April 12, 2024 4:28 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal authorities have charged the former longtime interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani with federal bank fraud. Prosecutors allege that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara stole more than $16 million from the Japanese sensation to cover gambling bets and debts. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada announced the charges Thursday at a press conference in Los Angeles. Mizuhara was abruptly fired by the team after the scandal surfaced last month and Major League Baseball opened a separate investigation. Prosecutors say Ohtani was the victim in the case. Mizuhara’s attorney declined to comment Thursday.
April 12, 2024 4:27 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Bryson DeChambeau was the mad scientist. Then he was the incredible bulk. This next iteration might be really daunting. DeChambeau says this is his golf phase, and it was impressive in the wind-blown opening round of the Masters. He opened with a 65 for his best start in a major and leads by one shot over world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. The round couldn’t be completed because of a two-and-a-half hour weather delay. The greens were soft, but the wind was raging. Gusts were close to 40 mph. Tiger Woods was holding steady at 1 under through 13 holes.
April 11, 2024 4:28 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins have put together a late-season surge to get into the playoff mix. The Penguins are 6-0-2 in their past eight games to move within a point of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a week to go in the regular season. Longtime Penguins captain Sidney Crosby says the pressure the club has felt of late has brought out the best in the team. Pittsburgh is looking for a return to the playoffs after missing out for the first time since 2006 last spring.
April 11, 2024 12:53 pm
(AP) – The Masters got underway Thursday after a 2 1/2-hour weather delay on Thursday when Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson hit the ceremonial first shots. Most of the heavy rain expected at Augusta National missed the club, though high winds were still expected to make for a difficult day. Those teeing off late, including Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson, were unlikely to finish before dark, which means they will have long days finishing Friday before playing their second rounds. Jon Rahm is the defending champion after rallying on a marathon Sunday to overcome Brooks Koepka last year.
April 10, 2024 4:30 am
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The Masters is more than just the first major of the year. It’s the first time the whole gang is back together. The question is for how much longer. The 13 players from LIV Golf join the rest of the players in an 89-man field at Augusta National. Masters Chairman Fred Ridley is leaning on invitations in his belief they can get the right players. He believes the Official World Golf Ranking is legitimate. The Masters always reviews the criteria. Ridley did not announce any changes in his news conference. For now, the focus is on winning a green jacket.
April 11, 2024 4:32 am
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Former NFL linebacker Terrell Suggs has been arrested after allegedly threatening another man and showing a handgun during a dispute in a Starbucks drive-thru line. Scottsdale Police arrested Suggs and charged the former Baltimore Ravens player with threatening and intimidating and disorderly conduct with a weapon. The incident on March 10 began after a black Range Rover driven by Suggs passed the ordering speaker at Starbucks and had to back up to place his order, backing into the other vehicle.
April 10, 2024 2:12 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pirates two-time All-Star closer David Bednar is off to a rough start. Bednar blew his third save in four opportunities this season in a 5-3 loss to Detroit. The 29-year-old Bednar, a Pittsburgh native, was booed after letting a two-run lead slip away. Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez chastised the fans for their behavior, calling it “unacceptable.” Bednar says control issues are his biggest problem at the moment. He added he plans to get with the coaching staff to figure out what the issue is. Even with Bednar struggling, the Pirates are off to a 9-3 start heading into a four-game series at Philadelphia. (Photo: AP)
April 10, 2024 4:34 am
The women’s NCAA championship game drew a bigger television audience than the men’s title game for the first time, with an average of 18.9 million viewers watching undefeated South Carolina beat Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark. The Sunday afternoon game on ABC and ESPN outdrew Monday’s men’s final between UConn and Purdue by four million. The Huskies’ 75-60 victory averaged 14.82 million on TBS and TNT. The women’s final was the second most-watched non-Olympic women’s sporting event on U.S. television, trailing only the 2015 Women’s World Cup final between the United States and Japan.
April 10, 2024 4:35 am
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — John Calipari says he is stepping down as Kentucky’s men’s basketball coach after 15 years. He say the “program probably needs to hear another voice” amid reports that he’s closing in on a deal with Arkansas. Calipari posted a video on X in which he said that after talking with his wife, Ellen, he decided a change was needed. He didn’t specifically mention the Arkansas opening. The Hall of Famer simply said, “There have been opportunities that have been presented to us, so we’re discussing them as a family.” Calipari leaves a Wildcats program he guided to the 2012 NCAA championship among four Final Four appearances.
April 8, 2024 4:31 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Reynolds hit his 100th career home run as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Detroit Tigers 7-4. Connor Joe and Jared Triolo had two hits and two RBIs for the Pirates as Pittsburgh improved to 9-2. That’s tied with the New York Yankees for the best record in the majors. Mitch Keller struck out nine in six innings to pick up his first win of the season. Detroit’s Reese Olson allowed six runs on nine hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. The Tigers have dropped four of five after starting 5-0.
