August 19, 2026 4:25 am
LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. (AP) — Bill Rasmussen, who co-founded cable TV sports giant ESPN, has died at the age of 93. ESPN historian Mike Soltys says Rasmussen died Tuesday at his Florida home from the effects of Parkinson’s disease. Rasmussen and his son Scott came up with the idea of a network carrying sports around the clock, and it would revolutionize Americans’ TV-watching habits. ESPN debuted in 1979. But the Rasmussens didn’t stick around long. They were forced out after only a year by ESPN majority owner Getty Oil. Bill Rasmussen and ESPN were estranged until 1999, when company executives invited him to the 20th anniversary celebration. Rasmussen was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2025.
August 18, 2026 4:20 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kevin McGonigle hit a two-run homer, and the Detroit Tigers held off the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-5 on Monday night and moved into a three-way tie for the final AL wild-card spot. Brett Callahan and Hao-Yu Lee also drove in two runs as the Tigers built an 8-1 lead before Pittsburgh scored four times in the sixth. Zach McKinstry and both hit RBI singles in the first, and McGonigle’s two-run shot in the second, his 13th of the season, made it 4-0. McGonigle singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch in the sixth.
August 18, 2026 4:21 am
LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike McCarthy’s first training camp with the team ended a day early after storms disrupted the practice schedule. Bumpy weather in western Pennsylvania over the last few weeks forced the Steelers to modify their practice plans, but McCarthy says he doesn’t intend to suggest the team stop making its annual trek to the small college about an hour east of Pittsburgh. McCarthy said the intimate environment at Saint Vincent is an invaluable part of the team-building process.
August 18, 2026 4:23 am
Ohio State and Oregon give the Big Ten Conference the top two teams in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason rankings for the first time in 65 years. The Buckeyes received 40 first-place votes in the poll of 69 media members. Oregon was No. 1 on 14 ballots. Ohio State is now tied with Alabama for second most preseason No. 1 rankings behind Oklahoma’s 10. Oregon has its highest preseason ranking in program history. Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas round out the top five. Defending national champion Indiana is No. 6 and followed by Miami, Texas A&M, Mississippi and Oklahoma.
August 18, 2026 4:25 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss is legally contesting her siblings’ plan to sell the family’s remaining 17.8% minority ownership stake in the team to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press. The oft-quarreling siblings told ESPN they had voted to sell the family trust’s remaining interest in the 17-time NBA champion team purchased by their father in 1979. The decision would have ended Jeanie Buss’ tenure as the Lakers’ governor because the job requires at least 15% ownership of the team. Jeanie Buss has told her siblings through her attorney that no sale can happen without Jeanie Buss’ approval.
August 17, 2026 4:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Reynolds, Brandon Lowe, and Nick Yorke each had two RBIs to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Boston Red Sox 8-3 after a 2 1/2-hour rain delay. The tarp came out after the sixth inning at 3:35 p.m. local time, and play resumed at 6:05. The Pirates won their franchise-best eighth consecutive home series against an AL opponent, a streak extending back to a three-game sweep of Detroit from July 21-23, 2025. Reynolds got Pittsburgh on the board first with an RBI double in the first, and scored when Lowe added a single. The Red Sox started a rally in the fifth on Connor Wong’s three-run homer, but the delay halted any momentum towards a 29th comeback win.
August 17, 2026 4:53 am
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is back to his dominant self. The world’s No. 1 player took a two-shot lead and turned into a blowout at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He shot a 66 and won by eight shots over Si Woo Kim. That’s the largest margin of victory at the TPC Southwind in its 68-year history. Kim shot 68. Scheffler not only won $3.6 million, he clinched a $23 million bonus for being No. 1 in the FedEx Cup through next week’s BMW Championship. Sungjae Im was the only player to move into the top 50 to advance in the postseason.
August 17, 2026 4:55 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tommy John, the pitching great known for the surgery that bears his name, has died at 83. According to agent Mike Maguire, John died at his home in Bradenton, Florida, on Saturday night. John had a remarkable 26-year career, winning 288 games and becoming the first pitcher to successfully return after groundbreaking elbow surgery. This procedure, now known as Tommy John surgery, has saved the careers of many baseball stars. John was a four-time All-Star and played for several teams, including the Yankees and Dodgers. His legacy extends beyond his pitching, as his surgery revolutionized baseball.
August 16, 2026 7:20 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sonny Gray worked seven innings for his career-best 15th win of the season, Wilyer Abreu hit a home run, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0. Gray (15-3) struck out seven and allowed six hits while walking one. He had won 14 games in three other seasons. Abreu hit his 22nd homer in the second inning to put the Sox ahead 1-0. Andruw Monasterio drove in two more with his ninth-inning RBI double, and Jahmai Jones drove in Monasterio. Jared Jones (2-5) took the loss. The Pirates were led by Esmerlyn Valdez and Jake Mangum with two hits each.
August 16, 2026 7:46 am
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Joey Logano continued his surge toward the NASCAR Chase, winning Saturday night at Richmond Raceway with a late-race charge on fresh tires. The three-time Cup Series champion scored his second victory in the past four races while climbing from 17th to ninth in the points standings. With 24 laps remaining, the Team Penske driver snatched the lead from Christopher Bell, who had pitted 20 laps earlier and was trying to stretch his tires to the finish. Logano earned his 39th career victory and third at Richmond by 0.392 seconds over Chase Briscoe, who led a race-high 171 of 400 laps.
