🇷🇺🇺🇦 Axios Sports: Russia and Ukraine

Plus: The King of Clay | Wednesday, June 01, 2022

Open in app View in browser     Axios Sports By Kendall Baker · Jun 01, 2022 👋 Good morning! Tonight in New York, Russian hockey stars take the ice. Across the pond in Scotland, Ukraine's soccer team returns to the field. Today's word count: 2,046 words (8 minutes). Let's sports...     1 big thing: 🇷🇺 Russian stars in the spotlight Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios   Russian hockey stars will take center stage tonight at Madison Square Garden, a reality starkly at odds with much of the sports world, Axios' Jeff Tracy and I write. State of play: While other leagues and organizations have banned Russian teams and athletes in response to the war in Ukraine, the NHL has taken a different approach. The league condemned the war, suspended business operations in Russia and stopped posting to Russian language social sites. But it never considered banning its 56 Russian players (~5% of the league). Alex Ovechkin, a longtime supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, made headlines all year as he chased Wayne Gretzky's scoring record, and Russians had accounted for 9% of all playoff goals through Sunday. Tonight's Russian stars: Stud goalies Igor Shesterkin (NYR) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB) will play key roles in Game 1 of the East Finals, as will wingers Artemi Panarin (NYR) and Nikita Kucherov (TB). The big picture: While Russians in the NHL play on, their countrymen and women in other sports have been banned from competitions. Events have also been moved in an attempt to hurt Russia economically. Team bans: The first domino to fall was the IOC, which responded to threats of Paralympic boycotts and violence by banning Russia and Belarus. FIFA, UEFA and the IIHF (hockey) then took similar action. Individual bans: The most controversial bans are those targeting individuals, like the Boston Marathon and Wimbledon. Events moved: Numerous events were stripped from Russian hosts, including the Champions League Final and F1's Russian Grand Prix. What they're saying: "The Russian players are in an impossible situation," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told AP. "We celebrate every player's accomplishments because they're performing in the NHL for their NHL team for NHL fans." Some experts support the NHL's approach, arguing that a ban would have not only been ineffective, but could have backfired. "Preventing Russian athletes from performing isn't going to change [Putin's] policy in Ukraine," international affairs expert Matthew Schmidt told SI. "It's going to make him angry." The other side: Brendan Dwyer, a faculty member at VCU's Center for Sport Leadership, says banning Russian hockey players would be a blow to the Kremlin. "Putin puts these athletes on a pedestal more than soccer, more than tennis," Dwyer told AP. "Sports are [important] for this regime ... as a way to show power internationally and hockey more so than any other sport."     2. 🎾 The King of Clay still reigns Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images   Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4), in a four-hour marathon on Tuesday to advance to the French Open semifinals. Why it matters: The victory — secured at 1:15am local time — moves Nadal a step closer to his record 22nd major championship, which would put him two ahead of Djokovic and Roger Federer. "Tonight was one of those magic nights for me," said Nadal, whose statue sits near the entrance to the stadium complex. "The crowd knows I won't be here many more times." "Congratulations to Nadal, he was the best player in the important moments," said Djokovic, who beat Rafa in last year's semifinals. "He was just able to take his tennis to another level." By the numbers: Nadal is now 110-3 in his career at Roland Garros, with two of those losses coming against Djokovic. This was the 59th meeting between the all-time greats, more than any other two men have played each other in the Open Era. Nadal narrowed Djokovic's lead to 30-29 and improved to 20-8 on clay. In 51 of their 59 meetings, the player who won the first set won the match. The backdrop: "All week the two worked in contrast, just like great rivals," writes ESPN's Tom Hamilton. "Djokovic wanting to play at night, Nadal during the day; Nadal playing down expectations, Djokovic talking up his chances." All conditions seemed to favor the Serb, who arrived in France fully healthy and fresh off winning the Italian Open. Entering Tuesday, Djokovic had won nine straight matches and 22 straight sets. Nadal is suffering from a chronic foot injury, and he's even been partially overshadowed in Paris by Carlos Alcaraz, the 19-year-old Spaniard drawing comparisons to Rafa. The big picture: Another epic installment has been added to the "Big Three" era, which is nearing its end as Nadal and Roger Federer stare down retirement. Soak this in before it's gone. What's next: Nadal turns 36 on Friday, when he'll play 25-year-old Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. 🎥 Watch: Highlights (YouTube)     3. ⚽️ USMNT kicks off four-game June slate Data: U.S. Soccer; Table: Thomas Oide/Axios The USMNT kicks off a quartet of June games tonight, marking one of the last times they'll be together before the World Cup in November. Schedule: The four-game slate begins with two friendlies against World Cup opponents, followed by two CONCACAF Nations League matches. Tonight: Friendly vs. Morocco (Cincinnati) Sunday: Friendly vs. Uruguay (Kansas City) June 10: Nations League vs. Grenada (Austin) June 14: Nations League at El Salvador (San Salvador) What to expect: Manager Gregg Berhalter plans to compete and give plenty of minutes to his core group, but he'll also be testing newcomers and trying out different combinations to see what clicks. "The experience of playing against two World Cup opponents is going to be important for us. So we're going to ... really compete in those games and see where we stack up. [But] we're not going to play everyone 90 minutes to hang on to a 1-0 lead. You know, it's just unrealistic at this stage. We can't do that." — Berhalter Go deeper ... 50 games of Berhalter: How he's made his mark (ESPN)     A message from Axios Get smarter, faster on Cryptocurrencies     Axios Crypto brings you daily updates on the most consequential trends in cryptocurrency and the blockchain Subscribe for free     4. ⚡️ Lightning round Screenshot: @patsmithradio (Twitter)   🏈 SEC seating chart: Lots of important issues are on the table at this week's annual SEC spring meeting, but the seating chart may have created the most buzz in light of the Saban-Jimbo feud. 🏈 23rd lawsuit: A new lawsuit has been filed against Deshaun Watson, bringing the total to 23. The plaintiff says she changed her mind about filing the suit after watching HBO's "Real Sports" segment. ⛳️ NIL golf deals: A week after winning a national golf title, Stanford freshman Rose Zhang has signed Adidas' first NIL deal. Plus: 12-year old phenom Xavier Perez has signed the first NIL deal with Cobra Puma. ⚾️ Clemens debuts: Roger Clemens has had some big baseball moments in Detroit. Tuesday was his proudest, as he watched his son, Koby, make his MLB debut for the Tigers. 🏏 Cricket champs: Gujarat Titans beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets to win the Indian Premier League title in their debut season.     5. ⚾️ The long, winding road to the big leagues Photo: Kelsey Grant/Getty Images   Jose Cuas pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the Royals in his MLB debut on Tuesday, embracing a moment he thought might never come. How he got here: In the fall of 2017, the Brewers decided to convert Cuas, an infielder from the University of Maryland, to a pitcher. A year later, after limited opportunities, they released him. After nearly quitting baseball, Cuas signed with the independent Long Island Ducks, where he became a sidearm pitcher after former MLB closer Fernando Rodriguez saw him slinging balls in warmups. The now sidearm-throwing Cuas signed with the Diamondbacks in 2019 and had success in the low minors. But then the pandemic hit and Arizona released him. Cuas nearly walked away once again, but his family pushed him to keep going. So he did, delivering boxes for FedEx during the day and training with his brother, Alex, at a field in Brooklyn late at night. The Royals signed Cuas in 2021 after coach Tony Peña Jr. saw him pitch in the Dominican Winter League. He had a stellar 2021 season in Double-A and his 1.74 ERA in Triple-A this year earned him a call-up. The final leg of the journey: Cuas had a long travel day with the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers on Monday. When he finally crawled into his bed, the phone rang: The Royals needed him in Cleveland. So he got right back onto an airplane, flew from Omaha to Cleveland (with a layover in Minneapolis), and arrived in the third inning of Monday night's game against the Guardians. He warmed up in the seventh but never entered the game, with his debut coming the following night. He's still waiting on his suitcase. What he's saying: "This is the first time I've actually felt my legs since being here," Cuas said after his debut, which his family attended. "I told them to enjoy this more than [me]. I'm here because of them."     6. 😎 The American lifeguard shortage Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios   Pool openings were delayed across the country last weekend due to a severe lifeguard shortage for the second summer in a row, Axios' Erin Doherty writes. Why it matters: The guard shortage could prevent about a third of more than 300,000 public pools from opening and the pools that do open could see reduced hours, per the American Lifeguard Association. Philadelphia only had enough lifeguards to open 18 of the city's 65 available outdoor pools this summer as of April 14, Axios' Mike D'Onofrio reports. Chicago pools and swimming sites face a similar plight. As of May 13, the city had not yet hired any seasonal lifeguards for 2022, Axios' Monica Eng reports. What they're saying: Bernard Fisher, director of health and safety at the lifeguard association, says he's never seen anything like this. "It's becoming a snowball effect ... We need to relook at how we need to prevent this from continuing into many more years." In related news ... The top-paid Los Angeles lifeguards earned up to half a million dollars in 2021, according to a new report. Pretty solid gig!     7. 🌎 The world in photos Photo: Harry How/Getty Images DENVER — The Avalanche beat the Oilers, 8-6, in a wildly entertaining Game 1 that featured the second-most goals in conference finals history. A whopping 25 players had points (13 Oilers, 12 Avs). What they're saying: Gretzky was enjoying the action from the TNT set, but did have one complaint: "I was the most offensive player maybe to ever live, but you've got to play defense, man!" Photo: Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images PARIS — Coco Gauff beat fellow American Sloane Stephens, 7-5, 6-2, to advance to the French Open semifinals. Gauff, who graduated from high school a week ago, has yet to drop a set in Paris. Why it matters: Gauff, 18, is the third American woman 18 or under to advance to a Grand Slam semifinal this century, joining Serena Williams and Amanda Anisimova. Photo: Joe Puetz/Getty Images ST. LOUIS — Albert Pujols walked off a game for the 22nd time on Tuesday. The only players with more walk-off RBI since RBI became official in 1920 are Frank Robinson and Dusty Baker. 🎥 Watch: Pujols wins it in the 10th (Twitter) Charles Leclerc driving his Ferrari during a practice run at the Monaco Grand Prix this past weekend. Photo: Dan Istitene/Formula 1 via Getty Images MONTE CARLO, Monaco — The Monaco Grand Prix has long been Formula 1's crown jewel. But with its contract expiring this year, the future of the historic race is up in the air. 🎥 Watch: The history of the Monaco Grand Prix (YouTube)     8. 📺 Watchlist: Ukraine takes the field Photo: Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images   Scotland hosts Ukraine today in their long-awaited World Cup qualifier playoff semifinal (2:45pm ET, ESPN2), delayed by over two months due to the Russian invasion. Where it stands: Today's winner faces Wales on Sunday for a spot in the World Cup, where they'll join Group B alongside the USA, England and Iran. The big picture: Scotland hasn't played in the World Cup since going winless in 1998; Ukraine reached the quarterfinals in its lone World Cup appearance in 2006. More to watch: 🏒 NHL playoffs: Lightning at Rangers (8pm, ESPN) 🎾 French Open: Quarterfinals (6am–6pm, Tennis) ... No. 7 Andrey Rublev vs. No. 20 Marin Čilić, No. 8 Casper Ruud vs. Holger Rune, No. 1 Iga Świątek vs. No. 11 Jessica Pegula ⛳️ The Match: Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers vs. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes (6:30pm, TNT) ⚽️ Friendly: USMNT vs. Morocco (7pm, ESPN2) 🏀 WNBA: Fever at Liberty (7pm, CBSSN) ⚽️ NWSL: Spirit vs. Red Stars (7:30pm, Paramount+) ⚾️ MLB: Angels vs. Yankees (7pm, FS1) ... Reid Detmers (2-2, 4.65 ERA) vs. Nestor Cortes (4-1, 1.70) ⛳️ NCAA men's golf: Team championship (5pm, Golf)     9. ⚽️ Champions League trivia Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images   Real Madrid has the most Champions League titles (14), but which club has the most second-place finishes (seven)? Hint: They have two titles. Submitted by: Greg V. (Paris) Answer at the bottom.     10. 🏀 Pic du jour: 12 years later... Photo: Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images Here's Steph Curry, then a rookie, shooting over current Celtics head coach Ime Udoka on Jan. 26, 2010. They'll meet again in Game 1 of the NBA Finals tomorrow night.     A message from Axios Get smarter, faster on Cryptocurrencies     Axios Crypto brings you daily updates on the most consequential trends in cryptocurrency and the blockchain Subscribe for free   Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Dad mode" Baker Trivia answer: Juventus (2-7 record in the final) 🙏 Thanks for reading. Follow us on Twitter: @kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. Tell your friends to sign up. Like this email style and format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. 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