Dodgers Fans Invade Yankee Stadium, Do Their Own Roll Call Ahead Of Win

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Yankee Stadium, the older Yankee Stadium at least, used to be a terrible place for fans of the opposing teams — especially boisterous supporters — to go and watch a game.

The times, however, they’ve changed and so has the stadium, apparently ushering in a new, gentler class of Yankees fans.

That was on full display Monday night when the Yankees welcomed the Los Angeles Dodgers to town to open a three-game series in the Bronx. The Yankees also welcomed thousands of folks in Dodger blue to the ballpark.

Dodgers fans came out in droves for the opener, with a big pocket of supporters even holding a Dodgers flag in the left-field seats.



Things got even worse for Yankees fans when the opposing fans broke into a roll call of their own, borrowing the tradition from Yankees fans who call out the names of every New York player on the field in the first inning.

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The Dodgers gave their diehards plenty to cheer about, too. L.A. rolled to to an 8-2 win

Photos via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images

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A farm in Canada recreated the Jose Bautista bat flip on their cornfield

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We are so excited to announce our 2016 corn maze celebrating 40 seasons of Blue Jays baseball! #BlueJaysCornMaze https://t.co/Ei8qjfqdrY

— Hunter Brothers Farm (@HunterBrosFarm) August 31, 2016

Didn’t I tell y’all? Cornfields are the latest and greatest thing in sports right now. First, someone dedicated a Lego-like statue and a corn maze to Washington’s Kirk Cousins.

Then a farm in Ohio decked out their long stretch of land to honor LeBron James the the 2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers, complete with a “Believeland” mention.

Jose Bautista is the next sports star to have a large patch of land dedicated to them. While this one isn’t necessarily a maze, it’s still a well-constructed homage to the Blue Jays star and his now infamous bat flip during the 2015 ALDS as well as Toronto’s 40th year as a franchise. The Hunter Brothers Farm in Canada did an excellent job.

It’s time to hope on board the latest fad. And you better hurry, fall is almost here. Something tells me that sports corn mazes are going to peak right around January. Then bam! That’s when I’ll cash in.

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6 Impending Free Agents Who Have Hurt Their Stock

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While the free agent market for the upcoming offseason didn’t look overly appealing entering the current campaign, it appears even weaker now that several prominent contract-year players haven’t lived up to their previous standards in 2016. As seen on this list, plenty of impending free agents have endured rough seasons, but the six we’ll highlight have arguably hurt themselves the most.



Jose Bautista, OF, Blue Jays: Multiple reports during spring training indicated that Bautista, 36 in October, was seeking a long-term pact worth upward of $ 150MM. If that type of deal seemed like a pipe dream for Bautista back then, it should now be an impossibility. (In a poll conducted yesterday, just 13 percent of MLBTR readers pegged Bautista as the recipient of a free agent deal spanning four or more seasons.) From his out-of-nowhere 2010 breakout through last season, Bautista amassed 3,604 plate appearances and combined to hit a superb .268/.390/.555. Along the way, he accounted for 32.5 fWAR – the majors’ fifth-highest total among position players – walked almost as much as he struck out (15.9 percent to 16.0 percent), and hit 28 more home runs (227) than his nearest competitor, Miguel Cabrera.

The version of Bautista who laid waste to opposing pitchers for six straight years hasn’t been present this season. While he’s still controlling the strike zone with aplomb (60 unintentional walks against 65 punchouts), his .229/.350/.454 line through 380 PAs looks closer to average than to spectacular. Bautista has also gone on the disabled list twice this summer, which would be less alarming if not for his age. Although he vowed in March to defy traditional aging curves, the bottom line is that Bautista has since failed to approach his previous production and dealt with multiple injuries. Those realities don’t bode well for Bautista’s earning power, but he should still reel in a sizable contract from Toronto or someone else. Closing the season on a tear for the World Series-contending Blue Jays would certainly help his cause.

Carlos Gomez, OF, Rangers: Arguably no major leaguer has declined more over the past year than Gomez, who could have lined himself up for a $ 150MM payday with another excellent season, as MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes wrote in March. Gomez, whom Houston acquired from Milwaukee for a significant haul last summer, began the season with a .210/.272/.322 line through his first 323 PAs. The Astros then pulled the plug on the Gomez experiment in August, releasing him just over a year after they traded for the erstwhile star.

Gomez caught on with the Rangers shortly after the Astros parted with him, but a change of Texas scenery hasn’t led to anything resembling a turnaround. In his brief stint in Arlington, the 30-year-old has gone 1 for 19 at the dish with 10 strikeouts and no walks. Gomez has never been great at avoiding strikeouts, but the 32.2 percent rate he has put up this year is easily the highest of his career, and it’s 11 percent worse than his clip from 2015. He has shown minimal power in the process, thereby rendering his swing-and-miss spike all the more damning. A plus defender in previous years, Gomez has also experienced a drop-off in the field this season. While he has done well stealing bases (13 of 15), that alone isn’t enough to make the free-falling Gomez a valuable player these days. It also won’t be enough for him to garner much money in the offseason.

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Andrew Cashner, SP, Padres: Dierkes placed Cashner seventh in his 2017 free agent power rankings entering the season, but the hard-throwing right-hander has since let down a pair of teams. Cashner came into the year as an obvious trade candidate for the rebuilding Padres, who ultimately dealt him to the Marlins in July. Before that happened, the soon-to-be 30-year-old weakened his stock by recording a 4.76 ERA, 7.65 K/9 and 3.42 BB/9 over 79 1/3 innings. Cashner’s pre-trade strikeout and walk rates were closer to average than poor, but they’ve trended toward the latter description with the Marlins (5.67 and 3.96). Moreover, the 29-year-old’s problems preventing runs have transferred to Miami, where he has logged a 4.61 ERA in 27 1/3 frames.

Cashner also compiled a below-average ERA of 4.34 across a career-high 184 2/3 innings last year, but metrics like FIP (3.85), xFIP (3.84) and SIERA (4.00) indicate that he deserved better. Not the case this season, though, as all three are right in line with his 4.73 ERA. Combine his dip in production with two DL stints, and it’s safe to say this has not been the 2016 either Cashner or teams that will hunt for front-line pitching during the offseason were hoping he’d have.



Brett Anderson, SP, Dodgers: Injuries have hindered Anderson for the bulk of his career, unfortunately, and this season has been more of the same. Last year was the first time the left-hander surpassed the 100-inning mark since 2010, and he set a career high with 180 1/3 frames of 3.69 ERA ball. Behind Anderson’s strong run prevention were a league-best 66.3 ground-ball percentage and a stingy walk rate (2.3 per nine innings). The Dodgers liked what they saw from Anderson in his first year in Los Angeles enough to tender him a $ 15.8MM qualifying offer after the season. Anderson accepted it, and another quality showing this year likely would have set him up for a more lucrative payday. The back surgery the 28-year-old underwent in March kept him on the disabled list until mid-August, though, and his two outings since returning have been nightmarish.

Anderson exited his Aug. 14 season debut after one inning with a left wrist sprain and then lasted just three frames in his next start before a finger blister sent him back to the DL. In the four innings he has pitched this season, Anderson has allowed 11 earned runs on 14 hits and three walks. Between that and the reemergence of his durability issues, this has been a disastrous contract year.

Colby Rasmus, OF, Astros: After slashing .238/.314/.475 with 50 extra-base hits (25 home runs) in 485 PAs in 2015, Rasmus accepted a qualifying offer to return to Houston for a second season. In hindsight, the Astros probably would have been better off waving goodbye to the 30-year-old. Despite a red-hot April, Rasmus has only managed a .211/.286/.352 line with 22 extra-base hits (12 HRs) in 368 trips to the plate. In fairness to Rasmus, it’s possible the ear cyst that has kept him out since early August has played a role in his unsightly numbers this year. Rasmus underwent ear surgery Aug. 10 and is on the brink of a return, meaning he’ll have an opportunity to conclude the season on a positive note. Still, with his offensive production having cratered, the high-paying, multiyear accord Rasmus is likely hoping to secure during the upcoming winter should be far out of reach.

Matt Wieters, C, Orioles: Like Anderson and Rasmus, things haven’t gone according to plan for Wieters since he accepted a qualifying offer last fall. Although Wieters has never quite lived up to his top prospect status, he has still been a highly useful contributor throughout his major league career. That hasn’t been the case this season, however, with Wieters having batted a career-worst .238/.292/.384 with 11 long balls in 366 PAs. Defensively, both StatCorner and Baseball Prospectus have given Wieters subpar pitch-framing grades, and the latter has also assigned him a minus mark as a blocker.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Epic Scenes As Footballers Guess Their FIFA 17 Ratings

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It’s that time of year again, when the hype around the latest installment of the FIFA series takes over, and everyone eagerly awaits its release.

September 27 is the date to mark in your diaries if you haven’t already, and it’s not just us mere mortals who are looking forward to the new game.

The likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Marco Reus are big fans of the EA Sports creation, and have been filmed guessing their ratings ahead of the new release.

Check it out:

There are some cracking quips between Kane and Alli, with the striker’s attempt at filling in Alli’s hairline particularly entertaining.

Also, Reus calling Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on FaceTime to inform him that he’s giving him a shit defence rating sums up the bromance in the Borussia Dortmund squad beautifully.

Meanwhile, we learn that Marcus Rashford wants to grow up to be bigger than Anthony Martial – because scoring more goals in 21 minutes than the Frenchman has in four games this season just isn’t embarrassing enough.

I wonder which one of these lot would win a FIFA competition though?

Football – UNILAD
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Chelsea Fans Set To Lose Their Sh*t As Club Zero In On Bolton Reject

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Chelsea are finally closing in on signing a defender, after a summer of disappointment in the transfer window.

Antonio Conte only has five defenders to choose from at the minute, and has been priced out of moves for Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and AC Milan’s Alessio Romagnoli.

But they’ve stuck with their Serie A search, and are close to announcing the signing of Marcos Alonso from Fiorentina, according to the Daily Mail.

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The former Sunderland defender will cost them though, with a £23 million fee enough to bring the Spaniard to the Premier League again.

He was part of one of the Italian league’s most feared defences last season, and chipped in with four goals as Fiorentina finished fifth.

The Viola were holding out for a £25 million fee, but the Blues have settled on a transfer that includes add-ons.

Presumably, one of those will be ‘he sticks around for a second season’ after Chelsea’s habit of getting rid of left backs after one season continued this summer, with Baba Rahman heading back to Germany after 12 months.

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Alonso’s arrival will allow Cesar Azpilicueta to move to right back, and Branislav Ivanovic to move into the central position.

Kurt Zouma is also closing in on a return to fitness after a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury, so Conte may be able to manage without another centre back coming in.

Chelsea’s lack of European football may also help them, with one game a week even manageable for the ancient knees of John Terry.

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Four Men Reportedly Jump UFC Fighter Outside Vegas Club. You Can Probably Guess Their Odds on This Gamble.

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When UFC fighter Nick Diaz entered a bathroom outside a Las Vegas club early last Wednesday morning, he and another man accidentally bumped into each as they crossed paths.

The guy apparently didn’t know who Diaz is, given he reportedly starting jawing with the fighter.

Nick Diaz (Image source: YouTube)

TMZ Sports reported that Diaz apologized to the man, saying he didn’t want trouble — and then three other guys joined in against Diaz and things got physical.

“I didn’t start it,” Diaz told TMZ Sports afterward. “They didn’t know who I was.”

Diaz attempted to defend himself, TMZ said — but when he got hit hard on the head, all bets apparently were off, as the brawl exited the bathroom and hit the Bellagio casino floor.

A club rep told TMZ the attackers were swinging chairs and were clearly the aggressors — but Diaz reportedly dispatched them all quickly, taking them to the ground and using choke holds on the men.

Diaz was asked by the club if he wanted to press charges, but Diaz told TMZ that wasn’t necessary: “They got the worst of it.”

(H/T: IJR)

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Can You Match The Player With Their Former Clubs?

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With the transfer window in full swing, it got us thinking of some dodgy transfers from summers gone by.

There’s dozens of well travelled players scattered around the world, but can you remember who has played for who?

It’s time to put your knowledge to the test with our quiz!

The clubs in the questions are in no particular order, so the player won’t necessarily have signed for the second club in the list from the first, and so on.

Have a crack and test your knowledge!

How did you do? As good as Adriano in his prime? Or as bad as Marlon Harewood? Let us know in the comments, and challenge your mates to beat your score!

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Liga MX Review: Are The Olympics Ruining Pachuca"s Chances Of Defending Their Title

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No Liga MX team, or its supporters, suffered more during the past weekend than Pachuca.

Many might make the argument for Atlas, who scored two own-goals, or a nine-man Veracruz side that had to defend against America, but Los Tuzos had it worse. Let me explain.

Mexico"s Olympic soccer 5-1 victory against Fiji on Sunday in the group stage of the tournament felt very bittersweet for Pachuca fans.

That morning, three of the five players from Los Tuzos" roster with El Tri in Brazil were given the start: Hirving Lozano, Erick Gutierrez and Rodolfo Pizarro. Although Gutierrez was highly impressive with his four goals against Fiji, the same couldn"t be said for either Lozano or Pizarro.

Read More: Olympic Hospitality Houses Are a Place to Cry and Party During the Games

Lozano, who has struggled to meet lofty expectations, was substituted out during halftime. The 22-year-old Pizarro fractured his right fibula during the 35th minute and has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament.

Pizarroand injured America striker Oribe Peralta, who broke his nosewill be replaced by alternates Raul Lopez and Carlos Fierro. Lopez, like Pizarro, Gutierrez, and Lozano, is another Tuzos player. Lopez"s departure for Brazil means that Pachuca will now have sent a total of six first-team players to El Tri"s 2016 Olympic roster more than any other Mexican squad. Pizarro will be heading back home to Pachuca, but will be out of action for awhile.

There was something strangely appropriate about the fact that Pachuca allowed a goal within the first 20 seconds of their match on Sunday against Toluca just as El Tri was finishing off Fiji in Brazil. During the away match, Los Tuzos struggled to create much in the attack and were desperate for a player like Lozano or Pizarro to take charge. Even with more possession, the team faltered against Los Diablos Rojos and only managed three shots on target.

Rodolfo Pizarro was injured during Mexico"s 5-1 Olympic win against Fiji on Sunday. Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

During the eventual 2-0 loss, Pachuca was forced to give minutes to 18-year-old Francisco Venegas and 16-year-old Erick Sanchez, who was making his Liga MX debut. Now that Lopez will be heading to Rio, Los Tuzos will once again have to find another backup player to take over a starting role during the next game.

It wasn"t much of a surprise that the talented Pachuca team was able to lift last season"s 2016 Clausura trophy. Yet, as evidenced this weekend, this success has come at a price.

To make matters more difficult, Pachuca has a match lined-up against Liga MX giants Tigres during this month. And the team might be missing their Olympic based players until at least the 21st should Mexico find a way to once again make it to the Gold or Bronze medal game. Although the rest of the country will be rooting for El Tri to regain the Gold, there will be numerous Pachuca fans back at home who will see their chances of another league title slowly slipping away.

Los Tuzos aren"t the only Liga MX team that is hurting because of the Olympics. Chivas, who sent four players to Rio, looked lackluster in the 0-0 draw against Queretaro on Saturday. Los Rojiblancos dominated possession against Los Gallos Blancos but couldn"t find a way to find the back of the net. Chivas could have benefitted from being able to substitute in players like Marco Bueno or Carlos Cisneros, who are both in Brazil.

Luckily for Pachuca, and Chivas, the Apertura competition is far from over. Even in the aforementioned worst-case scenario, Los Tuzos will have their full roster without perhaps Pizarro by Week 7. With a total of 17 games scheduled for the regular season, Pachuca should easily have plenty of matches to compensate for lost time.

However, there will be many bothered Pachuca fans who will feel that there was no opportunity to build off of last season"s title. Instead of maintaining momentum, there is now a decent chance that the club will struggle during August.

As long as a significant portion of their first-team is gone, it"s difficult to imagine that Los Tuzos will gain points in the Apertura. By the time that the final week of the regular season rolls around, Pachuca supporters might be left wondering what could have been if the Olympics didn"t alter their chances of a second consecutive title.

Notes from Week 4 of the 2016 Apertura

Miguel "Piojo" Herrera and Xolos are off to a fantastic start in the Apertura. After defeating Cruz Azul 2-1 last Saturday, Tijuana has now moved up to first place in the Liga MX table.

Tigres are the only club left in the Liga MX that has not allowed a goal. Thanks to a goal from French international striker Andre-Pierre Gignac, Los Auriazules sneaked past Chiapas with a narrow 1-0 victory.

With a hat-trick for Los Rayados, Argentine striker Rogelio Funes Mori led Monterrey to a noteworthy 3-0 win against Leon on Saturday. Despite the win, manager Antonio Mohamed has only been able to collect five points from the first four games of the tournament.

In a match that had three red cards, 10-man America recovered from a 2-0 deficit and defeated 9-man Veracruz 4-2 on Saturday night. Colombian Carlos Darwin Quintero was near-perfect with his goal and two assists for Las Aguilas.

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