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Not in a century, of course, but in the 21st century, and they’re the only team in baseball with that weight hanging around their necks. They’re also the only team in baseball that hasn’t made the postseason in the wild-card era, though that sounds so much less dramatic. MORE: Josh Donaldson leads the candidates for AL MVP | Big Papi not happy However you want to frame the futility, that skid, which extends back to the team’s 1993 World Series title, should end this year....

DEVIN GORDON THE JAZZ SINGERS (Smithsonian). The fans of jazz singers are a fanatical lot. Billie Holiday fans don’t hang with Ella Fitzgerald fans, and Joe Williams partisans wouldn’t give the parsley off their fish to the Frank Sinatra crowd. So when a scholar like Robert O’Meally tries to survey all of jazz vocalizing from 1919 to 1994 in a mere five CDs–and inevitably slighting somebody’s favorite–he’s begging for trouble....

The Galaxy have completed the transfer of Dos Santos on a $5 million deal from Spanish club Villarreal, sources confirmed to Goal. Spanish outlet Mediterraneo reported on Monday that the Galaxy and Villarreal had agreed on a transfer fee, with Dos Santos and the Galaxy finalizing personal terms on Tuesday. Galaxy 22/1 to win MLS Details of Dos Santos’ contract are unknown, but one league source tells Goal Dos Santos will be on a deal which would put him in the $2-3 million range....

After a long, fruitless quest to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to Paris, leaders of the French club turned their eyes to Neymar last summer. Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Olivier Letang rolled out the red carpet to try to sign the Brazilian this season, offering an astronomical salary (matching Messi’s Barcelona deal) as well as several hefty financial clauses to entice the striker. Fuming Pique to quit Spain in 2018 PSG plans to spare no expense in trying to bring Neymar to the French capital, and the Parisian sporting director keeps in regular contact with the Brazilian’s inner circle....

The cheek of holding a fashion show in the Voortrekker Monument–where boots, swastikas and khaki were once common–captures the sassy spirit of the new design scene that has emerged in South Africa since apartheid collapsed. “My clothing celebrates our identity,” says director Nkhensani Manganyi, of the popular Stoned Cherrie label. “Our new sense of self, our new assertiveness.” Before 1994, says Dion Chang, a director of South African Fashion Week, chain stores would send scouts to London, Paris and New York, who would then return to South Africa and design almost exact imitations of what they’d seen....

The three-game, one-day series is a chance for Australia to move on from a miserable eight months, which began with the tampering row and continued with some grim results on the road. Australia lost the Test series to South Africa and another against Pakistan, and crashed badly in a one-day series to England. They returned home to a scathing independent review this week that slammed Cricket Australia for creating an “arrogant” and “controlling” atmosphere that fostered a win-at-all-costs attitude....

Previously, South Africa used a kit which was primarily green in colour with patches and lines of yellow on it. Although for the 2014 World T20 event, South Africa have decided to go with a kit which focusses more on yellow and has sleeves of green. The green colour of track-pants has remained the same as has been seen with the South African jersey’s over the years. Cricket South Africa revealed their new kit for men’s and women’s T20 teams on Twitter:...

Athletics South Africa (ASA) said it would “challenge the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) on these new regulations as we have found them to be skewed”. The new policy targets women who naturally produce unusually high levels of testosterone. Athletes classified as “hyper-androginous” will have to chemically lower their testosterone levels to 5 nanomoles per litre of blood to be eligible to run any international race of 400 metres up to the mile....

It was eventful, it was memorable, but what will follow this is an exciting phase featuring unpredictable possibilities! Despite the upcoming series being reduced to a fast food snack rather than a full meal, the billing is high enough to invoke context and curiosity. The anticipation is palpable, the adverts are popping up gradually, and recent form is balancing a skewed contest between an inexperienced young unit and a steady, settled outfit with strong credentials in home conditions....

With the hosts defending 208 runs on a surface providing significant assistance for the seamers, Philander registered his career-best figures of 6/42 to blow India’s batting lineup to smithereens. The right-armer’s relentless spell enabled South Africa to raze the visitors for just 108 and pocket a 72-run victory in the series opener. Indian seamers jolt South Africa When the penultimate day’s play began, South Africa were sitting pretty with a lead of 142 runs....

One brought many and Sri Lanka found themselves in familiar territory as Tahir and the all-rounders broke the back of their middle order in between a bee invasion in the stadium. They were eventually bowled out for 163 in the 40th over. The hosts completed formalities with ease as De Villiers registered another unbeaten half-century in pink to guide the Proteas home. Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 163/10 in 39.2 overs( Dickwella 74, Pretorius 3/19) lost to South Africa 164/3 in 32 overs (de Villiers 60)...

The school’s board of trustees approved Tuesday the naming of the new Gamecocks’ indoor practice facility after former coach Steve Spurrier and his wife, Jerri. MORE: SN’s All-America team | Best of the 2015 college football season Built this past summer, the $14.3 million facility was part of Spurrier’s plan to develop the program, which included new outdoor practice fields, a stadium video board and tailgating areas. Spurrier, who resigned in October after a 2-4 start to the season, is recognized as the school’s all-time winningest coach....

The law would have amended the country’s Act on Press Arbitration and Remedies to allow South Korean courts to order damages five times higher than the current penalties imposed upon news agencies found guilty of producing false reports “with intention or gross negligence.” Ranking higher than the United States on the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index, South Korea hosts a strong press industry. However, the country has dealt with the spread of misinformation online and in its newspapers....

The unlikely rise of Southampton F.C. to the fourth spot in the Premier League standings further encapsulates a start to the season which might pan out to be one of the most open Premier League in recent years. The last few years have pretty much been a two way or at best, a three-way struggle to lift the trophy. This season, Arsenal sits comfortably at the top of the table with no signs of slowing down....

The club were forced to move to the Vale Resort hotel near Cardiff after the Swansea Marriott reportedly told them they could not honour their booking due to the outbreak of a virus. Manager Mark Hughes was scathing of the venue, which continued to take public bookings after Saints relocated, and later suggested mischievous Swansea fans could have been behind the confusion. Hotel general manager Michael Downie defended the decision, which did not ultimately cost the visitors, as they claimed a 1-0 win at the Liberty Stadium to put them on the brink of Premier League survival....

United come into this game on the back of a goalless draw to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford and a 1-0 win over Young Boys in the Champions League midweek. Southampton, on the other hand, come into this game on the back of two consecutive losses- one in the Premier League and one in the League Cup. Saints do not look confident Southampton will miss the services of Danny Ings, who is out with a hamstring injury while Ryan Bertrand is also doubtful....

The Three Lions take on Spain in a Wembley friendly on Tuesday, the last of a four-game stretch granted to Southgate when a newspaper sting brought down Sam Allardyce’s tenure in its infancy. The former England center back told newspaper reporters after Friday’s 3-0 triumph against Scotland that he would be keen to know where he stands soon after the current round of international fixtures, but he has no issue with a return of seven points from three World Cup qualifiers having not cemented his position already....

The possibility of a public celebration in the team’s honour had been raised in response to their unexpected run to the final four, the nation’s best performance in 28 years. But the mood was dampened by the heartbreaking extra-time loss to Croatia in midweek, with England now likely to make a low-key return following Saturday’s third-place play-off against Belgium. Southgate backed the move to keep the achievement in perspective....

The Spanish team opened their account at the Hockey World cup with a convincing 5-1 victory over Wales. They have now climbed to third place in the Pool D points table, with three points and a goal difference of +2. Meanwhile, the English team played a hard-fought 0-0 draw against hosts India after a resounding 5-0 victory over Wales. They are currently placed at the top of the Pool D points table, with four points and a goal difference of +5....