Month: March 2022

By CHUCK KING Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Albert Pujols went 1 for 3 against Washington in his spring training debut with St. Louis on the same day his wife underwent successful brain surgery. In his third at-bat, Pujols smacked a line drive to the right side through a hole created by

By JOHN WAWROW AP Hockey Writer BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Though the playoffs are out of the picture, the Buffalo Sabres are showing signs of maturing during a late-season run which has them on an 8-3-3 roll. That’s a major difference from where the team was a year ago during a 18-game slump to match

ATLANTA (AP) — Max Fried has been named the Atlanta Braves’ opening day starting pitcher. Fried capped his 2021 season as the starter in Atlanta’s decisive Game 6 World Series win over Houston. The Braves announced Fried will start against Cincinnati in their April 7 opener in Atlanta. It will be Fried’s second consecutive opening

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Evan Neal was the big man at Alabama’s pro day, and not just because of his towering physical presence. The Crimson Tide’s 6-foot-7, 337-pound left tackle was easily the highest-rated prospect going through pro day before representatives of all 32 NFL teams. It didn’t matter

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Pro Football Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Solomon Thomas’ production during his first five NFL seasons has not reflected his lofty draft status. The defensive lineman expects that to change after signing with the New York Jets and reuniting with coach Robert Saleh. Thomas says he’s excited to dominate as

By MAURICIO SAVARESE AP Sports Writer SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil is about to overtake top spot in the FIFA rankings and Argentina hasn’t lost a single match in 1,000 days. It’s clear the two South American soccer powers have more than just Neymar and Lionel Messi going for them as they head to the

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Major League Baseball players Jonny Gomes, Adrián González, Geovany Soto and Nick Swisher are going on a home run derby tour to London; Seoul, South Korea; and Mexico City. The league says the four will participate in Home Run Derby X at London’s Crystal Palace Park on July 9, in

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee would ban transgender athletes from participating in female college sports under legislation gaining traction inside the state’s GOP-controlled General Assembly. The proposal cleared key legislative hearings Wednesday in both the House and Senate despite objections from Democratic lawmakers. A day before, a bill that would

By PAT EATON-ROBB AP Sports Writer Women’s basketball is ranked second, behind only college football and ahead of men’s basketball, when it comes to the amount of income generated by name, image and likeness deals. That is according to Blake Lawrence, the chief executive of Opendorse. His company helps colleges and athletes navigate the celebrity

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers rookie star forward Evan Mobley will miss at least the team’s next three games with a sprained left ankle, an injury that could keep Cleveland from clinching one of the top six playoff spots. Mobley got hurt in the first half of Monday’s win over

By JAY COHEN AP Baseball Writer MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Andrew Vaughn feared the worst when he got hurt making a diving catch for the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. Same for his team, which is looking for the slugger to play a key role this year. They’re all feeling much better now. Vaughn was

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatar is the next stop on the global tour of major sports events to nations led by autocratic governments who are often decried by human rights activists. The build-up to the World Cup draw on Friday is only reinforcing how toxic the tournament has

By MICHAEL HILL Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Documents released Wednesday show the public cost for the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium will exceed $1.1 billion once long-term capital and maintenance costs are factored in. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday that state and county governments would pay $850 million of the $1.4 billion cost to

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Rachel Balkovec, hired by the New York Yankees as the first woman to manage a minor league affiliate of a Major League Baseball team, is nearing a return after being hit in the face by a batted ball during a drill last week. Balkovec was struck on March 22, causing her

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A world-record crowd for a women’s soccer match of more than 91,000 people has watched Barcelona defeat Real Madrid 5-2 in the Champions League at the Camp Nou Stadium. Organizers said 91,553 people were in attendance in Barcelona. The previous record for any women’s game was 90,185 for the 1999 World

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Simplification will be the morning-line favorite at Gulfstream Park for Saturday’s $1 million, Grade 1 Florida Derby, one of the last big prep races for the Kentucky Derby. Simplification was given 5-2 early odds. White Abarrio was narrowly installed as the second choice at 3-1. Simplification rolled to a win

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Top NBA prospects suddenly have many more options when it comes when it comes to playing college basketball or pursuing alternative routes to the professional ranks. The landscape has dramatically changed in a relatively short period and continues to evolve. A handful of talented prospects

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Forget three-setters. Jessica Pegula doesn’t even need second sets these days. The No. 16 seed has made the semifinals at the Miami Open and benefitted from a second consecutive abrupt ending. She won her quarterfinal against fifth-seeded Paula Badosa on Wednesday after the Spaniard

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — A doctor died because of a heart issue while working at a World Cup qualifying game in Nigeria. FIFA says Joseph Kabungo was the official FIFA doctor overseeing doping controls of players at the Nigeria-Ghana playoff game in Abuja on Tuesday. Kabungo became ill soon after the game, which was marred

By The Associated Press 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem says he tested positive for COVID-19 after his first match in more than nine months. Thiem lost 6-3, 6-4 to Pedro Cachin at the Andalucía Open on the lower-level Challenger Tour on Tuesday, then felt what he called mild symptoms later in the day. He

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — The Red Sox had the advantage of low expectations last season. They were coming off a last-place finish and their second straight season without a playoff appearance. Now Boston is looking to build on a surprising 2021 when it turned 92 wins and a wild-card berth

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — At long last, some of the cold, hard cash in the billion-dollar world of college sports is hitting the wallets of the players themselves by legitimate means. One expert estimates by the time next year’s Final Four rolls around, every men’s basketball and football player