U.S./World Sports category, Page 374
Gonzaga reclaims No. 1 in AP Top 25; Wofford debuts at 24th
NEW YORK — Gonzaga is back atop the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll. The Zags moved up a spot Monday to begin a second stint at No. 1 this season, both times replacing Duke at the top. Gonzaga (27-2) spent two weeks at No. 1 after beating the...
Dustin Johnson cruises at Mexico Championship for 20th career title
MEXICO CITY — Dustin Johnson struggled early, caught a good break from behind a tree and then breezed to his sixth World Golf Championship title Sunday by closing with a 5-under-par 66 for a five-shot victory over Rory McIlroy in the Mexico Championship. Johnson won for the 20th time on...
Brad Keselowski overcomes illness to win at Atlanta
HAMPTON, Ga. — Brad Keselowski was so sick at Atlanta Motor Speedway his team had a standby driver on call. The help wasn’t needed. The winningest driver in Team Penske history raced to an unlikely victory Sunday by recovering from a stomach virus to win at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It...
Syracuse coach Boeheim deals with emotional aftermath of fatal accident
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The part of every college basketball season players and coaches covet looms in less than a month. For Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, the NCAA Tournament doesn’t even register as he tries to cope with a fatal accident that occurred with him at the wheel. Boeheim struck and...
Christopher Bell rolls to win Xfinity race at Atlanta
HAMPTON, Ga. — Christopher Bell led all but 20 laps while routing the field Saturday to win the Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It was the first victory for the Supra that Toyota is using this season in NASCAR’s second-tier series. “First Supra win in the Xfinity Series,...
Drivers expect new NASCAR rules to create drama, headlines
HAMPTON, Ga. — NASCAR was long overdue for an added punch to its racing product and eagerly awaits the results from a new competition package designed to increase the entertainment factor for the troubled series. The new rules debut Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where the prevailing opinion is the...
Jim Boeheim returns to Syracuse bench in loss to Duke
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — No matter the outcome, Jim Boeheim needed this. Three days after the Hall of Fame coach of the Syracuse Orange struck and killed a pedestrian on a darkened highway that leads out of town, he returned to the bench Saturday night. Boeheim’s first public appearance since the...
WWE legend Ric Flair surprised with 70th birthday party
Ric Flair not only had a hard time “holding these alligators down,” he had a hard time holding the tears back Friday. “The Nature Boy,” as he was commonly known as during his days in the squared circle, was surprised with a 70th birthday celebration in Atlanta, with attendees ranging...
NASCAR’s new rule package shrouded in unknowns before debut
HAMPTON, Ga. — NASCAR rolled into Atlanta Motor Speedway ready to begin a new era of racing shrouded in unknowns. Will it be racier? That’s the point. Will it make Sunday’s event at Atlanta exciting? That remains to be seen. “We don’t have that answer. I can tell you that...
Shawn Windsor: Zion Williamson injury reminds us the NCAA is a farce
He’s got a first name that crackles almost as much as his game, rooted in biblical history, which roughly translates to “highest point,” a fitting description of Duke’s freshman sensation, Zion Williamson. He’s the biggest college star in years, a next-generation blend of power, size and immortal hops, and when...
U.S. Amateur returning to Oakmont in 2021
Sean Knapp was walking his dog in Oakmont late Thursday afternoon when he learned the U.S. Amateur Championship will return to Oakmont Country Club for a sixth time in 2021. Knapp said he let out a “woo-hoo” before thinking, “Too bad it’s not this year. I’d be exempt.” Knapp, who...
Former Kansas volleyball coach catalogued stolen underwear
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Court documents say a former volunteer volleyball coach at the University of Kansas stole dozens of pairs of underwear from players and catalogued them in labeled plastic storage containers. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the police affidavit released Wednesday says that a search of 23-year-old Skyler Yee’s...
Nike probing Zion shoe malfunction that led to injury
NEW YORK — Nike says it’s investigating why Duke freshman Zion Williamson split a shoe open during a game against rival North Carolina. But the sportswear giant says it’s an “isolated occurrence.” The Beaverton, Oregon-based company says it’s concerned and says quality and performance of its products are of “utmost...
No. 8 UNC routs No. 1 Duke; Zion Williamson hurts knee
DURHAM, N.C. — Zion Williamson blew out his shoe, and then No. 8 North Carolina blew out top-ranked Duke. Luke Maye took full advantage of a freak injury to the freshman sensation, finishing with 30 points and 15 rebounds to help the Tar Heels rout Duke, 88-72, on Wednesday night....
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim strikes, kills pedestrian on highway
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim struck and killed a man walking on an interstate late Wednesday night as he tried to avoid hitting the man’s disabled vehicle, police say. Syracuse police say 51-year-old Jorge Jimenez had been in a car with three others before midnight Wednesday...
Duke star Zion Williamson injures knee after Nike shoe blows out
DURHAM, N.C. — Freshman sensation Zion Williamson was knocked out of the North Carolina-Duke rivalry game by a knee injury after his Nike shoe blew out during the top-ranked Blue Devils’ opening possession. Williamson grabbed his right knee in pain after slipping awkwardly and falling when his left shoe fell...
A new country, big excitement in Mexico over Tiger Woods
MEXICO CITY — Two small openings on both sides of a tree-covered path were packed with fans young and old, some with caps they wanted signed, others holding phones to capture the moment. They were screaming one word that translates in any language at the Mexico Championship. “Tiger!” Tiger Woods...
Kevin Love healthy, optimistic as Cavaliers fight to season’s finish
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Kevin Love relaxed on the beach under the warm Caribbean sun during the All-Star break. He hopes it finally shines on him and the Cavaliers in the second half of a depressing, gloomy season. Offering optimism about his future and Cleveland’s, Love returned to the practice floor...
Column: What the Daytona 500 TV ratings mean for NASCAR
For once, file away the doom and gloom. Well, at least for the time being. This NASCAR season, more than any other in recent history, is pivotal. The sport’s iconic stars — including Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick — are mostly, if not all, gone. TV ratings...
Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon invests $250 million in AAF
Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon is investing $250 million in the Alliance of American Football. Dundon also will serve as chairman of the fledgling eight-team league that began play Feb. 9. His involvement came together in a matter of days last week, according to Dundon and Alliance co-founder Charlie Ebersol,...
Michael McDowell defends Daytona 500 decision not to push Joey Logano
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Michael McDowell was still digesting his fifth-place finish at the Daytona 500 when Joey Logano appeared at the front of his car, angrily pointing at the Ford logo. He was questioning McDowell’s loyalty to the brand. “He shows up pointing at the Ford emblem, pushing on the...
On the Fringe: Spieth stays patient during worst slump of career
MEXICO CITY — For a brief moment, Jordan Spieth had reason to believe he finally caught a good break with a bad shot. He was trying to hit a hard, low draw on the fifth hole of the final round at Riviera into a strong wind and a light rain....
Poll: Rural/urban political divisions also split the suburbs
DENVER — America’s suburbs are today’s great political battleground, long seen as an independent pivot between the country’s liberal cities and conservative small towns and rural expanse. But it’s not that simple. It turns out that these places in-between may be the most politically polarized of all — and when...
Quiet RJ Barrett shines in Zion Williamson’s shadow for No. 1 DukeVideo
DURHAM, N.C. — RJ Barrett leads the ACC in scoring. He just recorded Duke’s first triple-double in 13 years. And — as long as his roommate Zion Williamson is still around — he won’t have top billing for the top-ranked Blue Devils. That’s just fine with Barrett. “Him getting attention...
France’s fencing federation officially recognizes lightsaber dueling as sport
BEAUMONT-SUR-OISE, France — Master Yoda, dust off his French, he must. It’s now easier than ever in France to act out “Star Wars” fantasies, because its fencing federation has borrowed from a galaxy far, far away and officially recognized lightsaber dueling as a competitive sport, granting the iconic weapon from...
