Sports
Jamaica seeks sliding success to replace ‘Cool Runnings’ past
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics – Bobsleigh – 2-man Official Training – Cortina Sliding Centre, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – February 12, 2026. Shane Pitter of Jamaica during training. CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Chris Stokes, a founding member of Jamaica’s original “Cool Runnings” bobsleigh crew, recalls being mobbed by fans at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics the moment he put on the team jacket and left the athletes’ village to go into town.
“That’s a rookie mistake which I made,” he recalls 38 years later, the buzz still echoing as the current quartet compete at the Milan Cortina Games.
“Even now, yesterday, when I came back from the track with the team in the van and they just opened the door to let me out, people saw Jamaica bobsleigh and we were absolutely mobbed,” Stokes told Reuters.
“I myself go down the street in a plain black jacket. You want to be respectful of your fans and people who support the program, but you wouldn’t get anywhere. You wouldn’t get to the corner store to buy a coffee.”
MAKING A MOTIVATIONAL MESSAGE
The 2026 team was soon surrounded when it ventured recently into the chic Dolomites resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Stokes, now 62 and president of the Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation, saw in it a motivational message.
“My 1994 team finished 14th at the Olympic Games. And until a team finishes higher than that at the Olympic Games, that team is the best Jamaican bobsled team ever. I’ve said this to the guys,” he continued.
“I’ve also said to them, ‘Don’t confuse yourselves. When you step out of the car and somebody’s asking you for an autograph, it’s because of something I and my teammates did. That’s nothing that you have done.’
“My challenge to them is, by the end of these games, by the time you step on the track in 2030 in La Plagne (France) and in Salt Lake City in 2034, let people, fans, be crowding you because of something you did. That’s my challenge to them.”
IMMORTALIZED BY ‘COOL RUNNINGS’
The 1988 Jamaican bob, with Stokes joining his brother Dudley along with Devon Harris and Michael White, was immortalized in the 1993 movie “Cool Runnings,” also the name of the sled.
Jamaica was classified last in 1988. By 1994 they had moved up to top half of the 30 entrants, beating the United States and Italy among others.
“Led by my brother, it took Jamaica Bobsleigh a long time to learn. Six, seven, eight years to learn that … it’s not just athleticism, it’s discipline and focus, being present, playing your role. These guys (the current team) understand this from Day 1,” said Stokes.
“We also have the benefit now of (coach) Todd Hays, who is himself a silver medalist and who has coached multiple medal winners for both the U.S. and Canada, who at one time coached Russia and who brings to the table a crystal-clear understanding of what it takes to win.
“Todd says to me all the time, ‘We know what we need to do to win. We know that already, so it’s just a matter of putting the pieces in place.'”
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Red Sox fire manager Alex Cora, five other coaches
Mar 30, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora walks to the mound for a pitching change during the fifth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images After a shocking 10-17 start to the season, the Boston Red Sox have fired manager Alex Cora and five coaches, the club announced on Saturday evening.
In addition to Cora, the club dismissed hitting coach Peter Fatse, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, third base coach Kyle Hudson, bench coach Ramon Vasquez and hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin.
Chad Tracy, 40, the club’s manager at Triple-A Worcester since 2022, has been named interim manager. Game planning and run-prevention coach Jason Varitek will be reassigned to a new role in the organization.
“Alex Cora led this organization to one of the greatest seasons in Red Sox history in 2018, and for that, and the many years that followed, he will always have our deepest gratitude,” Red Sox owner John Henry said in a team statement. “He has had a lasting impact on this team and on this city. He has led on and off the field in so many important ways. These decisions are never easy, but this one is especially difficult given what Alex has meant to the Red Sox since the day he arrived.
“I want to thank Alex, our coaches, and their families for everything they have given to this organization. They have been part of this club in a way that goes beyond the field, and they will always have our respect and gratitude.”
Boston dipped to 9-17 after a 10-3 loss in Baltimore on Friday. The Orioles blasted six home runs and 20 hits in that rout. After Friday’s game, the Red Sox sat eight games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East.
But the Red Sox did exact a measure of revenge on Saturday, shellacking the Orioles, 17-1.
After serving as bench coach for the 2017 world champion Houston Astros, Cora was hired as manager in Boston in 2018. He led the Red Sox to a franchise-record 108 victories and a World Series title.
However, after the 2019 campaign, Cora was implicated in an MLB investigation involving sign-stealing by the Astros. MLB undertook an investigation into the Red Sox practices, but Cora and the Red Sox mutually agreed to separate before the 2020 season.
Cora, 50, was suspended for the 2020 season for his role in Houston, but returned to Boston as manager in 2021.
After missing the playoffs from 2022-24, the Red Sox returned last season, but lost a American League wild-card series to the New York Yankees.
Cora posted an eight-year regular-season record of 619-541 and postseason mark of 18-10.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Buffalo star Red Murdock is 'Mr. Irrelevant' after Broncos tab him last in draft
Sep 2, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Braelon Allen (0) rushes with the football as Buffalo Bulls linebacker Red Murdock (2) defends during the third quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Red Murdock enjoyed a storied college career at Buffalo but all his accolades and production weren’t appearing especially relevant in the eyes of NFL teams.
But Murdock was finally chosen Sunday by the Denver Broncos with the 257th and last pick of the seven-round 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, earning him the label of “Mr. Irrelevant.”
The second-team All-American is the 51st player to earn the “Mr. Irrelevant” tag since the tradition began in 1976.
Murdock, whose birth name is Khalil, set the FBS record of 17 career forced fumbles during his time at Buffalo. He had four in 2023, seven in 2024 and six in 2025. Ironically, another former Buffalo star, longtime NFL player Khalil Mack, held the previous record of 16.
Murdock ranked third in the nation with 142 tackles in 2025 and also had five sacks among 13.5 tackles for loss. In 2024, he was second nationally with 156 stops. He was a first-team All-Mid-American-Conference choice in both seasons.
Still, Murdock was getting concerned in the latter stages of the three-day draft. He didn’t want to go undrafted.
“I feel extremely grateful and excited to help the Broncos win, above all else,” Murdock told reporters. “I know a little bit about Mr. Irrelevant, but the main thing is I got an opportunity, and I’m trying to make the most of it to help us win.”
The most prominent Mr. Irrelevant is quarterback Brock Purdy, who was the final pick of the 2022 draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Purdy was repeatedly passed over despite a highly decorated college career at Iowa State.
It didn’t take long for the pick to pay dividends as Purdy quarterbacked the 49ers to the 2023 season’s Super Bowl before his club lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The creator of Mr. Irrelevant, former NFL receiver Paul Salata, died at age 94 in 2021.
The last pick receives more attention than any other seventh-round selection and the notoriety reaches its zenith when the player travels to Southern California to be honored during Irrelevant Week. Among the festivities is the awarding of the “Lowsman Trophy.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nelly Korda shoots 2 under to keep lead at Chevron
Apr 25, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Nelly Korda prepares to putt on the 18th hole during the third round of The Chevron Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images Two straight stellar rounds gave Nelly Korda a cushion to endure some bumps in the road.
She found those bumps on Saturday, but still shot a 2-under-par 70 to hold a five-shot advantage heading into the final round at the Chevron Championship in Houston.
Back-to-back 65s had given Korda a six-shot advantage, and the start of her third round on Saturday looked like more of the same. Two straight birdies to open got her to 16 under for the tournament, and she quickly added two more on Holes 5-6 to get to 18 under.
But that was it on the birdie front for the World No. 2. Worse still, Korda suffered bogeys on the eighth and 13th holes while battling the wind to settle for 16 under.
That represented a notable shift for Korda after she carded five of her eight birdies Friday on the back nine at Memorial Park Golf Course.
“I played really solid on the front and then just kind of — not may have lost concentration, but the wind started picking up and then I just put myself into — I mean, I put myself into great positions; didn’t kind of execute really well,” Korda said.
Korda is pursuing her third career major title, which would be her first since winning this event at a different course in 2024.
“This is why we do it, right, to be in contention on major championship Sunday?” Korda said. “I’m just going to focus on myself, kind of work on my process, really dial into that, make sure that I have tunnel vision, and not really focus on the exterior noise.”
Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit continues to lurk in second place. She crept closer to Korda with a 3-under 69, making up a shot, and she now sits at 11 under for the tournament.
Tavatanakit’s day featured four birdies on Holes 1, 6, 14 and 16, with a bogey on the par-4 13th.
She admitted an aggressive mindset could serve her well on Sunday.
“Yeah, I have nothing to lose. I have nothing to lose from day one,” Tavatanakit said. “I’m trying to be aggressive but sometimes the ball just doesn’t go there.”
China’s Ruoning Yin (66) and France’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (67) put themselves in position to contend with low rounds Saturday and are now tied for third at 10 under, six shots behind Korda.
South Korea’s Ina Yoon (71) is alone in fifth at 8 under.
Amateur Farah O’Keefe, who has been the surprise of the tournament to this point, fell off the pace a little with her even-par round, moving her from a tie for third into a tie for sixth.
Yet O’Keefe, a native of nearby Austin and a member of the University of Texas golf team, is maintaining her composure.
“I’m having a great time,” O’Keefe said. “The thing that I do is just play my game. However it stacks up against everybody else is the way that it happens to finish.”
Tied with O’Keefe at 7 under are Mexico’s Gaby Lopez (66), Yealimi Noh (69) and China’s Yan Liu (71).
–Field Level Media
Red Sox fire manager Alex Cora, five other coaches
Buffalo star Red Murdock is 'Mr. Irrelevant' after Broncos tab him last in draft
