Sports

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Martin Truex Jr. contemplated retirement during last year’s winless season and took until June to decide to return in 2023. He’s proven to be highly motivated as he heads into his 18th full Cup season. Truex opened the year with a victory Sunday night

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — A person familiar with the choice says the San Francisco 49ers are hiring former Carolina interim head coach Steve Wilks as their new defensive coordinator. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the hiring hadn’t been announced. Wilks will fill the void

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer Diana Taurasi hopes to be healthy and potentially play for the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics next year. Taurasi will be 42 at the time of the games. Taurasi is an unrestricted free agent although she is expected to return back to Phoenix where she’s spent her

BY STEPHEN WHYNO, ZEKE MILLER and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh is expected to leave the Biden administration to run the National Hockey League Players’ Association. That’s according to two people familiar with his plans. The hockey players’ union has been searching for a new executive director

MONTPELLIER, France (AP) — French club Montpellier has suspended coach Romain Pitau as the 2012 champions currently sit just two points outside the relegation zone. The club says a press conference is planned Wednesday. Assistant coaches Pascal Baills and Frédéric Mendy have also been suspended. Pitau, who was part of the team which won the

By MAE ANDERSON AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A bevy of booze brands will be in the Super Bowl ad lineup this year. Anheuser-Busch has ended its exclusive advertising sponsorship after more than 30 years. The St. Louis, Missouri, beverage giant will still be the largest alcohol advertiser during the game, with three

By ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer COURCHEVEL, France (AP) — Ukrainian skier Ivan Kovbasnyuk can’t train at home in the Carpathian Mountains because war in the country has damaged the power grid to the point that there’s not enough energy to make the chairlifts operate. That’s just one of the reasons why he thinks athletes

By RALPH D, RUSSO AP College Football Writer Miami is hiring Lance Guidry, who was defensive coordinator at Marshall last season and recently accepted the same position at Tulane, to lead its defense. Two people with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press about the move. They spoke on condition of anonymity because a

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer MIAMI (AP) — Kyle Lowry has been ruled out for the Miami Heat’s next three games with a left knee issue, and he could be sidelined even longer. Lowry is averaging 12.0 points and 5.3 assists on 39.6% shooting this season, numbers all down from a year ago when

By ANDREW DAMPF and ERIC WILLEMSEN Associated Press COURCHEVEL, France (AP) — First-run leader Alexis Pinturault has held on to win the gold medal in the men’s combined at his home world championships. The Frenchman retained his lead from the super-G portion to edge defending champion Marco Schwarz by 0.10 seconds. The Austrian seemed headed

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — As legal sports gambling proliferates, the number of Americans betting on the Super Bowl and the total amount they’re wagering is surging — although most of the action is still off the books. An estimated 1 in 5 American adults will make some sort of

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Pro tennis player Jessica Pegula has revealed that her mother, Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres co-owner Kim Pegula, went into cardiac arrest in June and is still recovering. In an essay that The Players’ Tribune published Tuesday, Pegula writes that her mother is improving every day as she deals with significant

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres have agreed to terms with forward Dylan Cozens on a seven-year extension worth $49.7 million. Cozens will count $7.1 million against the salary cap through the 2029-30 season. The soon-to-be 22-year-old is the latest core player the Sabres have extended over the past six months. Buffalo signed All-Star

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Guardians have hired the first female on-field coach in club history. Amanda Kamekona, a former star softball player at UCLA, has been hired as a hitting instructor for the team. She will be based at the team’s year-round complex in Goodyear, Arizona, where she’ll

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The St. Andrews Links Trust has decided to leave the Swilcan Bridge alone. But only after images on social media caused an outrage. At issue is turf that gets worn down in front of the bridge on the 18th hole of the Old Course

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Guardians have hired the first female on-field coach in club history. Amanda Kamekona, a former star softball player at UCLA, has been hired as a hitting instructor for the team. She will be based at the team’s year-round complex in Goodyear, Arizona, where she’ll

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — Karen Weitz and Ashley Fouch are coaching the boys and girls basketball programs at their respective high schools. A coach overseeing both programs is rare. A female coaching handling those responsibilities is even rarer. Weitz helms a Nevada girls power in Las Vegas that has

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rob Gronkowski might be retired from the NFL, but the former all-pro football player is still in the game during the league’s championship week. The four-time Super Bowl winner will host a music festival called “Gronk Beach” in Phoenix on Saturday, a day ahead

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer Brock Purdy’s bid to join the select group of quarterbacks to go from a backup for most of the season to a Super Bowl starter got derailed when he suffered his own injury in the NFC championship game. Purdy’s elbow injury helped contribute to San Francisco’s 31-7 loss