SIMMONS SAYS: If the Blue Jays can play .500 the rest of the way, they should reach playoffs
HEAR AND THERE
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Last season, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner combined for 60 goals with the Maple Leafs. The number was rather low because of the 15 games Matthews missed, his mystery injury and the fact he had the lowest goal-scoring numbers of his career. If whoever plays right wing alongside Matthews and Matthew Knies scores something around 15 goals, they'll be above the 60 goal mark combined. The Leafs were still third in the East in scoring last season, 16 goals ahead of the Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers … The Leafs' largest challenge this coming season: Finding a way to replace the 47 primary assists Marner had last season. That's 20 more than anyone else had on the team. One reason for optimism: Max Domi had 19 primary assists while not playing much power-play time or not playing much on the first two Toronto lines … A weird stat: The Leafs were 26-1 last season in games in which Morgan Rielly had an assist … They were 21-2-1 in games William Nylander had two points … This is why Hockey Canada decided on just three goaltenders — the same three from the 4 Nations team — for its summer Olympic team gathering. General manager Doug Armstrong and staff looked at Washington's Logan Thompson, Edmonton's Stuart Skinner, Los Angeles' Darcy Kuemper and Mackenzie Blackwood of Colorado and considered them quite similar to their three named goaltenders. My understanding of this: Jordan Binnington is a sure thing for the Olympic team and, after that, two of Adin Hill, Sam Montembeault and the other four being looked at while being selected for the team in Milan … Montembeault is French Canadian, which helps his chances of being the third goalie … With rosters enlarged for the Olympics to 25 players, expect the 4 Nations forwards and defence to be much the same on the Olympic team, with the likely additions of Tom Wilson, Nick Suzuki and maybe Mark Scheifele up front and Evan Bouchard on defence. Still in tough to be named: Zach Hyman. A nice invite but with no chance of making it: Maple Leafs forward John Tavares. You can't pick Tavares over Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brayden Point, Suzuki, Scheifele or Rob Thomas. He's not physical enough to play the wing or quick enough to be an effective forechecker.
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SCENE AND HEARD
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Elaine Tanner, once known as Mighty Mouse as Canada's greatest swimmer, predicted to me the other day that Summer McIntosh will soon be 'Canada's all-time greatest athlete ever.' So who wins Canada's athlete of the year this year? The MVP and NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or McIntosh, the multi gold-medal winning, record-breaking swimmer. A strong case could be made for both legends, and it's only August … SGA will be honoured in Hamilton on Thursday and presented with the first key to the city in 27 years … The NFL does Hall of Fame much better than Major League Baseball, the NBA or NHL. They do their inductions in the off-season, with no regular-season games playing opposite. Baseball and hockey have their induction ceremonies opposite league games being played. It means if you're a fan, you can't watch the Hall speeches and inductions and your favourite team play because it's happening at the same time. The NHL needs to find a way to honour its Hall of Famers properly on a night when no games are being played and the event could be televised nationally in both Canada and the United States … If you missed Ichiro Suzuki's Hall of Fame speech last Sunday, go find it. It's special and unique, just as he was as a player … Couldn't ESPN have waited another week before announcing it had fired Shannon Sharpe? His older brother Sterling Sharpe was being inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. There was no reason to put a damper on the weekend for the Sharpe family … I can see why Bryce Harper would be obstinate with baseball commissioner Rob Manfred when it comes to the possibility of having a salary cap in baseball. Harper, who will be paid $150 million over the next six seasons, ordered the commissioner to get the eff out of the Phillies clubhouse if he's talking salary cap.
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AND ANOTHER THING
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Terry Greer is the best Argonauts receiver I've ever seen. Mookie Mitchell and Darrell K. Smith not far behind him. Current Argo Damonte Coxie is among the best the team has ever had. And in less than half a season, with below-average quarterbacking, Coxie has 10 catches of more than 30 yards this season. Last season, no one in the CFL had more than that for an entire season … Former Argo Makai Polk, a key Grey Cup contributor last year as a rookie, was an early cut of the Atlanta Falcons. It's never good when you get let go before pre-season games begin. Might be good for the Argos if they can get him back … Yeah, it was eight years ago that John McEnroe predicted big things for the teenager, Denis Shapovalov. It's never quite happened the way McEnroe figured. Shapovalov is 26 years old now and just another guy on the men's tennis tour. He lost in his first match at the National Bank Open, as did fellow Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, who also looks like he should be significantly better than his results … How much does NHL regular-season scoring matter? In their back-to-back Stanley Cup seasons, the Florida Panthers finished 13th and 11th in goal-scoring … Rafael Nadal won 63 tournaments in his career and lost only 51 matches in his entire career. The retiring Genie Bouchard's reaction to that nearly impossible statistic: 'This makes me want to throw up.' … With Aaron Judge out for some time and the rest of his season in question, does that put Cal Raleigh in the MVP chase, or is it simply Judge and nobody else in the American League race? … This is how bad a season Mookie Betts is having with the Dodgers: He ranks 63rd in the National League in batting, 55th in home runs, 47th in RBIs, 72nd in OPS, 63rd in on-base percentage … I don't suspect Connor Bedard or Macklin Celebrini have much chance of playing for Team Canada in Italy in February, but I do like the idea that both young stars have been included on the summer camp invite list. They both will be on the Olympic roster in 2030 in the French Alps … Happy birthday to Marv Levy (100), Tom Brady (48), Marcel Dionne (74), Jim Gott (66), Dominic Moore (45), Kristaps Porzingis (30), Evander Kane (34), Bombo Rivera (73), Troy Glaus (49), Sid Bream (65), and Tony Amonte (55) … And hey, whatever became of Devon Travis?
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Edmonton Journal
6 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
McDavid's real value is $50 million year, NHL insider speculates
This in from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, his speculation that in a much freer market situation the Edmonton Oilers would be happy to pay Connor McDavid $50 million per year. Article content Talking about the overall trend in player negotiations this off-season, Friedman said on his 32 Thoughts podcast: 'I think a lot of players expect that the two highest salaries after this wave of signings are going to be McDavid and (the Wild's Kirill) Kaprizov. And look, I don't think anyone's going to have issue. If the Oilers could pay McDavid $50 million, he would deserve $50 million.' Article content Article content Friedman continued: 'And Kaprizov is a great player in a great spot to hit it big. So once those players sign, I think you'll see some of those other potential top UFAs next year say, okay, now the top, top, top of the market has been set. It's easier for me to find the sweet spot or the comfortable place with the team to go after those two guys are done.' Article content Article content 1. I've often wondered what McDavid might be paid if there were no salary cap and he was an unrestricted free agent. The most he can get in a salary capped NHL is 20 per cent of Edmonton's salary cap allotment, which would mean $19.1 million on a new deal. Article content Of course, McDavid is worth that much and far more. Article content But of course, if McDavid signed for as much as $19.1 million per year under the current salary cap system it would mean less cap space to sign other top players and less chance of winning a Stanley Cup. Article content Article content The cap system presents a brutal conundrum to the very top players in this manner. Article content 2. But back to Friedman's speculation. I wondered about a way to test his idea, and came up with this quick back-of-the envelope survey, to look at what the three other top players in the top North American leagues in basketball, football and baseball made in 2025, then compare that to the revenue brought in by their team. Article content When we do that we see that of all these great players McDavid — due to the hard cap model of the NHL's collective agreement — earned by far the least percentage of his team's 2024 revenues. He made $12.5 million, which is 3.2 per cent of Edmonton's $388 million estimated revenue in 2023-24, as reported by Forbes magazine (the source of all the dollar figures here). Article content But what if McDavid took home the same percentage as Dallas Cowboy star Dak Prescott, the highest paid pro football player in America? Prescott makes $127 million, which is 10.6 per cent of the $1.2 billion in revenues made by the Cowboys.
Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fever win five straight without Clark, beat Storm 78-74
SEATTLE (AP) — Natasha Howard scored 21 points and the Indiana Fever, playing without Caitlin Clark for a seventh straight game, beat the Seattle Storm 78-74 on Sunday to extend their winning streak to five. Aliyah Boston had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Her run of nine straight Indiana points in the middle of the fourth quarter put the Fever up 73-61 with 4:41 to play. The Storm charged back, pulling within 73-72 on a three-point play by Skylar Diggins with 3:14 to go. Kelsey Mitchell made a short jumper for Indiana before the Storm missed their next five shots, including four 3-pointers on one possession before Dominique Malonga scored inside with 12.2 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds play, Lexie Hull got the ball to Mitchell for a layup with 8.1 to go and the Storm couldn't hit a tying 3 before Boston's free throw. Sophie Cunningham added 17 points for the Fever (17-12), who are now 9-7 in games Clark missed. Nneka Ogwumike scored 16 points for the Storm (16-13), who dropped their second straight at home. Diggins added 13 points and Gabby Williams and Malonga both had 12. Seattle lost to Los Angeles 108-106 in two overtimes on Friday night. Indiana led 19-16 after one quarter and had an 8-0 surge late in the second to lead by 10 before Seattle scored to make it 42-34 at the half. The Fever went up 55-42 on Cunningham's 3-pointer midway through the third quarter but the Storm closed on a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to 58-54 entering the fourth. Indiana didn't have a field goal over the last 4 1/2 minutes. Olympic gold medal gymnast Jordan Chiles was courtside for the game, which drew 16,819 fans. LIBERTY 87, SUN 78 UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Sabrina Ionescu scored 36 points, Emma Meesseman had 11 points in her return to the WNBA and New York snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over Connecticut. Jonquel Jones added 21 points and nine rebounds for the Liberty (18-10), who were without All-Star Breanna Stewart for a fourth-straight game because of a bruised knee. Tina Charles had 17 points and eight rebounds and Anneesah Moorow 16 points and nine rebounds for the the Sun (5-22), who handed the Liberty their worst loss of the season on Friday 78-62. Bria Hartley added 12 points and Marina Mabrey 10. Meesseman, a former finals MVP who last played in the league in 2022 before winning the EuroLeague Women's MVP the last three seasons, did all her damage in the second half. Ionescu had 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season to go with her fifth 30-point game as she finished a point shy of her career best. She also surpassed 1,000 assists, the third-fastest to reach that milestone. Ionescu had 16 points of New York's first 20 and the Liberty scored the last nine of the first quarter to take a 25-19 lead that they never relinquished. She had 20 and Jones 13 for a 45-38 lead at the half. Meesseman got on the scoreboard with a pair of free throws early in the third quarter, and scored seven during a 9-2 surge that saw the Liberty turn a four-point lead into the first double-figure lead of the day, 54-43. New York took a 66-57 lead into the fourth quarter. DREAM 99, MYSTICS 83 COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Brionna Jones scored 23 points, Allisha Gray added 22 and Atlanta overcame a slow start to pull away from Washington. The Dream missed their first six shots and fell behind 10-0 but dominated the middle two quarters, outscoring the Mystics 59-37. They shot 56% after going 3 of 13 in the first quarter. Naz Hillmon had 14 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Jordan Canada finished with 16 points and nine assists for the Dream (18-11), who won their third straight and set a season high for points in the second straight game. Kiki Irafen scored 22 points for the Mystics (13-15), Sonia Citron and Shakira Austin both added 16 and Sug Sutton had 13. Washington has lost two straight and five of seven to drop into ninth place. Washington led 23-12 after one quarter. Then Atlanta made 11 of 19 shots and forced nine turnovers in the second quarter to go in front 40-39 at the half. The Dream closed the half with a 17-4 run, fueled by their defense. They forced 16 turnovers for 21 points in the first half and Gray had 12 points. Jones scored 14 points and Atlanta made 13 of 20 shots in the third quarter, adding 10 more points off Washington turnovers and led by many as 13. The Dream went into the fourth quarter up 71-60. Atlanta converted 22 turnovers into 33 points. ACES 101, VALKYRIES 77 LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jewell Loyd tied a Las Vegas record with seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 27 points, and the Aces bounced back from a 53-point loss to roll past Golden State. Tipping off 25 hours after getting beat 111-58 by league-leading Minnesota in the worst home defeat in WNBA history, the Aces took out their frustrations on the expansion Valkyries, who had won three straight road games. Las Vegas led 50-25 at halftime with Aces reserves scoring 25 points, while the Valkyries' bench had two points. The Aces finished with 18 3-pointers, tying the franchise record. Jackie Young scored 20 points for the Aces (15-14). A'ja Wilson had 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Chelsea Gray added 11 points. Ilana Rupert led the Valkyries (14-14) with 17 points and eight rebounds. Carla Leite and Laeticia Amihere both had 14 points and Kaila Charles added 13. The Aces led 27-14 after one quarter, making 9 of 16 shots. In the closing seconds of the second quarter, Golden State's Janelle Salaun was given a Flagrant 2 foul for knocking Loyd to the ground behind the play. Salaun was ejected and Loyd made the free throws and Kirstan Bell hit a buzzer beater for the 25-point halftime lead. MERCURY 83, SKY 67 CHICAGO (AP) — Kahleah Copper scored 25 points, Alyssa Thomas had a triple-double and Phoenix beat Chicago, handing the Sky their eighth straight loss. Thomas had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for her second triple-double with the Mercury and her 13th in the regular season. Sami Whitcomb added 11 points for the Mercury (17-11), who had lost two straight and five of six. They outscored the Sky 56-32 in the middle two quarters and had 30 fastbreak points to just three for Chicago. All-Star Satou Sabally was not with the team for personal reasons. Elizabeth Williams had 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Sky (7-21), who were without Angel Reese. Michaela Onyenwere also scored 13 points and Kamilla Cardoso had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Chicago was outrebounded 45-40 and outscored in the paint 46-34. Reese missed her second straight game and fourth in five games with a bad back. After making 5 of 25 shots in the first quarter when Chicago took a 19-13 lead the Mercury made 12 of 15 in the second and raced to a 42-34 halftime advantage. Copper had 10 points and Phoenix had 10 offensive rebounds and 17 fastbreak points. The lead ballooned to 24 points in the third quarter as the Mercury made 10 of 16 shots. The game featured sisters Maddy and Kathryn Westbeld facing off for the second time. Maddy was a second-round draft pick of the Sky and Kathryn made the Mercury after playing nine seasons overseas. Maddy had nine points in 22 minutes and Kathryn none in six minutes. Kathryn had 13 points in a 94-89 Mercury win in the teams' first meeting early in the season, but Maddy did not play.
Winnipeg Free Press
12 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Howard, Boston lead Fever to fifth straight win without Clark, 78-74 over Storm
SEATTLE (AP) — Natasha Howard scored 21 points and the Indiana Fever, playing without Caitlin Clark for a seventh straight game, beat the Seattle Storm 78-74 on Sunday to extend their winning streak to five. Aliyah Boston had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Her run of nine straight Indiana points in the middle of the fourth quarter put the Fever up 73-61 with 4:41 to play. The Storm charged back, pulling within 73-72 on a three-point play by Skylar Diggins with 3:14 to go. Kelsey Mitchell made a short jumper for Indiana before the Storm missed their next five shots, including four 3-pointers on one possession before Dominique Malonga scored inside with 12.2 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds play, Lexie Hull got the ball to Mitchell for a layup with 8.1 to go and the Storm couldn't hit a tying 3 before Boston's free throw. Sophie Cunningham added 17 points for the Fever (17-12), who are now 9-7 in games Clark missed. Nneka Ogwumike scored 16 points for the Storm (16-13), who dropped their second straight at home. Diggins added 13 points and Gabby Williams and Malonga both had 12. Seattle lost to Los Angeles 108-106 in two overtimes on Friday night. Indiana led 19-16 after one quarter and had an 8-0 surge late in the second to lead by 10 before Seattle scored to make it 42-34 at the half. The Fever went up 55-42 on Cunningham's 3-pointer midway through the third quarter but the Storm closed on a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to 58-54 entering the fourth. Indiana didn't have a field goal over the last 4 1/2 minutes. Olympic gold medal gymnast Jordan Chiles was courtside for the game, which drew 16,819 fans. ___ AP WNBA:
