U.S./World Sports category, Page 43
Ryan Blaney wins inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway
NEWTON, Iowa — Ryan Blaney dominated the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway on Sunday night for his first victory of the season and a spot in the playoffs. Blaney led four times for a career-high 201 laps, finishing 0.716 seconds ahead of William Byron for his 11th...
Rookie Dereck Lively leaving impression as Mavericks try to stay alive in NBA Finals
Dereck Lively II drained the first 3-pointer of his career, forced a missed layup at the other end and ping-ponged back down the court to slam home an alley-oop pass. The Dallas Mavericks didn’t trail again in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against Boston after that first-quarter sequence from...
Mt. Lebanon’s Neal Shipley wins duel for top amateur honors at U.S. Open
Mt. Lebanon native Neal Shipley’s last day as an amateur golfer was one he’ll never forget. Shipley beat Florida State junior Luke Clanton in dramatic fashion in the final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday at Pinehurst No. 2 to claim low amateur honors. Shipley shot a 2-over-par 72...
Franklin Regional grad Spencer Lee ready to ‘put on show’ for U.S. wrestling at Paris Olympics
There is one thing that has never changed about Spencer Lee since he began wrestling when he was 8. Lee strived to be the best. And during the past 17 years, it’s hard to argue he hasn’t been one of the best. Now the 25-year-old Franklin Regional and Iowa graduate,...
Celtics take season’s worth of lessons into Game 5 of NBA Finals vs. Mavericks
BOSTON — The Celtics picked the most inopportune time to play their worst game of the season. Boston’s 122-84 Game 4 loss to Dallas had all kinds of superlatives, and none of them were good. It ended the Celtics’ 10-game playoff win streak. It was the Celtics’ lowest-scoring output of...
NASCAR’s Cup Series comes to Iowa, but it’s not same track drivers remember
NEWTON, Iowa — Christopher Bell likes that the NASCAR Cup Series will be at Iowa Speedway for the first time. Heading into Sunday’s race, the .875-mile track isn’t quite the one he remembers. Bell has seven top-five finishes in nine starts at the track in NASCAR’s other series, including two...
After penalty stroke, Mt. Lebanon’s Neal Shipley shoots 71 in 3rd round of U.S. Open
Mt. Lebanon’s Neal Shipley is 4-over par after three rounds of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. If his ball hadn’t moved a matter of millimeters at an inopportune time Saturday, he’d be 3-over par. Shipley was assessed a one-stroke penalty on the 13th hole when his ball, sitting on an...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Joey Chestnut drama is frankly ridiculous
The world of competitive eating was split asunder this past week when the annual July 4 Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest at Coney Island banned 16-time winner Joey Chestnut because he’s endorsing a vegan frankfurter. Only in America. But Chestnut rebounded quickly: He will go one-on-one with six-time winner Takeru...
Doncic scores 29, Mavericks roll past the Celtics 122-84 to avoid a sweep in the NBA FinalsVideo
DALLAS — Luka Doncic scored 25 of his 29 points in the first half, Kyrie Irving added 21 points and the Dallas Mavericks emphatically extended their season on Friday night, fending off elimination by beating the Boston Celtics, 122-84, in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The Mavs’ stars were...
Mt. Lebanon’s Neal Shipley makes cut at U.S. Open at unforgiving Pinehurst
Mt. Lebanon native Neal Shipley went viral in the online golf community this week with his choice of head cover for his driver. It’s a replica of an order of curly fries from Arby’s. He’s also making some headlines for more substantive reasons. Shipley made the cut in a major...
Martin Truex Jr. announces retirement from full-time racing in NASCAR’s Cup SeriesVideo
NEWTON, Iowa — Martin Truex Jr. announced Friday he will retire from full-time racing at the end of the season, saying it was time to live by his own schedule after 19 years in NASCAR’s Cup Series. “I mean, it’s as simple as just not having a crazy schedule where,...
Celtics on brink of 18th title, can close out Mavericks in Game 4 of NBA Finals
DALLAS — It’s over. That’s what the numbers say. There will be a record-setting 18th championship for the Boston Celtics to celebrate soon, maybe very soon. They have a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals, a lead that has never been wasted in any NBA series, ever. The stats are...
Mt. Lebanon’s Neal Shipley puts off turning pro, shoots even-par 70 at U.S. Open
PINEHURST, N.C. — Mt. Lebanon native Neal Shipley finished his college career at Ohio State and is ready to take the next step. Just not right now. He was exempt to the U.S. Open as the runner-up in the U.S. Amateur last summer. But unlike the winner, Nick Dunlap, Shipley...
Dan Hurley says he belongs at UConn after turning down ‘obviously tempting’ offer from LakersVideo
STORRS, Conn. — Dan Hurley considered the opportunity to try to lead UConn to a third consecutive national title or the chance to become coach of one of the NBA’s most storied franchises and asked himself one question. “Where do you belong?” Hurley said Thursday at UConn’s basketball headquarters. The...
IndyCar moves to Fox Sports in 2025 after 16 seasons with NBC; Fox now has Daytona 500, Indy 500
Fox Sports said Thursday it has acquired the rights to broadcast IndyCar starting in 2025, a move that gives the network two of the biggest races in the world: the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Daytona 500. Fox Sports already broadcasts the first half of the NASCAR schedule. NASCAR in November...
Wimbledon prize money is increasing to a record 50 million pounds. That’s about $64 million
WIMBLEDON, England — Wimbledon’s total prize money fund will rise to a record of nearly $64 million, with the singles champions earning $3.45 million each, All England Club officials announced Thursday at the annual spring briefing. The total amount is $6.8 million more than last year, an increase of 11.9%...
Tatum, Brown help Celtics hold off huge Dallas rally for 106-99 win, 3-0 lead in NBA FinalsVideo
DALLAS — Jayson Tatum scored 31 points, Jaylen Brown had 30 and the Boston Celtics held off a furious Dallas rally to reach the brink of a record 18th championship with a 106-99 victory over the Mavericks on Wednesday night for a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals. Brown finished...
Pulisic offsets Rodrygo goal as U.S. gains 1-1 tie against Brazil in last Copa America warmupVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Four days after one of their worst matches, Christian Pulisic and the U.S. soccer team stopped an 11-game losing streak to Brazil with a spirted 1-1 draw that left them with a positive mindset heading into the Copa America. Hershey native Pulisic scored in 26th minute to...
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas fails in challenge to rules that bar her from elite women’s races
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas failed in her challenge against rules that stop her from competing in elite women’s races because judges ruled she did not have standing to bring the case. The Court of Arbitration for Sport panel of three judges dismissed Thomas’ request for arbitration with the World Aquatics...
NBA mock draft: Frenchmen go 1-2, then Sheppard and Castle follow as best of the one-and-donesVideo
The only certainty in the NBA Draft used to be a college freshman at the top of it. From John Wall in 2010 to Paolo Banchero in 2022, 13 straight drafts began with a one-and-done player. That streak ended last year, when San Antonio selected Victor Wembanyama with the No....
Jerry West, a 3-time Hall of Fame selection and the NBA logo, dies at 86Video
Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive, and whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, died Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Clippers announced. He was 86. West, nicknamed “Mr. Clutch”...
Jayson Tatum knows his shooting numbers aren’t great. The Celtics control the NBA Finals anywayVideo
DALLAS — There have been two versions of Jayson Tatum in the NBA Finals. Version One is shooting a dismal 12 for 38 from the field, just 31.6%, the worst percentage by far of any starter in the series between his Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks. Version Two is second...
Rising costs for youth sports represents a challenge for families in keeping children active
The costs keep adding up — league fees, gear, travel — when it comes to youth sports in North America. It’s a longtime issue exacerbated by inflation and hardly confined to the United States. The expense of playing youth hockey is one of the primary reasons cited by parents and...
Canadian youth hockey decline raises concerns about future of the sport
BRAMPTON, Ontario — Hockey remains a beloved pastime, a source of pride and joy and something that has knitted Canada together for more than 150 years. Youth hockey participation, however, has decreased by nearly a third in Canada over the past decade and a half, a decline that began well...
Race teams unhappier than ever with NASCAR’s latest offer on charter agreement
SONOMA, Calif. — NASCAR avoided one public relations nightmare last week when it granted Kyle Larson a waiver to participate in the playoffs even though he missed the Coca-Cola 600. That piece of goodwill hardly made things sunshine and roses over the weekend at Sonoma Raceway, where teams remained extremely...
