U.S./World Sports category, Page 283
Wildy popular Chase Elliott comes from back of field to win 1st NASCAR crownVideo
AVONDALE, Ariz. — NASCAR’s most popular driver now is a Cup champion, too. Chase Elliott took the torch from teammate Jimmie Johnson by winning his first Cup title Sunday, driving from the back of the field to victory lane at Phoenix Raceway. The win for Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet was...
Carlos Ortiz holds off Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama for 1st PGA Tour winVideo
HOUSTON — Carlos Ortiz held off Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama by closing with a 5-under-par 65 to win the Houston Open on Sunday, becoming the first Mexican to win on the PGA Tour in 42 years. He earned every bit of it, caught in a tight battle on the...
AP Top 25: Alabama is on top again; Notre Dame up to No. 2
Alabama is No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll for the first time this year, extending its record of consecutive seasons with at least one week on top of the rankings to 13. Notre Dame moved up two spots to No. 2 on Sunday after upsetting Clemson in...
Bryson DeChambeau and his Paul Bunyan power the talk of the MastersVideo
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The scene was straight out of the World Long Drive Championship spectacle. Bryson DeChambeau would consider that a compliment. He took a slow practice swing, then the next one at full force. Eyes focused, deep breath, chest fully expanded, exhale. Another violent practice swing. And another. Just...
This Date in Sports History: Nov. 7
1943 — The Detroit Lions and New York Giants play the last scoreless tie in the NFL. 1968 — Red Berenson scores six goals, including four in the second period, to lead the St. Louis Blues to an 8-0 victory over Philadelphia. 1974 — South Africa is awarded the Davis...
Jimmie Johnson leaves indelible mark on, off race trackVideo
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Jimmie Johnson was the first one down the stairs in a diving competition at Tony Stewart’s birthday party. He playfully tossed mini hamburgers across a suite Denny Hamlin had rented in Las Vegas and later wrestled Chad Knaus on the floor of the same casino. The two...
Jason Day in contention in Houston Open on eve of Masters
HOUSTON — Jason Day was back in contention on the eve of the Masters after two eventful days alongside Phil Mickelson. Winless in 21/2 years and fighting lingering back and neck problems, Day shot a 2-under-par 68 on Friday in the Houston Open to pull within two strokes of second-round...
No blooms, no fans, no roars make this Masters like no other
Nothing about this Masters will look familiar until the champion slips his arms through a green jacket. The purple, pink and white blooms of azaleas and dogwoods, which provide such a magnificent accent to Augusta National in spring, give way to the orange and gold hues of autumn. The course...
NBA players approve plan to start season Dec. 22
The NBA’s player representatives voted Thursday to support the notion of starting this coming season Dec. 22, the date the league has been targeting in its talks about how and when to get teams back on the floor for a planned 72-game season. The vote, conducted by player reps within...
Brandt Snedeker takes Houston Open lead; Johnson and fans return
HOUSTON — Brandt Snedeker found a lot of fairways and greens at difficult Memorial Park, top-ranked Dustin Johnson returned from the coronavirus, and fans were back, too, Thursday at the Houston Open. Snedeker shot a 5-under-par 65 in the afternoon to take a two-stroke lead in the last event before...
Path to NASCAR title clear with Kevin Harvick out of way
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Kevin Harvick was a sure bet to make the NASCAR finale and likely close out one of the most dominant seasons of the decade. Instead, he’s been eliminated and the hyped head-to-head matchup between Harvick and Denny Hamlin has been scrapped. For better or worse, NASCAR’s title-deciding...
ESPN announces 300 layoffs, citing ‘disruption’ amid virus
ESPN announced Thursday it is eliminating about 500 jobs worldwide, including about 300 through layoffs. The cuts amount to about 10% of the employees at the sports network and are due largely to the impact of the pandemic on its business and the “tremendous disruption in how fans consume sports.”...
This day in sports history: Nov. 4Video
1934 — The Detroit Lions rush for an NFL-record 426 yards in a 40-7 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The only bright spot for the Pirates is scoring the first touchdown against Detroit that season, ending the Lions’ shutout streak at seven games. 1951 — The United States wins six...
Sprint toward start as college basketball teams scramble to fill schedulesVideo
The NCAA’s announcement of a college basketball start date led to huge scramble as schools tried to fill out schedules altered by the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of getting easier with time, the task of building schedules has become more difficult as the season’s start date nears. Travel is an issue....
Doug Ferguson: Several golfers missing from Masters remain names to watchVideo
It’s rare to have a player in the top 40 missing from the Masters, much less four of them. Rarer still is to show up at Augusta National and notice who’s missing. That element won’t change, especially with so much anticipation from waiting 18 months to hear: “Fore, please. Tiger...
Crew chiefs feel the heat to be perfect in NASCAR finaleVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The NASCAR championship was in clear reach when Denny Hamlin made his final pit stop in last year’s title-deciding finale. With everything on the line, his crew chief went with an aggressive adjustment aimed at gaining one last burst of speed. Chris Gabehart called for a large,...
Voting, activism replace practice, games in U.S. sports worldVideo
WASHINGTON — Just past noon on Election Day, after casting her vote where the NBA’s Wizards and NHL’s Capitals play, Mary Pittman exited through one of the arena’s glass doors. Perched on the 77-year-old retiree’s walker: a stars-and-stripes hat touting the basketball team, autographed on the brim in fresh black...
No. 10 Wisconsin cancels game with Purdue due to outbreak
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin has canceled Saturday’s home game against Purdue, the second straight game the 10th-ranked Badgers have called off as covid-19 cases within their team continue to rise. School officials announced Tuesday that three more players and two additional staffers have tested positive since Saturday, bringing the program’s...
Improbable is 5-2 favorite for Bob Baffert-heavy Breeders’ Cup ClassicVideo
Improbable has drawn the No. 8 post position for the Breeders’ Cup Classic and is the 5-2 morning line favorite for the marquee race of the season-ending World Championships at Keeneland. One of three Bob Baffert-trained entries in the $6 million race for 3-year-olds and up, Improbable will have Irad...
Column: NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson leaves lasting charitable mark
NASCAR’s nicest guy will run his final race this weekend and close a remarkable career that ranks among the best in history. The mark Jimmie Johnson has made off the track deserves equal celebration. Johnson widely is recognized for his record-tying seven Cup Series titles and 83 victories. That on-track...
SEC fines Florida’s Dan Mullen $25K for role in brawl vs. Mizzou
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The SEC fined Florida coach Dan Mullen $25,000 on Monday for his role in a benches-clearing brawl against Missouri. The league also reviewed video of the fight and issued half-game suspensions for Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey, offensive lineman Dylan Spencer and defensive lineman Markell Utsey. Each of...
This date in sports history: Nov. 2
1895 — Belmar, ridden by Fred Taral, wins in the Belmont Stakes by a head over favorite Counter Tenor. The race is run under the jurisdiction of the Westchester Racing Association, because the New York Jockey Club had closed out its affairs. 1958 — Chicago and Los Angeles establish an...
Elliott wins at Martinsville; title favorite Harvick out of finaleVideo
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Kevin Harvick’s nearly perfect season came to a spinning and sudden halt Sunday when he was bounced from the playoffs in a stunning upset at Martinsville Speedway. Chase Elliott won the high-stakes race to earn his first berth in the championship four. It knocked Harvick, a nine-race...
AP Top 25: No. 2 Alabama closes gap with Clemson; Liberty in
Clemson remained No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll on Sunday, but not by much. Trevor Lawrence’s absence because of covid-19 and the Tigers’ narrow win over Boston College created a divide among the 62 writers and broadcasters on the voting panel. Clemson received 33 first-place votes —...
Martinsville set for high-stakes Sunday in NASCAR playoffsVideo
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Denny Hamlin’s dazzling season could potentially collapse if things go sideways Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR’s oldest and shortest track that has been slotted as the final playoff elimination race. NASCAR’s needed horsepower for its stale playoffs so Martinsville was shuffled to the back of a revamped...
