U.S./World Sports category, Page 308
New York-bred Tiz the Law wins Belmont Stakes to open reconfigured Triple CrownVideo
NEW YORK — Eerily empty grandstands. Masked jockeys. Shuttered betting windows. For Tiz the Law trainer Barclay Tagg, no finer way to round out a career Triple Crown. “I’m not trying to be a jerk about it,” the 82-year-old said. “But I thought the quiet, to me, was very nice.”...
‘An absolute zoo’: Positive test, busy island rattle golfVideo
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Carlos Ortiz headed for dinner near the Harbour Town lighthouse and it felt like old times, which didn’t necessarily mean good times. This idyllic island is a summer destination, even during the covid-19 pandemic. “It’s a 30-minute wait, and once you get in there, there’s...
NASCAR has new rules, new feuds and more fans at TalladegaVideo
NASCAR’s return to racing shifts to Talladega Superspeedway, with new rules in place after Ryan Newman’s frightful crash in the season-opening Daytona 500. The Alabama track will admit up to 5,000 fans Sunday — with at least one NASCAR team facing a coronavirus scare — while NASCAR will be on...
Around sports world, Juneteenth celebrated like never beforeVideo
Bradley Beal grabbed a microphone and asked the crowd that joined the Washington Wizards and WNBA’s Washington Mystics on a march to collectively raise a fist into the air and join together in saying “Together we stand.” And they did. “We will stand for something bigger than ourselves,” Beal said....
NASCAR Cup race will run at Texas with fans in the stands
FORT WORTH, Texas — Texas Motor Speedway plans to open its massive grandstands to thousands of fans for a rescheduled NASCAR Cup Series race next month. Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday approved a plan submitted by the track to allow spectators for the race July 19. The governor had previously...
Nick Watney first on PGA Tour to test positive for covid-19Video
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — In the second week of returning to golf, Nick Watney became the first player to test positive for covid-19. Watney withdrew from the RBC Heritage on Friday, the PGA Tour said. Watney missed the cut last week in the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial, the...
Twins remove statue of ex-owner Calvin Griffith over racist remarks
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins on Friday announced they removed a statue of former owner Calvin Griffith at Target Field, citing racist remarks he made in 1978. Griffith’s statue was one of several installed when the team opened the ballpark in 2010. Its removal came on Juneteenth, the traditional commemoration...
Mt. Lebanon native Leah Smith moves forward with training for postponed Olympic trials
After producing one of this year’s fastest swimming times in the world, Oakland Catholic graduate Leah Smith looked forward to making her second Olympic Games. But her momentum came to a halt after the rest of the season was called off because of the coronavirus. “It was definitely difficult to...
Belmont sets pace for Triple Crown, with Tiz the Law favored
It has been 17 years since Jack Knowlton and his Sackatoga Stable pals rode yellow school buses to the Belmont Stakes. It was a rollicking party on wheels for the group that came to watch their colt, Funny Cide, try to sweep the Triple Crown. It didn’t happen that day....
Pittsburgh-area UFC fighter Khama Worthy itching for a fight June 27 in Las VegasVideo
Local fighter Khama Worthy is ready to step back into the octagon. Actually, the Moon native is more than ready. On June 27, Worthy (15-6) will take on 6-foot-3 Californian Luis Pena (8-2) at UFC on ESPN 12, and it’s been a long time coming. Worthy was scheduled to fight...
Birdies galore at Hilton Head, and Jordan Spieth needed them badlyVideo
The RBC Heritage began two month later than usual with a little rain, a little sunshine and a lot of birdies, most of them from Jordan Spieth to turn a rough start into a furious finish. Ian Poulter holed a 30-foot birdie putt and followed with a 5-iron to 4...
Netflix documentary focuses on courage of U.S. gymnasts in Larry Nassar sex abuse scandalVideo
A Netflix documentary will focus on the gymnasts who survived abuse at the hands of USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor Larry Nassar and the journalists who helped expose the culture that allowed it to continue for so long, according to People. Allegations against Nassar go back to the...
Florida Sen. Rubio introduces NIL bill to push NCAA changesVideo
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio introduced a bill Thursday that would protect the NCAA from being challenged in court if the association changes its rules to allow athletes to earn money for endorsement deals and personal appearances. Earlier this week, the NCAA was hit with a federal antitrust lawsuit seeking damages...
NCAA approves plan for basketball players to work with coaches
The NCAA Division I Council on Wednesday approved a plan to allow college basketball players to start working with their coaches for the first time since the pandemic wiped out March Madness. The summer access period for men’s and women’s players will begin July 20. The NCAA Tournaments were canceled...
Prepping on new court, Serena Williams will enter U.S. OpenVideo
Here’s how all-in Serena Williams is on participating in the 2020 U.S. Open: She set up a practice area at her home with the new brand of hard courts being used at Flushing Meadows this year. For all the doubts about which top players will actually enter the first Grand...
Report: Kobe Bryant pilot may have been disoriented in fog
LOS ANGELES — The pilot of the helicopter that crashed in thick fog, killing Kobe Bryant and seven other passengers, reported he was climbing when he actually was descending, federal investigators said in documents released Wednesday. Ara Zobayan radioed to air traffic controllers that he was climbing to 4,000 feet...
Drivers excited for return of racing at Lernerville Speedway
At last, the drivers can start their engines. Friday night will be an exciting time in Sarver because for the first time in 2020, race car drivers will take to the track at Lernerville Speedway. “Absolutely through the roof,” Lernerville track announcer Eric Westendorf said about the excitement level heading...
NBA lays out vision for Disney restart to teams, playersVideo
Here’s some of what awaits NBA players going to Disney next month: game rooms, golf course access, cabanas with misters to combat the heat, fishing areas, bowling, backstage tours and salon services. It only sounds like vacation. The NBA described specific plans to players and teams for the restart Tuesday,...
Column: Cranberries and ticking clock for Ryder Cup fateVideo
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — The final weekend in September in Wisconsin was expected to be bustling with good times and gigantic crowds, upward of 45,000 people and some 1,300 vendors taking part in an event steeped in tradition. But with the unpredictable nature of the covid-19 pandemic, organizers decided...
Q and A: LPGA commissioner Mike Whan talks about challenges of 2020, bright future for women’s golfVideo
Mike Whan began his tenure as LPGA commissioner 10 years ago. At the time Whan came on board, the LPGA was, in the words of 10-time tour winner Paula Creamer, “pretty much at rock bottom.” The number of events had been shrinking. Prize money was down. Interest was minimal. In...
Dale Earnhardt Jr. headlines NASCAR’s 2021 Hall of Fame classVideo
All Dale Earnhardt Jr. needed was a chance to prove he could win in stock cars. Turns out, he was a natural — on and off the track. Now the longtime fan favorite and two-time Daytona 500 winner will join his famous, late father in NASCAR’s Hall of Fame after...
Tiz the Law is class of Belmont field, Triple Crown favoriteVideo
While there won’t be school buses of fans hoping to see a New York-bred horse make Belmont history, there is a busload of Triple Crown expectations heading into Saturday’s race. Seventeen years ago, Jack Knowlton and the other owners of Funny Cide packed into school buses and headed to Belmont...
Gov. Andrew Cuomo gives go-ahead for U.S. Open tennis in New York in August
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday the U.S. Open tennis tournament will held on its scheduled dates starting in late August as part of the state’s reopening from shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Tennis Association had decided to go forward with its marquee event in New...
Mike Gundy’s OAN support angers star Oklahoma St. running back Chuba Hubbard, othersVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Star Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard suggested Monday he may boycott the program after coach Mike Gundy was photographed wearing a T-shirt displaying the One America News Network, a far-right news channel that has been praised by President Donald Trump. Gundy is seen in a photograph...
Doyle out as Iowa strength coach; Barta standing by FerentzVideo
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa athletic director Gary Barta gave a vote of confidence to longtime football coach Kirk Ferentz on Monday after deciding to cut ties with a strength coach accused of mistreating African American players. Ferentz has dealt seriously in addressing former and current players’ concerns about the...
