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Astros Owner Jim Crane Retains Joe Espada For Rest Of Season Following GM Ouster

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A day after parting ways with general manager Dana Brown, Houston Astros owner Jim Crane addressed the move and said manager Joe Espada will remain in the role for the remainder of the season.

Before opening a three-game series against the Yankees on Tuesday, the Astros moved on from Brown, whose contract was set to expire at the end of the season. The team described the decision as mutual. Houston announced senior adviser Jeff Bagwell and assistant general managers Charles Cook, Gavin Dickey and Connor Huff will take over Brown’s responsibilities, while Crane will oversee baseball operations during the transition.

“There’s no good time for any of that, you know, when you let someone go,” Crane said outside the Houston clubhouse. “Just out of respect for Dana, we thought that was a time that would give him a little space to regroup. He’s a great talent. He’s been in the business a long time to get settled and to get back to work somewhere else.”

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Brown was hired in January 2023 and succeeded James Click, who was fired six days after Houston won its second World Series title.

“We worked together very closely for three and a half years,” Espada said. “He gave me the opportunity to be manager of this team. It was tough. It was a tough conversation, but he was grateful for the opportunity and I’m grateful for our relationship and how we grind through this together, but it was emotional. It was a lot of emotions behind our conversation.”

Brown helped the Astros reach a seventh straight ALCS, which they lost in seven games to the Texas Rangers. Houston lost in a wild-card series to Detroit in 2024 and last season missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016 when it finished three games behind Seattle in the AL West and lost a tiebreaker with the Tigers for final wild-card spot.

“Not everybody’s been able to do it, that’s a good run,” Crane said. “We hope to keep that going. We had a little hiccup last year where we didn’t make the playoffs but we’re right there. I think some few adjustments we can get back to that and some good decisions. Certainly you got to keep working on it but the expectation that I have is that we’re in the playoffs every year. It’s hard to win every year, but to get there.”

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The Astros began this year 20-31 but were only 5 1/2 games out of first place in a weak AL West on May 20. Houston (65-66) recovered to win 40 of its next 66 games through a 6-3 win over San Diego on Aug. 7 but entered Tuesday with nine losses in 14 games, including four to the Angels and A’s, though Crane said that performance did not influence his decision to dismiss Brown.

“That didn’t have anything to do with it,” Crane said. “We’re focused on winning the AL, winning the division and that’s our focus but that didn’t have anything to do with it.”

Espada was promoted from bench coach after the 2023 season when Dusty Baker retired. He helped the Astros recover from a 12-24 start to win their seventh AL West crown in eight seasons in 2024 and began Tuesday with a 240-214 record.

“I don’t know where that got mixed up, but that’s the same answer I gave since the first of the year,” Crane said. “We told him we’d deal with that at the end of the season and we’ve never changed that answer all year long.”

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Before Crane addressed reporters for nearly 10 minutes, he met with Espada.

“Focus on winning today, that’s how I left that,” Espada said. “My responsibility is to lead this team. We have a very important stretch of games here. So I walk out of our office ready to go.”

Reporting by the Associated Press.

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NPFL Set to Earn $7.5m from Three-Year Euromatch Sponsorship Deal

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The Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) is set to earn $7.5 million (about ₦10.5 billion) from a new three-year sponsorship deal with Euromatch Group.

NPFL Chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye announced the deal in Abuja during the unveiling of Euromatch as the league’s new sponsor.

Elegbeleye said the partnership is worth $2.5 million per season, bringing the total value to $7.5 million over three years.

  • Lookman and Osimhen united ahead of Algeria MatchLookman and Osimhen united ahead of Algeria Match

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He said the deal shows the progress made by the NPFL in recent years, adding that the league has moved beyond the challenge of getting fans into stadiums.

According to him, the focus is now on managing the growing number of supporters attending NPFL matches and improving their match-day experience.

Presidential Special Adviser on Communication, Sunday Dare, welcomed the deal, saying efforts to improve Nigerian football over the years are beginning to produce positive results.

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Group Chairman of Euromatch Group, Sacli Semih, praised the talent available in Nigeria and promised that the company would work to increase the visibility and commercial value of the NPFL.

NFF President Ibrahim Gusau also commended Euromatch for investing in the Nigerian league. He urged the NPFL to create a strategy that would encourage former Nigerian internationals to attend league matches regularly and support the development of domestic football.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by several football stakeholders, including former Super Eagles stars Austin Eguavoen, Daniel Amokachi, Samson Siasia, Brown Ideye and Davidson Owumi.

Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Onilu, was also present at the event.

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Ryan Garcia says one man stands above all others as the best welterweight of all time

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Ryan Garcia has revealed which welterweight legend he would back to come out on top against all others.

Garcia is now a welterweight star in his own right, after winning the WBC welterweight title back in February with a unanimous decision victory over Mario Barrios.

He is set to make the first defence of that title on September 12 when he takes on Conor Benn at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with a victory there potentially leading to unification clashes with the likes of Teofimo Lopez, Liam Paro and former foe Devin Haney.

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Before Garcia collides with Benn, he was recently tasked with pitting together some past welterweight icons in fantasy match-ups against one another whilst speaking to Daily Mail Boxing.

Manny Pacquiao, Roberto Duran, Errol Spence Jr, Pernell Whittaker, Tommy Hearns, Terence Crawford, Floyd Mayweather, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Sugar Ray Robinson were all of the fighters mentioned, and in the end it was Leonard that Garcia had as the last man standing.

Leonard is viewed as being one of the greatest boxers of all time, and it wasn’t just welterweight where he was successful, having become a five-division world champion after also reigning from light middleweight to light heavyweight.

He was a member of the iconic ‘Four Kings’ with fellow greats Duran, Hearns and Marvin Hagler, with Leonard acting as the only member of that illustrious group to defeat the others.

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Leonard’s final record stood at 36 wins from his 40 professional fights, with 25 of those victories coming by knockout.

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4 Possible Endgames for the CM Punk-Kevin Owens-Sami Zayn Triangle

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The Undisputed WWE Championship picture has become far more complicated than it already was. CM Punk entered SummerSlam as champion. Meanwhile, Kevin Owens returned from a potentially career-ending injury and won the Fatal 4-Way No. 1 Contender’s Match involving Sami Zayn, Gunther, and Finn Balor.

Owens then challenged Punk in Toronto. However, the rivalry took an unexpected turn when Zayn inserted himself into their title match. He attacked the champion and attempted to help KO win the championship. The challenger refused to use the title as a weapon, prompting Sami to blast his former friend with the gold.

The Second City Saint subsequently defeated Kevin Owens before Sami Zayn attacked both men and made it clear that he believed CM Punk had stolen the championship from him. WWE has therefore created a three-way story in which all three superstars have legitimate reasons to fight.

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That said, in this article, we look at four possible ways the Punk-Owens-Zayn triangle could eventually end.

#4. CM Punk vs. Sami Zayn

The simplest conclusion would be a singles feud between CM Punk and Sami Zayn. Zayn has already established that his issue with Punk is deeply personal, particularly after claiming that The Best in the World took away something that belonged to him.

CM Punk could respond by refusing to let Zayn dictate the direction of his title reign. That would give WWE a straightforward championship program while allowing Kevin Owens to move elsewhere temporarily.

The feud could also give Sami an opportunity to prove that his recent aggression was not a temporary emotional outburst. A Punk-Zayn program would also have plenty of emotional material. Both men are excellent talkers. Thus, their contrasting personalities could make their confrontations compelling.

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#3. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have one of WWE’s most established personal histories. So their friendship turning into another bitter rivalry would be easy to understand.

Owens already had reason to be furious after Zayn cost him the championship in Toronto. More importantly, KO initially refused to use the title as a weapon against CM Punk, only for Sami to attack him anyway. That moment could convince Kevin that Sami has crossed a line.

WWE could build toward a singles match where the championship is not involved at all. Instead, the story would focus on pride, betrayal, and their complicated history.

This option could also protect Punk from being overexposed. While Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn settle their differences, The Second City Saint could defend the Undisputed Championship against another challenger before eventually returning to the triangle.

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#2. Triple Threat Match

The most obvious destination is a Triple Threat Match for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

CM Punk has already beaten Kevin Owens. However, the victory was influenced by Sami Zayn’s interference. Owens can therefore argue that he deserves another opportunity without simply demanding the same singles rematch. Meanwhile, Zayn can claim that his actions prove he belongs in the title picture.

If that happens, WWE could turn those arguments into a championship match. Punk would be caught between two challengers who know him differently. Meanwhile, Owens and Zayn would have their own unfinished business.

A Triple Threat would also allow Triple H to continue all three stories simultaneously. CM Punk could retain by defeating one challenger. Meanwhile, the other would avoid taking a direct loss. Alternatively, either Owens or Zayn could win the championship without requiring Punk to lose credibility.

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#1. Punk and Owens temporarily unite against Sami

The most intriguing ending may involve CM Punk and Kevin Owens putting their differences aside long enough to deal with Sami Zayn.

That alliance would be interesting because Owens and Punk have already shown that they are capable of intense hostility. Their recent title match was physical and personal. Yet Sami’s attack gave both men a common enemy.

The Second City Saint and Kevin Owens could agree that Zayn has become too dangerous to ignore. They might temporarily work together in a tag team match or even combine forces against him in a confrontation.

However, the alliance should not last forever. Once Sami Zayn is dealt with, Punk and Owens could immediately return to their rivalry, creating another chapter in their championship feud.

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This route could give all three superstars something meaningful. Zayn would become the antagonist who temporarily brings two rivals together, Owens would gain another reason to pursue Punk, and the champion would remain at the center of the story.