Sports

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer It looks like the BBC picked on the wrong guy. The network went up against a national treasure when it chose to make an example of Gary Lineker by suspending him for criticizing the British government’s asylum policy on Twitter. It quickly became clear there was only going to

SOLDEU, Andorra (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin has marked her 28th birthday with the appointment of a new personal head coach, just two days after she became the most successful World Cup skier in history. The U.S. ski team said Karin Harjo will take up the role in April and join Shiffrin for post-season training and

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — World Cup record-holder Mikaela Shiffrin has a new head coach. Karin Harjo, who has been leading Canada’s Alpine skiing team, will start working with Shiffrin next month. U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced Harjo’s hiring on Monday. Harjo has worked with Shiffrin as an assistant coach for the American team in

By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer If you’re like most of the country, you probably didn’t count on a No. 8 seed reaching the national title game last year — or a No. 15 seed making it to the Elite Eight. Thank you North Carolina and Saint Peter’s, who made sure there’s nowhere to go

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer Bob Bryan is the new captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team. The U.S. Tennis Association is announcing the appointment on Monday. Bryan was half of a record-breaking men’s doubles duo with his twin brother, Mike. They helped the United States claim the 2007 Davis Cup. That was the

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer Kansas and Alabama are no strangers to playing for national championships. For the Jayhawks, another high-expectations trip to March Madness is a rite of spring. For the Crimson Tide, well, this path to glory travels through some unfamiliar ground — the basketball court. Alabama rolls in as the top

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — A person familiar with the situation says the Cleveland Browns have restructured quarterback Deshaun Watson’s $230 million contract to create salary-cap space ahead of NFL free agency. The Browns always have had the ability to convert Watson’s base salary into a signing bonus and create $36

TOKYO (AP) — Kunwoo Park and Ha-Seong Kim hit grand slams in consecutive innings, and South Korea set a World Baseball Classic scoring record with a 22-2 rout over China in a game between already eliminated teams. South Korea broke the runs record that had stood since Japan beat China 18-2 in the first round

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Eintracht Frankfurt is forgoing its allocation of tickets for Wednesday’s Champions League game at Napoli in protest as what it calls an “unlawful” decree from Italian officials limiting ticket sales to visiting supporters. The dispute began last week when Italy’s interior ministry ordered Napoli not to sell tickets to German fans

SALE, Morocco (AP) — Achraf Hakimi has been called into the Morocco squad for games against Brazil and Peru while he is implicated in a rape allegation in France. Morocco coach Walid Regragui says the country supports the Paris Saint-Germain defender. Regragui says Hakimi “has the presumption of innocence until it’s proven to the contrary.”

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The top editors at the Dutch national broadcaster’s sports department have stepped down amid reports that there was a culture of inappropriate behavior and bullying among staff spanning more than two decades. The decision Sunday evening followed a report last week compiled by external experts

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer Kansas and Alabama are no strangers to playing for national championships. For the Jayhawks, another high-expectations trip to March Madness is a rite of spring. For the Crimson Tide, well, this path to glory travels through some unfamiliar ground — the basketball court. Alabama rolls in as the top

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The BBC called a truce Monday in its showdown with sports commentator Gary Lineker, reversing its suspension of the former soccer great for a tweet that criticized the U.K. government’s contentious new migration policy. The about-face followed a weekend of chaos and crisis for Britain’s publicly funded

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer TOKYO (AP) — There a common thread running through the World Baseball Classic when opponents face Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani and his Japanese teammates. Players become fans, collect souvenirs, chase autographs and cherish memories. Czech player William Escala returned home with a autographed ball from Japan star