U.S./World Sports category, Page 128
Hamlin, fellow Toyota drivers skip last Daytona 500 practice
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin and his six fellow Toyota drivers skipped the final practice for “The Great American Race.” Even action sports star Travis Pastrana, who has little experience at Daytona International Speedway, sat out the 50-minute session Saturday. He is driving a third...
Max Homa feeling at home as Tiger Woods makes Genesis cut
LOS ANGELES — Max Homa in the lead at his hometown PGA Tour event used to give him chills. Now he’s playing so well it almost feels normal. Homa, a winner last month down the coast at Torrey Pines, ran off three birdies around the turn at Riviera and tossed...
Gasol, Nowitzki, Parker, Popovich among Hoop Hall finalists
SALT LAKE CITY — Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker and Gregg Popovich are one step closer to basketball immortality. The three international greats — Gasol, Nowitzki and Parker — were among the list of Class of 2023 finalists unveiled Friday by the Basketball Hall of Fame, putting them on...
Paul Newberry: Take that, all you imaginary haters!
Forget the U.S. hockey team knocking off the mighty Soviets at the 1980 Winter Olympics. That shocking upset doesn’t come close to the Kansas City Chiefs winning the Super Bowl against all imaginary odds. Or the Georgia Bulldogs somehow capturing a second straight national championship that no one except everyone...
Updated Next Gen car to get real-world test in Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The latest version of NASCAR’s Next Gen car still is awaiting a real-world test. It’s sure to come in the Daytona 500. Reacting to driver complaints and concussions to Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman, the sanctioning body made changes to the crumple zones in the backend...
Daytona 500 proves elusive for many, even some series champs
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Busch peered at a handful of Powerball tickets left behind as part of a giveaway and was told he could have them. “Better chances of winning that than the Daytona 500,” Busch cracked. It’s easy to understand why Busch would feel that way. The two-time...
Tiger Woods’ 3-birdie finish keeps him in Genesis Invitational contentionVideo
LOS ANGELES — A day that started with butterflies ended with birdies — three in a row — as Tiger Woods navigated Riviera Country Club on Thursday with a round as crisp as the cool afternoon. Woods, playing his first competitive round in a non-major in 844 days, shot a...
U.S. women blank Canada, show support in labor disputeVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Mallory Swanson scored a pair of first-half goals and the United States beat Canada 2-0 Thursday night in a SheBelieves Cup match clouded by a labor dispute between the Canadian players and their federation. The Canadian women wore purple shirts during the pregame national anthems that read...
Jimmie Johnson, Travis Pastrana seek new thrills in Daytona 500 run
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Travis Pastrana has jumped out of a plane without a parachute but never driven NASCAR’s top Cup Series car over 40 mph. He never took the car for so much as a single spin on the high-banked, high-speed track at Daytona International Speedway. And despite a...
IndyCar’s Conor Daly makes Daytona 500 for Floyd Mayweather
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — IndyCar driver Conor Daly raced Floyd Mayweather into the Daytona 500 for a second consecutive year by bobbing and weaving his way through myriad issues for the ill-prepared team. Daly’s attempt to make his first Daytona 500 only was announced last week as part of a...
Kevin Durant says Suns have ‘all the pieces’Video
PHOENIX — Kevin Durant watched the Phoenix Suns from afar over the past few years, admiring the budding nucleus of Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. Now he’s thrilled to be a part of it. “We’ve got all the pieces to be successful,” Durant said. The 13-time All-Star was...
Reports: Kevin Love discussing possible buyout from CavsVideo
CLEVELAND — Kevin Love’s long, winding run with the Cleveland Cavaliers could be ending after nearly nine years. The five-time All-Star forward has discussed the possibility of a contract buyout with the Cavs after being dropped from their rotation, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press on...
All-Star weekend arrives, as NBA heads to Salt Lake City
SALT LAKE CITY — If so inclined, and if fellow captain LeBron James was to cooperate with his own selections, Giannis Antetokounmpo could pick Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Lauri Markkanen to play on his team Sunday night. Imagine that: an All-International All-Star starting lineup. It’s one of...
Bowman, Larson give Hendrick sweep of front row at DaytonaVideo
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Alex Bowman won his third career Daytona 500 pole and will be joined by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson on the front row for NASCAR’s season opener. The Hendrick dominance is no surprise. Bowman, who missed five races late last season because of a concussion, is...
NASCAR 75: Car evolution includes stock, wings, safety. Could EV be next?Video
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR’s next 75 years almost certainly will include at least a partially electric vehicle turning laps at Daytona International Speedway. It’s unfathomable to some, unconscionable to others. It’s unlikely the sanctioning body would make the transition without at least trying to keep the heart-pounding sound of...
Tiger Woods had a tough time at Riviera even when healthyVideo
LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods made it through 16 holes of his pro-am Wednesday at the Genesis Invitational on a bitterly cold morning with occasional 25 mph gusts that made the temperature feel like the upper 30s. What mattered, at least for now, was how he finished. He didn’t play...
Sweden emerges as sudden front-runner to host 2030 Olympics
GENEVA — Sweden emerging as the front-runner in a troubled search for a 2030 Olympics host is as much a surprise in Stockholm as elsewhere. The year started with Sweden not on the radar of a Winter Games race where longtime favorite Sapporo faded during a criminal investigation of alleged...
New Mexico State fires coach in wake of hazing allegationsVideo
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — New Mexico State fired basketball coach Greg Heiar on Tuesday in the wake of hazing allegations within the team that shut down the program for the rest of the season. Chancellor Dan Arvizu announced the firing of the first-year coach and said “hazing has no place...
NBA announces All-Star Saturday night participantsVideo
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo is teaming up with his brothers again on All-Star Saturday. Portland’s Damian Lillard is taking a third shot at the 3-point title, Indiana’s Buddy Hield will aim to win that one again and Philadelphia’s Mac McClung now can be a slam-dunk champion at the NBA and high...
NASCAR preview: 75th season one of celebration & transition
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kevin Harvick is looking for the exit ramp as he enters his final season as a NASCAR driver, and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson is sliding back into stock cars. Harvick’s farewell tour will come nine years after his only Cup Series title and ahead of a...
Tiger Woods returns to golf with the same belief he can winVideo
LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods feels good enough to play at Riviera, his first tournament with a cut and without a cart since the British Open last July. He already is looking ahead to the Masters. And, yes, he thinks he can win. “I would not have put myself out...
Tony Stewart to run full season in NHRA top alcohol dragster
NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart will return to full-time competition this season — as an NHRA drag racer. Stewart, a three-time NASCAR champion, will run a top alcohol dragster for McPhillips Racing for the full 2023 NHRA season. Stewart, who turns 52 in May, will be sponsored by longtime...
Alabama hoops No. 1 in AP Top 25 for 1st time in 20 years
Alabama is the new No. 1, rising to the top spot in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the first time in 20 years. Purdue’s loss to Northwestern last week caused a jumble at the top of the AP Top 25 and that helped the Crimson...
New Mexico State cancels season after sex, harassment allegationsVideo
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — New Mexico State called off the rest of its men’s basketball season Sunday after reviewing a police report that cited three players for false imprisonment, harassment and counts of criminal sexual contact against a teammate. In a statement, chancellor Dan Arvizu said “this action is clearly...
Scheffler repeats at Phoenix Open to regain No. 1 rankingVideo
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Scottie Scheffler successfully defended his WM Phoenix Open title Sunday at TPC Scottsdale to regain the No. 1 spot in the world. Scheffler closed with a 6-under-par 65 to beat Nick Taylor by two strokes in breezy conditions on the firm and fast Stadium Course. The 26-year-old...
