Sports

By LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writer EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Tom Izzo is proud of the fact that Michigan State has consistently played tough nonconference schedules throughout his career. Playing challenging competition before the Big Ten season begins has prepared the Spartans for conference play and set them up in the NCAA Tournament to

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Pro Football Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An offseason NFL rule change limits teams to bringing back only eight players from injured reserve to the active roster this season. That’s after the league allowed teams to bring back an unlimited number over the past two seasons of the pandemic. The

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Eight-time NBA All Star Dwight Howard is headed to Taiwan to play for the Taoyuan Leopards in the island’s top division. “I can’t wait to see the fans, eat the food and have the best time ever … and bring a championship,” the 36-year-old center said in a social media post.

Japan has drafted in forward Shuto Machino to replace injured defender Yuta Nakayama on its World Cup roster for Qatar. Nakayama plays for Huddersfield in England and injured his Achilles tendon in a match last week. The Japan Football Association announced the replacement to its 26-man squad, which it named last week. Machino plays with

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Fousseyni Traore had 15 points and 11 rebounds in BYU’s 60-56 win against Idaho State in a season opener on Monday night. Spencer Johnson scored 11 points while going 4 of 7 from the field, and added six rebounds for the Cougars. Gideon George recorded 10 points and was 4 of

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s head coach Graham Arnold has selected 18-year-old forward Garang Kuol despite his lack of professional experience but left veteran goalkeeper Mitch Langerak out of his 26-man Socceroos squad for the World Cup. Goalkeeper Mathew Ryan and winger Mathew Leckie were picked for a third World Cup, with Ryan leading the

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Brandin Podziemski’s 30 points led Santa Clara over Eastern Washington 84-72 in a season opener. Podziemski also contributed nine rebounds and five steals for the Broncos. Carlos Stewart added 20 points. Angelo Allegri led the Eagles in scoring, finishing with 19 points.

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jaylen Clark scored 17 points, Jaime Jaquez and Tyger Campbell added 14 apiece and No. 8 UCLA rolled to a 76-50 victory over Sacramento State in the season opener for both teams. David Singleton added 13 points for the Bruins, who shot 53% from the

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Jordan Pope had 19 points, Dexter Akanno scored 18 and Oregon State overcame a 19-point deficit to beat Tulsa 73-70 in a season opener. Two free throws by Bryant Selebangue gave Tulsa a 41-22 lead with 2:45 remaining in the first half. Anthony Pritchard closed out the scoring with a three-point

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Jarod Lucas scored 17 points to help Nevada defeat Utah Tech 84-71 on Monday night in a season opener. Darrion Williams scored 15 points and added nine rebounds, and Will Baker recorded 13 points. The Trailblazers were led by Cameron Gooden, who posted 16 points. Noa Gonsalves added 13 points, eight

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Jamal Mashburn Jr. had 24 points in New Mexico’s 89-81 win against Southern Utah on Monday in the season opener. Mashburn added five rebounds for the Lobos. Jaelen House scored 23 points and added seven assists and six steals. Morris Udeze recorded 14 points and shot 7 of 11 from the

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ben Sheppard scored 18 points as Belmont beat Ohio 70-69 in a season opener. Cade Tyson scored 18 points and Drew Friberg finished with 11 points for Belmont. The Bobcats were led in scoring by Dwight Wilson, who finished with 20 points and eight rebounds. Belmont’s next game is Friday against

OXFORD, Ohio (AP) — Kenny Strawbridge had 23 points in Evansville’s 78-74 victory against Miami (Ohio). Yacine Toumi scored 15 points and Marvin Coleman finished with 11 points for Evansville. The RedHawks were led in scoring by Anderson Mirambeaux, who finished with 27 points and eight rebounds. Morgan Safford added 12 points. Both teams next

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Adrian Baldwin Jr. scored 15 points as VCU beat Manhattan 73-56 to open the season. Baldwin had nine assists and three steals for the Rams. Elijah Buchanan led the way for the Jaspers with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — Corey Washington had 18 points and eight rebounds to help Saint Peter’s defeat NJIT 73-59 in a season opener. Jaylen Murray added 14 points for Saint Peter’s. NJIT got 16 points and seven rebounds from Souleymane Diakite. Saint Peter’s next game is Saturday against Seton Hall on the road. NJIT

TOWSON, Md. (AP) — Sekou Sylla’s 19 points helped Towson defeat Albany (NY) 67-62 to open the season. The Great Danes were led in scoring by Gerald Drumgoole Jr., who finished with 15 points

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — Courvoisier McCauley had 23 points and 10 rebounds in Indiana State’s 80-53 win over Green Bay. Trenton Gibson scored 18 points and added 11 rebounds for the Sycamores. Davin Zeigler led the Phoenix in scoring, finishing with 19 points and eight rebounds. Both teams play on Saturday. Indiana State hosts

By SONJA CHEN Associated Press STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Kiki Iriafen had a team-leading 16 points and six rebounds, sending No. 2 Stanford past San Diego State, 86-48, to open the 2022-23 season on Monday night. Iriafen was one of four players who had double-digit points for the Cardinal, including Elena Bosgana with 15 points,

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jaylen Forbes and Kevin Cross each scored 21 points as Tulane beat UMBC 89-67 in a season opener. R.J. McGee added 16 points for the Green Wave. Colton Lawrence led the way for the Retrievers with 14 points. Tra’Von Fagan added 12 points and Matteo Picarelli had 11 points. Up next

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Aaron Deloney’s 32 points led Vermont over Brown 80-65 in a season opener. Deloney added five assists for the Catamounts. Finn Sullivan scored 12 points and added seven rebounds and four steals. TJ Hurley scored 11 points. The Bears were led in scoring by Kino Lilly Jr., who finished with 18

BOSTON (AP) — Walter Whyte had 27 points in Boston University’s 72-63 victory against Northeastern in the season opener. Jahmyl Telfort led the way for the Huskies with 26 points, nine rebounds and two steals.

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) — Dalton Banks and Lance Jones each had 14 points in Southern Illinois’ 94-63 victory against Little Rock. Marcus Domask finished with 11 points for the Salukis. D.J. Smith scored 21 points for the Trojans. Deantoni Gordon added 10 points. Both teams next play Thursday. Southern Illinois visits Oklahoma State while Little

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Jason Nelson’s 13 points helped Richmond defeat VMI 69-48 to open the season. Sean Conway finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Keydets.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Jordan Walker’s 38 points led UAB over Alabama State 111-70 in the season opener. Walker was 11 of 19 shooting, including 5 for 9 from distance, and went 11 for 11 from the line for the Blazers. TJ Madlock hit five 3-pointers and finished with 25 points for Alabama State.

AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — T.J. Weeks scored 16 points as UMass beat Central Connecticut State 94-67 in a season opener. Weeks shot 6-for-11, including 3-for-6 from beyond the arc for the Minutemen. Dyondre Dominguez scored 15 points and added seven rebounds. RJ Luis had 14 points. The Blue Devils were led in scoring by Kellen

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Delonnie Hunt scored 19 points and Jahbril Price-Noel had the key points at the end of regulation and overtime as Wagner defeated Temple 76-73. Price-Noel, who had 11 points, hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left in regulation to force the overtime and then he sealed the win with a pair of

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Alex Fudge scored 16 points off the bench, fellow transfer Will Richard scored 14 points and Florida beat Stony Brook 81-45 for the Gators first victory under coach Todd Golden. The Gators built a 12-0 lead, extended it to 22-8 midway through the first half and never trailed as a total

By GEORGE HENRY AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — Dejounte Murray scored 25 points, rookie A.J. Griffin came off the bench in Trae Young’s absence to add a career-high 24 and the Atlanta Hawks snapped the Milwaukee Bucks’ season-opening, nine-game winning streak with a 117-98 victory. Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a one-game absence with a

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Wendell Green Jr. scored 16 points while K.D. Johnson and Johni Broome each had 12 to lead No. 15 Auburn to a 70-52 win over George Mason in the season opener for both teams. The Tigers weren’t really challenged much in their first game since

By PHILLIP B. WILSON Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Myles Turner had season highs of 37 points and 12 rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 129-122 for their fourth win in five games. Tyrese Haliburton added 20 points and 13 assists for the Pacers, making six 3-pointers. Buddy Hield had 20

By GAVIN GOOD Associated Press CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points and Coleman Hawkins had 23 points and 12 rebounds as No. 23 Illinois cruised to an 87-57 win over Eastern Illinois. Dain Dainja added 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Illini, who outrebounded the Panthers

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer MIAMI (AP) — Josh Hart’s 3-pointer as time expired gave the Portland Trail Blazers a 110-107 win over the Miami Heat. Anfernee Simons scored 25 for Portland, Jerami Grant added 23 and Damian Lillard finished with 19 points in his first game back after a four-game absence with a

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored for a third consecutive game to help the Washington Capitals beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4. The victory ended Washington’s four-game losing streak. Evgeny Kuznetsov had two goals and two assists. On career goal No. 788 Ovechkin made Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner the 163rd different

Associated Press LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Daniel Batcho led a balanced attack with 12 points as No. 25 Texas Tech rolled to a 73-49 victory against Northwestern State in the season opener for both teams Monday. Batcho added 10 rebounds for the Red Raiders, who rolled to the victory by breaking it open in the

By ERIC OLSON AP Sports Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Baylor Scheierman made back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the second half to give Creighton the lead for good, and the ninth-ranked Bluejays overcame cold shooting to hold off St. Thomas 72-60. Arthur Kaluma scored 17 points, Trey Alexander had 12 and Scheierman added 11 as the

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Kenyan Drake rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns, Justin Houston had an interception to go with his third straight multiple-sack game, and the Baltimore Ravens beat the New Orleans Saints 27-13 on Monday night. Lamar Jackson passed for a touchdown and frustrated New Orleans

By BOB TRIPI Associated Press ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and freshman Jett Howard added 21 points Monday to power No. 22 Michigan to a 75-56 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne in the season opener for both schools. Dickinson who made nine of 11 field goals

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Isaiah Wong and Nijel Pack each scored 16 points, Norchad Omier had 11 points and 15 rebounds and Miami beat Lafayette 67-54 in a season opener. Pack and Omier are transfers who will be asked to fill part of the void created by the departures of Charlie Moore, Kameron McGusty

By DOUG ALDEN Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Patrice Bergeron scored a power-play goal with 7:15 remaining and the Boston Bruins beat the slumping St. Louis Blues 3-1. Trent Frederic and Jake DeBrusk also scored for Boston, and Brad Marchand had two assists. Linus Ullmark finished with 25 saves as the Bruins improved to 7-0-0

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Basketball Writer LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Jalen Wilson had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Gradey Dick added 23 points in his debut, and No. 5 Kansas began defense of its national championship without suspended coach Bill Self in an 89-64 rout of Omaha. Self served the first of a four-game punishment

By DICK SCANLON Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Jalen Green scored 34 points, K.J. Martin came off the bench to add 21 and the Houston Rockets snapped a six-game losing streak with a 134-127 win over the Orlando Magic. Green and Martin were among nine Rockets who scored from long distance. Houston shot 24

By DAVE HOGG Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Saddiq Bey scored 25 points, Cade Cunningham had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and the Detroit Pistons beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-103. The Pistons outscored the Thunder 64-40 in the second half. Rookie Jaden Ivey had 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Isaiah Stewart had 11

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Frankie Collins scored 21 points and Marcus Bagley’s three-point play with 18 seconds left in the game rescued Arizona State as the Sun Devils avoided a season-opening upset, defeating Tarleton 62-59. Trailing 58-57, Bagley hit a layup, drew the foul and made the free throw to put Arizona State ahead for

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Emmitt Matthews scored 15 points, Tre Mitchell added 13 and West Virginia beat Mount St. Mary’s 76-58 in their season opener. South Carolina transfer Erik Stevenson overcame early foul trouble to finish with 10 points for West Virginia. Matthews spent his first three seasons at West Virginia before transferring to Washington

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Tolu Smith scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and coach Chris Jans won in his Mississippi State debut, a 63-44 season-opening victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Jans previously coached at New Mexico State, where he led the Aggies from 2017-2022. Smith shot 8 of 10 from the floor and added

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Jalen Pickett scored 23 points, Andrew Funk added 22 and Penn State opened the season with a school record 18 3-pointers and a 93-68 win over Winthrop. Myles Dread added 12 points and Seth Lundy had 10 for the Nittany Lions, who went 18 of 38 from 3-point range and

By AL LESAR Associated Press KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tyreke Key came off the bench to score 17 points to lead No. 11 Tennessee to a 75-43 victory over Tennessee Tech Monday night in the season opener for both teams. Key, an Indiana State transfer, connected on 4 of 8 3-pointers to ignite the sluggish

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Jeremy Roach scored 16 first-half points to help seventh-ranked Duke open Jon Scheyer’s coaching tenure with a 71-44 win against Jacksonville on Monday night. Freshman Mark Mitchell had a team-high 18 points for the Blue Devils Duke used a 25-4 run spanning halftime to blow

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — In the hallways and meeting rooms of Resorts World, baseball general managers are starting to weigh bigger bets than the wagers placed on tables and machines in the casino downstairs. A free-agent market that will be defined by Aaron Judge, Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson and

By GARY B. GRAVES AP Sports Writer LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Antonio Reeves scored 22 points, CJ Fredrick had 20 and No. 4 Kentucky opened the season by beating Howard 95-63 with All-American Oscar Tshiebwe and two other players sidelined. Tshiebwe had a procedure last month on his right knee. He received his Naismith Trophy

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens have beaten defending champions Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 4-6, 11-9 to win the doubles title in the WTA Finals. Kudermetova and Mertens won six consecutive points after falling behind 7-2 in the champions tiebreaker before closing things

By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Yordan Alvarez are the finalists for American League MVP in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. St. Louis Cardinals teammates Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt remain contenders for NL MVP, along with San Diego Padres third baseman Manny

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky senior forward Oscar Tshiebwe, last season’s consensus national player of the year, was sidelined for the fourth-ranked Wildcats’ opener against Howard. The school announced before Monday’s game that the 6-foot-9 Tshiebwe and guard Sahvir Wheeler were out because of injuries. Sophomore forward Daimion Collins missed the game for personal reasons.

By The Associated Press Canada coach John Herdman plans to announce his World Cup roster on Sunday. That’s 10 days before Canada opens play in Qatar against No. 2 Belgium. Herdman can name up to 26 players. The roster limit was 23 at past tournaments. Herdman currently is holding a camp in Bahrain for out-of-season

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Madi Williams scored 19 points, Skylar Vann added 18 and No. 15 Oklahoma opened the season with a 105-94 win over Oral Roberts. Ana Llanusa and Taylor Robertson had 13 points each for the Sooners, who finished at 47.6% shooting after hitting 60% of their shots in the first half. The

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Cayla King made a school record nine 3-pointers and scored a career-high 33 points, All-American Elizabeth Kitley added 17 points and No. 13 Virginia Tech rolled over Mount St. Mary’s 101-45 in the season opener.  Virginia Tech never trailed thanks to King’s opening 3-pointer and after Mount St. Mary’s answered with

By MITCHELL NORTHAM Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jada Boyd scored 14 points as No. 10 North Carolina State led wire-to-wire in a season-opening 82-45 victory over Quinnipiac on Monday night. Boyd shot a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. The junior forward also had five rebounds, a block

PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — Kaitlyn Chen scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Ellie Mitchell added 12 points and 15 boards, and No. 24 Princeton beat Temple 67-49 to spoil the debut of Owls coach Diane Richardson. Princeton won its 16th straight regular-season game dating to last season. Prior to the game, the Tigers honored

By STEVE BITTENBENDER Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Hailey Van Lith scored 28 points to lead No. 7 Louisville to an 87-68 victory over Cincinnati in the season opener for both teams. The Cardinals broke the game open with a 15-0 first-quarter run and led 46-25 in the final minute of the first half.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Saints have scratched veteran receiver Jarvis Landry for Monday night’s game against Baltimore after he tried to return to practice this week from an ankle injury. The Ravens have ruled out top tight end Mark Andrews with knee and shoulder injuries. Landry had been listed as questionable in the final

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Keeneland says a 2.5% fractional interest in Breeders’ Cup Classic champion Flightline has sold for $4.6 million during a special auction before the start of its November Breeding Stock Sale. Brookdale Farm’s Freddy Seitz signed the ticket for an undisclosed client, the track announced in a release on Monday. The sale

NEW YORK (AP) — Barcelona striker Asisat Oshoala and Deportivo Cali forward Linda Caicedo were honored by the Women’s International Champions Cup for advancing women’s soccer. Others who were named to the WICC Best XI this year were England national team coach Sarina Wiegman, journalists Jeff Kassouf and Anna Kessel, U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies have brought in Hensley Meulens to serve as hitting coach after back-to-back lackluster seasons at the plate. Meulens was an assistant hitting coach for the New York Yankees in 2022. He will be counted on to revamp a Rockies lineup that hit .254 last season, the second-lowest mark behind

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jacob deGrom, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Carlos Rodón have turned down player options, joining a free agent market that includes Aaron Judge, Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson. DeGrom, a two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, gave up a $30.5 million salary for next season,

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa has formally opted out of his contract to become a free agent. The MLB Players’ Association made the announcement. The decision was widely expected since the day Correa signed with the Twins after the lockout for $35.1 million in 2022. That

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn right tackle Austin Troxell is out for the season with a knee injury. Interim coach Carnell Williams said Troxell was scheduled to have surgery on Monday for an injury sustained in Saturday’s overtime loss to Mississippi State. The sixth-year senior played in 40 games in his Auburn career. Brenden Coffey

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid has failed to regain the Spanish league lead after falling at Rayo Vallecano 3-2 in its first league loss. Rayo won on a penalty kick converted by Óscar Trejo in the 67th minute after a handball by Dani Carvajal inside the area. Madrid’s second

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Phil Neville has received a contract extension as coach of David Beckham’s Inter Miami. Miami finished sixth among 14 teams in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference with 14 wins, 14 losses and six draws. It lost to New York City 3-0 in the first round of the playoffs. Neville was

By JOHN WAWROW AP Sports Writer ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen is nursing a sore right throwing elbow, leaving cause for concern over the Buffalo Bills starter’s status against the NFC North-leading Minnesota Vikings this weekend. Coach Sean McDermott would only say he’s awaiting the results of tests to determine the severity of

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Michael Jones, Stanford’s first graduate transfer in program history, scored a career-high 31 points and the Cardinal endured Pacific’s second-half rally for an 88-78 victory in a season opener. Jones, who had a career game-high of 29 points in his three seasons at Davidson, was 9 of 15 from the floor

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox have picked up Tim Anderson’s $12.5 million option for the 2023 season and declined their $5.5 million option on infielder Josh Harrison. The 29-year-old Anderson hit .301 with six homers, 25 RBIs and 13 steals in 79 games in his seventh big league season. He was the starting

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies hope their run to the World Series is just the start of a championship window. The Phillies made the playoffs as the third NL wild-card team. They knocked off the St. Louis Cardinals and the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves. They beat

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer BEREA, Ohio (AP) — The Browns came back from their bye healthier than they’ve been in weeks. Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward and right guard Wyatt Teller returned to practice as Cleveland ended its extended break. Ward has been in concussion protocol since sustaining a head injury in the

By MAURICIO SAVARESE AP Sports Writer Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has received honorary citizenship at Brazil’s Congress chamber. He’s in the country for the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend. Congressman Andre Figueiredo first made the suggestion last November after Hamilton won the Brazilian GP for a third time. The British driver was emotional

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Isabelle Bourne scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds as No. 22 Nebraska opened the season with a 100-36 win over Omaha. Allison Weidner added 19 points and nine rebounds, and South Dakota transfer Maddy Krull had 18 points with four 3-pointers for Nebraska. Alexis Markowski added 13 points and eight

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer Alabama will play its last few games without national championship implications for the first time in 12 years. The 10th-ranked Crimson Tide is coming off its second last-play loss, a 32-31 overtime defeat against No. 7 LSU. Now, Alabama must regroup in time to visit Lane Kiffin and No.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Marcus Thames is the Los Angeles Angels’ new hitting coach, and Phil Plantier will be his assistant next season. Bill Hezel has also been hired as the Angels’ new assistant pitching coach. Thames was the Miami Marlins’ hitting coach last year after spending the previous four seasons in the same job

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — Steroids-tainted stars Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Rafael Palmeiro are on the eight-man ballot for the Hall of Fame’s contemporary baseball era committee, which meets Dec. 4 in San Diego. Albert Belle, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Dale Murphy and Curt Schilling also are on the ballot for the 16-member committee, which

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer WACO, Texas (AP) — Adam Flagler scored 21 points to lead six players in double figures for fifth-ranked Baylor, which overwhelmed Mississippi Valley State 117-53. The Bears opened their 20th season with coach Scott Drew. Flagler is a preseason All-Big 12 pick who also was the Bears’ leading scorer

By ANDREW LOGUE Associated Press AMES, Iowa (AP) — Ashley Joens had 28 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and the No. 8 Iowa State women opened the season with a 87-54 rout of Cleveland State. A preseason All-American, Joens nearly recorded a double-double in the first half with 24 points and nine boards. She

NEW YORK (AP) — Luis Severino’s $15 million option for 2023 has been exercised by the New York Yankees. The right-hander, who turns 29 in February, was 7-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts this season and 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA in a pair of postseason starts. This was Severino’s first extensive season

DALLAS (AP) — Ben Simmons is expected to return to the Brooklyn Nets’ lineup against Dallas after missing four games because of left knee soreness. The Nets upgraded Simmons from questionable to available Monday, and Simmons told reporters at their shootaround that he expected to play and be limited to about 20 minutes. Simmons didn’t