Sports News Roundup: Mets' Jerry Blevins announces retirement; Steelers pick up 5th-year option on Minkah Fitzpatrick and more


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 28-04-2021 10:37 IST | Created: 28-04-2021 10:30 IST
Sports News Roundup: Mets' Jerry Blevins announces retirement; Steelers pick up 5th-year option on Minkah Fitzpatrick and more
File photo. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis: Yastremska's application to lift provisional doping ban denied

Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska's second appeal for her provisional doping suspension to be lifted has been denied by the chair of the independent tribunal convened to hear her case, the International Tennis Federation said in a statement https://antidoping.itftennis.com/news/318940.aspx.

Yastremska, 20, was suspended in January after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found a banned substance in an out-of-competition urine sample she submitted.

Soccer: Gator crashes Toronto FC training session in Florida

Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit Toronto FC held a training session near Orlando, Florida, this week that was closed to the public - but nobody informed a huge alligator that invaded the pitch at the ChampionsGate Resort. In a video https://twitter.com/TorontoFC/status/1386840412711686150 the club posted on Twitter, several Toronto players are seen running toward the alligator to get a better view before a resort staffer in a golf cart chases the animal away.

NFL-Coaches making do with less on draft night after COVID-19 disruptions

The National Football League (NFL) Draft kicks off Thursday after a scouting season unlike any before it, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing teams to make do with less information about their potential target players. With the annual NFL Scouting Combine called off, league hopefuls were under extra pressure to impress during the roughly month-long pro-day circuit from March 5, after a chaotic college football season left some with fewer opportunities to play.

Mets' Jerry Blevins announces retirement

Left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins announced his retirement after 13 major league seasons spent primarily with the New York Mets and Oakland Athletics. Blevins, 37, who shared his decision via Twitter on Tuesday, was working out at the Mets' alternate training site but hadn't pitched in the majors since 2019.

Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic to renew rivalry when Mavericks visit Warriors

Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic continue what has turned into a very entertaining budding rivalry when the Golden State Warriors host the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night in San Francisco. The Warriors (31-30) will take a four-game home winning streak into the matchup, but hold no home-court advantage over a Mavericks team (33-27) that has recorded one-sided victories in its last three visits to the San Francisco Bay Area, including 141-121 and 124-97 cakewalks in Chase Center last season.

Table Tennis: China to hold Olympic simulation event next month

The Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) will stage an Olympic simulation event in May to help its players prepare for this year's Tokyo Games, local media reported. Thirty-six men's and women's singles players, and 16 mixed doubles pairs will feature at the WTT (World Table Tennis) Grand Smashes Trials and Olympic Simulation, to be held in Xinxiang in northern Henan province from May 3-7 ahead of the Olympics which begin in July.

Wimbledon to become 14-day tournament from 2022 with play on Middle Sunday

The Wimbledon Championships will become a 14-day tournament from 2022, with matches set to be played on Middle Sunday, traditionally a day off at the grasscourt Grand Slam, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) said on Tuesday. The first Sunday of Wimbledon is normally a rest day, on which tournament organizers work to get the courts back into top shape for the latter rounds, resulting in a so-called "Manic Monday" featuring the entire fourth round of both the men's and women's singles.

Exclusive: NFL looks to score touchdown with Olympic flag football

The National Football League is throwing its muscle and capital behind a push to get flag football onto the 2028 Los Angles Olympics program as it looks to grow its global footprint. When it comes to football nothing happens without the NFL's involvement or approval, says the American Flag Football League (AFFL) founder Jeff Lewis, and that will be the case with efforts to secure flag a spot on the 2028 Summer Games roster.

Mayweather exhibition match against YouTuber Logan Paul back on, set for June 6

An exhibition match between undefeated former world champion Floyd Mayweather and YouTube star-turned-amateur boxer Logan Paul is back on. The pair will face off June 6 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Mayweather announced on his Instagram page on Tuesday, after the match was postponed from its original February date.

Report: Steelers pick up 5th-year option on Minkah Fitzpatrick

The Pittsburgh Steelers picked up the 2022 fifth-year option for All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, NFL Network reported Tuesday. The two-time Pro Bowl player's $10.6 million deal is now fully guaranteed in 2022.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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