Sports Headlines
Simone Biles will serve as the anchor on three of four events for the U.S. during Olympic qualifying
PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles will begin her quest for a second Olympic all-around title when she competes in all four events during qualifying on Sunday. Biles, 2020 Olympic champion Sunisa Lee and 2020 Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles will compete on all four events in qualifying. Jade Carey, the 2020 Olympic champion on floor exercise, will compete on vault. Hezly Rivera, at 16 by far the youngest member of Team USA, will compete on balance beam and uneven bars. During qualifying, four members of each five-woman team will compete on each event, with teams dropping their lowest score. The top eight teams will advance to the team final on Tuesday night. Biles will serve as the anchor, or final ... Read MoreErnie Clement singles in 9th to lift the Blue Jays past the Rangers, 6-5
TORONTO (AP) — Ernie Clement singled in the ninth inning to give the Toronto Blue Jays a 6-5 victory over Texas on Friday night, ending the defending champion Rangers’ winning streak at five. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached base four times as the Blue Jays snapped a six-game losing streak against the Rangers. Justin Turner hit a one-out single off Josh Sborz (2-1) in the ninth and was replaced by Steward Berroa, who stole second. Sborz exited after walking Guerrero, with Kirby Yates coming on to strike out Danny Jansen for the second out. Spencer Horwitz was intentionally walked to load the bases for Clement, who won it with a first-pitch single to left. “I knew he was going to try ... Read MoreFramber Valdez strikes out 10 over 6 1/3 innings and Astros beat Dodgers, 5-0
HOUSTON (AP) — Framber Valdez struck out 10 in 6 1/3 innings, Alex Bregman and Jon Singleton hit home runs and the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 on Friday night. Bregman hit a solo home run to left in the third inning and Singleton hit a 403-foot two-run homer into the second deck in right in the fourth. Joey Loperfido had an RBI single in the second and made an outstanding leaping grab to rob Shohei Ohtani of extra bases in the third. Mauricio Dubón added an RBI double in the eighth. “We like some homers if you ask me,” Houston manager Joe Espada said. “I like to have some slug, but that’s what we are right ... Read More49ers left tackle Trent Williams earns No. 1 spot in the AP’s offensive linemen rankings
SAM FRANCISCO - Trent Williams can add another honor to his resume in his quest for a new contract. The three-time All-Pro and 11-time Pro Bowl left tackle was voted the top offensive lineman in the league by The Associated Press. A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five offensive linemen, basing selections on current status entering the 2024 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points. The 36-year-old Williams didn’t report to training camp with the San Francisco 49ers because he’s seeking a new deal to replace the final three non-guaranteed years of a six-year, $138.1 million contract signed in 2021. Williams received six ... Read MoreQuarterback QB Deshaun Watson aiming to block out ‘noise’ after 2 turbulent seasons for Browns
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) — Deshaun Watson has shifted into self-protection mode. Cleveland's contentious quarterback, who has played just 12 games the past two seasons due to an NFL suspension followed by a shoulder fracture that required major surgery, said Friday that he's worked on a new approach as he enters a critical Year 3 with the Browns. “Honestly,” he said. “It's really just blocking out all the (stuff), outside,” he said, using an expletive. “It was tough coming in two years, different environment, different team, different all that. So, you come in and your character’s been mentioned this way and then it kind of flips on you and you’re trying to get people to like you or improve. ... Read MoreDodgers’ Freddie Freeman scratched, returning to Los Angeles to be with family
HOUSTON (AP) — All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman was scratched from the Dodgers starting lineup for Friday night's game at Houston and will return to Los Angeles to be with his family, according to manager Dave Roberts. Roberts did not detail the reason said there was no timetable for when Freeman will rejoin the team. Freeman is hitting .288 with 16 home runs and 67 RBIs. Cavan Biggio replaced him at first base, ... Read MoreJust like at the Tokyo Olympics, American cowbell clanging will be raucous again at Paris Games
PARIS (AP) — Before Tokyo three years ago, the U.S. Olympic swim coaches pondered how to best support their athletes and help fire them up before a race, given there were no family or friends or fans in the stands. They turned to clanging cowbells. While spectators return to the pool in Paris on Saturday, American women’s coach Todd DeSorbo and his staff plan to continue what worked so well — even if it's not popular with the rival Australians or others. Given that most everybody at the pool by now has heard about the Aussies' disdain for the noise, the rivalry could reach new decibels at these Summer Games. Australian star Cate Campbell, who is rarely afraid to speak ... Read MoreChinese-Chilean table tennis player makes Olympics debut at age 58
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Table tennis player Zeng Zhiying left China in 1989, the same year of the Tiananmen Square massacre, to teach the sport in northern Chile. Fast-forward 35 years, she will debut in the Olympic Games at age 58 under the name she adopted in the South American nation: Tania. Tania Zeng, who became famous in Chile after winning a bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Santiago last year, retired from table tennis long ago. Though the sport brought her to Chile, she stopped playing to have more time to dedicate to a business she opened and eventually start a family. Her dream of becoming a professional athlete returned during the pandemic. Her pinnacle will be ... Read MoreFormer Chiefs lineman Isaiah Buggs sentenced on animal cruelty charges
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs has been convicted on two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. Tuscaloosa County District Judge Joanne Jannik sentenced Buggs on July 19 to a year of hard labor, ordering him to serve 60 days. The rest would be suspended for two years “pending the behavior of the defendant." Buggs, 27, also is not allowed to have or be around firearms or own dogs or cats. The Chiefs released the former Alabama player on June 24, eight days after his second recent arrest in Alabama. He was arrested on a charge of domestic violence/burglary and released on a $5,000 bond, according to records from the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. ... Read MoreSaints reserve QB Jake Haener diagnosed with skin cancer, but remains at camp
IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — New Orleans Saints reserve quarterback Jake Haener is balancing a recent skin cancer diagnosis with his effort to secure a job backing up starter Derek Carr. Haener shared his diagnosis when he was asked about a small circular adhesive bandage on his right cheek. The 25-year-old, second-year pro out of Fresno State declined to share the specific diagnosis, but said he learned a little more than a week ago that he had a form of skin cancer which is rare for people his age. “It's kind of something that just popped up. I was kind of worried about it. My family was kind of worried about it. It was kind of this random bump,” Haener said. ... Read MoreDamages to college athletes to range from a few dollars to more than a million under settlement
Thousands of former college athletes will be eligible for payments ranging from a few dollars to more than a million under the $2.78 billion antitrust settlement agreed to by the NCAA and five power conferences, a deal that also paves the way for schools to directly compensate athletes while attempting regulate payments from boosters. Details of the sprawling plan were filed Friday in federal court in the Northern District of California, a little more than two months after the framework of an agreement was announced. The deal must still be approved by a judge. “College athletes will finally be able to share in the billions of dollars their compelling stories and dynamic performances have generated for their schools, conferences, and ... Read MoreParis dazzles with a rainy Olympics opening ceremony on the Seine River
PARIS (AP) — A hot-air balloon brought an Olympic ring of fire into a rainy sky and singer Celine Dion belted from the Eiffel Tower as Paris kicked off its first Summer Olympics in a century Friday, with a four-hour-long, rule-breaking opening ceremony that unfurled along the Seine River. On-and-off showers did not seem to hamper the enthusiasm of the athletes. Some held umbrellas as they rode boats down the river in a showcase of the city’s resilience as authorities investigated suspected acts of sabotage targeting France's high-speed rail network. With the ambitious ceremony, the stakes for France were immense. Dozens of heads of state and government were in town, and the world was watching as Paris turned itself into ... Read MoreTen US Olympians to watch in Paris
Cameron Spencer/Getty Images(PARIS) -- From Bacon (both Sarah, a diver, and Phoebe, a swimmer) to Coffey (both Olivia, a rower, and Sam, a soccer player), Team USA will be sending a veritable smorgasbord of talent to Paris for the 2024 Olympics.You probably know the big names -- such as gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Katie Ledecky -- but there are 592 U.S. Olympians competing in Paris.The returning members of Team USA have already won 110 gold medals before arriving in Paris, led by swimmers Ledecky (seven) and Caeleb Dressel (seven) and women's basketball player Diana Taurasi (five). Ledecky also has the most total medals (10) while Biles has seven total medals, including four gold. No one else on the team ... Read More
2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony set to get underway in historic fashion
Aytac Unal/Anadolu via Getty Images(PARIS) -- The 2024 Paris Summer games are set to formally kickoff Friday in what will be an opening ceremony like no other before its time.There will be all of the pageantry and spectacle you'd come to expect from an Olympics opening ceremony, only there will be one big difference. Instead of parading around a stadium, some 10,000 plus athletes will get on boats and sail down the heart of Paris on the Seine River.Olympic organizers say this will be the first time in the history of the Summer Games that it will be held outside of a stadium.Roaring back from the pandemic eraThe Paris Games somewhat represent a return to normalcy. The last Summer Olympics ... Read More
Scherzer takes over 10th on career Ks list and Semien homers as Rangers beat White Sox 2-1
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Max Scherzer struck out a season-high nine to take over 10th place on the career list, Marcus Semien homered and the Texas Rangers beat the Chicago White Sox 2-1 on Thursday. Scherzer pushed his career total to 3,400 after first passing former teammate and fellow three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander with his third strikeout of the game. Eloy Jiménez took a 93.3 mph fastball for a called third strike in the second inning to make Scherzer the leader among active pitchers. “He had good command of all his pitches, a good mix, good command in and out,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “Good slider, changeup and used his curveball effectively. You saw a guy that ... Read MoreScherzer passes Verlander for 10th on career strikeout list with 3,400, most among active pitchers
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Max Scherzer always has the mindset to be aggressive on the mound, attack hitters and find ways to pitch around lineups while being in the strike zone. Along the way over 17 big league seasons, the three-time Cy Young Award winner has piled up a lot of strikeouts. The Texas Rangers right-hander now has more than any other active pitcher. Scherzer moved into 10th place on the career strikeout list with 3,400 after passing former teammate and fellow three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander while fanning a season-high nine in the Rangers' 2-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. “When you’re talking about a milestone like this ... this is all about durability. ... Read MoreBroncos add $1.5M in incentives to Courtland Sutton’s deal
ByJEFF LEGWOLD July 25, 2024, 2:19 PM ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- What Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton had called "a stalemate'' in June over his contract has now been cured with a tweak to Sutton's deal. Sources told ESPN on Thursday that Sutton has had $1.5 million in incentives added to his base salary for this season -- $13 million. Sutton already had $500,000 worth of roster bonuses in place in his deal for the season, and $2 million of his base salary had already been guaranteed because he was on the roster at the end of March. Sutton, who had said at the team's June minicamp he might consider reporting late to training camp, reported on time with the ... Read MorePadres’ Dylan Cease throws no-hitter against Nationals
ByABC News July 25, 2024, 2:39 PM WASHINGTON -- Hoping for a chance to stay in the game and pitch the second no-hitter in San Diego Padres history, Dylan Cease received some help from the man who threw the first. Cease was at 94 pitches through seven innings when Padres manager Mike Shildt glanced at Joe Musgrove. "Joe is like, 'His stuff is pretty good,'" Shildt recalled. "Well, he's thrown one. He knows what this looks like. We let him ride." Cease, 28, needed only nine pitches in the eighth and 11 in the ninth in a 3-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday that completed a three-game sweep. After falling one out short of a no-hitter two years ... Read MoreCowboys stress negotiating three massive contracts will take time
ByTODD ARCHER July 25, 2024, 5:29 PM OXNARD, Calif. -- The Dallas Cowboys are not asking for sympathy when it comes to their negotiations with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons, but they would like some understanding and they would like time. "We have a very unique situation," executive vice president Stephen Jones said. "We have a quarterback, who played at the top of his game last year, second in MVP voting, who can leave [after this season]. And then we've got two players who can't leave ... We could sign one of them and both of them -- rightfully so -- believe they should be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. And totally respect that. So very difficult ... Read MoreCanada axes women’s soccer coach from Olympics over drone use
ByESPN NEWS SERVICES July 25, 2024, 7:29 PM Canada's women's national team head coach Bev Priestman has been removed from the country's Olympic soccer team over a scandal involving the use of drones to spy on opponents' practice, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) announced Thursday. The COC said it made the decision after Canada Soccer decided to suspend Priestman for the remainder of the tournament. The episode began earlier this week when Canada's opening opponent, New Zealand, complained to the International Olympic Committee's integrity unit after it said drones were flown over closed practice sessions. "The Canadian Olympic Committee has removed the Canadian Women's National Soccer Team Head Coach Bev Priestman from the Canadian Olympic Team due to her suspension ... Read MoreGrateful Clayton Kershaw goes 4 innings in return to Dodgers
ByALDEN GONZALEZ July 25, 2024, 9:09 PM LOS ANGELES -- Anticipation consumed the better part of his past eight months and excitement colored the better part of his past few days. Then, in the third inning of his first start back at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, Clayton Kershaw encountered a sobering reality: two runs on the scoreboard, two runners on base, nobody out. It triggered a familiar feeling: survival. "There's some part of it," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, "where you just default to having gone through that -- and it's not about your first start back, it's not about how you feel. It's about getting an out and getting out of that inning and minimizing damage. People that have ... Read MoreMariners land OF Randy Arozarena from Rays
ByALDEN GONZALEZ July 26, 2024, 12:49 AM The Seattle Mariners, starving for offense and in desperate need of a spark, have acquired All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays, the teams announced Thursday night. Two lower-level minor leaguers, outfielder Aidan Smith and right-hander Brody Hopkins, will go to the Rays in the trade, as will a player to be named later. Arozarena is in the midst of a down year, batting .211/.318/.394 with 15 home runs and 16 stolen bases in his first 100 games. But he was arguably the most coveted outfielder in this year's trade market for his dynamic abilities and propensity for elevating his play on the biggest stages, most notably during the 2020 American ... Read MoreOlympics 2024: Vandals target France railway as Games begin
ByREUTERS July 26, 2024, 3:29 AM Vandals targeted France's high-speed TGV network with a series of coordinated actions that brought major disruption to some of the country's busiest rail lines ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on Friday. The state-owned railway operator said arsonists had targeted installations along the lines connecting Paris with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in west and Strasbourg in the east. It urged all travellers to postpone their journeys. Repairs were underway but traffic would be severely disrupted until at least the end of the weekend. Trains were being sent back to their points of departure. "Last night, the SNCF was victim of several acts of vandalism on the Atlantic, Northern and ... Read MoreOlympics 2024: Snoop Dogg carries torch for Paris Games
ByCONNOR O'HALLORAN July 26, 2024, 5:09 AM His part of the relay -- the penultimate leg before Friday night's opening ceremony -- went off without a hitch. The same can't be said for France's railway network on Friday morning, which has been hit with major disruption ahead of the opening ceremony. Vandals targeted France's high-speed TGV network with a series of coordinated actions. The state-owned railway operator said arsonists had targeted installations along the lines connecting Paris with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the west and Strasbourg in the east. ... Read MoreTexas woman’s lawsuit after being jailed on murder charge over abortion can proceed, judge rules
McALLEN, Texas (AP) — A Texas woman who was jailed and charged with murder after self-managing an abortion in 2022 can move forward with her lawsuit against the local sheriff and prosecutors over the case that drew national outrage before the charges were quickly dropped, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton denied a motion by prosecutors and the sheriff to dismiss the lawsuit during a hearing in the border city of McAllen. Lizelle Gonzalez, who spent two nights in jail on the murder charges and is seeking $1 million in damages in the lawsuit, did not attend the hearing. Texas has one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bans and outlaws the procedure with limited ... Read MoreJerry Jones trial ends with agreement
TEXARKANA (AP) — The trial in a countersuit brought by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones against a woman who says she's his daughter and her mother abruptly ended Tuesday afternoon as Jones agreed to drop the countersuit if the women dismissed pending lawsuits against him, including one where the billionaire was ordered to take a DNA test, according to media reports. The announcement in the courtroom in Texarkana, Texas, located about 180 miles (289 kilometers) east of Dallas, came on the second day of the trial, which had focused on whether Alexandra Davis, 27, and her mother, Cynthia Davis, had breached a 1998 agreement that barred them from suing to establish paternity, The Dallas Morning News reported. Jones, 81, filed ... Read MoreCould we be getting robot umpires?
ARLINGTON (AP) — Major League Baseball could test robot umpires as part of a challenge system in spring training next year, which could lead to regular-season use in 2026. MLB has been experimenting with the automated ball-strike system in the minor leagues since 2019 but is still working on the shape of the strike zone. “I said at the owners meeting it is not likely that we would bring ABS to the big leagues without a spring training test. OK, so if it’s ’24 that leaves me ’25 as the year to do your spring training test if we can get these issues resolved, which would make ’26 a viable possibility,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday during a meeting ... Read MoreKansas City Chiefs 2024 schedule
Week 1: Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs, Sept. 5 at 7:20 p.m. Week 2: Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs, Sept. 15 at 3:25 p.m. Week 3: Kansas City Chiefs at Atlanta Falcons, Sept. 22 at 7:20 p.m. Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Charges, Sept. 29 at 3:25 p.m. Week 5: New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs, Oct. 7 at 7:15 p.m. Week 6: BYE Week 7: Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers, Oct. 20 at 3:25 p.m. Week 8: Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders, Oct. 27 at 3:25 p.m. Week 9: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Kansas City Chiefs, Nov. 4 at 7:15 p.m. Week 10: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs, ... Read More2024 Dallas Cowboys schedule
Dallas Cowboys 2024 NFL Schedule: Week 1: Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns, Sept. 8 at 3:25 p.m. Week 2: New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys, Sept. 15 at 12 p.m. Week 3: Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys, Sept. 22 at 3:25 p.m. Week 4: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants, Sept. 26 at 7:15 p.m. Week 5: Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers, Oct. 6, 7:20 p.m. Week 6: Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions, Oct. 13, at 3:25 p.m. Week 7: TBD Week 8: Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers, Oct. 27 at 7:20 p.m. Week 9: Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons, Nov. 3 at 12 p.m. Week 10: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys, Nov. 10 at 3:25 p.m. Week 11: ... Read MoreTop of page
