An NFL star has courted controversy by telling female graduates that one of their most important roles in life will be "homemaker".
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker also criticised abortion and LGBT Pride marches in a speech at Benedictine College, Kansas.
His team has not reacted to the three-time Super Bowl champ's comments. The NFL said it was a "personal" matter.
Nearly 160,000 people have signed a petition for the 28-year-old's firing.
In his 20-minute address last Saturday, he said to women graduates at the Catholic private college that they had been told "the most diabolical lies".
"Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world," he said.
"But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world."
Butker added that his wife's life had "truly started" when "she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother".
He added that Isabelle Butker had embraced "one of the most important titles of all: homemaker". Speaking about his marriage, he appeared to become emotional.
His speech also attacked IVF, surrogacy, "degenerate cultural values", "dangerous gender ideologies" and "the tyranny of diversity, equity and inclusion".
"Our nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but... has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies," he said in a reference to President Joe Biden.
The football league distanced itself from the remarks, saying they were given "in his personal capacity... his views are not those of the NFL".
The LGBT advocacy group GLAAD called Butker's speech "woefully out of step with Americans".
Many social media users also criticised the NFL star.
Stefanie Hills, a former NFL cheerleader for the Chiefs, said on TikTok: "The best part of your speech when you said 'stay in your lane' ten plus times. Bro, take your own advice."
But his remarks were cheered by many conservatives. And even staunchly liberal comedian Whoopi Goldberg defended Butker's right to express his views.
"These are his beliefs and he's welcome to them," she told her co-panellists on ABC's The View.
"I don't have to believe them. Right? I don't have to accept them."
His Chiefs teammates have stayed largely quiet about the uproar. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes told The Pat McAfee Show, a radio programme, that he did not often speak to his teammate.
"Honestly, I don't talk to Harrison all year long, man. I just let him do his thing," Mahomes said.
Meanwhile, Missouri's top prosecutor vowed to investigate the alleged doxxing on Wednesday of Butker through a social media account run by Kansas City's government.
The message, which revealed the neighbourhood in which the Butker family lives, was posted from a public account on X, formerly Twitter, that is controlled by the city.
Attorney General Andrew Bailey said the investigation would look into whether the post had violated the Missouri Human Rights Act and targeted Butker for "daring to express his religious beliefs".
It was deleted after about two hours. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has apologised for the message, calling it "clearly inappropriate".
Butker has played for the Chiefs since 2017. He broke the Chiefs' franchise record in 2022 with a 62-yard field goal and helped the team win its first Super Bowl of 50 years in 2020.
Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet made wholesale changes to his forward lines heading into Thursday night's Game 5 against the Edmonton Oilers. Only J.T. Miller's top line with Brock Boeser and Pius Suter remained the same.
The primary aim appeared to be reigniting franchise forward Elias Pettersson, who had struggled thus far in the postseason, with just one goal and four points in ten games. He was lined up on the wing with red-hot centre Elias Lindholm, along with Nils Höglander, who got back into the lineup after two games as a healthy scratch.
Tocchet wasn't the only one trying to get Pettersson going. Canucks fans showed their support as well with "Let's go, Petey!" chants ringing out around Rogers Arena ahead of the game and throughout the first period. Whether it was the new linemates or the vote of confidence from the fans, Pettersson was flying right from puck drop, creating a couple of chances early in the first period with some slick moves in the offensive zone.
It was the Canucks' fourth line, however, who came through with the offence in the first two periods.
Before that, the Oilers struck first. Ian Cole, who has struggled all series, turned the puck over multiple times on one shift to extend the Oilers' possession in the Canucks' zone, then had a pass skip over his stick to Leon Draisaitl behind the net, who set up Evander Kane for a quick shot that beat Arturs Silovs short side.
Lindholm nearly responded, as a Pettersson shot deflected off his body and got in behind Calvin Pickard. Lindholm slid the puck toward the net but Vincent Desharnais cleared it off the goal line.
The Canucks eventually got the tying goal from Carson Soucy, who returned to the lineup after a one-game suspension. The fourth line forced the puck into the offensive zone and Vasily Podkolzin, in his first game of the playoffs, had the puck knocked off his stick in the slot and it came to Soucy at the left point. He rifled a shot over Calvin Pickard's glove to make it 1-1.
The tie only lasted 22 seconds. Soucy, perhaps over-eager after his goal, chased a puck in the offensive zone while the Canucks had three forwards deep. That created a 3-on-1 the other way and Connor Brown set up Mattias Janmark for the 2-1 goal.
The Canucks took over the game in the second period, out-shooting the Oilers 17-to-4 in the middle frame. Only one of those shots hit the back of the net, however, and it was the fourth line again stepping up.
Nils Åman caught Evan Bouchard off-guard behind the Oilers' net with a quick forecheck, knocking the puck off his stick to Phil Di Giuseppe in front. The winger, who missed two games while his wife gave birth to their second child, celebrated fatherhood with a spinning backhand through Pickard's five-hole to tie the game.
The second period then took a controversial turn as Elias Pettersson was inexplicably called for charging on what appeared to be a typical reverse hit. The call had the Canucks confused, as well as veteran players and broadcasters, who had never seen the rule applied that way.
While fans voiced their displeasure with the call, it ultimately had little impact on the game, as the Canucks' penalty kill was dialed in, limiting the Oilers' dynamite power play to a handful of shots.
The Canucks continued to pour on the pressure in the third period, hemming the Oilers into their zone for long stretches of time but were still unable to get another puck past Pickard. It took until the final minute for the Canucks to break through with the game-winning goal.
When the goal finally came, it was the Elias connection creating the chance. Lindholm carried the puck in on the right wing and threw it in front for Pettersson to tip on net. His deflection hit the post but J.T. Miller jumped on the rebound to chip it in.
A game removed from feeling responsible for the Oilers' game-winning goal in the final minute, Miller scored the game-winning goal for the Canucks in the final minute.
The clutch goal gave the Canucks the well-deserved 3-2 win in the game and the 3-2 lead in the series.
BOXSCORE
Need a more in-depth recap of the game with more highlights, analysis, quips, and quotes? Read the I Watched This Game feature later this evening or tomorrow morning. Don't forget to follow @passittobulis on X/Twitter to stay updated on the Canucks throughout the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Published May 16, 2024 • Last updated 43 minutes ago • 4 minute read
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There goes the last of the breathing room.
One more misstep, one more extended lull like they served up in a crucial Game 5 loss, and the Edmonton Oilers are done.
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In a cruel reversal of what happened in Game 4, when Evan Bouchard scored the game winner with 38.1 seconds left in regulation, Vancouver’s J.T Miller turned the tables Thursday in Game 5, shaking off Connor McDavid in front of the Edmonton net and scoring the back-breaker with 32.6 to play.
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“They get a bounce (off the post) and they probably deserved a bounce, I thought they were the better team,” said McDavid. “We got off to a great start, generating chances and power plays but we didn’t capitalize well enough in the first period.
“Then, after the first period, I thought they were the better team over the last 40 minutes. We couldn’t find a way to generate much, even on the power play.”
And now the Oilers, who were on their heels for most of this 3-2 defeat, are trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven and in serious trouble. In a series where neither side has been able to win two games in a row, the Oilers will have to do it now.
Or never.
“We just have to go home, win a game and go from there,” said Oilers winger Zach Hyman. “We can be better.”
They HAVE to be a lot better.
For the first time since Game 1, Vancouver was the better team, and by a considerable margin, for most of the night. They outshot Edmonton 35-23 (including 17-4 in the second period) and made it clear from the midway mark of this one that they were not going to be denied.
“I thought we deserved to win the game today,” said Miller. “Once we got our legs under us in the first we really played well. The second period was our best period at home in a while. I thought we carried that into the third and it was just a matter of time.”
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With Rogers Arena echoing with sympathy chants of ‘Let’s Go Petey,’ as Canucks fans pleaded with an underachieving Elias Pettersson to do something, he finally did.
His assist on the game-winning goal brought down the house, and might have just brought down the Oilers.
This one could have gone a different way considering how Edmonton started, but in a all-too-familiar theme the Oilers didn’t bear down around the net and let too many chances slip through their fingers. They had a 2-1 lead in the first period and three power plays with which to extend their lead, but couldn’t pull away.
“We had a lot of opportunities in the first period to put the game away, whether it was on the power play or chances five-on-five and we just couldn’t get an additional goal to put them away,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. “We let them hang around and hang around.”
Calvin Pickard had a brilliant night in goal, keeping the Oilers in a game they had no business being in and giving them a chance to steal a 3-2 series lead.
But they never took it.
It was another quiet night from McDavid, who was held without a point for the second time in the series. He has one assist in the last three games.
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PAN ADVANTAGE
Edmonton went five-for-10 on the power play in the first four games of the series but wasn’t ready for Vancouver’s pressure kill in Game 5. The Oilers went zero-for-five on the man advantage in the first two periods.
Five-on-four production has been Edmonton’s life blood for years but it let them down when they needed it most.
“We did some good things out there but we weren’t good enough, obviously,” said Hyman. “We didn’t generate as much as we usually do.”
On the special teams bright side, Edmonton’s penalty killing was four-for-four.
FOURTH AND GOAL
The depth scoring Edmonton has been looking for reared up late in the first period when the fourth line — Connor Brown setting up Mattias Janmark on a two-on-one — to kill the buzz in Rogers Arena just 23 seconds after Vancouver tied it 1-1.
GIVING THEM LIFE
Evan Bouchard giveth and Evan Bouchard taketh away.
The clutch and gifted defenceman scored the winning goals in Games 2 and 4 but turned the momentum Vancouver’s way in the second period when his behind-the-net turnover gave the Canucks an easy one to tie it 2-2.
Vancouver used that goal like a shot of adrenalin and went on a rampage, outshooting Edmonton 17-4 in the middle frame, even though the Canucks spent four minutes short-handed.
The Oilers were lucky to make it to the second intermission with a 2-2 tie, thanks to another excellent period from Pickard.
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57.
The Regina-born broadcaster was a mainstay of Canadian sports media. Dutchyshen began his TSN career in 1995 hosting weekend editions of SportsDesk. Over the following three decades, he was best known for hosting late-night editions of SportsCentre, the network’s flagship program.
“Darren’s incredible sense of humour and magnetic energy made him a natural broadcaster who connected easily with viewers.” Stewart Johnston, Bell Media's senior vice president of sales and sports, told TSN.ca.
Johnston called him a “legend of Canadian sports broadcasting, a great teammate, and an essential part of TSN for the last three decades.”
He was also outspoken about his battle with prostate cancer, which pushed him to take a break from anchoring SportsCentre in 2021.
One year later, he returned to the air and revealed the cancer was still present throughout his body. Despite that, he said he felt compelled to work.
“The place that I feel best is right here,” he said.
“You are the best in this country at this job,” co-anchor Jennifer Hedger responded. “With a bullet, not even close.”
That fall, Dutchyshen returned to his home province of Saskatchewan to host TSN’s coverage of the Grey Cup.
He “carried on as if he’d never been gone,” said sportscaster Rod Smith, who worked with Dutchyshen for several years, in TSN’s tribute video remembering Dutchyshen.
Through his career, Dutchyshen maintained respect and comradery with his coworkers and community, said Smith.
Dutchyshen was “tough, yet friendly, funny engaging and kind; truly, one of a kind,” he said.
Surrounded by loved ones
In a statement to TSN, his family wrote, “He passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones."
“His sharp wit remained until his final moments, classically delivering plenty of jokes – most of them pretty good and all of them inappropriate.”
The network says it plans to honour Dutchyshen over the coming days, inviting close friends and co-workers to share stories of his character and storied career.
Born in 1966 in Regina, Dutchyshen was raised in Porcupine Plain, Sask., about 260 kilometres from the capital.
He got his first job with STV in Saskatoon. Following a brief placement at IMTV in Dauphin, Man., he hosted ITV’s Sports Night in Edmonton. He also hosted Olympic Prime Time on TSN during the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, and again for the London 2012 Summer Games.
Long-time TSN personality and SportsCentre host Darren Dutchyshen passed away Wednesday after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 57.
“Darren Dutchyshen was a legend of Canadian sports broadcasting, a great teammate, and an essential part of TSN for the last three decades,” said Stewart Johnston, Senior Vice President, Sales & Sports, Bell Media.
“A larger-than-life personality, Darren’s incredible sense of humour and magnetic energy made him a natural broadcaster who connected easily with viewers. His enthusiasm reminded us every day of why we love sports. Most significantly, Darren was a friend to all of us at TSN, and we will miss him dearly. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with his loved ones.”
One of Canada’s most popular and engaging sports personalities, Dutchyshen began his TSN career in 1995, hosting weekend editions of SportsDesk and CFL Live.
Dutchyshen became a beloved mainstay on TSN’s flagship news program over the next three decades, hosting the late night editions of SportsCentre alongside co-anchor Rod Smith and later with Jennifer Hedger.
Dutchyshen played a key role in the Kraft Celebration Tour, taking SportsCentre on the road across the country for several years, and was the co-host of the boxing show In This Corner with Canadian trainer and cutman Russ Anber. He also hosted Olympic Prime Time on TSN during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games and London 2012 Summer Games.
Born in Regina and raised in Porcupine Plain, Sask., Dutchyshen’s first job as a sportscaster was with STV in Saskatoon, followed by a stint with IMTV in Dauphin, Man. He also spent seven years as the host of ITV’s Sports Night in Edmonton.
“He passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones,” the Dutchyshen family said. “His sharp wit remained until his final moments, classically delivering plenty of jokes – most of them pretty good and all of them inappropriate.”
We will be honouring Dutch here at TSN over the coming days, as some of his closest friends and co-workers will share their stories about what made him truly one of a kind.
It’s not over for the Colorado Avalanche just yet, and Nathan MacKinnon seemed to send a message to the Dallas Stars after Game Five: We’ve been in your position, and we know it’s not easy.
MacKinnon, who was dead tired by the end of the interview and was “running out of words,” reminisced back to the 2022 Stanley Cup run when his Avalanche squad failed to close out the Blues and Lightning in Game Five when they had the chance. The way he said it almost sounded like he was playing a bit of the mental game with the Stars, who now will have some pressure on them to avoid having to fly back to Dallas for a Game Seven.
The Avalanche star also talked about that late goal at the end of the first period and how his team isn’t going to just roll over and die.
It wasn’t all good news for the Avalanche, as they had to play the majority of the game without Yakov Trenin. He left in the first period and never came back. After the game, Jared Bednar gave an update on his status…kind of. Bednar also talked about his dominant stars, including Cale Makar, as well as why he decided to split up the MacKinnon/Rantanen combination.
Avalanche Forward Nathan MacKinnon
MacKinnon on leaning on experience:
“We’ve never really chased a 3-1 deficit recently, but we know how it felt after we lost to St. Louis when we were up 3-1. It felt like the world was ending. Same thing with Tampa in the finals. It’s a lot. Obviously we won the Game 6s, but it doesn’t feel great when you let a team back in. It’s our job to put a little pressure on them.”
MacKinnon on the last second goal in the first:
“Yeah, it’s huge. We’re not chasing the game. Same thing after the second. We’re not chasing it. We just feel like we’re hanging around and just not going away. That was a key tonight. Just no quit.”
Avalanche Forward Jonathan Drouin
Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar
ON CALE MAKAR’S SECOND GOAL:
“I think he did that like three times. He drove one right to the paint, and I don’t know what it hit, I haven’t seen it on replay, but he drove it right in there all the way down to Oettinger. They did a nice job sort of picking everyone else up. To be able to recognize that and not just shoot it from distance after you beat a guy and to be able to drive it in the paint takes an elite level of patience and awareness and skill. And he showed that multiple times tonight. They’re doing such a good job getting in the shooting lanes. Everyone one of our D or theirs doesn’t have the ablity (like Makar) to dance a guy in space and get to the net, right? It takes elite skill to be able to do that and there’s only a handful of guys in the league that can do it. And he ends up doing it multiple times tonight to create that scoring chance. It’s just high skill awareness. Understanding your opponent I’m sure is part of it and what they’re trying to do. Great on him. That’s what we need from him. Obviously we need that now especially where we’re at in the series. His skill shines through and his competitiveness shines through tonight.’’
SPLITTING UP MACKINNON/RANTANEN… THOUGHTS ON THE RESULTS OF THAT:
“No complaints. I was asked earlier why and we weren’t producing. We weren’t producing enough to win and I think as a coach, you want to try and stay with it. Let the team respond. Let the line respond to whatever tactical and systematic things you can give them. But at some point you might need to change it to get a spark. It’s always a balance of just going to something new or changing it too early. They’ve proven in the past that they can come back. And they might have had a great game together tonight. I don’t know. But I did like both those lines. (Drouin), he played a really good Game four coming back from injury. He’s had chemistry with MacK so we put him there and obviously they had a good night and same thing with Mikko. Impactful plays like he gets in on the forecheck. Good breakout, good dump, good forecheck to sort of create the Parise to Girard shot that Mittelstadt scores on. So I mean, we’re happy with the change. No question. I don’t think we can we can sort of look back and say we’re not. We got the win. That’s the most important thing.”
UPDATE ON YAKOV TRENIN:
“He wasn’t good enough to come back in the game. I don’t know if it’s anything serious. But if he misses next game, it’s serious enough and then we’ll see like we’ll see how he presents tomorrow, what kind of work the trainers can do on him. And we’ll try to get him ready to go and if he’s not ready, we’d have to put somebody else in.”
ON HIS AVALANCHE FINALLY GETTING A LEAD:
“Oh, yeah. Definitely. Like to get our first lead in the series even though it’s been close for long periods of time. Then they gotta push. Like, we haven’t forced them throughout the course of this series to push and have to try and create. They are a smart, disciplined, well coached, well balanced hockey team. Part of that is, you’re allowed to be that more often when you’re not behind. So it was frustrating because I thought we had a good first period. When that turnover finally happens we were talking and trying to make sure we’re disciplined and pushing to try and get the first goal and still defending the right way and we haven’t been able to get it. And we finally get it in the third period, so that helps. You can see that, even though there’s 18 minutes left, they have to get more guys involved in their attack to try and create. Hopefully we’re defending well enough throughout the course of the series that they’re gonna have to put more guys involved in the rush and O-zone play. And we’re able to capitalize again so it’s I think it’s huge to be able to get that and gives our team room to breathe. They are a disciplined group and resilient group so you get the lead I don’t think the comeback goal rattled us at all. W’ve got lots of time to keep pushing, keep doing the right things and just stressing the right things on the bench. But they were bought into it tonight. It was a really big group effort here.”
Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar
ON ALEXANDAR GEORGIEV’S RESOLVE:
“Yeah, I mean, playoffs can be unique. You can have off games sometimes, but it’s about how you recover and how you’re mentally strong enough to bring it back. And obviously, going back to the last series, it was a tough first game for the whole team, it wasn’t just him. Then he just completely picked it up and changed his mindset in the second game and he’s been awesome for us. And so, again, that just goes back to that toughness and the mentality that it doesn’t matter anymore. You’re kind of just going day-by-day.”
Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev
ON THAT LAST SECOND GOAL IN THE FIRST
“Yeah, it was huge. We didn’t want to be down one coming into the second. I felt we played so great the first period, spending so much time in their zone, creating good chances and great feeling to capitalize on that and we have a little energy coming into the second.”
As the Professional Women’s Hockey League feels its way through an inaugural season with a more physical game, the realities of high-octane pro hockey were felt Wednesday when top-seeded Toronto lost its marquee scorer, Natalie Spooner, for the rest of the playoffs after a collision earlier this week.
Spooner’s hockey postseason is over after she suffered a knee injury in Game 3 of her team’s semi-final playoff series against Minnesota on Monday.
Game 4 was Wednesday night in Minnesota with Toronto leading the best-of-five series 2-1.
The Canadian Olympic gold medalist took an awkward hit in the boards from Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle. Spooner hit the boards on her left side, then fell awkwardly while entangled with Zumwinkle. The 33-year-old Toronto star remained curled up on the ice before crawling off through the open door of her team’s bench. Trainers helped Spooner out of the tunnel as she hopped along, avoiding weight on her left side.
It’s a massive loss for Toronto in its quest to win the first Walter Cup. Spooner led the PWHL with 20 goals and 27 points in 24 games during the regular season and had a goal and one assist in three playoff games. She’s arguably the league’s MVP. Opponents have struggled all year to move the 5-foot-10, 170-pound power forward off the puck. She is elusive, aware on the ice, tough to catch on a breakaway, and especially immovable when she plants herself in front of an opposing goalie.
There was no call on the hit on Spooner. A PWHL player safety committee did not deem the play illegal or ill-intentioned. Spooner, put on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) on Wednesday, has not yet spoken about it.
The loss of Spooner and the league’s tough play has put the PWHL under a microscope.
Players wanted more body contact in their league, saying they are well-trained athletes, strong enough and fit enough to allow more body contact in their fast, skillful game. Most of the women – especially those who have played in feisty Canada-USA battles – were used to a degree of intense, physical hockey. So the PWHL, looking to be innovative, gave leeway for a more physical brand, but insisted player safety be respected.
But how much physicality is too much? There have been lots of hits this year, plenty clean, but others resulting in major penalties, suspensions, or missed games for injured players. Most recently, those included two hits that drew punishments earlier this month. Minnesota forward Liz Schepers faced a $500 fine for her hit along the boards on New York’s Jill Saulnier, who was not carrying the puck. Montreal’s Sara Lefort was suspended one game for an open-ice hit on Boston’s Jamie Lee Rattray – one that caused Rattray to miss the start of her team’s playoff series with Montreal. Boston’s Lexie Adzija received a five-minute major and was ejected from Game 2 for a hit to the head of Montreal’s Laura Stacey.
Boston beat Montreal 3-0 in that series to advance to the final.
While no one wants injuries, the PWHL’s senior VP of hockey operations, Jayna Hefford, says that the physical play has been well received by players and fans. They’ve held video sessions throughout the season with player reps and coaches around the standard of play, and things that need cleaning up.
“We’ve had some players go on LTIR that had nothing to do with the level of physicality, and we have a few that probably have,” Hefford said. “But we also have a chief medical officer, Dr. Tina Atkinson, and there has been no flag raised that the standard of play has elevated the number of injuries this season. If she ever said ‘this is getting too much’, then we would need to would respond to that. But that’s not the case.”
Body checking has never been banned in women’s international hockey, but it has been called more strictly. But in the PWHL’s rule book, according to Rule 52, “Body Checking,” allows for contact “when there is a clear intention of playing the puck or attempting to ‘gain possession’ of the puck.”
Open-ice hits are not allowed in the PWHL. Two players chasing a puck are “reasonably allowed to push and lean into each other provided that ‘possession of the puck’ remains the sole object.” It adds that “The referee, at their discretion, may assess a match penalty if, in their judgment, the player attempted to or deliberately injured her opponent by bodychecking.”
The director of the players’ union says “we wanted contact, we relish it, we value it, but it’s got to have a limit, and we think we’re close to that limit now.”
“This is what the women asked for, what they wanted, what they signed up for, and what they want to continue,” said Brian Burke, executive director of the Professional Women’s Hockey League Players Association. “But my view is – and I’ve told the players this – we’ve got a real good level of contact that’s permitted, but it can’t go up from here. It cannot increase.”
He offers this from his experience in the men’s game: “We don’t want this player pool to suffer the same kind of injuries that we all did.”
“I think we’ve got really good people in charge,” Burke said about the PWHL’s player-safety committee. “I think they understand the limits that have to be observed.”
Many players have spoken positively about the body contact, happy to have the freedom to display their strength and the power, along with their finesse and speed.
“I think we can lead in the physicality factor but if other teams bring it to us, we’re going to give it right back and so it depends on what teams bring that day,” Toronto’s Sarah Nurse said earlier in this series. “But I think that we do a lot of dictating out there and you know, testing the officiating a little bit seeing what is going to be allowed, what we’re going to get away with.”
Hefford says the increased physicality in the PWHL has prompted talk at various levels of the female game about when and how to introduce contact to its players. This has not been taught as widely throughout the female game as it is in male hockey.
“There’s been a lot of discussion around, you know, we need to educate players much earlier, in terms of how to take a hit, how to not put yourself in a vulnerable position,” Hefford said. “I think those are things that should be taught anyways, because whether there is increased physicality or not, those dangerous hits happen, and they’ve happened before in the women’s game in the previous standard of play.”
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Published May 15, 2024 • Last updated 5 hours ago • 5 minute read
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Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi brought the heat while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a heated moment following a called third strike that nearly got him tossed had manager John Schneider not interjected.
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Baseball’s regular season has yet to heat up, a time normally reserved for pennant runs and playoff posturing. Heck, the Jays find themselves in the AL East basement.
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Still, their stay in Baltimore — which featured only two games because the one Tuesday was rained out — did have a different feel, the kind of feel that makes one pine for the playoffs.
Daulton Varsho stole the show in Monday’s series opener when he prevented a homer, hit a homer and then knocked in the winning run in the 10th inning.
As good as Monday’s game was, Wednesday’s series finale was even been better on multiple levels because it featured everything baseball has to offer, including the misery of losing and the exhilaration of victory.
Tough losses have characterized the Jays, but none was as tough in watching Adley Rutschman taking Jordan Romano deep for a walk-off homer that gave Baltimore its 3-2 win on what was Rutschman’s third long ball of the series.
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The Jays had more than their share of chances, but their maligned and measly offence once again abandoned them. Five hits were recorded, including two by Bo Bichette, who drove in both runs.
Toronto’s pitching was very good — elite, in fact — until Romano, whose ninth inning began with a weird bounce that placed the leadoff runner at first on an infield hit.
On Monday, Rutschman went yard on solo blasts. A solo shot Wednesday would only have tied the game. The game had so many twists and turns, tension and drama, capped off by the walk-off blast.
Kikuchi showed his athletic side in making a bareheaded catch before stepping on the bag at first base for the out.
It continued with a stellar Zach Pop, who came in relief — surprisingly, it must be added — when Schneider pulled Kikuchi with one out in the fifth inning.
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It would follow with Yimi Garcia keeping the O’s scoreless despite the bases being loaded. Tim Mayza followed suit before Romano gave it all away.
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SIX-CESS
Bichette’s bat became a predictable topic of conversation when he struggled, seemingly looking lost at the plate and even getting tossed for the first time in his career on a called third strike when the Jays recently were in Washington.
His track record is pretty indisputable.
In other words, it only was a matter of time before Bichette began to find his groove.
When he led off the second inning with a hit, Bichette extended his hitting streak to six games.
Having recorded a season-high three hits in Monday’s series opener, Bichette banged out his second hit in successive at-bats against O’s starter Kyle Bradish.
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This one cashed in two runs when Bichette went the opposite field on a two-out double, his sixth of the season, in the top of the third inning to give the Jays a 2-1 lead.
In his previous 17 games heading into Wednesday, Bichette had driven in three combined runs.
BY GEORGE, HE’S BACK
At no point has Toronto’s order featured Davis Schneider at leadoff with George Springer being available.
Springer was one of a handful of players feeling under the weather Monday, paving the way for Davis Schneider to lead off.
Springer returned to the lineup Wednesday and was back to his familiar role at leadoff at a time when he should be moved down in the order based on how little he has produced.
After leading off the game with a groundout, Springer stepped up to the plate with one out in the third inning.
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His 10-pitch at-bat saw him foul off four two-strike pitches.
Springer then caught a much-needed break when a soft liner hit the top of the bag at third base that resulted in a double, his first extra-base hit since April 29.
Schneider stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded in the fifth inning with two outs. The count went full and, after fouling off a pitch,
Had the rain not reigned supreme Tuesday in Baltimore, Chris Bassitt would have started for the Blue Jays in what should have been the second game of a three-game set.
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Instead, the game was postponed, to be made up as part of a traditional doubleheader on July 29.
The Jays could have elected to start Bassitt on Wednesday, but decided to keep Kikuchi on turn.
As a result, Bassitt is scheduled to take the bump Friday when Tampa visits Rogers Centre.
It should be pointed out that Bassitt has not fared that well in Baltimore, yielding five home runs in three starts.
The O’s are also a lefty-centric lineup so, in theory, Kikuchi seemed like a logical choice.
As that sage Mike Tyson once opined: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
One batter into Kikuchi’s outing and he was taken deep by Jordan Westburg, who went the opposite field in recording his seventh long ball of the season.
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Gunnar Henderson, a switch hitter, was at the top of Baltimore’s order when the series began with Jose Berrios on the mound for the Jays.
Berrios gave up two home runs, solo shots off the bat of Rutschman, who hit second in Wednesday’s order.
Kikuchi struck out Rutschman and then struck out Ryan Mountcastle. Following a two-out walk to Henderson, Jays pitching coach Pete Walker made a mound visit.
As for Bassitt, he’ll pitch on an evening dubbed “Country Night.”
Adding to Friday’s occasion is the start coincides with “Hound on the Mound’’ bobblehead giveaway night.
Bassitt previously pitched on May 8, when he gave up three hits over 6.1 innings in earning the win in Philadelphia.
When the Jays opened the season with a four-game stay in Tampa, Bassitt yielded five runs (four earned) in five innings when the Rays beat the Jays.
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