Sports

(DESOTO, Texas) — After 12 years in a wheelchair, a paralyzed former football player walked for the first time since his injury at his college graduation.

In 2009, Corey Borner was a rising star at cornerback for the DeSoto, Texas, High School football team when he suffered a spinal cord injury during a routine tackle. After a nine-hour surgery, Borner was told that he had a C5-C6 spinal injury and would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

“Being in a chair you have to make the best of it,” Borner said.

Leaning on faith and family, the 28-year-old Dallas native turned his story into his life’s mission as a motivational speaker.

“You just got to be thankful because it’s a blessing to be alive and still be here,” he said.

On Aug. 14, at the University of North Texas at Dallas, with the help of an exoskeleton suit from the Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation in Dallas, Borner was able to surprise his friends and family by walking across the stage at his graduation.

“It was amazing being able to walk across the stage. It was actually a surprise. I told everyone that I had a special guest,” Borner said.

For Borner, walking across the stage was a culmination of over a decade of work and only the beginning of his story.

“I plan on continuing to be a motivational speaker and share my testimony to others,” he said. “I made a promise to myself in 2009 that I will always keep my story alive.”
 

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(NEW YORK) — Naomi Osaka and Levi’s have teamed up for an amazing denim launch that looks like it’s going to be a grand slam.

The tennis star and fashion brand announced the upcoming line on Tuesday, and it’s set to officially drop on Aug. 24.

The Levi’s x Naomi Osaka collection features reused, upcycled denim that includes everything from a kimono to a bustier, and is a unique mashup of sporty meets feminine pieces with subtle nods to Osaka’s Japanese heritage.

“I always loved wearing kimonos when I was a kid,” said Naomi in a statement. “So, to be able to do it in denim felt really different and a bit unexpected.”

The collection also has two denim short styles that are both made from an upcycled pair of men’s Levi’s jeans. One of the two is the lace-up short that has a sporty, raw hem that sits right above the knee and cool lace-up back detailing.

The other style features a fun vintage look that includes a short, raw hem along with draped crystal fringe.

One of the most standout pieces from the line is the trucker jacket bustier that also has a lace-up back similar to the shorts. The material is derived from repurposed Levi’s trucker jackets and has stylish flap pockets and shank buttons.

“I liked the idea of the bustier while I was sketching it,” said Osaka in a statement. “But I love it even more now that it’s been brought to life.”

She added, “It’s so cute!”

Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, ambassador for social change and mental health advocate. She also has a passion for fashion that’s translated through several other collaborations with brands such as Frankies Bikinis, Nike, Louis Vuitton and several others.

In addition to fashion, she teamed up with chain salad restaurant Sweetgreen as the company’s first athlete ambassador and youngest investor.

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(NEW YORK) — Tennis star Naomi Osaka pledged to donate earnings from her latest tournament to relief efforts in Haiti after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake devastated the country on Saturday.

“Really hurts to see all the devastation that’s going on in Haiti, and I feel like we really can’t catch a break. I’m about to play a tournament this week and I’ll give all the prize money to relief efforts for Haiti,” Osaka tweeted ahead of this week’s Western & Southern Open, which runs through Sunday in Cincinnati. “I know our ancestors blood is strong we’ll keep rising.”

The four-time Grand Slam singles champion, who plays under the Japanese flag, is half Japanese and half Haitian.

Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency announced Sunday that the death toll climbed to at least 1,297 and at least 3,778 homes were destroyed in addition to hospitals and schools.

U.S. Southern Command established a joint task force in Haiti on Sunday to conduct supportive military operations, while the United States Agency for International Development deployed a team to assist in search and rescue efforts.

As Haiti reels from the death and destruction, the Caribbean nation faces another threat in the fast-approaching Tropical Depression Grace, expected to make landfall Monday or Tuesday.

“Our search & rescue team in #Haiti is moving into the affected area to begin operations & join efforts by Haitians on the ground, and [U.S. Coast Guard] has started flying people to Port-au-Prince for treatment. We’re also tracking Tropical Depression #Grace & preparing for all scenarios,” USAID Administrator Samatha Power tweeted on Monday.

Haiti is prone to earthquakes and was hit with a powerful quake in October 2018.

“Just heard about the earthquake in Haiti. Sending all my love, thoughts and wishes,” Osaka tweeted at the time.

Haiti also suffered a devastating earthquake in January 2010 that struck just 10 miles from the capital of Port-au-Prince., causing extensive damage and tens of thousands of casualties. Thousands sought refuge in the United States and were able to legally work and live in the U.S. through Temporary Protected Status, a humanitarian protection the Trump administration sought to end.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced in May an 18-month TPS extension for Haiti.

“Haiti is currently experiencing serious security concerns, social unrest, an increase in human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mayorkas said in a statement. “After careful consideration, we determined that we must do what we can to support Haitian nationals in the United States until conditions in Haiti improve so they may safely return home.”

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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
 
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

AMERICAN LEAGUE
NY Yankees 2, LA Angels 1
Tampa Bay 9, Baltimore 2
Kansas City 7, Houston 6
Chi White Sox 5, Oakland 2
Minnesota 5, Cleveland 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Atlanta 12, Miami 2
Cincinnati 14, Chi Cubs 5
Colorado 6, San Diego 5
LA Dodgers 2, Pittsburgh 1
San Francisco 7, NY Mets 5

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(HOUSTON) — The parents of a toddler who was hit by a foul ball during a 2019 Houston Astros game, fracturing her skull, have reached a settlement with the team, according to the family’s lawyer.

In a petition filed Thursday, parents Jonathan David Scott and Alexandra Colchado claimed that “acts and omissions constituting negligence” caused their daughter to sustain “injuries and damages” during a game at Minute Maid Stadium in Houston on May 29, 2019.

During the fourth inning of the game, their daughter, who was 2 years old at the time, was hit by a ball off the bat of Cubs center fielder Albert Almora Jr. She suffered a fractured skull and has a permanent brain injury, the family’s lawyer, Richard Mithoff, told ABC News.

Because the lawsuit involves a minor, the settlement has to be formally approved by a judge, according to Mithoff. The court will appoint a neutral lawyer to make a recommendation to the judge “about the fairness of the settlement,” which will be confidential, he said.

Details of the settlement were not made public.

The Astros’ lawyers did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Almora, who now plays for the New York Mets, was seen crying on the field after the ball went into the stands.

Mithoff said they waited until two years after the incident to seek damages to have a better understanding of any lasting medical issues.

“It was a serious injury, a permanent injury to that part of the brain,” Mithoff said. “The primary focus has been on seizures.”

The girl, who is now 4, has been on anti-seizure medication since the incident, Mithoff said. Her last seizure was 22 months ago, he said.

Mithoff said he plans to ask for a hearing date on Monday and hopes the settlement will be fully approved “in a matter of weeks.”

At the time of the 2019 game, Minute Maid Park’s netting reached from the end of one dugout to the other, however, the child was sitting farther down the left-field line. Several months after the incident, the team extended its netting farther down the baselines.

The Astros released a statement to The Washington Post a month after the incident, saying: “The Astros continue to send our thoughts and prayers to the young girl and her family. We continue to respect the family’s request for privacy and have no further comment at this time.”

In January 2020, MLB announced that every team would have extended netting for the upcoming season, following reports of fans getting injured and even killed by foul balls.

The Astros have faced lawsuits over other injuries sustained during games. In 2019, a woman sued the team after she was injured by a T-shirt fired into the crowd. She claimed her left index finger was irreparably damaged. A confidential settlement was reached last year, the Houston Chronicle reported.

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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE
St. Louis 7, Kansas City 2

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland 11, Detroit 0
Boston 6, Baltimore 2
Texas 7, Oakland 4
Minnesota 5, Tampa Bay 4
NY Yankees 5, Chi White Sox 3
LA Angels 3, Houston 1
Toronto 8, Seattle 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee 2, Pittsburgh 1
Atlanta 6, Washington 5
Miami 4, Chi Cubs 1
Cincinnati 7, Philadelphia 4
San Francisco 5, Colorado 2
San Diego 8, Arizona 2
LA Dodgers 14, NY Mets 4

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Indianapolis 21, Carolina 18

WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Connecticut 80, Dallas 59
Chicago 87, Seattle 85 (OT)
Phoenix 92, Atlanta 81
Las Vegas 84, Washington 83
Minnesota 88, New York 78
Los Angeles 75, Indiana 70

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Atlanta 1, Los Angeles FC 0
Chicago 1, Columbus 0
Nashville 5, D.C. United 2
Seattle 6, Portland 2

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Friday’s sports events:

INTERLEAGUE BASEBALL
Final  St. Louis   6  Kansas City   0

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final  Cleveland   7  Detroit       4
Final  Boston      8  Baltimore     1
Final  Texas       8  Oakland       6
Final  Tampa Bay  10  Minnesota     4
Final  Houston     4  L.A. Angels   1
Final  Seattle     3  Toronto       2

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final  Cincinnati      6  Philadelphia   1
Final  Atlanta         4  Washington     2
Final  Miami          14  Chicago Cubs  10
Final  L.A. Dodgers    6  N.Y. Mets      5
Final  Arizona         3  San Diego      2
Final  San Francisco   5  Colorado       4
Milwaukee  at  Pittsburgh  2:30 p.m.  (Postponed)

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Final  Buffalo    16  Detroit  15
Final  Tennessee  23  Atlanta   3
Final  Arizona    19  Dallas   16

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Final tie  Vancouver   0  San Jose   0

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Oakland 17, Cleveland 0
Seattle 3, Texas 1
Detroit 6, Baltimore 4
Tampa Bay 8, Boston 1
Chi White Sox 9, NY Yankees 8
LA Angels 6, Toronto 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE
NY Mets 4, Washington 1
NY Mets 5, Washington 4
St. Louis 7, Pittsburgh 6
Philadelphia 2,LA Dodgers 1
Milwaukee 17, Chi Cubs 4
Cincinnati 12, Atlanta 3
San Francisco 7, Colorado 0
Arizona 12, San Diego 3

WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Seattle 79, Connecticut 57

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(DYERSVILLE, Iowa) — It was built, and on Thursday night the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees are coming to Dyersville, Iowa to play a historic game.

The ballpark, newly constructed for this event, is located on the Lansing Family Farm, the filming site for the movie Field of Dreams. It features a corn maze behind the right field fence, and a manually operated scoreboard and bullpens behind the center-field wall, meant to resemble old Comiskey Park, where the White Sox played.

It’s the place where dreams come true. pic.twitter.com/JQodRjIsxk

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 12, 2021

The stage is set. #MLBatFieldofDreams pic.twitter.com/0EGFq8McHT

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 12, 2021

The game will be the first MLB game ever in the state of Iowa.

TODAY. #MLBatFieldOfDreams pic.twitter.com/E4tcXRRGIY

— MLB (@MLB) August 12, 2021

Originally scheduled for 2020, the game was pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tickets to the game were sold via a public lottery. Winners of that lottery were informed earlier this month, and were given the chance to buy up to two tickets and one parking pass.

On ticket resale site StubHub, the cheapest ticket available for the game as of Thursday morning was selling for $1,100.

Tomorrow. 🌽⚾️ pic.twitter.com/Htyfjkba4A

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 12, 2021

First pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 7pm ET.

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(BALTIMORE) — Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera moved one step closer to a major milestone on Wednesday night, bashing the 499th home run of his big league career.

Cabrera launched the homer off of Baltimore Orioles starter Matt Harvey, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead on Wednesday. Detroit would go on to win the game 5-2.

With just 12 home runs this season, Cabrera’s run to 500 had slowed considerably. He hadn’t hit a home run in over a week.

While there was some expectation that Cabrera would sit out Thursday’s game, the team’s last on their current road trip, so that he could attempt to reach the mark at home, the team says it has decided against that.

“He’s playing,” manager A.J. Hinch said Wednesday night before being asked. “I’ve talked to him, and we’re not going to test baseball fate. We really want him to hit it whenever he’s supposed to hit it. Maybe it’s [Thursday], maybe it’s not.”

Cabrera would become the 28th player in major league history to reach 500 home runs, and the first from his native country of Venezuela.

A two-time MVP and 11-time All-Star, Cabrera’s production has dipped in recent years. Still, he continues to chase multiple milestones. In addition to 500 home runs, Cabrera is also just 50 hits away from 3,000 for his career.

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