U.S./World Sports category, Page 113
As NBA coaching changes mount, some lament the lack of job security
MIAMI — Miami’s Erik Spoelstra and Denver’s Michael Malone are two of the four NBA coaches to have spent at least eight years with their current team. They know how rare that is. Spoelstra and Malone both spoke out Monday following the recent dismissals of three coaches who aren’t far...
Column: NASCAR is facing a tense summer of negotiations with its Cup Series teamsVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR spent the weekend at Darlington Raceway celebrating its 75th anniversary, a salute that now will move to North Wilkesboro Speedway with the first Cup Series race at the reopened track since 1996. The nostalgic nod to NASCAR’s early days has created a festive atmosphere at the...
Kentucky Derby winner Mage set as 8-5 morning line favorite for PreaknessVideo
HALETHORPE, Md. — Kentucky Derby winner Mage was installed as the 8-5 morning line favorite for the Preakness at the post position draw Monday. He’s the only horse in the field of eight set to take part in the second race of the Triple Crown two weeks after running in...
Justin Thomas looking to find results as he defends PGA Championship titleVideo
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Justin Thomas won the PGA Championship when he least expected it, matching a tournament record last year at Southern Hills when he rallied from seven shots behind in the final round and won in a playoff. Now he’s not sure what to expect. That was his only...
Victor Wembanyama about to learn NBA destination with draft lotteryVideo
Academy Award winner Michael Douglas loves basketball. He’s a big Miami fan, mainly because of his relationship with Heat president Pat Riley. Douglas has gone to a couple French league games in recent weeks for one reason: Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-3 French phenom who is already capturing the basketball world’s...
Doyle Brunson, called the Godfather of Poker, dies at 89
LAS VEGAS — Doyle Brunson, one of the most influential poker players of all time and a two-time world champion, died Sunday, according to his agent. Brunson was 89. Brian Balsbaugh, Brunson’s agent, posted a statement on Twitter from the family. “It is with a heavy heart we announce the...
Horse dies at Churchill Downs, 8th recent fatality at home of Kentucky Derby
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A horse died Sunday after a race at Churchill Downs, making it the eighth fatality in recent weeks at the home of the Kentucky Derby. Rio Moon “suffered a catastrophic injury to his left foreleg a few strides after the wire,” according to notes in the Equibase...
Kurt Busch hopes to return to NASCAR Cup Series, improving after concussion
DARLINGTON, S.C. — Kurt Busch hasn’t given up hope of competing in the NASCAR Cup Series again. Busch has been sidelined since suffering a concussion during a crash in qualifying at Pocono last summer. He announced in October that he’d be stepping out of his ride at 23XI to continue...
Hendrick driver Alex Bowman unsure when he’ll return from back injury
DARLINGTON, S.C. — Alex Bowman is unsure when he can return to the track after fracturing his vertebrae in a short-track accident last month. The Hendrick Motorsports racer has missed the past three events, including Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Bowman came to the track to reconnect with the...
Jason Day gets 1st win in 5 years at Byron Nelson; Scheffler finishes 3 backVideo
McKINNEY, Texas — Jason Day didn’t make the Mother’s Day connection until he saw his late mom’s name on the back of his caddie’s bib on the first green during the final round of the Byron Nelson. That was just one more reason for the emotions to flow over the...
William Byron wins Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway after Ross Chastain wreck
DARLINGTON, S.C. — William Byron saw Ross Chastain and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson ahead of him late at Darlington Raceway. Byron made sure he was prepared for the fireworks he thought could happen. Boom! Byron moved in front when Chastain and Larson wrecked while racing for the lead on...
Grizzlies suspend Ja Morant after another gun video appears on social media
Ja Morant was suspended by the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday after he appeared to be holding a gun in another social media video that was streamed live on Instagram, the latest in a series of concerning incidents involving the two-time All-Star guard. It’s the second time in less than three...
Ross Chastain learning to handle role as villain as NASCAR heads to DarlingtonVideo
DARLINGTON, S.C. — Ross Chastain thinks things went too far last week when he punched Noah Gragson in the pits at Kansas. However, the NASCAR points leader said he feels more comfortable in his growing role as the Cup series’ bad boy. Gragson confronted Chastain after a late-race incident and...
Curtis Strange returns to Oak Hill for PGA Championship with mixed bag of memoriesVideo
Curtis Strange began working as a golf analyst more than 25 years ago. His return to Oak Hill as part of the ESPN broadcast team for the PGA Championship will mark the first time commentating at a course where he won a major championship. That was only interesting until the...
Scottie Scheffler leads Byron Nelson by 1 at halfway point
McKINNEY, Texas — Scottie Scheffler says he tries not to put too much emphasis on winning one tournament over another, even when his hometown AT&T Byron Nelson is in play. Ryan Palmer isn’t keeping any secrets. Win the Nelson not far from his home in another Dallas-Fort Worth suburb, knowing...
Questions linger about horse deaths in Kentucky with Preakness up nextVideo
Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey and his wife, Alison, have been fielding messages from friends outside horse racing about the spate of deaths at Churchill Downs leading up to and on Kentucky Derby day. “They’re texting, ‘What’s going on?’ ” McGaughey said. “They don’t want to hear that (is...
Black College World Series hopes to spur MLB careers for HBCU playersVideo
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The spectators were mostly Black kids, ranging from elementary school to high school. The teams — all from historically Black colleges and universities — had names that won’t resonate with the average baseball fan. Wiley. Bluefield State. Ruste. The Black College World Series, held this week in...
Kentucky Derby winner Mage will run in the Preakness
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky Derby winner Mage will run in the 148th Preakness following an encouraging workout at Churchill Downs, its co-owner said. Mage galloped about 1½ miles at a brisk pace with exercise rider J.J. Delgado aboard on a cloudy but mild Friday morning at the track. Co-owner and...
S.Y. Noh leads Byron Nelson by 3 after course record-tying 60Video
McKINNEY, Texas — S.Y. Noh thought he didn’t have quite enough distance with his 3-wood as he pondered going for the green in two on the par-5 18th hole to set up a potential eagle and a 59 in the first round of the AT&T Byron Nelson. The South Korean...
Defending Indy 500 champ Marcus Ericsson back at Brickyard, seeking new contract
INDIANAPOLIS — Marcus Ericsson spent most of his career trying to show he could win races. So when the 32-year-old Swede pulled into victory lane at last year’s Indianapolis 500, he savored every moment of the seemingly endless victory lap. Now, the defending race champion and current IndyCar points leader...
European tour issues more fines, possible suspensions, for 26 players who competed for LIVVideo
Equipped with a favorable court ruling, the DP World (European) Tour has expanded its sanctions against players who competed in LIV Golf or Asian Tour events without permission over eight months. The tour already has issued fines of $125,000 to 17 players who played in the first two LIV Golf...
Michael Jordan’s famed ‘Dream Team’ Olympic jacket heading to auction
The jacket that Michael Jordan famously and grudgingly wore while receiving an Olympic gold medal has been in Brian McIntyre’s possession for more than three decades now. He figures the time is right to let someone else enjoy it. The red, white and blue Reebok jacket that Jordan — a...
Georgia coach Smart says declining invitation for White House visit was not political
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia coach Kirby Smart insisted Wednesday there was no political motivation behind the decision for his national championship football team to decline an invitation to visit the White House in June. Instead, Smart says scheduling issues, including a youth camp in June at the Georgia football facility,...
PGA Championship has 99 of top 100 in the field for Oak Hill, no Sergio GarciaVideo
The PGA Championship stuck to its mission of getting the strongest field of the four majors, announcing a field Wednesday that includes 99 of the top 100 in the world ranking no matter what tour they play. Missing from the 155-player list is Sergio Garcia, the former Masters champion who...
College golfer disqualifies self after shooting course record 62 at U.S. Open qualifying tournament
A University of Illinois golfer, who shot a course record round of 10-under par 62, was forced to disqualify himself for a rules violation, according to a report in Golf Monthly. Tommy Kuhl, a fifth-year senior at the University of Illinois, informed tournament officials that he’d repaired aeration marks on...
