
Armagh ladies face Kerry in Division One League Final
Ni Mhuircheartaigh no longer in Kerry ranks
Armagh secured their final spot with two games to spare, which included a victory over Kerry, before losing their final two round-robin games against Waterford and Meath, with a number of regulars rested in the concluding dead rubbers.The Orchard County women make three changes from the Meath game with Anna Carr returning in goal in place of Brianna Mathers, while there are starts for Cait Towe and Niamh Reel, who replace Grace Ferguson and Kelly Mallon.Kerry no longer have the retired Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh in their ranks but Siofra O'Shea has racked up 5-26 during the league so far with Danielle O'Leary notching 4-7.The Kingdom selected an understrength line-up for their defeat by Dublin last time out and make seven changes with O'Shea, Roisin Rahilly, Deirdre Kearney, Aoife Dillane, captain Anna Galvin, last year's skipper Niamh Carmody and Jaydn Lucey returning to the starting line-up.Saturday's curtain-raiser is the Division Two final between Cork and Galway which throws in at 15:00 BST.
The Division Three and Division Four finals take place on Sunday, with the latter game an all-Ulster contest between Antrim and Fermanagh at Clones (15:00).Antrim will be aiming to repeat their 2023 Division Four final triumph as they face a Fermanagh side who secured the All-Junior title last year which moved them into the intermediate grade for this season.Both sides can play with a degree of freedom at St Tiernach's Park with promotion to Division Three already secured.Antrim won their round-robin encounter a few weeks ago but the margin couldn't have been closer as the Saffrons edged a 3-10 to 3-9 win as they went on to win all seven of their games.Saturday's match will bring back memories of the 2022 All-Ireland Junior Final when Antrim secured the title after a replay.Skipper Bronagh Devlin remains a key performer for Antrim as evidenced by her 2-3 tally in the semi-final win over Leitrim.On the Fermanagh side, Eimear Smyth has carried her magnificent 2024 form into 2025 and she led the way with 1-8 in the semi-final win against Sligo.
Cavan in Division Three final
There is also Ulster representation in Saturday's Division Three final at Drogheda (14:00) as Cavan face Wexford.Once again, the pressure is off both sides with promotion to Division Two also secured. Cavan's only defeat in the round-robin games was a 2-5 to 0-9 reverse against Wexford when Grace Donovan's goal proved crucial.The Breffni County are aiming for a third Division Three title after their triumphs in 2008 and 2010 with Wexford last landing the title in 2018.Armagh: A Carr; M Ferguson, C McCambridge (capt), L Kenny; L McConville, C Towe, R Mulligan; N Coleman, C O'Hanlon; E Druse, B Mackin, E Lavery; N Reel, A McCoy, N Henderson.Kerry: ME Bolger; R Rahilly, D Kearney, E Lynch; A O'Connell, K Cronin, A Dillane; M O'Connell, A Galvin (capt); C Evans, N Ni Chonchuir, N Carmody; D O'Leary, S O'Shea, J Lucey.Antrim: A Devlin; N McIntosh, M Blaney, M Mulholland; S O'Neill, C Brown, D Coleman; A Mulholland, A Tubridy; T Mellon, L Dahunsi, A Kelly; B Devlin (capt), N Jones, M O'Neill.Fermanagh: A Haren; E Murphy, C Clarke, E Keenan; N Boyle, C Murphy, C Bogue; S Feeley, M McGloin; B Smyth, C Martin, L Maguire; J Doonan, E Smyth, A McCabe.Cavan: E Baugh; L Crowe, S Kelly, E Corcoran; M Sheridan, S Lynch (capt), S Greene; M Fitzpatrick, E Brady; K McCormack, L McVeety, C Dolan; N Keenaghan, A Sheridan, A Gilsenan.Wexford: S Cloake; S McCarthy, M Byrne, A Tormey; C Banville, A Halligan, K English; C Donnelly, R Murphy (capt); B McDonald, C Murray, O Byrne; A Neville, C Ni Nuallain, C Foxe.
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The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
WNBA truths and fictions: the real state of the league in 2025
The WNBA is one of those leagues that is perpetually at the crossroads. In the 1990s, the league saw off the challenge of the American Basketball League (ABL), which paid higher salaries but lacked the NBA's marketing muscle, but perhaps that victory gave the NBA and WNBA a dose of complacency. Attendance steadily dropped for several years, and went through revolving doors from city to city – or into permanent hiatus. Now, with women's sports in the middle of a growth spurt and the dazzling skills of Caitlin Clark on display, the WNBA has an age-old issue: More money, more problems – or, at least, more critics conjuring up more questions. We live in a media landscape in which the fretting over 'generational talents' is so robust that NBA fans started panicking about Cooper Flagg when he had a poor shooting performance in his first Summer League game. As anyone knows from following her college career, she doesn't just have extraordinary shooting range. She can dominate a game with her passing even if her shots aren't falling. To be sure, Clark certainly has a lot of work to do before she turns the corner from being the league's most exciting player to becoming the league's best player. In her rookie year, Basketball Reference calculated her PER, a measure of overall effectiveness, at 18.8, nowhere near the top four of A'ja Wilson (34.9), Breanna Stewart (26.4), Brittney Griner (26.0) and Napheesa Collier (25.1). But PER tends to favor forwards and centers – such Clark's Indiana teammate, 2023 top overall draft pick Aliyah Boston, who was also ahead of Clark. Among guards, she was third. She also led the league in assists per game with 8.4, with only Alyssa Thomas (7.9) anywhere close. On the other hand, she also led the league in turnovers with a staggering mark of 5.6 per game – Thomas again was second at 3.6. This year, Clark is struggling with injuries, and most of her scoring and shooting numbers have dropped significantly. Given the ridiculously short window of a WNBA season, she may not have time to pull her season averages up to where they were last year. The WNBA actually has a trio of young 'generational talent' guards who have come into the league in the 2020s. The first was Sabrina Ionescu, a record-smashing triple-double machine from Oregon who had a slow, injury-riddled start to her pro career but has since made the All-WNBA second team three straight years – and surely had a case to make the first team ahead of Clark last year. The next is Paige Bueckers, who is putting together a rookie season almost on par with Clark's season last year. In a year or two, depending on when she declares for the draft, the WNBA will add USC's JuJu Watkins. In the media and player All-Star voting, the leader was Bueckers' teammate in Dallas, Allisha Gray. Funny how they don't seem to be held responsible for the Wings being in last place, and yet critics harp on Clark because Indiana isn't dominating. So the fans got it wrong in ranking Clark first and Ionescu fifth. But the players' votes were harsh on stars (Clark) and Olympians (Jackie Young was 12th; Kelsey Plum a bewildering 16th). For once, the media may have gotten it right, ranking her third. Truth or fiction: Truth In a recent anonymous survey of WNBA by the Athletic, a majority of respondents said Clark will be the face of the WNBA in five years. But it was a slim majority of 53.8%. Watkins was second, Bueckers was third. Next was the first non-guard, Clark nemesis Angel Reese, and A'ja Wilson, who was merely the MVP of the WNBA (for the third time) and the Olympics in 2024. And yet the WNBA is headed toward its highest average attendance ever (see below), propelled somewhat by Clark but also by the fervor behind the expansion Golden State Valkyries. While ratings certainly drop when she's out injured, they don't fall through the floor. Perhaps the fact that Clark has not immediately established herself as the best player in the league has made people realize that veterans like Wilson, Stewart, Griner, Collier and Ionescu know how to play some ball, too. Truth or fiction: Fiction In the cartoon Futurama, a female computer is horrified to learn that the men who have landed on an all-women's planet made fun of women's basketball. 'What??! Did you explain how the women's good fundamentals make up for their inability to dunk?' roars the computer, voiced by Bea Arthur. The men scoffed at the concept. But WNBA players' fundamentals are indeed pretty good, most notably free throws – the NBA's highest overall percentage of the past 10 years (78.4%, 2023-24) trails behind the WNBA's lowest (78.5%, 2024, down from 80.0% the year before and 80.8% in 2021). The WNBA is also more of a passing league than the NBA, which sees its stars shine in one-on-one isolations. In 2024, 68.6% of field goals in WNBA play were the result of assists. In the NBA last season, the number was 63.6%. In the NBA, you may see Anthony Edwards explode past a defender for a dunk. In the WNBA, you may see Caitlin Clark whip a pass through a seam mere mortals wouldn't have anticipated. True basketball fans appreciate both, and the US has a lot of true basketball fans. Truth or fiction: Fiction WNBA officials have had their share of detractors this year, among them standout players Angel Reese (Chicago) and Kelsey Plum (Los Angeles), coaches Natalie Nakase (Golden State) and Stephanie White (Indiana). The latter's criticism followed a game against the Connecticut Sun in which Clark was poked in the eye in the third quarter, and Clark's assailant was fouled near the end of the game with the outcome not in doubt, prompting a scuffle that saw three people ejected. White's complaint was a familiar refrain: 'The referees lost control of the game.' Did they? The eye poke on Clark drew a flagrant foul on Connecticut's Jacy Sheldon, while Clark and two Connecticut players got technical fouls for the ensuing fracas. In the last minute, Sheldon drove into Indiana's Sophie Cunningham, who pulled Sheldon down onto the floor. Cunningham could argue that Sheldon initiated the contact by lowering her shoulder and charging into her like a running back or rugby player, and that she accidentally pulled down Sheldon while stumbling backwards. But she and the Fever have embraced the notion that Cunningham filled the role of an NHL enforcer, protecting their star player when the refs wouldn't. Cunningham's jersey sales went through the roof, and entrepreneurs are selling commemorative T-shirts in her honor. Maybe the WNBA has found a new source of revenue? WNBA refs are paid far less than their NBA counterparts, so no one should be surprised if the men's league attracts more experienced referees. But the refs aren't the ones escalating things even after the flagrant and technical fouls have been called. And NBA refs aren't exactly above reproach. Even if we toss out the aberration of Tim Donaghy, the referee who spent time in prison after a gambling scandal, NBA referees have been the object of many fine-worthy infractions through the years. Anthony Edwards' fines in a single season could pay several WNBA players' salaries. Should WNBA refs do more to protect stars like Clark so that Cunningham won't feel compelled to do it herself? Maybe. But they'd also do well to avoid the absurdity of the 1990s, when the mere act of trying to guard Michael Jordan could draw a whistle. Truth or fiction: Mixed That's not the easiest set of questions, and it's just part of the league's to-do list right now. The WNBA has to manage expansion carefully while also landing a fair collective bargaining agreement to prevent a work stoppage. But these are also happier questions to consider than 'Will the league survive the season?'


Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Tigers, Blue Jays trending in opposite directions after break
July 25 - The Toronto Blue Jays didn't cool off in their first road game since the All-Star break, rolling to an 11-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. The teams will play the second game of a four-game series on Friday night. Toronto was held scoreless until the sixth, then racked up all of its runs in a three-inning span. The Blue Jays, who had a 10-game winning streak shortly before the break, have won six of seven games since the Mid-Summer Classic. "These guys have been relentless," Toronto manager John Schneider said. "I've heard a lot of talk about us being a gritty team that isn't sustainable. I think the exact opposite. I think we're gritty as hell, but I think a lot of the stuff that we're doing is going to lead to a lot of wins." Jose Berrios (6-4, 3.87 ERA), who will start for the Blue Jays on Friday, has a 2-1 record in four July starts despite a 7.11 ERA. He collected a victory on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants despite being charged with four runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Berrios was pulled after just three innings in his previous outing, when he allowed four runs and five hits against the Athletics. Before that, he posted eight quality starts in 10 outings. The veteran right-hander is 7-3 with a 4.23 ERA in 16 career appearances (15 starts) against Detroit. He had a no-decision against the Tigers on May 18 after giving up two runs and eight hits in six innings. Detroit's Keider Montero (4-2, 4.28 ERA) will make his 15th appearance and ninth start of the season. Montero has gotten plenty of chances to seize the No. 5 spot in the rotation, vacated when prized rookie Jackson Jobe required Tommy John surgery, but hasn't secured it. Following a sharp six-inning stint against Tampa Bay on July 7, Montero gave up three runs and five hits in three-plus innings against the Seattle Mariners on July 12. In his first post-All-Star-break outing, Montero allowed four runs, four hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings against the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The second-year right-hander faced Toronto once last season, surrendering five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. The Tigers still hold an eight-game lead in the American League Central but they are playing more like cellar-dwellers. They have lost 10 of their last 11 games, including four straight. Detroit is 1-6 since the break, having scored just 13 runs during that span. The Tigers were limited to a Jahmai Jones solo homer on Thursday until they scored three meaningless runs in the ninth. The team and its fans were spoiled by a glorious three months, and now the club is dealing with adversity for the first time this season. "You know, it's been 11 days, but it feels like it's been a lot longer, and I think maybe that's because of the (All-Star) break," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "A lot of it is just the way that baseball is. We can choose to bring that garbage into tomorrow, or we can reset and get back after it. "I know this team, I know the conversation around it over the last couple weeks. We've got to piece it back together." --Field Level Media


Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Cardinals hope to extend power surge against Padres
July 25 - The St. Louis Cardinals are trying to regain traction in the National League wild-card race after enduring a lengthy slide. That effort continues Friday night when they host the San Diego Padres in the second game of a four-game series. After losing five of their first six games after the All-Star break -- and 13 of 18 overall -- the Cardinals outslugged the Padres 9-7 on Thursday to move within 2 1/2 games of San Diego for the last National League wild-card slot. St. Louis rebounded from a dispiriting 6-0 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday in Denver with a sudden power surge. "Especially after that road trip, you wanted to come out a little stronger," Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said following the Thursday victory. "We needed the offense to get going. "I liked our approach today. Our focus was there, our attention to detail was there, our overall execution was pretty darn high." Willson Contreras (2-for-3, homer, four RBIs), Brendan Donovan (3-for-5, homer, two runs, three RBIs) Ivan Herrera (3-for-4, homer, two runs, two RBIs) and Victor Scott II (1-for-2, two walks, stolen base, two runs) led the turnaround. "Contreras continues to swing a really good bat, and (Donovan), Herrera did a nice job," Marmol said. "I love what we're seeing out of (Scott), being a little more patient, (he) drew a couple of walks today, that was important as well." The Cardinals will seek a bounce-back pitching performance from Miles Mikolas (5-8, 5.20 ERA), who has allowed five or more runs in three of his past four starts. He is 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA in eight career starts against the Padres, his original big league team. This is an important series for the Padres, who will face the Cardinals seven times in a span of 11 days while trying to overcome pitching injuries and heat up on offense. San Diego is 3-4 since the All-Star break, having lost the past three in a row. "Winners find solutions," Padres manager Mike Shildt told KMOX radio. "You've got to figure it out. This is a group that has been able to do that for the most part, put ourselves in position to be in a playoff race and expect to be in the playoffs." San Diego will counter Mikolas with Nick Pivetta (10-2, 2.81 ERA), who has allowed just two earned runs in 31 1/3 innings over his past five starts. "Nick Pivetta has been outstanding," Shildt said. Pivetta is pleased to have a double-digit victory total in July, but he has been happier about his ability to hold down the opposition. "I think a lot of pitchers can have great games and not get a win," he said. "So I think it's just more about how many zeros and how quick I can get in, how (few) walks I can give up, just how much I can pound the strike zone. And if a win comes, a win comes, but for me, it's just continuing to pitch, throw up zeros and do my thing." Pivetta is 3-1 with a 3.47 ERA in six career starts against the Cardinals. --Field Level Media