“No vaccine. No medication. Are we supposed to fight with bamboo spears? We’ll be killed by politics if things remain unchanged,” the ad by Tokyo-based publisher Takarajimasha said. The ad showed an illustration of a red coronavirus symbol on a World War II-era photo of Japanese children learning to fight with “naginata” sword-shaped sticks. With the highly-protested Olympics set for July, only 1 percent of the Japanese population is vaccinated....

About 500 miles south of Otani’s game, the lefty ace for the Saitama Seibu Lions, Yusei Kikuchi, absolutely dominated the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in a two-run, complete-game effort while striking out 11 for his 13th win of the season. He may not have Otani’s spotlight, but he’s a legitimate prospect with a potential high ceiling in the big leagues. MORE: ‘Japanese Babe Ruth’ wants to pitch in majors next season...

Kushner also wrote that he attempted to keep the diagnosis from Trump but was unsuccessful. Kushner said in Breaking History: A White House Memoir, which will be published on August 23, that he was traveling on Air Force One to the opening of a Louis Vuitton factory when the White House physician informed him of the test results, according to the Times excerpt. He wrote that he wished for the news to remain private and only told his wife, Ivanka Trump, then-White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and two aides....

Yes, that Jared Lorenzen. MORE: Gallery | Aaron Rodgers doesn’t engage in game day sex | Jerry Rice critical of Chiefs The Hefty Lefty was best known playing for Kentucky in college and later as a backup with the Giants and Colts. He’s bumped around and wound up on non-NFL teams. He jokingly offered his help to the Cardinals on Twitter Thursday night. The only problem — other than the fact that Lorenzen is already 33 years old — is that he’s a bit out of shape....

Ahead of a matchup with the Timberwolves, the team released a statement addressing the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who was pulled over and violently arrested by Memphis police officers on Jan. 7, then died three days later. “We are distraught to find ourselves dealing with a needless loss of life due to police brutality, and this time it was one of Memphis’ own,” the statement said....

Speaking with former Giants star and Fox Sports analyst Michael Strahan, Pierre-Paul gave his first detailed account of the Fourth of July accident that caused all or parts of three fingers to be amputated. MORE: All-time dumbest sports injuries | How injuries are shaping the playoff race “The one I was holding. I thought it was a different one, but it wasn’t. And it just went off in my hand, right away,” he said....

For fantasy owners of Ajayi, this is a treat. If Marshawn Lynch is Skittles, then Ajayi is like Snickers because he hasn’t been him lately. Ajayi was struggling mightily in Miami, averaging a mere 7.3 fantasy points per game, which put him outside the top 30 among fantasy RBs. For a workhorse tailback getting nearly 20 carries a game, those aren’t good numbers. Even worse, he hadn’t reached the end zone once this year....

Several U.S. states have started to ease their COVID-19 restrictions over the past few weeks. Bhattacharya, who made the comments during an interview with the Daily Clout, co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, a petition that calls for the end of COVID-19 lockdowns, claiming that they are “producing devastating effects on short and long-term public health.” As of Monday, the Great Barrington Declaration has received signatures from over 13,000 medical and public health scientists, more than 41,000 medical practitioners and at least 754,399 “concerned citizens....

Tannehill’s injury last week was supposed to put an end to that hope. Instead, it opened the door for Miami to “fall upward” as a franchise at their most important position with its signing of Jay Cutler. Cutler, 34, is more than a mere replacement for an injured quarterback. He’s a short-term upgrade that opens the door for Miami to have a real conversation about Tannehill at the helm of their franchise retool....

But a video shared on social media Thursday pulled back the curtain on the collateral damage caused by head coach firings annually in the NFL. Assistant coaches, many of whom are not at fault for whatever organizational shortcomings lead to drastic changes, are affected and often let go, as well. The NFL’s Twitter account shared a clip from “All or Nothing: A Season with the Los Angeles Rams” that reveals the moment Fisher informed his staff of his own fate....

But the news Wednesday is, if not good, at least not as bad as feared. The Mets have placed McNeil on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring strain. However, the strain is reportedly mild and the Mets’ super utility player is expected to miss the minimum amount of time before returning, according to multiple news outlets. McNeil said after the game he didn’t think it was serious. “It didn’t feel great,” McNeil said....

Steve Vilmiaire becomes the latest coaching casualty after he was removed from his position as the head coach Sabah in an announcement made on Monday. Sabah joins Perak, Perlis and Penang as the teams who have made coaching changes thus far in the 2017 season. Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman announced that Sabah Football Association has made the decision to install Jelius Ating as the new man in charge following poor results in the Premier League....

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Mayor of Kingstown star, 51, was airlifted to hospital on New Year’s Day after the accident at his home in Reno, Nevada. TMZ first reported on the incident on January 2, detailing how Renner was using the snow plow “a quarter mile” from his home when the accident occurred. The publication reported that the machine, named a Snowcat, had accidentally run over one of Renner’s legs....

The wide receiver and Seattle reached a three-year, $13.5 million deal on Thursday, NFL.com reported. MORE: NFL free agency winners and losers | NFL free agency tracker The Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson upped their passing game last season, which benefited Kearse greatly. He had 49 catches for 685 yards and five touchdowns — both career highs. Kearse, 26, has been a stable presence behind receivers Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett....

The woman who accused Elliott of abusing her in July in Columbus, Ohio, alleged the two were involved in a previous physical altercation, according to an incident report cited by USA Today. MORE: Iyer: Cowboys, please don’t mess with this perfect offense The woman also called police on Feb. 12 when the two were in South Florida, where Elliott was training for the NFL Draft. Elliott was not arrested, and according to the incident report, the officers saw no signs of injury and the accuser declined to go to the hospital....

The co-main event will feature rising heavyweight contender Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller taking on former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion and former heavyweight title challenger Tomasz Adamek. The card will also have IBF light heavyweight titlist Artur Beterbiev vs. Callum Johnson and WBA super bantamweight champ Daniel Roman defending his title against Gavin McDonnell. After going through a rough patch in three of his previous four fights, Vargas (28-2-1, 10 KOs) put on one of his best performances in recent memory when he went to a draw in April with Adrien Broner....

The Jets’ 2019 season has been a nightmare. For fans, it’s been like waking up late on a Monday morning, discovering someone stole your car, turning on the news and then finding out it was wrecked when it went through the front of a 7-11, destroying the Slurpee machine in the process. It’s been bitter, and it gets worse. But if team owner Christopher Johnson’s vote of confidence Tuesday to keep Gase through 2019 and 2020 means anything, it’s that this is not Gase’s fault....