April 22, 2025 4:29 am
Duke star Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick. The program announced Flagg’s move in a social media post Monday. That came after a lone college season that saw the 18-year-old become only the fourth freshman named as The Associated Press national player of the year while leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four. The 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from Newport, Maine, averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals to lead Duke in each category.
April 22, 2025 4:28 am
ROSEVILLE, Minn. (AP) — Flag football participation by girls has continued to spike across the country, with the sport’s inclusion in the Summer Olympics lineup for Los Angeles in 2028 serving as the most recent bump. The college level is the natural place for the next surge of growth. Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is one of seven NCAA schools fielding a club team this spring in a league launched with $140,000 and logistical support from the Minnesota Vikings. The championship tournament is this weekend. More than 100 higher-educational institutions are currently offering women’s flag football as a varsity or club sport.
April 21, 2025 4:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Steven Kwan and Kyle Manzardo hit two-run homers and Manzardo added a sacrifice fly in the 10th to rally the Cleveland Guardians to a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates for a three-game sweep. Manzardo drove in Jhonkensy Noel, who started the inning at second, with a one-out fly to left off Dennis Santana (0-1). The Pirates had two on in the 10th after Joey Cantillo walked Joey Bart leading off on four pitches. But Oneil Cruz swung at the first pitch and hit into a double play and Enmanuel Valdez flied out for Cantillo’s first career save. The Pirates (8-15) rallied for three runs in the ninth off Emmanuel Clase (3-0), who was going for his third straight save in the series.
April 21, 2025 4:48 am
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) – Justin Thomas is a winner again after nearly three years. Thomas rolled in a birdie putt from just outside 20 feet to beat hard-luck Andrew Novak in a playoff at the RBC Heritage. It’s his first since since the PGA Championship in May 2022. And it was hard work. Thomas closed with a bogey-free 68 at Harbour Town. Novak wouldn’t go away and made a big putt of his own on the 16th hole to stay with him and match his 68. Novak had an 8-foot birdie putt in regulation for the win. Scottie Scheffler tied for eighth.
April 21, 2025 4:46 am
BERWYN, Pa. (AP) — Jay Sigel, who was widely viewed as America’s best amateur golfer since Bobby Jones, has died of pancreatic cancer. The U.S. Golf Association said Sigel died Saturday at 81 years old. Along with his two U.S. Amateur titles and three U.S. Mid-Amateur victories, Sigel played in nine Walker Cup matches, twice as a playing captain. Sigel was low amateur in the Masters three times, and once each at the U.S. Open and British Open during his sterling career. Sigel joined the PGA Tour Champions when he turned 50 and won eight times.
April 20, 2025 6:31 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cleveland’s Kyle Manzardo spoiled Paul Skenes’ bobblehead day, taking the young Pittsburgh Pirates ace deep in the Guardians’ 3-0 victory. Manzardo led off the seventh by taking the first pitch he saw from Skenes and sending it over the right-field stands. The fifth home run of the season by Cleveland’s DH landed 411 feet from home plate before bouncing into the Allegheny River. Skenes allowed two runs on six hits with four strikeouts and a walk in seven innings to fall to 2-2 on the season. (Photo: AP)
April 20, 2025 6:46 am
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Two-way star Shohei Ohtani is now a father. The Los Angeles Dodgers slugger has posted on Instagram that his wife gave birth to a girl. “Congratulations Sho!” Manager Dave Roberts proclaimed while saying he wasn’t sure what the baby’s name was. The 30-year-old Ohtani missed the first two games of the series matching the past two World Series champions.
April 20, 2025 6:43 am
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Si Woo Kim had a flawless third round at Harbour Town until the very end. He made his first bogey on the last hole and still shot 66 to lead the RBC Heritage by one shot over Justin Thomas and Andrew Novak. Kim was dialed in from the start with two quick birdies. Novak shot 66 and Thomas had a wildly entertaining 69. That includes the penalty he called on himself for his ball moving in a waste area. And it includes trying to hit a shot from shallow water and getting muddied. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is four back.
April 19, 2025 4:12 am
At one point Friday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates were down by as much as eight runs and they kept fighting back. Derek Shelton’s team brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn’t enough and the Pirates lost 10-7 to the Cleveland Guardians at PNC Park. There was another bright spot as Oneil Cruz once again led off the bottom of the 1st inning with a home run. That was the second game in a row for the center fielder. Carmen Mlodzinski (1-3) takes the loss. The Pirates and Guardians are at it again today on the North Shore in Pittsburgh.
April 19, 2025 4:16 am
The Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of questions as they prepare for the NFL draft. The Steelers, who have the 21st overall pick, don’t have a long-term answer at quarterback. Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers is weighing whether to sign with Pittsburgh as a free agent. The team also has Mason Rudolph, who helped lead them to the playoffs in 2023. Pittsburgh brought in QB prospects Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart for pre-draft visits but also has other issues it needs to address, most notably along a defensive line that was pushed around during a late-season swoon.
