U.S./World Sports category, Page 362
Pelicans going at own pace after hitting NBA lottery jackpot
NEW ORLEANS — In the NBA city most familiar with “gris-gris,” folks see no small measure of poetic justice in the fact their team will dictate the fate of a coveted prospect named Zion. Mystical explanations aside, the Pelicans are in the driver’s seat now but say they’re in no...
Bob Baffert to saddle favorite Improbable in search of record 8th Preakness win
BALTIMORE — In a field without the top three finishers in the Kentucky Derby, the odds Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert wouldn’t have the favorite in the Preakness are, well, Improbable. Baffert will seek a record-setting eighth Preakness victory Saturday with 5-2 morning line favorite Improbable, who will start...
Francesco Molinari seeks redemption for meltdown at Masters
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — For the past month, the golf world has been riding the high of seeing Tiger Woods win the Masters. What has been forgotten is Woods’ unexpected victory pretty much was courtesy of British Open champion Francesco Molinari. Forgotten already? Molinari had a two-shot lead with seven holes...
Warriors ease to win in Western Conference finals opener vs. Trail BlazersVideo
OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry made nine 3-pointers and scored 36 points, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 116-94, on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals while playing without injured star Kevin Durant once again. Curry shot 12 for 23 in his...
Big Ten ADs detail requirements for new commissioner
CHICAGO — Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith was talking to reporters Tuesday about who might replace retiring Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany when Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez walked behind him. “Someone like a Barry Alvarez,” Smith said coyly. “He’d be a prototypical candidate.” As Alvarez playfully grabbed him...
Pelicans win NBA Draft lottery, chance to pick Zion Williamson
CHICAGO — In a high-stakes NBA Draft lottery Tuesday, the New Orleans Pelicans unexpectedly landed the No. 1 overall pick in June’s draft, which could shift the star power of the league for the foreseeable future, thanks to a possible once-in-a-generation talent atop the board. By virtue of winning the...
Portal patrol: NCAA football coaches on regular search for tranfsers
Justin Crouse, director of player personnel for Memphis, makes his first check of the transfer portal around 8 a.m. each day, searching for new names in the NCAA’s database of football players looking for a new school. He checks again at lunch and one more time — at least —...
Beloved Roma captain De Rossi to leave club after 18 years
ROME — It was not the way Roma captain Daniele De Rossi imagined leaving his hometown club. De Rossi’s contract expires at the end of the season and, while a director’s role was offered to him, the 35-year-old midfielder believes he still has much to contribute on the field. De...
PGA Championship a new major challenge for Tiger WoodsVideo
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Tiger Woods, the Masters champion, going for the second leg of the Grand Slam on a long, wet course at Bethpage Black. It all sounds so familiar. For Woods, it feels entirely different. The PGA Championship now occupies the second slot in the major championship schedule given...
Family of drunken driver who died in crash suing Tiger Woods; lawyers say evidence was destroyed
Tiger Woods addressed the drunken driving death of an employee at his restaurant, after the dead man’s family teed off on the golfer. “We’re all very sad that Nick passed away,” Woods said at a news conference Tuesday at Bethpage Black in Long Island, where he was asked about the...
Tim Dahlberg: Heavyweights step up, just not against each otherVideo
Tyson Fury, the big British heavyweight who breaks into song at the most unexpected moments and would be fun to meet for a beer, will be fighting next month. So will his countryman, Anthony Joshua, who will venture across the pond to make his Garden debut. And then there’s Deontay...
Baltimore politicians, track owners duel over Pimlico future
BALTIMORE — Aptly nicknamed Old Hilltop, antiquated Pimlico Race Course has reached the point where its illustrious past might not be enough to assure a vibrant future. The 144th Preakness will be run Saturday at Pimlico and will be back next year, too. After that, nobody can predict the fate...
Jimmie Johnson to honor fallen soldier during NASCAR race in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jimmie Johnson is going camouflage for the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend to honor those who died while serving in the military. Johnson unveiled a military-themed camouflage paint scheme Tuesday with the name of a fallen soldier written across the front windshield of his No. 48...
Love then or loathe them, Stronach Group at center of horse racing
The Stronach Group isn’t well known outside horse racing. In the public eye, the big players are the likes of recent Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify, trainer Bob Baffert and legendary horses Secretariat and Seattle Slew. But few — if any — have had a bigger impact on...
Knoch graduate Geist named Athlete of the Meet at Pac-12 championships
The Knoch-ness Monster terrorized the Pac-12 Track & Field Championships for a second consecutive season. Arizona sophomore Jordan Geist, a Knoch graduate, was named Male Athlete of the Meet for the second straight year at the Pac-12 championships Sunday night in Tucson, Ariz. BACK 2⃣ BACKJordan Geist is your 2019...
College hurdler wins gold with Superman dive across finish line
A hurdler competing this weekend won the gold in dramatic and painful fashion with a Superman dive across the finish line. Texas A&M hurdler Infinite Tucker — that’s his real name – was trying to hold off another runner in the last stretch of the 400-meter hurdles at the 2019...
Cavaliers sign Michigan’s John Beilein to 5-year deal
CLEVELAND — John Beilein has spent a coaching lifetime taking ordinary programs and turning them into consistent winning ones. All in college. He’s getting his NBA shot. The Cavaliers ended a monthlong search Monday by hiring Beilein, a 66-year-old offensive mastermind who made Michigan a perennial powerhouse and now takes...
First call: Kawhi Leonard’s dagger, Putin’s hockey stumble, LeBron being that dad
In “First Call” Monday, Kawhi Leonard’s unreal Game 7 buzzer-beater for Toronto. Vladimir Putin’s on-ice stumble. LeBron James is every sports dad you’ve ever known. Is this the dagger? That was play-by-play man Kevin Harlan’s question on TNT as Kawhi Leonard chucked up a potential series-winning shot to send Toronto...
Kawhi Leonard’s last-second shot vaults Raptors to Eastern Conference FinalsVideo
It was four bounces one country will never forget. Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer-beater jumper will send the Toronto Raptors to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 92-90 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. KAWHI CALLED SERIES! pic.twitter.com/V4AIuMULNO— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) May 13, 2019 At first, Leonard’s shot did not look as if...
Kawhi Leonard’s last-second bomb eliminates Joel Embiid, 76ers
TORONTO — Kawhi Leonard hit a shot from the corner over Joel Embiid at the buzzer that bounced off the rim four times before falling to give the Toronto Raptors a 92-90 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series. After...
John Steigerwald: Future of fandom is almost unrecognizable
Are you a fluid fan? Probably not, considering this has nothing to do with being in favor of drinking a lot of fluids while attending a game. And probably not if you’re older than 17. Fluid Fan is a term created by Sports Innovation Lab to describe fans of the...
CJ McCollum leads Blazers past Nuggets to advance to the Western Conference FinalsVideo
DENVER — CJ McCollum scored 37 points and the Portland Trail Blazers overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 100-96 on Sunday to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2000. Evan Turner, who scored just four points in the first six games...
Sung Kang gets first PGA Tour victory at Byron Nelson
DALLAS — Sung Kang rolled in a 23-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole to finally take the lead for good at the Byron Nelson, getting his first PGA Tour victory on a Sunday when he had to play 27 holes. That was the middle of three consecutive clinching birdies...
Manchester City retains Premier League title on final day of seasonVideo
BRIGHTON, England — All the strain Pep Guardiola feels during the pursuit of titles becomes worthwhile when a winners’ medal is placed around his neck. It happens a lot. Manchester City won its second straight Premier League trophy on Sunday, finishing one point ahead of Liverpool in a thrilling title...
Waynesburg HS grad Rachel Rohanna preps for 3rd U.S. Women’s Open
In her most recent trip to the U.S. Women’s Open, Rachel Rohanna had her week come to an abrupt and disappointing end. One shot inside the cut line heading into the penultimate hole of her second round, the Waynesburg High School grad took a six on the par-3 17th at...
