Sports

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer Mississippi State is promoting defensive coordinator Zach Arnett to head coach to replace Mike Leach, who died suddenly of a heart condition earlier this week. Mississippi State was working to finalize a four-year contract with the 36-year-old Arnett, a person with knowledge of the decision told The

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer AL KHOR, Qatar (AP) — Kylian Mbappé vs. Lionel Messi. It’s the World Cup final just about everyone was waiting for — and hoping for. France and Mbappé are headed back to the biggest game in soccer, and to a much-anticipated matchup with Argentina, after ending Morocco’s historic run

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired reliever J.P. Feyereisen from the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league left-hander Jeff Belge. Feyereisen was designated for assignment Tuesday when the Rays finalized right-hander Zach Eflin’s $40 million, three-year contract. Feyereisen underwent right shoulder surgery on Dec. 7 for a cleanup of his

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn has hired former Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach and Ron Roberts as defensive coordinator. New coach Hugh Freeze announced the hires of the two veteran coaches on Wednesday. Mongomery was fired after going 5-7 in his eighth season at Tulsa. He went 43-53 and led

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The surging Pittsburgh Penguins will have to try to keep their hot streak going without defenseman Jeff Petry and forward Jason Zucker. The Penguins have placed Petry on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury. Zucker is out for at least one week with a lower-body injury. The two veterans have been

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer An investigation commissioned by the National Women’s Soccer League and its players union found “widespread misconduct” directed at players dating back to the beginnings nearly a decade ago of the country’s top women’s professional league. A report detailing the results of the year-long investigation was published Wednesday, a

AL KHOR, Qatar (AP) — Kylian Mbappe has attended to a fan who was apparently struck by a stray practice ball ahead of the World Cup semifinal match between France and Morocco. Mbappe was seen checking on the welfare of a France supporter who appeared to be dazed after the incident at Al Bayt Stadium.

AL KHOR, Qatar (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has traveled to Qatar to attend the World Cup semifinal match between France and Morocco. It’s a politically charged encounter between the north African country and its former colonizer. Macron was standing beside FIFA president Gianni Infantino in the stands at Al Bayt Stadium after the

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Steve Cohen’s New York Mets are on track to shatter spending records in his third season as owner, boosting payroll to about $350 million for purposes of the luxury tax and poised to pay a penalty of about $80 million. New York added starters Justin

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer Quarterback John Matocha, who has led Colorado School of Mines to the Division II championship game, leads The Associated Press D-II All-America team. Matocha has passed for 4,558 yards and 50 touchdowns with only six interceptions for the Orediggers, who face Ferris State in the title game

By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Tyler Huntley was at practice for the Baltimore Ravens. Lamar Jackson remained absent as he recovers from his knee injury two weekends ago. Huntley was on the field Wednesday during the portion open to reporters. He threw a bit without a helmet on, then

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Pro Football Writer IRVING, Texas (AP) — The NFL is considering ejections for roughing-the-passer penalties and hits on defenseless players, although league executive Troy Vincent is expressing caution on how such rulings would be enforced. Vincent says ejections were part of a discussion at the NFL owners meetings including roughing-the-passer calls

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport has announced that the WNBA received an A for its overall racial and gender practices for 2022. That included an A+ for racial hiring and an A for gender hiring. Richard Lapchick, the director of the institute

By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — Bruins coach Jim Montgomery has bounced back from the low point in his career and his life to guide Boston to the best record in the NHL. Montgomery was fired by the Dallas Stars three years ago for what he has since admitted was a drinking

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer Former Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller escaped sanctions when a report from the Independent Accountability Resolution Process largely accepted the program’s self-imposed penalties stemming from a NCAA rules violations case that dates back to 2017. Arizona’s athletics program was put on three years of probation through 2025. The school

By DORIAN COLBERT RosterWatch The fantasy playoffs are here and these scoring stars have a vast sample size to bolster their likelihoods to pay off for you in Week 15. These are the best bets to score.

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer The Brock Purdy show is hitting the road in prime time. After outplaying Tom Brady and dominating the Buccaneers in his first career start, Purdy leads the San Francisco 49ers against Seattle on “Thursday Night Football.” Purdy, the last pick in this year’s draft, can follow up a