Sports

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — Marcus Sasser weighed many factors in deciding whether to return for his senior season at Houston. The chance that he could lead the top-ranked Cougars to their first national title at home, with the Final Four being played in Houston, made his decision to come back

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — David Pastrnak scored twice and Linus Ullmark stopped 30 shots to lead the Boston Bruins past the Ottawa Senators 3-1 and net their fourth straight victory. Pastrnak broke a second-period tie to pass the 40-goal plateau for the third time in his career. Then he added

By GEORGE RICHARDS Associated Press SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Carter Verhaeghe scored 1:42 into overtime to lead the Florida Panthers to a 4-3 win against the Anaheim Ducks. Florida has won six of its past nine games. Anaheim has lost its past five. The Panthers also got goals from Eric and Marc Staal as well

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer Major League Soccer is embarking on its 28th season with a new team in St. Louis City and a new media deal with Apple TV. This season will also feature an expanded Leagues Cup, which will involve all of the MLS and Liga MX teams for the first

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Titleholder Al-Hilal has defeated Shabab Al-Ahli of the United Arab Emirates 3-1 to give Saudi Arabia two teams in the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League. Al-Hilal was playing its first game since losing to Real Madrid 5-3 in the Club World Cup final. Al-Hilal had too much firepower for the

By KEN POWTAK Associated Press FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy admits the organization heard lots of displeasure from fans during the offseason.  “Pressure is definitely on the 2023 Boston Red Sox,” Kennedy said on Monday morning at the team’s spring training complex on the first full day of

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona’s spending cap has been reduced by the Spanish league because of its elimination in the Champions League. The Spanish league says it set the club’s limit for the season at 648 million euros. That is down from 656 million euros. Atletico Madrid and Sevilla also had their caps reduced because

By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Miguel Cabrera sounds at ease with his decision to call it a career. The Detroit slugger joked with reporters in his usual playful way and insisted he doesn’t need opponents to lavish him with attention. That will likely come this season whether he wants it

By JAY COHEN AP Baseball Writer GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Elvis Andrus is joining the Chicago White Sox, stepping into the team’s opening at second base. Andrus has finalized a $3 million, one-year contract. The two-time All-Star has played shortstop for his entire big league career, but he is going to move over to second

By MITCH STACY AP Sports Writer Catcher Tyler Stephenson is one of the cornerstones of a multiyear rebuild of the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds want to make sure the 26-year-old is fresh and healthy enough to give them 140 to 150 games a year, even if there are fewer starts at his natural position behind

By The Associated Press The NBA has an ongoing battle with load management and finding ways to optimize player health, performance and availability. Here’s what some players and quotes told The Associated Press about the issue of rest.

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer The NBA has an ongoing battle with load management and finding ways to optimize player health, performance and availability. While there is a consensus that the league has problems, there is no consensus on how to solve those problems. Over the last week, The Associated Press asked a cross-section

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer Major League Soccer is set to open its 2023 season. The Philadelphia Union made it all the way to the MLS Cup final but fell to champion LAFC on penalties. Jim Curtin won MLS Coach of the Year honors, while Andre Blake won Goalkeeper of the Year. The

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Sparks have signed guard Yang Liwei, who will become the second China-born player to suit up for the team. Zheng Haixia was drafted by the Sparks in 1997 and played one season for them, leading the league in field-goal percentage. Yang recently led China to a silver medal

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer South Carolina remained No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll after topping Mississippi in overtime on Sunday. The Gamecocks have been No. 1 for 35 straight weeks, the third-longest streak of all time. They received 27 of the 28 first-place votes from the national media panel,

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer Major League Soccer is set to open its 2023 season. LAFC won the 2022 Supporters Shield and went on to lift the MLS Cup, defeating the Philadelphia Union on penalties. Coach Steve Cherundolo heads into his second year with those lofty expectations now in place. Gareth Bale, who

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Forward Stephanie Talbot will miss the upcoming WNBA season after getting hurt in her native Australia. The Los Angeles Sparks say they learned that Talbot suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament while playing for the Adelaide Lightning of the WNBL. Three weeks ago, Talbot signed a two-year deal with the Sparks.