October 14, 2021 3:48 am
Cornerback Tre Flowers has been released by the Seattle Seahawks as they struggle to find the right combination at the position. Flowers started the first three games but was benched in favor of Sidney Jones after Minnesota dissected Seattle’s secondary in Week 3. Coach Pete Carroll raved about Flowers’ performance in earning the starting job during training camp but didn’t have many answers on why his standing changed so quickly. The entire cornerback situation remains unsettled five weeks into the regular season.
October 14, 2021 3:50 am
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Ray Fosse, the strong-armed catcher whose career was upended when he was bowled over by Pete Rose at the 1970 All-Star Game, has died. He was 74. Carol Fosse, his wife of 51 years, said in a statement online that Fosse died Wednesday after a 16-year bout with cancer. Fosse was a budding talent for Cleveland when he made his first All-Star team as a 23-year-old in 1970, the same year he hit .307 with a career-high 18 homers and won the first of two Gold Gloves. Rose barreled over him to score the winning run in the 12th inning of the exhibition at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium. Fosse fractured and separated his left shoulder, and he told The Associated Press in 2015 his body still ached 45 years later.
October 14, 2021 3:47 am
The New York Islanders will start the season with 13 straight road games. That’s the second-longest road trip in NHL history and the longest to start a season. The NHL drew up the plan while construction of the team’s new home at UBS Arena is completed. Playing a few more games at Nassau Coliseum was not an option, so instead the Islanders will crisscross the country. New York will play its first home game on Nov. 20 against Calgary, more than five weeks into the season.
October 13, 2021 3:51 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Tristan Jarry had 26 saves, Danton Heinen and Brian Boyle scored early second-period goals, and the short-handed Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 in the regular-season opener. Dominik Simon, Teddy Blueger, Bryan Rust and Evan Rodrigues also had a goal for the Penguins, who played without injured stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The final three Pittsburgh goals were into an empty net. Tampa Bay got goals from Anthony Cirelli and Andrew Killorn, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 29 shots.
October 13, 2021 3:48 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – It is only fitting that 70 years after Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” that the Giants and Dodgers will play in another all-or-nothing game. Los Angeles’ 7-2 win over San Francisco on Tuesday night in Game 4 of the NL Division Series evened the series and sent the first Major League Baseball playoff matchup between teams with at least 105 wins to Game 5 Thursday night at San Francisco’s Oracle Park. Giants manager Gabe Kapler said that Logan Webb will get the start. The 24-year old right-hander will be the youngest Giants pitcher to start a deciding game. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Tuesday’s game that Julio Urias will get the call in the deciding game.
October 13, 2021 3:47 am
UNDATED (AP) – Three down, one to go in baseball’s Division Series. The Astros have moved on to the AL Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox, and the Atlanta Braves have earned a spot in the NLCS. Jose Altuve belted a three-run homer, scored four times and stole a base as the Astros eliminated the White Sox in Game 4 of the Division Series, 10-1. The rout puts the Astros in the ALCS for a fifth straight season. Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman each hit a two-run double as Houston bounced back from Sunday night’s 12-6 loss. The Astros earned their three victories by a combined 19 runs. The Astros’ bullpen fired two-hit ball over five innings after Lance McCullers Jr. held Chicago to a run on five hits and three walks over four innings. The White Sox didn’t score after Gavin Sheets hit a solo homer in the second to give them a brief lead. Michael Brantley had three hits and two RBIs for Houston, which will host Game 1 of the ALCS on Friday.
The Braves beat the Brewers, 5-4 on Freddie Freeman’s solo homer off Josh Hader in the eighth inning.
Atlanta trailed 2-0 in the fourth and 4-2 in the fifth before beating Milwaukee for the third straight game since a series-opening loss. Eddie Rosario tied it the first time with a two-run single. Travis d’Arnaud made it 4-4 with an RBI single. Rowdy Tellez belted a two-run homer for the Brewers, who scored just six times in the series. Tyler Matsek worked a scoreless eighth to get the win. Will Smith put the potential tying run on base in the ninth before fanning Christian Yelich to end the series.
October 13, 2021 3:53 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster’s season is over. Coach Mike Tomlin says Smith-Schuster will have surgery to repair an injured right shoulder and is heading to injured reserve. Smith-Schuster sustained the injury in the second quarter of a victory over Denver last week that ended a three-game losing streak. The Steelers will turn to James Washington among others to fill the void left by Smith-Schuster’s absence. Pittsburgh hosts Seattle in Week 6.
October 12, 2021 3:50 am
BALTIMORE (AP) – The Baltimore Ravens put together a fourth-quarter comeback before Lamar Jackson completed one of the finest performances of his NFL career. Jackson hit Marquise Brown for a five-yard touchdown in overtime to send the Ravens past the Colts, 31-25. It was the fourth TD pass of the night for Jackson, who was 37 of 43 for a career-high 442 yards. He also ran for 62 yards on 14 carries. Brown and Mark Andrews each caught two scoring passes as the AFC North leaders improved to 4-1. Baltimore trailed 25-9 in the fourth quarter before scoring two touchdowns, blocking a field goal and watching Rodrigo Blankenship miss a 41-yard kick in the final minute of regulation. Carson Wentz completed 25 of his 35 passes for 402 yards and two scores for the 1-4 Colts.
October 12, 2021 3:48 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Las Vegas Raiders will have a new coach for Sunday’s game at Denver. Jon Gruden has stepped down following emails containing racist, homophobic and misogynistic comments. Emails acquired by The New York Times show that Gruden frequently used misogynistic and homophobic language directed at Commissioner Roger Goodell and others in the league. The Wall Street Journal said Friday that Gruden used a racist comment to describe NFL Players Association leader DeMaurice Smith in 2011. The Times acquired emails sent from between 2011-18 when Gruden was an analyst for ESPN. They show his use of derogatory language went well beyond that.
October 11, 2021 1:56 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster’s season is over. Coach Mike Tomlin says Smith-Schuster will have surgery to repair an injured right shoulder and is heading to injured reserve. Smith-Schuster sustained the injury in the second quarter of a victory over Denver last week that ended a three-game losing streak. The Steelers will turn to James Washington among others to fill the void left by Smith-Schuster’s absence. Pittsburgh hosts Seattle in Week 6.
