Today, Ian Desmond announced that he will opt out of the 2021 season “for now.” The veteran outfielder will miss his second straight year of baseball to be with his family. He announced his decision Sunday morning via Instagram, writing: Over the last few months, I’ve had tough conversations. I’ve asked a lot of questions and done a lot of thinking. For now, I’ve decided to opt out of the 2021 season. My desire to be with my family is greater than my desire to go back and play baseball under these circumstances. I’m going to continue to train and watch how things unfold. This impacts a lot of people, some positively and some negatively, and I own that. At the end of the day, this weighs on me more than anyone but I’m following my heart and I feel good about my decision. I’ve let my teammates know, as well as the coaching staff and front office, and they have all been extremely understanding and supportive. I wish nothing but the best for the entire Rockies organization and have let them know I am willing to do whatever I can to help them from afar. Thank you. Desmond also opted out before last year’s truncated MLB season, citing coronavirus concerns. He announced that decision in a lengthy and thoughtful Instagram post, in which he addressed not only COVID but racial injustice in baseball and in American society at large. In that same post, Desmond also pledged to help restore youth baseball in his hometown of Sarasota, Florida. A few months later, he is staying true to his promise by launching his Newtown Connection charity. With two straight seasons of opt-outs, the 35-year-old will walk away from $13.56 million in salary. Meanwhile, Desmond’s five-year contract with the Rockies is set to expire next year, and he’ll have a $15 million option or . Desmond is perhaps the most notable athlete to opt out of a major sports league twice in the pandemic era. And if he thinks his time is better spent with his family and community, well, that’s his choice. Hats off to him for making that call. Relatedodds calculationsnfl parlay calculatormoneyline probability calculatorhalf point calculatorkelly calculatorhedge calculator for bettinglook ahead spreadswhat is over/under in bettingparlay betting explainedwhats round robin bettingnegative expected valuewhats hedge betting
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Adding up a player or team s expected goals can give us an indication of how many goals a player or team should have scored on average, given the shots they had taken.
According to Opta, Liverpool s prolific marksman Salah tallied 24.34 xG in the Premier League this season, but netted 32 times for a difference of +7.66.
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Juan Iturbe is determined to build on an indifferent start to life at Roma and stay injury-free during the Serie A club s upcoming season.
Having earned a move from Verona during an impressive 2013-14 campaign, Iturbe failed to live up to his big-money move at the Stadio Olimpico as he struggled with fitness setbacks.
The former Porto forward managed four goals in 37 appearances for Rudi Garcia s side, but is determined to demonstrate his quality this season.
I want to start well, that’s important for a long season, he told reporters at Roma s Pinzolo training camp.
There s always criticism whether you play well or not, but I don t care what they say. I only listen to the coach and my team-mates.
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The Premier League s relentless schedule continues with matchday 19 this weekend.
Keeping on top of your fantasy teams has been tough with the intense fixture list and increasingly regular postponements due to the coronavirus pandemic.
To make things a little bit easier, we have used Opta data to highlight a few candidates for selection in your side.
NICK POPE
Burnley may only be four points clear of the drop zone, but when Pope is in the team they are difficult to beat.
Since the start of November, no goalkeeper to have featured at least four times has conceded fewer than Pope (four).
He has kept five clean sheets during that run and has the best save percentage in the Premier League at 90 per cent.
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Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed suggestions that Manchester United are close to offering Cristiano Ronaldo a new contract by insisting that the European champions are happy with the remaining length of the player s current deal.
With Real Madrid expected to renew efforts to sign Ronaldo next year, it is likely that United will open talks over a new deal with the Portuguese forward at the end of the season.
At that stage, he will have three years left to run on his 120,000-pound-a-week deal, but Ferguson admitted recently that the summer of 2009 will be a key stage of Ronaldo s contract.
Yet despite Ronaldo s agent, Jorge Mendes, being spotted at Old Trafford last week, Ferguson insists that the player s current deal does not require urgent renewal.
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Wesley Sneijder has revealed that Inter blocked his move to Manchester United in 2010.
The Dutchman, who moved from San Siro to Galatasaray in January, claims he had held talks with the Red Devils three seasons ago following the Italian side s Champions League success.
However, Sneijder believes that the Nerazzurri demanded too high a figure from the Premier League giants, scuppering the deal.
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Just months after becoming world champions in 2014, Germany were beaten in Poland, eventually winning their group by just a point on the way to the European Championships in France.
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RB Leipzig midfielder Konrad Laimer faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a ligament injury in Saturday s 3-0 win against Borussia Dortmund.
The 25-year-old Austrian came off late in the game, and it has been revealed by his club he suffered a blow to his left syndesmosis ligament, an injury often known as a high ankle sprain.
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The news comes as a blow to new Leipzig head coach Marco Rose, who was appointed last Thursday in the wake of Domenico Tedesco losing his job after a 4-1 Champions League defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk.
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