January 8, 2021 3:52 am
CLEVELAND (AP) – The Cleveland Browns are in the playoffs yet they still haven’t practiced for them. For the second straight day, the team’s headquarters and training facility were closed due to a COVID-19 flare-up that knocked coach Kevin Stefanski out of Sunday night’s game in Pittsburgh and wreaked havoc on the Browns’ preparations. Quarterback Baker Mayfield said he hasn’t thrown a football since last Sunday, when the team clinched its first postseason berth since the 2002 season. Mayfield said the lack of practice time isn’t an excuse. An NFL spokesman said the game remains on schedule despite Cleveland’s issues with the coronavirus.
January 8, 2021 3:54 am
CLEVELAND (AP) – The New York Mets have pulled off their biggest trade since Steve Cohen purchased the team in November. The Mets have landed shortstop Francisco Lindor and pitcher Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland. The Mets part with infielders Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario, right-hander Josh Wolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene. A two-time Gold Glove winner, Lindor is a career .285 hitter and has averaged 29 homers, 86 RBIs and 21 steals in his six major league seasons. Carrasco is one of the game’s best comeback stories, overcoming leukemia to reemerge as one of the AL’s steadiest starters. Rosario was a Mets mainstay the last two seasons, and Gimenez showed major league ability following his recall last year. Lindor can become a free agent after the 2021 season, and Carrasco has two years and an option left on his contract. Mets president Sandy Alderson says he hasn’t spoken to Lindor’s agent about an extension.
January 8, 2021 3:55 am
MONTREAL (AP) – The Montreal Canadiens will be able to play home games despite the Quebec government’s imposition of a curfew aimed at curbing COVID-19 in the province. Quebec’s premier says the new measures will take effect Saturday and remain in place until at least Feb. 8. There will be no fans at games. Alberta and British Columbia also have given the green light for their NHL teams to play home games during the pandemic. Manitoba says it is confident the Winnipeg Jets can play home games. Ontario has yet to make a final decision.
January 7, 2021 3:45 am
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) – Ithiel Horton scored 14 points, Au’diese Toney made a go-ahead putback with eight seconds left for Pittsburgh’s first lead and the shorthanded Panthers erased an 18-point deficit to beat Syracuse 63-60, snapping a seven-game losing streak in the series. After Toney put Pittsburgh ahead, Syracuse dribbled across midcourt and called a timeout with 5.2 seconds left. The Orange turned it over, Xavier Johnson made two free throws for a three-point lead and Alan Griffin’s half-court heave at the buzzer hit the side of the rim. The Panthers were without Justin Champagnie, averaging 17.8 points per game and 12.3 rebounds, due to a knee injury. Griffin had 15 points for Syracuse.
January 7, 2021 3:45 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers head into the playoffs knowing the championship window is closing for veterans such as Ben Roethlisberger. The 38-year-old Roethlisberger has been urging his younger teammates to embrace the moment when the AFC North champions open the postseason against Cleveland. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game in four years and several high-profile players are nearing the end of their careers without having reached the Super Bowl. Six-time Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro says a Super Bowl is the only thing he hasn’t done and would love to bring a championship to the city.
January 7, 2021 3:50 am
UNDATED (AP) – Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence has officially thrown his name into the NFL draft. Lawrence had said in September he planned to play his junior season, graduate in December and move on to the NFL. Lawrence discussed in October keeping his options open, which included possibly returning for another year of college as discussions of the No. 1 pick intensified between the then winless New York Jets and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Lawrence finished 34-2 in his college career, leading Clemson to three ACC titles and the national title after the 2018 season. He finished second in the Heisman Trophy race Tuesday night to Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith.
January 7, 2021 3:51 am
UNDATED (AP) – Tommy John has been battling COVID-19 for at least three weeks, and the former pitching great disputes reports that he is a coronavirus denier. The 77-year-old John remains hospitalized near his home in Indio, California. He said he started to feel ill following a trip to Nashville before he was hospitalized on Dec. 13. His son, Tommy III, has been vocal about his opinions on the coronavirus, saying on social media that it’s not a pandemic.
January 6, 2021 3:44 am
CLEVELAND (AP) – Two days after celebrating their return to the NFL playoffs, the Cleveland Browns have been knocked flat. Coach Kevin Stefanski has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss Cleveland’s first playoff game since the 2002 season. Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer will be the acting head coach on Sunday against the Steelers. Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio and wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge also tested positive, along with two more assistant coaches. NFL rules state that anyone testing positive must sit out at least 10 days. The league says the status for the game in Pittsburgh has not changed.
January 6, 2021 3:49 am
UNDATED (AP) – College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock says the national championship game between Alabama and Ohio State is still a go for Monday night. Hancock said there were no changes and the game in Miami Gardens, Florida, between the top-ranked Crimson Tide and the third-ranked Buckeyes was still scheduled for Monday night as planned. AL.com reported that Ohio State has been in contact with CFP officials about possible player availability problems that could force the game to be delayed. Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith says the Buckeyes continue to follow the same protocols they have all season and plan to play Monday in suburban Miami.
January 6, 2021 3:48 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Move over running backs, Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith has emerged as the best player in college football. Smith became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy in 29 seasons Tuesday night, breaking the monopoly quarterbacks have had on college football’s most prestigious award by beating out three of them. The Crimson Tide senior is the fourth receiver to win the Heisman, joining Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991, Notre Dame’s Tim Brown in 1987 and Nebraska’s Johnny Rodgers in 1972. The other finalists were Smith’s Alabama teammate Mac Jones, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Florida’s Kyle Trask. Crimson Tide running back Najee Harris finished fifth in the voting. Quarterbacks had won 17 of the previous 20 Heisman trophies, including the last four.
