Sports

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Astros star Jose Altuve has long been a postseason powerhouse. But the diminutive second baseman has been a non-factor at the plate since the playoffs began. The Astros are hoping Altuve returns to form as they’re back in the AL Championship Series for a sixth

By DENNIS PASSA AP Sports Writer BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Athletes in two of Australia’s most popular sports — cricket and netball — are criticizing millions of dollars in sponsorship deals between their federations and mining and energy companies. Much of it involves environmental concerns. National team captain Pat Cummins has questioned Cricket Australia’s connection

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said suspended Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has met the requirements of his settlement with the league to this point after being accused of sexual misconduct by two dozen women. Watson is serving an 11-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct

By ROB MAADDI and STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writers NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL isn’t backing down on protecting quarterbacks. League executive Troy Vincent said there was a healthy and spirited conversation with owners about roughing-the-passer penalties at the league’s fall meeting. A pair of disputed roughing penalties in Week 5 frustrated defensive players

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge staggered Cleveland with early homers, and the New York Yankees beat the Guardians 5-1 Tuesday in the decisive Game 5 of their AL Division Series to set up another rematch with Houston for the pennant. Yankees manager Aaron Boone won

By DAN GREENSPAN Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — UCLA’s undefeated start to the season has started up front with an experienced offensive line. But as the No. 9 Bruins head into their marquee game at No. 10 Oregon on Saturday, the front five will have to handle the challenging environment of Autzen Stadium, arguably

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL salary cap could be going up more than expected sooner than expected. Commissioner Gary Bettman says there’s a chance players could be finished paying off what they owe owners from pandemic revenue losses as soon as this season. That would mean the cap

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Defending national champion and unanimous preseason No. 1 South Carolina is, not surprisingly, the favorite to win another Southeastern Conference title. The Gamecocks were picked Tuesday to win their seventh SEC championship in 10 seasons and third straight in voting by league and national media.

NEW YORK (AP) — NBC had an attractive Sunday night football matchup between NFC East contenders Dallas and Philadelphia this week, and were rewarded in the television ratings. The Nielsen company estimated nearly 20.8 million people saw the Eagles keep their status as the NFL’s only undefeated team after six games. The game reached five

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres say suspended shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. had a follow-up surgery on his left wrist and should be recovered from that and recent shoulder surgery by spring training. Tatis is currently serving an 80-game suspension from MLB after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. He had surgery last

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt has signed Jerry Stackhouse to an extension as he enters his fourth season as the Commodores’ head coach. Athletic director Candice Lee announced the extension Tuesday. She credited the growth of the program over Stackhouse’s first three seasons for the move. The Southeastern Conference’s only private university did not announce

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer NASCAR has suspended driver Bubba Wallace for one race following his fracas at Las Vegas Motor Speedway over the weekend. NASCAR determined that Wallace deliberately spun reigning champion Kyle Larson in a dangerous move of retaliation. Wallace will miss Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Wallace drives for the

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer The post-Graham Potter era at Brighton just cannot get going. It’s just two points from four games under Potter’s replacement, Roberto De Zerbi, after a lackluster 0-0 draw at home with lowly Nottingham Forest. There were some jeers from Brighton fans at the full-time whistle. Brighton has had 54

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Colts owner Jim Irsay says there’s “merit to remove” Dan Snyder as owner of the Washington Commanders. Irsay is the first NFL owner to publicly state that his controversial counterpart should go. Snyder’s status has been widely debated for years amid several scandals and

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer NASCAR has suspended driver Bubba Wallace for one race following his fracas at Las Vegas Motor Speedway over the weekend. NASCAR classified Wallace’s infraction as behavioral. That could cover Wallace deliberately spinning reigning champion Kyle Larson, his contact with a NASCAR official or his shoving match with Larson.

BERLIN (AP) — Borussia Mönchengladbach has crashed out in the second round of the German Cup with a 2-1 loss at second-division leader Darmstadt. Hoffenheim has routed Schalke 5-1. Schalke’s heavy loss piles the pressure on coach Frank Kramer after five defeats across all competitions. Wolfsburg has won at local rival Eintracht Braunschweig 2-1, and

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer RIDGELAND, S.C. (AP) — A person with direct knowledge of the plans says the PGA Tour is announcing that four tournaments will have elevated status and $20 million purses next year. The four additions are the WM Phoenix Open, the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, the Wells Fargo Championship

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL for the first time has done an internal demographic study of its staff and all 32 teams, and the results show that hockey has a lot of work to do to increase diversity at all levels. The report released Tuesday found that 83.6%