U.S./World Sports category, Page 377
Wealth of ex-NFL minds give new AAF a fighting chance
SAN DIEGO — Nearly four decades removed from a stint in the short-lived USFL, Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill Polian will preside over the opening weekend of the newest spring league, the Alliance of American Football. “It’s one more challenge at the end of a long career,” said Polian,...
U.S. skiing great Lindsey Vonn vows to go ‘full throttle’ in final race of career
ARE, Sweden — Anyone expecting Lindsey Vonn to take it easy in her last race should think again. Doesn’t matter if she’s still banged up from a crash with a black eye, a sore rib — not to mention the pain in both of her knees that forced her to...
Lindsey Vonn and boyfriend P.K. Subban go together like snow and ice
ARE, Sweden — Of all the people flying in to attend Lindsey Vonn’s final race — her dad and two siblings, U.S. Ski Team top brass and even Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark — one very significant other will be missing. P.K. Subban, Vonn’s boyfriend and a defenseman for the NHL’s...
Architect of Jimmie Johnson’s success starting over in 2019
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Chad Knaus got his first big break at Hendrick Motorsports when he was picked to build a team from scratch around a rookie driver who had yet to prove he belonged at NASCAR’s top level. The driver was Jimmie Johnson. Once Johnson was paired with Knaus...
Mickelson, Spieth among leaders as rain halts Pebble Beach Pro-Am
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Phil Mickelson survived a wild finish without having to deal with the rain. Jordan Spieth endured a wet finish to his day with three tough pars, followed by some unwitting help by a spooked fan. Both were atop the leaderboard Friday in the AT&T Pebble Beach...
Rocco Mediate admits: At times, I played while drunk
Greensburg native Rocco Mediate made a personal revelation. The former PGA pro admitted that he had alcohol problems while on the tour and would even, at times, play while drunk. A story from The Golf Channel, quotes Mediate saying that drinking was a way to self-medicate for his back problems....
Rick Hendrick vows rebound from worst season in team history
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Rick Hendrick worked too hard building NASCAR’s top organization to tolerate mediocrity. If his teams had simply been average last season, he might not rate it as one of the worst in team history. The Hendrick cars were pretty bad — seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson...
Pebble Beach won’t offer U.S. Open preview this week
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Only four American courses have hosted a PGA Tour event and a major championship in the same year, a concept that USGA chief executive Mike Davis does not consider to be ideal. One big exception is Pebble Beach. “I think this is great,” Davis said Wednesday...
As she has done most of her career, Vonn must bounce back from yet another crash
ARE, Sweden — One of the hallmarks of Lindsey Vonn’s career has been the way she bounces back from major crashes. So perhaps it’s fitting the most successful female skier of all time will enter her last race before retiring after yet another tumble into the safety netting. Vonn straddled...
Fledgling Alliance of American Football kicks off under some new rules
SAN DIEGO — When the fledgling Alliance of American Football held four exhibition games recently in San Antonio, something was missing. Kickoffs. “We were all looking around saying, ‘Does anyone miss kickoffs?’ The answer was, no, we did not miss them,” said Mike Pereira, the NFL’s former vice president of...
Lakers pull out of Anthony Davis trade talks amid Pelicans’ ‘outrageous’ requests
INDIANAPOLIS — The Lakers have pulled out of conversations aimed at trying to acquire New Orleans All-Star Anthony Davis because of the Pelicans’ “outrageous” trade requests, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Magic Johnson, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, told New Orleans general manager Dell Demps...
Triple bogey can’t keep Rickie Fowler from winning Phoenix Open
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Standing above a greenside bunker at TPC Scottsdale’s difficult par-4 11th hole, Rickie Fowler turned just in time to see his ball, one he had just placed after penalty, trickle into the water. Fowler had already seen his share of bad luck at the Phoenix Open. Now...
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...
