Sports

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Carlos Beltrán refused to discuss his role in the Houston Astros cheating scandal, preferring to concentrate on his new role with the New York Mets. Beltrán was hired by the Mets in November 2019 to replace Mickey Callaway as manager. But the team announced Beltrán’s departure the following January

By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks general manager Landry Fields says former Utah coach Quinn Snyder will be “somebody we will consider” in the search to replace Nate McMillan. The Hawks fired McMillan on Tuesday, and Fields stressed the team’s eighth-place standing in the Eastern Conference is “not acceptable” for

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Top-ranked Iga Swiatek has reached the quarterfinals of the Dubai Championships by beating Liudmila Samsonova 6-1, 6-0. The 21-year-old Pole will next face former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova who advanced by defeating Anhelina Kalinina 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-2 in the round of 16. Three-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek has

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell needed to add some pop to his lineup a couple years ago, so he put a few more big bodies in his four-man infield, sacrificing defensive range for offensive thump. “They combined for a weight of over 1,000 pounds,” Counsell said, laughing.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Curry is the new inside linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Curry replaces Jerry Olsavsky. Olsavsky was not retained by the Steelers after more than 20 years with the organization as a player and coach. Olsavsky’s role diminished in 2022 after the Steelers brought in Brian Flores as a senior defensive

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer A mixed team event is back on the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour schedule. The Grant Thornton Invitational in December will feature 16 teams competing for a $4 million purse on network television. It will be the first mixed team event of PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players since

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann was fined 50,000 euros ($53,200) but avoided suspension for his outburst against match officials after the Bundesliga leader’s 3-2 loss at Borussia Mönchengladbach. The German soccer federation issued the fine for what it called Nagelsmann’s “unsportsmanlike comments” to referee Tobias Welz and officials in their locker

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Novak Djokovic has asked American authorities for special permission to enter the United States to play tennis tournaments in California and Florida despite being unvaccinated against the coronavirus, the top-ranked Serb said Wednesday. The Transportation Security Administration has said the requirement for foreign air travelers to

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Soccer hopes to pick a 30th team by the end of the year. MLS Commissioner Don Garber says San Diego and Las Vegas are the most likely candidates. He mentioned Detroit; Phoenix; Sacramento, California; and Tampa, Florida, as other possibilities. St. Louis, the

NEW YORK (AP) — In a story published February 21, 2023, about a soccer corruption trial, The Associated Press erroneously reported the amount bid by ESPN for rights to broadcast the World Cups in 2018 and 2022. That amount was $400 million, not $450 million.

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer There are six teams in the NBA that look pretty comfortably in playoff position. There are four other teams that pretty much know they’re not going anywhere. That leaves 20 teams for the last 10 playoff spots. The NBA’s All-Star break ends Thursday night. And there’s only 28% of

MADRID (AP) — The Spanish league has filed three more complaints for racist insults during matches. Two of them were aimed at Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior. The league says one Mallorca fan was identified for twice insulting players. One was against Vinícius and another was against Villarreal midfielder Samu Chukwueze. The league says police

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer WWE, an organization that is already king of the ring on social media, will attempt to expand its online presence this year with the $6.5 billion sports entertainment company hinting that it may put itself up for sale. WWE surpassed 20 million followers on its flagship TikTok account during

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Vinícius Júnior and Karim Benzema are proving to be the ideal attacking partners for Real Madrid with their mixture of youth and experience. And their love of goals. They’ve each scored 18 so far this season. The duo came up big again in Madrid’s comeback in

By SAVANNAH HERNANDEZ Associated Press Brazilian forward Marta is back from a year-long injury, and her availability for this summer’s Women’s World Cup, potentially her last, boosts Brazil’s outlook. The 37-year-old, who has played in five World Cups, is regarded as one of the greatest female football players of all time. Marta is the all-time

By SAVANNAH HERNANDEZ Associated Press Brazilian forward Marta is back from a year-long injury, and her availability for this summer’s Women’s World Cup, potentially her last, boosts Brazil’s outlook. The 37-year-old, who has played in five World Cups, is regarded as one of the greatest female football players of all time. Marta is the all-time