Team News: Aston Villa vs Leeds United — and more

Leeds United return to Premier League action this afternoon with a trip to the West Midlands to face Aston Villa.

Ahead of kick-off at Villa Park, Daniel Farke has made a number of changes to the side that beat Birmingham City on Emirates FA Cup duties last weekend.

Karl Darlow returns in goal, playing behind a defence of James Justin, Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk who returns after a spell on the sidelines with injury. Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson provide the support on the flanks.

In midfield, skipper Ethan Ampadu is partnered by Bulgarian international Ilia Gruev, Anton Stach and Brenden Aaronson with Dominic Calvert-Lewin leading the line.

On the bench, goalkeeper Lucas Perri is joined by Daniel James, Sean Longstaff, Joël Piroe, Lukas Nmecha, Jaka Bijol, Ao Tanaka, Sebastiaan Bornauw and Willy Gnonto.

Action from Villa Park gets underway at 3pm.

Starting XI: Darlow (GK), Bogle, Gudmundsson, Ampadu (C), Struijk, Rodon, Calvert-Lewin, Aaronson, Stach, Justin, Gruev.

Subs: Perri (GK), James, Longstaff, Piroe, Nmecha, Bijol, Tanaka, Bornauw, Gnonto.

Villa: Martínez (GK), Cash, Konsa (C), Mings, Buendía, Watkins, Luiz, Maatsen, Onana, Rogers, Bailey.

Subs: Wright (GK), Lindelöf, Barkley, Digne, Torres, García, Abraham, Sancho, Bogardge.

Michael ‘Venom’ Page is taking it all in stride, even after speaking out about his frustrations with the UFC.

He didn’t hold back about his disappointment over not receiving welterweight opportunities, especially after a short but successful run at middleweight.

The Brit had been clear from the start that his move to 185 pounds was just a way to keep busy and chase interesting fights.

Even though he finally got the chance to return to 170, Page isn’t thrilled about being matched up with Sam Patterson at UFC London next month.

Page feels that his relationship with the organisation has shifted, but he’s still holding on to hope that things could improve down the line.

Michael ‘Venom’ Page still believes he can get back on track with UFC despite his complaints

When Michael ‘Venom’ Page made the switch to the UFC in 2023, he was clear about what he wanted from the start.

He already had a solid background from his time in Bellator and was hoping to jump straight into matchups against some of the sport’s top names.

Speaking recently with Bloody Elbow ahead of Total Kombat’s (his all-striking promotion) event on February 28 in Liverpool, England, Page discussed how things have evolved since then.

Page said that over time, his relationship with the UFC has definitely shifted. After facing Kevin Holland and Ian Machado Garry early on, he moved up to middleweight for two wins as part of an effort to stay busy and find exciting fights.

While he’s still looking for his first finish inside the Octagon, his striking resume is impressive. He remains optimistic that a strong showing on March 21 could help realign him with the promotion’s direction.

“It definitely felt like yeah, we were aligned, it’s going in the right direction, big names, big fights,” Page said. “Just more recently it hasn’t gone in that direction. But I feel like things do that. It’s always swings and roundabouts.”

“Things go up and down; nothing’s linear. You have to roll with the punches. This is where it’s at at the moment. It could go from this to a massive fight or the next couple fights being massive, and I’ve just got to keep focused on my own goals.”

Michael ‘Venom’ Page feels UFC London fight with Sam Patterson comes at the wrong moment

Michael ‘Venom’ Page believes that even without speaking out, it’s clear to many that he’s not currently in favour with the UFC. But he was open about why this particular matchup isn’t what he was looking for, pointing to the lack of name value, what a win would mean for him, and his position on the UFC London card.

Having trained with Patterson across several camps, Page is well aware of his abilities and knows how tough the fight could be. He admitted that after a long wait and repeatedly sending lists of potential opponents to the promotion, he’d grown tired enough to accept just about any offer — even if it meant fighting someone whose career he respects and has supported.

“It’s weird because it’s an exciting fight in terms of style,” Page told Bloody Elbow. “Sam Patterson is an amazing up-and-coming athlete in the mixed martial arts world, it’s just not exciting in terms of names because I just feel like it’s mistimed. It’s way too early.”

“I feel like he will get to that place and people are definitely going to hear more and more about him as his career goes on cuz he’s super talented,” Page said. “I just feel like it’s not the correct time.”

Patterson is coming off a first-round submission win over Yohan Lainesse last November — a result that followed back-to-back losses by knockout in 2023. The matchup presents an interesting test for both men at different stages of their careers.

The 36-year-old Page has been around long enough to know how quickly things can change in this sport. Even though things aren’t where he wants them right now, another strong performance could get things moving in a better direction.

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Det ble ingen stor dag for de norske skiskytterkvinnene, som skjøt seg bort fra medalje. Nok en gang ble det gull til Frankrike.

Bill Mazeroski, the Hall of Fame second baseman who won eight Gold Glove awards for his steady work in the field and the hearts of countless Pittsburgh Pirates fans for his historic walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, has died at the age of 89.

Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said, “Maz was one of a kind, a true Pirates legend … His name will always be tied to the biggest home run in baseball history and the 1960 World Series championship, but I will remember him most for the person he was: humble, gracious and proud to be a pirate.”

Mazeroski died Friday, the Pirates said. No cause of death was given.

‘Defensive wizard’

Elected to the Hall by the Veterans Committee in 2001, he was, by some measures, no superstar. Mazeroski had the lowest batting average, on-base percentage and stolen base total of any second baseman in Cooperstown. He hit just .260 lifetime, with 138 homers and 27 stolen bases in 17 years, and had an on-base percentage of .299. He never batted .300, never approached 100 runs batted or 100 runs scored and only once finished in the top 10 for Most Valuable Player.

His best qualities were both tangible and beyond the box score. His Hall of Fame plaque praises him as a “defensive wizard” with “hard-nosed hustle” and a “quiet work ethic.” A 10-time All-Star, he turned a major league record 1,706 double plays, earning the nickname “No Hands” for how quickly he fielded grounders and relayed them. He led the National League nine times in assists for second basemen and has been cited by statistician Bill James as the game’s greatest defensive player at his position — by far.

“I think defence belongs in the Hall of Fame,” Mazeroski said, defensively, during his Hall of Fame induction speech. “Defence deserves as much credit as pitching and I’m proud to be going in as a defensive player.”

A home run for the ages

But his career’s signature moment took place in the batter’s box, as the square-jawed, tobacco-chewing Mazeroski, a coal miner’s son from West Virginia, lived out the dream of so many kids who thought of playing professional ball.

The Pirates had not reached the World Series since 1927, when they were swept by the New York Yankees, and again faced the Yankees in 1960. While New York was led by Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, Pittsburgh had few prominent names beyond a young Roberto Clemente. They relied on hitters ranging from shortstop Dick Groat to outfielder Bob Skinner, and the starting pitchers Vernon Law and Bob Friend. Mazeroski, who turned 24 that September, finished the season with a .273 average and usually batted eighth.

The series told one story in the runs column and another in wins and losses. The Yankees outscored the Pirates 55-27 and 38-3 in the three games they won. Mazeroski’s counterpart on New York, Bobby Richardson, drove in a record 12 runs and was named the series’ MVP — even though he was on the losing team. Whitey Ford shut out the Pirates twice, on his way to a then-record 33 2-3 straight scoreless World Series innings for the Yankees ace.

The Pirates’ first three wins weren’t nearly so spectacular, but they were wins — and Mazeroski helped. He hit a 2-run homer in the fourth inning off the Yankees’ Jim Coates in Game 1, a 6-4 Pirate victory, and a 2-run double in the second inning off Art Ditmar in Game 5, a 5-2 Pittsburgh win. In Game 7, he saved his big hit for the end.

Some 36,000 fans at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, and many more tuning in on radio and television, agonized through one of the fall classic’s wildest and most emotional conclusions. The lead changed back and forth as Pittsburgh scored the game’s first four runs, only to fall behind as the Yankees rallied in the middle innings and went ahead 7-4 in the top of the eighth. Pittsburgh retook the lead with five runs in the bottom of the eighth, helped in part by a seeming double play grounder that took a bad hop and struck Yankees shortstop Tony Kubek in the throat. But the Yankees came right back and tied the score at 9 in the top of the ninth.

The bottom of the ninth has been relived, not always by choice, by the two teams and by generations of fans. The New York pitcher was Ralph Terry, a right-hander whom manager Casey Stengel had brought in during the previous inning and would later acknowledge that he had a tired arm. The right-handed hitting Mazeroski, who had grounded into a double play in his previous appearance, was up first.

Terry started with a fastball, called high for a ball. After conferring briefly with catcher Johnny Blanchard, who reminded him to keep his pitches down, he threw what Mazeroski would call a slider that didn’t slide. Mazeroski got under it and belted it to left, the ball rising and rising as it cleared the high, ivy-covered brick wall, with Yankees left fielder Yogi Berra circling under it, then turning away in defeat. The whole city seemed to erupt, as if all had swung the bat with him, as if he were every underdog who longed to beat the hated Yankees. Mazeroski dashed around the bases, grinning and waving his cap, joined by celebrants from the stands who had rushed on to the field and followed him to home plate, where his teammates embraced him.

“I was just looking to get on base,″ he told The New York Times in 1985. ″Nothing fancy, just looking for a fastball until he got a strike on me. I thought it would be off the wall, and I wanted to make third if the ball ricocheted away from Berra. But when I got around first and was digging for second, I saw the umpire waving circles above his head and I knew it was over.”

ESPN has called it the greatest home run in major league history. It was the first time a World Series had ended on a homer, leading to enduring waves of celebration and despair. Pirates followers memorized the date, Saturday, Oct. 13, 1960, and the local time of Mazeroski’s hit, 3:36 p.m. Forbes Field was torn down in the 1970s, but a decade later fans began gathering every Oct. 13 at the park’s lone remnant, the center field wall, and listened to the original broadcast.

Meanwhile, Mantle would sob on the plane ride home in 1960, insisting the better team had lost. Ford would for years remain angry at Stengel — fired five days after the Series — for using him in Games 3 and 6 and making him unavailable to start a third time. Singer Bing Crosby, a co-owner of the Pirates, was so afraid he’d jinx his team that he listened to the game with friends across the Atlantic Ocean, in Paris.

“We were in this beautiful apartment, listening on shortwave, and when it got close Bing opened a bottle of Scotch and was tapping it against the mantel,” his widow, Kathryn Crosby, told the Times in 2010. “When Mazeroski hit the home run, he tapped it hard; the Scotch flew into the fireplace and started a conflagration.”

A team player

Mazeroski was a Pirate for his entire time in the majors and was a team man off the field. His wife, Milene Nicholson, was a front office employee whom he met through Pittsburgh manager Danny Murtaugh. They were married in 1958, had two sons and remained together until her death in 2024.

William Stanley Mazeroski was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, during the Great Depression, grew up in eastern Ohio, and lived for a time in a one-room house without electricity or indoor plumbing. His father, Louis Mazeroski, had hoped himself to be a ballplayer and encouraged his son’s love for sports, even practicing with him by having Bill field tennis balls thrown against a brick wall.

Although a star in basketball and football, he favoured baseball and was good enough to be drafted by the Pirates at age 17 in 1954. Mazeroski was a shortstop for a team with numerous prospects at that position, and had switched to second by his rookie year, 1956. Even as a part-time player at the end of his career, he was a leader and steady presence on the 1971 team that featured Clemente and Willie Stargell and defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series.

After his final season, 1972, Mazeroski coached briefly for the Pirates and the Seattle Mariners and was an infield instructor for Pittsburgh during spring training. In 1987, the Pirates retired his uniform number, 9. The 50th anniversary of his Game 7 heroics was marked in 2010 by the unveiling — on Bill Mazeroski Way — of a 14-foot, 2,000-pound statue of one of Pittsburgh’s greatest everymen, rounding the bases, on top of the world.