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Sports

SEE IT: Fed-up Warriors coach Steve Kerr speaks about gun violence before NBA showdown in Dallas

Steve Kerr knows there are more important things than NBA championships.Kerr’s Golden State Warriors were playing the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday knowing a victory would earn them a sweep of their Western Conference series and a spot in the NBA Finals. But the usually even-tempered coach first addressed gun violence before taking the court in Texas, where a gunman killed 18 elementary school students and at least one teacher before himself being shot dead.AdvertisementKerr started by telling reporters he was in no mood to speak about basketball 10 days after 10 shoppers were fatally shot in a Buffalo supermarket and a few hours and at least 19 people were killed 400 miles away in Uvalde, Texas.“When are we going to do something?” an emotional Kerr demanded shorty after taking his seat.Advertisement“I’m so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there — I’m tired of the moments of silence,” he said pounding the desk in front of him. “Enough!”Kerr urged senators to take action and put the lives of Americans ahead of their own political ambitions.“We can’t get numb to this!” he said. “We can’t just sit here, read about it, have a moment of silence, and yell, ‘Go Dubs! Come on Mavs, let’s go!’”Reacting to the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting earlier in the day, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr makes a statement before Warriors played the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Dallas. (Scott Strazzante/AP)Among Kerr’s complaints is that some members of Congress are resistant to universal background checks that would be popular among the general population.“It’s pathetic!” Kerr said. “I’ve had enough.”[ NBA star Steve Kerr says Trump’s ‘surreal’ attacks on him shows the presidency has ‘sunken low’ ]Kerr, who asked those who saw his video to think about how they’d feel if one of their loved ones had been killed in Texas Tuesday, comes from a family all too familiar with gun violence. When he was a freshman basketball player at the University of Arizona, his father was shot dead while working as an educator in Lebanon.ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 28Kladys Castellón prays during a vigil for the victims of a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. (Billy Calzada/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)Warriors star Stephen Curry showed support for his coach on Twitter.“Watch this as much as you watch the game tonight,” he wrote alongside video of Kerr’s stirring speech.AdvertisementLos Angeles Lakers star and Warriors rival LeBron James also tweeted Kerr’s video and voiced support.

Sports

Luis Robert goes on the COVID injured list, and the center fielder might miss the entire Chicago White Sox homestand

Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert could be out for the entire five-game homestand after being placed on the COVID-19-related injured list Tuesday.“Unfortunately, he is suffering from mild COVID symptoms,” Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. “The good news is he is vaccinated, so hopefully his experience is relatively mild throughout and we have him back at some point, very possibly next week.Advertisement“Certainly he’s not going to play in the Boston series (that started Tuesday) and very likely not going to play against the Cubs this weekend.”Prior to tonight’s series opener vs. Boston, the Chicago White Sox placed outfielder Luis Robert on the COVID-19 related injured list and recalled infielder Jake Burger from Class AAA Charlotte.— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 24, 2022

Robert is slashing .285/.319/.438 with three doubles, six home runs, 17 RBIs, six stolen bases and 21 runs in 33 games. He leads the Sox in homers and is second in RBIs, runs, stolen bases and total bases (60).Advertisement“He’s so much fun to watch,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “Really hope for us and for our fans that it’s the quick one and we get him back in five or six days.”Adam Engel started in center field Tuesday. AJ Pollock and Leury García are also options.In Tuesday’s corresponding move, the Sox recalled third baseman Jake Burger from Triple-A Charlotte. Burger has a .239 batting average with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs in 21 games with the Sox in 2022.

Sports

Tim Anderson is ready to move on from Josh Donaldson’s attempt to provoke him: ‘I’m not looking for friendship’

Tim Anderson heard the boos and chants of “Jackie” from the crowd Sunday night at Yankee Stadium.“That didn’t do nothing but motivate me a little bit more,” the Chicago White Sox shortstop said before Tuesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.AdvertisementAnderson silenced the crowd in the eighth inning, hitting a three-run homer in a 5-0 victory against the New York Yankees in Game 2 of a doubleheader.“It was pretty dope, you know?” Anderson said. “For me to shut them up, I think you guys saw the reaction. And it was a great moment for sure.”AdvertisementThe moment came a day after a bench-clearing incident involving the teams stemming from comments Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson made to Anderson. Donaldson admitted he called Anderson “Jackie” early in Saturday’s game, which led to a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for what Major League Baseball called “inappropriate comments.”“It’s out of my control, so I guess I’m cool with whatever,” Anderson said when asked about Donaldson’s suspension.Donaldson is appealing the punishment.[ [Don’t miss] Column: MLB’s ruling on the Josh Donaldson-Tim Anderson incident could have an effect on what’s acceptable trash talk ]He told New York reporters Saturday that the “Jackie” remark was a joke going back to a 2019 Sports Illustrated story in which Anderson said he felt like “today’s Jackie Robinson” in terms of trying to make the game more fun. Donaldson also said he made the same reference as a member of the Atlanta Braves when they played the Sox on Aug. 30-Sept. 1 of that season.“He did say that,” Anderson said. “I told him that, ‘We don’t ever have to talk again. And I won’t speak to you, you won’t speak to me if that’s how you’re going to refer to me.’ And I know he knew exactly what he was doing. Because I already told him.“He goes to Minnesota, two years, doesn’t say nothing to me because I already addressed it. And we get into it (May 13 at Guaranteed Rate Field) with me sliding back (into third base), so I push him off me. And he felt the need to say it again, but you know, he’s trying to provoke me. And he knew what he was doing.”José Abreu holds back White Sox teammate Tim Anderson during a benches-clearing dispute with the Yankees on May 21, 2022, in New York. (Sarah Stier / Getty Images)Anderson said the Yankees have not reached out.“I can definitely move on,” he said. “But I’m not looking for friendship, no relationship from that behalf. But I’m going to continue to keep playing hard and keep being a great teammate and keep being the best version of myself I can be.”AdvertisementAnderson led the American League with a .359 average entering Tuesday.“If you’re looking for the latest example of how special he is, just look at (Sunday),” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “If that’s the first time you’ve been able to see how special he is, then you haven’t been paying attention.[ [Don’t miss] Column: A teachable moment — and the true meaning of Jackie Robinson’s legacy to Black baseball players ]“He is a credit to Major League Baseball. He’s exactly what our fans need to see as far as what a person he is and his dedication to winning. I was around here long enough to slightly get to know Michael Jordan — he’s got that Michael Jordan desire for his team to compete and play for a championship.“(Former manager) Gene Mauch once said it, when your best players have that kind of motivation, man, it’s a huge advantage. This guy is really special at everything he does.”Anderson appreciated the support from the White Sox organization.“It’s been nothing but love from my teammates, from the coaching staff, from the organization,” he said. “I can say that things got handled the right way and I feel the support, I feel the love and I appreciate that for sure.Advertisement“Hopefully we can keep the good energy going and try to stay positive and be great teammates and most importantly have fun.”Tim Anderso rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Yankees on May 22, 2022, in New York. (Sarah Stier / Getty Images)General manager Rick Hahn said he was “proud of the way that teammates coalesced around TA this weekend, the support that was shown, both on the field and in the clubhouse.” “Everyone inside of that clubhouse knew how he felt, and he knew everyone had his back,” Hahn said. “And then he went out on the biggest stage we had that weekend and showed the world precisely who he is, which I thought was awesome.”[ [Don’t miss] ‘Utter bull(bleep)’: White Sox closer Liam Hendriks rejects Josh Donaldson’s explanation for his ‘Jackie’ comment ]Anderson also heard positive words from people around the game. That list includes Yankees star Aaron Judge, who on Monday told New York reporters, including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, “Anderson’s one of the best shortstops in the game and he’s a big part of MLB, what’s going on here and how we can grow the game.”“All the love and all the support,” Anderson said. “I can’t name it one by one, but I’ve seen it and I definitely appreciate it.”