Aston Villa: Van der Vaart claims £30m star made correct decision turning down Emery’s side

data-mm-id=”_lnnh1vhd7″>The Miami Heat have proven they can compete with anyone in the wide-open Eastern Conference. Right now, they are the third seed in the conference with a 19-7 record. They came into the season seen as a playoff contender, but no one thought they'd be this good. As of today, the Heat rank Top 10 in the NBA in points per game, assists per game and opponents points per game. They are doing this with Kendrick Nunn, an undrafted rookie, as their second-leading scorer. Duncan Robinson, another undrafted player, leads them in threes per game. Their superstar, Jimmy Butler, is only averaging 21 points per game. Even Goran Dragic, their starting point guard, has missed eight games. In other words, this is a deep basketball team. Bam Adebayo, their center, has drastic…

data-mm-id=”_u5rbv51os”>With the exception of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, arguably no player in the NFL was more important to their team than Derrick Henry last season. The Titans All-Pro running back led the league in attempts, yards and touchdowns and was the driving force in the Titans making the AFC Championship Game.How will he be rewarded? By watching a teammate get an undeserved contract in free agency while he likely gets a franchise tag after playing four years on an undervalued rookie contract. Yeah, I'd be pissed if I were Henry. The Titans announced they are giving quarterback Ryan Tannehill a four-year, $118 million deal with $62 million guaranteed and an average of $29.5 million per year. That for a 31-year-old who has only started 10 games for them and was ba…

data-mm-id=”_q8f0e8rxb”>When things get messy in sports, you can expect the New York Post to get involved with a memorable back page. They didn't disappoint today, posting an email they obtained that reportedly confirms the MLBPA knew a second round of negotiation would have to take place in regard to player salary. The back page: THE SMOKING EMAIL https://t.co/hpRAyyHpNb pic.twitter.com/pEVDog4YGs— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) May 20, 2020For a little more context, MLB and MLBPA are currently embroiled in a very public argument over player compensation amidst proposals for a shortened season. The players union believes they already struck a deal with the MLB on March 26 and should be guaranteed a prorated salary for the games they played and a 50-50 revenue split. The …

data-mm-id=”_188ddo704″>Trevor Bauer is as outspoken as Major League Baseball players come, and on Monday the Cincinnati Reds righty took to Twitter and ripped both sides in the league's labor standoff. Bauer essentially said the current posture of the owners and players will lead to the death of the sport. Bauer's Twitter rant is below:It’s absolute death for this industry to keep acting as it has been. Both sides. We’re driving the bus straight off a cliff. How is this good for anyone involved? Covid 19 already presented a lose lose lose situation and we’ve somehow found a way to make it worse. Incredible. ??‍♂️— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) June 22, 2020If there’s going to be a fight the time for that fight is after the ‘21 season when a new CBA is negotia…

data-mm-id=”_bvtbqduhx”>Mike Francesa has become known for a lot of things over the course of his very lengthy radio career. Inside scoops, on any team, is not really one of them. Yet that didn't stop him from throwing out a trade rumor involving one Odell Beckham Jr. and the Cleveland Browns. I hear Browns, who are clueless, looking to trade Odell— Mike Francesa (@MikeFrancesa) September 15, 2020He then followed up with a scoop about the asking price, which is "a lot." They are asking a lot. I don't often defend Beckham, but he isn't the problem.— Mike Francesa (@MikeFrancesa) September 15, 2020The Browns were brutally beaten down by the divisional rival Baltimore Ravens in Week 1. OBJ, who is slated to make $18 million this season, had three catches for 2…

data-mm-id=”_fz1paoqnm”>Dr. Ron Magill, an animal expert, hopped on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz this morning for his weekly segment because nothing makes someone driving in their car stay on a station more than the jubilant first measures of The Lion King's Circle of Life. Like any number of songs from The 1975, the conversation veered toward sex. Magill was quick with a story about the time he caught more than two people learning about the birds and bees in the aviary round room of all places.Would you like more details? Would some narrative flourishes aid you in understanding exactly what type of consensual and inequitable acts were being undertaken by the various actors? Well, you're in luck, because Magill helpfully painted a word picture. In today's @RonMagi…

data-mm-id=”_zu42oetzg”>Emmanuel Sanders was one of the veteran cap casualties that came en masse today as the NFL announced the salary cap would be set at $182.5 million for the 2021 season, a substantial drop-off from the $198 million number it was in 2020. The Saints have the worst cap situation in the league hands-down and Sanders felt like an inevitable cut. That became official today. Saints are releasing WR Emmanuel Sanders, per source.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2021But Sanders still has something left to give. The 33-year-old caught 61 passes for 726 yards and five touchdowns last season, working the middle of the field and the boundaries efficiently. He's not a game-breaker anymore, but he would be a much-welcomed addition for most of the WR-needy teams a…

data-mm-id=”_zwx7d3z86″>Corbin Burnes and the Milwaukee Brewers just went through contentious arbitration battle the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner lost. It's safe to say, he isn't happy about it. On Thursday, he admitted his relationship with the franchise has been damaged by the ordeal. Burnes and his reps were asking for $10.75 million in arbitration, while Milwaukee countered with an offer of $10.01 million. The arbiter ruled in favor of the Brewers. Burnes claims it wasn't losing the case that bothered him so much, but what the Brewers said while trying to defend their side. Basically, they pissed off one of MLB's best pitchers in a battle over less than $1 million. Here's what he had to say about it:“There’s no denying that the relationship is definite…

data-mm-id=”_bz9zsd9x7″>Viktor Hovland went on a two-week heater at just the right time this month as he submitted two absolutely stellar scores on consecutive Sundays to win the BMW Championship and then the Tour Championship. It's always incredible to watch a professional athlete ascend to a higher plane of existence for a brief period of time and the Hovland experience was no different. He shot a 63 on Sunday following a course record 61 at Olympia Fields, and nearly every shot was perfect throughout those rounds. There was nobody on the planet (other than Hovland's blood relatives) more happy to see it than Norwegian announcers Per Haugsrud and Henrik Bjørnstad. The pair have become fan favorites in recent years as they have followed Hovland on his career arc. They had…

data-mm-id=”_kr0ce18kf”>Donald Trump was in court again today, this time for his New York fraud trial. He was actually on the stand to testify and things got heated. After court let out for the day, Trump attorney Alina Habba addressed the media and complained about the behavior of the judge. Just Arthur Engoron apparently grew frustrated with Trump's long-winded responses to questions that never really answered the questions. He repeatedly told Trump to just answer what he was asked and grew frustrated with his lawyers not keeping him in line. According to Habba, that included telling her to sit down and "slamming a table."Here's what she said:Habba attacking the judge: But I was told to sit down today. I was yelled at and I've had a judge who is unhinged slam…