Month: March 2022

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — It was a 1-2 punch to the gut for Atlanta’s sports fans. In the space of an extraordinary week, two of the city’s most beloved sports figures were gone. Freddie Freeman departed first, his hopes of playing an entire career with the World Series champion Braves

DALLAS (AP) — SMU coach Tim Jankovich has retired after six seasons as head coach of the Mustangs and a coaching career of nearly four decades. His career included stints as an assistant coach for Larry Brown and Bill Self. The decision came two days after the end of a 24-9 season when the Mustangs

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Sports Writer The phrase “March Madness” is everywhere this women’s NCAA Tournament. It’s part of the NCAA’s effort to make sure there is equity with the men’s tournament. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley has an idea to really help women close the gap with the men. She says women’s teams

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer Martin Kaymer doesn’t feel as though his best golf is behind him. The 37-year-old German took a big step by leaving his homeland for Florida to get better practice facilities. He’s working out of The Bear’s Club. Kaymer is a two-time major champion and former world No. 1. Now

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell says shortstop José Barrero will have hand surgery and will be sidelined for about six weeks. Seen as the Reds’ shortstop of the future, the 23-year-old Barrero was scheduled to have hook hamate surgery in Scottsdale, Arizona. Bell also says right-hander Luis Castillo may miss his

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Sports Writer The National College Players Association says NCAA Division I schools are violating the civil rights of Black basketball and major college football players by prohibiting compensation. The group has filed a complaint with the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights. The NCPA says that male Black college

By GARY SCHATZ Associated Press GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Jonathan India and Tyler Stephenson pledge to avoid the “sophomore jinx” by setting new goals for the 2022 season taking on more responsibility in the Reds’ new lineup. India exceeded expectations by winning the Reds’ second base job last season and then National League Rookie of

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson starting guard Nick Honor has entered the NCAA transfer portal with the intention of playing his final college season elsewhere. Team spokesman Benjamin Winterrowd confirmed Honor’s decision. Honor is a 5-foot-10, fourth-year junior from Orlando, Florida, who started 25 of 33 games for the Tigers this season. He averaged 7.7

LONDON (AP) — Two-time Olympic champion Mark Todd will face a disciplinary hearing on Thursday after a video on social media showed him striking a horse with a branch. Todd is now a notable racehorse trainer. A video posted on social media showed Todd repeatedly struck a horse that was refusing to jump into water

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have agreed to a $3 million contract with shortstop Adalberto Mondesi and five other players for the upcoming season, avoiding arbitration before Tuesday’s deadline for teams and players to submit numbers. The Royals also agreed to terms with right-hander Brad

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — The price for Deshaun Watson went up for the Browns in 24 hours. Call it football inflation. Cleveland’s trade for the legally entangled quarterback became official Sunday when the Browns released statements explaining their decision to add him following an extensive investigation. Watson has been accused

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Olympic weightlifting champion Nijat Rahimov has been stripped of his 2016 gold medal and banned for eight years for doping. The Court of Arbitration for Sport says the Kazakh lifter was guilty of “four urine substitutions.” He was disqualified from all his results since March 2016. Rahimov’s world record at the

By MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams is preparing to lift requirements that children under age 5 wear face masks in school. Adams on Tuesday said that he will make masks optional for those in daycare and prekindergarten starting April 4 if case rates and the

By CHRIS SHERIDAN AP Basketball Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Michael Jordan retires at the age of 40 for the third and final time after an illustrious basketball career. He finishes with 15 points in 28 minutes of a loss by the Washington Wizards to the 76ers in Philadelphia. Jordan receives several ovations through the game

By JOHN NADEL AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kobe Bryant shoots and keeps shooting from all over the court and from every angle. The Los Angeles Lakers star has 26 points by halftime and finishes the game with 81 points for the second-highest total in NBA history. Bryant’s big game leads the Lakers

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer The top two women from the Beijing Olympics, Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, won’t be at the world figure skating championships this week in Montpellier, France. Neither will Kamila Valieva, the fourth-place finisher whose positive doping result casted a shadow over the entire Winter Games. That’s because all Russian

By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — The “Malice at the Palace” starts as a disagreement between Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest and Detroit Pistons power forward Ben Wallace. It becomes one of the worst incidents in sports history. Artest lays on the scorers table to de-escalate things where he is

By CHRIS SHERIDAN AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A star-studded draft takes place with 18-year-old phenom LeBron James picked No. 1. Carmelo Anthony is picked No. 3 followed by Chris Bosh at No. 4 and Dwyane Wade at No. 5. The Detroit Pistons infamously takes Darko Milicic as the No. 2 overall pick.

The Associated Press Timeline of the National Basketball Association during the 2000s to the NBA’s 75th season. The timeline includes milestone moments in the league’s history and key moments off the court as the NBA celebrates its 75th season.

By The Associated Press Golf’s major championship season is on the horizon. The Match Play in Austin, Texas, features the top 64 players available from the world ranking. Four of the top 12 chose not to play with the Masters two weeks away. That includes the last two PGA Tour winners, Sam Burns and Cameron

By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer DETROIT (AP) — Oakland Hills Country Club has landed the U.S. Open in 2034 and 2051. The USGA made the announcement Tuesday at the Detroit Athletic Club. The governing body also says Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, previously scheduled to have the U.S. Open in 2034, will have the

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Rafael Nadal says he will be sidelined for four to six weeks because of a rib injury. The problem may put in jeopardy his preparations for the French Open in two months. Nadal says he underwent exams in Spain on Monday and results showed he has

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — Next week’s World Cup draw will have some of its seedings skewed because of Russia’s war with Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic. FIFA outlined the procedure for the draw in Qatar on April 1. Only 29 of the 32 teams in the draw will be known

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Basketball Writer Dennis Gates was a young standout at Chicago’s Whitney Young High School and mulling college scholarship opportunities when Norm Stewart, late in his coaching career, tried to persuade him to play point guard for Missouri. Gates was impressed by Stewart’s pitch that day but ultimately signed with California. More

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Sweden is heading into the World Cup qualifying playoffs against the Czech Republic on Thursday without the enigmatic brilliance of Zlatan Ibrahimovic because he is suspended. But that’s not the daunting task it once would have been for Sweden. The country’s reliance on its all-time leading scorer and possibly