Baseball

DIRECTV Sports ™ | Neymar: “I had moments when I wanted to stop playing”

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The Brazilian forward referred to the criticism received but made it clear that he is motivated by the love of football.

Neymar is comfortable in PSG as one of the team figures in the long-awaited desire of the Champions League, although he confessed that at some point in his career I thought about a premature retirement.

“I will never lose my passion for football, but I have had moments when I wanted to stop playing. Once I wondered why I should keep playing if people don’t like it, “the Brazilian told Gaffer magazine.

However, he considered that “then I remembered everything I had done to get here. The love I have for football and all those things calmed me down and brought me back to reality.”

In addition, he referred to criticism of his life off the court: “It is very easy for people to talk about their personal life without really knowing it. But the real me, the real Neymar, is well known to my family, the people who work with me and my friends. They know me. These are the opinions that interest me “,

Neymar is going through his fourth season in Ligue 1, after winning the last three championships in a row and currently has three goals in seven games played in 2020/21.

Foto: Getty Images.

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DIRECTV Sports ™ | Celtics beat Heat and Bucks continue on positive streak

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Tatum led Boston’s win while Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee to its third straight win.

Boston Celtics surpassed Miami Heat, while the Milwaukee Bucks they achieved their third consecutive victory in the match against Detroit Pistons.

In a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics beat the Heat 107-105 in Miami with 27 points from Jayson Tatum, while Jaylen Brown had 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Bucks outscored the Pistons 130-115 thanks to the figure of Giannis Antetokounmpo with 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Other results:

Charlotte Hornets 102 – Atlanta Hawks 94
New York Knicks 112 – Utah Jazz 100
Oklahoma City Thunder 111 – New Orleans Pelicans 110
Phoenix Suns 123 – Toronto Raptors 115
Los Angeles Clippers 108 – Golden State Warriors 101
Sacramento Kings 128 – Chicago Bulls 124

Foto: Getty Images.

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Hank Aaron gets vaccinated against COVID-19 as a message for the African American community

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ATLANTA – Baseball Hall of Fame member Hank Aaron, former UN ambassador and civil rights leader Andrew Young, and former US Secretary of Health and Human Services Louis Sullivan all got vaccinated against COVID-19 in Georgia on Tuesday, hoping to send a message to African Americans that injections are safe.

Getting vaccinated “makes me feel wonderful,” Aaron told The Associated Press. “I have no qualms about it, you know. I am quite proud of myself for doing something like this … It’s just a little thing that can help millions of people in this country.”

Rolling up their sleeves for the first of two doses, these octogenarians, their spouses, and several other civil rights leaders who received the injections at a brand-new health clinic at Morehouse School of Medicine, recognized the legacy of mistrust many African Americans have. toward medical research, stemming from the infamous Tuskegee experiment in which American healthcare workers left syphilis untreated in black men without their consent, causing them to suffer unnecessarily.

“I’ve been taking vaccines for 88 years and I haven’t been sick,” Young said. “The truth is, black people have been living off injections, and just because they did something crazy, murderous and evil in 1931, we’re still thinking about it. We have to get over that. ”

Misinformation is hard to beat: A December poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed that 40% of black people said they would not get the coronavirus vaccine. Such hesitancy is more ingrained than among whites, even though African Americans have been hit hardest by the virus.

Young said he recruited Aaron and his wife, Billye Suber Aaron, to get vaccinated with him and Sullivan, who founded the medical school half a century ago and later joined President George HW Bush’s cabinet. The Aarons, for their part, have given more money to medical school than the slugger made in his last five years playing baseball, Young noted.

Young praised the new clinic, saying it will make medicine “more relevant, safer and more available to people of poor color.”

“I think that’s what we need across the state of Georgia and the South,” he said.

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Alert of possible positives of COVID-19 postpones game Indios-Manatí in LBPRC

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MANATÍ, Puerto Rico – The meeting between the Mayagüez Indians and the Athenians of Manatí on Sunday, second in the semifinal B in the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League of Puerto Rico (LBPRC) was postponed due to two possible positive cases for COVID -19.

The LBPRC and tournament director Carlos Berroa made the announcement. The Puerto Rican winter league was the only member of the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation that had not had games suspended due to the coronavirus.

As indicated in the Health and Safety Protocol of the body, both novenas will be subjected to the corresponding tests on Monday and according to the results of the same – in coordination with all the parties involved – the resumption of the Semifinal Series B will be coordinated , which is 1-0 in favor of the Indians.

In San Juan, veteran Héctor Santiago threw a two-hit ball in five innings and led the Criollos de Caguas shutout 2-0 over RA12, to take advantage in the A semifinal.

The bats of RA12 could do little against Santiago (1-0), who took the victory by giving six of the 12 collective strikeouts of the Creole arms. He allowed two walks. The save went to reliever Fernando Cruz, though he allowed two inning singles to pick up the bats.

At the top of the third inning and with one withdrawn, Edwin Díaz received a pitch and advanced to third with a throwing error by the pitcher. Yegüita’s third baseman stepped on the plate courtesy of Joneswhy Fargas’ sacrifice fly, who was 3-2 with a RBI in the game.

Left-hander Joel Huertas (0-1) loaded the backhand after allowing the home run of champion bat Jonathan Morales, who did not flirt much to disappear from the line down left field on the first pitch of the fourth inning setting the score, 2-0, in favor of visitors.

In addition to Fargas, major leaguers Vimael Machín hit 4-3 with a double. For his part, Jadiel Sánchez hit two of RA12’s six singles in three plate appearances, one of them a double-merit hit.

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DIRECTV Sports ™ | Ancelotti: “We are frustrated and disappointed”

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The Italian coach made no secret of his dissatisfaction with the result or with the performance of his managers in the 1-0 loss to West Ham.

Carlo Ancelotti spoke at a press conference after the defeat of Everton as a place in front of West Ham. The coach was not happy with the performance of his team and emphasized the lack of efficiency in the definition zone.

“It was not a good performance, we did not deserve to win or lose. The game was even and on the closing they had a lucky detour, “said the Blues strategist in reference to the goal they received in the last minutes.

In addition, regarding his performance, he specified: “We are frustrated and disappointed. We lost a point and will try to get it back in the next game. The performance was not at the highest level, we had a lot of the ball but we couldn’t handle it as we wanted, with more quality, speed and intensity in the last third. “

Finally, he clarified the reason for the lack of scoring opportunities: “We were a bit low, we didn’t find quality in the last third. That’s why we didn’t have many chances, and also because West Ham defended very well.”

Foto: Jan Kruger/Getty Images

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Chosen without margin of error to stay alive in “Play-in” LIDOM

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With a loss to be eliminated, the Lions of the Chosen One will have to work hard and play their best baseball against the Eastern Stars, if they want to hope to tie in the miniseries to the best of three games for the last qualifying position to the semifinal

A few years ago fans of the Lions of the Chosen One popularized the phrase “hard to kill”To refer to the feats carried out by his team to avoid elimination in past versions of the Dominican winter baseball tournament. For some time now, Lions they have been the protagonists of agonizing tiebreakers or final games with all the bets against them, today they face this scenario again.

He Selected arrives at the second meeting of “Play-in” LIDOM against the Eastern Stars, seeking to avoid elimination in the miniseries scheduled for the best of three games, after losing an important first meeting in San Pedro de Macorís. Several were the causes of their defeat, such as the fact that their pitchers allowed three home runs, but the main reason is the inability to produce runs, a problem that has affected them throughout the season.

The Lions they were one of the worst offensive teams in the regular series LIDOM in the 2020 season. They finished last in on-base percentage (OBP) with .304, last in batting average with men on base with .210 and last in average with running backs in scoring position with .185. They finished as the team with the most players on base with 286, averaging 8.1 per game, also the highest regular-series mark.

The story was no different during the first encounter against the Stars, leaving 10 men on the trails and connecting three hits in thirteen at-bats with runners in scoring position.

The Lions they have no margin for error if they want to prove again that they are “hard to kill”And they must begin to solve their problem there, in their inability to produce runs, despite reaching runners.

This offensive problem causes another situation for the Selected, they cannot compete playing from behind. The dimensions of the Tetelo Vargas Stadium probably helped the home run problem that the scarlet team had in their first meeting, in which Robinson Cano he hit two home runs and Jeremy Pena added one more, a situation that they may not have to confront at the Quisqueya Stadium, a more favorable setting for pitchers.

However, the Lions They can’t afford to have to fight big leads, as the team averaged 3.5 runs per game (105 scored in 30 games), adding more pressure to pitchers who have to avoid playing from behind at all costs. This means throwing better, controlling the number of walks awarded in the game and avoiding 13 hits as in the first game.

Enny Romero, starter in charge of the second game, will have to draw all his arsenal to keep as many innings as possible in the game, after the Selected was forced to use five pitchers from his reliever corps in the first game against the Stars. The Lions they were slightly better than the Orientals in this department, which means they have the ability to silence green bats.

All this means that scoring early, constantly attacking the pitching of the Stars and prevent races will be the three missions of the chosen players if they want to have a chance to tie the actions and force a decisive game. Otherwise, Stars They could sweep their opponent and go to the semifinal where the other three qualifiers await.

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DIRECTV Sports ™ | Mata, on Pogba: “He has all the qualities to play this sport”

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The Spanish footballer backed the French midfielder, who has been a point of criticism with Manchester United’s irregular gait.

With the irregular results you are reaping Manchester United This season, plus the elimination of the UEFA Champions League in the group stage, the criticism is for everyone. One of those spots was Paul pogba, who anyway was defended by Juan Mata |.

“Paul has all the qualities to play this sport well. He is one of the best players I have played with. His physical and technical conditions are impressive. If injuries respect him, he will reach a level where everyone is on his boat.” , said the Spanish to the YouTube channel La Media Inglesa.

And he added: “We start from an unfair basis, which is the price paid for a player. We have no responsibility for the price a club pays for a player. Today it is very easy to say, ‘this player was worth so much and if he doesn’t do anything in the next matches, it’s a failure. ‘For me it’s not like that. Every player has to have a context and good luck with injuries. “

Finally, Mata spoke of United’s results and closed: “It is true that we did not start the Premier in the best way, but now we have a good run and we are just a few points behind the head. This season is being very strange and it proved that any team can earn points. “

Foto: Getty Images

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DIRECTV Sports ™ | Vidal: “It is sad to be left out of the Champions League, but we still have goals”

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The Inter Milan player made his quest for Serie A and Coppa Italia clear this season. “I feel like that’s my goal,” he said.

Without participation in the continental field for the rest of the season, Inter de Milan has an unquestionable desire in the short term: to seize the A league. This was stated Arturo vidal, who recalled with regret the elimination in the group stage of the Champions League, although the idea of ​​looking for the Scudetto was marked.

In dialogue with Sky, the Chilean midfielder said: “The hardest moment for us and for me was leaving the Champions League and the cups in Europe, because winning the Champions League is a dream.”

And he added in relation to leaving the European competition: “It’s difficult, but Inter’s project is new, with young players who are hungry to win something. It’s sad to be out, but we still have two important goals and we have to give everything” .

With the championship and the Coppa Italia as the goals, the Chilean said: “I am not afraid to say it. Here in Italy, in Germany and in Spain I have won the league many times. I feel that that is my goal.”

To close, the midfielder maintained that it will not be an easy task and that it will be necessary to work hard to achieve it.

Foto: Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

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COVID-19 nightmare for LN MVP Freddie Freeman and his family

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The unknown, the uncertainty, the invisible surrounded Freddie Freeman in his isolation, tormenting him, as we have all been tormented in this horrible year, but his fear germinated after he was informed in mid-summer that he had tested positive for COVID-19. .

Freddie and Chelsea, his wife, had been very careful, his bubble was a moat, he cleaned everything with Lysol and cleaned it twice. So how did the coronavirus invade their lives? Where was it? Was it at home? Was it on the plane? How sick was he? How sick could it get? Could Freddie play baseball in the season that was supposed to start soon?

But much, much more important, was her 3-year-old son, Charlie, infected? Chelsea was infected? Was something wrong with the surprise pregnancy they had waited, waited, and prayed for for years? Would everything be okay?

He was alone and stuck with all those worries after midnight, and his skin was hot, so hot you could cook something in it, he thought. Freddie Freeman has never felt so sick before. You googled and read something that if your temperature goes above 104 you probably need to go to the hospital. He read something else that if his temperature rises above 104.5, he was at a higher risk for seizures.

He took his temperature and saw the numbers: 104.5 degrees. Freeman thought about texting George Poulis, the Atlanta Braves athletic trainer who had informed him of his positive test, but it was 2 a.m. He thought: I need help.

Freeman knelt down and prayed to God: Please don’t take me. We have two young children on the way. We have a young family. We have to get over this. He sat back down on the bed, scared to go to sleep because he was worried he wouldn’t wake up, and pointed the infrared thermometer at his forehead again.

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Tigres de Aragua postpones four games due to seven positive cases of COVID-19 in LVBP

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CARACAS – Tigres de Aragua announced this Sunday the suspension of its next four games scheduled for this week because they have suffered “seven positive cases for covid-19.”

“The Tigres de Aragua Foundation in conjunction with the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP) address public opinion to report the suspension of the commitments scheduled for 12/20, 12/22, 12/23 and 26 / 12 of the Bengali team, after the results of the last PCR test were known, “he said in a statement.

The Tigres would face the Navegantes del Magallanes this Sunday, on the 22nd and 23rd to the Eagles of Zulia and on the 26th to the Caribs of Anzoátegui.

The games will be rescheduled to meet the schedule, the team said in the statement.

The LVBP indicated that the suspension was carried out in order “to preserve the health of all those involved and to apply due isolation.”

According to the Venezuelan Government, there are currently 4,625 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, and since the pandemic began in March, 110.07 have been registered. Of this total “104,462 have been recovered”.

In the last 24 hours, 294 infections were detected, of which 286 have been by local transmission and the rest are from people from Panama, Turkey and the Dominican Republic.

Venezuela currently registers a contagion rate of 14 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, a figure that grew in the last week, as it had just reported two points less.

The authorities, who have relaxed the quarantine during this month, have called to comply with prevention measures, because they observe that citizens are not complying with the recommendations to prevent the spread of covid-19.

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