August 3, 2019 1:39 pm
CANTON, Ohio (AP) – The Pro Football Hall of Fame welcomes eight new members Saturday night in Canton, Ohio. Former players being enshrined are tight end Tony Gonzalez, defensive backs Champ Bailey, Ed Reed and Ty Law, center Kevin Mawae and senior selection Johnny Robinson, a defensive back who helped the Chiefs win Super Bowl 4. They are joined by two are contributors: the late owner of the Denver Broncos, Pat Bowlen, and Gil Brandt, former personnel director for the Dallas Cowboys, now the NFL’s top draft consultant.
August 3, 2019 1:32 pm
(AP) – The Pro Football Hall of Fame will expand the number of potential inductees to 20 in 2020 as part of the NFL’s celebration of its 100th season. Hall president David Baker said Friday five modern-day players, 10 seniors, three contributors and two coaches could be elected next year. The modern-day group would continue to be decided by the 48 selection committee voters on the day before the Super Bowl in February. The other 15 would be voted on as one bloc, not individually, by the selection committee.
August 2, 2019 3:49 am
CANTON, Ohio (AP) – Hours after visiting a hospital because of a kidney stone, Vic Fangio won a football game. The new coach of the Denver Broncos saw a late interception set up rookie Juwann Winfree’s 15-yard touchdown catch Thursday night, and his team edged the Atlanta Falcons 14-10 in the Hall of Fame game to open the NFL’s preseason. Yes, it was an exhibition game – the real first test comes Sept. 9 at Oakland. Still, Fangio served two decades as an NFL assistant before getting his chance to run a team. So this truly was a debut. Trey Johnson’s interception of Matt Schaub’s pass after the Atlanta backup quarterback was pressured set up Denver at the Falcons 38 with 5:21 remaining. A 14-yard pass interference call on fourth down against Rashard Causey kept Denver in it, but the Broncos were hurt by a holding penalty against rookie Ryan Crozier. Unfazed, rookie Brett Rypien hurled a pass into the right corner of the end zone, where it was deflected and Winfree latched onto it with 1:26 remaining. Fangio also became the first coach to utilize the new rule allowing challenges of pass interference calls. Late in the second quarter, Linden Stephens was called for a 43-yard defensive penalty. Officials upheld the call. Both teams had eight-play first-half drives for touchdowns. Denver’s was finished by Khalfani Muhammad’s 3-yard run up the middle. Atlanta tied it with a precise two-minute drill guided by first-year quarterback Kurt Benkert, who is seeking a backup job to Matt Ryan. Benkert took the Falcons 61 yards in 1:17, hitting running back Brian Hill with a 3-yard touchdown pass. Benkert conducted another impressive series in the third period, going 56 yards in 12 plays to Giorgio Tavecchio’s 27-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead. Benkert headed to the locker room early in the fourth quarter with a toe injury. He went 19 of 34 for 185 yards. Otherwise, it pretty much was a slopfest marred by dropped passes, penalties and missed assignments. Then again, how much can be expected in such an early preseason game?
August 1, 2019 3:44 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Astros have added a six-time All-Star to their already-solid starting rotation. Houston has picked up Zack Greinke for a starting five that includes 14-game winner Justin Verlander and major league strikeout leader Gerrit Cole. The Diamondbacks have received four minor leaguers for Greinke, who took the mound for Wednesday’s game against the Yankees.
Greinke is 10-4 with a 2.90 ERA this season. Also at the major league trade deadline:
– The Indians have confirmed their three-team swap that sends pitcher Trevor Bauer to Cincinnati and brings Yasiel Puig to Cleveland. The Indians also got lefty Scott Moss from the Reds and outfielder Franmil Reyes, lefty Logan Allen and infield prospect Victor Nova from San Diego. The Padres acquired outfielder Taylor Trammel from the Reds.
– Atlanta picked up relievers Shane Greene and Mark Melancon in separate deals, along with backup catcher John Ryan Murphy. The Giants got right-handed reliever Daniel Winkler and a minor league pitcher for Melancon, and the Tigers received two minor leaguers in the Greene swap.
– The Diamondbacks have acquired right-hander Mike Leake from the Mariners for a minor leaguer. Arizona also picked up rookie right-hander Zac Gallen from the Marlins for minor league shortstop Jazz Chisholm.
– The Athletics have acquired starter Tanner Roark from the Reds for outfield prospect Jameson Hannah.
– Milwaukee has acquired left-hander Drew Pomeranz and righty Ray Black from the Giants for infield prospect Mauricio Dubon. San Francisco also obtained second baseman Scooter Gennett from the Reds for a player to be named.
– The Cubs have obtained outfielder Nicholas Castellanos from the Tigers for two minor league pitchers.
July 29, 2019 3:48 am
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) – Denny Hamlin had enough fuel to pull away off the final restart in an overtime finish for his fifth victory at Pocono Raceway. Hamlin raced to his third victory of the season and 34th overall in NACAR Cup Series race, giving Joe Gibbs Racing its 11th win in 21 races this season. Hamlin held off teammate Erik Jones, who needed a win to secure a spot in the playoffs.
JGR driver Martin Truex Jr. was third, followed by William Bryon and Kyle Larson
July 29, 2019 3:46 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Michael Conforto sparked New York’s offense with a two-run homer in a six-run first inning against Chris Archer, and the Mets held on to beat the reeling Pittsburgh Pirates 8-7 Sunday to match their longest winning streak this season at four games. Jason Vargas (6-5) won a third straight start for the first time since last August, and the Mets completed a three-game sweep. New York improved to 10-5 since the All-Star break, passing Cincinnati, Colorado and Pittsburgh in the standings. The Mets (50-55) started Sunday six games back in the NL wild-card race with six teams in front. Pittsburgh was 2 1/2 games off the NL Central lead at the break but has lost 14 of 16, including eight in a row. Given a 6-0 lead, Vargas allowed three runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He could be dangled by the Mets ahead of Wednesday’s trade deadline along with fellow starters Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler. Vargas, a 36-year-old left-hander, can become a free agent after the World Series unless his $8 million club option for 2020 is exercised. Wheeler can go free this fall but Syndergaard is far more valuable – he can’t become a free agent until after the 2021 season. Jacob deGrom, Wheeler and Steven Matz got the victories earlier in the Mets’ streak. New York starting pitchers had not won four straight games since Robert Gsellman, Matt Harvey, Seth Lugo and Rafael Montero in September 2017. New York led 8-3 in the ninth before Bryan Reynolds had a two-run homer off Tyler Bashlor and Jose Osuna hit a two-run drive against Edwin Diaz, who got the next two outs for his 23rd save in 27 chances. Archer (3-8) allowed five hits and four walks in five innings, raising his ERA to 5.58. He is 0-3 in his last nine starts, 0-4 on the road this season and has allowed 25 home runs, second in the major leagues to 28 off Houston ace Justin Verlander. Archer is 28-47 since the start of 2016 after going 32-32 in his first four seasons. He threw 48 pitches in the first, falling behind when Conforto hit an opposite-field drive to left and reached 20 homers for the third straight season. Todd Frazier, J.D. Davis and Amed Rosario had RBI singles, and Aaron Altherr added a sacrifice fly. The inning was prolonged when third baseman Jung Ho Kang failed to catch Archer’s throw on a bunt. Altherr entered as a pinch hitter for Jeff McNeil, who was hit on the right shin by a pitch earlier in the inning. Jacob Stallings hit a solo homer for the Pirates, who closed to 6-3 in the fifth inning but were hurt by a sloppy game that included three errors and three unearned runs. Stallings appeared to lose track of outs while running the bases in the fourth, possibly costing a run; Osuna dropped a foul pop near first for an error; reliever Francisco Liriano failed to cover first on Robinson Cano’s rounder to the right side, leading to an usual 3-6-4 double play; and two-time Gold Glove Starling Marte was charged with an error for failing to catch Conforto’s flyout in what became a two-run sixth.
July 28, 2019 7:54 am
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Rory McIlroy fired an 8-under 62 to take a one-stroke lead over Brooks Koepka through three rounds of the FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis.
McIrloy had a nine-birdie, one-bogey round to move from a tie for 17th to the top of the leaderboard at TPC Southwind. He closed with three straight birdies before Koepka parred his final three holes to complete a 64 at the World Golf Championships event.
July 27, 2019 9:14 am
(AP) – The current crop of no-shows for NFL training camp includes Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and New Orleans Saints All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas.
The two-time NFL rushing champ was not on the Cowboys’ charter plane to training camp in California, and Friday team owner Jerry Jones confirmed that his star back was officially a “non-report.” Elliott went through the entire offseason program without any issues. Also missing from camp include Washington offensive tackle Trent Williams, Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon and defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney of the Texans and Yannick Ngakoue (ehn-GAHK’-way) of the Jaguars.
July 27, 2019 9:12 am
STORRS, Conn. (AP) – The University of Connecticut has agreed to pay a $17 million exit fee to the American Athletic Conference, so the school can rejoin the Big East next year.
AAC bylaws stipulate any school seeking to leave the conference must give 27 months’ notice and pay a $12 million fee, but the sides negotiated the higher fee for UConn to leave sooner.
The Huskies will join the Big East in all sports except football, men’s and women’s ice hockey and rowing. UConn also announced Friday its football program will become an independent in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2020.
July 26, 2019 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – Veteran shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (too-loh-IHTS’-kee) has been forced to retire following a series of leg injuries over the last two years. The five-time All-Star announced his decision more than three months after he played his last game for the New York Yankees. He spent most of 2017 on the disabled list with ankle injuries, and then missed all of last season following an April 2018 surgery on both heels. Tulowitzki finished with a .290 average, 225 homers and 780 RBIs in 13 seasons with Colorado, Toronto and the Yankees. He appeared in only five games with the Yanks this season before straining his left calf on April 3.
