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SUPER BOWL: Chiefs Beat Eagles 38-35 In Super Bowl LVII

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Super Bowl Winners The Chiefs

GLENDALE, Ariz. Patrick Mahomes was ethereal when the Kansas City Chiefs desperately needed him to lead them to another Super Bowl victory.

On an injured ankle, Mahomes threw two touchdown passes and scrambled 26 yards on the game-winning drive before Harrison Butker kicked a 27-yard field goal with 8 seconds left to give the Chiefs a 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.

The Chiefs won their second NFL championship in four years, and two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP for the second time.

“I just thought guys just embraced the moment,” Mahomes said of the team’s comeback from a 10-point halftime deficit. “We played and did some good things in the first half, but I felt like the guys were getting consumed by everything around us.”

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Chiefs Win The Super Bowl

Mahomes and Jalen Hurt shone in the first Super Bowl featuring two Black starting quarterbacks. However, Mahomes turned it up in the second half after aggravating a sprained right ankle.

“It took everyone to win the game,” Mahomes exclaimed as red and yellow confetti rained down on the field.

Andy Reid, unable to win the big game in Philadelphia, defeated his former team to earn his second ring with Mahomes and the Chiefs.

“We wanted this for him,” Travis Kelce said. “His legacy in Philadelphia will live on forever… There’s a lot of pride in knowing he’s succeeded in two organizations, but this was the better one.”

With the score tied at 35-35, the Eagles attempted to allow the Chiefs to score a touchdown with less than two minutes remaining to regain possession after a defensive holding call on cornerback James Bradberry on third-and-8 gave Kansas City a first down. However, Jerick McKinnon slipped at the 2, forcing the Eagles to call their final timeout.

“It was still holding. I yanked on his jersey. “I was hoping they’d let it go,” Bradberry explained.

Butker nailed his kick after Mahomes took two knees, sending thousands of red-clad Chiefs fans into a frenzy.

“It feels amazing just to see the confetti,” Butker said after missing a 42-yard field goal in the first quarter. “I just tried to concentrate on one kick and the process.”

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Chiefs Won 50 Years After Their First Win

Following the 2019 season, the Chiefs won their second Super Bowl, 50 years after the first. In that game, Mahomes led them back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter against San Francisco. It only took three years to secure another Lombardi.

The Chiefs fans outnumbered the Philadelphia fans in the stadium, but they did their part to quiet them down with the tomahawk chop chant.

With Mahomes limping and the Chiefs (17-3) trailing 24-14, Rihanna’s electrifying halftime performance was followed by a sensational offensive outburst.

Mahomes, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the divisional round, injured it again late in the second quarter on a 3-yard scramble. He hobbled off the field but had no negative impact on Kansas City’s next possession.

“I knew it was pretty bad when he got up limping, but I knew it wasn’t going to be bad enough for him to pull himself off the field,” said Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. “If we had yanked him off, I would have had to fight him. He’d most likely fought me. As a result, it wasn’t entertaining.”

Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles rushes for a first down (AP Photo/Ashley Landis).

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Several Players Lost Their Footing

Mahomes slipped in the pocket — several players lost their footing on the natural grass surface — but regained his balance and scrambled 14 yards to the Eagles 4, setting up Isiah Pacheco’s 1-yard touchdown run, cutting the deficit to 24-21.

Early in the fourth quarter, Mahomes threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Kadarius Toney, giving Kansas City its first lead, 28-27.

Toney returned a line-drive kick 65 yards to the Eagles 5 after the Chiefs tightened their defense, forcing Philly to punt. It was the longest punt return in Super Bowl history.

Mahomes connected with Skyy Moore on third down from the 4, extending their lead to 35-27. Moore was also completely open on the play.

But the Eagles refused to go away.

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“Fly Eagles Fly”

Hurts connected with DeVonta Smith for a 45-yard gain to the Chiefs 2 before running in for his third touchdown. With 5:15 remaining, he also ran in for the 2-point conversion to tie the game at 35-35.

Mahomes and the Chiefs returned to work as “Fly! Eagles! Fly!” chants echoed throughout the stadium.

Mahomes, 27, became the third player in NFL history to win his second MVP award before 28. He was also the youngest quarterback to start three Super Bowls. Mahomes finally broke the MVP curse, becoming the first player in nine years to win the Super Bowl in the same season.

Only five years after winning the franchise’s first Super Bowl, the Eagles (16-4) came close with a new coach and quarterback. In 2021, Nick Sirianni took over for Doug Pederson, and Hurts took over for Carson Wentz in late 2020.

Hurts set a Super Bowl record with 70 yards rushing and tied another with three touchdowns on the ground. He also passed for 304 yards and one touchdown.

“We use this pain, this failure, to motivate us so that we can turn it into a strength,” Sirianni explained.

Hurts, who missed two games late in the season due to a shoulder injury, scored on 1-yard and 4-yard runs in the first half and a 45-yard TD pass to A.J. Brown.

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The First Super Bowl Between Two No. 1 Seeds

On the other hand, Hurts made a rare error when he fumbled while scrambling away from pressure. Nick Bolton scooped it up and raced 36 yards for a 14-14 tie. Hurts only had eight turnovers this season, six interceptions and two fumbles.

Mahomes finished 21 of 27 for 182 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He gained 44 yards on the ground.

In the first quarter, Mahomes connected with Kelce on an 18-yard TD pass in the right corner to tie the game at 7-7. The Chiefs’ All-Pro tight end and Eagles’ All-Pro center Jason Kelce became the first brothers to face off in a Super Bowl.

Their mother, Donna Kelce, wore a half-red, half-green jersey with Travis’ number 87 on the front and Jason’s number 62 on the back. She was seated in the same suite as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Damar Hamlin.

After each score, Eagles fans turned State Farm Stadium into a sea of green, chanting “E-A-G-L-E-S!” and singing the team’s fight song. They were, however, let down.

During his 14 seasons with the Eagles, Reid won more games than any other coach in team history, but the one knock against him was that he couldn’t win the Super Bowl. Reid received his ring during his seventh season with the Chiefs. They returned the following year and were defeated by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Reid, who turns 65 next month, has ended any speculation about his retirement.

“If they want me, I’ll stay,” he explained.

The first Super Bowl between two No. 1 seeds since the Eagles defeated the Patriots 41-33 in February 2018 lived up to expectations. The Eagles scored the most points by a losing team in the third-highest-scoring Super Bowl.

SOURCE – (AP)

 

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Another Byron Win Has Hendrick On A Roll Heading Toward NASCAR Team’s 40th Anniversary Party

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AUSTIN, Texas – Hendrick Motorsports has much to be excited about as it approaches its 40th anniversary celebration in two weeks.

William Bryon dominated on Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas, earning his second NASCAR win. Alex Bowman finished in the top four for the third time in 2024 at COTA, while Kyle Larson won the Xfinity Series in a thrilling finale on Saturday.

That’s quite a leap ahead of the team’s planned festivities for race weekend at Martinsville Speedway, where Hendrick Motorsports won its first race with Geoff Bodine in 1984 while racing under the moniker All-Star Racing.

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Another Byron Win Has Hendrick On A Roll Heading Toward NASCAR Team’s 40th Anniversary Party

So far, the race has resulted in its party.

Byron is the only two-time winner in the season’s first six races. The first occurred in the Daytona 500, where Bowman and Hendrick finished 1-2 in NASCAR’s marquee event.

Byron’s victory at COTA was his 12th career win and first from the pole position.

“I mean, just seeing him qualify, he was so fluid. The same thing happened throughout the race. “Just seemed to put the car in all the right places,” Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon explained. “A lot of thanks to William for accomplishing such an excellent job. Takes the entire team, pit crew, and everyone. They’ve had a great start to the season. I can’t wait to see where they take it next.

The series will head to Richmond’s short track next week before returning to Martinsville on April 7.

“We’re going to shoot for the stars,” declared Byron’s crew chief, Rudy Fogle.

Hendrick hopes to have a strong showing at Martinsville, where team vehicles will be painted in unique red schemes, owner Rick Hendrick will drive the pace car, and Bodine and Gordon will serve as grand marshals.

In the last four years, a Hendrick driver has won a race in Martinsville. The team has won the most Cup Series races at any track on the circuit, with 28 total.

“Obviously Martinsville is big for the 40th anniversary,” he remarked.

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Another Byron Win Has Hendrick On A Roll Heading Toward NASCAR Team’s 40th Anniversary Party

Bowman triumphed there in 2021 and generated huge results during a crucial season. He has not won since 2022, has had two seasons of injuries, and will miss the playoffs in 2023.

“I don’t want to say, ‘Yeah, we’re back here 100%,’ but these last few weeks have been a step in the right direction,” Mr. Bowman said.

“I’m personally working as hard as I’ve ever worked,” he said. This year, I’m all in on every aspect, whether it’s extra shifts in the (simulator), correlating the tires, spending more time with the team, or training in the gym.”

Larson’s Xfinity victory was a surprise despite starting from the pole position. He had to start from the back because his squad needed to replace a broken brake rotor, but he fought his way through and took the victory in overtime.

hendrick

Another Byron Win Has Hendrick On A Roll Heading Toward NASCAR Team’s 40th Anniversary Party

Larson was the first NASCAR driver to win the pole and the race while leading only one lap. His victory was Hendrick Motorsports’ first in the Xfinity Series since the team returned in 2022.

The only blight on Hendrick’s successful weekend was Larson’s 17th-place result in Sunday’s race, which took him out of the Cup Series lead. Larson now ranks fifth, slightly ahead of Bryon.

All four Hendrick drivers are in the top 11, but Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs are the new season championship leaders.

SOURCE – (AP)

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Ohtani To Speak To Media For 1st Time Since Illegal Gambling, Theft Allegations Against Interpreter

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Los Angeles — Shohei Ohtani wants to talk to the media on Monday for the first time since allegations of illicit gambling and theft against the Los Angeles Dodgers player and his interpreter surfaced during the team’s trip to South Korea.

The Dodgers sacked their translator, Ippei Mizuhara, last week after the team opened the season with two games against the San Diego Padres in Seoul.

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Ohtani To Speak To Media For 1st Time Since Illegal Gambling, Theft Allegations Against Interpreter

Manager Dave Roberts encouraged Ohtani to address the issue openly. He stated that the two-way superstar made the decision.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Roberts explained. “I’m glad he’s going to speak up, share what he knows, and express his thoughts on the matter. I believe it will give us all a little more clarity.”

Mizuhara was let off the team after the Los Angeles Times and ESPN reported on his apparent ties to an illegal bookmaker and claimed from Ohtani’s attorneys that the Japanese star had been the victim of a “massive theft.”

Major League Baseball has launched an investigation into the matter. The Internal Revenue Service has stated that Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, an accused unlicensed bookmaker in Orange County, California, are under criminal investigation.

Will Ireton, the team’s performance operations manager, has taken over the translating duties from Ohtani. He had previously done the same for then-Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda, who is Japanese.

Ohtani made a quick cameo in the Dodgers’ clubhouse before Sunday’s Freeway Series opening against his former team, the Los Angeles Angels. The teams will play three exhibition games before the Dodgers meet St. Louis in their home opener on Thursday.

The crowd of 42,607 cheered Ohtani passionately each time he came to the plate in his first game as a Dodger in his hometown stadium. He went 0 for 2 as the designated hitter, walking once and striking out once before exiting.

He is also expected to play Monday in Los Angeles and Tuesday in Anaheim, where he was a two-time AL MVP before signing a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December.

Roberts stated that Ohtani has yet to address his teammates as a group.

ohtani

Ohtani To Speak To Media For 1st Time Since Illegal Gambling, Theft Allegations Against Interpreter

“I think that he’s had one-off conversations with players,” Mr. Roberts added.

The manager claimed he checked in with Ohtani to see how he was doing.

“He’s kind of business as usual,” Roberts explained.

Ohtani has a double locker in the Dodgers’ clubhouse, between the shower room and fellow Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is scheduled to make his second start of the season against St. Louis on Saturday.

On Sunday, additional security was deployed in the overcrowded clubhouse. In addition to the players and a slew of journalists, eight temporary lockers were built up at one end for minor leaguers brought in from Arizona for the Freeway Series.

Overhead televisions were tuned to men’s NCAA Tournament events, baseball, and horse racing, with former Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Paul Lo Duca providing TV handicapping suggestions for the day’s races.

ohtani

Ohtani To Speak To Media For 1st Time Since Illegal Gambling, Theft Allegations Against Interpreter

The MLB gambling policy is displayed in every clubhouse. Betting on baseball, legal or illegal, carries a one-year ban from the sport. The commissioner can impose penalties for illicit betting on other sports. Sports gambling is outlawed in California despite the fact that it is permitted in 38 other states and the District of Columbia.

“The mood in the room is get ready for baseball because I don’t hear a lot of conversations and speculation,” Roberts told reporters. “That’s why I think tomorrow is going to be good for everyone.”

SOURCE – (AP)

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British Runner Jasmin Paris Becomes First Woman To Finish Barkley Marathons, Just 99 Seconds Before Time Limit Expired

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A British runner, Jasmin Paris, became the first woman to complete the famed Barkley Marathons on Friday.

According to Keith Dunn, who attends the race and publishes updates on X (previously known as Twitter), Paris completed the difficult course in 59 hours, 58 minutes, and 21 seconds, barely 99 seconds, before the 60-hour time restriction expired.

The 40-year-old veterinarian was photographed collapsing over the finish line as she finished the event.

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British Runner Jasmin Paris Becomes First Woman To Finish Barkley Marathons, Just 99 Seconds Before Time Limit Expired

Paris was one of five finishers in the 2024 Barkley Marathons, with Ukrainian Ihor Very first, Americans John Kelly and Jared Campbell second and third, and Greig Hamilton of New Zealand fourth.

Verys, who finished at 58:44:59, said that Dunn added a sixth loop.

Campbell, who finished the Barkley Marathons for the fourth time in 59:30:32, claimed the new part was “brutal.” “You are a bad man.”

Paris made waves in 2019 when she won the 2019 Spine event. She became the first woman to win the 268-mile event and shaved 12 hours off the previous record.

The Barkley Marathons are notable for their arduous, near-impossible nature. Many consider it the world’s toughest and most punishing foot race.

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British Runner Jasmin Paris Becomes First Woman To Finish Barkley Marathons, Just 99 Seconds Before Time Limit Expired

Every year, the renowned ultramarathon that racer Gary Cantrell created takes place at Tennessee’s Frozen Head State Park. James Earl Ray’s 1977 jailbreak during which he assassinated Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. served as inspiration for the path.

Ray barely walked eight miles just over two days after escaping Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary before being apprehended, prompting Cantrell to speculate that he could travel 100 miles in the same amount of time.

The course is lengthy and indistinct, the inclines steep, and the terrain harsh, but only if you can manage the confusing admission system and earn a seat at the starting line.

The race consists of five circuits of about 20 miles each, for a total distance of 100 to 130 miles in brushy mountains with an elevation gain of roughly 63,000 feet. Athletes complete the race over three sleepless days and nights, with no aid stations, phones, or GPS to assist with navigation. Getting lost, as well as falling and being injured in the brush, is normal.

berkley

British Runner Jasmin Paris Becomes First Woman To Finish Barkley Marathons, Just 99 Seconds Before Time Limit Expired

The ultramarathon is marked with distinct unmanned checkpoints containing a paperback book. Athletes must rip out a page according to their bib number and have all the book pages in hand at the end of each loop to demonstrate that they reached each checkpoint.

Many need help to finish the races because of their difficulty, with no finishers between 2017 and 2023. It has a 99% dropout rate.

SOURCE – (CNN)

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