Last week, I covered my AL fantasy All-Stars. Now it’s time to reveal my votes for the NL roster. (If you haven’t done so already, you still have time to go fill out your ballot. If we put our minds to it, we can still get Yonder Alonso into the starting lineup. Who’s with me?) MORE FANTASY BASEBALL: Taveras reaction | SB sleepers Catcher: Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers. Lucroy is second in the NL in batting, and he looks like a lock to hit 15 home runs on the season....

People want to know who “should” win, and those were pretty clearly the three candidates most worthy of a first-place vote. And this was the biggest question: Would Kershaw become the first pitcher to win the NL MVP since Bob Gibson posted a 1.12 ERA for the Cardinals in 1968? MORE: Kershaw first NL MVP pitcher in 46 years | Report: Marlins, Stanton discussing record-setting contract | Watch Kershaw’s reaction to Cy Young...

“Another beautiful day in NorCal!” reliever Randy Choate shouted as he hopped up the dugout steps and onto the field for Monday’s workout. MORE: Molina staying active | Curtain calls | Schedule | Photos “Shocker!” bench coach Mike Aldrete hollered in response. Manager Mike Matheny is encouraged Molina might be able to help St. Louis as soon as Tuesday in Game 3, perhaps initially just off the bench as he recovers from a strained left oblique muscle sustained in Sunday’s 5-4 victory at Busch Stadium....

Success breeds contempt, and the Cardinals are among the most successful National League teams. So are the San Francisco Giants, their opponents when the NL Championship Series opens Saturday at Busch Stadium. ALCS rooting interest: Against the Royals | Against the Orioles | Vegas visions We’ll list five reasons (all in good fun) to root against the Cardinals here, but do a quick Google search and you’ll find approximately 11 bajillion other reasons....

Behind six dominant innings from Rich Hill and three innings of relief from Joe Blanton, Grant Dayton and Kenley Jansen, the Dodgers held the Cubs to four hits, handing Chicago back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 2014. MORE: Ranking the 50 best players in the playoffs Yasmani Grandal and Justin Turner went deep for the Dodgers while NL Rookie of the Year favorite Corey Seager put LA on the board with an RBI single in the third....

Joe Panik scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning on Aaron Barrett’s bases-loaded wild pitch, and theGiants edged the Washington Nationals 3-2 Tuesday night to return to the NL Championship Series. MORE: Must-see photos | Pence’s insane catch | Harper splashes down | LCS schedule The wild-card Giants won 3-1 in the best-of-five Division Series by also scoring on a walk and a groundout. Hunter Pence turned in a defensive gem in right field that helped hold the Nationals at bay as San Francisco won for the 11th time in its last 12 postseason games....

“I’m not making this up,” the Penguins captain told reporters on Tuesday. “If nobody saw it, I can’t help you.” MORE: How much did concussions cost Crosby? In the 24 hours since the news broke, a relevant amount of people floated the idea that the injury was a hold-over from Crosby’s time leading Canada to gold in the tournament. That never made much sense; the final game was on Sept....

The Etihad club have flexed their financial muscles over the course of the last year to secure a number of high-profile players, notably twice breaking the transfer record for a defender by moving for Tottenham’s Kyle Walker and Monaco’s Benjamin Mendy. But Messi will not be following them to Manchester, despite a strong relationship with manager Pep Guardiola. “There is no chance of signing Messi,” Soriano said. “I know him and his family well and I know they are fine in Barcelona, which is where he needs to be....

Fabio Cannavaro’s side begin their 2017 campaign at Guangzhou R and F on Saturday and will be bolstered by Brazilian striker Junior Moraes, who joins on loan from Dynamo Kiev until June. CSL club confirms Costa approach Moraes links up with compatriot Alexandre Pato and Belgium midfielder Axel Witsel at Tianjin, who were certainly not short of ambition as the CSL embarked upon a mega-money transformation over recent months....

Last summer the new generation of sunless tanners (STS) rocked the $500 million sun-care products market with a growth of nearly 60 percent over the previous year. This year again, the lure of a fast fake tan that looks almost real, combined with growing fears of skin cancer, has launched a tidal wave of consumer interest. With 18 percent of total sun-care sales, “sunless tanners are the most explosive part of the market,” says Jack Surrette, a vice president with Hawaiian Tropic....

And then, nothing happened. Instead of coming to a close, the grand jury dragged on for seven more months–until last week, when Boulder District Attorney Alex Hunter announced that the grand jury investigation was over. “I and my prosecution task force believe we do not have sufficient evidence to warrant the filing of charges against anyone who has been investigated at this time,” Hunter said. That leaves police and prosecutors unable to make an arrest after a three-year investigation....

Pep Guardiola’s side have opened an eight-point gap at the top of the table after just 15 games and remain unbeaten going into this weekend’s meeting at Old Trafford. Should City claim a victory against Jose Mourinho’s men it would blow a major hole in their neighbours’ chances of claiming the title, despite it still being relatively early in the campaign. City have now won 13 successive league matches – a joint-record within a single top-flight season - while United are unbeaten in their last 40 home games in all competitions, a record of their own....

This week features one huge game—FSU at Clemson—and four matchups between ranked teams. Standings through seven weeks: Against the spread (last week): 46-24: Jon Cooper, SaturdayDownSouth.com (4-6) 41-29: Mike Griffith, MLive.com (4-6) 40-30: Bill Bender, Sporting News (4-6) 40-30: Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune (7-3) 38-32: David Matter, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (4-6) 37-33: Ken Bradley, Sporting News (2-8) 36-34: Andrew Carter, Raleigh News & Observer/Charlotte Observer (7-3) 33-37: Bill King, Host of On Campus with Bill King, 6-9 a....

The Mets’ announcement Tuesday that right-hander Noah Syndergaard would undergo ligament replacement surgery, aka Tommy John surgery, on Thursday to repair a UCL tear in his pitching elbow provided more debate fodder. Syndergaard joined the Yankees’ Luis Severino, the Red Sox’s Chris Sale and the Giants’ Tyler Beede in being recommended for the procedure since the start of spring training. MORE: Sports figure who have tested positive for the coronavirus An orthopedic surgeon who has extensive experience with Tommy John surgeries — and who provided Beede and Syndergaard with second opinions — argued that the procedures aren’t elective because delays can harm a pitcher’s earning potential....

In a widely-shared op-ed published Wednesday by The Washington Post, U.N. Dispatch blog editor and Global Dispatches podcast host Marc Leon Goldberg laid out a case in favor of the WHO winning the coveted prize due to its international efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. In it, he notes that, “Conferring the Nobel Peace Prize on the WHO would be interpreted in the United States as a political act — and it will be....

These days, there are many options for non-hormonal birth control. If you’re looking to avoid unplanned pregnancy and additional hormones, here’s what you should know about your birth control options. Efficacy For many people, the efficacy of birth control is the most important factor when choosing a method. Efficacy is how well a birth control method prevents pregnancy. This is measured as the number of people, out of 100, who will get pregnant during a year of using this birth control method and having penis-in-vagina sex....

Symptoms Back pain is a hallmark symptom of nr-AxSpA. Back pain is distinguishable based on when it occurs, how long it lasts, the age of when the back pain starts and what it takes to treat it. Timing: Back pain associated with nr-AxSpA wakes you up at the night and you hurt in the morning. You may also feel stiffness in the morning or after sitting for long periods. This type of stiffness makes moving difficult....

Not everyone is a candidate for nonsurgical biopsy—it’s not an option if you want a smaller nose or major changes to your nose. If you are considering a nonsurgical rhinoplasty, learning more about the procedure and what it involves from start to finish is a good first step. What Is Nonsurgical Rhinoplasty? Nonsurgical rhinoplasty is a cosmetic procedure performed by a plastic surgeon or a facial plastic surgeon. Sometimes a numbing cream/ointment is applied over the skin around the nose for topical anesthesia....

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a binational defense operation between America and Canada, held its Operation Noble Defender in Yellowknife, Canada from March 14 to 17, where forces practiced responding to potential aircraft and cruise missile threats. Major-General Eric Kenny, Commander for the Canadian NORAD Region, told Newsweek these trainings showcase the defense operation’s “capabilities” and “readiness” to its adversaries. However, he said it also demonstrates that NORAD can control North America’s arctic airspace, an important factor as the arctic continues to emerge as a place for global competition....

Visitors to the site were greeted by a dark blue screen, which would usually feature a world map showing Santa’s journey across the world, complete with details about his travel. The Santa tracker is now back and running, with the website claiming more than 960,000,000 presents had been delivered worldwide by 8.55 a.m. ET. The apparent technical issue caused consternation on social media, with Twitter users expressing frustration that they couldn’t see how far Santa had traveled....