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Speaking to Vandal, Level-5’s CEO Akihiro Hino explained, “We intend to make games for the Nintendo Switch, but I think that it’s very important to get the most out of the console. For that reason, there surely wont be a title of ours on launch, but when we find the way to take advantage of it, we will work with it.” At this point, the full extent of Switch features haven’t yet been confirmed, though the console could support VR, and rumors suggest that it may feature a 720p multi-touch screen....

The whole thing began after Shayna Baszler responded to a fan’s tweet directed at her. The person was wondering whether The Queen of Spades has ever made a man submit during a match. Shayna Baszler had an intergender match with Reginald on Monday Night RAW last month, which the latter won with a roll up. Baszler replied to the tweet by stating that she has trained with male athletes for a long time during her career and it isn’t abnormal in any way for a skilled female athlete to be able to make a man tap out....

The soon-to-be-28-year-old only signed a new deal with the Miami Dolphins in 2019, a deal that made him the highest paid cornerback in the league at the time. Since then, the Fins have signed cornerback Byron Jones to a larger contract that appears to have irked their other star secondary player. Last season, Howard was a standout, leading the NFL for the second time in interceptions. He made the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career last year....

Roethlisberger was hit 11 times on Sunday in the Steelers’ loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. One of those hits caused a left pectoral injury that has made his status for this weekend questionable. But it begs the question about the Steelers’ ongoing backup quarterback situation. Mason Rudolph is second on the depth chart, followed by Dwayne Haskins. Josh Dobbs is currently on the injured reserve list. If Roethlisberger is unable to start, it should be Rudolph who gets the nod, simply because of his previous experience of starting for the Steelers....

The ninth overall pick of the 2012 draft, Kuechly announced his decision to quit professional football in a video message that was posted on social media on Tuesday night. Fighting back the tears, the 28-year-old revealed he decided to retire after realizing he was no longer capable of playing the kind of “fast, physical” football that was his calling card since he entered the NFL. “There’s only one way to play this game since I was a little kid—play fast, play physical and play strong,’’ he said....

Here are the early Week 16 betting lines from Las Vegas. The point spreads listed are from the Westgate SuperBook, with numbers posted at other bet shops noted. Totals are from CG Technology. For updated spreads and totals, visit our live odds board. Thursday, December 18 Titans at Jaguars -3, 41 We can’t think of an isolated, prime-time game with less appeal. Nevertheless, the total was bet down from 41....

But that’s the case right now in Las Vegas, where most books have installed Washington as a 1-point favorite over the Packers. In the other three games, the road team is favored. MORE: Full NFL playoff schedule There’s still no word on whether Andy Dalton will return Saturday, but the Bengals would likely be favored with him under center. NFL playoff opening lines Saturday, 4:35 p.m. ET, ABC Chiefs (-3) at Texans....

That, quite frankly, upsets Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman and NFL Players Association president Eric Winston, a 10-year veteran in the league. MORE: NFL players diagnosed with CTE | Giants owner says concussion crisis should be priority No. 1 Jeff Miller, the NFL’s vice president of player health and safety, admitted last month there is a connection between football-related head trauma and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Despite that admission, NFL owners like Cincinnati’s Mike Brown, Dallas’ Jerry Jones, New England’s Robert Kraft, Cleveland’s Jimmy Haslam, Indianapolis’ Jim Irsay and Houston’s Bob McNair have continued to deny a link....

Veteran batsman Hashim Amla was not included for the start of South Africa’s last series before the Cricket World Cup in England from May to July - but selection convener Linda Zondi said Amla, 35, remained a senior player. The series starts, at the Wanderers Stadium next Sunday. “Those players who were in the squad against Pakistan (in January) but who have been left out this time have not been dropped....

RELATED: 10 Best Nintendo Sports Games, Ranked This list could very easily be ten defensemen, but they weren’t the only ones to get cross-checked in this year’s installation of the NHL video game franchise. With all due recognition to the players ranked above them, it takes some mental gymnastics to explain how these athletes were ranked anywhere close to correctly. It’s hard enough to succeed at the highest level as it is, no professional needs additional disrespect courtesy of a video game studio....

The players participated in six categories highlighting the specific skills necessary to play the fastest game on ice. The winner of each event earned $25,000. Johnny Gaudreau (puck control), Marc-Andre Fleury (save streak) and Connor McDavid (fastest skater) aimed to defend their respective titles from 2018 . Gaudreau and McDavid succeeded in retaining their titles while Fleury was upended by a king. USA Hockey’s Kendall Coyne-Schofield (fastest skater) replaced Nathan MacKinnon and became the first woman to officially participate in the skills competition....

The “Two Man Advantage” may fill easily based on increased demand. That has an $8 entry with $30,000 prize pool. Note: There are also several “Short Handed Special” tournaments with some intriguing payouts. With scoring down, Vegas has a few over/unders at six, but watch for potentially higher scoring matchups that could dud. Also, do keep in mind there is a blizzard along the East Coast (which people have heard incessantly about), so information will come in just slower than desired in some cases....

At the top of this talented group of pivots is American-born dynamo Jack Hughes, whose brother Quinn is a defenseman who went seventh overall to the Canucks. Jack is an elite playmaker with explosive speed and ankle-breaking fakes, and the goals he scores are of the highlight-reel variety. It’s too early to say he’s a lock to go first overall in 2019, but his impressive pre-draft resume makes it easy to say he’s the favorite....

It is expected to be a thin year for unrestricted free agents, whose ranks generally attract the lion’s share of attention. However, this year’s class doesn’t have the star power of the past, and bigger-name players are either past their prime or are not considered of high value. MORE: Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2015 | The Bruins’ disastrous summer Here is what you need to know: What is the NHL unrestricted free agent definition?...

Mikita, who played 22 seasons in the NHL, all with the Blackhawks, had been in declining health when he died at age 78 last year. His family donated his brain to the Boston University CTE Center. The postmortem study revealed Mikita had Stage 3 CTE, one stage below the disease’s severest form. CTE, caused by repeated contact to the head, can be diagnosed only postmortem. Dr. Ann McKee, the center’s director, announced the findings during the Concussion Legacy Foundation’s Chicago Honors Dinner on Friday at the request of the Mikita family, The Associated Press reported....

Reebok has the rights to make NHL jerseys. Its parent company, Adidas, apparently is considering putting its own name there instead of Reebok. As part of that, we may see an extension of the current contract, which runs through 2016-17. That'd be interesting; Reebok Hockey has a handful of high-profile athlete endorsers, including Sidney Crosby. Odds are he's not strapping on adidas skates anytime soon, but the juxtaposition would be funny — sort of like LeBron James wearing adidas jerseys....

The NHL announced the suspension Friday evening. MORE: The best active NHL player at every jersey number, 1 to 97 The incident occurred during the first period of Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Wild. Keith and Coyle were competing for a loose puck when Keith fell to the ice and from his back swung his stick upward, striking Coyle in the nose and drawing blood. Keith was assessed a match penalty for intent to injure, which carries an automatic one-game ban, at minimum, dependent on a league review....

All odds are current as of Friday evening. Check out our live odds page for updated Las Vegas lines. MORE: Oilers hire former Bruins GM | Bolts stage big comeback to even series Red Wings at Lightning (series tied 2-2) Best Detroit line: +165 (Westgate, MGM, William Hill, Stations)Best Tampa Bay line: -180 (Westgate, CG Technology, Wynn)Total: 5 (over -140) Analysis: If the Lightning wind up winning this series and subsequently making a deep run, Game 4 will be remembered for a long time....

Matthews’ goal was not without controversy, however, as the marker was reviewed for potential goaltender interference. Toronto forward Zach Hyman made contact with Boston netminder Tuukka Rask before Jake Muzzin fed Matthews for the score. “I felt contact, so I went after the ref there and let him know there was contact,” Rask told reporters postgame. “They looked at it so it’s a goal. I saw him, he had the puck — as soon as he passed it, it kind of like bumped my head....

What is surprising is that future Hall of Famer Joe Thornton had never scored two or more goals in a single playoff game. Until Wednesday, that is. The Sharks veteran netted in the first and second periods of San Jose’s 5-4 Game 3 win in overtime over the St. Louis Blues, marking his first goals of the series and setting several NHL marks in the process. MORE: Sharks win Game 3 on controversial play that once again can’t be reviewed...