U.S./World Sports category, Page 380
FSU starting QB Deondre Francois dismissed from team after domestic dispute surfaces on social media
Florida State starting quarterback Deondre Francois has been dismissed from the team after a domestic dispute surfaced on social media Saturday night. The school released a statement from head coach Willie Taggart on Sunday afternoon announcing Francois’ departure. “Last night, I informed Deondre Francois that he is no longer a...
Jimmie Johnson poised to show critics his racing days are not over
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jimmie Johnson, one of the most polite and professional athletes in sports, rarely gets rattled. Unless he is being trolled on social media. Johnson’s patience was very much tested last season, the worst of his NASCAR career. He could handle the losing, the internal struggles at Hendrick...
Rickie Fowler takes 4-stroke lead into final round at Phoenix Open
Rickie Fowler had eight birdies in a 7-under-par 64 on Saturday, taking a four-shot lead over Matt Kuchar into the final round of the Phoenix Open. Twice a runner-up at TPC Scottsdale, Fowler navigated a difficult two-putt on the par-4 18th hole to reach 20-under 193. Kuchar shot a bogey-free...
Jeff Gordon’s influence on NASCAR honored at Hall of FameVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jeff Gordon’s immense influence on NASCAR was highlighted during a star-packed Hall of Fame induction ceremony befitting a driver who changed the trajectory of an entire sport. Gordon was the top vote-getter in the 10th class of the Hall of Fame, which included the late drivers Davey...
NASCAR needs new stars, and Kyle Larson may save the sportVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR’s biggest stars all have moved on. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are television analysts, and Tony Stewart is racing sprint cars again. Danica Patrick traded her firesuit for athleisure-wear, and Carl Edwards just kind of disappeared. America’s top motorsports series is in need of a...
Rickie Fowler closes with 4 straight birdies to lead Phoenix Open
COTTSDALE, Ariz. — After the opening round of the Phoenix Open, Rickie Fowler lamented a missed putt that would have given him the outright lead and household bragging rights. Following an impressive string of birdies to close out his second round, Fowler will get his chance to trash-talk Justin Thomas,...
Lindsey Vonn to retire after world championships
Lindsey Vonn says she will retire from ski racing after this month’s world championships in Sweden. The women’s all-time leader in World Cup wins had been planning to retire in December but changed her plans because of persistent pain in both of her knees, which she fully realized after failing...
NCAA bans Missouri from postseason after academic misconduct
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The NCAA handed one-year postseason bans and other penalties to Missouri’s football, baseball and softball programs while placing its entire athletic department on probation Thursday after a two-year investigation revealed academic misconduct involving a former tutor. The penalties mean that the Tigers’ highly regarded football team...
Be it age or injury, Woods now begins year at a slower pace
SAN DIEGO — Tiger Woods wrapped up his week at Torrey Pines with a 67 to tie for 20th and said it was good to shake off some rust and see what needs work. It was his first competition in seven weeks, and only his second event since the Ryder...
Rose holds off Scott to win Farmers Insurance Open
SAN DIEGO — Justin Rose missed a short birdie putt that felt like another bogey. His three-shot lead was down to one through six holes of the Farmers Insurance Open, and the biggest battle was trying not to panic. That’s when he scratched a line on his scorecard after six...
‘Amazing’ Djokovic tops Nadal for record 7th Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic was so good, so relentless, so pretty much perfect, that Rafael Nadal never stood a chance. Djokovic reduced one of the greats of the game to merely another outclassed opponent — just a guy, really — and one so out of sorts that Nadal even...
Duke’s Daniel Jones sparks North to Senior Bowl victory
MOBILE, Ala. — Daniel Jones got his bad Senior Bowl moments out of the way long before kickoff. The Duke quarterback threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score in the third quarter to lead the North to a 34-24 victory over the South on Saturday, putting a nice...
Osaka wins Australian Open for 2nd Slam title, No. 1 ranking
MELBOURNE, Australia — So close to victory, Naomi Osaka suddenly was letting the Australian Open final slip away. Three championship points? Gone. A sizable lead? Soon all gone, too. She was playing poorly. She yelled at herself. Slammed a ball. Tugged at her visor’s pink brim. Trudged to the locker...
53rd matchup for Djokovic, Nadal in Australian Open final
MELBOURNE, Australia — It was fascinating to hear Novak Djokovic explain what it will be like to face Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final. “The intensity that he brings on the court is immense,” Djokovic said. “Without a doubt, probably the most intense tennis player that I have witnessed...
Swedish teammates help save man’s life before World Cup training
GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany — Three Swedish skiers competing in this weekend’s women’s World Cup races helped save a course volunteer’s life before their first downhill training session. Lisa Hoernblad, who gave the stricken man first-aid after he suffered what she thought was a heart attack, followed up by finishing second in...
Courtney Force ends successful Funny Car career
YORBA LINDA, Calif. — Courtney Force, the winningest female Funny Car driver in NHRA history, is stepping away from driving. Force is a 12-time Funny Car winner, was the No. 1 qualifer 28 times and ranked in the top 10 of the NHRA standings in six of her seven seasons....
Fifty years after last Grand Slam, Laver says it’ll happen again
MELBOURNE, Australia — Fifty years after Rod Laver won the last true Grand Slam in men’s tennis, he is fairly confident the feat will be replicated one day, unlikely as it may seem. “It’s got to happen again,” the Australian left-hander said Wednesday at the Australian Open. While Steffi Graf...
1 point away, Serena stunned by Pliskova at Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia — Four times, Serena Williams was only one point — a single point — from closing out a victory in the Australian Open quarterfinals. On the first such chance, at 5-1, 40-30 in the third set, she turned her left ankle awkwardly. The owner of the best serve...
Hobbled Serena Williams knocked out of Australian Open in quarters
MELBOURNE, Australia — Serena Williams was one point from quite a comeback victory in the Australian Open quarterfinals when she turned her left ankle. Everything unraveled from there. In a startling reversal and result, Williams wasted four match points along the way to dropping the last six games of a...
Well-traveled QB Gardner Minshew hoping to find NFL home
MOBILE, Ala. — Gardner Minshew carved his own meandering path from walk-on to NFL prospect. He began as a walk-on at Troy, took a sharp left to junior college, bounced over to East Carolina, made a beeline toward Alabama and finally ended with one terrific season at Washington State. “I...
Doping agency forgives Russia, but says more work needed
The World Anti-Doping Agency straddled the wide gulf between vindication and capitulation Tuesday, agreeing to keep Russia’s anti-doping operation in business after receiving much-sought-after lab data that could be used to prosecute hundreds of cheaters. But the decision came with a warning: Fool us again, and we can bar you...
Tennis players can cause quite a racket by smashing rackets
MELBOURNE, Australia — Way behind in a match he soon would lose, Alexander Zverev leaned forward in his Australian Open sideline seat to repeatedly, and violently, crack his racket against the court with a reverberating thwack. — Eight times in all, before throwing down the offending, and now-mangled, piece of...
Tennessee moves to No. 1 in AP Top 25, Duke drops to No. 2
Top-ranked Duke went down early in the week. No. 2 Michigan and No. 4 Virginia, the last of Division I’s unbeaten teams, both fell over the weekend. In all, six top-10 teams lost. Tennessee kept rolling amid chaos across the AP Top 25. The Vols are the new No. 1...
‘Time to say goodbye’: Vonn in too much pain to continue
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — What was evident all weekend for Lindsey Vonn became clear to everyone else on Sunday. The American skier’s surgically repaired knees simply don’t let her apply the power she requires to win races anymore. The pain is too severe; the psychological impact too much to bear;...
Phil Mickelson drains long birdies for Desert Classic lead
LA QUINTA, Calif. — Phil Mickelson made three long birdie putts on the back nine Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Desert Classic. Making his first start of the year, the 48-year-old Mickelson shot a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 on the Stadium Course at PGA...
