Sports

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer TOKYO (AP) — There a common thread running through the World Baseball Classic when opponents face Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani and his Japanese teammates. Players become fans, collect souvenirs, chase autographs and cherish memories. Czech player William Escala returned home with a autographed ball from Japan star

SOUTHAMPTON, England (AP) — Southampton defender Kyle Walker-Peters has been subjected to racist abuse on his social media account after a Premier League match against Manchester United. His club says the “abhorrent” messages have been reported to police. Racially aggravated language and monkey emojis were posted alongside one of Walker-Peters’ photos on his Instagram account

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — The Spanish government’s top sports authority says it will take action against Barcelona in the legal proceedings the club is facing for its payments of millions of dollars over several years to a company that belonged to the vice president of the country’s refereeing committee. Sports

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Gary Lineker will return to the airwaves after the BBC reversed the former soccer great’s suspension on Monday for a tweet that had criticized the U.K. government’s new migration policy. The about-face followed a weekend of chaos and crisis for Britain’s publicly funded national broadcaster, which faced

LONDON (AP) — Gary Lineker will return to airwaves after the BBC reversed the former soccer great’s suspension on Monday for a post on Twitter that had criticized the British government’s new asylum policy. “Gary is a valued part of the BBC and I know how much the BBC means to Gary, and I look

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — March Madness isn’t just about filling out — and later trashing — brackets. There are more ways to bet the field in the NCAA Tournament, an event that will consume basketball fans over the next three weeks. Top-ranked Alabama is the plus-150 favorite to emerge

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer Alabama rolls in as the top overall seed in an NCAA Tournament that feels both familiar and foreign this season. Yes, there are plenty of heartwarming stories and unbelievable upsets to come when the action begins later this week. But this was also a season clouded with police blotters

By GARY B. GRAVES AP Sports Writer LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Northern Kentucky is back in the NCAA Tournament, three years after its trip was called off along with the event because of the pandemic. NKU has won its fourth Horizon League championship since 2016-17 but will make its first NCAA tourney appearance since 2019.

TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese government has relaxed its mask-wearing guidelines but the vast majority of fans at the Tokyo Dome watching the World Baseball Classic still wore them. Nippon Professional Baseball also issued new guidelines. Spectators will now be allowed to cheer at the Tokyo Dome without wearing masks, which had been prohibited until

By The Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Joey Meneses hit two homers, including a crucial three-run shot in the fourth inning, to lead Mexico in a lopsided win over the United States 11-5 in the World Baseball Classic on Sunday at Chase Field. Meneses got the sellout crowd of 47,534 on its feet in the

By The Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Joey Meneses hit two homers, including a crucial three-run shot in the fourth inning, to lead Mexico in a lopsided win over the United States 11-5 in the World Baseball Classic on Sunday at Chase Field. Meneses got the sellout crowd of 47,534 on its feet in the

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dénis Bouanga scored two goals to extend his outstanding start to the season, and Los Angeles FC remained unbeaten with a 4-0 victory over the New England Revolution. Timothy Tillman and Stipe Biuk added their first goals for the defending MLS Cup champions, who are perfect this month in two league

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Qualifier Cristian Garin of Chile shocked third-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway 6-4, 7-6 (2) at the BNP Paribas Open for his first win over a top-five player in nearly two years. Garin, ranked No. 97, had 39 winners while Ruud, ranked No. 4, managed just 15 winners against 29 unforced

By JACK THOMPSON Associated Press TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Clayton Keller’s second goal of the game at 4:09 of overtime lifted the Arizona Coyotes to a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Barrett Hayton had two goals and an assist for Arizona. Keller’s pair gave him 29 for the season and Brett Ritchie scored his

By The Associated Press The NCAA Tournament has arrived. The First Four games will kick things off and set the final bracket with 68 teams battling it out for the national championship in women’s basketball. The top seeds are South Carolina, Indiana, Stanford and Virginia Tech. Sweet 16 weekend brings a twist this year for

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Julius Randle scored 33 points in a bounce-back performance, RJ Barrett got 20 of his 30 in the second half, and the New York Knicks snapped their three-game losing streak with a 112-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Immanuel Quickley had 15 points as

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Tommy Novak had two goals, including the game-winner with 3:48 remaining in overtime, and the Nashville Predators completed a six-game road trip with a 5-4 victory over the Anaheim Ducks Sunday night. Novak, who also had an assist, beat John Gibson on an odd-man rush