Month: November 2024

NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported that Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew broke his collarbone in Sunday’s 29-19 loss to the Denver Broncos and will miss the remainder of the season.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Minshew sustained a broken collarbone:  “#Raiders QB Gardner Minshew broke his collarbone and is out for the season, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo. A frustrating end for Minshew.”  Raider’s Head coach Antonio Pierce later confirmed the news on Monday, saying Aidan O’Connell, who is on injured reserve with a broken thumb, could be available to start when the Raiders visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday.

Minshew suffered a significant injury late in the fourth quarter of the Raiders’ loss to the Broncos while getting sacked by Cody Barton and Jonathon Cooper, landing on his left shoulder. Minshew exited the game with around three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter  and was taken to the locker room; he was replaced by Desmond Ridder.  Pierce indicated Minshew’s injury was serious in his postgame press conference at the time, telling reporters:  “Left shoulder there, we will know more, but it doesn’t look good.”

Minshew had completed 25 of 42 pass attempts for 230 yards, one touchdown, and one interception before exiting Sunday’s game. He’s thrown nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions on the year. The Raiders have lost seven consecutive games and haven’t secured a win since Sept. 29. Minshew is the second quarterback Las Vegas has lost to injury, having previously placed O’Connell on IR.

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The Los Angeles Angels and free-agent pitcher Yusei Kikuchi agreed to a three-year, $63 million contract. The 33-year-old Kikuchi will recieve $21 million annually during the contract, which raises his MLB earnings to $142 million over nine seasons.

The lefty spent his first three seasons with the Seattle Mariners, and over his first 166 career appearances he went 41-47 with a 4.57 ERA, and was an All-Star with Seattle in 2021. He signed with Toronto in March 2022, agreeing to a $36 million, three-year contract at the time. The six-year veteran split last season with the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros — the Blue Jays traded the six-year veteran to the Astros in July — and over 32 appearances last season, Kikuchi went 9-10 with a 4.05 ERA. His four-seam fastball averaged 95.5 mph this year, the highest of his big league career.

The Angels finished last in the American League West in 2024. Their 63 regular-season wins were their fewest for a 162-game season in franchise history. Angels starting pitchers posted the worst ERA (4.97) and allowed the third-most runs (499) in the American League last season. They also issued an American League-high 329 walks and totaled the fourth-fewest strikeouts in MLB.

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Max Verstappen won his fourth Formula 1 world championship Saturday night at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix capped three races in the United States — including Miami and Austin — in the 2024 season, more than any other country.

The 27-year-old Verstappen finished ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris to eliminate him from contention and secure the trophy. Red Bull driver now becomes just the sixth driver in F1 history to capture four world championships, joining an elite club that includes Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Alain Prost and Juan Manuel Fangio.

Verstappen said after the win: “Oh my God, man. What a season. Four times! Thank you… It’s been a little more difficult than last year, but we pulled through. And we gave it all … We have a lot of incredible young talent in the sport and Lando is definitely one of them. And of course, at times, he made it very difficult for me,

Norris congratulated Verstappen after the race, saying: “That’s the strength of his. He has no negatives. When he had the quickest car, he dominated races. When he’s not the quickest car, he’s still just behind us and almost winning the races anyway… He just gets everything out of the car every time.”

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The St. Louis Blues have fired coach Drew Bannister and hired Jim Montgomery as his replacement, whom the Boston Bruins just fired on Tuesday.

The team announced Sunday morning that Bannister, 50, was fired after a 9-12-1 start. Montgomery, who was fired Tuesday by the Boston Bruins, signed a five-year contract to become Blues coach, where he was an assistant from 2020-22.

The Bruins went 65-12-5 in 2022-23, Montgomery’s first season, setting NHL records for wins and points in a regular season. He was honored with Coach of the Year accolades for that campaign.   The Bruins went 47-20-15 in 2023-24 before losing in the second round of the playoffs. This season, he led the Bruins to an 8-9-3 mark through 20 games. Montgomery also coached the Dallas Stars for two seasons, leading that franchise to a 60-43-10 mark between 2018 and 2019.

The Blues will face the New York Rangers in New York on Monday.

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