Free Republic

Several fully vaccinated tennis players participating in the Australian Open qualifying rounds have complained about tiredness and breathing problems. The stakes are high for the organizers who have been keeping tennis star Novak Djokovic as a prisoner according to his parents. The player has won the tournament nine times, including the past three years and is currently tied with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for most major victories of all time, namely 20. Djokovic has been confined to a small room in a Melbourne hotel since the Australian authorities denied him entrance to the country, overriding his medical exemption. Australia...

Novak Djokovic could face up to a year in prison in a worst case scenario if he is found by Australian border forces to have provided false information on a travel declaration form he submitted as part of his entry to the country. The Serbian admitted on Wednesday that he submitted inaccurate information on the form, which he says was filled in by his agent on his behalf before entering Australia. Djokovic confirmed on the form that he had not travelled or would not travel in the 14 days prior to his flight to Australia on January 4. Social media...

Balkovec was introduced Wednesday as manager of the New York Yankees' low-A affiliate in the Florida State League. In taking over the Tampa Tarpons, Balkovec will become the first female manager in the history of affiliated baseball, an appointment 10 years in the making for the former college softball player. Nearly a decade after changing her name on resumes to disguise her gender and break into baseball, the 34-year-old has smashed several barriers en route to this title. She was the first woman to serve as a full-time minor league strength and conditioning coach, then the first to be a...

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown is feeling a bit remorseful over his sideline meltdown at MetLife Stadium during the team’s Week 17 matchup against the New York Jets. Brown was heading to a dinner with Kanye West at a popular West Hollywood restaurant on Monday night when he told TMZ Sports that undressing on the sideline before throwing the rest of his gear into the stands was probably not the best idea. "It probably wasn't necessary or professional," he said as he signed autographs and stopped for pictures on the way into dinner. Antonio Brown wipes his...

The Rays announced this evening that bullpen catcher Jean Ramirez has passed away at age 28. A late-round pick out of Illinois State in the 2016 draft, Ramirez played three seasons in Tampa Bay’s farm system before being released. Soon afterwards, however, the club rehired Ramirez for a new role as the bullpen catcher on the big league club, opening a door towards the coaching career Ramirez looked to establish. “He brought so much passion and energy each day to our clubhouse and bullpen, and his love for the Rays and baseball was evident to all. He had the biggest...

When quarterback Joe Montana found Dwight Clark in the back of the end zone for a game-winning touchdown in the 1981 NFC Championship Game, it marked significant turning points in the history of the NFL and the city of San Francisco. During the 1981 season, the 49ers had been surprising juggernauts. Even the most ardent of fans couldn’t have predicted the team, which was 6-10 a season earlier, would suddenly become one of the league’s most talented squads. But the 49ers compiled a 13-3 record in 1981, won the NFC West and defeated the New York Giants in the divisional...

I’m on a mission to rebuild a 109-year old English sailing yacht called Tally Ho. Designed by Albert Strange in 1909, she is a well-known and important historic vessel – but after many adventures she was left in a remote port in Oregon to rot for decades, despite some valiant attempts to rescue her. I bought her and moved her to the Olympic Peninsular earlier this year, and am now starting to rebuild her from the keel up. Eventually I hope to sail her back to the UK.

Hankook showed the latest iteration of its i-Flex airless tire at CES 2022Hankook VIEW 3 IMAGES Anyone who has had to change a tire on the side of a busy road, possibly in the sweltering heat or pouring rain, will be longing for the day when flats are a thing of the past. Hankook has been working to make such a future a reality for over a decade now, and has used CES 2022 to show the latest version of its airless i-Flex concept tire. To showcase the tire at CES, Hankook teamed up with fellow countryman Hyundai, fitting them...

Am I imagining it or is tackling worse than it has been in the past?

INDIANAPOLIS — Sometimes in life you see a story that is almost too hard to believe, and you wonder what kind of dedication it would take to lead someone to that reality. Well, look no further than Georgia starting quarterback Stetson Bennett, who wrote the final chapter of his own story on Monday night. In college football, a walk-on rarely touches the field during the regular season, much less become the starting quarterback of his team. He’s normally situated somewhere on the scout team, preparing his scholarship teammates for their next opponent. This was the case for Bennett, who played...

The Georgia Bulldogs are college football national champions for the first time since the 1980 season after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide, 33-18, in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday. Thirty-seven days ago, Alabama beat Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, 41-24, to secure the top seed in the College Football Playoff. The rematch was a defensive affair for most of the game before the offenses sprung to life late. With two minutes left in the third quarter, the Crimson Tide led 9-6 and neither team had scored a touchdown. With fewer than nine minutes left in the...

veteran NFL quarterback was reportedly arrested on suspicion of DUI following his team’s Week 18 game early Monday morning. According to the Seattle Times, Seahawks backup quarterback Geno Smith was reportedly arrested early Monday morning. Smith was reportedly arrested and then released, per the Seattle Times: Geno Smith, the Seahawks’ backup quarterback the past three years, was arrested Monday on suspicion of driving under the influence and then released, according to King County District Court records. Smith was arrested at 2:10 a.m. and released at 9:27 a.m., documents show. No other details were immediately available. Smith, 31, has been with...

Great game.

NBC News wants you to believe there is “little scientific evidence” that biological males have an advantage in women’s sports. Don’t believe your lying eyes or any facts and buy into this, or you’re a bigot. A reporter would have to be pretty stupid to believe it or expect us to. If it were the case, wouldn’t transmen be dominating men’s sports? The women’s world record in the 100 meters is 10.49 seconds and has stood since 1988. The boys’ high school record is 10.0 seconds. Why is U of Penn student Lia Thomas crushing every swimming record? People aren’t...

The family of Brian Blessing has confirmed that Brian suddenly passed away overnight Sunday at the age of 64. Brian Blessing was a sports anchor at WIVB in the 80s and 90s, covering the Bills during their Super Bowl appearances. Many people will remember him for his great depth of knowledge about sports. Brian’s brother told News 4 Brian passed away at his home in Las Vegas.

"The new rules seem to have hit a snag because no one at the Bureau considered the number of unfinished frames and receivers sitting in stores’ inventory. Now the ATF will be reaching out to licensed firearms dealers (FFLs) to see how many kits are currently for sale. The ATF is asking the dealers how long it would take to serialize those kits and what the FFL’s plan to do with the kits if a rule went into effect that would require serialization."

They have been celebrated as classics of English literature for more than 150 years, enjoyed by generations of children as young as eight. But university students have now been given a 'trigger warning' that Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Charles Dickens's Great Expectations both contain passages they might find 'distressing'. Critics last night described the cautions given to students at Salford University as 'absurd'. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said it was ridiculous that adults 'have to be protected from the stories that generations of children have been able to cope with without being damaged'.

The University of Pennsylvania’s transgender swimmer, Lia Thomas, was defeated by another transgender swimmer. The record-shattering Thomas previously competed on the Penn men’s team and has transitioned to female. But at an Ivy League swim meet Saturday, a Yalie, Iszac Henig, defeated Thomas in both the women’s 100- and 400-yard freestyle races, the Daily Mail reported. Henig, who is transitioning from female to male, set a record for the women’s 50-yard freestyle, the outlet said. Henig was able to compete on the women’s team because she had yet to start testosterone treatment, according to a June piece in The New...

Novak Djokovic is set for his day in court to challenge the shock cancellation of his visa over COVID-19 rules, which threw the world number one's Australian Open plans into disarray. But unlike tennis, the online federal court hearing that opens at 10am (11am, Singapore time) on Monday (Jan 10) may not end with a simple win or loss. DJOKOVIC WINS If judge Anthony Kelly decides in favour of Djokovic, it would quash the cancellation of his visa, which would become valid again. It would be a sensational victory for the vaccine-sceptic Djokovic and a dramatic setback for the Australian...

On Wednesday, Aaron was laid to rest at a permanent gravesite in the historic South-View Cemetery in Atlanta.It's been nearly a year since baseball legend and Braves Hall of Famer Henry "Hank" Aaron passed away at the age of 86. On Wednesday, Aaron was laid to rest at a permanent gravesite in the historic South-View Cemetery in Atlanta. He has been kept in a temporary crypt at the cemetery until his final resting place was finished. The baseball legend began his career in the major leagues at 20 years old with the Milwaukee Braves. Known by the Baseball Hall of...