AP National Sports

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — England defender Kyle Walker is in doubt for this year’s World Cup after undergoing groin surgery this week. The Manchester City player sustained the injury in the win 6-3 over Manchester United on Sunday. He was taken off the field in the 41st minute. Walker

LONDON (AP) — Tottenham fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone has died at the age of 61. Tottenham announced the death of Ventrone without giving any more details. Ventrone held similar roles with Juventus and Italy’s World Cup-winning team of 2006 under Marcello Lippi. Ventrone joined Tottenham after Antonio Conte took charge as manager last November.

PARIS (AP) — The French ski federation, mayors from mountain resorts and ski instructors have lashed out at the decision to award the 2029 Asian Winter Games to Saudi Arabia. They say the decision goes against “what is desirable for the planet.” They say they have been “left flabbergasted” by the plan to host the

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie outfielder Steven Kwan began the season on an historic tear and has set the tone for the Cleveland Guardians for six months. He will now lead them into the postseason. Baseball’s youngest team won the AL Central championship with a huge assist from the 25-year-old

By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The last time Buck Showalter managed a playoff game, he ended up on the hot seat after an agonizing loss for Baltimore. Six years later, a shot at redemption begins Friday with the New York Mets. The popular Showalter takes his fourth franchise to the

TOKYO (AP) — Miomir Kecmanovic saved six match points before beating Daniel Evans 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (4) to reach the quarterfinals at the Japan Open. The Serbian was trailing 40-0 with Evans serving at 5-4 in the third set before producing series of winners to level the match. Kecmanovic says “that was the first time

ZURICH (AP) — Brazil will go to this year’s World Cup as the top-rated team after extending its lead over second-place Belgium in the latest FIFA rankings. Brazil won its two warmup games in September while Belgium lost to the Netherlands in one of its two Nations League games. Argentina stayed at No. 3 and

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer SUZUKA, Japan (AP) — The governing body of Formula One has put off until Monday a ruling on whether some teams exceeded a spending cap. The contentious issue comes as Red Bull driver Max Verstappen could win a second straight season title at the Japanese Grand Prix. Verstappen stayed

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer SUZUKA, Japan (AP) — There’s no place like home for Yuki Tsunoda. Japan’s only Formula One driver will be an overwhelming fan favorite in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Tsunoda will be wearing a special helmet designed by a fan. He’s all over social media because of a

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — LeBron James came to Las Vegas for a preseason game. And a pitch. James, who has spoken in the past about how he wants to eventually own an NBA franchise — with Las Vegas on his mind — sent a crystal-clear message to Commissioner Adam

LAS VEGAS (AP) — LeBron James flashed his midseason form, scoring 23 points in 18 minutes before the Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-115. James, who missed all seven of his shots in Los Angeles’ loss to Sacramento on Monday, was much more aggressive with the Lakers playing without Anthony Davis. Starting his

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Jason Robertson has signed a $31 million, four-year contract with the Dallas Stars after missing the first two weeks of preseason practice. The young 41-goal scorer expects to be back on the ice with his teammates for practice Friday. Robertson turned 23 soon after last season, when the left wing had

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — Boston’s Joe Castiglione, the Mets’ Gary Cohen and former major leaguers Dave Campbell, Steve Stone, Duane Kuiper and Ernie Johnson Sr. are among the 10 finalists for Hall of Fame’s 2023 Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting. Other finalists include Jacques Doucet, Tom Hamilton, Jerry Howarth and Pat

By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears say Jerry Vainisi, their general manager when they won their lone Super Bowl championship, has died. He was 80. The team said he died Tuesday in suburban Oak Park, Ill. A Chicago native who attended Georgetown University and Chicago–Kent College of Law, Vainisi

By STEVE HERRICK Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — José Ramirez drove in two runs and had four hits, Aaron Civale pitched six solid innings and the Cleveland Guardians defeated the Kansas City Royals 9-2 in their final tune-up for the postseason. Cleveland opens the wild-card round against Tampa Bay on Friday at Progressive Field. Hours

By NICK PERRY Associated Press TŪROA SKI AREA, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s Tūroa ski area is usually a white wonderland at this time of year, its deep snowpack supporting its famed spring skiing. This season, it’s largely a barren moonscape, with tiny patches of snow poking out between vast fields of jagged volcanic

By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Jeff McNeil stayed on top without taking a swing. Nursing a four-point lead in the big league batting race, McNeil was not in the New York Mets’ starting lineup Wednesday for their regular-season finale against Washington. He only played defense after entering late and finished