TALKING POINTS
Editor’s Note
Due to an earlier deadline of 8 p.m. throughout the pandemic, some games might not make it into the print edition of your
Valley Press. Please find the following full story on our website at www. avpress.com: NBA — Warriors at Clippers.
LA Galaxy sign French midfielder Samuel Grandsir from Monaco
CARSON — French midfielder Samuel Grandsir has agreed to a three-year contract with the LA Galaxy.
The Galaxy announced the move Thursday for Grandsir, who had been with AS Monaco since 2018.
The 24-year-old Grandsir made only 12 appearances for Monaco, which acquired him from Troyes. He scored three goals while spending last season on loan with Brest, and he spent part of the 201819 season on loan with Strasbourg.
“Samuel is an attack-minded, talented player who will strengthen our roster,” Galaxy general manager Dennis te Kloese said. “He has demonstrated to be an outstanding and talented player in a very respected and competitive league. We are confident he will show his potential.”
The Galaxy signed Grandsir with targeted allocation money, and he will occupy an international roster spot.
The Galaxy’s offseason moves had focused largely on their defense, with the club acquiring defenders Jorge Villafaña, Oniel Fisher and Derrick Williams along with goalkeeper Jonathan Bond.
The five-time MLS Cup champion franchise still has a third designated player spot open alongside Javier “Chicharito” Hernández and Jonathan Dos Santos.
Cristian Pavón occupied that spot in 2020, but the 25-year-old forward’s future is unclear after he was charged with sexual abuse in his native Argentina earlier this month. Attorneys representing Pavón have strenuously denied the allegations against him.
The Galaxy had been negotiating to reacquire Pavón, who returned to Boca Juniors in the winter after spending the past 1½ seasons on loan in Los Angeles.
The Galaxy open their preseason schedule March 20, with their season opener set for April 18 in Miami. Their home opener is April 25 against the New York Red Bulls.
US-Canada border decision looms in playoffs for NHL
A year after the pandemic temporarily shut down the NHL, a handful of roadblocks remain to handing out the Stanley Cup again this season — including the U.S.-Canada border.
The border remains closed to nonessential
travel, an issue the NHL addressed before the 2021 season began in January by realigning its divisions. All seven teams in the North Division are based in Canada and they play against only each other through the first two rounds of the postseason.
But the league has a decision looming on what to do when a Canadian team faces a U.S. opponent in the third round of the playoffs. Talks are ongoing with Canadian government officials, though nothing needs to be settled yet since cross-border play won’t happen until mid-June.
“We’ve got a little bit of time to deal with this,” Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said during a video interview Thursday. “I can’t certainly promise any result, and we’ll work through the process and we’ll see what the result is and we’ll respond appropriately. But in terms of timeline, I don’t think there’s any kind of firm deadline that we have to meet to accomplish a change in plans if that’s necessary.”
One possibility includes the North Division champion that reaches the league’s final four playing its “home” games in a U.S. city. Or there could be some type of modified quarantine when teams cross the border.
Big finish sends Garcia to big lead at Players Championship
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Sergio Garcia has played TPC Sawgrass enough to know that trouble is lurking around every turn, and the opening round Thursday at The Players Championship provided another example. Just not for him.
A solid start turned into a brilliant one for Garcia, who finished birdie-birdie-eagle for a 7-under 65, staking the Spaniard to a three-shot lead among the early starters.
Garcia, who won the PGA Tour’s premier event in 2008, holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 seventh, hit a 3-iron to 15 feet on the par-3 eighth, and closed it out with a 5-wood to 18 feet for eagle on his final hole.
The 65 matched his best score on the Stadium Course.
Garcia was among only five players from the morning draw who broke 70 in what appeared to be ideal conditions, with only a mild breeze and a course in immaculate condition. The trouble came from pin positions that required more precision than usual, and the Sawgrass hazards that make this course as entertaining as any.
“For some reason, it just kind of fits my eye,” said Garcia, who has a pair of runner-up finishes to go with his victory. “I see what I want to do pretty much every hole and then it’s a matter of doing it.”
He did it better than anyone, adding another eagle earlier in his round with an approach to 10 feet on the par-3 17th.
Corey Conners, a contender last week at Bay Hill, and Matt Fitzpatrick each had a 68, while Bay Hill runner-up Lee Westwood and Tom Hoge were another shot behind.
Minor leagues experimenting with robo umps, larger bases
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball will experiment with several rule changes in the minor leagues this season, including an automated strike zone, restrictions on defensive positioning and larger bases.
The league said in a statement Friday the “changes being tested are designed to increase action on the basepaths, create more balls in play, improve the pace and length of games, and reduce player injuries.”
The league’s automatic ball-strike system will be used at some Low-A Southeast League games, the closest that computer umpires have come to the majors. ABS has already been used in the independent Atlantic League and the Arizona Fall League. It got mixed reviews from players, with complaints about how the TrackMan system grades breaking pitches down in the zone.
Infielders at Double-A will have to keep both feet in the infield at the start of every play. While a defensive team must have at least four players within the outer boundary of the infield dirt, there won’t be a ban on shifting three or more defenders to either side of second base, although the league may experiment with such a rule pending results of the initial experiment.
Triple-A is getting larger bases, expanding first, second and third from 15 by 15 inches to 18 by 18. MLB said it hopes to reduce player injuries and collisions, and also that the shortened distance between bases should “have a modest impact” increasing stolen baes and infield hits.
Duke pulls out of ACC Tournament, NCAA tourney streak ends
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Duke arrived at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament hoping to make an unprecedented run to extend its long NCAA Tournament streak.
Instead, the Blue Devils abruptly had to pull out of the tournament and end its season due to a positive COVID-19 test and the resulting quarantining and contact tracing.
The ACC announced that the Blue Devils’ quarterfinal game against No. 15 Florida State for Thursday night has been canceled. And athletics director Kevin White said Duke’s season is over, ending the Blue Devils’ streak of 24 consecutive NCAA appearances that began in 1996.
In a statement, White said the positive test for someone within the program came after Wednesday’s win against Louisville, the Blue Devils’ second win in as many days in Greensboro. Before this, there had been no positive tests all season for a player or coach, he said.
Lawsuit over Rams’ move from St. Louis delayed to 2022
ST. LOUIS — A Missouri judge intends to push back until early 2022 the trial for St. Louis’ lawsuit over the departure of the NFL’s Rams to Los Angeles.
Judge Christopher McGraugh on Wednesday cited Missouri Supreme Court guidelines for reopening courts during the coronavirus pandemic, along with concerns about finding enough jurors willing to sit for a trial that could last up to two months, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
McGraugh said he intends to reschedule the trial for Jan. 10. It had originally been scheduled for October.
“I’m concerned about trying to push this through in October when at best it’s probably a 50/50, if less, chance of it actually occurring,” McGraugh told lawyers in a virtual court hearing Wednesday. Neither side objected.
Federer loses to Basilashvili in 2nd match back on tour
DOHA, Qatar — Roger Federer failed to convert a match point before losing 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 to Nikoloz Basilashvili in the Qatar Open quarterfinals on Thursday, his second match back on tour after a 13-month injury layoff.
Basilashvili saved a match point at 5-4 in the deciding set and then broke Federer’s serve in the next game.
It was a second straight grueling three-setter for Federer after his win Wednesday over Dan Evans took nearly 2½ hours. The 39-year-old Federer was playing in his first tournament since the 2020 Australian Open following knee surgery.