February 26, 2020 10:18 am
Maria Sharapova says she is retiring from professional tennis at the age of 32. The five-time Grand Slam title champion and former No. 1-ranked player has been dealing with shoulder problems for years. She played only two matches this season and lost both. Sharapova burst onto the tennis scene at 17 when she won Wimbledon in 2004. She would go on to complete a career Grand Slam with two titles at the French Open and one each at the U.S. Open and Australian Open. She served a 15-month ban after failing a doping test in 2016.
February 24, 2020 3:48 am
MEXICO CITY (AP) – Patrick Reed closed with a 4-under 67 to take the Mexico Championship. Reed was two shots back with four to play before reeling off three straight birdies to overtake Bryan DeChambeau for his second World Golf Championship title. He recovered from a wild tee shot into the trees on 18 to two-putt from 35 feet to wrap up his eighth PGA title at 18 under. DeChambeau appeared to seize control with five birdies in a six-hole stretch starting at No. 9. He settled for second after completing a 65. Jon Rahm and Erik Van Rooyen were three off the pace and one ahead of Rory McIlroy.
February 24, 2020 3:45 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) – Ryan Newman has said through a statement that he suffered a head injury in his crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500 but did not disclose details. Roush team president Steve Newmark opened a news conference before Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by reading a lengthy statement from Newman. Newman wrote that he was fortunate to avoid any internal organ damage or broken bones, and that the doctors have been pleased with his progress over the last few days. He said he is looking forward to getting behind the wheel again. However, there’s no timetable for his return to competitive racing. Newmark said it is Newman’s intent to race for the 2020 Cup championship this season, and the driver plans to ask NASCAR for an exemption to qualify for the playoffs once he’s medically cleared to return.
February 24, 2020 3:43 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Braden Holtby made 33 saves to help the Washington Capitals beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 and end their losing streak at four. The Capitals vaulted over their archrivals into first place in the Metropolitan Division. T.J. Oshie scored the go-ahead goal with 9:20 left in the third period to give Washington just its second victory in eight games. Former Penguins winger Carl Hagelin scored twice in the third period for the Capitals. Sidney Crosby, Patric Hornqvist and Evgeni Malkin scored for Pittsburgh. The Penguins lost their third in a row to cool off and fall into second place.
February 21, 2020 3:52 am
TORONTO (AP) – Jake Muzzin had a goal and two assists, Frederik Andersen made 24 saves and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0. Toronto bounced back nicely after dropping three of four, including a 5-2 loss at Pittsburgh on Tuesday. It was Andersen’s second shutout of the season and No. 18 for his career. Matt Murray made 26 stops for Pittsburgh, which suffered its most lopsided loss of the season.
February 21, 2020 3:49 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The University of Pittsburgh football and men’s basketball programs have been placed on probation for three years by the NCAA. The organization says both programs committed a series of violations between 2015 and 2018. The violations centered around both programs exceeding the number of allotted practices during that time. Former men’s basketball coach Kevin Stallings was given a three-year show-cause order, meaning he must sit out 30% of his new team’s games if he is hired during the three-year window of the show-cause order. Stallings is currently out of coaching. Former director of basketball operations Dan Cage also faces a three-year show-cause order.
February 20, 2020 3:44 am
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Pablo Reyes was suspended 80 games under the major league drug program following a positive test for the performance-enhancing drug Boldenone. He became the second player in three days suspended for Boldenone, which is sold under the brand name Equipose and is used commonly on horses. Houston pitcher Francis Martes also was suspended. Reyes is a 26-year-old outfielder and infielder who made his major league debut in September 2018 and hit .293 with three homers and seven RBIs. He hit .203 with two homers and 19 RBIs for the Pirates last year.
February 19, 2020 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Ike Hilliard is the new wide receivers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hilliard replaces Darryl Drake, who passed away last August during the early days of training camp. Ray Sherman filled the role on an interim basis last season. Hilliard caught 546 passes during a 12-year NFL career split between Tampa Bay and the New York Giants. He spent the last six seasons as the wide receivers coach for the Washington Redskins. Hilliard previously worked as an assistant with the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills.
February 18, 2020 3:44 am
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Denny Hamlin is the first driver to win back-to-back Daytona 500s since Sterling Marlin in 1994 and ’95. Hamlin joined six Hall of Fame drivers as winners of three or more Daytona 500s. The race was marred by a crash that caused Ryan Newman’s car to flip over several times before catching fire. NASCAR read a statement from Roush Fenway Racing that said Newman is in “serious condition, but doctors have indicated his injuries are not life threatening.”
February 18, 2020 3:39 am
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) – Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings finds himself with a chance to be in the starting lineup on opening day for the first time in his career. Stallings arrived at spring training as the team’s most experienced catcher after the club parted ways with Francisco Cervelli and Elias Diaz in 2019. Stallings has drawn raves from the team’s pitching staff for his attention to detail. New manager Derek Shelton called the 30-year-old Stallings’ perseverance during his slow climb through the organization a testament to his character. Stallings says he’s not getting ahead of himself and that he’s simply trying to take another step forward in 2020.
