Sports

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer Nasty defenses. Strong rushing offenses. Physical in the trenches. This 49ers-Eagles matchup in the NFC championship game Sunday has all the elements of old-school football. But don’t overlook all the playmakers at the skill positions on both teams. Philadelphia has running back Miles Sanders, wide receivers A.J. Brown

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves has ruled out running next month’s NASCAR season-opening Daytona 500. Castroneves has been chasing a seat since winning one of Tony Stewart’s summer all-star races last season. He’d tried to put a deal together with Trackhouse Racing,

DETROIT (AP) — Outside linebacker Jessie Lemonier, who appeared in seven games for the Detroit Lions in 2021 in a brief NFL career highlighted by a sack of Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, has died. He was 25. The Lions disclosed his death in a statement Thursday, adding they confirmed it with his

BALTIMORE (AP) — Right-hander Austin Voth avoided a salary arbitration hearing with the Baltimore Orioles by agreeing to a $1.85 million, one-year contract. Voth’s deal includes a $2.45 million team option for 2024 that can escalate by up to $500,000 based on starts this year. His 2023 salary is the midpoint between the $2 million

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers have hired Frank Reich as their new head coach following an extensive search. The team announced Thursday it has agreed to terms with Reich. The 61-year-old Reich joins the Panthers after spending the past four-plus seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, where he

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL is expanding its partnership with the Players Coalition to address issues of racial and social justice with a five-year extension and a $15 million grant through its Inspire Change initiative. The agreement comes as the league and its teams say they have surpassed a $250 million commitment to combat

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — Dana Brown was hired Thursday as the general manager of the Houston Astros. Brown replaces James Click, who was not given a new contract and parted ways with the Astros just days after they won the World Series. Brown spent the last four seasons as the

TORONTO (AP) — Darryl Watts thought she’d retired from hockey after a stellar NCAA career. At Boston College, Watts became the first freshman to win the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top player in women’s Division I hockey. She recently finished her career at Wisconsin, ranking second all-time in NCAA scoring with 297 points in

By The Associated Press The NFC’s two best teams meet in the conference championship game on Sunday when the No. 1-seeded Philadelphia Eagles host the No. 2 seed San Francisco 49ers. There is star power all over the field in the matchup, with MVP finalist Jalen Hurts leading Philadelphia’s offense and Defensive Player of the

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Soccer Federation sporting director Earnie Stewart is leaving to join PSV Eindhoven following the departure of American general manager Brian McBride. The management shakeup leaves men’s coach Gregg Berhalter in uncertainty. Berhalter and McBride were hired by Stewart, and the coach’s contract expired Dec.

By JIM VERTUNO AP Sports Writer AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Longhorns’ quick  fall from preseason No. 3 all the way to unranked was one of the biggest disappearing acts of the women’s college basketball season. They’re still unranked, but it’s easy to find them. Just look at the top of the Big 12

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writer PARIS (AP) — Kylian Mbappé can close in further on Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time scoring record when his team hosts Reims on Sunday. Mbappé’s tally of 196 goals for PSG means he is only four behind Edinson Cavani’s record for the club. Cavani is still idolized by fans, many of

By JANIE McCAULEY AP Sports Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Starting players around the NBA are sacrificing their minutes with the first team to better the backups. Draymond Green’s increased minutes with the Warriors’ reserves a few months back worked out well for coach Steve Kerr to help prepare the Golden State second unit for

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Pro Football Writer FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are not renewing the contracts of six members of coach Mike McCarthy’s staff, including senior assistants Rob Davis and George Edwards. The announcement comes four days after a 19-12 playoff loss to San Francisco. The loss extends Dallas’ losing streak in

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Oakland Athletics have spent years trying to get a new stadium while watching Bay Area neighbors such as the Giants, Warriors, 49ers and Raiders successfully move into state-of-the-art venues, and now time is running short on their efforts. The A’s lease at RingCentral Coliseum

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Patrick Reed fared better than Rory McIlroy after some pre-tournament friction as the Dubai Desert Classic got off to a wet start with only 11 players managing to finish their weather-affected first rounds. Play only began at the European tour event after a delay of six hours caused by

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Pro Football Writer The New York Jets have hired former Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett as their offensive coordinator. The team announced the hiring Thursday of the 43-year-old Hackett, who replaces Mike LaFleur. Hackett went 4-11 in less than one season as head coach of the Broncos. Hackett’s arrival will

By KEN MAGUIRE AP Sports Writer LONDON (AP) — The Hollywood owners of Wrexham are still learning the vernacular of British soccer. They don’t need guidance, though, to set the scene for this weekend’s FA Cup match against second-division Sheffield United. Rob McElhenney, who co-owns the fifth-tier club with fellow actor Ryan Reynolds, joked that

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Soccer Federation sporting director Earnie Stewart is leaving to join PSV Eindhoven following the departure of American general manager Brian McBride. The management shakeup leaves men’s coach Gregg Berhalter in uncertainty. Berhalter and McBride were hired by Stewart, and the coach’s contract expired Dec.

By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Bill O’Brien is back with the New England Patriots. The team formally announced his hiring as the team’s new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The move comes just 12 days after the Patriots said they were searching for a new leader of their offense in