46

Stephan Lichtsteiner on Arsenal move: ‘Nothing is concluded’

Juventus right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner says “nothing is concluded” when it comes to his move to Arsenal and refused to comment further on the transfer speculation.cheap nfl jerseys from china nike

Arsenal have been in talks with the 34-year-old about a free transfer when his Juventus contract expires, but the Switzerland international did not give anything away when asked by Swiss media about the negotiations.46

“Nothing is completed yet, no,” he said to newspaper Blick about whether he is close to a move to the Emirates. “I can’t say anything about the negotiations.

“As long as nothing is concluded, that’s what’s always interesting in football. I think we all know that. Therefore, there’s nothing new to say.”

Lichtsteiner is set to captain Switzerland at the World Cup in Russia and said he has “no idea” whether the deal will go through before the tournament starts on June 14.

He insisted he is not paying attention to any reports about the deal, even though both Italian and British media have said it is all but done.

“I don’t read it at all, I’m in Lugano — so in Switzerland. The rumours aren’t even reaching me, and it’s good this way,” he said. “I know Italy very well and I know what gets said, written and speculated about there. I’m used to it.”nike cheap nfl jerseys

Lichtsteiner helped Juventus win seven straight Serie A titles and would add valuable experience to an Arsenal back four that struggled last season as they finished sixth in the Premier League.

He would also provide competition and back-up for Hector Bellerin, who is currently the only natural right-back in the Arsenal squad.

45

Yaya Toure accuses Pep Guardiola of having ‘problems with Africans’

Yaya Toure has questioned whether Pep Guardiola has a bias against African players and accused the Manchester City coach of being “cruel” to him, according to an interview with France Football.

Toure, 35, played his final game for City last month after eight seasons at the club, with his farewell match against Brighton his only Premier League start of the season.

And the Ivory Coast international hit out at his former coach in an interview to be published on Tuesday with the title, “Yaya Toure: ‘I want to be the one who destroys the Guardiola myth.'”

“He was cruel towards me,” Toure said in excerpts released on Monday. “Do you really think that he would have been able to do that with [Andres] Iniesta at Barcelona? It reached the point where I asked myself if it was because of my colour.cheap nfl nike jerseys free shipping

“I am not the first, either. Other Barca players asked the question too. It may be that we Africans are not always treated the same by certain people. When you realise that [Guardiola] has often had problems with Africans wherever he has been, I ask myself questions…”45

Asked if he thought Guardiola had problems with players of colour, Toure said: “He pretends not to have — he is too intelligent. He will never admit it. However, the day he fields a team with five Africans, non-naturalised, I promise that I will send him a cake!”

Toure previously played for Guardiola at Barcelona from 2008 to 2010 but left for Manchester City only to be reunited with the Catalan coach six years later.

The midfielder made only 17 appearances in all competitions last season, starting four games in the League Cup and three in the Champions League, and he said he was frustrated in trying to understand why he was often left on the bench.

“I have tried to understand — I politely asked the fitness staff for my statistics and when I discovered that they were as good, sometimes even better, across training session and matches, than those who were playing and younger than me, I understood that this was not a physical question,” Toure said.

“I do not know why but I get the impression that [Guardiola] was jealous of me. He saw me as a rival, as if I was taking the limelight away from him.”cheap nfl jerseys from china nike

Toure had a falling out with Guardiola at the beginning of last season after losing his starting place, but said in May that they had “sorted it out” over the course of the season.

Ahead of Toure’s final start, Guardiola credited him with making the club “big and bigger and bigger and without doubt he was one of the most important players in our history.”

Also on Monday, UEFA suspended Guardiola for City’s first Champions League game next season for his reaction toward the referee in the quarterfinals in April.

34

Braves reinstate Luiz Gohara from bereavement list

The Braves reinstated pitcher Luiz Gohara from the bereavement list on Sunday after the lefty returned from an emotion-filled trip to his native Brazil.

Gohara was visiting his mother, Maria, who recently underwent heart surgery. Atlanta placed him on the bereavement list on May 25, which allowed the club to add a player from the 40-man roster to replace him at the big league level.cheap nfl jerseys nike china

“It’s a little hard (coming back) but I’ve got a job to take care of,” Gohara said. “It’s to come back and pitch. I was throwing bullpens and playing catch, everything I could do baseball-wise.”

The past few months have been trying for Gohara, who was ranked as baseball’s 50th best prospect this winter by ESPN’s Keith Law. Gohara’s father died unexpectedly in December. According to MLB.com, he died in the pitcher’s arms as they reached a hospital in Brazil.34

While Gohara will remain in touch with his family back in Brazil, he at least knows that his mother is progressing well in her recovery.

“I feel a big relief after seeing her,” Gohara said. “She’s doing better and everything. Now, it’s like I’ve got one thing on my mind, and it’s to concentrate and go out and pitch. I know she’s doing very good down there. The doctor is going to be (communicating) with me if she’s doing good, or doing worse.”

Gohara arrived in spring training slated to be a member of the Braves’ rotation but was beset with groin and ankle injuries. He went 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA over five starts in his big league debut last season. He didn’t make his first appearance this season until May 10. He is 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA over four appearances, the first three of which came in relief. He’s expected to be used out of the bullpen initially now that he’s rejoined the club.nike cheap nfl jerseys

Gohara had been expected to rejoin the Braves on Friday, but his return was delayed because of the gas shortages that have plagued his native country in recent days because of a truckers strike.

“In Brazil, the city is out of gas,” Gohara said. “Planes are getting canceled, flights and everything. It’s been tough down there in Brazil right now. All of the gas stations are out of gas. I had to go to the airport and we didn’t have gas. It made it hard for me to move to the airport. We were looking for gas everywhere.”

33

Javy Baez steals home as Cubs sweep Mets, finish 6-1 road trip

One of the game’s most exciting players was at it again as Javy Baez stole home in the seventh inning of Sunday’s 2-0 win over the New York Mets, breaking a scoreless tie and leading the Chicago Cubs to a four-game sweep and 6-1 road trip.

“First move to the plate,” a smiling Baez explained after the game. “He (pitcher Steve Matz) can’t see me. I was just seeing how high he was going with the leg. If he goes to the plate I would just come back to third base. He took his time to go to first. I went for it. I’m glad I made it.”new nike nfl jerseys for sale cheap

The sequence began with Baez on third base while teammate Willson Contreras was on first, after both singled to open the inning. Contreras served as the bait against the lefty Matz.

“Javy gave me a sign to take a bigger lead and at that point I knew exactly what he was thinking,” Contreras said. “On the first pitch I did a fake steal which I think prompted the throw over on the second pitch. It worked out. Javy has the best instincts as a runner and player.”33

Baez slid in rather easily as first baseman Adrian Gonzalez delivered the ball late to home, after getting it from Matz, while Contreras took second. It’s the second regular-season steal of home by Baez in two years and just the third by a Cub since 2010. The Cubs’ dugout erupted after the play.

“I don’t know if words can really describe the reaction,” starting pitcher Jon Lester, who was locked in a scoreless duel to that point, said. “Javy never really ceases to amaze anybody…His baseball instincts and how he goes about things on the field, it’s fun to watch.”

Cubs manager Joe Maddon made it clear plays like the double steal are the reason spring training is not too long. While he didn’t want to give away “proprietary information,” he intimated the team looks for moments like the one Sunday.

“It doesn’t happen often; the world is set up the proper way to occur,” Maddon said. “Everything was in place right there … There are things I don’t want to stand here and crow about. We executed it well and if it comes up again we’ll be ready to do it again.“cheap nfl jerseys nike china

Lester added: “I saw that happen and just kind of laughed. That’s all you can do. It was an unbelievable play. It’s nice it worked out. Gave us a little bit of momentum.”

Baez was also involved in another oddity as he switched positions with teammate Tommy La Stella 10 different times in the game.

22

Autopsy of ex-NBA player Butler reveals drugs, alcohol at time of crash

Former NBA player Rasual Butler had drugs and alcohol in his system when he and his wife died in a one-car accident in January in California.

Butler had alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine and oxycodone in his system at the time of the crash, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.nfl authentic jerseys cheap

According to Los Angeles police, Butler was speeding before jumping a curb, and his vehicle hit three parking meters and a concrete wall before flipping over twice and coming to rest in a shopping mall parking lot. Butler, 38, and his wife, Leah LaBelle Vladowski, 31, were pronounced dead at the scene..

The coroner’s report says both died from “multiple traumatic injuries” in the crash.22

Butler played 13 seasons in the NBA with eight different franchises as a swingman after being drafted out of La Salle by the Miami Heat in 2002.

Butler’s wife was an R&B singer who appeared on “American Idol” in 2004.

Butler played his final NBA games with the San Antonio Spurs in the 2015-16 season and attended training camp with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2016. He played in Ice Cube’s BIG3 basketball league last summer.nfl jerseys cheap china

He averaged 7.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 809 career NBA games. Butler appeared in all 82 games for the 2009-10 Los Angeles Clippers and averaged a career-best 11.9 points per game.

21

NBA: Warriors reportedly irked at Perkins for Curry run-in

The moment that might have sparked Stephen Curry to a dominant fourth quarter in Game 2 of the NBA Finals included a man in a suit on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ bench.

Kendrick Perkins, in street clothes seated on Cleveland’s bench Sunday night, failed to move his feet or legs as Curry backpedaled after missing a 3-point attempt at the end of the third quarter.

Curry, all of 6 feet 3 inches and 190 pounds, turned quickly and barked in the face of the 6-10 Perkins. While Curry said immediately after the game the incident was “much ado about nothing,” and teammate Klay Thompson said it was a “great movie,” forward Draymond Green said it was more than that.nfl football jerseys china

“He went off after that,” Green said of Curry.21

According to ESPN, several players said they were concerned for Curry because of his history of ankle and knee injuries.

Curry told ESPN he wouldn’t get into his thoughts on the sideline run-in, but his play might have done the talking. Curry went for 16 of his game-high 33 points and was 5-of-5 from 3-point range in just eight minutes played in the fourth. Golden State won the game 122-103 to take a 2-0 series lead.official nike nfl jerseys

Perkins, 33, is an interior enforcer for the Cavaliers. He’s recognized as a tough guy, and has been in his share of physical confrontations during his career.

What he hasn’t done this postseason is appear in a game. Perkins last played April 11 against the New York Knicks — his only appearance in a game this season — and has zero minutes played in 20 playoff games against Indiana, Toronto, Boston and Golden State.

10

Jets rookie Chris Herndon charged with DWI after crash in N.J.

New York Jets rookie tight end Chris Herndon was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated after crashing his car into a vehicle operated by a 76-year-old man at 4:45 a.m. ET Saturday in New Jersey, a state police spokesman confirmed.new nike nfl jerseys for sale cheap

Herndon, 22, driving a Nissan Armada, totaled a Toyota FJ-40 Land Cruiser that was transporting a vintage automobile, spokesman Lawrence Peele told ESPN. Herndon was handcuffed at the scene and taken to a nearby New Jersey State Police barracks, where a Breathalyzer test confirmed he was over the legal limit, Peele said. He declined to release the results.

Herndon suffered minor injuries, but they weren’t disclosed on the police report. The other driver, Albert Elliott, of Manalapan, New Jersey, suffered a bruised and gashed arm, according to police.

Herndon, a fourth-round pick from the University of Miami, was processed and released. An undisclosed court date was scheduled. He’s subject to discipline under the NFL’s personal-conduct and substance-abuse policies.10

The accident occurred on Route 80 in Rockaway, New Jersey, about 20 minutes from the Jets’ training facility.

“We are aware of the situation and have no further comment at this time,” a Jets spokesman said.

This was the Jets’ sixth player arrest in the past 13 months, the third for drunken driving. Linebacker Dylan Donahue has two pending DWI cases.cheap nike jerseys nfl

The Jets continued OTA practices on Monday, but it’s unclear if Herndon attended. He recently signed a four-year, $3.2 million contract that included a $711,000 signing bonus.

At Miami, Herndon caught 40 passes for 477 yards and four touchdowns last season. He suffered a knee injury late in the year, which probably hurt his draft stock. He just recently had been cleared to practice fully.

9

Eagles’ visit to White House canceled over national anthem dispute

The Philadelphia Eagles will not be attending a ceremony at the White House to honor their February Super Bowl victory, according to a statement by President Donald Trump.

The statement says that the defending Super Bowl champions disagree “with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country.”cheap nike nfl jerseys from china

Instead of the event honoring the Eagles, the White House will host “A Celebration of America.”

The president’s statement said that the ceremony will be “one that will honor our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the National Anthem.”

A large group of Eagles players had decided not to attend, including most — if not all — of the black players, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

In addressing players’ decision to stay home, the president’s statement said “the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better.”9

On Monday evening, the Eagles released a statement making no reference to the canceled ceremony, which read: “It has been incredibly thrilling to celebrate our first Super Bowl Championship. Watching the entire Eagles community come together has been an inspiration. We are truly grateful for all of the support we have received and we are looking forward to continuing our preparations for the 2018 season.”

Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney issued a statement that said, in part, “Fans all across the country rallied behind (the Eagles) because we like to root for the underdog and we feel joy when we see the underdogs finally win. I’m equally proud of the Eagles’ activism off the field. These are players who stand up for the causes they believe in and who contribute in meaningful ways to their community. They represent the diversity of our nation-a nation in which we are free to express our opinions.”

Monday’s decision is similar to when Trump told the Golden State Warriors last September they were not welcome at the White House to celebrate their 2017 NBA championship. In that tweet, Trump said going to the White was considered a great honor for a championship team and specifically mentioned Warriors star Stephen Curry.new nike nfl jerseys for sale cheap

Source close to the team say the team will now be expected to be at the team’s training facility Tuesday in South Philadelphia to attend what is called a Phase II day of organized team activities, which includes meetings, weight training and individual on-field drills. Pederson is expected to address the media on Wednesday, when players are also expected to be available.

346

Whatever Cristiano Ronaldo wants — more money, to leave Real Madrid — he’ll get it

Nine words was all it took for Cristiano Ronaldo to ensure that his team’s Champions League success in Kiev would be all about him, despite a fairly anonymous performance in the Olympic Stadium. Nine words that he later attempted to clarify while only muddying the water further, stating cryptically that “these are situations which have been coming a long time.”

So what exactly was the Portuguese star attempting to achieve under the full glare of the world’s media?346

The simplest explanation — cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale and the most quintessentially Ronaldo — is that he wanted to ensure he was splashed over the front pages of the Spanish sports press the following morning while simultaneously stealing Gareth Bale’s thunder. He may have scored 15 en route to Kiev, but he won’t be overjoyed that Real’s 3-1 triumph will go down in history as the Welshman’s final.

If that was Ronaldo’s ruse, it was effective. Sunday reaped acres of column space and hand-wringing editorials dissecting his words. It also brought exactly what the Portuguese had been seeking, what he has always sought, in times of famine and feast: the adulation of Madrid fans, who thronged the capital’s Cibeles fountain and raised chants of “Cristiano, stay!”

Ronaldo does not enjoy playing second fiddle and Bale’s spectacular overhead kick was the high note of a Real Madrid career that may be drawing to a close. Signed as an eventual heir to the No. 7 shirt, he has been successfully sidelined by the Portuguese on the pitch and was again during Real’s celebrations, where Bale should rightfully have been the focus of attention.

When he was, on the grandest stage in Kiev, Ronaldo was lurking in the wings as Bale disappeared under a pile of white shirts. A pat on the head was about the extent of Ronaldo’s recognition; an innocuous gesture but at the same time a hierarchical one.

Ronaldo’s words could also be interpreted as a veiled double message to Florentino Perez,cheap nfl jerseys china nike  whose all-too-public courtship of Neymar has gone down like a flute of flat champagne in the Portuguese’s camp. A promised pay rise has failed to materialise, Perez claiming in January that the coffers are bare.

345

Ronaldo’s future overshadows Real’s historic win, Bale exit talk, more

So the countdown has begun. On June 4, Cristiano Ronaldo joins up with the Portugal national team ahead of the World Cup and he’ll tell us his plans. And at least as of Saturday night at Kiev’s Olympic Stadium, he “could not guarantee” that he’d be staying at Real Madrid.new nike nfl jerseys cheap

Because he is who he is, it ended up overshadowing Zinedine Zidane’s post-game press conference (he was asked about it three times) and also some of the coverage of Real’s historic victory. That’s a shame — Ronaldo himself later admitted it wasn’t the best timing — and it’s probably a reflection of the times that speculation over his future would generate as much interest among some as a dramatic, history-making final.345

How to read this? If he really is plotting a departure, he’s done a great job of keeping it under wraps. And frankly, given the money involved (Ronaldo’s deal runs through 2021, with wages of around $50 million a year), there are very few landing spots that don’t involve some kind of lifestyle choice and a massive pay cut. It’s really difficult to see him at another big European club mainly because most of the ones who could, theoretically, afford him would not provide a great fit.

A return to Manchester United might be a romantic solution but it would also reunite him with Jose Mourinho, and the two have often failed to see eye-to-eye. Paris Saint-Germain could have serious Financial Fair Play restrictions real soon and, in any case, they have a decent front three already.

Could there be some mega-move to China or Major League Soccer in the works? Again, theoretically MLS could construct some sort of complicated David Beckham-type deal where he ends up getting a future franchise, a share of league revenues and the keys to Don Garber’s Volvo, but it feels pie-in-the-sky. As for China, there are now pretty stiff limits on foreign signings and on capital flight in general.cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale

Most of all, it’s hard to see Ronaldo want to leave the big stage after the sort of season he’s had. The impression is that it’s more about his contract, particularly after the mega-deals signed by Neymar and Lionel Messi, both of which dwarf his salary. Not because he’s greedy but because, like most, he wants to be paid at market rate. And, unlike most of us, he has the leverage to do it.