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Despite being the social-media savvy guy that I am (what’s Snapchat again?), sometimes I am woefully unaware of some well-known people out there (this is not necessarily a bad thing). Case in point: Zack Hemple, who is known as Foul Ball Guy. As his Twitter account notes, he is a baseball collector. On Sunday, he tweeted this: That’s Hemple at the Marlins-Braves game played Sunday at Fort Bragg, N.C. As…

Baseball fans Sharon DeWulf, of Colona, and her daughter, Jennifer DeWulf, of Moline, pose for a photo Monday at the Baseball Hall of Fame Tour at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport.

From the time Frank Menendez was introduced to ultimate Frisbee in the parking lot at a Grateful Dead concert in the 1980s, the sport has made a steady ascent up the collective sporting consciousness. In 2014, the U.S. Olympic Committee recognized it as an official sport, paving the way for possible entry in the games as early as 2024. Participation has risen to around 5 million people in the U.S.,…

After this most tumultuous and savagely unpredictable of summers it was reassuring to find a national institution on which Britain can rely. This was supposed to be the toughest test of Andy Murray’s Wimbledon so far. Instead it became a dazzling a concerto of his talents, which appear to be widening even as his 30th birthday looms into distant view. Long before the end his opponent, Nick Kyrgios, looked beaten…

A quandary for the sporty ladies: If you’re going to the beach, and you want to be active, what do you wear? This summer, you don’t have to choose between rocking a cute bikini and staying secure in a sports bra, because swimsuit and athleisure companies are bringing you both in one. Presenting… the sporty two-piece! For A-B cups, we recommend… Lululemon Lululemon Free to Be Bra H20: $58; Be…

From the time Frank Menendez was introduced to ultimate Frisbee in the parking lot at a Grateful Dead concert in the 1980s, the sport has made a steady ascent up the collective sporting consciousness. In 2014, the U.S. Olympic Committee recognized it as an official sport, paving the way for possible entry in the games as early as 2024. Participation has risen to around 5 million people in the U.S.,…

The Oklahoma City Thunder have no choice. They have to do it. They have to trade Russell Westbrook as soon as possible. Now that Kevin Durant is gone, there’s almost no chance that Westbrook, who will be a free agent next summer, re-signs with the Thunder. Yes, he’d be walking away from more money, but without Durant, Oklahoma City will not be a title contender. Westbrook is a supernova of…

The highest court in sports will use a fast-track procedure to hear Russia’s appeal against the ban on its track and field athletes from the Olympics, saying Monday that a ruling would be issued on July 21. The Russian Olympic Committee and track and field’s world governing body, the IAAF, said Sunday that Russia’s appeal on behalf of 68 athletes would be heard July 19 at the Court of Arbitration…

From the time Frank Menendez was introduced to ultimate Frisbee in the parking lot at a Grateful Dead concert in the 1980s, the sport has made a steady ascent up the collective sporting consciousness. In 2014, the U.S. Olympic Committee recognized it as an official sport, paving the way for possible entry in the games as early as 2024. Participation has risen to around 5 million people in the U.S.,…

The Zika virus may be deadly serious, but is it really a potent enough reason to explain the withdrawal of Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and many other star golfers from the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro?    There’s a more likely explanation: The Olympics simply are not a priority for them. Which is why golfers, along with stars from other already enriched sports, have no place in the Olympics. Think of…

Iceland’s fairy-tale run at Euro 2016 finally got its ending, and it wasn’t really a happy one. Hosts France dealt the Nordic nation an emphatic 5-2 defeat in Sunday’s quarterfinal, stopping the team’s unexpected march through its first-ever international tournament. But the gritty Icelanders have already been crowned the people’s champions, and the country’s football association signed off with a tweet expressing gratitude, and a promise. Soon after, hundreds of…

BRUSSELS—Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and five other Spanish soccer clubs will have to return tens of millions of euros to Spain’s federal and regional governments after benefiting from illegal tax breaks, the European Union’s antitrust regulator said. The European Commission said Monday a series of tax breaks, property deals, loans and bank guarantees gave those clubs an unfair advantage over their domestic competitors. …

Michael Phelps during the men’s 100-meter butterfly finals in the U.S. Olympic swimming team trials at CenturyLink Center.(Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports) USA Swimming unveiled its official Olympic roster Sunday night, following the completion of its eight-day qualifying meet. The headliners are those you’d expect, from 18-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps (who will swim three individual events — the 100- and 200-meter butterfly and the 200 individual medley) to the current…

Kevin Durant is joining forces with the Splash Brothers. The free-agent superstar forward announced Monday he would join the Golden State Warriors after a whirlwind weekend of listening to pitches from six NBA teams. From his announcement on The Players’ Tribune: This has been by far the most challenging few weeks in my professional life. I understood cognitively that I was facing a crossroads in my evolution as a player…

Iceland’s fairy-tale run at Euro 2016 finally got its ending, and it wasn’t really a happy one. Hosts France dealt the Nordic nation an emphatic 5-2 defeat in Sunday’s quarterfinal, stopping the team’s unexpected march through its first-ever international tournament. But the gritty Icelanders have already been crowned the people’s champions, and the country’s football association signed off with a tweet expressing gratitude, and a promise. Soon after, hundreds of…

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<!– FOOTBALL GOSSIP German big guns Bayer Leverkusen are lining up a shock bid for Celtic defender Efe Ambrose. The Bundesliga side are preparing an offer of £1.5million for the Nigerian. (Daily Record) Ambrose is unlikely to figure in Brendan Rodgers’ long-term plans, but Celtic have a defensive crisis – Dedryck Boyata and Jozo Simunovic are injured while Charlie Mulgrew has yet to agree a new deal – ahead of…

There are two new trends in the world of sports betting that you might have missed: Entity betting and eSports gambling. Reports this week on both trends highlight the changing nature of the field. First, if you don’t know what “eSports” is, you’re not alone—it’s the latest in video games. And betting on the activity, which is basically placing bets on other people gaming, has grown to $8 billion in…

Iceland’s fairy-tale run at Euro 2016 finally got its ending, and it wasn’t really a happy one. Hosts France dealt the Nordic nation an emphatic 5-2 defeat in Sunday’s quarterfinal, stopping the team’s unexpected march through its first-ever international tournament. But the gritty Icelanders have already been crowned the people’s champions, and the country’s football association signed off with a tweet expressing gratitude, and a promise. Soon after, hundreds of…

There was a sense of wonderment from every perspective Sunday when Major League Baseball staged the first regular-season professional game on an active military base. The unlikely convergence of efforts that brought the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves together on this field that rose from a ramshackle abandoned golf course in less than four months crystalized when the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade flew four giant military helicopters out of the…