NEW YORK — Stephen Nedoroscik, popularly known as “Pommel Horse Guy” on the internet, will compete in the upcoming season of “Dancing With the Stars.”

The casting was revealed during Thursday’s ABC program “Good Morning America.” Nedoroscik is the season’s first celebrity contender, and the show will broadcast on ABC and Disney+ on September 17. According to “Good Morning America” co-host Robin Roberts, he is also the first male gymnast to compete.

“I want to bring some of that gymnastics, maybe a backflip or a handstand,” Nedoroscik remarked during the morning program. “I want to have fun with it.”

‘Pommel Horse Guy’ Stephen Nedoroscik Will Join ‘Dancing With The Stars’

The 25-year-old won two bronze medals in Paris, helping the American men’s team win its first Olympic medal in 16 years and finishing third in his solo event. He became a worldwide sensation because of memes of his pre-competition preparation — no, he was not asleep — and his Superman-like makeover before hitting the floor (he removes his glasses like Clark Kent).

“The memes are hilarious, and I’m loving them all,” the Penn State engineering graduate told The Associated Press from Paris.

“Dancing With the Stars” will air its 33rd season. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough co-host, while Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough serve as judges. According to an ABC announcement, the rest of the celebrity cast will be disclosed at a later date.

‘Pommel Horse Guy’ Stephen Nedoroscik Will Join ‘Dancing With The Stars’

What about the famous glasses that have become synonymous with Nedoroscik’s style?

“I may have fun with it. “I’m afraid they’ll fly away,” Nedoroscik, who has coloboma, told the hosts. “Perhaps we might use a gimmick to keep them on? Maybe a new set of spectacles that fit the theme?”

SOURCE | AP

SEATTLE — With rising rumours that a managerial change was imminent, Scott Servais learnt he would no longer be in control of the Seattle Mariners from a news alert flashing across a television screen, not from his supervisors.

The Mariners made a clumsy mistake Thursday. Just another error in two months in which the club crumbled, slipping from appearing on track for a division title to sitting on the verge of playoff contention in the American League.

Mariners Fire Manager Scott Servais In Midst Of A Midseason Collapse

“In what has been one of my least favourite days in my professional life, the worst part was the fact that Scott and (hitting coach Jarret DeHart) found out about this over the crawl of a news channel,” Mariners executive vice president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said. “That, it crushes me and I know it hurts them a great deal.”

Servais was fired in the middle of his eighth season as Mariners manager, but only after the team wasted a 10-game lead in the AL West and is now playing catch-up with only five weeks remaining in the regular season.

Former Seattle catcher Dan Wilson was named to replace Servais, the second manager to be fired this season, following Pedro Grifol of the Chicago White Sox. Wilson will be the manager in the future, not an interim manager for the remainder of the season.

“It has been a very difficult two-month stretch, a particularly tough 10 days, but trying to do what we can do with a team that is telling us we need to do something a little different than what we have,” Dipoto explained.

The decision to part ways with the 57-year-old Servais came during a catastrophic 1-8 road trip that put the Mariners to 64-64 after 13 games over 500 in mid-June.

On Thursday, the Mariners were five games behind Houston in the AL West and 7 1/2 games down in the wild-card rankings. However, nothing about Seattle’s play since leading the division by ten games on June 18 has given hope for a turnaround in the last five weeks of the regular season.

“Where we were in the middle of June and where we are today, it’s hard to believe actually how quickly it all dissolved for us and the way our team has played,” says Dipoto.

Servais joined Seattle before the 2016 season alongside Dipoto. Servais was 680-642 during his stint in Seattle, which included a massive reconstruction midway through his tenure that ultimately made the Mariners competitive — but not great. He was the second-longest-tenured manager in franchise history, trailing only Lou Piniella.

Servais issued a statement late Thursday, thanking players, ownership, and fans for his time with the Mariners.

“The city of Seattle welcomed my family and me, and we will be eternally thankful for your support. As this chapter comes to a conclusion, I leave feeling proud of what we’ve accomplished together and excited about what the future holds,” Servais added.

This season, the Mariners have struggled with a shortage of offense, which has been especially frustrating given that Seattle’s pitching staff has been statistically the best in baseball for most of the season.

Seattle’s pitching staff leads MLB in ERA, WHIP, and batting average against. Meanwhile, the Mariners rank 30th in hitting average, 29th in slugging, and have the league’s most strikeouts. Seattle has scored two runs or less 48 times in 128 games this season, going 6–42 in those games.

But the stretch of play since mid-June is what prompted the managerial change. On June 19, the Mariners were 44-31 and led the division by ten games. However, the Mariners have gone 20-33 since then, including a 7-15 record versus Detroit, Pittsburgh, Miami, and the Los Angeles Angels, all of which are below 500. Seattle’s trade deadline signings of Randy Arozarena and Justin Turner have not given the expected offensive spark, and injuries to Julio Rodríguez and J.P. Crawford have reduced expectations of turning around the skid.

Mariners Fire Manager Scott Servais In Midst Of A Midseason Collapse

The 55-year-old Wilson, whose first game in charge will be Friday night when the Mariners begin a series against the San Francisco Giants, has served in various capacities for the organization, including fill-in manager for the team’s Triple-A affiliate and analyst on the team’s television broadcasts. He has been the team’s special assistant for player development for the past seven years.

Wilson is the 21st manager in team history and the 18th full-time manager.

“We can’t know a person better than we know Dan Wilson, and I believe in both his baseball and who he is as a person,” Dipoto told reporters. “I think that will resonate very well with our players.”

Servais will be remembered in Seattle as the manager who helped the Mariners end baseball’s longest playoff drought by earning a wild-card spot in 2022. Servais was the party’s captain the night Seattle won, and the Mariners defeated Toronto in the wild-card series before falling to Houston in the ALDS.

Seattle was Servais’s first management job. He had worked in the front office for Texas and the Angels before joining the Mariners in the dugout.

SOURCE | AP

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Nelly Korda was playing such good golf in the first half of 2024 that her opponents began to hope she would not show up for events.

“I played in Los Angeles a couple weeks ago, and she pulled out,” No. 40 Georgia Hall said of the world’s number one player. “I texted her and just said, ‘Thanks for giving us a chance.'”

However, as we approach this week’s British Open, the fifth and final major of the year, one of the greatest winning runs in women’s golf history has ended.

Nelly Korda Looks To Rediscover Unbeatable Form In Women’s British Open At The Home Of Golf

Korda missed the cut in three consecutive events, including two majors, for the first time in her career, following a run of five straight victories from January to April and six wins in seven starts on the LPGA Tour. She also finished outside the top 20 at the Evian Championship and the Olympic Games in Paris.

So, where does Korda see her game going? To the home of golf, St. Andrews, which is hosting the Women’s Open for the third time.

“You are going to go up. “You’re going to go down,” Korda stated Wednesday. “I think the nicest part of the downs is that you learn so much about yourself, and every situation is a learning opportunity, which I appreciate.

“I always try to think of everything in a good way. Compared to the beginning of the year, I’ve had some disappointing finishes. But at the end of the day, I’m still learning and improving from it.”

At this point in her career, Korda focuses on “not getting ahead of yourself.”

That applies to this week as well.

Because of the rain and strong gusts anticipated for Thursday and Friday, the Old Course should be a stiff challenge for the world’s finest players.

Stacy Lewis, the American who won the event the last time it was held at St Andrew’s in 2013, said Wednesday that she believes “maybe 60% of the field” will enter the week with the mindset that will prohibit them from winning.

“There’s a lot of people,” Lewis, the US Solheim Cup squad captain, said. “When they get off the plane and see the weather, it’s not going to fit them.”

Korda, whose sole top-10 finish in seven British Opens was a tie for ninth in 2019, emphasized the importance of “staying present.”

“The beauty of this week is that you’re going to hit some bad shots that will turn out well, and then you’re going to hit some good shots that will turn out poorly,” said Korda, who won the Chevron Championship in April for her second major win.

“At the end of the day, you get to be really creative with the game of golf, too, which we don’t get to do on a lot of golf courses.”

Nelly Korda Looks To Rediscover Unbeatable Form In Women’s British Open At The Home Of Golf

Lilia Vu of the United States is the reigning champion, although recent experience indicates she will struggle. Since 2019, every British Open champion has failed to reach the weekend during their title defense.

Vu also stated that she was sick entire week after competing in the Olympics.

“I think I know it’s going to be a battle for everyone, not just me,” Vu said of her “once-in-a-lifetime chance” to play a major at the home of golf.

SOURCE | AP