Category Archives: Deportes

Yasiel Puig Signs One-Year, $1 Million Contract with South Korea’s Kiwoom Heroes

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Yasiel Puig is a new Hero…

The 31-year-old Cuban former Major League Baseball outfielder has signed a one-year, $1 million contract with South Korean club Kiwoom Heroes.

Yasiel Puig

Puig hasn’t played in the MLB since 2019, when he played 100 games for the Cincinnati Reds and 49 for the Cleveland Indians before becoming a free agent.

Ko Hyung-wook, the general manager of the Seoul-based Heroes, said Puig’s past season in the Mexican League, where he batted .312 and hit 10 home runs for El Aguila de Veracruz, showed that his skills remained “excellent.”

Ko said Puig still has an interest in making a return to the big leagues and hoped that his drive to prove himself will have a positive impact on his Korean teammates. Ko downplayed concerns about Puig’s maturity, saying he came away with the impression that the former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder was “devoted to family, and mature” after their personal talks.

Puig batted .277 with 132 home runs and 415 RBI while appearing in seven major league seasons, the first six with the Dodgers where he earned an MLB All-Star selection in 2014.

Puig’s offensive production regressed in the following years and he also developed a reputation for erratic on-field behavior, finding himself in the middle of several bench-clearing incidents. He was suspended three games in 2019 for his involvement in a brawl against the Pittsburgh Pirates in his last game as a Red, an altercation that happened just moments after the team traded him to the Cleveland Indians.

Puig was reportedly in talks for a deal with the Atlanta Braves last year before he announced via Twitter in July 2020 that he tested positive for COVID-19.

The Heroes finished fifth among 10 clubs in the Korea Baseball Organization in this year’s regular season and were eliminated by crosstown rivals Doosan Bears in the first round of the postseason.

Yordenis Ugas to Fight Eimantas Stanionis in Welterweight Title Bout

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Yordenis Ugas is ready for his next challenger…

The 35-year-old Cuban professional boxer had hoped to unify 147-pound titles with Errol Spence Jr. in his next fight, but he’s getting another tough challenge instead.

Yordenis Ugas,Ugas, coming off a victory over Manny Pacquiao, has agreed to a deal with Eimantas Stanionis to avoid a scheduled purse bid the following day, in which the rights to the fight would be auctioned off.

The welterweight title bout, which will be promoted by PBC, is slated for springtime in the United States, a source told ESPN. The source said there’s no set date or location yet.

The matchup is part of the WBA‘s four-man box-off at 147 pounds. Radzhab Butaev stopped Jamal James in the other half of the equation in October. Butaev is lined up to face the winner of Ugas-Stanionis.

WBA president Gilberto Mendoza ordered the bout despite Ugas’ appeal to instead compete with Spence, the unified champion, in the spring. Ugas, ESPN’s No. 3 welterweight, retained his title with a unanimous-decision victory over Pacquiao in August. The future Boxing Hall of Famer announced his retirement afterward.

Ugas’ only loss since 2014 is a controversial decision setback to Shawn Porter in 2019.

“Tomorrow the WBA is going to make a decision on my team’s last attempt to lead me to the best fights possible [Spence] and one of the biggest fight[s] that PBC can do [at] 147,” Ugas tweeted.

Now, Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) will prepare for Stanionis (13-0, 9 KOs), a strong, pressure fighter from Lithuania. And for a second straight fight, Ugas will face a boxer led by Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.

Stanionis, who is promoted by Richard Schaefer‘s new company, Probellum, is coming off a four-round no-decision against Luis Collazo in August. That bout was cut short after Stanionis’ opponent suffered a cut from a clash of heads.

Before that, Stanionis, ESPN’s No. 7 welterweight, outpointed Thomas Dulorme in April.

Sebastian Blanco “Ready” to Play in Saturday’s MLS Cup Final Against New York City FC

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Sebastian Blanco is ready to play…

The 33-year-old Argentine footballer, who suffered a reported hamstring injury in the MLS conference semifinal win over the Colorado Rapids on Thanksgiving Day that threatened to keep him out of the remainder of the MLS Cup playoffs, says he’s “ready” to take part in Saturday’s MLS Cup final against New York City FC.

Sebastian BlancoBlanco was an unused substitute in the Portland Timbers‘ Western Conference final win over Real Salt Lake five days ago.

Dating back to August 29, Blanco has appeared in 15 of Portland’s 17 contests. Of those 15 games, the Timbers won 12 of them, with the 33-year-old attacker registering eight goals and five assists in that span.

His importance to Giovanni Savarese’s side can’t be understated, so it will come as a great relief to the Rose City that its No. 10 took part in full training on Thursday.

“I am ready. I’m OK, I feel good,” Blanco told members of the media during a news conference on Thursday. “I prepared myself for this game. I trained with my team today completely. Now we still need to have a conversation with [Savarese] … He will decide, but everything’s good.”

For the two months before his injury in Colorado, Blanco’s form gave Portland hope of a deep playoff run. And those expectations were heightened once the playoffs began, when he marked a dominating performance in a Round 1 win over Minnesota United with a brace.

But the Timbers had to scrap for their win over the Rapids, needing a 90th-minute winner from center-back Larrys Mabiala to advance out of the conference semifinals. An early goal from Felipe Mora ensured they were never too uncomfortable last Saturday against RSL, allowing Blanco to remain on the bench to continue rehabilitation toward a recovery that he refers to as nearly miraculous.

“After Colorado I was almost out, so we talk about the almost miracle to arrive to this game,” he said. “So to be part of this game is important to me. No matter what happens on Saturday, if I can play or not, it’s important to be a part and we need to support our team however I need to support.”

Despite the twice-capped Argentina international’s importance to Portland’s run to MLS Cup, NYCFC manager Ronny Deila insisted that his team is focused on containing all 11 of their opponents on the field come Saturday, not just Blanco.

“We’ve been talking a lot … here in MLS about specific players, and Blanco is … really good, of course, but they have top players plus a couple on the bench as well who can cause any team problems,” Deila said. “So it’s not about one guy, it’s about stopping them as a team.”

WTA Names Carla Suarez Navarro its “Comeback Player of the Year”

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Carla Suarez Navarro’s triumphant return to the tennis court is earning her a special award…

The 33-year-old Spanish tennis player has been named the Comeback Player of the Year by the WTA, the governing body of the women’s game.

Carla Suarez Navarro 

Suaraez Navarro announced in September, 2020 that she was being treated for early stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

She underwent months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy before returning at the French Open in June.

Suárez Navarro retired after Spain’s elimination from the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

Her final matches in singles and doubles took place during Spain’s previous tie against Slovakia.

World No. 1 Ash Barty was named WTA Player of the Year for the second time, while US Open champion Emma Raducanu took the Newcomer of the Year title.

Barbora Krejcikova took the WTA prize for the Most Improved Player of the Year following a stellar season in which she won the French Open singles crown.

She also excelled in doubles with playing partner Katerina Siniakova, with the pair earning the Doubles Team of the Year award, which they also won in 2018.

Mario Cristobal Returning to South Florida to Become University of Miami’s Head Football Coach

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Mario Cristobal is returning home…

The 51-year-old  51-year-old Cuban-American football coach has announced plans to leave the University of Oregon to become the University of Miami‘s head football coach.

Mario CristobalCristobal’s contract at Miami will be in the range of $8 million annually, and Miami also plans to pay his $9 million buyout at Oregon, according to ESPN.

“My family and I are excited to return home to the University of Miami, which has been so instrumental in shaping me as a person, player, and coach,” Cristobal said in a statement. “This program has an unparalleled tradition and an exciting future ahead of it. I can’t wait to compete for championships and help mold our student-athletes into leaders on and off the field who will make our University, our community, and our loyal fan base proud.”

Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens told reporters Monday that Miami never reached out to him to express interest in talking to Cristobal.

“The usual courtesy is to reach out to the institution, and that never happened,” he said.

However, he said he was well aware that Miami was interested in Cristobal.

“We understand that’s the alma mater, that’s home and all the elements that go into it,” he said.

Mullens said that he isn’t sure which assistant coaches will follow Cristobal to Miami. Once that becomes clear, Oregon will name an interim coach.

Cristobal informed Ducks players of his decision at a team meeting Monday in Eugene. Just before the Oregon meeting, Miami announced the firing of coach Manny Diaz and a forthcoming hire of Diaz’s replacement.

Cristobal is a Miami native, was a Hurricanes offensive lineman for two national championship teams, and a Miami assistant from 2004 to 2006.

Miami has aggressively pursued Cristobal for several weeks to replace Diaz, and it ramped up its efforts late last week. Oregon presented Cristobal with an enhanced contract offer to remain, which the coach acknowledged after Friday night’s loss to Utah in the Pac-12 championship game in Las Vegas. But Cristobal did not immediately accept Oregon’s offer, which The Oregonian reported was then withdrawn.

“Mario’s legacy as a student-athlete at the U is well established. And the standard for competitive excellence that he and his teammates helped establish is one to which we continue to aspire. Our selection, however, was not one based in nostalgia for a proud past, but rather in a bold vision for a promising future,” Miami president Julio Frenk said in the statement.

“The characteristics that helped Mario excel as a national championship-winning player — drive, determination, and discipline — continue to propel his success as a coach. In Mario we have found a head coach who shares our belief in providing student-athletes with the very best opportunities to succeed on and off the field, and our commitment to winning at the highest level.”

Cristobal, 51, went 35-13 at Oregon with two Pac-12 championships, a Rose Bowl win two years ago and three Pac-12 North titles. He joined the Ducks staff in 2017 as co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, then was promoted to head coach when Willie Taggart departed for Florida State. Cristobal served as Florida International‘s coach from 2007 to 2012, going 27-47 overall.

Julian Araujo Earns First Senior Call-Up for Mexico for El Tri’s Friendly Against Chile

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Julian Araujo is ready to make his Mexican debut…

The 20-year-old Mexican American professional footballer, currently playing for LA Galaxy, could make his first appearance for Mexico after he earned his first senior call-up with the national team ahead of a December 8 friendly against Chile in Austin, Texas.

Julian AraujoAraujo is one of a number of youngsters and newcomers in the 23-player squad who will look to impress Mexico manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino.

Araujo has dual-nationality and represented the United States at youth level. He was a member of the provisional 2021 Gold Cup roster for the senior U.S. squad. USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter said in the summer that Araujo was “not ready to fully commit to the team” after he had made himself unavailable for selection for the Gold Cup.

In October, the right-back announced that he had made the switch to Mexico.

Fellow Galaxy teammate Efrain Alvarez has also been included in Mexico’s squad. Like Araujo, Alvarez switched to Mexico from the U.S. and made his senior debut for Martino during a friendly in March.

Another notable inclusion to Mexico’s squad is Arsenal youngster Marcelo Flores, who is also eligible to represent Canada and England. Flores, 18, had been cleared by the Premier League club to join the El Tri camp last week. The attacking midfielder was included in Canada’s provisional squad for the 2021 Gold Cup, but took part in the Revelations Cup tournament last month with Mexico’s youth national team. He has yet to make a senior debut for any squad.

Mexico also included Union Espanola‘s Benjamin Galdames to the squad. The 20-year-old midfielder is the son of former Chile international Pablo Galdames and eligible to play for both nations.

Other players who could earn their first senior cap for Mexico include: Emilio Lara, Mauro Lainez, Salvador Reyes, Israel Reyes, Omar Campos, Carlos Acevedo, Luis Malagon, and Luis Olivas.

The upcoming match will be Mexico’s first trip to Austin’s Q2 Stadium, and Mexico will look to close out the year with a win after losing to the USMNT and Canada in November during CONCACAF‘s Octagonal round of World Cup qualifying.

GOALKEEPERS: Alfredo Talavera (Pumas UNAM), Carlos Acevedo (Santos Laguna), Luis Malagon (Necaxa)

DEFENDERS: Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy), Emilio Lara, Salvador Reyes (America), Jordan Silva (America), Luis Olivas (Guadalajara), Israel Reyes (Puebla)

MIDFIELDERS: Erik Lira (Pumas UNAM), Erick Aguirre (Monterrey), Alfonso Gonzalez (Monterrey), Uriel Antuna (Guadalajara), Fernando Beltran (Guadalajara), Omar Campos (Santos Laguna), Alan Cervantes (Santos Laguna), Sebastian Cordova (America), Marcelo Flores (Arsenal)

FORWARDS: Eduardo Aguirre (Santos Laguna), Benjamin Galdames (Union Espanola), Santiago Gimenez (Cruz Azul), Mauro Lainez (America), Efrain Alvarez (LA Galaxy)

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva to Fight Tyrone Spong in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s First Eagle FC Event in United States

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Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva is ready to make history…

The 42-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer will compete in the first United States main event of Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s MMA promotion.

Antonio "Bigfoot" SilvaSilva and Tyrone Spong will headline Eagle FC 44 on January 28 in Miami. The three-round heavyweight bout will mark Spong’s return to MMA after eight years. Spong is a world-class kickboxer and an undefeated pro boxer.

Silva, meanwhile, is a UFC veteran and former MMA champion.

Eagle FC 44 will take place at the newly built FLX Arena.

This will be Eagle FC’s first event in the United States. Nurmagomedov, the all-time UFC great, has owned the promotion, formerly known as Gorilla Fighting Championship, since last 2020.

Since he took over, Eagle FC has run 15 events and all but two were in Nurmagomedov’s home country of Russia. Nurmagomedov told ESPN last week that the plan is to run several big events next year in the U.S., beginning with one on January 28.

Spong (2-0) is a top-notch combat sports athlete in multiple sports. The Suriname native, who trains out of Florida, has not fought in MMA since two fights with World Series of Fighting in 2012 and 2013, both victories. Spong, a former kickboxing champion, has been focusing recently on his pro boxing career. Spong, 36, is the current WBC Latino and WBO Latino heavyweight champion in boxing.

Silva (19-13, 1 NC) is a former EliteXC heavyweight champion in MMA and veteran of 11 UFC fights. The Brazil native is a jiu-jitsu black belt and will have a significant size advantage over Spong — “Bigfoot” is 6-foot-4 and cuts to make the 265-pound heavyweight limit, while Spong is 6-foot-2 and typically weighs in the 230s. But Silva, 42, has lost six straight in MMA and has only one win in his last 11 fights. He has also been knocked out in five of his last six MMA fights, plus a knockout loss to Glory champion Rico Verhoeven in a 2017 kickboxing match and a KO loss to Gabriel Gonzaga in a Bare Knuckle FC bout in 2019.

UFC Hall of Famer and former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans will also return from retirement at Eagle FC 44.

No other Eagle FC 44 matchups have been announced. Nurmagomedov said he plans to make more announcements at a news conference in Miami on December 15.

Chris Armas In Talks to Join Coaching Staff at Manchester United

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Chris Armas could be headed across the pond…

The 49-year-old Puerto Rican former United States international midfielder and two-time Major League Soccer (MLS) head coach could be headed to Manchester United.

Chris ArmasArmas would reportedly become part of Ralf Rangnick‘s staff, according to ESPN.

A work permit would be needed for Armas, whose last job was head coach of Toronto FC. He previously led the New York Red Bulls to a Supporters’ Shield win in 2019.

Sources have told ESPN that Rangnick, who was appointed head of Red Bull‘s global football projects in 2019, is being allowed to appoint a “small number” of his own coaching staff to work alongside Mike Phelan and Kieran McKenna, both of whom were part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer‘s backroom team.

Another of Solskjaer’s assistants, Michael Carrick, left the club after taking charge of the team for three games before Rangnick’s appointment as interim coach until the end of the season.

Rangnick was asked about the possibility of bringing in his own staff at his official unveiling ahead of the win over Crystal Palace and said any appointments may take time to arrange.

“I’m more than happy to work with the current coaching staff because I need their experience, I need their expertise regarding the current squad,” he said.

“I will obviously try to find one, two, maybe three people who can join us in one or two weeks, but due to the Brexit regulations it’s not too easy.

“Many of my former colleagues, no matter if it’s video analysts or assistant coaches, are in long-term contracts with big clubs, so they are not available right now, and we have to be a bit smart and clever and find the right people.

“I hope that we can get them in here in the next one or two weeks.”

Armas played in MLS for LA Galaxy and Chicago Fire, with whom he won a championship in 1998, and was capped 66 times by the USMNT. He ended his playing career in 2007.

Minnie Miñoso Named to Baseball Hall of Fame

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Orestes “Minnie” Miñoso is headed to the Hall…

The late Cuban professional baseball player, nicknamed “The Cuban Comet” and “Mr. White Sox,” has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Minnie MiñosoMiñoso was widely considered baseball’s first Latino star in a career that started in the Negro leagues and continued over several decades with him excelling mostly for the Chicago White Sox. The was the first Black Cuban in the major leagues and the first black player in White Sox history, as a 1951 rookie he was the one of the first Latin Americans to play in an MLB All-Star Game.

Minnie MiñosoMiñoso was an American League (AL) All-Star for seven seasons and a Gold Glove winner for three seasons when he was in his 30s.

Miñoso joins Gil Hodges, former Minnesota Twins teammates Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat, a longtime television analyst after his playing days, Bud Fowler, and Buck O’Neil, a champion of Black ballplayers during a monumental, eight-decade career on and off the field.

Oliva, an 83-year-old Cuban former professional baseball right fielder, designated hitter, and coach, played his entire 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Twins, from 1962 to 1976.

Oliva and Kaat are the only living new members. Dick Allen, who died last December, fell one vote shy of election.

Kaat pitched 25 seasons with a host of teams, including the Phillies, Yankees and Cardinals, winning 283 games. He served as an analyst for the Yankees before moving on to the MLB Network.

The 16-member Early Days and Golden Days committees met separately in Orlando, Florida. The election announcement was originally scheduled to coincide with the big league winter meetings, which were nixed because of the MLB lockout.

The six newcomers will be enshrined in Cooperstown, New York, on July 24, 2022, along with any new members elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

First-time candidates David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez join Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling on the ballot, with voting results on January 25.

Jose Aldo Defeats Rob Font Via Unanimous Decision to Keep Bantamweight Title Hopes Alive

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Jose Aldo continues his quest for a title in a new division.

The 35-year-old Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, arguably the greatest featherweight of all time with a résumé good enough to put him on the short list of the best MMA fighters ever, defeated the up-and-coming Rob Font via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Jose Aldo,Aldo rocked Font several times with right hands, hurt his legs with hard kicks and damaged him with hooks to the body. He looked like the Aldo of old while also mixing in some new wrinkles as a bantamweight, such as superior grappling.

“I want to be a champion in this division, and I’m working toward that,” Aldo said through an interpreter in his post-fight interview. “Nobody is gonna stop me.”

Coming in, ESPN had Font ranked No. 5 and Aldo No. 6 in the world at 135 pounds. Aldo said afterward he’d like a title shot next, but the situation is a bit messy.

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has been out since March following neck surgery and is likely to face Petr Yan, the former champion and current interim titleholder, to unify the titles. Yan lost the title to Sterling when he was disqualified for an illegal knee at UFC 259 on March 6.

In lieu of a chance at the title, Aldo had another proposition: former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, who beat Cory Sandhagen over the summer in his return from a two-year doping suspension. Dillashaw is currently recovering from knee surgery.

“Dillashaw is right there,” Aldo said. “Let me fight Dillashaw.”

The fight Saturday was a story of volume versus power. Font had a lot of success with his boxing, especially early on and with his jab. But Aldo was mostly unfazed by the blows. Meanwhile, Aldo rocked or dropped Font in every round except for the third. Font had moments but never hurt Aldo the way Aldo hurt him.

Aldo nearly finished Font in the fourth and fifth rounds. The fifth was the closest. Font knew he was down on the cards and was coming forward looking for a stoppage victory. But Aldo lit him up with a right cross and dropped him. Aldo followed with shots on the ground, took Font’s back and nearly had a choke locked in. Font, though, survived until the bell.

Aldo’s two takedowns were the first ones of his five-fight bantamweight run in UFC, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

“I’m gonna be standing up, I’m gonna be going to the ground,” Aldo said. “I want to be all-around. This is the new Aldo you see.”

Aldo (31-7) held the UFC/WEC featherweight title for parts of six years (2009-15), including seven title defenses, a record in that division. The Brazil native moved down to bantamweight in 2019. He lost his first two fights there, including a vacant title bout against Yan. But Aldo has won three straight and looked very good in wins over contenders Pedro Munhoz and Marlon “Chito” Vera before Saturday.

This is Aldo’s first three-fight winning streak since his 18-fight winning streak was broken in 2015 by Conor McGregor. He cashed as a +125 underdog Saturday, marking just the seventh time he was an underdog in his UFC career.

Font (19-5) had a four-fight winning streak snapped. Most recently before Saturday, he took home a unanimous-decision win over former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt. The Massachusetts native had not lost since 2018. Font, 34, sports a 9-4 UFC record and looked better than ever since returning from knee surgery last year.

“The guy is a legend,” Font said of Aldo. “He’s tough, man. I feel like I can beat him, but it just wasn’t my night. Hats off to him. … I just went five rounds with one of the legends of the sport. I’m gonna get better off this, for sure.”