Hundemarkt » "Our league is hot right now. I

OLYMPICSRIO DE JANEIRO -- The medal race at the Rio Olympics will likely remain close going into the final weekend.For second place, that is.The U.S. -- which has left the last five Summer Games with more medals than any other country -- is about to make it six in a row, and the Americans seem like theyll do so emphatically. Through Tuesday, the U.S. had 84 medals, 33 more than China and 34 more than Britain.Take away the games that dealt with boycotts in 1980 and 1984, and the Americans are on pace for the biggest medal-count romp since outdistancing Sweden by 40 medals at the 1948 London Games. Incidentally, the all-time medal-count-margin record is way out of reach, that being the U.S. win by 220 medals at the St. Louis Games of 1904.RIO DE JANEIRO -- Police investigating reports that American swimmer Ryan Lochte and three of his teammates were robbed at gunpoint in a taxi so far have found little evidence supporting the account, and say the swimmers were unable to provide key details in police interviews.A police official with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press that police cannot find their taxi driver or witnesses. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.Lochtes attorney, Jeff Ostrow, said there was no question the robbery happened and that Lochte had 24-hour security hired after the incident. He had been staying in his hotel room and intended to go back to the U.S. soon.According to statements from Lochte and the United States Olympic Committee, the swimmers were returning to the athletes village by taxi after a night out at the French Olympic teams hospitality house in the Rodrigo de Freitas area in the upscale south zone of the city. The outing was several hours after Olympic swimming ended Saturday night at the Rio Games.RIO DE JANEIRO -- Russia was stripped of a relay gold medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympics after one of its female runners tested positive for steroids in a reanalysis of her doping samples.Sprinter Yulia Chermoshanskaya tested positive for two drugs -- stanozolol and turinabol -- and has been retroactively disqualified and stripped of the gold in the womens 4x100-meter relay, along with her teammates, the International Olympic Committee said.Chermoshanskaya was also disqualified from the 200 meters, in which she finished eighth.Belgium stands to be upgraded to the relay gold, with Nigeria moving up to silver and Brazil to bronze.PRO FOOTBALLSAN DIEGO -- Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians has been hospitalized after complaining of stomach pain.Cardinals spokesman Mark Dalton said that, after arriving for the teams joint practice with the Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium, Arians told his medical staff he was not feeling well and had stomach pain.Dalton said later that Arians had undergone tests and would remain hospitalized overnight. Dalton said there would be no further updates until Wednesday.The 63-year-old Arians, a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, is in his fourth season in Arizona. He led the Cardinals to a 13-3 record and a playoff victory over Green Bay in the playoffs last season before a blowout loss at Carolina in the NFC championship game.Dalton said Arians, one of the big personalities in the league as shown on Amazon.coms All or Nothing series, was evaluated by medical personnel at the stadium and taken to the hospital for further evaluation.CANTON, Ohio -- Four fans have sued the NFL over the Hall of Fame game in Canton that was canceled because of poor field conditions.The class-action lawsuit was filed Thursday in federal court in northern Ohio on behalf of all the ticket holders who lost out when the Aug. 7 game was canceled after paint congealed and hardened on portions of the field at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The Pro Football Hall of Fame also was named in the suit.Attorney Michael Avenatti, who represented ticket holders for the 2011 Super Bowl who wound up without seats in Dallas, filed the breach-of-contract lawsuit. He said the halls plan to only refund ticket prices was too little.LATROBE, Pa. -- Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison doesnt want to face a suspension. He is also not interested in talking to NFL representatives, either.The NFLs senior vice president of labor policy and league affairs, Adolpho Birch, sent a letter Monday to the NFL Players Association detailing a plan to indefinitely suspend Harrison, Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers and Mike Neal if they dont speak with the league by Aug. 25 as part of its investigation into an alleged link to performance-enhancing drugs.The players punishment would end at the discretion of Commissioner Roger Goodell once interviews are completed, according to the letter obtained by The Associated Press.Harrison said he doesnt want to be suspended, but he is prepared to take the situation as far as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who fought his four-game Deflategate suspension for 18 months -- nearly to the U.S. Supreme Court -- before deciding to no longer proceed with the legal process. His suspension begins next month.BASEBALLPHILADELPHIA -- Chase Utley got curtain calls after each of his two home runs -- including a grand slam -- in his first game in Philadelphia since a trade last season to the Los Angeles Dodgers.Those cheers came after fans greeted him with a 1 1/2-minute ovation before he struck out leading off the game.Utley was a six-time All-Star in 13 seasons as Philadelphias second baseman, helping the team win five straight NL East titles and the 2008 World Series. Fans showed their appreciation with a long cheer before he struck out in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park.In the fifth, Utley hit a two-out solo homer and raced around the bases in customary fashion. Fans clamored for a rare curtain call by a visiting player, and Utley obliged to another standing ovation.In the seventh, Utley hit a grand slam off Michael Mariot, and fans again cheered him back out of the dugout. It was Utleys seventh career grand slam. His first career hit was a grand slam at Veterans Stadium. Cheap Jets Jerseys Authentic . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. Cheap Winnipeg Jets Jerseys . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. http://www.cheapwinnipegjetsjerseys.com/?tag=adidas-dustin-byfuglien-jersey . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. Cheap Adidas Jets Jerseys .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. Thomas Steen Jersey . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf.KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Major League Soccer isnt content to rest once its latest franchise joins the fold in 2015. Instead, the league plans to expand to 24 teams by the 2020 season. Commissioner Don Garber announced MLSs plan to add four more clubs during halftime of its annual All-Star game Wednesday night. The location of the teams has yet to be decided, but Garber said the league has already had discussions with potential owners. The news came one day after Hunt Sports Group announced it was selling the Columbus Crew to investor Anthony Precourt, and with New York City FC beginning play in two years. "The strength, passion and vision of the MLS ownership group is the foundation behind the success of our league," Garber said in a statement. "We look forward to adding new partners with the same commitment to the sport and love of the game." Garber told The Associated Press during an interview this week that the issue of expansion would be discussed "in great detail" during a meeting of league owners on Wednesday. "As MLS enters a period of accelerated growth," Garber said, "the addition of new teams will allow us to expand our geographic coverage, grow our fan base and help us achieve our vision of being among the best leagues in the world by 2022." MLS will have added 10 new teams since the 2005 season when New York City FC begins play, and Garber said that has helped to spearhead a significant growth in the game in the United States. "These expansion clubs have contributed to the vitality of our league," he said, "bringing passionate fans, new traditions and committed owners with new ideas." One of the most intriguing ownership possibilities is former Los Angeles Galaxy star David Beckham, whose MLS contract included an option to purchase a franchise when his career ended. Beckham has been linked to businessman Marcelo Claure, who owns Bolivian team Club Bolivar. The two appear interested in putting a team in Miami, where Claures wireless company Brightstar Corp. is based. Beckham has said he plans to reveal his MLS intentions in the next few months. "The foundations are now there for this sport to continnue to grow," Beckham said last fall.dddddddddddd "Ive seen it grow in the last six years, and we all want it to continue to grow. My commitment as an owner, people will be well aware of that in the new year, and hopefully where that will be. And like I said, my commitment as an ambassador for this sport and this country wont change." It makes sense that potential owners are lining up for an MLS franchise. They can be had for a fraction of what a Major League Baseball or NBA team would cost -- it cost English club Manchester City and its partner, the New York Yankees, an expansion fee of $100 million to launch New York City FC. Yet surging attendance and modest but consistent television growth appear to indicate that the league is becoming a valuable investment. Thats certainly changed from the early days of MLS, when an ownership group could acquire a franchise for less than $10 million and the league was fighting for survival. "Weve got a lot of cities that are kind of on our list right now that are exuberant -- they have the right sort of circumstances," said Robb Heineman, the CEO of Sporting KC. "Our league is hot right now. If you dont believe in Major League Soccer, I dont know why." Miami isnt the only city to be linked to an MLS team. Officials in Atlanta, Sacramento, Orlando, Detroit and the Twin Cities have also mentioned the possibility of landing a franchise. In a statement issued by the league, Garber laid out the criteria the league will use in determining future expansion markets. Among them is location, committed and engaged ownership, a comprehensive stadium plan, demonstrated fan support for professional soccer, support of sponsors and TV partners, and a strategic business plan for launching a club. Garber said the league will provide additional details, including a more detailed timeline, for its expansion plans in the coming months. "The overall growth of the sport has been so dramatic over the last number of years by almost any measure," Garber said. "Whether its the league or the national team or the womens game, all the developments are sort of proving the fact that were a soccer nation." ' ' '