Month: March 2022

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi to an eight-year extension, which would keep the 21-year-old forward with the franchise through the 2029-30 season. The team said the deal will have an average-annual value of $4.82 million. Carolina announced the deal Monday, the same day the Hurricanes acquired forward Max

The Under-18 women’s world championship will be held in Madison, Wisconsin, in June after the coronavirus pandemic led to the tournament being canceled in Sweden in January. USA Hockey announced the eight-nation tournament will run from June 6 to 13 and split between the University of Wisconsin’s LaBahn Arena and Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena,

By DAN GREENSPAN Associated Press EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty might not be able to return this regular season because of an upper-body injury that has kept him out since he was hurt on March 7. The two-time Stanley Cup winner and blue-line anchor leads Kings defensemen with seven

By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Dara Mabrey scored a season-high 29 points, and No. 5 seed Notre Dame rolled past No. 4 Oklahoma 108-64 to earn a spot in the women’s Sweet 16. Mabrey made 11 of 19 field goals, including seven 3-pointers. Sonia Citron scored 25 points and Maya

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — The late Broncos offensive line coach Alex Gibbs and longtime NFL public relations steward Joe Browne are among the inaugural winners of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Awards of Excellence. The program was created to recognize significant off-the-field contributors to football. The categories are: assistant coaches, athletic trainers, equipment managers

By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Naz Hillmon had 27 points, 11 rebounds and five steals to help third-seeded Michigan pull away and beat No. 11 Villanova 64-49 in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines earned a second straight trip to the Sweet 16 and will

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Teafale Lenard had 14 points as Middle Tennessee routed Boston University 76-46 in the College Basketball Invitational quarterfinals. Sukhmail Mathon led the Terriers on Monday night with 12 points.

By CHUCK KING Associated Press JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — At a time when many starters are throwing two innings before hitting the showers, Max Scherzer pitched five innings of one-run ball in his New York Mets spring debut. He cruised against a Miami Marlins lineup stacked with major leaguers. Scherzer, 37, took the mound focused

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Carlos Correa has wasted no time making new friends with the Minnesota Twins. His new team is predictably excited about his arrival. Correa agreed to a three-year contract that guarantees him $105.3 million. He will be paid $35.1 million annually and can opt out and become a free agent after

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys have added defensive end Dante Fowler and receiver James Washington in free agency while safety Jayron Kearse is returning. Tight end Dalton Schultz has signed his $10.9 million franchise tag. The additions of Fowler and Washington come after the Cowboys lost free agent pass rusher Randy Gregory to

By TOM DAVIES Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana’s Republican governor has vetoed a bill banning transgender females from participating in girls school sports. Opponents of the transgender sports bill argued it was a bigoted response to a problem that doesn’t exist. Gov. Eric Holcomb’s also signed a bill Monday eliminating the state’s permit requirement

By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Simmons’ back injury is a herniated disk, though Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash still believes the guard can play this season. Simmons had an epidural recently that Nash said he believed had relieved some of the pain in his back. Nash had revealed that

By AARON BRACY Associated Press PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers stars Joel Embiid and James Harden were ruled out for Monday night’s Eastern Conference showdown with the Miami Heat due to nagging injuries. Embiid, who entered Monday tied with LeBron James for the NBA lead in scoring (29.8 ppg), is nursing back soreness. The five-time

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer Phil Mickelson won’t be playing in the Masters this year. Mickelson has been out of sight since inflammatory remarks against the Saudi-funded rival league and the PGA Tour. He’s no longer listed under players expected to be compete in this year’s Masters. Instead, his name has been moved on

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Kraken went through an overhaul of their roster at the NHL trade deadline. Seattle traded away six players as part of five different deals. Gone are defensemen Mark Giordano and Jeremy Lauzon and forwards Colin Blackwell, Calle Jarnkrok, Mason Appelton and Marcus Johnasson. Seattle

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The Court of Arbitration for Sport has dismissed a third request by the Russian soccer federation for urgent rulings to freeze FIFA and UEFA decisions before World Cup playoffs begin this week. The latest challenge was against a decision by FIFA leaders on March 8. It awarded Poland a bye into

By JACK THOMPSON Associated Press GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Max Muncy is back on the diamond for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He returned Monday in the Cactus League against the Chicago White Sox, playing third base, striking out, and drawing a walk in three innings. He was the Dodgers’ regular first baseman last season, but

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Quarterback Drew Lock says he’s relishing the chance to get a fresh start for his career following his trade to the Seattle Seahawks. Lock was part of the the trade that sent longtime Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. Lock had a rocky

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has been ruled out for the rest of the season. Lillard had abdominal surgery on Jan. 13, and it was widely expected he would not return. The Blazers made it official on Monday. The team says Lillard has made good progress during rehab and has

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Major League Baseball’s free-agent frenzy was fun while it lasted. Less than two weeks after it started, it’s pretty much over. Some of the biggest moves weren’t a huge surprise. Freddie Freeman is closer to home with the Dodgers, Nick Castellanos chose the Phillies while

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada Supreme Court panel has rejected an appeal in a legal battle between UFC President Dana White and a Las Vegas man who went to prison for trying to extort White in a sex-tape case. A lawyer representing Ernesto Joshua Ramos in a breach-of-contract lawsuit against White said Monday he’ll

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Kayla Jones scored 18 points to help top-seeded North Carolina State beat Kansas State 89-57 in Monday’s second round of the NCAA Tournament, earning a fourth straight trip to the Sweet 16. Raina Perez and Diamond Johnson each added 15 points for the Wolfpack. N.C.

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says free agent quarterback Jameis Winston has agreed to return to the New Orleans Saints. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Monday because the agreement has not been announced. Winston started seven games

By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Following the hip surgery that cut his 2021 season short after just three games, James White found himself in a state he’s rarely been during his eight NFL seasons: immobile. It’s been slow going since then, but the Patriots running back is slowly regaining his

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer Purdue’s using its extraordinary size to push around opponents, dominate the boards and get to the free-throw line over and over as it seeks its first Final Four berth in over four decades. The Boilermakers’ frontcourt combination of 7-foot-4 Zach Edey and 6-10 Trevion Williams causes matchup issues for

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Matthew Stafford realizes he almost certainly could have gotten more money in a contract extension after his outstanding debut season with the Los Angeles Rams. Stafford admitted his priority isn’t more dollars. It’s more rings, and he believes his new four-year, $160 million deal through

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Two-way star Shohei Ohtani had a solid spring training debut on the mound, striking out five batters over 2 1/3 innings for the Los Angeles Angels. The 2021 American League MVP was sharp in the first, getting a called strike on his first pitch to

HOUSTON (AP) — Midfielder Brenden Aaronson will miss the United States’ final three World Cup qualifiers after injuring a knee during pregame warmups with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. After Aaronson got hurt Sunday, the U.S. Soccer Federation had said he would report to the national team on Monday in Houston. The team said “after

By ERIC OLSON AP Sports Writer No one saw this Iowa State men’s basketball team coming. The Cyclones won just two games and went 0-18 in the Big 12 last year. The team’s 20-win improvement is one of the great NCAA Sweet 16 storylines this week. The 11th-seeded Cyclones will play 10th-seeded Miami in the

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker says he’s considering all options, including a six-man rotation or an opener, as he looks for answers in his starting rotation. Snitker says he may need a sixth starter when the Braves play games on 14 consecutive days to

By MARK DIDTLER Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The New York Yankees are getting good news about the rotation behind ace Gerrit Cole. Jameson Taillon became the second starter in two days coming off an injury to have a positive first spring training start. Taillon, who had offseason surgery to repair a right ankle

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals panel has affirmed a lower court’s decision to unseal a letter from baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman detailing an investigation into sign stealing. The panel made the decision in upholding the April 2020 decision by U.S. District

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles signed wide receiver Zach Pascal to a one-year contract. Pascal had 38 catches for 384 yards and three touchdowns last season for Indianapolis. The 27-year-old spent his first four NFL seasons with the Colts. He has 150 catches for 1,888 yards and 15 TDs. Pascal is reunited with Eagles

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU is filling its men’s basketball coaching vacancy with Murray State’s Matt McMahon. The move announced Monday night comes two days after Murray State’s season ended with a loss to Saint Peter’s in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 43-year-old McMahon went

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — Boston Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk agreed a two-year, $8 million contract extension hours before the NHL trade deadline. It was an abrupt change in direction for a player who had requested a trade and been shopped around for months. General manager Don Sweeney said conversations about

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs agreed with defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi on a contract for next season, adding to the continuity on the defensive line that came with restructuring the contract of pass rusher Frank Clark. The contract with the 25-year-old Nnadi was announced Monday by his representatives at SportsTrust Advisors.

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Veteran defender Pepe has been ruled out of Portugal’s World Cup qualifier against Turkey after testing positive for COVID-19. The Portuguese Football Federation says Pepe has gone into isolation and Tiago Djaló of French club Lille was called as his replacement ahead of Thursday’s playoff game in Porto. It wasn’t yet

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — Former Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett is trying his best to enjoy the NFL draft process. Pickett is expected to go in the first round of the draft after a record-setting year for the Panthers in 2021. While Pickett has impressed scouts with his arm and intelligence,

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst says he never personally spoke with Caleb Williams when the former Oklahoma quarterback was considering potential transfer destinations before choosing Southern California. Chryst added that he did keep incumbent quarterback Graham Mertz informed about the situation as Williams was making his

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer The Las Vegas Raiders signed free agent linebackers Kyler Fackrell and Micah Kiser to add depth to a thin group. The Raiders were in need of help at linebacker after Nicholas Morrow signed with the Bears and Las Vegas released Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski as salary cap

By GARY B. GRAVES AP Sports Writer A Kentucky judge has denied Bob Baffert’s request to stay his 90-day suspension but delayed it until April 4 to allow his representatives to seek emergency relief through the state’s Court of Appeals. Stewards suspended and fined Baffert $7,500 last month and disqualified Medina Spirit as the Kentucky

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Claude Giroux says he feels that joining the Florida Panthers was something that was meant to be. After 1,000 games in Flyers orange and black, Giroux was breaking in a new cap in Florida red and white on Monday. The biggest move of the NHL’s