Month: March 2022

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Chargers free agent signee J.C. Jackson immediately upgrades a cornerback group that struggled last season. Michael Davis was inconsistent in coverage and rookie Asante Samuel Jr. dealt with injuries late in the year. Chris Harris Jr. is a free agent. Jackson joined the

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Nick Castellanos and the Philadelphia Phillies have finalized a $100 million, five-year contract. The All-Star outfielder agreed to the deal last week after the Phillies added slugger Kyle Schwarber. He’ll be introduced at the team’s spring training complex on Wednesday. Castellanos batted .309 with 34 homers, 100 RBIs and a .939

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Tulsa has named Eric Konkol its new men’s basketball coach. Konkol compiled a 153-75 record in seven seasons at Louisiana Tech. He had six seasons with at least 20 wins and finished in the top three in the Conference USA standings five times. This season, Louisiana Tech finished with a 24-10

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The second act of Madison Bumgarner’s career hasn’t been nearly as successful as the first. The four-time All-Star hopes things will turn around during his third season with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 32-year-old Bumgarner has made his spring debut, giving up three runs over 2

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina is leaning heavily on its starters entering the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. First-year coach Hubert Davis is counting on the group to play major minutes as they have during a surge over the past month. That includes a win at Duke when

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has fined Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green $25,000 for directing profane language toward a game official. Green was ejected in the third quarter of the Warriors’ game against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night after getting called for two technical fouls in an eight-second span. He was

By MARK DIDTLER Associated Press DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — George Springer played for the first time this year, Yusei Kikuchi made his Toronto debut, and the Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees in the initial exhibition matchup between the teams. Springer hit .264 with 22 homers and 50 RBIs in 78 games in his

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. won’t see game action in spring training, even as a designated hitter. That word from manager Brian Snitker makes it more likely that Acuña will miss at least the first month of the regular season. Acuña is recovering

By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer Arkansas guard JD Notae has a well-earned reputation as a big-time performer. He’s a first-team All-SEC performer who averages more than 18 points per game. Notae has struggled to find his shot during the NCAA Tournament. He has averaged 17.5 points, but he has been harassed into 10-for-34 shooting

By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — Shaheen Holloway of Saint Peter’s might be one the hottest coaching commodities in college basketball. The 15th-seeded Peacocks are the Cinderella story of the NCAA Tournament after knoocking off Kentucky and Murray State. Holloway was rumored to be the top contender for the vacant

By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer New Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan is ready for a change. After 14 seasons in Atlanta, Ryan joined his new team Tuesday. In his first public comments, Ryan thanked the Falcons for the success and memories he built during his tenure as the best starting quarterback in franchise history.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs signed linebacker Elijah Lee, who starred in college just down Interstate 70 at Kansas State, and cornerback Luq Barcoo on Tuesday to provide depth at both positions. Lee was a seventh-round pick of the Vikings in 2017 who spent his first three seasons with San Francisco

By MAURICIO SAVARESE AP Sports Writer SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil-born striker Junior Moraes has joined Corinthians recently but admits his mind is far from sport. The 34-year-old Moraes, who obtained Ukrainian citizenship three years ago, fears for his friends, colleagues and teammates amid Russia’s invasion. Moraes played in Ukraine for most of the last

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer Two-time Olympic bobsled medalist Justin Kripps has added his voice to the growing chorus of Canadian athletes demanding major changes to that country’s bobsled and skeleton federation. Kripps says he sides with them. He drove to a two-man gold medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics and a four-man bronze

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Claude Giroux said he would probably giggle if the Florida Panthers afforded him the opportunity to be linemates with Aleksander Barkov. The pairing happened in Giroux’s first full-fledged practice with the Panthers. Whether Giroux actually giggled during that practice was unclear. But it’s certain that

By JOHN MARSHALL AP Basketball Writer TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Christian Koloko has transformed himself from a skinny kid with limited offensive skills to the anchor of Arizona’s run to the Sweet 16. The 7-foot junior has added to his offensive repertoire to average 11.9 points this season. He’s also become a dominant force on

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — The owner of disqualified Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit is among the bidders for Premier League club Chelsea as part of the accelerated search for a new owner. Amr Zedan, a Los Angeles-born Saudi investor, has registered his bid with the Raine Group — the

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — It’s going to cost fans more to watch South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and her powerhouse Gamecocks at home games next season. The school says it will raise season ticket prices on nearly 14,000 seats at the Colonial Life Arena. The biggest bloc of about 6,000 seats in the upper section

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills have signed receiver Jamison Crowder and running back Duke Johnson to one-year contracts. Crowder joins the Bills after spending the past three seasons with the AFC East rival New York Jets. Johnson also has seven seasons of NFL experience, and closed last season with another divisional rival,

MADRID (AP) — Mallorca has fired coach Luis García Plaza after the team slid into the relegation zone in the Spanish league. The club owned by American businessman Robert Sarver fell 1-0 at Espanyol on Sunday for its sixth straight league loss. It hasn’t won since a home victory against Athletic Bilbao in February. García

CHUCK KING Associated Press JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Reigning World Series MVP Jorge Soler says he’s happy to be playing in front of family in Miami. The Marlins formally announced the signing of Soler to a three-year, $36 million contract on Tuesday before the Grapefruit League game against St. Louis. Marlins manager Don Mattingly says

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Big Sky Conference commissioner Tom Wistrcill and Samford athletic director Martin Newton were added to the NCAA men’s basketball committee on Tuesday while Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle was confirmed through the 2025-26 season. Coyle replaced Jim Phillips, who left Northwestern and his spot on the committee to become the Atlantic Coast

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Pro Football Writer MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings and free agent outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith have agreed to contract terms. Smith gets a three-year deal worth $42 million with incentives that can push the value to $47 million. He gives the Vikings a pass-rushing boost after being released by the

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi has added two more transfers to its roster with the addition of SMU running back Ulysses Bentley IV and TCU linebacker Khari Coleman. The school announced the latest transfers on the first day of spring practice. The Rebels are expected to have at least 13 new transfers going through spring

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Former Georgia football star Lorenzo Carter is returning home to play for the Atlanta Falcons. Looking to bolster its pass rush, the Falcons announced they have signed the outside linebacker to a one-year contract. Carter grew up in suburban Atlanta and was selected by the New York Giants in the

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has fined Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley $20,000 and Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill $15,000 for their roles in an on-court altercation during a weekend matchup between the teams. The incident happened with 2:11 left in the first quarter of what became Minnesota’s 138-119 victory on Saturday. Karl-Anthony Towns

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — An overhaul of financial restrictions in European soccer will be discussed by leading clubs at a meeting Thursday with limits on spending rather than salary caps. UEFA is set to replace its Financial Fair Play rules, which placed limits on losses, after more than a

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has fined Jusuf Nurkic of the Portland Trail Blazers $40,000 for confronting a fan at a game in Indiana and throwing the person’s cellphone. The incident happened shortly after Sunday’s game between the Blazers and the Pacers. Nurkic approached the fan and walked within a few inches of the