Today's Sports Headlines

Including: Gregor Chisholm: The Blue Jays aren’t complaining, but the expanded MLB playoff format can’t stay this way [Star Logo] Sports Headlines OPINION [Gregor Chisholm: The Blue Jays aren’t complaining, but the expanded MLB playoff format can’t stay this way]( [There are playoff teams and then there are 2020 playoff teams. The Jays, losers of five straight, fall into the second category because, as positive as this season has been, it’s blatantly obvious they have a lot of work to do before they can hang with upper-echelon rivals, Gregor Chisholm writes.]( [Read More [arrow]]( [Blue Jays drop doubleheader to Phillies, losing skid hits five games]( [Toronto has lost five in a row but entered with a 4 1/2-game lead over Seattle for the final wild card in the AL.]( [Read More [arrow]]( ANALYSIS [Raptors financial magic could bring back Fred VanVleet at about $20 million a year]( [It might cost the Raptors Norm Powell, but even in these complicated times they could pay market value for VanVleet and still retain a maximum salary slot for the game-changing free-agent market of 2021.]( [Read More [arrow]]( [Jamal Murray’s Nuggets no match for the Lakers in Game 1 of NBA Western final]( [Anthony Davis and LeBron James led the way for Los Angeles, making its first conference final appearance since 2010.]( [Read More [arrow]]( OPINION [Damien Cox: If you love hockey, watch the Lightning and Stars battle for the Stanley Cup. Who knows when the NHL will be back]( [The bubble concept worked smoothly this time, but the NHL can’t ask players to do it again. The best the league can hope for is an exciting Stanley Cup final to leave fans with a good taste in their mouths — for whenever the game returns, Damien Cox writes.]( [Read More [arrow]]( ANALYSIS [Stanley Cup final preview: Advantage Lightning over Stars, even with Point and Stamkos hurting]( [The Stanley Cup final starts Saturday night, and if it goes the limit of seven games it will end Sept. 30, more than a calendar year after training camps opened for the 2019-20 season.]( [Read More [arrow]]( [Mailbag: Lightning carry the blue and white colours to the Stanley Cup final]( [A year ago I became an honorary Newfoundlander by kissing a fish. What a year. The good old days were not that long ago.]( [Read More [arrow]]( [Patrick Reed takes the lead as the real U.S. Open gets started]( [Taylor Pendrith (74) of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Adam Hadwin (73) of Abbotsford, B.C., were tied for 33rd at 5 over par. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., missed the cut.]( [Read More [arrow]]( [Woods, Mickelson, defending champ Woodland miss U.S. Open cut]( [Tiger Woods missed the cut for the eighth time in his last 15 majors after missing the cut at one just three times in a span from 1996-2014.]( [Read More [arrow]]( [Toronto FC, D.C. United renew hostilities after ill-tempered draw in Florida]( [The teams renew hostilities Saturday at Audi Field as Toronto kicks off what looks to be an extensive stint south of the border due to pandemic-related border restrictions.]( [Read More [arrow]]( [Toronto FC expects to play six games in home away from home in East Hartford]( [Team president Bill Manning says while the first couple of matches will be behind closed doors at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, the club may look at admitting fans down the line.]( [Read More [arrow]]( [Handful of clubs aim to end Juventus’ dominance in Serie A]( [Serie A has been one of the most predictable leagues in Europe recently, with Juventus winning nine straight titles — many of them by a wide margin. But Inter Milan, Atalanta and Lazio all had a mathematical chance of winning the title with three rounds remaining this past season — even if the destination of the trophy was never really in doubt.]( [Read More [arrow]]( [Andersen doubles down at Tour de France, wins Stage 19]( [Canada’s Hugo Houle, a support rider for the Astana Pro Team, was 57th in Friday’s stage. The 29-year-old from Sainte-Perpetue, Que., is 46th overall.]( [Read More [arrow]]( [Giannis Antetokounmpo wins second straight NBA MVP award]( [The Milwaukee forward is the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season, receiving that award Friday.]( [Read More [arrow]]( [Jamal Murray: What you need to know about the Canadian star taking over the NBA playoffs]( [Jamal Murray, a six-foot-four guard is on the verge of becoming a full-fledged superstar for years to come. Here’s what you need to know about the Kitchener native.]( [Read More [arrow]]( [Nuggets star Jamal Murray’s upbringing in Canada gave him an edge, former coach says]( [University of Kentucky coach John Calipari, who had Murray on his Wildcats team for the 2015-16 season, said Murray’s upbringing in Canada continues to pay dividends for the Denver Nuggets star.]( [Read More [arrow]]( [To Bam Adebayo, Heat game days are always Mother’s Day]( [Adebayo nearly outscored the Boston Celtics by himself in the third quarter of Game 2, the Heat turned the game around and went on to win 106-101 Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals — putting the kid who grew up in a single-wide trailer with a mom making something like $15,000 a year two wins away from the NBA Finals.]( [Read More [arrow]]( [The Star]( If you’re not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. 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