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This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 6 TORONTO (AP) — Brendan Shanahan got his housekeeping out of the way quickly. In the wake of another playoff failure, the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs told reporters at the team’s annual post-elimination media availability — once again far earlier on the calendar than anyone associated with the organization hoped — that general manager Kyle Dubas and head coach Sheldon Keefe would keep their jobs. “Extremely disappointed,” Shanahan stated in his opening remarks Tuesday. “We’re not going to make any excuses. “That being said, we will not be making changes just simply for the sake of saying that we made changes.” There’s no doubt the Leafs played better in their 2022 first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning than in previous postseason showings that also ended in heartbreak. The bar was also low. Toronto had the two-time defending Stanley Cup … [Read more...] about Leafs staying the course after another 1st-round loss

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 Three huge matchups to kick off the college football season, the XFL, a new Australian Open agreement and two new “30 for 30” documentaries were announced Tuesday by ESPN as part of its presentation to advertisers in New York. The five-year agreement with the XFL concluded the presentation. It includes all 43 games (40 regular season and the playoffs) on ABC, ESPN and FX. XFL owners Dany Garcia and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson were in attendance and presented the news. The XFL is slated to kick off on Feb. 18, 2023, with eight teams playing 10 regular-season games and the playoffs. ABC has a doubleheader on Sept. 3 to kick off the college football season. Georgia will face Oregon in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game in Atlanta at 3:30 p.m. EDT. Besides the Bulldogs opening their national title defense, it marks the first game for Ducks coach Dan Lanning, Georgia’s defensive … [Read more...] about College football, XFL, Australian Open headline ESPN slate

It is impossible to be objective about death. If it involves an accident that ends a sportsman’s life prematurely, you think about his family; then you ask, did he live up to potential? That question can seldom be answered in the positive, for it is human nature to believe that the next event will be the determining one, the next assignment will establish the legacy. Those who play sport at the highest level are judged by performance and not on potential. Once a career is over, there is no room for could-have-beens. Whatever problems the late Shane Warne had outside the sport, he will always count as one of the all-time greats, his 708 Test wickets testimony to that. Did he live up to potential? It doesn’t matter. What we know is good enough to guarantee him a place among the finest. Andrew Symonds was a cricketer of 1960s vintage who played in the 2000s and showed us what the 2020s might be like. He was a throwback to an age where the sport wasn’t an all-consuming task-master, … [Read more...] about A player of 60s vintage who showed us what 2020s might be like

Going up ▲ ▲ M&S’ LGBT sandwich Marks and Spencer launched an LGBT+ sandwich to celebrate Pride and raise money for charity – but it was met with mixed reactions. The sandwich, which is available to buy in the UK and Ireland, is filled with lettuce, guacamole, bacon and tomato – to fulfil the LGBT acronym – and comes in rainbow-coloured packaging. Many people praised Marks and Spencer for continuing to campaign for LGBT+ rights. “Love this from @marksandspencer Respect! Live & let live...looks delicious too,” one person wrote on Twitter. However, others responded with scepticism. “LGBT sandwich. These companies are really just taking any swing to seem ‘inclusive’,” one critic commented. The British supermarket said the sandwich was created to raise money for the Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT), a charity dedicated to helping homeless LGBT+ youth, and Belong to Youth Services, an organisation supporting LGBT+ young people in Ireland. The retailer says … [Read more...] about Lifestyle Barometer: Your guide to what’s hot and what’s not this week from Keanu Reeves to the Billboard Music Awards