We’re checking in on the biggest busts in baseball through the All-Star break.1B Paul Goldschmidt (.230, 13 HRs, 37 RBIs) and 3B Nolan Arenado (.270, 8 HRs, 40 RBIs), St. Louis CardinalsThe cornerstones and future Hall of Famers, with 15 All-Star appearances and 14 Gold Gloves between them, have been overtaken by a youth movement that’s helped catapult the Redbirds into the playoff race.In his age-36 season, Goldschmidt—two seasons removed from NL MVP honors—has seen his offensive numbers tumble across the board for the second consecutive year. Has Father Time finally caught up with Goldy, a free agent after 2024? Most players don’t improve after their mid-30s.As for Arenado, one of the best third basemen of his or any era, he’s on pace for his lowest full-season homer and RBI totals since early in his 12-year career. Has the 33-year-old hit the wall? Not likely after a solid 2023 campaign. He does have three more years left on a nine-year, $275 million deal, so if there’s no second-half resurgence, it’ll be time for Cards fans to worry.LHP Blake Snell, San Francisco Giants (0-3, 6.31 ERA) Apr 8, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell (7) throws a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Oracle Park. credits: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports His perfect game bid on Sunday notwithstanding, the two-time Cy Young Award winner has been a monumental disappointment in his first season in the Bay Area.The 31-year-old didn’t sign until the middle of March, then missed a month with an adductor strain after posting an 11.57 ERA in three April starts. His first half was the opposite of what the Giants were expecting when they signed him to a two-year, $62 million deal to be their No. 1 starter.LHP Jordan Montgomery, Arizona Diamondbacks (6-5, 6.44) Apr 19, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery (52) throws against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. credits: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports Sticking with the theme of a 31-year-old, left-handed, free-agent pitcher signing with an NL West team late in spring training, he has flopped after playing a vital role for the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers.Expected to bolster the rotation of last year’s National League winners, the southpaw has been so terrible that he’s been booed off Chase Field multiple times. To make matters worse, his $20 million player option for 2025 has already vested with his 10th start, and it will reach $25 million if he makes 12 more starts this season. The good news for D-backs fans? He’s out with a knee injury, so at least he’s not pitching.OF Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays (.202, 12 HR, 31 RBIs) Randy Arozarena scores winning run for Tampa Bay in 2020 World Series Game 4. credits: | source: Getty Images The 2021 AL Rookie of the Year is one of three players to post at least 20 homers and 20 stolen bases each of the last three seasons, and while he might achieve that again in 2024 (14 steals at the break), his batting average has plummeted more than 50 points below his career average.That’s not all that’s taken a tumble, as the 2023 All-Star’s slugging percentage (.362) and OPS (.671) are well below his season averages (.437 and .781, respectively). It’s no surprise that the Rays are languishing in fourth in the AL East, barely playing .500 ball, when players like Arozarena, who isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2026 season, aren’t producing at their expected clip.2B Vaughn Grissom, Boston Red Sox (.148, 0 HR, 3 RBIs)Acquired in the offseason from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for All-Star Chris Sale, who couldn’t stay healthy in his last four seasons in Boston, the 23-year-old has followed in the left-hander’s footsteps, but not in a good way. Under team control through 2029, Grissom’s missed 73 games this season with strains of both hamstrings and hasn’t contributed when healthy.Out for more than a month on his second IL stint, Grissom is slated to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Worcester during the break, the Boston Globe reported on Monday. The Red Sox—one of MLB’s first-half surprises—haven't missed him, and he may not take over as their full-time second baseman, especially with two minor league options remaining.
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BATE Borisov and Partizan both face tough second-leg clashes to remain in this season s UEFA Champions League.
BATE lost their second-round first leg 1-0 to Shakhter Karagandy in Kazakhstan, and they know they will have to produce some of the form that saw them reach the group stages of last season s competition in order to progress to the third round of qualifying.
Midfielder Aleksandr Pavlov remains confident they could turn the game around in Belarus after the disappointing first outing.
I want to underline that it is not the end of this tie, he said. It seemed like we had total dominance and full control of the ball (in the first leg), we were finding space but rarely threatened.
Even in our domestic league we do not see that much possession.
Shakhte…
Most of the pre-season attention is focused upon potential champions yet recent history suggests the most tense and financially damaging competition will be at the other end of the Premier League table.
Around 40 million pounds is the estimated cost of relegation for the three clubs who finish at the foot of the standings and this season, as in most, the three promoted sides are also hotly-tipped to return directly to The Championship.
Wolves, as champions, Birmingham City and play-off winners Burnley are the clubs who graduated to England s top-flight and all face a monumental task in consolidating their new found status.
A key factor in being able to stave off a swift relegation is the calibre of players recruited by a newly-promoted club and, consequently, Wo…
In October, the FIFA Football Committee and France Football agreed upon the 23-man shortlist for the 2012 edition of the FIFA Ballon d Or.
Twenty-three quickly became three after the voting was passed on to the coaches and captains of the national teams of FIFA s member associations, as well as a select group of journalists from around the globe, and on Monday world football s glitterati will descend on Zurich when that three will become one.
Should the victor be the man most expect, Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi will break yet another record by claiming the award for an unprecedented fourth time, making it a hat-trick of gongs since FIFA merged their World Player of the Year award with France Football s Ballon d Or in 2010.
So too would it see hi…
ROSTER:
GOALKEEPERS: Cody Cropper (Southampton), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS: John Anthony Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg), Tim Ream (Bolton Wanderers)
MIDFIELDERS: Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Roma), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Danny Williams (Reading)
FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Bobby Wood (1860 Munich)
ROSTER:
GOALKEEPERS: Asmir Begovic (Stoke City), Asmir Avdukic (FK …
Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi has explained why he thinks Lionel Messi is a tougher opponent than Cristiano Ronaldo.
Barcelona superstar Messi enjoyed another scintillating season, plundering 45 goals in all competitions in 2017-18, and geared up for the World Cup with a hat-trick in Argentina s 4-0 win over Haiti on Wednesday.
Mustafi came up against the Rosario-born forward during his time at Valencia and highlighted why he perceives him as a trickier adversary than Real Madrid icon and Ballon d Or holder Ronaldo.
Lionel Messi was my hardest opponent, he told Bild.
I played him three times with Valencia. You cannot predict him, he is small and very quick, changes his direction quite often.
When he runs towards three opponents you can near…
Lionel Messi hopes to play alongside Antoine Griezmann at Barcelona after labelling the in-demand Atletico Madrid star a great player .
Griezmann has been heavily linked with a move to Barca in the off-season and the LaLiga champions have made no secret of their interest in the France international, who said he would confirm his future before the World Cup.
The 27-year-old forward – a Europa League winner with Atletico in 2017-18 after scoring 29 goals in all competitions – has a reported €100million release clause.
And five-time Ballon d Or winner Messi, who is also preparing for the World Cup in Russia, wants as much quality as possible at Camp Nou.
He s a great player and we would understand each other, Messi told Mundo Deportivo.
He s …
The last time Chelsea binned off Frank Lampard, they won the Champions League four months later.
They brought him back, have immediately lost four games on the trot and won t be kings of Europe this year. Nor will they be contesting this competition next year.
Sometimes good things come to an end, but Chelsea and Lampard have past glories they can rely on and seem happy enough together again, so don t cry for them.
All those signings in January, and then this? All the brilliant leadership from Todd Boehly, and then this?
Real Madrid have more past glories than any club in the history of this competition, landing their 14th title last May, and they cleared the Chelsea hurdle after Carlo Ancelotti somehow outwitted Lampard.
Honestly, who saw that co…
France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris says the injuries sustained by Paul Pogba and Karim Benzema are a worry for Les Bleus ahead of their World Cup campaign.
The world champions could be without key midfielder Pogba when they travel to Qatar in November after he was forced to undergo surgery on a knee injury this week.
Pogba originally opted to undergo conservative therapy to solve a lesion to the lateral meniscus in his right knee, but doctor Roberto Rossi has since declared that choice worsened his injury, leaving his World Cup place in doubt.
France were also left concerned when Benzema hobbled off during Real Madrid s 3-0 Champions League win over Celtic on Tuesday, although the striker s thigh injury is not thought to be serious.
Speaking after helping Tott…
Manchester City will look to strike an early psychological blow in the Premier League title race when they host Manchester United on Sunday.
The local rivals have battled for the crown in each of the last two seasons, with City emerging triumphant in 2011-12 before United re-established their supremacy a year later prior to Alex Ferguson s retirement as manager.
David Moyes has since taken the helm at Old Trafford and, aside from a defeat to league leaders Liverpool at the beginning of the month, the former Everton boss has made a solid start.
The teams have posted identical records going into the contest having both taken seven points from four games and there is likely to be no shortage of motivation ahead of the clash at the Etihad Stadium.
United emerged 3-2 …
Edin Dzeko has warned Bayern Munich that Manchester City are stronger than last year and prepared to face the UEFA Champions League holders.
City face the Bundesliga side for the second time in the Champions League after previously meeting them in the 2011-12 season.
They were beaten in the Allianz Arena during that campaign but secured a victory at the return match in Manchester, and Dzeko believes his side are well equipped to repeat that performance on Wednesday.
We ve played a few years together and we also have four new players and they ve improved the squad, he said. We re definitely better this year than last.
I don t know if they are stronger this year but they were strong last year. We know that and they re defending the Champions League.
Every pla…