August 22, 2026 4:12 am
DENVER (AP) — A federal appeals court has temporarily halted a court order that would have granted thousands of athletes an extra year of eligibility. This decision comes just eight days before the college football season begins. The lawsuit was filed by players who graduated high school in 2022 and were not included in the NCAA’s new rule granting most players five years of eligibility. The ruling puts a hold on the situation until the appeal can be fully heard. The NCAA argues that fairness is subjective, as current athletes and schools have already built their rosters based on existing rules.
August 21, 2026 4:21 am
HOUSTON (AP) — Top draft pick Fernando Mendoza struggled in his second preseason game, throwing an interception that Houston returned for a touchdown before the Las Vegas Raiders rallied late for a 22-20 victory over the Texans. Mendoza played the first half and went 8 of 15 for 86 yards. The performance came after he threw a touchdown pass in his preseason debut last week against Arizona playing behind Kirk Cousins. Mendoza was sacked once and took several other hits playing against Houston’s second-string defense. C.J. Stroud led the Texans to a touchdown on his only series in his first action of the preseason.
August 21, 2026 4:19 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints have been fined $500,000 apiece by the NFL after their brawl-filled joint practice. The league announced the fines on Thursday after requesting video of the tumultuous workout at the Cowboys’ training camp base in Oxnard, California. Players on both teams threw punches during several skirmishes throughout the joint practice, which was conducted in uncommonly hot, humid weather. A lowlight of the brouhaha was Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner’s body slam of Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson. Helmets and punches were thrown during several skirmishes.
August 21, 2026 4:20 am
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Rory McIlroy was feeling like his game was far away. That was four days ago. He looked much better in the BMW Championship with a 64 to be part of a five-way tie for the lead at Bellerive. The top of the leaderboard was filled with U.S. Open champions on a course that has been toughened by “Open Doctor” Rees Jones. That includes Wyndham Clark, J.J. Spaun and Gary Woodland sharing the lead, with Matt Fitzpatrick one back. Scottie Scheffler was under the weather and far away from the game that produced an eight-shot win last week. He shot 72.
August 20, 2026 4:27 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steeler quarterbacks Will Howard and Drew Allar will get plenty of playing time when the New York Jets visit. Coach Mike McCarthy says Howard will start, with Allar coming on relief while starter Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph get the night off. Howard will start, followed by Allar. Howard and Allar combined to lead Pittsburgh on four touchdown drives in a win over Green Bay. The team hasn’t decided if it will keep four quarterbacks when rosters are trimmed to 53 later this month.
August 20, 2026 2:40 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Brandon Lowe homered off Detroit closer Kenley Jansen with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-3 win over the Tigers. Rafael Flores Jr. hit a pair of homers for Pittsburgh, including a tying shot off Jansen with one out in the ninth. Lowe followed two batters later with a towering shot to right field that clanged off the foul pole. The homer was the 27th this season for Lowe, the most in club history by a second baseman. Mason Montgomery pitched a scoreless top of the ninth to pick up the win.
August 20, 2026 4:24 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pirates ace Paul Skenes is confident he can make a late-season push following the most challenging stretch of his career. The 24-year-old NL Cy Young winner pitched 4 1/3 innings in a 4-3 victory over Detroit. His ERA rose to 3.95, more than double his career mark of 1.96. Despite the recent struggles, he’s confident he can fix the issues. His teammates believe it’s just the nature of baseball taking its course and that while Skenes isn’t as dominant as he was during his first two seasons, he remains an effective starter.
August 20, 2026 2:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired veteran catcher Christian Bethancourt from the New York Yankees. The 34-year-old had been playing for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate. Pittsburgh expects Bethancourt to join them in Los Angeles for a three-game set against the Dodgers. Bethancourt has appeared in 427 major league games, hitting .229 with 35 home runs. Pittsburgh is seeking depth at catcher as Endy Rodriguez deals with hip inflammation. Bethancourt, who spent time in the Pirates’ farm system in 2021, hit .270 in the minors for the Cubs and Yankees this season.
August 18, 2026 4:22 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Braxton Ashcraft allowed five hits over eight efficient innings, Oneil Cruz homered in his return from the injured list, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1. Ashcraft struck out four and didn’t issue a walk while throwing just 80 pitches. The 26-year-old right-hander was coming off the first complete game of his career in a win over Miami last week. He gave up a fifth-inning homer to Tigers rookie Brett Callahan but otherwise cruised to his fourth win in five starts. Cruz had been out since early June with a broken left hand.
August 19, 2026 4:25 am
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers matched baseball’s modern-era record for the biggest shutout, beating the Seattle Mariners 22-0 on Tuesday night behind three-run homers from Christian Yelich, David Hamilton and Luis Lara and a two-run shot by Jake Bauers. The major league-best Brewers matched a franchise record for runs in a game. Since 1901, the only previous 22-0 shutouts were by Pittsburgh over the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 16, 1975 and by Cleveland over the New York Yankees on Aug. 31, 2004. Kyle Hamilton allowed two hits in five innings, and three relievers followed, with catcher Gary Sánchez working the ninth. The Brewers scored nine times in the eighth against Mariners infielder Leo Rivas.
