U.S./World Sports category, Page 330
Doug Ferguson: Expectations getting higher as Woods gets olderVideo
SAN DIEGO — The expectations seem to get higher even as Tiger Woods gets older. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Of course, it doesn’t quell expectations when Woods is the Masters champion. Just the image of that red shirt under a green jacket was enough to...
Maria Sharapova can’t say what’s next after Australian Open loss
MELBOURNE, Australia — Her Grand Slam losing streak up to four matches, Maria Sharapova surely was aware questions about her future would be coming. She wasn’t able to provide answers. Might this have been her last trip to the Australian Open, a tournament she won in 2008 as part of...
Baylor jumps Zags to give AP poll record-tying seventh No. 1
Baylor and Gonzaga were the only two teams in the top five that took care of business last week. That doesn’t mean they didn’t move around, too. The Bears (15-1) leaped over the Bulldogs and into the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll on Monday,...
Gaby Lopez wins LPGA tournament in Florida in 7-hole playoffVideo
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Having already battled for five extra holes into darkness without producing a champion a day earlier, Gaby Lopez and Nasa Hataoka showed up to work at 8 a.m., just like regular folks. The early wake-up call and extra golf was worth it for Lopez, who...
Conor McGregor holds all the UFC cards after impressive winVideo
LAS VEGAS — After three years without a victory, Conor McGregor needed only 40 seconds to reclaim his place at the center of the mixed martial arts world. McGregor’s dynamic stoppage of Donald Cerrone in UFC 246 on Saturday night put the Irish superstar firmly in control of the future...
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal seem sure all will be OK at Australian OpenVideo
MELBOURNE, Australia — As messages on video boards cautioned Australian Open spectators to “be aware we are expecting a reduction in air quality” Saturday, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal seemed satisfied all will be fine at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament despite recent days of smoke arriving from wildfires...
Plum native Oravitz finding his way through junior hockey ranks with college on horizon
In his first full season playing junior hockey, Plum native Cole Oravitz has learned keeping a positive mindset is important to success. Oravitz transferred from the USHL’s Madison Capitols to the Minnesota Magicians of the NAHL and dealt with a nagging wrist injury for two months. He worked through the...
After national title win, LSU looking toward next season and how to replace starsVideo
NEW ORLEANS — LSU coach Ed Orgeron already is thinking about what comes next for his national champions. More specifically, who comes next. Orgeron and the top-ranked Tigers completed a 15-0 season with a decisive win over No. 3 Clemson, 42-25, on Monday night. Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow threw...
Joe Burrow, LSU top Clemson to cap magical season with national titleVideo
NEW ORLEANS — From small-town Ohio kid to Louisiana legend, Joe Burrow capped his record-breaking, Heisman-winning season by bringing a national championship to LSU. Burrow threw five touchdown passes, ran for another score and finished off one of the most accomplished seasons in college football history by leading the top-ranked...
Unlikely comebacks becoming norm for PGA at HawaiiVideo
HONOLULU — Two weeks in Hawaii brought rain, unusually strong wind, playoffs and two players who thought victory was out of reach until the winner’s lei was draped around their necks. Cameron Smith was the latest Sunday at the Sony Open. He might have been even more surprised than Justin...
Baylor jumps to No. 2 in AP Top 25; Gonzaga stays No. 1
Good luck finding any team in the country that notches a better pair of road wins in the same week than Baylor, which followed up a victory at Texas Tech by invading Allen Fieldhouse and thumping Kansas on its home floor. As a result? The Bears leapfrogged the Jayhawks and...
Clemson can join elite group by beating LSU for College Football Playoff championshipVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has this drill down. The Sunday before the College Football Playoff championship game a news conference is held with the head coaches. They compliment each other’s team and talk about focus and preparation. After, they shake hands and pose for photographs with the...
Paul Newberry: Long layoff, regional dominance tarnish CFP title gameVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Gloomy clouds were lingering over the Big Easy as the contestants were scheduled to arrived for the so-called national championship game. The weather conditions Friday were an appropriate mood-setter. The tedious, 16-day-long break since the semifinals has largely stifled the momentum of the college football season, turning...
John Beilein says he apologized for ‘thugs’ comment about CavsVideo
DETROIT — Cleveland Cavaliers coach John Beilein said Thursday he has apologized after using the word “thugs” during a film session with his players the previous day. ESPN.com, citing unidentified sources, reported that Beilein suggested during a Wednesday film session his players were no longer playing “like a bunch of...
Man charged after beer can thrown onto court during Celtics gameVideo
BOSTON — A man was arrested and escorted out of the arena after throwing a can of hard seltzer onto the court near the San Antonio Spurs bench during Wednesday night’s game with the Boston Celtics, Boston police said Thursday. Justin Arnold, 22, of Everett, was charged with disturbing a...
Half-empty stadiums won’t stop number of bowls from going upVideo
Six bowls had their smallest crowds on record, with section after section of unoccupied seats a yawning indication of how little buzz there can be for the long list of postseason games. Half-empty stadiums? Teams with tiny fan bases and mediocre records? Too many bowls? They aren’t going away. There...
Can Clemson’s versatile defenders flummox LSU, Joe Burrow?Video
Top-ranked LSU and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow head into the national championship game peaking, matching their record-setting offense with a healthy and improving defense. Clemson has not lost since sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence joined the team in 2018. The third-ranked Tigers are looking for their third national title in...
Pine-Richland’s Phil Jurkovec enters NCAA transfer portal
Pine-Richland graduate and Notre Dame backup quarterback Phil Jurkovec has placed his name in the NCAA transfer portal and will look to leave the Irish this year, according to a source close to the situation. Placing his name in the portal does not guarantee he will leave Notre Dame, but...
Double forward passes? Overtime ‘shootouts’? XFL set to unveil rules innovations
NEW YORK — When the XFL debuts in February, it will take a “Star Trek” approach of going where no football league has gone before. The eight-team league will have options for extra points worth one, two or three points. It will allow double forward passes behind the line of...
Poll shows Americans favor endorsement money for NCAA athletesVideo
As the NCAA grapples with how to provide athletes opportunities to be compensated for their fame, about two-thirds of Americans support college players being permitted to earn money for endorsements. That is according to a poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Support for the NCAA allowing...
Running backs for Clemson, LSU coming up big despite sizeVideo
CLEMSON, S.C. — LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Clemson’s Travis Etienne have more in common than their Louisiana backgrounds heading into the national title game. Both are smallish running backs who were overlooked at times in high school but have emerged as critical factors for next week’s College Football Playoff championship...
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will enter 2020 NFL DraftVideo
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa put an end to the initial question about his future, announcing Monday that he is entering the NFL Draft and closing the book on a college career that began with a splash and ended with a devastating injury. Now the questions will be...
No top team is safe in wild college basketball seasonVideo
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The season barely was a week old when Michigan State lost to Kentucky in the Champions Classic, a defeat of the nation’s No. 1 team that could be written off easily as a high-profile battle of heavyweights on a neutral court early in the season that didn’t...
Top-ranked Aussie Barty donating Brisbane winnings to wildfire reliefVideo
BRISBANE, Australia — Ash Barty was flying home across Australia following the Fed Cup final when she saw the early signs of devastation from the wildfires that are still raging in large parts of the vast island continent. So the problem hasn’t just dawned on her, the highest-profile tennis star...
‘Cinderella story’ as Tulane rallies to beat Southern Mississippi in Armed Forces BowlVideo
FORT WORTH, Texas — Justin McMillan won two state championships playing for a Texas high school about 35 miles away from where he played his last game for Tulane. Both of his parents served in the Army. The Armed Forces Bowl provided a storybook finish for his college career. McMillan,...
