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UPDATE 2: Pujols told USA Today he doesn’t want the ball now. Hello, Cooperstown? ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Albert Pujols, as you know, notched his 2,000th career RBI on Thursday afternoon, pounding a solo home run over the left-field wall and into the waiting crowd at Detroit’s Comerica Park. Somehow, the biggest news that emerged from that truly historic event — nine players have hit 600 home runs but only five have reached the 2,000-RBI plateau — was that the fan who caught the ball, Ely Hydes, chose to keep the memento instead of giving/trading/selling the ball to Pujols, the Angels slugger who is bound for Cooperstown after he retires....

MORE: Live scores, updates from Week 6 That was in Buffalo before Kaepernick made his first post-protest start for the 49ers. The overall scene at New Era Stadium was reeeeeally something , so it’s not much of a surprise to see it spill over to the field. Maybe the officer is very progressive and cool and was saluting Kaepernick’s decision. There’s always a chance. STEELE: Kaepernick’s start is proof that karma exists...

“Dalvin Cook did not strike this woman,” Ricky Patel, a Miami-based attorney, told ESPN. “Players were leaving the scene at the same time. But Dalvin walked away before it got out of hand.” MORE: FSU among best teams since 2000 | Dalvin Cook cited for chaining dogs together in 2014 Patel believes the recent incident involving dismissed FSU quarterback De’Andre Johnson striking a woman at a bar has unfairly contributed to his client being charged....

Epstein was found dead from an apparent suicide in a federal detention center in Manhattan before he could face trial for sex trafficking charges. The FBI is investigating the circumstances of the death. West Palm Beach attorney Spencer Kuvin represented three of the more than two dozen women who had brought civil complaints against the financier in 2008 and 2009. He told BBC radio that he knew Epstein as a litigant and a defendant and had met him at numerous settlement conferences....

A goalless draw with Cameroon put the Panthers out at the first hurdle on Sunday, after they had played out 1-1 ties with Guinea-Bissau and Burkina Faso. Auba won’t rule out summer transfer Aubameyang scored each of his country’s goals in the tournament but a costly miss from point-blank range could come back to haunt the Borussia Dortmund man. Jose Antonio Camacho was only hired as Gabon’s coach in December after Jorge Costa was fired and the transition under the Spaniard led to the late starting of a pre-tournament training camp....

The Gabon international is a proven performer at the highest level, having found the target 139 times in 209 appearances for his current club – including a personal best 40-goal haul last season. Those efforts have seen him register on the transfer radar of clubs across Europe, with La Liga giants Real Madrid reported to have been closely monitoring his situation at one stage. That interest appears to have passed, however, and Aubameyang is now being heavily linked with a switch to the Premier League, with goal-shy Everton among his many suitors....

Wenger’s dominant over Tottenham Aubameyang was left out of Dortmund’s Champions League win over Sporting in midweek for “internal reasons”, with reports suggesting he was being punished for attending a party in Italy without permission. However, coach Thomas Tuchel restored him to the starting lineup for the Bundesliga visit to Hamburg on Saturday, and the Gabon international responded by scoring inside four minutes. Aubameyang tapped home from six yards after Rene Adler failed to hold Emre Mor’s effort, embracing Tuchel after finding the net before the eighth minute of a Bundesliga clash for the first time....

Lukaku buy kills Mourinho youth claims Aubameyang, 28, has been heavily linked with a massive €80 million move to Tianjin Quanjian in recent weeks, with the Chinese club having until Friday to find a way to force through a move. Milan are also reported to be interested in acquiring the Gabon international, who scored 40 goals in 46 appearances for Dortmund last season. Chelsea, too, have been linked with a bid for Aubameyang after missing out on the signing of Romelu Lukaku, who joined rivals Manchester United instead....

Ashley Ozyurt, a non-combat veteran who has a service dog, was walking through the lobby area of Haley Center when Andrew Williams and Dontavius Russell saw Ozyurt and her dog. Williams tried to get the dog’s attention when Ozyurt stopped him. A confrontation followed, but the accounts differ drastically. MORE: 18-year-old commit looks very mature | Snow on the ground at TCU | Tim Tebow sponsors prom night On Monday, the school released the results of its investigation, which included an apology from Williams....

Marshall spoke with reporters Sunday for the first time since he was cited for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and a window tint violation during a July 11 traffic stop in Georgia. His mother paid the $1,100 in fines. Marshall says he put himself in a bad situation and that the incident will help make him “a better man on and off the field” He says he apologized to his teammates and told them it wouldn’t happen again....

The Aurora shooting resulted in the deaths of 12 people, with 70 other people injured. The shooting took place during a screening of the Warner Bros. film The Dark Knight Rises. The man convicted of the murders is said to have identified with the villainous Joker character that appeared in the film. News of the upcoming release Joker, which has already won the top prize at the prestigious Venice Film Festival and experts predict will be a box office success, has brought back unpleasant memories for many connected to the massacre....

In front of a parochial crowd at KIA Arena, the 24-year-old recovered from a poor first set to win 3-6 7-6(4) 6-1 against last year’s Australian Open quarter-finalist. Birrell will now play rising Czech teenager Linda Fruhvirtova in the second round, who dismissed Australian wildcard Jaimee Fourlis. MORE: Australian Open 2023 LIVE: Results, schedule, scores, Aussies on court After initially being absent from the main draw for the first grand slam of the year, Birrell was given a wildcard after the withdrawal of Venus Williams....

Then Carmelo Anthony appeared. MORE: What we learned from U.S.-Australia | Best photos from Day 5 Anthony carried the team in the early stages of the game, but it was in the fourth quarter, with the Americans trailing 72-70 with 8:52 to play, that Anthony began his takeover just as it was most needed, boosting Team USA to a tough, 98-88 win. It started with a drive past Australian center David Andersen for a game-tying layup....

“I can remember Dale pushing them around on a creeper down there in the garage when they were just little babies, so that's how far they go back,” Childress said of his two grandsons, Austin and Ty Dillon. MORE: 3 back on top | Qualifying results | Duel starting lineups | Danica ticked off They have been around so long that Austin even used the technology at one of NASCAR’s top race teams to do his science projects for school....

The two Russian government officials were believed to be undeclared spies, and have been sent back to their country in response to the nerve agent attack in the UK. Bishop explained the escalating tensions with World Cup host Russia could mean the green-and-gold’s participation at football’s showpiece event is in jeopardy. “In relation to sanctions, Australia already has a range of autonomous sanctions against Russia, in particular those that were imposed in the aftermath of the illegal annexation of Crimea, and those sanctions have been reviewed and updated over time, so we have sanctions against a number of individuals and a number of Russian entities,” Bishop said on Tuesday....

In Australia, that institution is being eroded through corruption, loopholes that allow lobbyists to have improper influence and a lack of transparency that gives rise to impropriety by public servants. While Prime Minister Scott Morrison dithers and delays meaningful action on an independent, transparent integrity commission with federal oversight, the Australian arm of non-profit Transparency International released their own report late last year, offering a guide to action. To understand why this is necessary, we must reflect on the current state of Australian politics and the increasing scandals....

Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, member of the NSW Legislative Council, said that koalas could vanish in 30 years without urgent government intervention, and that the recent bushfires—the worst ever recorded in the state, as confirmed by the Australian Centre for Disaster Resilience—killed at least 5,000 koalas. “The committee [report] found that koalas in NSW are on track to be extinct by 2050. Sadly, the best evidence now seems to suggest that date may even be sooner....

The women’s second seed saved two match points and rallied to beat fellow Russian player Alexandra Panova 6-1, 4-6, 7-5. MORE: Amazing photos from Australia | Sportal.com’s live coverage | Women’s top seeds “I’m just happy to be through,” she said in an on-court, post-match interview. “I was one point away twice from being out of the tournament, not playing my best tennis today (51 unforced errors). Just happy I was able to win that last point....

And yet … MORE: Best scenes from the tournament | Classic photos of Serena Williams clawed her way deep into a third set in the Australian Open women’s final against seventh-seeded Angelique Kerber. Williams landed just enough blows to give herself a puncher’s chance. But after one final error, a volley that floated long, the top-seeded Williams was knocked out. Her second attempt at tying Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 major championships had been denied by a German player who says Graf is her “idol,” who has benefited from Graf’s counsel, and is the first German woman to win in Australia since Graf in 1994....

The tennis great is littered with Grand Slam wins (both singles and doubles) and holds records that still last today. As the years roll on, tennis fans have quickly realised how dominant he was and what he contributed to this worldwide game. Laver has an arena - Rod Laver Arena - and a men’s tournament (Laver Cup) named in his honour. And at age 84, he still receives recognition for the work and performances he put together over 60 years ago....