U.S./World Sports category, Page 245
Pocono Raceway prepared for full house for its NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader
Ben May said he continues to be surprised by the administration of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. But at least this time, it was a pleasant surprise. May is the president of Pocono Raceway and after the coronavirus pandemic prevented any fans from attending last year’s historic NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader...
Alexander Zverev beats Rafael Nadal in straight sets in Madrid Open quarters
MADRID — Alexander Zverev ended his winless streak on clay against Rafael Nadal on Friday, keeping the Spaniard from winning a sixth Madrid Open. Zverev defeated Nadal 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals, picking up his third consecutive win over the 20-time grand slam champion — but first on clay. His...
UEFA deal with 9 Super League clubs; 3 rebels face sanctions
MANCHESTER, England — Nine of the 12 Super League clubs have formally renounced the breakaway and committed to the existing European competitions but they will have to give up 5% of UEFA revenue for one season as a punishment for the rebellion that briefly split football. But Barcelona, Real Madrid...
Riverhounds set to debut new ‘dynamic’ attack in season opener against Tampa Bay Rowdies
Two years ago, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds were the talk of USL Championship as they captured the Eastern Conference title with 68 points. The Black and Gold have changed a lot since that season. Defender Jordan Dover and USL Championship all-time assists leader Kenardo Forbes are the only two players who...
Tokyo Olympic head says IOC President Thomas Bach visit to Japan could be ‘tough’
TOKYO — The president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee said Friday that a visit to Japan this month by IOC President Thomas Bach seemed unlikely with a state of emergency order being extended by the government to Tokyo and other areas until May 31. Canceling the trip could be...
Blast from past as Mickelson opens with 64 at Quail HollowVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Phil Mickelson has gone nine months since he finished among the top 20, and it looks as though that streak is about to end at the Wells Fargo Championship. The 50-year-old Mickelson kept his focus Thursday at Quail Hollow and blistered the course for a 7-under-par 64...
Mandaloun and Essential Quality won’t run in PreaknessVideo
Kentucky Derby favorite Essential Quality and runner-up Mandaloun will not run against Medina Spirit in the Preakness, trainer Brad Cox said Thursday. Cox said he will skip the second jewel of the Triple Crown with those two horses and Caddo River, who was scratched from the Derby for spiking a...
U.S. women’s soccer team to play Summer Series in Texas ahead of Olympics
The U.S. women’s national team will play Portugal, Jamaica and Nigeria during a five-match Summer Series next month in Texas. U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski will use the matches as a final evaluation before he names an 18-player Olympic roster. The United States also plans to play two as-yet unannounced Tokyo...
Golf super league resurfaces as McIlroy puts stock in legacyVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rory McIlroy returned to the site of his first PGA Tour victory and made it clear Wednesday that he is more interested in creating his place in history than chasing Saudi-backed money in a proposed super league. Justin Thomas wasn’t far behind in that line of thinking....
Next Gen car finally arrives, ushers NASCAR into futureVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR’s next generation race car finally is here after two years of hype and hope that it will revolutionize the stock car series. How can a spec car radically change a sport? Competition. Cost containment. Manufacturer relevance. The Next Gen car, first proposed in 2018 and originally...
Chelsea ousts Madrid to set up all-English Champions League final vs Man CityVideo
LONDON — Chelsea’s decision to fire a club legend suddenly doesn’t seem so callous after all. While Frank Lampard’s name has hardly been forgotten by the Chelsea fans — who were chanting it outside Stamford Bridge before kickoff on Wednesday — new manager Thomas Tuchel is quickly creating his own...
NCAA aims for less contact in preseason football practice
The NCAA football oversight committee is preparing to recommend changes to preseason camp that will include fewer fully padded practices and the elimination of some old-school collision drills. The latest move to scale back contact in practice comes in response to a five-year study involving six major college football teams...
This Date in Sports History: May 5
1904 — Cy Young of the Red Sox pitches a p+erfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics, beating Rube Waddell, 3-0. 1934 — Cavalcade wins the Kentucky Derby by more than three lengths over Discovery. It’s his third victory in less than two weeks. 1966 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the...
Golf notes: Only a few spots remain for British Open
PALM HARBOR, Fla. — The PGA Championship field will start to take shape after this week with the top 70 on a special PGA Tour money list getting into the field. For the U.S. Open, anyone not already eligible who doesn’t crack the top 60 in the world ranking can...
Column: Another long road back for slumping Henrik StensonVideo
PALM HARBOR, Fla. — The tee markers at the Valspar Championship were paint cans, except they were filled with sand. This would have been useful information for Henrik Stenson, known to take out his frustrations on inanimate objects. That was never going to be an issue at Innisbrook. Sure, the...
Belmont Stakes to allow 11,000 spectators
The Belmont Stakes will limit attendance to 11,000 spectators for the third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown series. Tickets will go on sale Thursday for the race June 5. The New York Racing Association says it will offer advance pre-sale options Wednesday to people who bought tickets for last...
Brendon Todd tests positive, withdraws from Wells Fargo
Brendon Todd, of Peters Township, withdrew from the Wells Fargo Championship after testing positive for the coronavirus. This is the third straight PGA Tour event that has yielded a positive result in pre-tournament testing. Four players, including Tyrrell Hatton of England, tested positive last week at the Valspar Championship. Seamus...
This date in sports history: May 4Video
1905 — Belmont Park in New York opens for its first thoroughbred meet. 1935 — Omaha, ridden by Willis Saunders, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths over Roman Soldier. Omaha goes on to win the Triple Crown. 1946 — Assault, ridden by Warren Mehrtens, wins the Kentucky Derby...
Google signs deal with WNBA to help champion women’s sportsVideo
NEW YORK — The WNBA signed a multiyear deal with Google on Monday to be the presenting partner for the league’s playoffs, part of the technology giant’s efforts to help champion women’s sports. Twenty-five WNBA games will be televised on ABC and ESPN in celebration of the league’s 25th season,...
Bobby Unser, 3-time Indianapolis 500 winner, dies at 87
There wasn’t much Bobby Unser wouldn’t do to promote the Indianapolis 500, which is how he found himself at a show-and-tell at an Indiana elementary school a few years ago. He had the famed Indy 500 winners’ Borg-Warner Trophy with him and proudly showed the students the Unser legacy. He...
Puerto Rican boxer held without bail after pregnant lover found dead
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A federal judge on Monday ordered Puerto Rican boxer Félix Verdejo held without bail after he was charged in the death of his 27-year-old pregnant lover whose body was found in a lagoon. Verdejo is charged with kidnapping and carjacking resulting in the death of...
This date in sports history: May 3Video
1902 — Alan-a-Dale wins the Kentucky Derby by a nose over Inventor, giving jockey Jimmy Winkfield his second straight Derby victory. Winkfield is the last black rider to win the Kentucky Derby. 1941 — Whirlaway, ridden by Eddie Arcaro, has an easy start to the Triple Crown with an eight-length...
Kyle Busch celebrates birthday with win at Kansas SpeedwayVideo
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kyle Busch celebrated his 36th birthday Sunday by winning a two-lap sprint to the finish at Kansas Speedway, becoming the 10th different winner through the first 11 races of the NASCAR Cup Series season. Busch had stalked Kyle Larson all day before beating him on a...
Burns pulls away at Innisbrook and claims first PGA title at Valspar ChampionshipVideo
PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Eight times this season, Sam Burns has been atop the leaderboard after every round except the one that mattered. That changed, finally, at the Valspar Championship. Burns got some help from Keegan Bradley hitting into the water on the 13th hole, then the 24-year-old from Louisiana...
Hamilton-Verstappen battle promises thrilling F1 seasonVideo
Three intense wheel-to-wheel races with dogged defending and aggressive overtaking have made the Formula One season a thrilling battle so far, with veteran Lewis Hamilton chasing a record eighth title and Max Verstappen going all out to stop him. Hamilton’s victory at Sunday’s Portuguese Grand Prix was his second of...
