U.S./World Sports category, Page 270
Australian Open arrivals hit by 3 covid-19 positive testsVideo
Three coronavirus cases have been detected among charter flights carrying tennis players, coaches and officials to Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open, health authorities and tournament organizers said Saturday. Forty-seven players from the two affected flights — arriving from Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi — are in a strict 14-day...
Bowl games look to future after weathering challenging year
LOS ANGELES — Even after canceling the Tournament of Roses parade during the summer and scaling back the pregame festivities normally associated with the Rose Bowl, David Eads and his staff were still preparing for a College Football Playoff semifinal on New Year’s Day to be played at the picturesque...
This date in sports history: Jan. 16Video
1962 — Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors finished with 42 points and 24 rebounds, winning NBA honors even though his East team loses to the West, 150-130, in the NBA All-Star game. The West’s Bob Pettit pulls down an All-Star record 27 rebounds. 1972 — The Dallas Cowboys dominate...
FCS schedules near completion as season set to begin in FebruaryVideo
One college football season just ended, and another one starts in just over a month. All but a few teams in the Football Championship Subdivision shut down in the fall because of the covid-19 pandemic and will play a spring season culminating with the NCAA playoffs in April and May....
World Golf Championship moving from Mexico to FloridaVideo
The World Golf Championship is moving from Mexico City to the Gulf Coast of Florida, a change driven by the covid-19 pandemic that has put restrictions on travel and kept away spectators. The PGA Tour sent a memo to players Friday informing them of the relocation for Feb. 25-28. It...
More NBA games off, coaches vow to improve mask-wearingVideo
The NBA gave Orlando coach Steve Clifford a call recently, telling him he had to do a better job of keeping his mask on during games. Clifford’s answer was concise. “Yes, sir,” he said. He didn’t argue. He knows the rules and how important they are. It has been a...
NCAA expects straightforward March Madness for this year onlyVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — There will be a bit less mystery to the March Madness bracket now that the NCAA selection committee no longer has to adjust matchups for travel concerns. With the entire tournament taking place in the Indianapolis area this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Division I Men’s...
UFC won’t punish fighters for marijuana use in policy change
The UFC will no longer punish fighters for using marijuana in most cases, making a major change to its anti-doping policy. The world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion confirmed Thursday that it will no longer worry about positive tests for carboxy-THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, unless it believes a...
Andy Murray tests positive for coronavirus before Australian Open
Andy Murray has tested positive for the coronavirus days before he was due to leave Britain for the Australian Open, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Thursday. The three-time Grand Slam champion is isolating at home near London and still hopes to compete in...
Olympian Klete Keller charged with taking part in U.S. Capitol riot
Five-time Olympic swimming medalist Klete Keller was charged Wednesday with participating in a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol after video emerged that appeared to show him among those storming the building last week. An FBI complaint, citing screenshots from the video, asked that a warrant be issued charging Keller...
James Harden headed to Nets in 4-team blockbuster trade
HOUSTON — The Brooklyn Nets agreed to acquire three-time scoring champion James Harden from the Houston Rockets, a deal that reunites him with Kevin Durant and gives him the move that he has sought for weeks, said a person with knowledge of the situation. Harden is going to the Nets...
To cancel or not?: IOC, Japan press ahead with Tokyo Games
TOKYO — Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency last week for Tokyo and surrounding areas. Amid the surging virus, he again promised the postponed Tokyo Olympics would be “safe and secure” and tried to disconnect the state of emergency from the fate of the games. But opposition...
This date in sports history: Jan. 13Video
1962 — Wilt Chamberlain scores an NBA regulation-game record 73 points to lead the Philadelphia Warriors to a 135-117 triumph over the Chicago Packers. 1971 — Lenny Wilkens of the Seattle Supersonics, at 33, becomes the oldest All-Star MVP as he scores 21 points to give the West a 108-107...
Erie boxing promoter Mike Acri dies at 63
Erie boxing promoter Mike Acri, whose clients included Roberto Duran and Hector “Macho” Camacho, died Sunday in Erie at age 63 following a 2½-year bout with pancreatic cancer. Acri, a top national promoter, also worked with boxer Paul “The Pittsburgh Kid” Spadafora. Acri was well known for arranging popular boxing...
Doug Ferguson: Trump and golf were never a comfortable fitVideo
Donald Trump was never a comfortable fit for golf. Not as president of the United States, a polarizing position long before the advent of Twitter or any other form of social media. Not even when he merged his affection for golf with his ambition to cater to the wealthy at...
Injured Bengals QB Burrow says he’ll be ready for opening day 2021Video
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow expects to start running on his surgically repaired left knee next month and is confident he will be ready to start the 2021 season. “I’ve always been a fast healer,” Burrow said Tuesday in a Zoom session with reporters. “We’ll see how...
NCAA president Mark Emmert expects athletes’ pay issue to be done in 2021Video
NCAA President Mark Emmert expressed frustration Tuesday with the delay in moving ahead with proposals surrounding athletes’ ability to make money and to freely transfer to another school and said he remains committed to getting those things done in 2021. Emmert’s remarks came during his state of college athletics address...
NCAA still expecting to get pay issue done this year
NCAA President Mark Emmert expressed frustration Tuesday with the delay in moving ahead with proposals surrounding athletes’ ability to make money and to freely transfer to another school and said he remains committed to getting those things done in 2021. Emmert’s remarks came during his state of college athletics address...
Alabama’s Nick Saban already working on chasing title No. 8
Nick Saban wasn’t ready to contemplate his legacy moments after capturing a record seventh national championship “because you’re always looking forward.” It was time to start chasing No. 8, after all. The Crimson Tide capped off a 13-0 season with a 52-24 win over Ohio State Monday night in the...
Masters plans for a limited number of spectators in April
Some volume is returning to the Masters, just maybe not the head-turning roars. Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley said Tuesday the club intends to allow a limited number of spectators for the Masters on April 8-11, provided it can be done safely, given the coronavirus pandemic. In other areas, the...
Analysis: Alabama’s DeVonta Smith, in just a half, wasn’t half bad
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — DeVonta Smith did not catch a single pass after halftime. He didn’t have to, either. He’d done plenty. The Heisman Trophy-winning receiver from Alabama put his stamp all over the College Football Playoff championship game in the first two quarters, and the Crimson Tide are national...
Perfect Alabama finishes No. 1 in AP Top 25 for 11th time
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Alabama finished the season No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the 12th time, extending its record by completing the program’s first perfect season since 2009. The Crimson Tide was a unanimous No. 1 in the final poll, getting 61 first-place votes, after beating Ohio...
No. 1 Alabama runs away with national title over No. 3 Ohio StateVideo
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — DeVonta Smith was uncoverable, Najee Harris unstoppable and Mac Jones impeccable. With a performance that was both surgical and explosive, No. 1 Alabama won the College Football Playoff national championship game 52-24 against No. 3 Ohio State on Monday night. The final game of a college...
This date in sports history: Jan. 12Video
1951 — Ezzard Charles knocks out Lee Oma in the 10th round at Madison Square Garden in New York to retain the heavyweight title. 1958 — Dolph Schayes of the Syracuse Nationals sets an NBA record for career points in a 135-109 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Schayes scores 23...
NBA calls off 2 more games over virus-related concernsVideo
The NBA called off two more games because of covid-related and contact tracing issues Monday, and a person with knowledge of the situation said the Miami Heat were preparing to be without “at least five” players for the next several days because of possible exposure to the coronavirus. Monday’s game...
