Washington
Recap: Washington Spirit pickup their ninth draw, end 1-1 with Racing Louisville
The Washington Spirit revisited the location of their first NWSL Championship as they appeared for some good luck to get again to successful methods versus Racing Louisville at Lynn Household Stadium. As an alternative, an all too acquainted sample unfolded as Ashley Hatch’s second half aim cancelled out Nadia Nadim’s opener and the Spirit collected their league main ninth draw of the season.
For the primary 13 minutes the mistaken staff appeared like they performed a bodily match simply three days in the past. Racing Louisville’s excessive press had Washingotn all out of kinds and barely in a position to work the ball out of their defensive space.
Throughout this spell a driving run from CB Satara Murray compelled some fast steps from the Spirit and Nadia Nadim discovered Kirsten Davis between the Amber Brooks and Sam Staab. Davis drove towards Aubrey Kingsbury who sprawled to push her huge and because the defenders retreated to the road the shot hit the skin netting.
Within the twenty third minute, after the Spirit had labored to say themselves into the sport, Amber Brooks was caught in possession within the field and Nadim was in a position to acquire the ball and rip a shot that Kingsbury pushed huge. A minute later Trinity Rodman discovered area on the left and reduce inside on the prime of the field to check aim however she will be able to’t wrap her foot across the ball and it arrowed huge.
Trinity Rodman examined goalkeeper Katie Lund once more within the twenty seventh minute as a depraved cross flew to a floating Rodman whose header was on course however pushed over the bar.
A couple of minutes earlier than halftime Ashley Sanchez and Trinity Rodman almost mix for what would have been one of many objectives of the season. Rodman reduce throughout the pitch evading a number of defenders earlier than backheeling the ball to Sanchez whereas she continued her run to curve behind the protection. Sanchez floated the ball over the backline, dropping it to Rodman whose volley flew huge because the offside flag went up.
Halftime got here with the scored tied 0-0. Louisville was certainly the happier staff on the break, having put Washington underneath a number of strain and never permitting them to get into the sport for the primary quarter of the half. Each groups had probabilities, with Rodman’s header saved by Lund and Nadim’s shot pushed away by Kingsbury representing the most effective likelihood from every squad.
The following forty-five minute can be essential to the Spirit’s playoff hopes. Something lower than extra objectives scored than their opponent wouldn’t be ok for final yr’s champs, who had been operating out of time to start out their march towards a playoff spot.
Maybe sensing this, striker Ashley Hatch entered the squad after halftime for fullback Anna Heilferty.
Washington’s job obtained tougher within the 52nd minute as Nadia Nadim discovered area on the prime of the field and arrowed a low shot right into a backside nook to place Louisville forward.
Three minutes later Sanchez feeds a ball by means of the road to Rodman who obtained an excessive amount of air underneath her shot that beat Katie Lund but in addition floated excessive and huge. Nevertheless, the Spirit would get their equalizer within the sixty fourth minute as substitute Ashley Hatch hits a low first time shot that beats Lund close to publish.
Katie Lund refuses to be beat a second time within the 74th minute after a slick full pitch break that concerned three passes between Ashley Sanchez and Trinity Rodman, however the latter’s shot was pushed excessive over the bar.
Each groups took benefit of a number of area to attempt to work probabilities however neither might capitalize because the clock ticked towards ten minutes remaining in regular time. Kris Ward introduced on Tinaya Alexander and Louisville known as on veteran ahead Jessica McDonald as each groups sought the aim that may give them the complete allotment of factors.
Proof of what three factors would imply was demonstrated by great defensive monitoring again to interrupt up assaults in their very own defensive third by Trinity Rodman, then Jess McDonald.
Trinity Rodman and Jessica McDonald making clutch defensive performs late within the second half of a 1-1 recreation, this recreation is a journey tonight. #nwsl
— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) August 6, 2022
4 minutes of stoppage time had been added to an more and more tense, but nonetheless open and unpredictable, match.
Bayley Feist obtained a deflection after Lund got here means out of her space for an enormous kick. Feist deflected the ball which fell to Ashley Sanchez as Lund scrambled again towards her line. Sanchez needed to take a contact however a lofted chip on course would have required an amazing save, however drained legs noticed the ball fall brief as an alternative.
The match ends and it’s Washington’s ninth draw of the season.
Field Rating
NWSL Common Season
Racing – 1 (Nadim 52’)
Spirit – 1 (Hatch 64’)
Lineups
Racing (433): Lund; Fox, Murray, Bonner, Lester; Milliet, Olofsson (Chidiac 70’), Howell (McDonald 78’); Davis (Ekic 90’), Nadim, DeMelo
Spirit (4231): Kingsbury; Heilferty (Hatch 46’), Staab, Brooks, O’Hara; Bailey, Sullivan (Feist 65’); Rodman, Sanchez, Baggett (Aylmer 65’); McKeown (Alexander 79’)
Bookings
Racing – Lester 78’
Spirit – None
Washington
Washington Nationals Agree to Terms With Former All-Star Reliever
The Washington Nationals have continued to invest into the pitching staff with another free agency move on Saturday.
Shared on social media, the Nationals announced that they had agreed to terms with relief pitcher Jorge Lopez on a one-year contract. That deal will be worth $3 million plus incentives per Jon Heyman.
This is the third pitcher that Washington has signed this offseason, with Michael Soroka brought in as a free agent and Trevor Williams receiving a new deal to say.
They also added another reliever, Evan Reifert, as a Rule 5 draft pick from the Tampa Bay Rays.
Lopez made headlines last year with his infamous exit from the New York Mets. He caused a stir after a loss when he referred to himself as ‘the worst teammate on the worst team in baseball.’
For a lot of players, that might spell an end to the season. The fastball-heavy reliever was able to bounce back. He was released and then signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs.
The 31-year-old came back from controversy as strong as ever, posting a 2.03 ERA over the final 26.2 innings of work.
With the loss of Kyle Finnegan, Lopez makes sense as a potential replacement at closer. He does have some closing experience, but has not been his main role for much of his career.
That season, 2022, was the year he made his first and only All-Star team.
He is a ground ball machine that loves to force bad contact. Keeping him in a situational role could also be a smart idea, given that he struggles against lefties.
No matter how he is used, this is another good signal that the Nationals don’t want to throw any season away.
Washington
Michigan basketball vs. Washington prediction: Can U-M stay undefeated in Big Ten?
Dusty May: What to know about University of Michigan’s head basketball coach
What to know about University of Michigan head basketball coach Dusty May.
For Michigan basketball, the recent West Coast trip went about as well as hoped.
The No. 24 Wolverines (12-3, 4-0 Big Ten) picked up a pair of double-digit wins against the Big Ten’s Los Angeles-based teams — topping USC, 85-74, last Saturday and then defeating No. 21 UCLA, 94-75, Tuesday night as wildfires raged a few miles away — and now return home looking to make it three consecutive wins against league newcomers, welcoming Washington (10-6, 1-4) to Ann Arbor on Sunday afternoon (2 p.m., Big Ten Network).
The Huskies’ first trip to the Midwest hasn’t started well; they were dog-walked by Michigan State in East Lansing, 88-54, on Thursday. U-W trailed by 29 points at the half (42-13) and by more than 40 points in the second half (82-41 with less than five minutes to play) in an utter annihilation.
After two tight wins in conference play — by three points over Wisconsin and two over Iowa — U-M has won four games in a row by double digits and could make it five straight, with one of the bottom teams in the Big Ten coming to town.
Great Osobor with not-so-great help
U-Dub forward Great Osobor made headlines this offseason when he transferred from Utah State to Washington (following head coach Danny Sprinkle) for a then-record NIL deal worth $2 million.
Apparently, money doesn’t buy wins, because while Osobor has been decent, it hasn’t been nearly enough for the Huskies.
The senior leads the Huskies in scoring (13.8 points per game) and rebounding (8.4) but his efficiency has taken a large drop, as he has shot just 45% from the floor on 3s after hitting at least 57.7% in each of his first three college seasons. Some of that might be attributable to his increased 3-point tries — after attempting just 18 3s (and making four, for a 22.2% success rate) in his first 104 games, he has 14 3-point tries in 16 games this season (with only two makes, a 15.3% rate). More concerning is his 2-point shooting percentage: After hitting 59.1% last season, he’s at 47.7% inside the arc this season.
He has scored in double figures in 11 games with the Huskies, though much of his success came in a weak nonconference schedule. Though he put up 20 points and 14 rebounds vs. Maryland, he had just nine points and three boards vs. USC and a combined 15 points and eight rebounds vs. Illinois and MSU.
Sophomore guard Tyler Harris (Portland) is next at 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while freshman point guard Zoom Diallo, a top-50 recruit according to 247 Sports’ composite rankings, averages 10.8 points per contest for Sprinkle’s team.
Overall, U-Dub is simply not up to Big Ten standard. On defense, the Huskies are No. 7 nationally in limiting 3-pointers (28%) and No. 69 in efficiency (99.9), per KenPom, but on offense, the Huskies are No. 149 in efficiency (107.4), No. 201 in 2-point shooting (50.1%) and No. 240 on 3s (32%).
Depth on display
The Wolverines, meanwhile, continue to flex their depth and balance with each passing game.
Michigan just defeated UCLA by 19 on the road and did so by scoring 94 points (the most a Mick Cronin team has ever allowed at home) without perhaps its most proven guard: Roddy Gayle Jr. (knee bruise) missed Tuesday’s game vs. the Bruins. U-M coach Dusty May said then it was too early to say if he’d play Sunday.
“Long-term health is priority No. 1 for us,” May said. “But I would say he’ll be back relatively soon.”
Gayle is one of five U-M players scoring in double figures for May in his first season in Ann Arbor. After putting up a career-high 36 points vs. the Bruins, center Vlad Goldin now leads the Wolverines at 15.8 points per game. Point guard Tre Donaldson (13.1 points) is next while Danny Wolf, Goldin’s frontcourt partner, averages a double-double at 12.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
All three had standout games on the trip; Wolf started the L.A. double-dip becoming just the third NCAA player in more than 20 years with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and six blocks, and Donaldson made a career-high four 3-pointers vs. USC, then topped it with six vs. UCLA.
And then there’s Gayle (12.4 points) and Nimari Burnett (10.5 points), who are both shooting better than 50% from the floor. Every starter has led the team in scoring at least once this season, a major reason U-M leads the country in 2-point shooting (62%) and effective field goal percentage (60.2%).
“I mean numbers don’t lie,” Donaldson said. “We’re shooting over 60% inside the arc, I mean just continuing to do that. We got big guys out here … with Danny doing what he does in and out. It’s hard to guard. Nobody’s seen nothing like that before.”
Prediction for Michigan basketball vs. Washington
The Wolverines’ outlook is worlds away from a year ago, when it was often U-M on the wrong side of the talent and coaching ledger. U-M is better than Washington in every facet. As long as the Wolverines don’t have a horrendous shooting night, or commit an egregious number of turnovers (they’re 16th nationally, at 15.2 per game), they just have too much talent and depth for U-Dub to slow down. The pick: U-M 88, Washington 68.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
Washington
Six lawmakers to watch in Washington’s 2025 session • Washington State Standard
Washington’s citizen legislature kicks off its 2025 session Monday in Olympia.
Lawmakers will have 105 days to make multi-billion dollar shortfalls disappear from state operations and transportation budgets. They’ll wrangle over policies for capping rent hikes, purchasing guns, providing child care, teaching students, and much, much more. With many new faces, they’ll spend a lot of time getting to know one another as well.
Here are six lawmakers and one statewide executive to keep an eye on when the action begins.
Sen. Jamie Pedersen, Democrat, of Seattle
This is Pedersen’s first session leading the Senate Democrats. He takes over for the longtime majority leader Andy Billig, of Spokane, who retired last year. Pedersen represents one of the most progressive areas in the state, including Seattle’s Capitol Hill, which could indicate a shift in where his caucus is going politically. His new gig won’t be easy as he navigates the needs of 30 Democrats, seeks compromises with his 19 Republican colleagues, and deals with a gaping $12 billion budget hole. He takes the position after years as the majority floor leader, where he was well known for his efficiency, organization and Nordic sweaters.
Rep. Travis Couture, Republican, of Allyn
As the lead Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, Couture will be the point person for his caucus as it looks to block tax bills and push the Legislature to tamp down state spending. This is a new responsibility for him. It will test his mettle to work with Democratic budget writers in both chambers while simultaneously carrying out his role as a vocal critic of Democratic initiatives his caucus opposes most strongly. For Couture, a conservative who some say can at times “sound like a Democrat” it might not be as difficult as it seems.
Sen. Noel Frame, Democrat, of Seattle
Frame stumbled into the spotlight last month after mistakenly sending an email to all senators — instead of just fellow Democrats — outlining ideas for new taxes. Those include taxing wealthy individuals and large businesses — proposals that are getting traction with her progressive colleagues. She also mentioned an excise tax on guns and ammunition sales, a lift of the 1% cap on annual property tax increases and a sales tax on self-storage unit rentals. Frame takes on a new role this year as vice chair of finance on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, giving her power to explore new revenue ideas and making her a central player in talks about how to solve the budget shortfall.
Sen. Matt Boehnke, Republican, of Kennewick
Boehnke, the top Republican on the Senate Energy, Environment and Technology Committee, is out to retool climate change laws passed by Democrats and outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee. He wants, for example, to repeal a law requiring Washington to adopt California’s tough vehicle emission standards for trucks. And he wants to cut the governor out of decision-making on major clean energy projects. Inslee stirred controversy when his actions led to approval of the state’s largest-ever wind farm, near the Tri-Cities, despite concerns from the community where it will be built. That community happens to be in Boehnke’s home county.
Rep. Emily Alvarado, Democrat, of Seattle
Alvarado will be a key lawmaker leading the charge to pass a cap on rent hikes. This was one of the more controversial bills to fail last year, passing the House but failing twice in the Senate. After the bill died, Alvarado said “momentum is building, and next year, I believe we will pass this bill.” She may have more success this time around, especially if she makes her way over to the Senate to fill Sen. Joe Nguyen’s vacancy (Nguyen is leaving to lead the state Department of Commerce. The appointment process for his seat is still ongoing). Democratic leadership said the rent proposal is a priority for their caucuses, and Pedersen said he believes the idea has more support in his chamber this year. But Alvarado still has her work cut out. The bill, which would cap yearly rent increases at 7% for existing renters, is sure to draw fire from powerful real estate groups and Republicans, who warn that capping rents could undercut the construction of new housing and end up hurting renters.
Rep. Jim Walsh, Republican, of Aberdeen
Walsh made The Standard’s list of lawmakers to watch in 2024 because he was a legislator, the chair of the Washington State Republican Party and author of six initiatives, half of which are now law. He makes the cut again because he still wears two political hats giving him two separate pulpits to convey the Republican message. While he’s not pushing any ballot measures, yet, he did launch the state party’s “Project to Resist Tyranny in Washington” as a vehicle for opposing incoming Democratic governor Bob Ferguson.
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