Sports

By IAN HARRISON Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Chris Bassitt didn’t need the Toronto Blue Jays to sell him on what they were building. The All-Star right-hander already had done his research and decided which teams he was willing to engage in free agency. Toronto showed serious interest from the start of the process, Bassitt

LYON, France (AP) — American businessman John Textor has completed his takeover of French league club Lyon. The sale was initially set for September but was pushed back several times. Under the deal, Textor’s Eagle Football is acquiring a stake of 77.49% in the club. The agreement with Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings provides for a

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Led by Kareem Reid’s 20 points, the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs defeated the Bob Jones Bruins 116-55 on Monday. The Runnin’ Bulldogs are now 5-7 on the season.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs and right-hander Jameson Taillon have finalized a four-year contract worth roughly $68 million. The announcement Monday comes nearly two weeks after the sides agreed to the deal. The Cubs also have added All-Star shortstop Dansby Swanson and 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger this offseason. The 31-year-old Taillon is coming

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. decided they had unfinished business at Alabama, even if it won’t include another shot at a national championship. The fifth-ranked Crimson Tide stars chose to stick around for the Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31 against No. 11 Kansas State instead of joining other

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Medical examiners say the death of Cincinnati Bengals analyst Adam Zimmer was caused by chronic alcohol use. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office in Minnesota released the finding Friday. Zimmer had been found dead in October at age 38 at his home in Minnesota. Zimmer was a former Minnesota Vikings co-defensive coordinator

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Led by Leon Ayers III’s 20 points, the Bowling Green Falcons defeated the Fairmont State Falcons 93-74 on Monday. The Falcons are now 5-7 with the victory .

By LARRY FLEISHER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Kodai Senga was officially introduced at a press conference Monday at Citi Field after finalizing a $75 million, five-year contract with the Mets. They will hold a similar presser for Justin Verlander on Tuesday morning. Senga opened his press conference by introducing himself with a message

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer St. John’s is ranked in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll for the first time since 2015. The Red Storm is No. 25 after winning its first 11 games to match a school record. South Carolina remains a unanimous No. 1, receiving all 28 first-place votes from a national

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Dryden Hunt from the Colorado Avalanche for fellow forward Denis Malgin. Hunt has put up 14 goals and 42 points in 193 regular-season games in parts of six NHL seasons with the Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers and Avalanche.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Navy has promoted efensive coordinator Brian Newberry to head coach. Newberry replaces Ken Niumatalolo, the winningest coach in school history who was fired a week ago. Newberry has led the Midshipmen defense for the last four seasons but has never been a head coach since starting his college coaching career in

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — TCU quarterback and Heisman Trophy runner-up Max Duggan will skip his available extra season with the third-ranked Horned Frogs and make himself eligible for the NFL draft after the College Football Playoff. Duggan has started 41 games during his four seasons at TCU, though the senior could have returned for

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas running back Bijan Robinson is skipping his final two seasons of eligibility to enter the NFL draft and won’t play in the Alamo Bowl. Robinson earned All-America honors after rushing for 1,580 yards with 18 touchdowns. No. 21 Texas plays 12th-ranked Washington in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29. Robinson

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers signed goaltender Stuart Skinner to a three-year, $7.8 million contract extension. The 24-year-old from Edmonton has a 9-8-1 record, a 2.83 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage for the Oilers this season.

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Alex Ovechkin is one of the happiest athletes around about Lionel Messi winning the World Cup with Argentina. Ovechkin is a big fan of Messi and even got a jersey of his as a gift from teammates for his 1,000th NHL game three years ago.

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer TCU’s Sonny Dykes was named The Associated Press Coach of the Year on Monday after leading the No. 3 Horned Frogs to the College Football Playoff in his first season with the school. Dykes received 37 of 46 first-place votes and 120 points from AP Top 25

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is encouraging individual sports to consider “category qualifiers” to ensure transgender athletes will have events to participate in after they reach puberty. The USOPC finalized its so-called position paper addressing a proposed path forward for transgender participation in sports. Its recommendations were based

PARIS (AP) — France forward Karim Benzema has posted a message on social networks indicating that he is retiring from internationals, a day after the national team lost the World Cup final without him. After raising the Ballon d’Or award as the world’s top player to crown his remarkable rise, Benzema’s dream of winning the

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — National League champion Philadelphia will play at Texas on April 2 in the first ESPN Sunday night telecast of the 2023 season. The Houston Astros will host the Phillies in a World Series rematch on April 30. ESPN also picked San Diego at Atlanta on April 9, Texas at Houston on