the Cardinals went from 1.3% postseason odds to playing the defending champs tonightHow the Cardinals went from 1.3% postseason odds to playing the defending champs tonight
Instead of playing for next year, St. Louis decided to add at the trade deadline. Its reward? A 17-game win streak and a wild-card date with the Dodgers.
NBA again won’t conduct random marijuana testsNBA again won’t conduct random marijuana tests
Players won’t be subject to random tests for marijuana this season, according to an NBPA memo shared with players and obtained by ESPN. Testing will continue for “drugs of abuse and performance enhancing substances.”
Patient Ambassador, Ryan Palmer both know and appreciate Shriners work first-handPatient Ambassador, Ryan Palmer both know and appreciate Shriners work first-hand
She had done everything the doctors suggested. Yoga. Specialized chiropractic exercises — three times a day — that were designed to slow the progression of the scoliosis she was diagnosed with at the age of 10. And that darn brace. For 18 months, she wore it 23 hours a day. She didn’t sleep or eat well because it constricted her, and it was difficult to muster enough breath to play her oboe or the saxophone. She was uncomfortable all the time. But Sydney Borchardt was willing to try anything to avoid spinal fusion surgery. “I’m very Type A,” Sydney, who is now 16, said matter-of-factly, “So, I was just ready to do whatever I needed to do.” Unfortunately, though, the curves in her spine continued to worsen, moving from 18 degrees at her initial diagnosis to 42 within two years. The doctors told Sydney and her family they needed to seriously consider fusion surgery to correct the deformity in her spine. “I remember walking back into our little hospital room and I just broke down,” Sydney says. “I was like, I worked so hard these past few years to try to prevent it and nothing worked. “So, it was pretty devastating and hard, especially as a 12-year-old and thinking about what spinal surgery would be like. And that’s when my mom and my dad started looking for other options.” Sydney’s parents discovered a procedure called Vertebral Body Tethering, which uses a flexible cord and the body’s growth process to straighten out the spine, unlike the rods used in fusion surgery. But their insurance company deemed it experimental and wouldn’t pay for it. So, Sydney’s mom, Melissa, found a Facebook group and posted about her situation. Almost immediately, she received a message from a man named Kyle who said to call him to talk about Shriners Children’s Hospitals. After Googling Kyle and his son, who also had scoliosis, she felt comfortable enough to make the call – and the conversation would change Sydney’s life. Kyle told Melissa that he had taken his son to a Shriners Children’s Hospital. While he was unable to meet the strict FDA requirements for a clinical trial – and ended up having a procedure similar to VBT in a Boston hospital that cost $69,000 – he was struck by the Shriners’ mission. “I’ll give you 69,000 reasons to call Shriners now,” Kyle told Melissa. Shriners is a network of 22 non-profit hospitals across the country. Doctors at these facilities treat children with spinal cord issues like Sydney as well as orthopedic conditions, burns and cleft lips and palates — regardless of a family’s ability to pay. Proceeds of this week’s Shriners Children’s Open on the PGA TOUR help in that cause. “They said, well, it doesn’t matter if your insurance pays or not,” Melissa says. “We’re going to do what’s best for Sydney. And then the relief of just worrying about whether you can afford to give her college or afford this specialty treatment, it just weighs on you as a parent.” The Borchardts, who live in Oklahoma City, ended up taking Sydney to Shriners Children’s Philadelphia for the VBT surgery. Doctors deflated her lung and put a medical rope in her spine, connecting it to seven screws before inflating the lung again. Within two weeks, Sydney said she was “ready to go,” and four weeks later, she was back in school, swimming and playing the oboe. And this week, Sydney is in Las Vegas, serving as one of four Patient Ambassadors for Shriners Children’s Hospital. “Oh gosh, I can’t even really describe what it means,” she says. “I’m just so thankful for the opportunities that they’ve given me. Honestly, surgery was a big deal. … So being able to go to Shriners and just feel so secure in what they were doing and feel so loved, I know that helped my parents feel more confident in their decision and made me feel more confident. “Now, being able to give back, I mean, I’ll never be able to repay what they did for me. So, this is just like a small thing of what I can do. Speaking on behalf of them and representing them feels like the only way I can ever kind of give back. And so, I enjoy talking about how amazing they are and the amazing care that they have given kids through all these years.” But there is more to the story. Sydney’s great-grandfather, the late Omer Jordan, was a Shriner and both her great-grandmother and grandmother, who also had scoliosis and underwent fusion surgery at the age of 38, were involved with the Daughters of the Nile. (The women’s organization itself has raised more than $45 million for Shriners Children’s Hospitals.) Jordan died before Sydney was born and she barely knew her great-grandmother. Melissa remembers them, though, and seeing pictures in their home of her wearing the crown and him wearing the red conical Fez that is symbolic of Shriners membership. “When they both passed away, they asked for donations for Shriners,” Melissa recalls. “So, we really didn’t think about it too much, but we saw the pictures and stuff, and then as Sydney got involved in Shriners, we were just kind of like, wow, you know, these guys, they do it selflessly.” Not surprisingly, Sydney’s journey over the last six years has brought her closer to her relatives. And in way things have come full circle, with her great-grandparents’ legacy helping her. “That’s exactly what me and Mom had been thinking is just, he doesn’t even know that he would eventually be helping his great granddaughter after all those years of raising money,” Sydney says. “And you know, we don’t have a lot of spare time in life. Life is crazy and busy, but he spent that time helping kids and it’s just so selfless of him. “And so, I really desire to be like my great grandfather and grandmother.” On Tuesday, Sydney was at TPC Summerlin where a host of PGA TOUR pros were preparing for the Shriners Children’s Open. Among the pros she met was four-time champion Ryan Palmer, whose late father was a proud Shriner. There was an instant connection as they talked about Sydney’s great-grandfather and Butch Palmer. “Just the fact of what they like, what they love doing most is helping these young kids, you know, these hospitals and taking care of these patients who can’t afford to get the care they need,” Palmer recalls. “And it just says what kind of people they were — her grandfather, my dad, Butch Palmer. “I mean, I got everything, you know, the things I love doing, helping with charities and my foundation, I’ve got it from him — just his love for helping kids and helping others. And what a great organization Shriners are and what they do for kids.” Butch Palmer was active in the Khiva Shrine of Amarillo (Texas) from 1985 until his death in 2015. He was the potentate in 2001 and Ryan remembers going to the temple as a youngster and listening to the Oriental band – where his dad played horn — practice. “Just the people I met along the way that are still close up dear to my heart,” says Palmer, who adds that it’s not a surprise to see some of them volunteering this week. “They’re close friends of mine that were friends of his. And so, a lot of good memories during those times, for sure.” As he got older, Palmer says he began to realize what being a Shriner and helping the kids really meant. And he knew how much his dad loved the Shriners Children’s Open, which his son first played in 2004. One year, the two even met some Player Ambassadors like Sydney. “He loved being a part of it walking around with his Fez and knowing that he was here with the Shriners, but also his son was playing in the tournament,” Ryan says. “So, each and every year I come here just seems like it’s getting bigger and better, and it means that much more to me to be here. “And it would speak volumes, I mean, no telling what it would be like to come out and possibly win this tournament one day and knowing what he stood for and what he did and how much the Shriners meant to him.”
Shriners Patient Ambassador connects with PGA TOUR player Ryan PalmerShriners Patient Ambassador connects with PGA TOUR player Ryan Palmer
She had done everything the doctors suggested. Yoga. Specialized chiropractic exercises — three times a day — that were designed to slow the progression of the scoliosis she was diagnosed with at the age of 10. And that darn brace. For 18 months, she wore it 23 hours a day. She didn’t sleep or eat well because it constricted her, and it was difficult to muster enough breath to play her oboe or the saxophone. She was uncomfortable all the time. But Sydney Borchardt was willing to try anything to avoid spinal fusion surgery. “I’m very Type A,” Sydney, who is now 16, said matter-of-factly, “So, I was just ready to do whatever I needed to do.” Unfortunately, though, the curves in her spine continued to worsen, moving from 18 degrees at her initial diagnosis to 42 within two years. The doctors told Sydney and her family they needed to seriously consider fusion surgery to correct the deformity in her spine. “I remember walking back into our little hospital room and I just broke down,” Sydney says. “I was like, I worked so hard these past few years to try to prevent it and nothing worked. “So, it was pretty devastating and hard, especially as a 12-year-old and thinking about what spinal surgery would be like. And that’s when my mom and my dad started looking for other options.” Sydney’s parents discovered a procedure called Vertebral Body Tethering, which uses a flexible cord and the body’s growth process to straighten out the spine, unlike the rods used in fusion surgery. But their insurance company deemed it experimental and wouldn’t pay for it. So, Sydney’s mom, Melissa, found a Facebook group and posted about her situation. Almost immediately, she received a message from a man named Kyle who said to call him to talk about Shriners Children’s Hospitals. After Googling Kyle and his son, who also had scoliosis, she felt comfortable enough to make the call – and the conversation would change Sydney’s life. Kyle told Melissa that he had taken his son to a Shriners Children’s Hospital. While he was unable to meet the strict FDA requirements for a clinical trial – and ended up having a procedure similar to VBT in a Boston hospital that cost $69,000 – he was struck by the Shriners’ mission. “I’ll give you 69,000 reasons to call Shriners now,” Kyle told Melissa. Shriners is a network of 22 non-profit hospitals across the country. Doctors at these facilities treat children with spinal cord issues like Sydney as well as orthopedic conditions, burns and cleft lips and palates — regardless of a family’s ability to pay. Proceeds of this week’s Shriners Children’s Open on the PGA TOUR help in that cause. “They said, well, it doesn’t matter if your insurance pays or not,” Melissa says. “We’re going to do what’s best for Sydney. And then the relief of just worrying about whether you can afford to give her college or afford this specialty treatment, it just weighs on you as a parent.” The Borchardts, who live in Oklahoma City, ended up taking Sydney to Shriners Children’s Philadelphia for the VBT surgery. Doctors deflated her lung and put a medical rope in her spine, connecting it to seven screws before inflating the lung again. Within two weeks, Sydney said she was “ready to go,” and four weeks later, she was back in school, swimming and playing the oboe. And this week, Sydney is in Las Vegas, serving as one of four Patient Ambassadors for Shriners Children’s Hospital. “Oh gosh, I can’t even really describe what it means,” she says. “I’m just so thankful for the opportunities that they’ve given me. Honestly, surgery was a big deal. … So being able to go to Shriners and just feel so secure in what they were doing and feel so loved, I know that helped my parents feel more confident in their decision and made me feel more confident. “Now, being able to give back, I mean, I’ll never be able to repay what they did for me. So, this is just like a small thing of what I can do. Speaking on behalf of them and representing them feels like the only way I can ever kind of give back. And so, I enjoy talking about how amazing they are and the amazing care that they have given kids through all these years.” But there is more to the story. Sydney’s great-grandfather, the late Omer Jordan, was a Shriner and both her great-grandmother and grandmother, who also had scoliosis and underwent fusion surgery at the age of 38, were involved with the Daughters of the Nile. (The women’s organization itself has raised more than $45 million for Shriners Children’s Hospitals.) Jordan died before Sydney was born and she barely knew her great-grandmother. Melissa remembers them, though, and seeing pictures in their home of her wearing the crown and him wearing the red conical Fez that is symbolic of Shriners membership. “When they both passed away, they asked for donations for Shriners,” Melissa recalls. “So, we really didn’t think about it too much, but we saw the pictures and stuff, and then as Sydney got involved in Shriners, we were just kind of like, wow, you know, these guys, they do it selflessly.” Not surprisingly, Sydney’s journey over the last six years has brought her closer to her relatives. And in way things have come full circle, with her great-grandparents’ legacy helping her. “That’s exactly what me and Mom had been thinking is just, he doesn’t even know that he would eventually be helping his great granddaughter after all those years of raising money,” Sydney says. “And you know, we don’t have a lot of spare time in life. Life is crazy and busy, but he spent that time helping kids and it’s just so selfless of him. “And so, I really desire to be like my great grandfather and grandmother.” On Tuesday, Sydney was at TPC Summerlin where a host of PGA TOUR pros were preparing for the Shriners Children’s Open. Among the pros she met was four-time champion Ryan Palmer, whose late father was a proud Shriner. There was an instant connection as they talked about Sydney’s great-grandfather and Butch Palmer. “Just the fact of what they like, what they love doing most is helping these young kids, you know, these hospitals and taking care of these patients who can’t afford to get the care they need,” Palmer recalls. “And it just says what kind of people they were — her grandfather, my dad, Butch Palmer. “I mean, I got everything, you know, the things I love doing, helping with charities and my foundation, I’ve got it from him — just his love for helping kids and helping others. And what a great organization Shriners are and what they do for kids.” Butch Palmer was active in the Khiva Shrine of Amarillo (Texas) from 1985 until his death in 2015. He was the potentate in 2001 and Ryan remembers going to the temple as a youngster and listening to the Oriental band – where his dad played horn — practice. “Just the people I met along the way that are still close up dear to my heart,” says Palmer, who adds that it’s not a surprise to see some of them volunteering this week. “They’re close friends of mine that were friends of his. And so, a lot of good memories during those times, for sure.” As he got older, Palmer says he began to realize what being a Shriner and helping the kids really meant. And he knew how much his dad loved the Shriners Children’s Open, which his son first played in 2004. One year, the two even met some Player Ambassadors like Sydney. “He loved being a part of it walking around with his Fez and knowing that he was here with the Shriners, but also his son was playing in the tournament,” Ryan says. “So, each and every year I come here just seems like it’s getting bigger and better, and it means that much more to me to be here. “And it would speak volumes, I mean, no telling what it would be like to come out and possibly win this tournament one day and knowing what he stood for and what he did and how much the Shriners meant to him.”
Padres fire Tingler following late-season collapsePadres fire Tingler following late-season collapse
The Padres have fired manager Jayce Tingler after the team failed to make the playoffs despite entering the season with hopes of challenging for a World Series title.
Abreu negative for COVID-19, headed to HoustonAbreu negative for COVID-19, headed to Houston
White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu will join the team in Houston for the American League Division Series after being held out of Sunday’s regular-season finale because of flu-like symptoms. Abreu tested negative for COVID-19.