Month: February 2022

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The NASCAR season opens with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, where more than 120,000 spectators are expected to watch reigning Cup champion Kyle Larson lead the field to green. Larson will start from the pole next to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman. Starting

By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer The Associated Press lists 10 college softball players to watch this season. Reigning USA Softball Collegiate Player Jocelyn Alo of Oklahoma leads the way. She is closing in on the NCAA career home run record after hitting a school-record 34 last season. Three other Oklahoma players are on the

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Division I college basketball committees say there won’t be a combined men’s and women’s Final Four in the near future. The unanimous decision announced Friday was made during a joint meeting of the committees that concluded several months of exploring the concept of one city hosting a joint Final Four.  The

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The inaugural Legacy Bowl in New Orleans is giving top football players from historically Black colleges and universities a new level of exposure to pro scouts and executives. South Carolina State defensive back Zafir Kelly says the event evens the field for HBCU players who’ve

By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer The Oklahoma softball program is the gold standard after winning four of the past eight national championships under coach Patty Gasso. The Sooners are the defending Women’s College World Series champions. Many of that team’s top players return. Those include reigning USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Jocelyn

SEATTLE (AP) — Sue Bird officially re-signed with the Seattle Storm, her only WNBA team, in what is expected to be her final season. Bird, the WNBA assist leader and  oldest player in the league at 41, previously announced she would return for one more season. She waited until Seattle finished the rest of its

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has canceled the first week of spring training games through March 4 in the first public acknowledgement of the disruption caused by the lockout. The work stoppage was in its 79th day Friday, a day after economic talks between the management and

By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer BEIJING (AP) — Finland has never won an Olympic gold medal in hockey. To break that drought, the Finns will have to beat the defending champion Russians — the team that, if you include all its various designations, has won as many Olympic titles in men’s hockey as anyone.

MIAMI (AP) — Mexico will play its March 24 World Cup qualifier against the United States at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, where the Americans have 12 losses and four draws in qualifying. The match will start at 8 p.m. local time, 10 p.m. Eastern. The United States hosts Panama three days later at Orlando, Florida,

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer BEIJING (AP) — The defending champion Russians are back in the final looking for a second consecutive Olympic gold medal. They will face Finland on Sunday in Beijing. The Russians entered the tournament as the betting favorites. One more victory will give them five titles in the past six

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Tom Clements is back for a second stint as Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach in a move that could reunite him with four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers. The Packers also have hired Jason Rebrovich as outside linebackers coach. The 68-year-old Clements previously worked for the Packers from 2006-16 in a variety

TORONTO (AP) — Canada will host Jamaica at Toronto’s BMO Field in its final home World Cup qualifier. Closing in on its first World Cup berth since 1986, Canada leads North and Central America and the Caribbean with 25 points and can clinch with one win its final three games. Canada is at Costa Rica

By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ty Gibbs is stepping into arguably the top ride in NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series. The grandson of Pro Football and NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs will race full time for his grandfather’s team in the No. 54 Toyota this season. That car won

By PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson had hoped its trip to the NCAA Tournament last year during the pandemic-impacted season would provide a springboard for more winning. Instead, the Tigers men’s basketball team are in the midst of its longest losing streak in five seasons and two defeats away from

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Bruce Pearl and the Auburn men’s basketball team have an embarrassment of front-court riches. The second-ranked Tigers have the nation’s top shot blocker in 7-foot-1 Walker Kessler along with 6-10 freshman Jabari Smith, who also happens to be the team’s top 3-point shooter. Auburn also