U.S./World Sports category, Page 375
Duke reclaims No. 1 in AP Top 25; Tennessee falls to 5th
NEW YORK — Duke has reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 poll. The Blue Devils earned 58 of 64 first-place votes in Monday’s poll to earn a third stint at the top this season. Duke climbed one spot to replace Tennessee, which had spent four weeks...
J.B. Holmes rallies on long final day to win at Genesis Open
LOS ANGELES — A marathon finish was only part of the challenge facing J.B. Holmes. He also had to contend with a four-shot deficit against Justin Thomas on greens that were increasingly bumpy with so many footprints over nine hours and wind that made Riviera tougher than ever. With one...
Hamlin wins crash-filled Daytona 500 to lead 1-2-3 sweep for Joe Gibbs Racing
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Denny Hamlin came to the Daytona 500 determined to honor his late car owner with a victory. He delivered in a storybook tribute for Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin won NASCAR’s biggest race for the second time in four years Sunday, leading JGR in a 1-2-3 sweep...
Michael Annett wins Xfinity Series opener at Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Michael Annett stretched the Speedweeks streak of first-time winners to three with a victory Saturday in the Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Annett won for the first time at NASCAR’s national level, a career that spans 345 races in three series. He gave...
Fresh faces, new sponsors give Daytona 500 throwback feelVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Among those trying to win the Daytona 500 this year are a Florida watermelon farmer, a short-track champion from New England, a TV analyst and a 22-year-old whose career nearly was derailed by a brain tumor. The front row is the youngest in Daytona 500 history,...
Mikaela Shiffrin fights illness, wins 4th straight slalom at worlds
ARE, Sweden — An unprecedented victory for Mikaela Shiffrin. And easily the most dramatic. Skiing through illness, the American barely had the energy to celebrate becoming the first ski racer — male or female — to win the same event at four straight world championships. The 23-year-old Shiffrin won the...
Austin Hill earns 1st Truck Series victory in Daytona opener
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Austin Hill blocked his way to his first career Truck Series victory in a crash-marred season-opener Friday night at Daytona International Speedway. With only nine of the 32 trucks still running in the second overtime, Hill had to block Grant Enfinger for most of the final...
Kyle Busch chases Richard Petty for 200 NASCAR wins
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Busch had been sprayed with champagne and hoisted his winner’s trophy last July at Pocono Raceway when fans sitting high above the stage shouted his name so they could snap a quick photo. Busch craned his neck to oblige the requests, and the signage on...
Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick lead Ford sweep in Daytona qualifying
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano won the Daytona 500 qualifying races in a pair of Ford sweeps that have the new Mustang positioned for a strong showing in “The Great American Race.” Harvick won the first of the 150-mile qualifying races Thursday night that set the...
Jockey Craig Perret among 9 finalists for racing HOF
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Jockey Craig Perret, trainers Mark Casse, Christophe Clement and the late David Whiteley, and five thoroughbreds are contemporary finalists for the National Museum of Racing’s 2019 Hall of Fame ballot. The racehorses are Blind Luck, Gio Ponti, Havre de Grace, Rags to Riches and Royal...
Knicks rookie Kevin Knox has an entry for dunk of the year
It can be argued that the New York Knicks are the worst organization in all of sports. But Wednesday night, rookie Kevin Knox provided possibly the best play of the NBA season. The small forward caught a pass as he was cutting into the lane and hammered a monstrous dunk...
AAF’s officials pleased with opening weekend TV ratings but remain cautious
The Alliance of American Football was a ratings winner in its inaugural weekend, but founder Charlie Ebersol realizes it is a small sample size. “We feel really good about them and that our theory that Americans want more football tends to be true,” Ebersol said. “However, we still have to...
Jim France tries to revive sagging NASCAR from behind the scenes
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jim France is running NASCAR the same way he lives his life: quietly, in the background, away from the spotlight he never craved. The youngest son of NASCAR’s founder carved his own path in the family business and left the leadership roles to his father, Bill...
Sergio Garcia apologizes for outburst at Saudi Arabia tournament
LOS ANGELES — Sergio Garcia apologized in a statement and in person to the players in his group when he damaged five greens at the Saudi International. He apologized in a social media post and in an interview at his locker Wednesday at Riviera. That has been the easy part....
Gamblers bet on new football league despite no history
ATLANTIC CITY — Almost no one knows the players and there’s virtually no history to look back on. But that’s not stopping gamblers from making — and bookmakers from taking — bets on America’s newest professional football league, the Alliance of American Football (AAF). With one weekend of games under...
Mike Krzyzewski: ‘No knowledge’ of alleged assault by ex-Duke player
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski says he has “no knowledge” of a woman’s allegation that she was sexually assaulted by a former Blue Devils basketball player and he believes the school should and will investigate. Lawyer Nancy Erika Smith has said her client, Meredith Watson, was raped by...
Cavaliers’ Kevin Love sitting out final game before All-Star break
CLEVELAND — Cavaliers forward Kevin Love will sit out the final game before the All-Star break to get further rest following foot surgery. Love has not suffered any setbacks since returning last week to play for the first time since having the operation in November. The five-time All-Star has played...
Duke overcomes 23-point 2nd-half deficit to beat Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Cam Reddish made a tying 3-pointer with 1 minute, 28 seconds left and the go-ahead free throws with 14 seconds remaining, helping No. 2 Duke overcome a 23-point second-half deficit to beat No. 16 Louisville, 71-69, on Tuesday night. After making 2 of 17 shots to open...
NASCAR pushes in its chips on sports gambling
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Brendan Gaughan is the son of a casino magnate and long has grasped the allure of throwing down a few bucks to wager on a sporting event. Heck, Gaughan once bet on himself in Las Vegas to win the 2004 Daytona 500. Gaughan got a stern...
Column: Hendrick sends statement with sweep to open Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Rick Hendrick was telling the truth when he insisted this year was going to be much improved from last season, the worst in team history. He moved personnel and split up seven-time NASCAR Cup champions Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus. He had a Navy SEAL deliver...
Texans star J.J. Watt to serve as Daytona 500 grand marshal
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Houston Texans star J.J. Watt will serve as the grand marshal for the Daytona 500, making him the first NFL player to give the command for drivers to starts their engines before NASCAR’s most famous race. Daytona International Speedway made the announcement Monday, six days before...
Tennessee remains at No. 1 in AP poll, ahead of Duke
The NCAA Division I Basketball Committee slated Duke as the No. 1 overall seed in its initial tournament rankings over the weekend. Voters in the AP Top 25 stuck with Tennessee as their top team. The Vols received 40 of 64 first-place votes from a media panel in the poll...
Phil Mickelson finishes off record 5th win at Pebble Beach Pro-Am
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Phil Mickelson is closing in on three decades on the PGA Tour and a half-century on Earth, and he still feels his best golf is good enough. He was at his best at Pebble Beach, and no one had a chance. A Monday finish brought on...
NBA All-Stars break out specialty shoes for weekend
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NBA players once again will be sharing personal stories this weekend during All-Star festivities — and using basketball shoes as a platform to get their message out. When Kevin Durant takes the floor on Sunday he’ll be wearing pink Nike KD 11 Aunt Pearls shoes bearing the...
Thousands of dogs begin vying for Westminster Kennel Club title
NEW YORK — Dogs from affenpinschers to Yorkshire terriers are rounding the rings at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. Breed judging began Monday at the illustrious show in New York. More than 2,800 dogs in 203 breeds and varieties are signed up to compete over two days, leading up...
