Opening Day for Major League Baseball is rapidly approaching. With this in mind, it is the perfect time to look at each team’s predictions for the 2021 season, following 2020’s 60-game shortened campaign.

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The Cincinnati Reds took advantage of the COVID-19 shortened season and made the playoffs after six straight losing seasons. The Reds have a total of five World Series titles across the team’s 139-year history. The team’s success can be attributed to having the league’s seventh-best ERA in 2020 with a 3.84 ERA and the seventh-most home runs with a total of 90 homers. With how things stand, the Reds would have to get lucky to make the postseason again in 2021.

Here are Cincinnati’s projected starters.

Cincinnati Reds Projected Batting Order:

1. OF Nick Senzel
2. 1B Joey Votto
3. OF Nick Castellanos 
4. 2B Mike Moustakas
5. 3B Eugenio Suarez
6. OF Jesse Winker 
7. C Tyler Stephenson 
8. OF Shogo Akiyama
9. Pitcher

Cincinnati Reds Projected Pitching Staff:

• SP1 Luis Castillo
• SP2 Sonny Gray
• SP3 Tyler Mahle
• SP4 Wade Miley
• SP5 Michael Lorenzen
• CL Amir Garrett 

Cincinnati Reds Team Outlook:

During the offseason, the Reds lost starter Trevor Bauer and failed to re-sign Freddy Galvis, reliever Archie Bradley, and right-hander Anthony DeSclafani. Despite the losses, Cincy did make some additions and picked up relievers Sean Doolittle, Noe Ramirez, and starting pitcher Jeff Hoffman. Regarding the starting rotation, Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo, and Tyler Mahle are solid and offer upside, but the backend of the rotation isn’t as promising.

Considering the team’s offense, the Reds have three power bats in outfielder Nick Castellanos, third baseman Eugenio Suarez and second baseman Mike Moustakas. For the Reds to make the playoffs, everything would have to go right. Odds are, they will reach .500 if their offense plays well. But at the end of the day, the Reds need to acquire one more starter to finish higher in the National League Central division.

Cincinnati Reds Schedule:

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This season was supposed to be different for the Ottawa Senators. But then again, every one of their seasons was supposed to be. And very rarely were they.

Senators Uber Scandal Continues

After an offseason flooded with scandals, from the arrest of an assistant general manager to a Twitter beef between Mike Hoffman‘s girlfriend and Erik Karlsson‘s wife, they’ve only continued into the season. That comes after trading away both Hoffman and Karlsson to a different country.

Now, they’re still in what might be a permanent damage control mode. And the team that’s 30th in penalty killing is just as bad off the ice as they are on it. One Uber ride in Phoenix might be what kills the team.

Earlier this month, a video of several players — including alternate captain Matt Duchene — criticizing the coaching staff and game planning leaked online.  The team said they’ve already addressed the five-minute clip. Forward Mark Stone said “It’s disappointing the way the video got released. We dealt with this long before this video was released. As a coaching staff, as management, as players it was dealt with internally and the way it should be, and we’re going to move forward and grow from it.”

Maybe this is the one scandal that costs Ottawa a hockey team. Owner Eugene Melnyk threatened to move the team in 2017. When asked if he would, he responded: “If it becomes a disaster, yes.” Isn’t this?

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

The players already apologized to coach Martin Raymond, a specific target of insults, in a statement on Monday. Raymond, as his players said in the video, is ” the only coach in NHL history to have the worst power play and the worst PK within a calendar year.” He’s also in his third season with the team.

Senator coach Guy Boucher also commented on the incident.

“I don’t know who makes decisions to put things like that out there, but when you purposely try to hurt another human being, I don’t want to spend too much time on that, and especially probably the best human being I know (Raymond), that’s personal,” Boucher said.

The team looks to move on, playing New Jersey in a home game on Tuesday night. Realistically though, they won’t. This season’s a wash and Ottawa might be too.

The San Jose Sharks acquire two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson from the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

SENATORS TRADE ERIK Karlsson TO SHARKS

In what has been a turbulent stretch for the Senators, the team trades 28-year-old star Swedish defenceman Karlsson and prospect forward Francis Perron to the Sharks.

San Jose dealt forwards Chris Tierney and Rudolfs Balcers, defenseman Dylan DeMelo, and prospect forward Josh Norris.

The deal also includes the Shark’s first-round pick in 2020, a second-round pick in 2019 and a conditional second-round pick in 2021.

“It’s extremely rare that players of this caliber become available,” said General Manager Doug Wilson. “The word ‘elite’ is often thrown around casually, but Erik’s skill set and abilities fit that description like few other players in today’s game. With Erik, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, we feel we have three of the N.H.L.’s top defensemen and stand as a better team today than we were yesterday.”

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On Friday, the star defenseman sent a message of gratitude to the city of Ottawa via Twitter.

Senators General Manager Pierre Dorion said: “This is the right moment for us to rebuild our team, and shape our future with a faster, younger and more competitive team on the ice. We are going to build a culture of consistency which will allow this team to sustain better performance over the long term.”

“Erik is an exceptional hockey player whose skills delighted our fans for the past nine years,” Dorion said in a statement. “We thank him for his dedication to hockey, and we wish him all the best.”

After missing out on the high-scoring center John Tavares in free agency to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Sharks get the difference-maker that it was hoping in Karisson.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

His .518 points are by far the most of any defenseman since he entered the N.H.L. in 2009.

Last season put up 62 points (nine goals) and 53 assists. He also led the team in average ice time (26 minutes 44 seconds, third in the N.H.L.), and was second in blocked shots (120) and takeaways (55).

Karlsson also has six goals and 31 assists in 48 career playoff games.

“I wish we were standing here in different circumstances. It’s an emotional and sad day,” said Karlsson in an emotional news conference. “I don’t think that I’ve ever in my wildest imagination thought that I would ever leave this place. But, unfortunately, we’re here under these circumstances and, again, that’s not something I’m going to go into detail about.

“I was prepared to come here and work hard for this team. I still have a year left on my deal but unfortunately I couldn’t follow that through.”

As Karlsson makes the transition to San Jose he joins one of the top defensive groups in the league alongside the 2017 Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns and the shutdown defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

He’ll get a chance to face his former team on December 1 in Ottawa at 1 p.m. EST.

On Sunday, former NHL goalie Ray Emery died after drowning in a harbor in his native Hamilton, Canada. He was 35.

Former NHL Goaltender Ray Emery Dies

The Hamilton Police Department said the former goaltender went missing early Sunday morning in Hamilton Harbour, a part of Lake Ontario.

Inspector Marty Schulenberg stated no foul play is suspected in Emery’s death. Since Emery was not found immediately, a team of divers were summoned to help with the rescue efforts.

According to ESPN, Schulenberg said the former goalie’s death was a “case of misadventure.”

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An autopsy was scheduled for Monday.

“Mr. Emery was taking a swim this morning and the circumstances around that are a part of the investigation,” Schulenberg stated, per ESPN. “Those details remain to be uncovered by our investigators.”

Emery, who was nicknamed “Razor,” was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in 2001 as a fourth-round selection. During his 11-year NHL career, he played with the Senators, Anaheim Ducks, Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks. Emery helped lead Ottawa to a Stanley Cup Final in 2007. Six years later, he won a national title with the Blackhawks while playing as a backup for Corey Crawford. 

Emery retired with the Flyers in 2015 but then played one more professional year in the AHL and in the German league. He logged 16 shutouts in his career.

The goaltender also suffered from a severe hip condition called avascular necrosis.

Among the controversies Emery became involved in during his career was an attack on a coach in Russia in 2009. A video of this incident went viral.

“Ray was an outstanding teammate and an extremely gifted goaltender,” the Flyers said of Emery in a statement. “He had an exceptional athleticism, was a fierce competitor and battled in every game he played with the Flyers. His performances throughout the 2009-10 season were a very big part of the team’s success in making the playoffs and reaching the Stanley Cup Final.”

The Senators and Blackhawks also released statements.

SLIDESHOW: Sports Figures Who Died In 2018

“On behalf of the Ottawa Senators, I wish to express my sincere condolences on the passing of Ray Emery,” team owner Eugene Melnyk stated. “Ray was instrumental in our run to the 2007 Stanley Cup Final, and at his best, he brought a competitive edge and combative mentality to the game. On behalf of our entire organization, I wish to extend my deepest sympathies to Ray’s family, friends and loved ones.”

Here are more tributes to Emery from around the NHL:

The Ottawa Senators on Tuesday traded winger Mike Hoffman to the San Jose Sharks, who then sent him to the Florida Panthers.

Senators’ Mike Hoffman Traded To Panthers

The move comes almost a week after allegations of cyber-bullying were made against Hoffman’s fianceé Monika Caryk. On May 4, Melinda Karlsson — the wife of Senators captain Erik Karlsson — reportedly filed a protection order against Caryk, claiming Hoffman’s fianceé had harassed her online.

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Melinda Karlsson accused Caryk of making “numerous statements wishing my unborn child dead” in a series of tweets and other social media posts, according to The Ottawa Citizen. 

Karlsson and her husband had a son named Axel in March but he was stillborn, and Melinda reportedly received several offensive messages online after that.

Melinda Karlsson also claimed Caryk used a pseudonym to post the hurtful comments and that she “uttered that she wished I was dead and that someone should ‘take out’ my husband’s legs to end his career.”

According to the Citizen, Hoffman denied the allegations against his fianceé. The Senators, meanwhile, issued a statement saying they would investigate the matter in coordination with the NHL.

Ottawa traded Hoffman to the Sharks for Mikkel Boedker as part of a deal that also saw defenseman Cody Donaghey and a fifth-round 2020 draft pick leave for San Jose. The Senators also got defenseman Julius Bergman and a 2020 sixth-round pick.

The Sharks then dealt Hoffman and a seventh-round pick to the Panthers for second, fourth and fifth-round picks.

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Karlson has a chance to sign a new contract with the Senators starting July 1. He could become an unrestricted free agent during the summer of 2019.

Left winger Evander Kane recently signed a seven-year, $49 million deal with the Sharks.

The 2018 Masters Tournament officially started on Thursday morning, and there was much excitement as top players like Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth battled it out at Augusta National.

Masters 2018 Weekend Preview, Rounds 2, 3, And 4

Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, two golf veterans, officially began the event by tapping honorary tee shots.

Spain’s Sergio Garcia — ranked ninth in the PGA Tour — won the Masters in 2017.

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By the end of opening day, Spieth topped all players at -6 and held a seven-stroke lead over Woods with a one-over-par 73. Spieth had five consecutive birdies in Round 1. The Masters marks the return to competitive golf of PGA legend Woods, who had been sidelined due to injuries. Woods also underwent a rehabilitation program and took medication in the months following his May 2017 arrest for driving under the influence.

The second round is scheduled to start on Friday morning at 8:30am EST.

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Here is all the information about tee times and viewing info (both television and streaming) for Rounds 2, 3 and 4 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively:

• Event: The 2018 Masters Tournament
• Dates: April 5-8, 2018
• Where: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
• Round 2: Friday, April 6

TV Channel and coverage times

• Round 2: ESPN, 3:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Friday
• Round 3: CBS, 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Saturday
• Round 4: CBS, 2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Sunday

Masters Live Stream

A live stream of the 2018 Masters will be available every day of the weekend both on the CBS Sports mobile app and at CBSSports.com.

• Round 2: CBSSports.com, Masters.com/WatchESPN, 9:15 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. Friday
• Round 3: CBSSports.com, 11:00 a.m. – end of competition on Saturday
• Round 4: CBSSports.com , 11:00 a.m. – end of competition on Sunday

Here are the tee times and pairings for Round 2 on Friday: (all times EST)

• 10:42 a.m.: Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm
• 10:53 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Alex Noren, Louis Oosthuizen
• 11:04 a.m.: Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Rafa Cabrera Bello 
• 11:15 a.m.: Austin Cook, Ted Potter Jr., Wesley Bryan 
• 11:26 a.m.: Ian Woosnam, Ryan Moore, Jhonattan Vegas 
• 11:36 a.m.: Mike Weir, Brendan Steele, Matt Parziale
• 11:48 a.m.: Jose Maria Olazabal, Kevin Chappell, Dylan Frittelli
• 11:59 a.m.: Bryson DeChambeau, Bernd Wiesberger, Matthew Fitzpatrick
• 12:10 p.m.: Mark O’Meara, Brian Harman, Harry Ellis
• 12:32 p.m.: Vijay Singh, Satoshi Kodaira, Daniel Berger
• 12:43 p.m.: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Pat Perez, Francesco Molinari 
• 12:54 p.m.: Danny Willett, Kyle Stanley, Jason Dufner
• 1:05 p.m.: Hideki Matsuyama, Patton Kizzire, Paul Casey
• 1:16 p.m.: Zach Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Branden Grace 
• 1:27 p.m.: Tiger Woods, Marc Leishman, Tommy Fleetwood
• 1:38 p.m.: Sergio Garcia, Justin Thomas, Doc Redman
• 1:49 p.m. Bubba Watson, Henrik Stenson, Jason Day 
• 2:00 p.m.: Patrick Reed, Charley Hoffman, Adam Hadwin

The final major golf tournament of 2017 begins on Thursday: the PGA Championship will start at Quail Hollow in Charlotte.

PGA Championship 2017 preview news

Here is all the information you need on how to watch this year’s tournament in North Carolina.

The PGA Championship will run from Aug. 10-13. Live coverage for Rounds 1 and 2 on Thursday and Friday will start on TNT at 1 pm EST and end at 7 pm. Practice rounds began on Monday, Aug. 7.

For Rounds 3 and 4 on Saturday and Sunday, live coverage starts on TNT at 11 am EST and then shifts to CBS beginning at 2 pm until 7 pm.

Jordan Spieth is seeking to become only the sixth player to complete a career Grand Slam after winning the British Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England two weeks ago. Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy are also on their final leg of the Slam, and need a victory at the U.S. Open and Masters, respectively.

Spieth will have an opportunity to become the youngest golfer ever, at 24 years, 17 days old, to record a Grand Slam. This will be his only chance as the youngest, as Tiger Woods was the last to complete the Slam in 2000 at 24 years, 5 months old after hoisting the Claret Jug at St. Andrews.

Spieth will begin competing in the PGA Championship side-by-side with Sergio Garcia and Brooks Koepka — the 2017 Masters and U.S. Open winners, respectively — on Thursday at 8:25 a.m. EST.

McIlroy will be competing with a new caddie after he parted ways with longtime caddie J.P. Fitzgerald on the eve of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational on Wednesday, Aug. 2. The Northern Irishman will be seeking his fifth major title and his first since the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla. McIlroy boasts the best record at Quai Hollow: two Wells Fargo victories for a total of six top-ten finishes in seven starts on the course.

After 14 years hosting the Wells Fargo Championship, Quail Hollow will host the 99th PGA Championship as the first major tournament to be held in Charlotte.

World No. 38 Jimmy Walker was the 2016 PGA Championship winner.

Here are the pairings and tee times (all in EST) for Round 1 on Thursday:

SPRINGFIELD, NJ – JULY 29: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the 12th tee during the second round of the 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club on July 29, 2016 in Springfield, New Jersey. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Phil Kessel scored on his lone shot on goal with 6:55 remaining in the third period to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 1-0 Game 2 home victory over the Ottawa Senators on Monday night.

Phil Kessel Scores Game-Winner, Penguins tie series Vs Senators 1-1

The right winger took a pass from Evgeni Malkin and netted a shot after Jean-Gabriel Pageau stopped the first try. Kessel re-fired his own rebounded past Craig Anderson’s left pad to snap his three-game scoring drought and tie the Eastern Conference Final series 1-1.

“Lucky bounce,” Kessel said. “It got blocked. I got it off quick. It went in.”

Kessel’s game-winner was the latest he had ever scored in 60 career NHL Playoff games.

Marc-Andre Fleury recorded 23 saves for his second shutout in his last three starts. He has allowed two goals during that stretch. Anderson stopped 28 shots for Ottawa.

The Penguins were missing three regulars on Monday: forward Patric Hornqvist, right wing Bryan Rust and defenseman Justin Schultz. The latter two left in the first half of the first period. 

Rust exited after taking a hit from Dion Phaneuf in the middle of the offensive zone 4:58 into the game. Then, Schulz crashed into the end boards at 9:30 of the first after attempting to fight Mike Hoffman for a puck behind Pittsburgh’s net. Schultz headed straight to the locker room. The defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins played the remainder of the game with 11 forwards and five defenseman.

Hornqvist did not play due to an undisclosed injury after participating in line rushes during warmups. He skipped practice Sunday and the Penguins’ optional morning skate Monday before being marked as a game-time decision.

Coach Mike Sullivan did not reveal any updates on Rust, Schultz or Hornqvist after the game. Forward Conor Sheary replaced Hornqvist on the third line and was also moved to the first line after Rust left in the opening period.

Carl Hagelin, meanwhile, returned for Pittsburgh. The forward, who had also been labeled a game-time decision, sat out the previous two games with a lower-body injury.

Jake Guentzel missed a great scoring opportunity for the Penguins in the second period. Crosby won a face-off and immediately fed his teammate, who raced toward the net. Guentzel went on a breakaway and, all alone in front, fired a shot over Ottawa’s goal and into the netting with 7:58 left in the second.

Ottawa’s first shot of the third period came on a backhand from forward Zack Smith with 4:54 remaining. The Senators’ previous shot came with 3:47 left in the second period.

The Senators were shut out for the first time since a 3-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 24 (a 36-game stretch). Ottawa forward Viktor Stahlberg missed his second straight game due to an undisclosed injury.

Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals is Wednesday at 8pm EST in Ottawa.

PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 15: Phil Kessel #81 of the Pittsburgh Penguins shoots the puck against the Ottawa Senators during the third period in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena on May 15, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The New York Rangers will face the Buffalo Sabres in the 2018 Winter Classic at Citi Field, the NHL announced Tuesday.

Rangers to face Sabres in 2018 NHL Winter Classic at Citi Field

The game will be held at the Mets’ home stadium in Flushing, Queens on Jan. 1. Commissioner Garry Bettman revealed the outdoor game would be played on New Year’s Day on television Tuesday night during an intermission of the Rangers’ 4-2 Game 6 playoff loss to the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden, a defeat that eliminated the Rangers from Stanley Cup contention.

“The Winter Classic made its debut under snowy Buffalo skies in 2008, and we look forward to celebrating the 10th anniversary of that landmark event by matching the Sabres with their intrastate rivals, the New York Rangers, in the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Citi Field,” Bettman said in a press release.

The 2018 Winter Classic will count as a home game for the Sabres due to rules dictating the Rangers play all home contests at Madison Square Garden.

The 2018 edition of the game will mark the second time the Sabres and Rangers have each participated in the NHL’s premier midseason event.

Buffalo hosted the first-ever 2008 Winter Classic, during which the Sabres fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 2-1 shootout at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

The Rangers visited the Philadelphia Flyers at the Phillies’ home, Citizens Bank Park, for the 2012 showcase game, and also participated in Stadium Series contests against the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders at Yankee Stadium in 2014.

The Senators advanced to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2007 with their 4-2 series and Game 6 win over the Rangers on Tuesday night. Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone put Ottawa up 2-0 with goals at 4:27 and 14:44 of the first period, and then led 3-1 in the second thanks to Erik Karlsson, who scored after Mika Zibanejad netted New York’s first goal at 13:32 of the period.

Chris Kreider scored the Rangers’ second goal 53 seconds into the third period to bring the hosts within one, but Jean-Gabriel Pageau secured the Senators’ victory by shooting into an empty net with seven seconds remaining.

Craig Anderson made 37 saves for Ottawa, while Henrik Lundqvist stopped 22 shots for New York, which was 0-for-4 on the power play.

“I think we played well enough to win a lot of games here,” said Lundqvist, who had won ten of the last 11 home games when the Rangers were on the brink of elimination. “We talked about it during the season that sometimes it is not about playing your best game, it is about finding a way to win games. They did that better than we did.”

One of the best goals of the game was Karlsson, who took a backhand feed from Bobby Ryan and shot past Lundqvist from the left circle at 15:53 of the second period.

“It was big for momentum, the stadium erupted when they scored and I knew they would make another push after they scored,” Anderson said. “I think we took the wind right out of their sail with that great play between Bobby and [Karlsson]”

Anderson made a big save when he blocked a shot from Kreider on a 2-on-1 with Zibanejad by sliding across the goal to stop Kreider’s rebound with his pad at 5:08 of the third period to protect a 3-2 Senators lead.

Ottawa forward Viktor Stalberg left 5:59 into the second period with an undisclosed injury.

The Senators’ next opponent and date for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final has yet to be determined. Ottawa beat the Buffalo Sabres in five games when it last played in the conference final in 2007.

Dustin Johnson was forced to withdraw from the 2017 Masters at Augusta on Thursday just before his afternoon tee time in the opening round.

Masters 2017 Round 2 Recap, Highlights, And Leaderboard

Johnson and his team had seemed sure on Wednesday he would be fine to play on Thursday after the 32-year-old American and World No. 1 golfer injured his lower back and elbows while falling down a short flight of stairs.

Charley Hoffman (-3) maintains the lead in the second round, though he’s falling off slightly. The 40-year-old American is, however, +3 for the day largely due to three straight bogeys early in the round.

Hoffman finished Round 1 with a 4-shot lead, the biggest advantage after just one round at Augusta in 62 years. Hoffman is playing in his fourth Masters, and has had much success in the tournament. He’s finished in the top 30 in all three previous events, including in 2015 when he opened the tournament with a 67 that had him tied for second behind eventual champion Jordan Spieth. Hoffman ended up tied for ninth that year.

Phil Mickelson (-1) started off the 2017 Masters strong, and is tied for fourth. Meanwhile, other top players like Spieth (+3), Jason Day (+2), Rickie Fowler (+1) and Rory McIlroy (E) all had varying performances on Thursday. McIlroy is the favorite to win this year’s Masters. Englishman Danny Willett won last year’s Masters after Spieth fell apart in the final round. Spieth recently said Johnson was the man to beat at Augusta this year.

Here is the recap of the first round on Thursday:

 Spaniard Sergio Garcia, meanwhile, remains in contention after finishing with 69 and recording six birdies and three bogies. Here is the 70th-ranked 37-year-old faired on Friday:

Here’s a great putt from Rickie Fowler on Friday:

And here are the highlights from early-afternoon play on Friday:

Here is an interesting statistic common to all Masters winners from the last 11 years, and how it relates to this year’s opening round at Augusta:

And finally, here is the full leaderboard for second-round play:

Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez were elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame in voting announced Wednesday, while Trevor Hoffman and Vladimir Guerrero fell just short.

Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, Ivan Rodriguez Elected To Baseball Hall Of Fame

Barry Bonds– who was a hitting coach for the Miami Marlins last season and Roger Clemens, both stained by steroid scandals, were not considered for the fifth consecutive year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. However, both legends received significantly more votes this time and could potentially be elected sometime in the next few years.

Bagwell, on the ballot for the seventh time after falling 15 votes short last year, received 381 of 442 votes for 86.2 percent. Players needed 75 percent, which came to 332 votes this year.

In his tenth and final year of eligibility on the writers’ ballot, Raines took 380 votes, while Rodriguez received 336 votes (76 percent) to join Johnny Bench in 1989 as the only catchers elected on the first ballot.

Hoffman and Guerrero were five and 15 votes short respectively.

Next on the list of players who fell short of election were Edgar Martinez at 58.6 percent, followed by Clemens at 54.1 percent, Bonds at 53.8 percent, Mike Mussina at 51.8 percent, Curt Schilling at 45 percent, Lee Smith at 34.2 percent, and Manny Ramirez at 23.8 percent.

Players will be elected on July 30 during ceremonies at Cooperstown, NY, along with former commissioner Bud Selig and retired Kansas City and Atlanta executive John Schuerholz, both elected last month by a veterans committee.

Since the inaugural Class of 1936, the Baseball Hall of Fame has honored the sport’s legendary players, managers, umpires and executives. Included in the 317 Hall of Famers are 220 former major league players, 30 executives, 35 Negro Leaguers, 22 managers and 10 umpires.

Bagwell was a four-time All-Star who played his entire career with Houston, finishing with a .297 batting average, 401 homers, and 1,401 RBIs.

Raines, fifth in career stolen bases, was a seven-time All-Star and the1986 NL batting champion. He spent 13 of 23 major league seasons with the Montreal Expos, and is now the third player from that franchise to be elected to the Hall of Fame, after Andre Dawson and Gary Carter. 

Rodriguez, a 14-time All-Star who hit .296 with 311 homers and 1,332 RBIs, never received punishment for using PEDs, although former Texas teammate Jose Canseco alleged in a 2005 book that he injected the catcher with steroids.

When asked whether he was on the list of players who allegedly tested positive for steroids during baseball’s 2003 survey, Rodriguez simply said in 2009: “Only God knows.”

Several famous players who will join the competition for Hall of Fame votes in upcoming years include Chipper Jones in 2018, Mariano Rivera and Roy Halladay in 2019, and Derek Jeter in 2020.

7 Mar 1999: Outfielder Tim Raines #30 of the Oakland Athletics runs down to a base as he looks over his shoulder during the Spring Training game against the Anaheim Angels at the Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The Angels defeated the Athletics 9-8. Mandatory Credit: Tom Hauck /Allsport