Sports

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The major league batting average rose 16 points to .249 over the first 1 1/2 weeks of this season with new shift limits in place, while game time dropped 31 minutes to 2:38 in the first year of the pitch clock. The time is on

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Bo Horvat has attempted to clarify what he meant by New York Islanders’ home games being “a lot better than Vancouver.” The comments by the former Canucks captain after a weekend game caught the attention of fans back in Vancouver more than two months after he

By PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Christopher Bell is off to a fast start in his young and rising career at Joe Gibbs Racing. Bell has won five times in his first 116 starts, the latest coming on the Bristol dirt on Sunday night. That’s more than any other active driver

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Commanders have settled a lawsuit with the District of Columbia attorney general’s office over fans’ season-ticket deposit money. Attorney general Brian L. Schwalb on Monday announced the agreement that returns $200,000 to fans and pay $425,000 to the district to resolve allegations related to

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State standout Tyson Walker is returning for his fifth season. Walker announced his decision Monday with an Instagram post, giving a boost to coach Tom Izzo’s chances of contending for a title. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged a team-high 14.8 points and ranked second with nearly three assists per game.

MONACO (AP) — Three-time Grand Slam winners Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka have had contrasting fortunes in the first round of the clay-court Monte Carlo Masters. Former champion Wawrinka rallied to win 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 against Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor. The 38-year-old Swiss next plays American Taylor Fritz. The 35-year-old Murray lost 6-1, 6-3 to 14th-seeded

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA is adding charter flights for the entire playoffs and back-to-back regular season games this year, the league announced Monday. The league will pay for all of the flights. “It’s significant dollars,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press. “Now that we have

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke guard Jeremy Roach is entering his name into the NBA draft but maintaining his college eligibility. The 6-foot-2 junior announced his decision in a social-media post Monday, saying he was looking forward to getting feedback on his game during pre-draft workouts. Roach was the team’s No. 2 scorer at 13.6

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal was expected to be discharged from a hospital Monday following what he called successful surgery on a minor leg fracture he suffered during a victory parade for the national champion University of Connecticut men’s basketball team over the weekend. The 77-year-old Connecticut Democrat said on Twitter that

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA is adding charter flights for the entire playoffs this season as well as for teams that have back-to-back games. The league announced Monday it will pay for all of the flights. The cost is expected to be around $4.5 million, according to a

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer MIAMI (AP) — Getting to the play-in tournament probably wasn’t the goal of any team when training camps opened back in September. But it beats the alternative. There are 12 teams with playoff spots right now, 10 teams whose seasons are over and eight teams with a second chance.

LONDON (AP) — Assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis has been stood down from officiating matches while the FA looks into his clash with Liverpool defender Andy Robertson. The official appeared to raise his arm when colliding with Robertson during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday. The Professional Game Match

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Guardians starter Triston McKenzie is set to resume his throwing program after making progress in his recovery from a shoulder strain. The team says McKenzie, who has been sidelined to start the season with a strained teres major muscle, was checked by Dr. Jason Genin

MONACO (AP) — Formula One driver Charles Leclerc has asked fans to respect his privacy after his address was leaked, leading to some turning up at his apartment. The Ferrari driver is from Monaco and lives in the tiny Principality. He pleaded with his supporters not to go too far. Posting on Instagram, Leclerc says

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Jon Rahm is the Masters champion. He predicted that would happen when he opened a fortune cookie nearly 10 years ago. And while the tweet showing his fortune was all good fun, everyone could see what kind of talent was coming to golf. The Spaniard