Liverpool Legend Steven Gerrard Scores Crucial Winner for LA Galaxy vs Houston

 Steven Gerrard scores for LA Galaxy last night

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard back from injury to score the last goal in the LA Galaxy's 4-2 defeat of the New England Revolution in the MLS their clash on Sunday.

The veteran midfielder Gerrard missed the previous team with a groin injury, but came on to replace Robbie Keane in the 60th minute before sealing the win with an injury-time strike.

Gerrard collected a pass from Mike Magee before dribbling some players Revolution and finishing with a shot wound for Galaxy extend unbeaten this season to seven games.

Keane, who also returned to the knee surgery following starting line-up, scored the second goal set by teammate Gyasi Zardes - first far post tap-in and a second in first-half injury time to send the Galaxy 3-0.

Former Tottenham playmaker Giovani Dos Santos scored the second goal with a volley Galaxy remotely. Revolution rallied after the interval to bring the score to 3-2 thanks to goals from Kelyn Rowe and Juan Agudelo before Gerrard halted their comeback.

Gerrard recently paid his own tribute to 96 Hillsbrough disaster victims by wearing a black armband to a 4-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo.

Cousin of former Liverpool captain Jon-Paul Gilhooley was the youngest victim of the tragedy that occurred 27 years ago.

Jennings leads Lions past winless Riders, who lose Durant

 

Jonathon Jennings threw three second-half touchdown passes to rally the BC Lions for a 40-27 comeback victory over the host Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday.

Jennings also rushed for a touchdown as the Lions improved to 3-1. The Riders remained winless at 0-3.

Jennings connected with Shawn Gore on a 59-yard touchdown strike the middle of the fourth quarter, a score that snapped a 26-26 tie and put the Lions ahead for good.

Nick Moore and left tackle Jovan Olafioye also caught touchdown passes in the second half for the Lions, and Anthony Allen rushed for seven-yard touchdown late in the fourth to cap a goal.

The Lions outscored the Riders 30-4 in the second round.

The Riders led 23-10 at halftime, but struggled to carry the momentum in the second half and lost for the third week in a row. The damage is more significant, perhaps, could be health began to quarterback Darian Durant.

Durant suffered what appeared to be a leg injury early in the second quarter and did not return in the second half. Durant hit low and late Lions defensive midfielder Brooks Mic'hael earlier in the quarter. He was seen on crutches on the sidelines at the end of the third quarter.

This is the third time in many years that Durant has suffered an injury that forced him to leave the game. He suffered a torn ligament in his right elbow in 2014 and ruptured his Achilles tendon in the first game of the season in 2015.

Durant last played on Saturday was a 31-yard touchdown pass to Rob Bagg that gave Riders a 10-7 lead.

Mitchell Gale replaced Durant and engineered scoring drives on the first two possessions under center - a 47-yard field goal from Tyler Crapigna and nine-yard touchdown pass to Nic Demski.

Crapigna connected on four of five field goal attempt.

To make matters worse for Saskatchewan, the club lost all-star guard Brendon LaBatte left undisclosed injury, and receiver Shamawd Chambers. LaBatte leave the game on holdings following the injury Durant.

The Riders were 0-7 in 2015 in games decided by four points or less. They are 0-2 to start the season and will host Ottawa Redblacks Friday.

Axel Toupane Shakes Troy Williams with Brutal Ankle-Breaker in Summer League

Troy Williams got the rookie treatment on Saturday night.

The Phoenix Suns forward had his ankles broken while trying to chase down Denver Nuggets guard Axel Toupane in the team's NBA Las Vegas Summer League quarterfinal matchup, flying a few feet before falling to the ground.

Phoenix at least won, 82-81, on a Tyler Ulis buzzer-beater to advance to the semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Three things we learned from the Red Sox' 5-2 win over the Yankees

The big-name Boston Red Sox got a lift from their unheralded Venezuelan battery to win their season-high sixth straight game.
Sandy Leon homered and drove in four runs, Eduardo Rodriguez again dominated the Yankees in his return from Triple-A, and Boston beat New York 5-2 on Saturday.
Leon hit his second homer this season and the third of his career in the sixth inning — a three-run shot off CC Sabathia for a 5-1 lead. The catcher has 13 RBIs in 20 games this year after compiling only eight in 75 career games before that. He's hitting .458 through 59 at-bats this season.

"He looks different now," Rodriguez said. "He hits the ball everywhere."
Leon also helped his countryman hold New York to a run and four hits over seven innings after the Red Sox recalled the left-hander from the minors Friday. Rodriguez (2-3) improved to 4-1 with a 2.01 ERA against Boston's archrival.
Rodriguez opened the season on the disabled list with a knee injury, then posted an 8.59 ERA in six starts before being demoted to Triple-A Pawtucket. Boston believed Rodriguez was telegraphing his pitches and had him adjust his delivery during two starts — one shortened by rain — in the minors.

"Now, I'm not thinking about the tipping stuff," Rodriguez said. "I just throw the ball right where I want it."
Rodriguez threw 97 pitches Saturday, working quickly against New York's veteran-heavy lineup. Rodriguez had previously struggled throwing to Leon, posting an 8.03 ERA in five starts, but the duo cruised early on a steady diet of fastballs and sliders.
"His seven innings today is potentially a major shot in the arm for our rotation," manager John Farrell said. "But it was just good to see, the struggles that he's gone through, to come back after 1 1/2 starts and pitch like he did here today."
Sabathia (5-7) allowed five runs, four earned, in 5 1/3 innings, giving up five or more runs for the fifth straight start. Boston chipped away at the big lefty by reaching base mostly on soft, well-placed contact and a couple of New York errors until Leon's homer.
"I felt good," Sabathia said. "Just the result is not coming."
Koji Uehara closed for his sixth save.
Leon added an RBI single in the fourth. His hot hitting has been timely for Boston, which has had catchers Blake Swihart, Christian Vazquez and Ryan Hanigan on the disabled list this season. The 27-year-old went into the All-Star break batting .455 (25 for 55), the highest first-half average ever in the majors, with a minimum of 50 at-bats.
"Playing almost like four times a week, I think that's helped," Leon said.
Jackie Bradley Jr. tied a season high with three hits, and Boston's 6-through-9 hitters went 7 for 16 while 1-through-5 went 3 for 21. That helped the Red Sox win their eighth in nine games and 10th in the past 13.
"The difference between us and potentially some other teams is the production we get out of that bottom third," Farrell said.
Brett Gardner ended a stretch of 180 homerless at-bats when he lined a solo shot into the Yankees' bullpen in the third. It was his first homer since May 18 and sixth of the season.
Chase Headley hit a solo homer in the eighth for the Yankees against Matt Barnes.

The real cost of Russell Westbrook or Blake Griffin

The Celtics president of basketball operations has been stacking his place at the NBA poker table with lots of blue chips. The question is whether now is the time to head to the to the casino office and get the final pieces that will help Brad Stevens and the team get back to the NBA finals.

There have been reports this week that the Celtics are lead contenders for either Russell Westbrook or Blake Griffin in a potential trade.
But either one of those deals would almost certainly require the Celtics giving up their ownership of Brooklyn’s unprotected pick next year, which could very easily be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Not only that, a team like Oklahoma City, with the always forward-thinking general manager Sam Presti is going to likely want another top pick, either in 2017 or from the multitude of picks listed below. The Celtics also own Brooklyn’s first-rounder in 2018. The Paul Pierce-Kevin Garnett-Jason Terry trade of July 12, 2013 keeps on giving.
If there’s any general manager with the wherewithal to pull off a major deal involving future picks and not entirely forfeit the future, it’s Ainge. Here, in full detail, is the remarkable portfolio Ainge has to work with:
2017 first round draft pick from Brooklyn
Boston has the right to swap its 2017 1st round pick for Brooklyn’s 2017 1st round pick; if Boston exercises this swap right, then Boston will convey its 2017 2nd round pick to Brooklyn protected for selections 31-45 (if this pick falls within its protected range and is therefore not conveyed, then Boston’s obligation to Brooklyn will be extinguished) [7/12/2013].
2017 second round draft pick from Cleveland
Cleveland’s 2017 2nd round pick to Boston [from Cleveland, 9/25/2014]
2017 second round draft pick from L.A. Clippers
L.A. Clippers’ 2017 2nd round pick to Boston [from L.A. Clippers via Phoenix, 1/15/2015]
2017 second round draft pick from Minnesota
Minnesota’s 2017 2nd round pick to Boston (via Phoenix) [Minnesota-New Orleans-Phoenix, 7/27/2012; Boston-Phoenix, 1/9/2015]

Red Sox’ Pomeranz trade reflects seller’s market

Rather than raising the bar, Toronto Blue Jays general Ross Atkins feels the steep price paid by the Boston Red Sox for Drew Pomeranz is simply reflective of the current trade market rate for starting pitching.
The Red Sox acquired the all-star left-hander from the San Diego Padres on Thursday for right-hander Anderson Espinoza, an 18-year-old Baseball America ranked as the No. 15 prospect in baseball. While Pomeranz is in the midst of a breakout season and is under club control for two more years after this one, he doesn’t have the track record more typical of players that fetch a premium prospect in trade.

“It’s really more indicative of the alternatives, or lack thereof,” Atkins said on a conference call Saturday. “There just aren’t a lot of them. I’m not so sure it’s going to increase the market drastically. There’s just more buyers than there are sellers at that position. The market was already set very high based on the alternatives. It wasn’t surprising to see that’s what it took to get some deals going.”
The Blue Jays, of course, are on the lookout for some pitching help but are not expected to pay the going rate, especially after last summer’s buildup. Given that they have eight pending free agents even after extending Justin Smoak, they could get more of their off-season work done ahead of the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline by targeting controllable players.
Atkins, however, says the Blue Jays aren’t ruling out rentals, either.
“We’re considering and talking to teams on both of those fronts,” he said. “There’s an acquisition cost that will be factored in. Typically you pay for control, so that would mean probably giving up more prospect-level. Everything’s a balance. We’re not focused on one versus the other. We’re focused on winning this year and obviously every team would say that. You just don’t want to compromise your future in how hard you try to do that. We’ll keep those things at the forefront, but we’ll 100-per-cent recognize the opportunity that we have in front of us, with a very good team. We’ve been playing very well and hopefully and seemingly peaking at a very good time. We’re going to look to complement the team every day that we wake up.”