SAN DIEGO — Dave Roberts wasn’t pretending to be calm. He was calm.
None of this was new to him, the depleted starting rotation, the fatigued bullpen, the division rivals within striking distance.
Under similar circumstances in past seasons, Roberts pointed out, “We’ve gotten to the other side.”
The Dodgers won a World Series like this last year. They have won the National League West in 12 of the last 13 seasons.
They usually reach “the other side.”
So rather than panic, Roberts waits. He waits for the end of a particularly difficult 26-game stretch, and when Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell can pitch again.
Roberts won’t say this publicly, but the Dodgers just have to tread water until they are whole.
They claimed a 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday to win for the second time in their three-game series at Petco Park, preserving their lead in the NL West.
The Dodgers host the second-place San Francisco Giants in a three-game series that starts Friday and the third-place Padres in a four-game series that opens Monday, after which their schedule will become noticeably softer.
Their remaining opponents before the All-Star break: the Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers. The post-All-Star Game schedule is extremely manageable as well.
Provided a couple of their starting pitchers return as anticipated, the Dodgers should be able to not just win their division but also secure a top-two seed in the NL, which would give them a first-round bye in the playoffs. As it is, the Dodgers are 41-27, only ½ game behind the Chicago Cubs, the league’s current No. 2 team.
Dodgers players have taken on Roberts’ understated confidence and make-do-with-what-you-have approach, which explains how the team has survived a 19-game stretch in which every opponent had a winning record. The Dodgers were 10-9 in those games.
“Character,” Roberts said.
Roberts specifically pointed to Teoscar Hernández, who broke out of a slump Wednesday to hit a key three-run home run; to Freddie Freeman, who he revealed is now dealing with a quadriceps injury in addition to his ankle problems; to Mookie Betts, who has continued to play high-level shortstop while playing with a broken toe.
“Guys are not running from the middle part of the season, the stretch we’re going through,” Roberts said. “We’re just finding ways to win.”
Teoscar Hernández circles the bases after his three-run homer.
(Derrick Tuskan / Associated Press)
The series win against the Padres was also a credit to Roberts’ ability, and willingness, to play the long game.
With Tony Gonsolin put on the injured list last week, the Dodgers were forced to schedule two bullpen games in San Diego. By punting on the first and refraining from using any of his go-to relievers in a loss, Roberts ensured his team would be positioned to win the series finale.
Again, this was nothing new, as Roberts basically forfeited games in both the NL Championship Series and World Series last year with the remainder of the series in mind.
Roberts elected to send opener Ben Casparius back to the mound to pitch a fourth inning on Wednesday rather than replace him with Jack Dreyer, whom Roberts has grown to trust. The extra inning made a difference. Lou Trivino pitched to the bottom of the Padres’ lineup in the fifth inning, allowing Roberts to deploy Dreyer against the heart of the order in the sixth.
When Michael Kopech walked the bases loaded in the seventh inning, Roberts responded with the necessary degree of urgency rather than allow the recently activated Kopech to try to pitch his way out of trouble. Roberts summoned Anthony Banda, who retired Luis Arráez and Manny Machado to maintain the Dodgers’ 4-2 advantage.
“The bullpen has certainly been used and pushed,” Roberts said. “I just think it speaks to the character.”
And it says something about the manager as well.
Roberts is now in his 10th season as the manager of the Dodgers. He has managed 1,426 games for them in the regular season and another 100 in the postseason. At this point, there’s not much he hasn’t seen, including what the team is dealing with now.
To date, Ryding has achieved seven World Cup podium finishes, capped by his historic gold in the Kitzbuhel slalom.
In the aftermath of that race, Ryding said he had “never stopped believing, never stopped trying” – encapsulating his “Northern grit” and determination to rise to the top of the sport, despite the odds being stacked against him.
Unlike most of his global peers, Ryding was not brought up on snow.
His first experience of skiing came as a six-year-old on a plastic dry slope in Pendle, Lancashire, while he did little training on snow until he was 13. He continued to race on the dry into his early twenties.
He had a late breakthrough to the top circuit of the sport, earning his first World Cup points just a few weeks shy of his 26th birthday and not adding any more until two years later.
It was in Kitzbuhel, Austria, that he stood on a World Cup podium for the first time with silver in 2017, while his most recent medal, a bronze, came in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, in December 2023.
His best finish at the Olympics is ninth at Pyeongchang 2018, but Ryding feels he has “left something on the table” at the Games, where he will be watched by his nearly three-year-old daughter, Nina.
“I think ninth is not a true reflection of my ability,” he said.
For one last season, Ryding will train with British team-mates Billy Major, 28, and Laurie Taylor, 29. They have big boots to fill, but follow tracks that have taken British skiing to a whole new level.
“Hearing kids openly and talk normally about World Cup podiums, it almost makes me laugh, because this is nuts,” said Ryding.
“I don’t necessarily go to a race thinking of podiums, but the next generation are certainly thinking that.
“The belief that I’ve given to the next generation, I absolutely see it, and I’m really excited to see what that becomes for the next 20 years.”
Here’s how SunSport’s boxing correspondent Wally Downes Jr saw the fight.
DAVE ALLEN scored a knockout of the year contender to brutally finish his Johnny Fisher rivalry.
The 33-year-old Doncaster man was on the wrong end of a controversial decision against the Romford ticket seller, 26 in December in Saudi Arabia.
But he snatched his career out of the hands of the judges at Stratford’s Copper Box by smashing Fisher in the fifth round with a brilliant left hook, leaving the brave history graduate needing oxygen.
Read the rest here:
Nothing from Fisher
We won’t be hearing from Johnny Fisher tonight because the British Boxing Board of Control will not allow him to speak.
It’s not clear if he will be making his way to hospital tonight, but that was a vicious KO and they may decide it’s best if he gets properly checked over.
We’ll provide an update if and when we get one.
Will they meet again?
While Eddie Hearn mentioned a rematch clause, Allen said he’s not interested.
The White Rhino said: “I wouldn’t allow [a trilogy fight] to happen, because it’s not in his best interests.”
More from Allen
This was Allen’s in-ring interview in a bit more depth: “I knew the first fight did me a world of good.
“I put a bit of weight on, I knew it would pay dividends, took the risk. I’m the fattest, hardest man you’ll ever see.
“You know what it means? The belt, everything.
“My kids, yeah – I’m gonna have an en suite, they’ll have their own bathroom between them.
“At this level, I’m a handful. He overexaggerated the movement, which worked against him.
“I’ve got experience, I know the game inside-out. I’m him, but with 30 more fights basically.
“He’s my friend. He’s a very good friend of mine.”
‘Cinderella story’
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn said: “If anyone was gonna break your heart, you’d want it to be Dave Allen. It’s a real Cinderella story.
“Changed his life again, but this time in a big, big way. He just knew too much in there.
“Johnny, the board wouldn’t let him do an interview, he’s a brave man. Maybe he shouldn’t have taken the rematch, but he wanted to put the wrongs right.
“Johnny’s got to come back and rebuild.”
Hearn mentions a rematch clause, but says it’s one for “down the line.”
The likeable Allen was introduced as ‘the people’s champ’ and received a warm welcome as he entered the ring.
Fisher – thanks in large part to his social media star father ‘Big John’ and their ‘bosh’ catchphrase – is one of domestic boxing’s biggest ticket sellers.
The noise turned up a notch when he made his ring walk to Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver, with just a small number of empty seats at the 8,000-capacity arena, nicknamed ‘Copper Bosh’ by Team Fisher.
Allen failed to land with his telegraphed overhand rights and Fisher snapped out the jab as the contest struggled to catch fire early on.
Fisher, who knocked out Alen Babic in the first round at the same venue last year, landed stinging uppercuts in the third and was given a warning for throwing a punch after the referee called break.
With the ‘Bull Army’ in full voice, the raucous atmosphere was strikingly different to the low-key first fight in Saudi Arabia.
Allen remained patient, waiting for his opening. Just like he did five months ago, he sent Fisher to the floor in the middle of the fight with brute power and determination.
Then came a highlight reel knockout which drew gasps from those in attendance.
The pair have remained friends since first sparring several years ago and Allen kept his celebrations on hold until Fisher was back on his feet.
He explained: “I have no interest in the money at all.
“The kind of gambler I am, it’s not about the money for me. When the money runs out, that’s the only issue.
“I never wanted to withdraw any money, I just wanted to keep winning. To be honest, at that time it was like an escapism from real life.”
Allen revealed his routine consisted of going to bed at 6am and waking up by 2pm to catch the first race of the day.
Fortunately, Allen has overcome his addiction with the help of his sister and wife, who he shares a son and daughter with.
As I got a bit older, I was gambling way more, tens of thousands of pounds. Maybe into hundreds of thousands overall.
Dave Allen
He said: “Since I was 26, I’ve not been in control of my own money.
“So at 26, I said to my sister, ‘You’re going to have to look after my money, to be honest.’
“My sister set me up a bank account and for the last seven and a half years if I want any money at all, I have to text my sister and now my missus, I get a card and they send me money.
“Because, if I could still gamble now, I think I would. I’ve spent mad money on mad s***, I was spending ridiculous money and when I boxed Luis Ortiz, I did it for the money, really.
“I think I owed a few quid at the time of the Dillian Whyte fight, I think I lost about eight grand on the day of the fight, I didn’t clear too much more than that really.”
Allen has also become a trainer and manager to young fighters to also keep himself on track.
He said: “I need it as much as them, start training the kids seven or eight years ago and that’s my sustainability really.
‘He’ll get knocked out’
“It’s really kept me on the straight and narrow.”
Allen initially retired from boxing in 2020 aged 28 after a brutal knockout loss to 2008 Olympic bronze medallist David Price.
But he returned a year later and has fought eight times since, remaining a hugely popular figure amongst British fans.
Commentary: Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is always the calm center during the storm
SAN DIEGO — Dave Roberts wasn’t pretending to be calm. He was calm.
None of this was new to him, the depleted starting rotation, the fatigued bullpen, the division rivals within striking distance.
Under similar circumstances in past seasons, Roberts pointed out, “We’ve gotten to the other side.”
The Dodgers won a World Series like this last year. They have won the National League West in 12 of the last 13 seasons.
They usually reach “the other side.”
So rather than panic, Roberts waits. He waits for the end of a particularly difficult 26-game stretch, and when Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell can pitch again.
Roberts won’t say this publicly, but the Dodgers just have to tread water until they are whole.
They claimed a 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday to win for the second time in their three-game series at Petco Park, preserving their lead in the NL West.
The Dodgers host the second-place San Francisco Giants in a three-game series that starts Friday and the third-place Padres in a four-game series that opens Monday, after which their schedule will become noticeably softer.
Their remaining opponents before the All-Star break: the Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers. The post-All-Star Game schedule is extremely manageable as well.
Provided a couple of their starting pitchers return as anticipated, the Dodgers should be able to not just win their division but also secure a top-two seed in the NL, which would give them a first-round bye in the playoffs. As it is, the Dodgers are 41-27, only ½ game behind the Chicago Cubs, the league’s current No. 2 team.
Dodgers players have taken on Roberts’ understated confidence and make-do-with-what-you-have approach, which explains how the team has survived a 19-game stretch in which every opponent had a winning record. The Dodgers were 10-9 in those games.
“Character,” Roberts said.
Roberts specifically pointed to Teoscar Hernández, who broke out of a slump Wednesday to hit a key three-run home run; to Freddie Freeman, who he revealed is now dealing with a quadriceps injury in addition to his ankle problems; to Mookie Betts, who has continued to play high-level shortstop while playing with a broken toe.
“Guys are not running from the middle part of the season, the stretch we’re going through,” Roberts said. “We’re just finding ways to win.”
Teoscar Hernández circles the bases after his three-run homer.
(Derrick Tuskan / Associated Press)
The series win against the Padres was also a credit to Roberts’ ability, and willingness, to play the long game.
With Tony Gonsolin put on the injured list last week, the Dodgers were forced to schedule two bullpen games in San Diego. By punting on the first and refraining from using any of his go-to relievers in a loss, Roberts ensured his team would be positioned to win the series finale.
Again, this was nothing new, as Roberts basically forfeited games in both the NL Championship Series and World Series last year with the remainder of the series in mind.
Roberts elected to send opener Ben Casparius back to the mound to pitch a fourth inning on Wednesday rather than replace him with Jack Dreyer, whom Roberts has grown to trust. The extra inning made a difference. Lou Trivino pitched to the bottom of the Padres’ lineup in the fifth inning, allowing Roberts to deploy Dreyer against the heart of the order in the sixth.
When Michael Kopech walked the bases loaded in the seventh inning, Roberts responded with the necessary degree of urgency rather than allow the recently activated Kopech to try to pitch his way out of trouble. Roberts summoned Anthony Banda, who retired Luis Arráez and Manny Machado to maintain the Dodgers’ 4-2 advantage.
“The bullpen has certainly been used and pushed,” Roberts said. “I just think it speaks to the character.”
And it says something about the manager as well.
Roberts is now in his 10th season as the manager of the Dodgers. He has managed 1,426 games for them in the regular season and another 100 in the postseason. At this point, there’s not much he hasn’t seen, including what the team is dealing with now.
Source link
Dave Ryding: British skier to retire after 2025-26 season and Winter Olympics
To date, Ryding has achieved seven World Cup podium finishes, capped by his historic gold in the Kitzbuhel slalom.
In the aftermath of that race, Ryding said he had “never stopped believing, never stopped trying” – encapsulating his “Northern grit” and determination to rise to the top of the sport, despite the odds being stacked against him.
Unlike most of his global peers, Ryding was not brought up on snow.
His first experience of skiing came as a six-year-old on a plastic dry slope in Pendle, Lancashire, while he did little training on snow until he was 13. He continued to race on the dry into his early twenties.
He had a late breakthrough to the top circuit of the sport, earning his first World Cup points just a few weeks shy of his 26th birthday and not adding any more until two years later.
It was in Kitzbuhel, Austria, that he stood on a World Cup podium for the first time with silver in 2017, while his most recent medal, a bronze, came in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, in December 2023.
His best finish at the Olympics is ninth at Pyeongchang 2018, but Ryding feels he has “left something on the table” at the Games, where he will be watched by his nearly three-year-old daughter, Nina.
“I think ninth is not a true reflection of my ability,” he said.
For one last season, Ryding will train with British team-mates Billy Major, 28, and Laurie Taylor, 29. They have big boots to fill, but follow tracks that have taken British skiing to a whole new level.
“Hearing kids openly and talk normally about World Cup podiums, it almost makes me laugh, because this is nuts,” said Ryding.
“I don’t necessarily go to a race thinking of podiums, but the next generation are certainly thinking that.
“The belief that I’ve given to the next generation, I absolutely see it, and I’m really excited to see what that becomes for the next 20 years.”
Source link
Johnny Fisher vs Dave Allen 2 LIVE RESULT: Fisher given oxygen after brutal first loss of career – latest reaction
Brutal
Here’s how the stunning finish came out.
Absolute brutal perfection from Dave Allen.
Wally Downes Jr’s fight report
Here’s how SunSport’s boxing correspondent Wally Downes Jr saw the fight.
DAVE ALLEN scored a knockout of the year contender to brutally finish his Johnny Fisher rivalry.
The 33-year-old Doncaster man was on the wrong end of a controversial decision against the Romford ticket seller, 26 in December in Saudi Arabia.
But he snatched his career out of the hands of the judges at Stratford’s Copper Box by smashing Fisher in the fifth round with a brilliant left hook, leaving the brave history graduate needing oxygen.
Read the rest here:
Nothing from Fisher
We won’t be hearing from Johnny Fisher tonight because the British Boxing Board of Control will not allow him to speak.
It’s not clear if he will be making his way to hospital tonight, but that was a vicious KO and they may decide it’s best if he gets properly checked over.
We’ll provide an update if and when we get one.
Will they meet again?
While Eddie Hearn mentioned a rematch clause, Allen said he’s not interested.
The White Rhino said: “I wouldn’t allow [a trilogy fight] to happen, because it’s not in his best interests.”
More from Allen
This was Allen’s in-ring interview in a bit more depth: “I knew the first fight did me a world of good.
“I put a bit of weight on, I knew it would pay dividends, took the risk. I’m the fattest, hardest man you’ll ever see.
“You know what it means? The belt, everything.
“My kids, yeah – I’m gonna have an en suite, they’ll have their own bathroom between them.
“At this level, I’m a handful. He overexaggerated the movement, which worked against him.
“I’ve got experience, I know the game inside-out. I’m him, but with 30 more fights basically.
“He’s my friend. He’s a very good friend of mine.”
‘Cinderella story’
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn said: “If anyone was gonna break your heart, you’d want it to be Dave Allen. It’s a real Cinderella story.
“Changed his life again, but this time in a big, big way. He just knew too much in there.
“Johnny, the board wouldn’t let him do an interview, he’s a brave man. Maybe he shouldn’t have taken the rematch, but he wanted to put the wrongs right.
“Johnny’s got to come back and rebuild.”
Hearn mentions a rematch clause, but says it’s one for “down the line.”
Source link
Johnny Fisher v Dave Allen 2: Doncaster fighter stops ‘Romford Bull’ in fifth
The likeable Allen was introduced as ‘the people’s champ’ and received a warm welcome as he entered the ring.
Fisher – thanks in large part to his social media star father ‘Big John’ and their ‘bosh’ catchphrase – is one of domestic boxing’s biggest ticket sellers.
The noise turned up a notch when he made his ring walk to Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver, with just a small number of empty seats at the 8,000-capacity arena, nicknamed ‘Copper Bosh’ by Team Fisher.
Allen failed to land with his telegraphed overhand rights and Fisher snapped out the jab as the contest struggled to catch fire early on.
Fisher, who knocked out Alen Babic in the first round at the same venue last year, landed stinging uppercuts in the third and was given a warning for throwing a punch after the referee called break.
With the ‘Bull Army’ in full voice, the raucous atmosphere was strikingly different to the low-key first fight in Saudi Arabia.
Allen remained patient, waiting for his opening. Just like he did five months ago, he sent Fisher to the floor in the middle of the fight with brute power and determination.
Then came a highlight reel knockout which drew gasps from those in attendance.
The pair have remained friends since first sparring several years ago and Allen kept his celebrations on hold until Fisher was back on his feet.
Source link
Fisher vs Allen 2: Dave Allen heavier than Johnny Fisher at weigh-in
Dave Allen weighed in 20lb heavier than Johnny Fisher for their heavyweight rematch on Saturday in London.
The fight occurs five months after Fisher narrowly beat Allen on points in Saudi Arabia.
Allen, 33, is the underdog again but was in top spirits at the weigh-in, sporting his own face on his pants as he weighed in 18st 13lb.
“I am going to get going earlier this time. I’ve come in heavier. I’ve come to get the job done inside the distance,” Allen said.
Romford’s Fisher was 17st 7lb and is aiming to improve his 13-0 perfect record at the Copper Box Arena.
Fisher, 26, was knocked down for the first time in his career in his first fight with Allen, but was given a split decision win on the scorecards.
Speaking to his supporters at the weigh-in, Fisher said: “You are that 12th man on the pitch with me. We’re going to get it done. Bosh.”
Source link
Dave Allen is the ex-supply teacher turned boxer who overcame gambling addiction to become heroic fans’ favourite
DAVE ALLEN has lived several lives, from supply school teacher to gambling addict and now, thankfully, a beloved boxing star.
Allen started as an amateur aged 16 and had just ten bouts before turning professional in 2012 – snubbing the chance to join the GB Squad.
3
He was 20 when he made his debut but only three years later Allen had only fought seven times and was in need of cash.
The heavyweight made ends meet as a sparring partner – earning around £500 a week – but it was not enough.
So he got a job as a supply teacher – lying on his CV to get the gig – before returning to the ring in 2015.
But by then, Allen was gripped by a horrific gambling addiction which started after making a £1 bet on the horses with his dad when he was just eight.
And after being introduced to online betting, the boxer’s life began to spiral.
He bravely said on ex-middleweight champion Darren Barker’s podcast: “It just snowballed really.
“I used to go to the bookies and play on the machines there, they were great times.
“But the online stuff is where it got bad for me because it was so easy, it was numbers on the screen.
“Probably at the worst? It’s difficult to say really. I wasn’t gambling that much in my early 20s, but I was gambling everything that I had.
“As I got a bit older, I was gambling way more, tens of thousands of pounds. Maybe into hundreds of thousands overall.”
Allen – who has sparred Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk – said winning the bets was the route of his addiction not the cash.
He explained: “I have no interest in the money at all.
“The kind of gambler I am, it’s not about the money for me. When the money runs out, that’s the only issue.
“I never wanted to withdraw any money, I just wanted to keep winning. To be honest, at that time it was like an escapism from real life.”
Allen revealed his routine consisted of going to bed at 6am and waking up by 2pm to catch the first race of the day.
Fortunately, Allen has overcome his addiction with the help of his sister and wife, who he shares a son and daughter with.
He said: “Since I was 26, I’ve not been in control of my own money.
“So at 26, I said to my sister, ‘You’re going to have to look after my money, to be honest.’
“My sister set me up a bank account and for the last seven and a half years if I want any money at all, I have to text my sister and now my missus, I get a card and they send me money.
“Because, if I could still gamble now, I think I would. I’ve spent mad money on mad s***, I was spending ridiculous money and when I boxed Luis Ortiz, I did it for the money, really.
“I think I owed a few quid at the time of the Dillian Whyte fight, I think I lost about eight grand on the day of the fight, I didn’t clear too much more than that really.”
Allen has also become a trainer and manager to young fighters to also keep himself on track.
He said: “I need it as much as them, start training the kids seven or eight years ago and that’s my sustainability really.
‘He’ll get knocked out’
“It’s really kept me on the straight and narrow.”
Allen initially retired from boxing in 2020 aged 28 after a brutal knockout loss to 2008 Olympic bronze medallist David Price.
But he returned a year later and has fought eight times since, remaining a hugely popular figure amongst British fans.
Allen, 33, is coming off a controversial split-decision loss to Johnny Fisher, 26, in Saudi Arabia last December.
But the pair now rematch on Saturday at Fisher’s adopted home of the Copper Box Arena.
And Allen – who dropped Fisher in round five – warned: “If he fights me May 17th he’ll get knocked out because I’ll be sharper, a little bit fitter.
“If he boxes me it will be hard work, of course it is. But I don’t think at the Copper Box he’ll hold it together and box.
“He’ll get in a fight at some point. I’m not the biggest puncher but I hit too hard for him and I’m too strong for him. He’s tough, though.”
3
3
Source link