December 9, 2022 3:59 am
DOHA, Qatar (AP) – Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal team will look to end Morocco’s surprising World Cup run that has brought joy to African soccer and the Arab world. Whether Ronaldo starts Saturday’s quarterfinal match remains in doubt after he was dropped for Portugal’s round-of-16 win over Switzerland. Morocco has secured a spot in the quarterfinals for the first time in a great way to the mark the first World Cup to take place in the Middle East. Morocco is looking to become the first African country to reach the semifinals at soccer’s biggest tournament and is the only team from outside Europe or South America to advance to the last eight in Qatar.
December 9, 2022 3:57 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams is The Associated Press college football player of the year. The sophomore Heisman Trophy favorite is the school’s first winner of the award since 2005 with his stellar debut season for the Trojans. Williams received 32 of the 46 first-place votes and 117 total points from AP Top 25 poll voters. TCU quarterback Max Duggan came in second with six first-place votes and 64 points. Williams has passed for 4,075 yards with an FBS-leading 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions this season.
December 9, 2022 3:56 am
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) – Baker Mayfield threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson with 10 seconds to play to cap a 98-yard drive, and the Los Angeles Rams’ brand-new quarterback led two TD drives late in the fourth quarter of a shocking 17-16 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Just two days after the Rams claimed Mayfield off waivers from Carolina, the former No. 1 pick went 22 of 35 for 230 yards and snapped the defending Super Bowl champions’ six-game losing streak in dramatic fashion. Josh Jacobs rushed for 99 yards and the only touchdown for the Raiders, whose three-game winning streak ended in humiliating fashion.
December 8, 2022 3:11 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tyrin Lawrence’s two free throws with 1.1 seconds left gave Vanderbilt a 75-74 win over Pittsburgh. Pitt had taken the lead after Nelly Cummings capped an 8-0 run with a midrange jumper with 14.3 seconds remaining. Lawrence was fouled and hit his free throws before Liam Robbins blocked Jamarius Burton’s 3-point try on the other end. Robbins and Myles Stute scored 14 points each and Jordan Wright added 12 with six assists for the Commodores. Greg Elliott tied a career high with six 3-pointers in scoring 20 points to lead the Panthers, who were denied a sixth straight win.
December 8, 2022 3:10 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect Sam Poulin is taking a leave of absence from the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Penguins general manager Ron Hextall says the 21-year-old Poulin is stepping away due to “personal reasons.” Poulin was Pittsburgh’s first-round pick in the 2019 draft. He made his NHL debut in October and had one assist in three games before returning to the AHL. Poulin will spend time at his family’s home in Quebec. There is no timetable for his return.
December 8, 2022 3:08 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Aaron Judge is returning to the New York Yankees on a $360 million, nine-year contract, and the other contenders for the AL MVP in free agency are moving on. Judge visited with the San Francisco Giants last month, and he also met with San Diego in the last few days. After Judge made his decision, the Padres quickly jumped on another bat — reeling in All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts with a blockbuster $280 million, 11-year contract. While Judge and Bogaerts are gone, there are plenty of intriguing possibilities at the end of baseball’s winter meetings.
December 8, 2022 3:06 am
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected left-handed pitcher Jose Hernandez off Los Angeles’ (NL) Triple-A Oklahoma roster with the third overall pick in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft. The 24-year-old Hernandez went a combined 4-4 with eight saves, a 3.32 ERA, 69 strikeouts, .215 batting average against and 1.21 WHIP in 51 appearances (two starts) between High-A Great Lakes and Double-A Tulsa in 2022. The 6’3’’ southpaw began the 2022 season with Great Lakes, where he was charged with one earned run, struck out 18 batters and recorded a .156 batting average against and 0.98 WHIP in his last 13 appearances before being promoted to Double-A on May 28. Hernandez was originally signed by the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent on May 12, 2016.
December 7, 2022 8:56 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) – A person familiar with the deal says that Aaron Judge has agreed to return to the New York Yankees on a $360 million, nine-year contract. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday because the deal had not been announced. Judge will earn $40 million per season, the highest average annual payout for a position player. The contract trails only Mike Trout’s $426.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels and Mookie Betts’ $365 million pact with the Los Angeles Dodgers for biggest in baseball history.
December 7, 2022 3:45 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Sidney Crosby scored twice and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1. Bryan Rust and Teddy Blueger also scored for Pittsburgh, which has won three straight. Crosby and Rust scored 47 seconds apart in the second period as the Penguins turned a one-goal deficit into a 2-1 lead. Tristan Jarry made 38 saves for Pittsburgh. Johnny Gaudreau scored his ninth goal of the season for Columbus, but the Blue Jackets lost to the Penguins for the 12th straight time in Pittsburgh.
December 7, 2022 4:06 am
SAN DIEGO — For the first time in league history, Major League Baseball conducted a draft lottery, which came live from the Winter Meetings in San Diego on Tuesday night. It was all good news for Pittsburgh as the Pirates landed the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. The Pirates entered the lottery tied with the Oakland A’s and Washington Nationals for the best odds (16.5%) at securing the first overall pick. It marks the second time in the last three years that the Pirates hold the top pick in the draft. The club selected catcher Henry Davis.
