U.S./World Sports category, Page 263
Emerging tennis star from Pennsylvania advances to Australian Open women’s quarterfinalsVideo
An emerging tennis star from central Pennsylvania is just three wins away from her first Grand Slam championship. Jennifer Brady advanced to the Australian Open women’s singles quarterfinals on Monday. The 22nd-seed, who played college tennis at UCLA, earned a 6-1, 7-5 victory over No. 28 Donna Vekic of Croatia...
Former LPGA commissioner Mike Whan hired as next CEO of USGAVideo
Mike Whan spent 11 years rebuilding the LPGA Tour to be strong enough to survive a pandemic. His next job is to keep the USGA at the forefront of golf in rapidly changing times. The USGA announced Wednesday it hired Whan as its next CEO, making him the eighth top...
McDowell hopes Daytona 500 win brings more success to teamVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Michael McDowell was best known for years as the guy who barrel-rolled eight times at Texas while trying to qualify for just the second race of his NASCAR Cup Series career. He had driven through the remnants of an oil spill when his car made a...
Japan starts covid vaccinations with eye on Olympics
TOKYO — Japan launched its coronavirus vaccination campaign Wednesday, months after other major economies started giving shots and amid questions about whether the drive would reach enough people quickly enough to save a Summer Olympics already delayed by the pandemic. Despite a recent rise in infections, Japan has largely dodged...
This date in sports history: Feb. 17Video
1923 — Cy Denneny of the Ottawa Senators becomes the NHL’s career scoring leader. He scores his 143rd goal to surpass Joe Malone in a 2-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens. 1924 — Johnny Weissmuller sets a world record in the 100-yard freestyle swim with a time of 52.4 seconds....
Column: Unable to ‘fail in the dark,’ Spieth seeing lightVideo
LOS ANGELES — The text messages were meant to encourage. They felt like back-handed compliments to Jordan Spieth. He had just posted his second straight 67 in the Phoenix Open, three shots off the lead, and it was cause for celebration. After all, Spieth had missed the cut six times...
Bubba Wallace 1st Black driver to lead Daytona 500 lapVideo
Bubba Wallace ran into trouble early and late in his first Daytona 500 driving for Michael Jordan. He still came out of NASCAR’s marquee race with another milestone, becoming the first Black driver to lead a lap in the Daytona 500. Wallace dipped to the low line late in the...
Covid-hit Boston College fires men’s basketball coach Jim ChristianVideo
BOSTON — Boston College is down another man. The basketball team that struggled to fill out a lineup as covid-19 protocols chipped away at the roster lost coach Jim Christian on Monday when he was fired with three weeks remaining in his seventh season. The Eagles are 3-13 with just...
Pistons holding out Blake Griffin while resolving his futureVideo
DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons plan to keep Blake Griffin out of the lineup while he and the organization work out a decision on his future, a sign the star forward’s days with the team could be numbered. “After extensive conversation with Blake’s representatives, it has been determined that we...
UCF hires former Auburn coach Gus MalzahnVideo
Gus Malzahn had planned take a season off from coaching and maybe do some TV work. Then the UCF job opened up. “I truly believe that this is a program of the future in college football,” Malzahn said. “The reason I believe that is the foundation has been built.” Central...
Cavaliers to sit Andre Drummond while pursuing tradeVideo
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers will make center Andre Drummond inactive for upcoming games as they pursue a trade for him, a person familiar with the team’s plans told the Associated Press on Monday. Drummond did not dress for Sunday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers and will continue...
Gonzaga, Baylor sit atop AP Top 25; Kansas returns at No. 23
The voters in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll are lined up with the committee that will select the NCAA Tournament field when it comes to which five teams are the nation’s best. Agreeing on the order beyond that isn’t as simple. Top-ranked Gonzaga and No. 2 Baylor remained...
Michael Jordan gives $10M for North Carolina health clinics
WILMINGTON, N.C. — Basketball legend Michael Jordan is donating $10 million to launch two medical clinics in underserved communities near his hometown in North Carolina, a regional health care system announced Monday. The Novant Health clinics are set to open in early 2022 in New Hanover County along North Carolina’s...
This Date in Sports History: Feb. 15
1932 — Eddie Eagen, as a member of the four-man U.S. bobsled team, wins a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. He previously won a gold medal in boxing light heavyweight division at the 1920 Summer Games in Antwerp, Belgium. 1936 — Sonja Henie of Norway...
Last-lap crash gives Daytona 500 win to massive underdog
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Michael McDowell stormed through a crash scene to win the Daytona 500, snapping an 0-for-357 streak with a fiery pileup in his rearview mirror. McDowell led just the final lap — maybe half of it, really — when Brad Keselowski turned teammate Joey Logano as the...
Daniel Berger has the final say, wins at Pebble BeachVideo
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — For all the stunning views at Pebble Beach that can be so soothing, Daniel Berger couldn’t escape the tension when he arrived at the final hole Sunday in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He was tied for the lead, needing a birdie on the par-5 18th...
New bloods Gonzaga, Villanova still thriving amid pandemic
College basketball’s bluebloods earned elite status through multiple championships, sustained traditions of winning and revolving doors of star players through their programs. A new group of teams has inched closer to basketball royalty and has remained relatively steady even as the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the sport. Top-ranked...
Serena Williams reaches Australian Open quarterfinals
MELBOURNE, Australia — Serena Williams tumbled to the ground, her heavily taped right ankle turning, her body contorting, her racket flying. This was early in the second set of a competitive-as-can-be matchup in the Australian Open’s fourth round against a younger version of herself — stinging serves, huge groundstroke cuts,...
This date in sports history: Feb. 14Video
1934 — The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the NHL All-Stars, 7-3. The game is played as a benefit for former Toronto player Ace Bailey. Bailey suffered a skull fracture earlier in the season from a hit by Boston’s Eddie Shore. 1936 — Maribel Vinson wins her eighth U.S. figure skating...
English soccer at breaking point over abuse on social media
Death threats. Racist abuse. Sexist slurs. And social media accounts allowed to stay active even after spreading bile. English football has reached breaking point with players, coaches, referees and officials aghast at the ongoing proliferation of hate aimed at them on Instagram and Twitter. A week that began with the...
Facing a Grand Slam great: Dream come true? Big loss? Both?
Ahead of his match against Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open, Cameron Norrie hit what sounded like all of the right notes, the sorts of sentiments that express a healthy blend of respect and confidence. A bit intimidated but not too intimidated. A bit in awe but not too in...
Denny Hamlin seeks historic 3rd straight Daytona 500 victory
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Denny Hamlin, considered perhaps the best NASCAR driver without a Cup Series championship, can look past that hole on his record. He instead points to a pair of Southern 500 trophies, a Bristol night race victory, three road course wins, six at Pocono and the big...
Rain washes out NASCAR’s final practices for Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Rain washed out the final two practices Saturday before NASCAR’s season-opening Daytona 500, a potential setback for the nine drivers switching cars before “The Great American Race.” Former Cup Series champions Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. as well as front-row qualifier William Byron are among...
This date in sports history: Feb. 13Video
1923 — The New York Renaissance, the first all-black pro basketball team, is organized. The Rens become one of the dominant basketball team of the 1920s and 1930s. 1937 — Maribel Vinson wins her ninth and final U.S. figure skating singles championship. Robin Lee wins his third straight men’s title....
NASCAR could be biggest leap yet for Michael JordanVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Michael Jordan might take his biggest leap yet — and he’s trying to change the game again. Jordan enters NASCAR not just as the first Black principal owner of a full-time Cup Series team in nearly 50 years. The Hall of Famer is trying to reach...
