(DENVER) — New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso has once again been crowned the winner of the Home Run Derby.
The 26-year-old defended his title in Denver’s Coors Field Monday night, beating Baltimore Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini in the final round of the derby to win the competition for the second year in a row.
In three rounds, Alonso knocked 74 pitches out of the park, topping Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez, Washington Nationals left fielder Juan Soto and Mancini along the way.
After the Home Run Derby, Alonso told reporters he’s a power hitter and that he considers himself “the best power hitter on the planet.”
“Being able to showcase that, and really put on a fun display for fans, I just think it’s truly a dream come true for me because when I was younger, my parents actually let me stay up past my bedtime to watch this,” he said. “That was one of the few nights of the year where I actually got to stay up past my bedtime and just watch absolutely incredible feats that you don’t see in a regular baseball game.”
“To be able to participate — it’s a dream come true. To be able to do it back-to-back — this is really special for me. And really cool,” Alonso added.
(DENVER) — Los Angeles Angels super star Shohei Ohtani will be the starting pitcher and bat lead-off as the designated hitter for the American League All-Star team Tuesday night, AL manager Kevin Cash announced Monday.
“This is what the fans want to see,” said the Tampa Bay Rays manager. “It’s personally what I want to see. And to have the opportunity to do something that’s a generational talent is pretty special. I begged Major League Baseball to tweak the rule for [the] game, because if they didn’t, I know I’d screw it up the rest of the way, pulling pinch-hitters and DHs.”
Ohtani was voted in as the designated hitter by the fans and was voted as one of five pitchers by the players.
As a pitcher, he has 3.49 ERA with 87 strikeouts and 35 walks in 67 innings. At the plate, Ohtani is hitting .279 with 33 home runs, a record for a Japanese-born player and 70 Rbis.
I was actually not expecting to be chosen as a pitcher at all,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “But to be named the starter, I was really not expecting that at all. But it’s a huge honor and I’m going to try my best.”
Ohtani is participating in Monday nights home-run derby.
Washington starting pitcher Maz Scherzer gets the start for the National League.
According to ESPN, Johnson a given rapid-test following the final round of the John Deere Classic on Sunday, before a chartered flight with other players, caddies, and managers to Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England. Everyone was tested before the flight.
Johnson’s test came back positive, and he withdrew from the tournament before the flight.
If Johnson had been on the flight, close contact rules in the United Kingdom would have mandated any players on the flight to be subject to removal from the tournament, according to ESPN.
There were 16 players from the John Deere Classic on the charter flight, according to ESPN.
(MILWAUKEE, Wis.) — The Milwaukee Bucks bested the Phoenix Suns, beating them 120-100 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee’s comeback with 40 plus points in back-to-back finals games, joining other legends like Michael Jordan to do so.
Watch the full report from ABC’s Good Morning America below:
(NEW YORK) — Since the start of the Olympic Games in 1896, athletes have used the international stage to shine a light on social justice issues.
One of the most iconic protests came from Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the gold and bronze medalists in the 200-meter dash in 1968, who each put on a glove and raised a fist in protest of the treatment of Black people in the United States.
Since then, according to sports historians like Jules Boykoff and Louis Moore, the International Olympic Committee has cracked down on protests.
The rule, Article 50, has been reaffirmed by the IOC ahead of the Tokyo Games and states that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”
In June, a group of high-profile U.S. athletes, including Carlos, sent a letter to the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee asking to eliminate that part of the article, which since been updated to allow for athletes to express their views in specific places and mediums, like when talking to the media, at team meetings or on the field of play prior to competition.
This amendment goes on to say that protests can’t be targeted “directly or indirectly, against people, countries, organizations and/or their dignity,” and “not disruptive.” Their examples of disruptive protests include expressions during another athlete’s or team’s national anthem or introduction.
The IOC said the rule is intended to preserve the neutrality of sports and the neutrality of the Olympics.
“Focus at the Olympic Games must remain on athletes’ performances, sport and the international unity and harmony that the Olympic Movement seeks to advance,” the IOC’s Athlete’s Commission states on the Article 50 guidelines. “It is a fundamental principle that sport is neutral and must be separate from political, religious or any other type of interference.”
But Moore, a historian from Grand Valley State University, said that for marginalized groups, it’s impossible to separate the Olympics from politics.
“The Olympics in itself is political,” Moore said. “The United States has participated in the Jim Crow society. It’s these athletes that are going to the Olympics with USA across their chest, and they’re coming back as second-class citizens. Let’s say they don’t speak up — but they’re still going with an intent of proving something.”
Athletes who protest may face consequences or disciplinary actions, although the IOC did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment on what specific punishments may look like.
Protests of the past
One of the earliest protests occurred in 1906, when Peter O’Connor, an Irish track athlete, traveled to Greece with his Irish flag in hand. However, a technicality in the rules meant that since Ireland didn’t have an Olympic Council, Irish athletes would be competing for the English.
When he placed second in the long jump, England’s Union Jack was set to wave over O’Connor on the podium. But instead, O’Connor scaled a flag pole and replaced the Union Jack with Ireland’s “Erin go Bragh” flag. Down below, his fellow Irish athletes protected him from security.
In 1968, Smith and Carlos were suspended and expelled from the games for their protest. The two also didn’t wear shoes on the podium, and instead wore black socks to represent poverty in the Black community.
Smith, Carlos and Peter Norman, the Australian second-place winner of the 200-meter race who supported their movement, all wore the badges of the Olympic Project for Human Rights. The group, established by sociologist Harry Edwards, was created to spotlight inequality and injustice.
Smith and Carlos were blacklisted, and the backlash took a toll on their personal and professional relationships, according to Boykoff, the historian.
“They paid a real price for their athlete activism,” Boykoff added. “Both found it difficult to find work when they came back to the United States.”
Another track athlete, Wyomia Tyus, also was a part of the activist organization and protested at the Mexico City Games. Instead of wearing her proper team uniform, she sported black shorts in the Olympic 100-meter final. It was her way of silently protesting racial injustice in the U.S.
Also at the 1986 Games, Věra Čáslavská, a Czechoslovakian gymnast, turned her head away from the Soviet flag during the medal ceremony in protest of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Czechoslovakia shortly before the Games. Čáslavská fled the country as an outspoken critic of the Soviet regime.
In 2012, Damien Hooper, an Indigenous boxer from Australia, wore a T-shirt with the Aboriginal flag into the ring for a match at the London Games.
The IOC slammed the Australian Olympic Committee for his actions since the rules prohibit the use of flags that are not official country flags — and he later apologized.
In 2016, Ethiopian runner Feyisa Lilesa crossed his arms above his head as he crossed the finish line — a gesture used by the Oromo people, who are have suffered mass killings at the hands of Ethiopian police, according to Human Rights Watch.
As the Olympics — scheduled from July 23 to Aug. 8 — near, many have their eye on what protests will look like following a recent racial reckoning in the U.S.
In a movement widely credited to beginning anew with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, athletes across several U.S. professional sports leagues have protested against social injustices and systemic racism.
Kaepernick and players from the WNBA, NBA, MLB and NHL have protested by taking a knee during the national anthem, staging team-wide strikes and wearing protest garb, including T-shirts emblazoned with “SAY HER NAME,” referring to Breonna Taylor.
Protests anticipated in Tokyo
Gwen Berry, a track and field athlete who turned away from the American flag at the U.S. Olympic Trials as the national anthem was played, already has received backlash for her silent protest on the podium.
“I never said that I hated the country,” Berry told Black News Channel in an interview. “All I said was, I respect my people enough to not stand or acknowledge something that disrespects them.”
Berry considers herself an “activist athlete” and has made several peaceful demonstrations against systemic racism at competitions.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki spoke on President Joe Biden’s behalf, in support of her actions:
“I know [Biden] is incredibly proud to be an American and has great respect for the anthem and all that it represents,” Psaki said. “He would also say that part of that pride in our country means recognizing there are moments where we, as a country, haven’t lived up to our highest ideals, and means respecting the right of people granted in the Constitution to peacefully protest.”
Several Republicans, including Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, have spoken out against Berry and other athletes who may protest at the Olympics.
“We don’t need any more activist athletes,” Crenshaw said on “Fox and Friends.” “She should be removed from the team. The entire point of the Olympic team is to represent the United States of America.”
Moore said that Black athletes have long been criticized and suppressed when it came to expressing their beliefs, and that he believes efforts to silence Berry just show how powerful her message is.
“She is officially the voice of this moment,” Moore said. “That’s the most powerful part about that is that a Black woman is holding court — she has the world’s attention.”
However, historians and sports analysts say that sports can be a tool for dialogue, and that athletes have been great forces in calling attention to issues of injustice and inequality.
“A lot of sports fans consider themselves apolitical and so they have to confront certain elements of society that they might not otherwise confront through sports,” Boykoff said. “Sports can be an important entry point for people to have conversations about politics that they’d otherwise never have.”
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Philadelphia 5, Boston 4
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto 3, Tampa Bay 1
Chi White Sox 7, Baltimore 5
Oakland 4, Texas 1
Houston 8, NY Yankees 7
Minnesota 12, Detroit 9
LA Angels 7, Seattle 1
Kansas City at Cleveland (Postponed)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Miami 7, Atlanta 4
Pittsburgh 6, NY Mets 5
Cincinnati 3, Milwaukee 1
San Francisco 3, Washington 1
Colorado 3, San Diego 1
LA Dodgers 7, Arizona 4
St. Louis at Chi Cubs (Postponed)
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Milwaukee 120, Phoenix 100
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Las Vegas 95, Dallas 79
Connecticut 71, New York 54
Indiana 79, Atlanta 68
Seattle 82, Phoenix 75
Minnesota 86, Los Angeles 61
(DENVER) — A tip from a housekeeper led police to uncover a large arsenal of weapons at a hotel in downtown Denver about a block from Coors Field, where Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game is set to be played on Tuesday.
Three men and a woman were arrested and 16 long guns, body armor and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were seized from two rooms at the Maven Hotel in downtown Denver.
The discovery initially prompted police to suspect they had thwarted a possible mass shooting plot in the works. But on Sunday morning, FBI officials in Denver said a preliminary investigation has not turned up any evidence that the episode is tied to terrorism.
“We have no reason to believe this incident was connected to terrorism or a threat directed at the All-Star Game,” the FBI Denver field office said in a statement. “We are not aware of any threat to the All-Star Game events, venues, players, or the community at this time.”
The FBI said it is working closely with the Denver Police Department, the lead investigative agency of the incident, to get to the bottom of why the cache of weapons ended up at the hotel.
A preliminary assessment indicated the stash of guns appears to be connected to a possible illegal transaction involving drugs and guns, according to an internal law enforcement memo obtained by ABC News.
The four people arrested were identified by authorities as Richard Platt, 42, Gabriel Rodriguez, 48, Ricardo Rodriguez, 44, and Kanoelehua Serikawa, 43. The suspects, who are expected to appear in court on Sunday, were being held on suspicion of weapons charges and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, according to Denver police.
Gabriel and Ricardo Rodriguez were being held without bond. It is unknown at this time whether the suspects have lawyers.
SWAT teams and numerous other police officers converged on the Maven Hotel around 7:30 p.m. local time on Friday after a maid at the hotel saw a rifle in one of the rooms being cleaned and reported it.
Denver police said they spent several hours Friday searching rooms on the fourth and eighth floors of the Wazee Street hotel, where the weapons and ammunition were found. Illegal drugs were also found in the rooms, police said.
“The investigation and arrests were the result of a tip from the public, serving as an excellent example of the critical role the community plays in public safety,” Denver police said in a statement, adding that the agency encourages residents and visitors “to always be aware of their surroundings and to report suspicious or illegal activity to police immediately.”
The Sage Hospitality Group, which operates the hotel, praised the police and its own staff for the quick response.
“We are incredibly proud that our team swiftly alerted the authorities in this instance,” the Sage Hospitality Group said in a statement. “We are thankful to DPD for their quick action to safely resolve this situation and will continue to work closely with them to support their investigation.”
The incident came as thousands of baseball fans poured into Denver for festivities surrounding the All-Star Game, including the annual home run derby scheduled for Monday night.
(ORLANDO) — The Orlando Magic have named Dallas assistant Jamahl Mosely head coach of the team, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced on Sunday.
“We would like to welcome Jamahl and his family to the Magic family,” said Weltman. “Within the NBA coaching community, Jamahl is considered a rising star. His coaching path is rooted in player development. He is a communicator and connector, and we look forward to him leading our group.”
Mosley spent the past seven seasons with the Mavericks and served as the head coach for the Mavericks Las Vegas summer league team.
Before the Mavericks, Mosley was an assistant for Cleveland for four years (2010-14) and worked for Denver for five years (2005-2010) with the last three as an assistant coach.
The Milwaukee native played four years at the University of Colorado, before playing professionally oversea’s for four years.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Magic search ended with two finalists, Mosely and Denver assistant Wes Unseld Jr. Unseld Jr. is a leading candidate for the Wizards job.
(LONDON) – Top seed Novak Djokovic defeated seventh seed Matteo Berrettini in four sets – 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 – to win Wimbledon, becoming the first man to win the first three grand slams of the year since Rod Laver in 1969.
It is Djokovic’s sixth Wimbledon title and his 20th grand slam title. The 20 titles ties Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the most all-time.
Djokovic can complete the calendar grand slam at the US Open in September.
Tennis legend Billie Jean King congratulated Djokovic on Twitter.
(LONDON) — Top-ranked Ashleigh Barty defeated 7th-ranked Karolina Pliskova through three sets to capture her first Wimbledon title and her third overall Grand Slam win.
It was the first Wimbledon ladies’ final to go three sets since 2012. Barty won the match 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.
Barty jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first set, before Pliskova was able to hold serve and make it 5-3. Barty closed out the set on her serve, winning it 6-3.
The second set was more evenly contested, with Pliskova battling back to force a tie breaker, breaking Barty to make it 6-6. Pliskova won the tiebreaker 7-4 to win the set.
The third set mirrored the first, with Barty winning 3 straight games before Pliskova was able to hold. The Australian closed out the set on her serve to win the match.
Barty became the first Australian woman to win the singles tournament at the All England Club since Evonne Goolagong Cawley.
Barty previously won the French Open as a singles player and the US Open in doubles with American CoCo Vandeweghe.
Pliskova is still seeking her first Grand Slam win, having lost in this final as well as the 2016 US Open final.
