Ronaldo, who currently plies his trade in Italy with Juventus, has picked up the accolade on three occasions and also has a total of nine nominations to his name, while Barcelona superstar Messi has won it two times and made the final shortlist in six of the last 10 seasons. Both men have stood out as the best players of their generation for well over a decade, but as they continue to advance into their thirties, an inevitable changing of the guard is beginning to take shape....

MORE: Daily fantasy can ruin lives | NFL’s arrogance on display in DFS controversy Schneiderman argues DraftKings and FanDuel are violating the state’s gambling statutes and has asked the operators to restrict New York residents from playing their games. FanDuel has restricted its New York users, while DraftKings has fought back and is still accepting New York customers. In early October, Schneiderman first began looking into the matter after a DraftKings employee leaked confidential information about player ownership percentages, then won $350,000 in a contest on FanDuel....

On Wednesday, the son of former Alabama running back Bobby Humphrey did what everyone expected: he committed to the Crimson Tide. MORE: 10 impact recruits for 2014 | Top 10 teams for 2014 LOSTLETTERMEN: Crimson Tide enjoy snow day Humphrey announced his decision on Twitter. Rated the No. 12 overall player in the country by 247Sports.com, Humphrey is a 6-1, 175-pound cornerback out of powerhouse program Hoover High School (Ala....

It was a mark that stuck in the craw of forward Derrick Favors. “I did not like it, and I did not think many of the guys liked it, either,” Favors said. MORE: Spurs may target Gasol | Celtics push for the playoffs | NBA Mock Draft Neither did the front office. They were not about to begin preaching patience to fans, giving a long line of excuses for losing and hoping to pile up draft picks to show just how much they’re really trying to win....

After losing the first leg with a lone striker 4-2-3-1 system, Jason Kreis reverted his team back to its more familiar 4-4-2 diamond. The tactical switch nearly paid off in the early going when Robbie Findley, relegated to the bench at the StubHub center but now freed, intercepted a poor Todd Dunivant back pass, requiring Jaime Penedo to come to the Galaxy's rescue. The adjustment also gave RSL more options going forward, letting the Utah side establish its passing game, and that paid off when Sebastien Velasquez scored in the 35th minute to wipe out the Galaxy's advantage....

What Time Is It There? Open nationwide The hypnotic films of the Taiwanese filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang (“Vive l’Amour” and “The River”) capture the isolation of urban life in images of haunting beauty. In his movies, every man is an island. His laconic new gem is a quirky love story in which the barely acquainted lovers are continents apart. The hero, Hsiao Kang (Lee Kang-sheng), becomes obsessed with a young woman (Chen Shiang-chyi) who has bought his dead father’s watch from him for her trip to Paris....

Though his goal-count has diminished compared to previous seasons, Ronaldo has nevertheless come up with the goods when Madrid needed him most. Bale set to be fit for Champions League final The 32-year-old was inspirational as the Liga giants swept aside Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid en route to the final, hitting two hat-tricks. As Real prepare to face Juventus in the final in Cardiff on June 3, Zidane paid tribute to his star forward....

The pitcher, taken in the First-Year Player Draft by the Houston Astros, underwent surgery Thursday and everything went smoothly, according to MLB.com. Typical recovery time for baseball players is two to three weeks; Astros pitchers and catchers are set to report Feb. 15, two weeks and two days from his Appel's surgery. MORE: 2013 MLB draft rundown | Strikeouts are up, but why? | Breakout candidates in 2014 "Mark will be fine," general manager Jeff Luhnow said, per MLB....

Quarterback commits headed to Tennessee, Miami, Michigan State and UCLA will also be on display. Travis Hunter, the No. 1 player in the nation who shocked the college football world by signing with Jackson State in December, will be playing in his second all-star game. He also played in the Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 2. Notre Dame will have four future players in the game, as will USC....

Before the ceremony, Bryant was asked which Lakers jersey number was his favorite: the No. 8 worn by the young Kobe, or the No. 24 worn by his older self. Bryant had a hilarious response: GREER: Three big questions about Kobe Bryant remain “I kind of go back and forth, but No. 8 has something that 24 will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever have, and that’s the ability to grow hair,” Bryant joked....

Chicago and Colorado seemed to throw as many balls at each other this week as they did to home plate as Kris Bryant, Nolan Arenado, Cole Hamels and Anthony Rizzo were all hit by pitches. It all started when Bryant was hit a couple of times and peaked when Arenado had to leave Wednesday’s game after taking a pitch to his elbow. He said he knew it was going to happen after all of the beanballs that were already thrown in the series....

Allergies are common in the general population, and studies show they’re even more common in people with fibromyalgia (FMS) or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as or myalgic encephalomyelitis or ME/CFS. No one knows exactly why allergies accompany FMS and ME/CFS so much of the time. Symptoms of Non-Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms of non-allergic rhinitis are similar, and sometimes indistinguishable from, those of allergies or a cold. They include:...

How Common Is Lymphoma After Organ Transplant? PTLD includes a wide variety of lymphoproliferative conditions following solid organ or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and may occur in 10% of adults post-transplant. A range of 1 to 20% has also been used to estimate the overall incidence of post-transplant LPD. Why Do Lymphomas Occur After Organ Transplant? Post-transplant lymphomas are almost always related to infection by the Epstein Barr Virus (EBV)....

Former KGB agent Vladimir Strzhalkovsky’s yacht Ragnar, which is docked in Norway, is stranded due to the locals refusing to sell him fuel, The National reported. Though he is not on the European Union’s sanction list and Norway is not a member of the EU, the Norwegians took this action because of his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly a month ago, sanctions from Western countries have targeted Russian oligarchs and their wealth....

Hydrocodone bitartrate is an opioid analgesic that works by attaching to opioid receptors (binding sites). APAP, on the other hand, is a non-opioid pain reliever. It’s thought to work by activating (waking up) a system in the body that blocks pain signals. The hydrocodone and APAP combination pain-reliever is generally available in prescription tablet or liquid dosage forms. What Is Norco Used For? Norco is used to treat severe pain....

On Wednesday, North Carolina State Board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell said that counties will hold absentee ballot and provisional ballot counting meetings on November 12 and 13, which will account for the remaining outstanding votes in the state. That could mean that North Carolina election results will likely not be determined for at least eight more days. “With very few exceptions would North Carolina’s numbers move before the 12th or 13th,” she said....

Merritt-resident Todd Spangler caught the giant trout on February 9, 2022, near the mouth of the Neuse River in Pamlico County, located on the state’s east coast, Field & Stream reported. The fish surpassed the previous state record for a speckled trout—a fish weighing 12 pounds, 4 ounces that was caught in 1961 at Wrightsville Beach. Spangler told Field & Stream that the record-breaking trout was his first catch of the day....

Damon Fields filed the lawsuit in early January in Gaston County, but in a curious legal move 17 of his cats are listed as co-plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Fox 46 reported. Fields, who lives in Cherryville, was visited by county animal control on November 5 of last year after a neighbor complained about his home. According to The Charlotte Observer, when animal control entered the domicile, the odor of cat urine was so potent that they had to wear masks....

Line: Duke -8.5, Total: 158 (check our odds page for current college basketball point spreads and totals) While the Blue Devils have put some distance between themselves and the Tar Heels in the win column and popularity polls, The Linemakers on Sporting News still believe in Carolina and, according to our power ratings, these teams are a lot closer than most believe. The current Don Best/Linemakers ratings have Duke No....

The Heels enter the matchup 5-0 and ranked No. 7 in the latest AP Poll. While North Carolina lost several veteran players from last year’s team, the addition of freshman Nassir Little has helped fill that void. MORE: Watch Texas-North Carolina live and on demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) Texas is 4-0 under coach Shaka Smart, who is in his fourth year at the helm in Austin, Texas. The Longhorns made the Tournament in two of Smart’s first three seasons but lost in the first round both times....