June 27, 2025 4:28 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL has suspended former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker for the first 10 weeks next season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The league announced the punishment Thursday. It takes effect on Aug. 26, which is roster cutdown day, and Tucker is eligible for reinstatement on Nov. 11. He is a free agent after the Ravens released him last month in the aftermath of reports that he was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by massage therapists. A five-time All-Pro, the 35-year-old Tucker has played his entire 13-year career with Baltimore. He’s considered one of the best kickers in NFL history, although 2024 was his worst season.
June 27, 2025 4:30 am
PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic (AP) — Suspended Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco has been found guilty of sexually abusing a child. A Dominican Republic court handed him a two-year suspended sentence Thursday. Franco was accused of having a relationship with a 14-year-old girl and transferring money to her mother for consent. He was found not guilty of sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor and human trafficking. Prosecutors sought a five-year prison term for Franco and a 10-year sentence for the girl’s mother, who was also found guilty and will serve her full term. Major League Baseball said it would conclude its own investigation later. Franco’s baseball career remains on hold amid ongoing legal issues.
June 27, 2025 4:24 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Barry Bonds will be getting a statue outside the San Francisco Giants’ home stadium where he set baseball’s career home run record. Giants President and Chief Executive Officer Larry Baer said Thursday during a radio interview in San Francisco that Bonds is certainly deserving of a statue and that one is on the radar. Baer didn’t have any details of when that would happen. Bonds played for San Francisco the last 15 of his 22 big league seasons, hitting 586 of his 762 career homers while with the Giants from 1993-2007. He set the single-season MLB record with 73 homers in 2001, and hit his record-breaking 756th homer to pass Hank Aaron in a home game on Aug. 7, 2007.
June 27, 2025 4:25 am
The New York Islanders are set to make the first pick in the NHL draft Friday night in Los Angeles. New general manager Mathieu Darche, just a month into his role, looks forward to landing a cornerstone player to help rebuild after the team missed the playoffs twice in four years. Erie Otters defenseman Matthew Schaefer is widely expected to go first. The San Jose Sharks hold the second pick, followed by Chicago, Utah, and Nashville. This year’s draft pool is strong but lacks a standout star. The Islanders last picked first in 2009 when they selected John Tavares.
June 27, 2025 4:29 am
Two people familiar with negotiations tell The Associated Press the NHL and NHL Players’ Association are close to an agreement on a four-year extension of the collective bargaining agreement. They confirmed that going to an 84-game season from 82 is among the changes coming. The league and union have been in talks since April and are on the verge of a deal more than a year before the current CBA expires. Other changes include shortening the maximum length of contracts and adding a playoff salary cap.
June 26, 2025 2:07 am
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski made extra effort to avoid getting caught up in all the hype surrounding the rookie flamethrower’s highly anticipated matchup with Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes. Misiorowski better get accustomed to the extra attention. Misiorowski owns a 3-0 record and 1.13 earned run average after leading the Brewers to a 4-2 victory over Skenes’ Pirates. Sportradar says the three hits Misiorowski has allowed thus far is the fewest by any major league pitcher through his first three career starts with a minimum of 16 innings pitched since at least 1901.
June 26, 2025 4:35 am
Moving to an 84-game regular season from 82 is one of the topics that has been discussed in collective bargaining talks between the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association, a person with familiar with negotiations tells The Associated Press. The potential change that could go into effect as soon as 2026-27 would reduce the preseason to four games per team. Going to 84 games could also even out scheduling with the league at 32 teams playing each division opponent four times, three against the other division in the same conference and two against those in the other conference.
June 26, 2025 4:34 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Cooper Flagg is headed to the Dallas Mavericks, who may have found their next franchise superstar less than five months after trading one away. The Mavericks took the Duke forward with the No. 1 pick in the draft Wednesday night, selecting the 18-year-old who was the college player of the year in his lone season. Mavericks fans were furious when Dallas traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 1, some immediately threatening to end their support of the team. But the ones who stuck around may quickly love Flagg, who averaged 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds while leading Duke to the Final Four. Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper was taken by San Antonio with the No. 2 pick.
June 25, 2025 5:25 am
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz said he lost track of the outs when he didn’t run out a double-play grounder. The move led to his removal from the Pirates’ 9-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. The Pirates had a runner on first with one out in the seventh when Cruz grounded into a double play. Cruz slowed down after the Brewers got the force play at second. Cruz said afterward he believed that was the third out of the inning. Pirates manager Don Kelly removed Cruz and said it was due to Cruz’s “energy and effort going down the line.”
June 25, 2025 5:23 am
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Michael Darrell-Hicks is back in the majors just over two weeks after the Los Angeles Angels had designated him for assignment. The Pirates called up Darrell-Hicks on Tuesday and sent right-hander Hunter Stratton to Triple-A Indianapolis. The Pirates needed a fresh arm one night after using five pitchers in a 5-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Darrell-Hicks, 27, went 1-0 with a 9.39 ERA in six appearances with the Angels before getting designated on June 8. The Pirates claimed him off waivers and sent him to Indianapolis. He worked two scoreless innings before getting called up.
