U.S./World Sports category, Page 370
Magic Johnson abruptly quits as Lakers president
LOS ANGELES — Magic Johnson abruptly quit as the Los Angeles Lakers’ president of basketball operations Tuesday night, citing his desire to return to the simpler life he enjoyed as a wealthy businessman and beloved former player before taking charge of this franchise just over two years ago. Johnson didn’t...
Corey Conners goes from Monday qualifier to Masters spotlight
AUGUSTA, Ga. — As the man in the green jacket recounted the incredulous events of the past week, Corey Conners cocked his head to one side and smiled ever so slightly. Almost as if he couldn’t believe it, either. A little over a week ago, Conners snatched the last spot...
Tony Bennett, Virginia give Dick Bennett proud dad moment
MINNEAPOLIS — Dick Bennett has a difficult time watching his son, Tony, coach Virginia. He rarely attends games. “I’m not a model of decorum or poise,” said Dick Bennett, the former longtime high school and college basketball coach. “But I needed to be here.” The Cavaliers didn’t make it easy...
Cavaliers’ arena renamed Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers have changed dramatically and so has their downtown home. Quickens Loans Arena is no more. The team will no longer play at “The Q,” but inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, which is undergoing a $185 million renovation funded by the city and team. The Cavaliers, who have...
Marilynn Smith, Hall of Famer and LPGA founder, dies at 89
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Marilynn Smith, one of the 13 founders of the LPGA Tour whose 21 victories, two majors and endless support of her tour led to her induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame, died Tuesday. She was 89. She died in Goodyear, Arizona, surrounded by family...
Virginia tops Texas Tech in overtime to win NCAA championship
MINNEAPOLIS — It was an easy question to ask, even if the answer was tough to absorb. “Why?” It dogged Virginia for a year and three weeks — following the Cavaliers through sweat-soaked practices, hostile arenas up and down the East Coast, on talk radio and pundit-driven TV, and in...
Steve Hummer: All these years later, Masters experience hard to explainVideo
AUGUSTA, Ga. On Monday at the Masters, early morning before the clouds take over, the pines throw long shadows over a green dewy carpet. The first wave of patrons make the slow, happy walk in from the acres of parking for which rich men have leveled homes to provide. It...
Justin Rose looks to finally finish at AugustaVideo
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Justin Rose has been atop the leaderboard at the Masters after every round except the one that matters. He has been runner-up twice, most recently in a playoff that would have been more crushing if not for seeing close friend Sergio Garcia celebrate his first major. The...
Virginia Tech hires former Wofford coach to replace Buzz Williams
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Tech has hired former Wofford men’s basketball coach Mike Young to replace Buzz Williams. The school announced the decision Sunday night, just four days after Williams left to take the same job at Texas A&M. Young, a native of Radford, Va., about 10 miles from the...
Virginia basketball known for upsets, and maybe a national title
MINNEAPOLIS — It is not Duke, North Carolina or UCLA. Yet, when sorting through all the games, personalities and events that helped shape college basketball into the billion-dollar colossus it is today, it’s hard to look past the name “Virginia.” It’s the program that gave us one of the sport’s...
Corey Conners wins Valero days after qualifying, will play MastersVideo
SAN ANTONIO — His first PGA Tour victory in the bag and his ticket punched for next week’s Masters, Corey Conners’ primary concern was a big change to his work weeks going forward. “No more Monday qualifying,” Conners said. “That’s the best deal from this. Amazing. It’s a dream come...
Baylor women hold off Notre Dame to win title
TAMPA, Fla. — Baylor recovered after blowing a 17-point lead and losing a star player, beating Notre Dame, 82-81, for the NCAA women’s basketball championship Sunday night when 2018 tournament hero Arike Ogunbowale missed a foul shot in the final seconds. Chloe Jackson made a layup to put Baylor ahead...
Tim Dahlberg: At Masters, it’s not the players who are stars
The not-quite-ready-for-prime-time Thanksgiving exhibition with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson produced such bad golf that Mickelson and country singer Jake Owen traded barbs about it a day later at Jordan Spieth’s wedding. Owen said it was so bad he deserved a refund. He told Barstool Sports’ “Fore Play” podcast that...
Belief systems working for NCAA finalists Virginia, Texas Tech
MINNEAPOLIS — For Virginia and Texas Tech, doing something that had never been done before took hard work, dedication, determination — and vision. The Cavaliers and Red Raiders meet in the NCAA Tournament championship game Monday night. Neither program has ever been this close to a title, making it a...
Kyle Busch fends off brother to win NASCAR race at BristolVideo
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Busch was in the race Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, so of course, he won. Busch grabbed his third Cup win of the season, eighth overall at Bristol, and 10th this year spanning all three of NASCAR’s national series. The victory Sunday came at the expense...
Bret Hart was jumped by fan during WWE Hall of Fame speech
Wrestlers sprang to the aid of Bret Hart when a fan jumped a barrier and wrapped his arms around the 61-year-old former wrestler as he delivered a WWE Hall of Fame speech Saturday night in the ring at Barclays Center. Hart was being inducted into the Hall a second time,...
Texas Tech smothers Michigan State to reach 1st NCAA title game
MINNEAPOLIS — For those who thought Texas Tech only plays defense, it’s time to meet Matt Mooney. While the Red Raiders were locking down Michigan State on one end, the graduate transfer shooting guard was raining in 3s on the other, lifting Tech one win away from the title Saturday...
Controversial whistle leads to Virginia’s Final Four win
MINNEAPOLIS — For the second time in two years, Virginia looked headed for a crushing exit from the NCAA Tournament. One whistle, one slight bump and three clutch free throws changed everything. Kyle Guy hit three free throws with 0.6 seconds left to help the Cavaliers beat Auburn, 63-62, in...
Kyle Guy hits 3 FTs with 0.6 left, Virginia shocks Auburn 63-62
MINNEAPOLIS — From one-and-done to NCAA Tournament miracle men, Virginia will play in the national championship game for the first time after pulling off another last-second stunner on a disputed foul with 0.6 seconds left. Kyle Guy made three free throws as debate immediately started over the call, and Virginia...
Short track at Bristol latest test for new NASCAR rules package
BRISTOL, Tenn. — NASCAR’s second stop at a short track this season is another race that is impossible to predict. There is a new rules package, a traction strip around Bristol Motor Speedway and the general crankiness that short-track racing tends to produce. Moods were mixed following Saturday’s final practice,...
Michigan State’s Tom Izzo may have done best job of career
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Tom Izzo struggled with tears of joy as Michigan State knocked off top-seeded Duke to reach the Final Four. He was emotional again only a few hours later when fans packed the Breslin Center to welcome the gritty Spartans back to campus. This season might be...
Final Four runs don’t mask problems in college sports
MINNEAPOLIS — One team’s coach got kicked out of the sport for three years, and two of his assistants have been named in bribery scandals. Another team’s coach is the most high-profile name in an athletic department scarred by its handling of a massive sex-abuse scandal. Few would argue Auburn’s...
Michigan State’s Cassius Winston has chance to join Magic JohnsonVideo
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Cassius Winston is already in elite company. The crafty point guard is among a handful of Michigan State players to win Big Ten player of the year honors and earn a spot on the Associated Press All-America team. And if he can help the Spartans win...
Virginia Tech’s Buzz Williams lured to Texas A&M
Texas A&M hired Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams on Wednesday, luring him back to his home state to try to turn the Aggies into a basketball power. “The Buzz is Back,” Texas A&M tweeted from its official team account. Virginia Tech was 100-69 during Williams’ five-year tenure and went to...
Robert Morris coach Andy Toole handicaps Final Four
Robert Morris basketball coach Andy Toole joins us again as our bracketologist to preview the Final Four this weekend. We talk about the two stunners who made it all the way to the semi-finals: Texas Tech and Auburn. Give Toole credit. He liked Texas Tech from the start of the...
