Sports

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Michael Shank bookended last season with a win in the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona and closed the year with the IMSA championship. But the team owner has yet to relax as IMSA this weekend opens its season with a new era of

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Bengals are headed back to Kansas City for the second straight year for the AFC championship game, hoping to replicate the success they’ve had over the past 13 months against the Chiefs. Cincinnati has won the past three matchups between the burgeoning rivals,

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Bryan Herta wants to enter Robert Wickens in the Indianapolis 500 as early as 2024. That’s even a year longer than preferred because of the work required on the hand control system needed for the paralyzed driver. Wickens suffered a spinal cord injury

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Coach Kyle Shanahan’s success in San Francisco overseeing productive offenses without elite quarterback play is a reason why so many teams each January are seeking the next trendy, play-calling offensive coach to take over their team. All four head coaches in the conference

By MAURICIO SAVARESE AP Sports Writer SAO PAULO (AP) — European clubs looking for last-minute deals in the January transfer window could find some future stars among Brazil’s current crop of young soccer talents. The focus on Brazilian players is always big during transfer periods and the spotlight only intensified after Real Madrid’s signing of

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey missed his second straight practice with a calf injury but said he will be available for the NFC title game. McCaffrey played through the calf injury during a divisional-round win over Dallas but hasn’t practiced

By BETH HARRIS AP Racing Writer Bob Baffert can once again enter horses at New York’s major tracks. The Hall of Fame trainer’s one-year ban by the New York Racing Association ended Wednesday, allowing him to enter horses as soon as Thursday. “I was disappointed they even did it, but it’s water under the bridge,”

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 61-year-old Reich joins the Panthers after spending the past four-plus seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, where he went 40-33-1 as head coach before being fired on Nov. 7.

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney is optimistic about his team’s future following a strong finish to the 2022 season. The Steelers won seven of their final nine games to end up at 9-8. Rooney praised the development of rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett and said the improvement

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke won’t have touted freshman Dariq Whitehead for Saturday’s game at Georgia Tech due to a left-leg injury and it’s unclear exactly when he’ll return. Coach Jon Scheyer didn’t reveal specifics about the injury beyond describing it as a “strain.” But Whitehead appears to have

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer The Bengals and Chiefs have become familiar foes. When the teams face off Sunday in Kansas City to determine the AFC champion, it’ll be their fourth meeting in 393 days and a rematch of last year’s conference title game. The No. 1 seed Chiefs (15-3) dropped all three

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