U.S./World Sports category, Page 327
NASCAR drivers anticipate changes to Speedweeks next yearVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Speedweeks is facing a significant shakeup. The Daytona 500 is scheduled for Valentine’s Day in 2021, a week earlier than usual and putting NASCAR’s version of the Super Bowl seven days after the actual Super Bowl. The revised date could cause changes to Speedweeks, the opening...
Trump expected to attend Daytona 500 race Sunday in Florida
WASHINGTON — Daytona International Speedway is going to be a little more crowded than usual for the annual Daytona 500 on Sunday. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a flight restriction for Sunday indicating that President Donald Trump is expected to attend the NASCAR race. The U.S. Secret Service, which is...
2 Ohio State football players accused of rape, kidnapping
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two Ohio State University football players have been accused of rape and kidnaping, according to Columbus police. The Columbus Dispatch reports that police charged defensive players Amir I. Riep and Jahsen L. Wint, both 21, late Tuesday and warrants have been issued for their arrests. In an...
Siba the poodle wins best in show at Westminster; Ligonier Township golden retriever Daniel falls shortVideo
NEW YORK — Primped and poised, Siba the standard poodle owned the ring. Even with the crowd at Madison Square Garden chanting for a popular golden retriever, the statuesque Siba strutted off with best in show Tuesday night at the Westminster Kennel Club. Adorned with black puffs and pompoms, the...
Doug Ferguson: No better place than Riviera for Tiger Woods to get win No. 83Video
LOS ANGELES — There is no better place for Tiger Woods to set the PGA Tour record for most career victories than at Riviera. Because this is where he played his first PGA Tour event as a 16-year-old amateur? No. Because he is tournament host of the Genesis Invitational, giving...
XFL opening weekend ratings average more than 3 million viewers
The XFL’s first season since 2001 started this past weekend and its telecasts drew millions of viewers. The first four games, played Saturday and Sunday on Fox, ABC and ESPN, averaged 3.12 million viewers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Tampa Bay Vipers vs. New York Guardians game Sunday on...
Simone Johnson, daughter of The Rock, starts with WWE
The daughter of the most electrifying man in sports entertainment is stepping into the ring. Simone Johnson, daughter of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, has started training with WWE, according to the wrestling promotion. She has reported to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, a massive training facility for the company....
Kyle Busch has done it all in NASCAR, except win the Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Busch has partied in victory lane at every NASCAR track from Darlington to Dover, from Bristol to the Brickyard. Busch has even celebrated at Daytona, with a 2008 summer Cup Series victory on his resume, and trophies from races in other series or exhibitions in...
McKeesport’s Swin Cash selected to Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame
Swin Cash, a basketball standout who won championships in high school, college, the WNBA and the Olympics, has been selected to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. The McKeesport native’s upcoming enshrinement, as well as the names of the other members of the Class of 2020, were revealed during Monday’s...
Michigan State coaching search continues after Luke Fickell opts to stay at CincinnatiVideo
CINCINNATI — Coach Luke Fickell informed Michigan State on Monday that he’s decided to stay at Cincinnati, leaving the Spartans to resume their search to find Mark Dantonio’s replacement. Fickell has rebuilt Cincinnati into a Top 25 program in his three seasons. Dantonio, who stepped down from the job this...
‘Smart mound’ can help analyze efficiency of pitchersVideo
FARMINGTON, Conn. — Central Connecticut pitcher Michael Delease was throwing fastballs inside the Center for Motion Analysis and wasn’t getting much movement on his pitches. His problem was quickly diagnosed by coaches and scientists looking at data gathered by the instrumented pitching mound from which he was throwing, the electrodes...
Canadian Nick Taylor holds off Mickelson for win at Pebble BeachVideo
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Nick Taylor had more trouble with the wind than he did with Phil Mickelson. The Canadian managed both just fine Sunday and won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for his second career victory. With the gallery eager to see Mickelson add a record sixth victory at...
Dieter Kurtenbach: How did Andrew Wiggins look in his first Warriors game?Video
SAN FRANCISCO Andrew Wiggins wasn’t spectacular in his first game as a Golden State Warrior. He wasn’t a revelation to the team or the game of basketball. But his Saturday debut in blue and yellow was an unquestioned success. Wiggins looked good, solid. He looked like he fit in with...
Erik Jones wins crash-fest at Daytona to open NASCAR seasonVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The first race of the NASCAR season was a demolition derby that turned Daytona International Speedway into a giant junkyard. The Busch Clash? More like the Busch Crash. Erik Jones won Sunday’s race that left a multi-million dollar trail of destruction and masked the fact the...
Ricky Stenhouse claims Daytona 500 pole in debut with new teamVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. needed just two days to get his new team to the top. Stenhouse won the pole Sunday for the season-opening Daytona 500 next weekend, putting JTG-Daugherty Racing in the NASCAR spotlight for a week. Stenhouse’s third pole in 257 Cup Series starts and...
Bubble watch: Purdue makes push for NCAA bid-securing finishVideo
Purdue is positioned to chase down an NCAA Tournament bid, thanks in part to the Big Ten’s depth of quality teams. The Boilermakers had 10 losses by the end of January and are one game better than .500 in conference play. Yet they are ranked No. 26 in the NCAA’s...
Kevin Harvick parks distractions, keeps eyes squarely on NASCAR roadVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kevin Harvick put a mic drop on his TV broadcasting career and turned off the dial on his radio show. The moonlighting gigs have been parked, minimizing his distractions, maximizing his family time, but certainly not accelerating any thoughts about retirement. If he kept his talk...
No. 1 Baylor earns top seed in NCAA committee’s initial rankingsVideo
San Diego State has rolled through its schedule, charging into February as the only Division I team still undefeated. But if teams were selected for the NCAA Tournament today, the Aztecs would travel across the country to play in New York. The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee gave San...
New XFL kicks off with entertaining debut in DCVideo
WASHINGTON — The debut of the new XFL had a punt blocked for a touchdown, a juiced-up crowd roaring for big plays and a player swearing during an in-game TV interview. The actual football was hit and miss. College national championship-winning former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones was the biggest...
Spring training: time for pitchers, catchers and cheatersVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Baseball returns to the field next week when pitchers, catchers and cheaters report to spring training. Fans await the annual sunny scenes of favorites stretching on bright green grass in Florida and Arizona. This year the players bring along dark clouds of scandal — the 2017 World...
Vanessa Bryant announces ‘A Celebration of Life’ for Kobe and Gianna
LOS ANGELES — Vanessa Bryant posted on her Instagram account Friday that “A Celebration of Life” for Kobe and Gianna Bryant will take place on the morning of “2-24-20” at Staples Center. She said more details were to come for the 10 a.m. PST memorial service that is taking place...
Jason Day looking like old self as he moves into contention at Pebble BeachVideo
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Jason Day received a warm reminder Friday at Pebble Beach how good it feels to hit shots the way he wants, make a bunch of putts and see his name high on the leaderboard. Day made two long birdie putts across the green, holed a 40-yard...
Jimmie Johnson drops ‘Chasing 8’ motto before final NASCAR seasonVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jimmie Johnson has been chasing NASCAR history for so long that his relentless pursuit of rewriting the record books has become part of his legacy. Johnson, tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with seven Cup Series titles, has been racing for sole possession of the...
No. 1 Baylor, No. 3 Kansas head of strong Big 12 classVideo
Baylor coach Scott Drew and his team don’t spend time pondering those final five minutes in Alaska the first week of the season that led to the only blemish on their record. The No. 1 Bears (20-1, 9-0 Big 12) since have won 19 games in a row and are...
Hailie Deegan begins march to NASCAR’s big leagues at DaytonaVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — There was nothing special about Hailie Deegan’s sports car debut as she raced around the road course last month at Daytona International Speedway in a feeder series. She was just an 18-year-old Ford factory driver trying to get seat time. That she’s a woman was also...
