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By: Andrew Joseph | May 15, 2016 8:33 pm Follow @andyj0seph

Our daily fantasy baseball picks continue with starting pitcher rankings, strategy, and advice for Monday’s MLB slate. There are nine games on the schedule today, and with no true “aces” among the probable starters, finding the right pitcher won’t be easy. One strategy is to play the splits and gamble on someone like Jon Niese against the Braves or John Lamb against the Indians (i.e. teams that struggle against lefties). You…

As Joe Maddon passed by a small contingent of fans beyond the left field bleachers at Wrigley Field before Friday’s game, one fan found the courage to yell “try not to suck” at the Cubs manager. That “Maddonism” has become the rallying cry for Cubs Nation in 2016, but baseball isn’t always that simple. Maddon can’t simply tell Jorge Soler to “try not to suck.” Soler entered play Sunday hitting .174,…

In August 1909, The Forward, a Yiddish-language daily newspaper for New York’s newly arrived Jewish immigrants, printed a front-page guide to the game of baseball, including a crudely drawn ballpark. The feature, titled “The Fundamentals of the Base-Ball ‘Game’ Described for Non-Sports Fans,” may now seem quaint. But historians say it speaks to Eastern European Jews’ struggle to fit into American society, and how generations of them sought acceptance through…

Police sniffer dogs were used at Old Trafford as part of the security check An “urgent” inquiry has been demanded after a dummy bomb used in a security exercise caused a Premier League match at Old Trafford to be postponed. The game between Manchester United and Bournemouth was called off after the item was discovered close to kick-off. A controlled explosion was carried out on the device, which police said…

FILE – In this file photo taken on Wednesday, April 20, 2016, Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko gestures while speaking during a news conference after he addressed the upper chamber of the Russian parliament in Moscow.(Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko, AP) Russia’s Minister of Sport apologized for athletes and coaches who have broken anti-doping rules as the country’s track and field athletes face a ban from competing at the Summer Olympics in…

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Rougned Odor‘s powerful punch to Jose Bautista’s jaw will be remembered for a long time. Perhaps it’s a good thing the Rangers and Blue Jays have played for the final time this regular season. As for the playoffs, well, that would be interesting. A feud simmering since Bautista’s bat flip in last year’s AL Division Series boiled over into a wild brawl that ultimately triggered six…

x Embed x Share Austin Dillon and Kasey Kahne share their thoughts on the upcoming race in Dover. USA TODAY Sports Matt Kenseth (20) crosses the finish line ahead of Kyle Larson (42) to win the AAA 400 Drive For Autism at Dover International Speedway.(Photo: Matthew O’Haren, USA TODAY Sports) DOVER, Del. — This was the sort of race NASCAR envisioned as it massaged rules and changed aerodynamic packages and tried…

Most Major League Baseball brawls don’t involve much more than a lot of pushing, posturing and harsh words. But Sunday’s brouhaha between the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays woke up fans with a punch for the ages, courtesy of Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor. …

In August 1909, The Forward, a Yiddish-language daily newspaper for New York’s newly arrived Jewish immigrants, printed a front-page guide to the game of baseball, including a crudely drawn ballpark. The feature, titled “The Fundamentals of the Base-Ball ‘Game’ Described for Non-Sports Fans,” may now seem quaint. But historians say it speaks to Eastern European Jews’ struggle to fit into American society, and how generations of them sought acceptance through…

By: Andrew Joseph | May 15, 2016 8:33 pm Follow @andyj0seph

As Joe Maddon passed by a small contingent of fans beyond the left field bleachers at Wrigley Field before Friday’s game, one fan found the courage to yell “try not to suck” at the Cubs manager. That “Maddonism” has become the rallying cry for Cubs Nation in 2016, but baseball isn’t always that simple. Maddon can’t simply tell Jorge Soler to “try not to suck.” Soler entered play Sunday hitting .174,…

No. 4 Mississippi State completed its series sweep at Auburn Sunday with a 10-3 in at Plainsman Park. Nathaniel Lowe led the way for the Bulldogs and finished 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs at the plate. Pitcher Konnor Pilkington (3-1) allowed three hits and struck out four batters for the win on the mound. “They pitched it so well this weekend,” Auburn head coach Butch Thompson told AuburnTigers.com. “[Pilkington]…

FILE – In this file photo taken on Wednesday, April 20, 2016, Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko gestures while speaking during a news conference after he addressed the upper chamber of the Russian parliament in Moscow.(Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko, AP) Russia’s Minister of Sport apologized for athletes and coaches who have broken anti-doping rules as the country’s track and field athletes face a ban from competing at the Summer Olympics in…

Police sniffer dogs were used at Old Trafford as part of the security check A suspicious item discovered at Old Trafford on Sunday was a training device, police have confirmed. The match between Manchester United and Bournemouth was called off after the device was found shortly before kick-off. Bomb disposal officers were called and carried out a controlled explosion. Police said the item had “accidentally” been left by a private…

To save articles or get newsletters, alerts or recommendations – all free. Don’t have an account yet?Create an account » Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?Learn more » Need to connect your Home Delivery subscription to NYTimes.com?Link your subscription »

Toronto Blue Jays star Jose Bautista went on the offensive after being on the receiving end of one of the most brutal punches in baseball history. Bautista was hit with a devastating punch by Texas Rangers infielder Rougned Odor that fueled a brawl in the eighth inning Sunday. Odor confronted Bautista after the Blue Jays outfielder slid late into second base. When Bautista moved toward Odor, the Rangers infielder unloaded…

View photo . James Borrego (AP) San Antonio Spurs assistant coach James Borrego met with Memphis Grizzlies officials on Sunday to discuss the franchise’s head-coaching job, league sources told The Vertical. Memphis officials have discussed the job with several candidates, including former Pacers coach Frank Vogel, and are working through an initial round of meetings, league sources said. Borrego is one of several assistant coaches under consideration, including Charlotte’s Patrick…

Caption Close The Seven Lakes Spartans stormed the field like state champs Saturday night after surviving a Game 2 that took 10 hours to complete. They were choking back tears by early Sunday morning. Cypress Ranch, after dropping Game 2, which started at Seven Lakes and finished at Angleton, rolled 9-0 in Game 3 to clinch the Region III-6A area playoff in three games – at 1:55 a.m. Sunday. “That…