Shields will make her MMA debut in 2021 and is expected to have at least two fights next year.

“I wanted to test myself,” said Shields in a chat with ESPN. “I want to see if I can be a world champion in boxing and a world champion in MMA. That’s something I want to test myself on. I’m not saying boxing is easy, but I’ve been on top of the world for almost 14 years now.”

Shields also added that venturing to MMA won’t affect her boxing as she intends to remain active in both sports.

As an amateur, Claressa Shields represented the United States at the Olympic Games in London and Rio de Janeiro and finished as a middleweight gold medalist on both occasions. She also has two gold medals from World Championships and one from Pan American Games.

Shields turned pro in 2016 and posted a 10-0 record with two knockouts since. The 25-year-old held belts in three classes—super middleweight, light middleweight, and middleweight—including unified WBA, WBC, and IBF middleweight and unified WBC and WBO female light middleweight championship.

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According to an official press release issued by the team, Morton inked a one-year deal with the franchise that will see him earn $15 million in 2021. He became available after the Rays decided to decline their club option to keep him in Tampa for one more season.

The 37-year-old Morton had a great run with Rays, posting an 18-8 record in 42 starts. He kept a career-best 3.33 ERA during his time with the organization while also having 282 strikeouts and making the All-MLB Second Team.

The Braves was the team that drafted Charlie Morton in the MLB, selecting him in the third round of the 2002 Entry Draft. Morton made his majors debut with Atlanta in 2008 but only made it to the mound in 16 games before being traded to Pittsburgh Pirates as part of the deal that brought Nate McLouth to Braves.

Morton spent seven years in Pittsburgh before embarking on stints with Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, and Tampa Bay.

During his MLB career, Morton compiled a 93-89 record with 4.08 ERA and 1,276 strikeouts. He has two All-Star appearances and has won the World Series with the Astros in 2017.

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As it turns out, despite being a big NFL star, Murray gladly remembers his time as a baseball player. And he still would like to give it a go as a professional in this sport.

Speaking on Tiki and Tierney on Wednesday, Murray said that he misses baseball and

“I miss baseball, for sure…For me, I wish I could do both,” said Murray during his appearance on Tiki and Tierney on Wednesday. “I definitely feel like I could. I never say never.”

Murray played two seasons of college baseball with Oklahoma Sooners. While his first season in 2017 didn’t go according to plan, he bounced back the year after with an impressive showing. Despite playing just 51 games in 2018, he batted .296 while delivering 10 home runs, 47 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases.

Despite his baseball success, Murray chose football and it’s safe to say that he didn’t make a mistake. The 23-year-old player is currently in the MVP conversation after leading the Cardinals to a surprising 6-3 start of the season.

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ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reports that there is an increasing belief among NBA’s top executives that Ball will be first off the board. The brother of New Orleans Pelicans’ Lonzo Ball is considered to be the most talented player in his class and the only “sure” pick.

Still, given that Timberwolves already have a ball-dominant guard on their roster in D’Angelo Russell, they might not be incentivized to take Ball. According to Givony, several other NBA teams will be looking to exploit this and move up to No. 1.

The list of teams that could try to convince Minnesota to give up the No. 2 pick includes Chicago Bulls, who own the No.4 pick, Detroit Pistons, who are looking to make a jump from the No. 7 spot, and Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 25 pick).

If the rumor is true, Thunder are favorites to go ahead as they have the most to offer. Aside from having No. 25 pick, they also own a chest of future first and second picks from LA Clippers and Houston Rockets that they can use to sweeten the deal.

LaMelo Ball opted to skip college last season in favor of playing for NLB’s Illawarra Hawks. It proved to be a smart decision as he won the NLB rookie of the year award by averaging 17.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game.

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During a recent virtual town hall appearance with season-ticket holders, Nash talked about the expectations the Nets team faces next season and admitted that anything else than a championship win would be considered a failure. 

“We’re playing for a championship,” said Nash. “I don’t want to say that anything less than a championship is not a success because you never know what happens in life … Fortune is a big part of winning an NBA championship. But we are playing for a championship, and we’re going to build accordingly.”

Delivering in his first year as a coach is a mammoth task for a first-year head coach, even if Nash comes with great credentials that include two MVP awards. But it isn’t like he doesn’t have the necessary tools to deliver this.

Brooklyn Nets finished 2019/20 as No.7 seed in the East before being swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Toronto Raptors. Considering that his team will have two All-Stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving join next season, it isn’t a surprise Nets are considered a heavy favorites to reach the NBA Finals.

Still, a lot of things will have to click for Nets in order for this to happen.

Irving and Durant will have to return to the elite level, which isn’t exactly easy when you are coming back from season-ending injuries. Also, there is a problem considering the team chemistry, as the addition of the duo might mess the unity that carried the underdog Brooklyn team to success in the past.

Well have to wait until the start of the season to see whether Nash manages to navigate through all of this and finally get himself that ring.

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Brown is currently under suspension can return to the field in Week 9. With the date fast approaching, a number of teams have been in contact with the 32-year-old wideout in recent days.

Seattle initially emerged as favorites to land Brown, but the Buccaneers made a last-minute push and are now in the lead.

Reportedly, Brady played a big role in setting up Antonio Brown’s arrival in Tampa Bay. The duo previously played one game together in 2019 with New England Patriots when Brown caught four passes for 56 yards and one TD in a blowout 43-0 win over Miami Dolphins.

The deal would make sense for both sides, considering the Bucs’ wide receiver core has been hampered with injuries in recent weeks. Pro Bowler Mike Evans has been struggling with ankle issues since Week 4 while a hamstring injury limited All-Pro wideout Chris Godwin to just two games.

The game against the Dolphins turned out to be Brown’s last so far. Various off-the-field issues caused the Pats to release him shortly after, and he has been facing an uphill battle to return to the NFL since.

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Speaking on his popular podcast, ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently discussed Griffin’s situation and said that Pistons are ready to move on from the player. But this could be easier said than done.

According to Lowe, the six-time All-Star forward is an interesting option for several teams, but the Pistons are not expected to have a strong market for him. This is most probably due to Griffin’s injury history and the $75.6 million he is owed in the next two years.

Lowe adds that he expects Griffin to fetch a first-round pick at max, but such trade would probably see Detroit also taking some money back.

Since joining the Pistons from LA Clippers in January 2018, Blake Griffin failed to perform at the level he was excepted. Griffin struggled with injuries, playing only 118 games in three years while averaging 22.2 points and 6.9 rebounds during that period.

Griffin will now have to show that he left the health issues behind him if he expects any team to take a bet on him. So far, there are no obvious landing spots for him, but teams that believe are one player from contention might roll the dice on the 31-year-old.

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Two other QBs picked in the top 10 of the 2020 NFL Draft, Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow and LA Chargers’ Justin Herbert, saw their fair share of NFL action, but Tagovailoa sat on the bench for the previous five weeks. This resulted from the Dolphins’ cautious approach with the Alabama product, as the 22-year-old is coming off hip surgery.

But, with Week 6 game against the Jets being long in the bag, Miami finally decided to give their fans a taste of what’s to come in the future. Tagovailoa entered the contest for Ryan Fitzpatrick just before the 2-minute warning, with Dolphins having a 24-0 lead, and took his first snaps in NFL. He attempted two passes and completed both of them before the clock ran down.

“To just be out there with my teammates, being my first time, and getting the support and love from them, I think that was super awesome,” said Tagovailoa. “And then you have a 16-year vet like Fitz, who has no animosity toward it, as well, who’s just been supportive that entire time. I’m very fortunate to have a mentor like him who is just very encouraging on the field, and then this guy is, like, he’s just very personable off the field, as well.”

Since the season started, Miami’s head coach Brian Flores has been swarmed with questions about why Tua Tagovailoa isn’t getting a shot, especially blowout wins or losses. Flores insisted that the decision was made because of Tagovaila’s health and that there would be no point in throwing the rookie into the fire without a good reason.

But on Sunday night, Flores changed his mind it appears that he didn’t regret the decision.

“I know there was some excitement when he went in. I’m happy for Tua,” said Flores.

Tagovailoa played three years of college football at Alabama, throwing for 7,442 yards and 87 touchdowns in 32 games. After his junior season, he declared for the 2020 NFL Draft where  Dolphins selected him with the No.5 overall pick.     

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Bell will have to wait for five days to join his new teammates due to COVID-19 testing and the NFL’s safety and health protocols. The 28-year-old running back will miss Monday Night Football’s game against Buffalo Bills because of this, with his debut expected to occur in Week 7 against Denver Broncos.

Chiefs confirmed the deal on their official social media.

After missing the entire 2018 NFL season due to a contract dispute with Pittsburgh Steelers, Le’Veon Bell inked a massive four-year, $52.5 million deal to join New York Jets. Despite being expected to carry the Jets’ offense, Bell never managed to make an impact with the organization.

Jets’ head coach Adam Gase was never in favor of signing Bell and never put an effort to utilize the skills of the Michigan State product. Bell is also entitled to his share of the blame, as he was unproductive on the field, totaling just 863 rushing yards in 17 games in New York and averaging disastrous 3.3 yards per carry.

Jets tried to move Bell out of town for some time now but failed to take any takers due to his contract. Eventually, they decided to release him as it was apparent that the relationship between the two parties doesn’t work anymore.

Bell considered several options in the past couple of days, with Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills being among the prominent candidates for his signature. However, he jumped on the opportunity to play for the Chiefs, being attracted by their status as a Super Bowl contender.

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According to the terms of the deal, Pietrangelo is set to earn $8.8 million per year, with a total value of the contract being $61.6 million. This will make him the fifth-priciest defenseman in the NHL.

The 30-year-old defenseman will also receive a no-movement clause as part of the agreement.

In order to clear the cap space necessary for signing Pietrangelo, Vegas parted ways with several veterans, including defenseman Nate Schmidt. However, according to general manager Kelly McCrimmon, it was the price the organization needed to pay in order to get better.

“When we looked at opportunities to improve our team, we saw a rare opportunity to add an elite player like Alex to our team,” said McCrimmon. “For us, we viewed it as a similar opportunity to when we acquired Mark Stone. Generally, these are players don’t make it to market.”

Alex Pietrangelo spent his entire career with St. Louis Blues, serving as a team captain for the last five years and leading the team on an improbable Stanley Cup title-winning run in 2019. Blues made a strong push to resign him in recent weeks, but the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement.

Reportedly, Blues offered Pietrangelo an eight-year deal, with a value north of $64 million, but were short on finer details. The player asked for a no-movement clause and signing bonuses in later years of the contract, something that the organization wasn’t willing to give him.

Pietrangelo has 758 career games in NHL with the Blues, having contributed with 109 goals and 341 assists for a total of 450 points. He has two All-Star appearances and was selected to NHL Second All-Star Team three times.

The post All-Star Alex Pietrangelo Agrees to a 7-Year Contract with Vegas Golden Knights appeared first on thestarsworldwide.com.

Shields will make her MMA debut in 2021 and is expected to have at least two fights next year.

“I wanted to test myself,” said Shields in a chat with ESPN. “I want to see if I can be a world champion in boxing and a world champion in MMA. That’s something I want to test myself on. I’m not saying boxing is easy, but I’ve been on top of the world for almost 14 years now.”

Shields also added that venturing to MMA won’t affect her boxing as she intends to remain active in both sports.

As an amateur, Claressa Shields represented the United States at the Olympic Games in London and Rio de Janeiro and finished as a middleweight gold medalist on both occasions. She also has two gold medals from World Championships and one from Pan American Games.

Shields turned pro in 2016 and posted a 10-0 record with two knockouts since. The 25-year-old held belts in three classes—super middleweight, light middleweight, and middleweight—including unified WBA, WBC, and IBF middleweight and unified WBC and WBO female light middleweight championship.

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According to an official press release issued by the team, Morton inked a one-year deal with the franchise that will see him earn $15 million in 2021. He became available after the Rays decided to decline their club option to keep him in Tampa for one more season.

The 37-year-old Morton had a great run with Rays, posting an 18-8 record in 42 starts. He kept a career-best 3.33 ERA during his time with the organization while also having 282 strikeouts and making the All-MLB Second Team.

The Braves was the team that drafted Charlie Morton in the MLB, selecting him in the third round of the 2002 Entry Draft. Morton made his majors debut with Atlanta in 2008 but only made it to the mound in 16 games before being traded to Pittsburgh Pirates as part of the deal that brought Nate McLouth to Braves.

Morton spent seven years in Pittsburgh before embarking on stints with Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, and Tampa Bay.

During his MLB career, Morton compiled a 93-89 record with 4.08 ERA and 1,276 strikeouts. He has two All-Star appearances and has won the World Series with the Astros in 2017.

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As it turns out, despite being a big NFL star, Murray gladly remembers his time as a baseball player. And he still would like to give it a go as a professional in this sport.

Speaking on Tiki and Tierney on Wednesday, Murray said that he misses baseball and

“I miss baseball, for sure…For me, I wish I could do both,” said Murray during his appearance on Tiki and Tierney on Wednesday. “I definitely feel like I could. I never say never.”

Murray played two seasons of college baseball with Oklahoma Sooners. While his first season in 2017 didn’t go according to plan, he bounced back the year after with an impressive showing. Despite playing just 51 games in 2018, he batted .296 while delivering 10 home runs, 47 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases.

Despite his baseball success, Murray chose football and it’s safe to say that he didn’t make a mistake. The 23-year-old player is currently in the MVP conversation after leading the Cardinals to a surprising 6-3 start of the season.

The post Cardinals’ QB Kyler Murray on Playing Baseball Professionally: “I Never Say Never” appeared first on thestarsworldwide.com.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reports that there is an increasing belief among NBA’s top executives that Ball will be first off the board. The brother of New Orleans Pelicans’ Lonzo Ball is considered to be the most talented player in his class and the only “sure” pick.

Still, given that Timberwolves already have a ball-dominant guard on their roster in D’Angelo Russell, they might not be incentivized to take Ball. According to Givony, several other NBA teams will be looking to exploit this and move up to No. 1.

The list of teams that could try to convince Minnesota to give up the No. 2 pick includes Chicago Bulls, who own the No.4 pick, Detroit Pistons, who are looking to make a jump from the No. 7 spot, and Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 25 pick).

If the rumor is true, Thunder are favorites to go ahead as they have the most to offer. Aside from having No. 25 pick, they also own a chest of future first and second picks from LA Clippers and Houston Rockets that they can use to sweeten the deal.

LaMelo Ball opted to skip college last season in favor of playing for NLB’s Illawarra Hawks. It proved to be a smart decision as he won the NLB rookie of the year award by averaging 17.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game.

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During a recent virtual town hall appearance with season-ticket holders, Nash talked about the expectations the Nets team faces next season and admitted that anything else than a championship win would be considered a failure. 

“We’re playing for a championship,” said Nash. “I don’t want to say that anything less than a championship is not a success because you never know what happens in life … Fortune is a big part of winning an NBA championship. But we are playing for a championship, and we’re going to build accordingly.”

Delivering in his first year as a coach is a mammoth task for a first-year head coach, even if Nash comes with great credentials that include two MVP awards. But it isn’t like he doesn’t have the necessary tools to deliver this.

Brooklyn Nets finished 2019/20 as No.7 seed in the East before being swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Toronto Raptors. Considering that his team will have two All-Stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving join next season, it isn’t a surprise Nets are considered a heavy favorites to reach the NBA Finals.

Still, a lot of things will have to click for Nets in order for this to happen.

Irving and Durant will have to return to the elite level, which isn’t exactly easy when you are coming back from season-ending injuries. Also, there is a problem considering the team chemistry, as the addition of the duo might mess the unity that carried the underdog Brooklyn team to success in the past.

Well have to wait until the start of the season to see whether Nash manages to navigate through all of this and finally get himself that ring.

The post Brooklyn Nets’ Steve Nash: “We’re Playing for A Championship” appeared first on thestarsworldwide.com.

Brown is currently under suspension can return to the field in Week 9. With the date fast approaching, a number of teams have been in contact with the 32-year-old wideout in recent days.

Seattle initially emerged as favorites to land Brown, but the Buccaneers made a last-minute push and are now in the lead.

Reportedly, Brady played a big role in setting up Antonio Brown’s arrival in Tampa Bay. The duo previously played one game together in 2019 with New England Patriots when Brown caught four passes for 56 yards and one TD in a blowout 43-0 win over Miami Dolphins.

The deal would make sense for both sides, considering the Bucs’ wide receiver core has been hampered with injuries in recent weeks. Pro Bowler Mike Evans has been struggling with ankle issues since Week 4 while a hamstring injury limited All-Pro wideout Chris Godwin to just two games.

The game against the Dolphins turned out to be Brown’s last so far. Various off-the-field issues caused the Pats to release him shortly after, and he has been facing an uphill battle to return to the NFL since.

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Speaking on his popular podcast, ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently discussed Griffin’s situation and said that Pistons are ready to move on from the player. But this could be easier said than done.

According to Lowe, the six-time All-Star forward is an interesting option for several teams, but the Pistons are not expected to have a strong market for him. This is most probably due to Griffin’s injury history and the $75.6 million he is owed in the next two years.

Lowe adds that he expects Griffin to fetch a first-round pick at max, but such trade would probably see Detroit also taking some money back.

Since joining the Pistons from LA Clippers in January 2018, Blake Griffin failed to perform at the level he was excepted. Griffin struggled with injuries, playing only 118 games in three years while averaging 22.2 points and 6.9 rebounds during that period.

Griffin will now have to show that he left the health issues behind him if he expects any team to take a bet on him. So far, there are no obvious landing spots for him, but teams that believe are one player from contention might roll the dice on the 31-year-old.

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Two other QBs picked in the top 10 of the 2020 NFL Draft, Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow and LA Chargers’ Justin Herbert, saw their fair share of NFL action, but Tagovailoa sat on the bench for the previous five weeks. This resulted from the Dolphins’ cautious approach with the Alabama product, as the 22-year-old is coming off hip surgery.

But, with Week 6 game against the Jets being long in the bag, Miami finally decided to give their fans a taste of what’s to come in the future. Tagovailoa entered the contest for Ryan Fitzpatrick just before the 2-minute warning, with Dolphins having a 24-0 lead, and took his first snaps in NFL. He attempted two passes and completed both of them before the clock ran down.

“To just be out there with my teammates, being my first time, and getting the support and love from them, I think that was super awesome,” said Tagovailoa. “And then you have a 16-year vet like Fitz, who has no animosity toward it, as well, who’s just been supportive that entire time. I’m very fortunate to have a mentor like him who is just very encouraging on the field, and then this guy is, like, he’s just very personable off the field, as well.”

Since the season started, Miami’s head coach Brian Flores has been swarmed with questions about why Tua Tagovailoa isn’t getting a shot, especially blowout wins or losses. Flores insisted that the decision was made because of Tagovaila’s health and that there would be no point in throwing the rookie into the fire without a good reason.

But on Sunday night, Flores changed his mind it appears that he didn’t regret the decision.

“I know there was some excitement when he went in. I’m happy for Tua,” said Flores.

Tagovailoa played three years of college football at Alabama, throwing for 7,442 yards and 87 touchdowns in 32 games. After his junior season, he declared for the 2020 NFL Draft where  Dolphins selected him with the No.5 overall pick.     

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Bell will have to wait for five days to join his new teammates due to COVID-19 testing and the NFL’s safety and health protocols. The 28-year-old running back will miss Monday Night Football’s game against Buffalo Bills because of this, with his debut expected to occur in Week 7 against Denver Broncos.

Chiefs confirmed the deal on their official social media.

After missing the entire 2018 NFL season due to a contract dispute with Pittsburgh Steelers, Le’Veon Bell inked a massive four-year, $52.5 million deal to join New York Jets. Despite being expected to carry the Jets’ offense, Bell never managed to make an impact with the organization.

Jets’ head coach Adam Gase was never in favor of signing Bell and never put an effort to utilize the skills of the Michigan State product. Bell is also entitled to his share of the blame, as he was unproductive on the field, totaling just 863 rushing yards in 17 games in New York and averaging disastrous 3.3 yards per carry.

Jets tried to move Bell out of town for some time now but failed to take any takers due to his contract. Eventually, they decided to release him as it was apparent that the relationship between the two parties doesn’t work anymore.

Bell considered several options in the past couple of days, with Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills being among the prominent candidates for his signature. However, he jumped on the opportunity to play for the Chiefs, being attracted by their status as a Super Bowl contender.

The post Le’Veon Bell Joins Kansas City Chiefs on a 1-Year Deal appeared first on thestarsworldwide.com.

According to the terms of the deal, Pietrangelo is set to earn $8.8 million per year, with a total value of the contract being $61.6 million. This will make him the fifth-priciest defenseman in the NHL.

The 30-year-old defenseman will also receive a no-movement clause as part of the agreement.

In order to clear the cap space necessary for signing Pietrangelo, Vegas parted ways with several veterans, including defenseman Nate Schmidt. However, according to general manager Kelly McCrimmon, it was the price the organization needed to pay in order to get better.

“When we looked at opportunities to improve our team, we saw a rare opportunity to add an elite player like Alex to our team,” said McCrimmon. “For us, we viewed it as a similar opportunity to when we acquired Mark Stone. Generally, these are players don’t make it to market.”

Alex Pietrangelo spent his entire career with St. Louis Blues, serving as a team captain for the last five years and leading the team on an improbable Stanley Cup title-winning run in 2019. Blues made a strong push to resign him in recent weeks, but the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement.

Reportedly, Blues offered Pietrangelo an eight-year deal, with a value north of $64 million, but were short on finer details. The player asked for a no-movement clause and signing bonuses in later years of the contract, something that the organization wasn’t willing to give him.

Pietrangelo has 758 career games in NHL with the Blues, having contributed with 109 goals and 341 assists for a total of 450 points. He has two All-Star appearances and was selected to NHL Second All-Star Team three times.

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