National Sports

CINCINNATI (AP) — San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Friday he will refuse to take the field for the national anthem in a protest over the nation’s political direction following this week’s school shooting in Texas.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Scott McCarron didn’t have time to think about his surgically repaired left ankle on Friday. Mother Nature wouldn't let him. “It was crazy,” McCarron said of the weather changes.

TORONTO — The Canadian Championship semifinals have been set for June 22 with defending champion CF Montreal playing at Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps hosting York United of the Canadian Premier League. Both games will kick off at 7 p.m.

TORONTO — The Canadian men's soccer team played its part in getting a proposed friendly against Iran nixed, making their feelings felt in an email this week to a senior Canada Soccer official.

Toronto FC coach Bob Bradley added his voice Friday to the chorus wondering about America's inability to enact stricter gun laws in the wake of Tuesday's Texas elementary school shooting.

PARIS — Canada's Leylah Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime have advanced to the fourth round of the French Open.

Not lacking for confidence, Canada's Mitchell (Moose) Hooper made some bold predictions ahead of his first appearance at the World's Strongest Man competition. So far he's been calling his shots.

MONTREAL — Regardless of the sport, squad depth is one of the key elements that differentiates good teams from successful ones and two distinct stretches of games this season have shown that for CF Montreal.

TORONTO — While a clash between the 26th- and 28th-ranked teams in Major League Soccer is hardly something to mark down on your calendar, Toronto FC and the Chicago Fire both badly need a result Saturday.

TORONTO — For the first time in months, Randy Ambrosie can think solely about football. The CFL commissioner was in a very upbeat mood Friday, and with good reason.