Raptors-Bulls postponed as Raptors don't have enough players to play due to COVID-19 protocols.
The golf world wore red shirts and black pants to honor Tiger Woods on Sunday.
Mike Tomlin, typically quiet during the offseason, is speaking out about a 'collective failure' in NFL hiring practices.
Leicester City 1-3 Arsenal: The Gunners were too good for Leicester despite the Foxes’ early goal
Yildirim was done after the third round.
“Everybody’s talking about Gane being this big contender, but look what Francis Ngannou did to Rozenstruik,” White said. “This was his coming out party and his chance to show the world who he is. He won, but let’s leave it at that. He won.”
Louis Nix III was a standout defensive lineman for Notre Dame before playing three seasons in the NFL.
NEW YORK — After dodging COVID-19 for almost half of the NBA season, the Toronto Raptors have been dealt a big blow. The NBA called off Toronto's game against the visiting Chicago Bulls on Sunday night due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. In a shortened NBA season reeling from COVID-19 cases and game cancellations, it's the first game cancellation for the Raptors. The league said the Raptors are dealing with positive test results, and combined with contact tracing issues, won't have the league-required eight players available Sunday. The team's trouble seemingly started on Friday when the Raptors were missing head coach Nick Nurse, five members of his staff and star forward Pascal Siakam. Assistant Sergio Scariolo stepped in to coach the team to a 122-111 win over the Houston Rockets. NBA players and staff are tested twice daily. The Raptors had 14 players available on Friday, and played 12. Siakam was the only Raptor player listed on Saturday's injury report as out due to health and safety protocols, suggesting the results and contact tracing investigations from Saturday showed either positive tests or exposure to individuals who had positive results. The names of players or staff members affected were not revealed. Prior to Sunday, the Raptors had been one of just four teams with no game postponements. Sunday's game is the 30th to be postponed this season. Makeup games will add to an already jam-packed second half of the schedule, which was released earlier this week. The Raptors were already scheduled to play 35 games in 66 days in the season's second half, including a gruelling four-game western road trip that sees Toronto play four games in six days at Denver, Utah and Los Angeles against the Clippers and Lakers. The Raptors' next game, if indeed they get the green light to go ahead, is Tuesday against Detroit. The one plus is they only play once more — Thursday at Boston — before the all-star break. The Raptors tip off the second half of the season on March 11 against the visiting Atlanta Hawks. Because of Canada's border regulations around COVID-19, and health and safety measures in Toronto, the Raptors are playing their home games out of Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. Florida added 5,539 coronavirus cases and 118 deaths on Sunday. The state has had more than 1.9 million cases since the pandemic's arrival last March. — With files from The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2021. The Canadian Press
Ah, baseball has returned.
SHEFFIELD, England — Liverpool halted a run of four defeats in the Premier League as it ended a miserable February with a 2-0 win over last-place Sheffield United on Sunday. A series of fine first-half saves from Sheffield goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale kept the defending champions at bay in the first half. The 20-year-old academy graduate Curtis Jones made the breakthrough for Liverpool in the 48th minute when he fired in off Trent Alexander-Arnold's deflected cross. There was a brief check for whether the ball had gone out of play in the buildup but there was no conclusive evidence that it had. Oliver McBurnie sent a header wide in Sheffield's best chance of levelling the score before Liverpool made it 2-0 in the 64th. Roberto Firmino weaved through the defence before hitting a shot which took a deflection before going past Ramsdale. The Premier League ruled it was an own-goal for Sheffield's Kean Bryan, meaning Firmino went a seventh game without a goal in the league and Champions League. The second goal took the game out of reach for a Sheffield team with just three league wins all season as Liverpool marked its first league game without conceding a goal since a 0-0 draw with Manchester United on Jan. 17. However, it was not the kind of emphatic victory which might have boosted Liverpool's confidence further after a miserable recent run which included last week's defeat to rival Everton and losses to Manchester City and Leicester which buried an already ailing bid to retain the title. Mohamed Salah missed from close range in the 80th and Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian, standing in for Alisson Becker after his father died, stopped a late attempt from Oliver Burke. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Fernando Tatis Jr. gets a full no-trade provision through 2028 as part of his $330 million, 14-year contract with the San Diego Padres. After that he will have the ability to block a trade to 13 teams for the remainder of the deal. However, the 22-year-old Tatis already has two years of major league service, so if he remains in the major leagues he would acquire the right after 2028 to block trades under the collective bargaining agreement as a 10-year veteran who has been with his team for five years or longer. His contract calls for a $10 million signing bonus payable within 30 days of approval of the contract by the commissioner's office and a $1 million salary this year, his last season before he would have been eligible for arbitration. He gets $5 million in 2022, $7 million in 2023 and $11 million in 2024, the three seasons he would have been eligible for arbitration. Tatis receives $20 million each in 2025 and 2026, the first two seasons after he would have become eligible for free agency, $25 million apiece in 2027 and 2028, and $36 million in each of the final six seasons. He also gets a hotel suite on all road trips, and the right to purchase a premium luxury suite and four of the best available premium season tickets for all Padres' home games. Tatis' deal, announced Monday, exceeds in length the $325 million, 13-year agreement in November 2014 between Miami and Giancarlo Stanton, who was traded to the New York Yankees in December 2017, and the $330 million, 13-year contract ahead of the 2019 season between Philadelphia and Bryce Harper. He has baseball's third-largest agreement by amount, trailing Mike Trout's $426.5 million, 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels that started in 2019 and Mookie Betts' $365, 12-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers that begins this season. Tatis will give up a percentage of his salary to a company called Big League Advance as part of a contract in which he accepted an up-front payment several years ago. While the details of Tatis' deal with the company are not known, a lawsuit filed by Francisco Mejía in 2018 said Mejia received $360,000 as part of agreements in which he agreed to repay the company 10% of future earnings. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice. ___ More AP MLB coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB Ronald Blum, The Associated Press
Alan Bowman made 16 starts for Texas Tech. He threw for 5,260 yards, 33 touchdowns and 17 interceptions for the Red Raiders.
LONDON — An unexpected but burgeoning title challenge for Manchester United has fallen apart in just a few weeks. A 0-0 draw with Chelsea on Sunday was drab but consequential. It was the fifth time United has been held in the nine Premier League matches since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side went top 47 days earlier. No wonder Solskjaer downplayed the elevated status, even after the Jan. 12 victory over Burnley gave United a glimmer of hope of ending an eight-year title drought. With only three wins since then, United has allowed Manchester City to take control — with City showing the attacking strength completely lacking in United's display at Stamford Bridge. “We were both quite sort of safe,” United defender Luke Shaw said. “I don’t think we created too many chances. So a bit disappointed with that. We needed to win because obviously the gap’s getting bigger.” United does remain second in the standings, but City has now been able to extend its lead to 12 points after beating West Ham on Saturday. It is fourth-place West Ham in Chelsea's sights. Drawing a blank in a drab encounter against United kept Chelsea unbeaten in the two months under Thomas Tuchel but the west London club remained a point behind West Ham in the pursuit of Champions League qualification. Man United wants to be achieving more than just top-four finishes but its record against the biggest six teams has been dismal. Not a single goal has been scored all season by United from open play in the league against City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and, of course, Chelsea. “We are not scoring enough,” Solskjaer said. “The next step for this team is to win these games.” United was left grumbling about the refereeing at Chelsea after not being awarded a penalty in the first half for what looked like handball by Callum Hudson-Odoi. “I’m a bit concerned that we don’t get those penalties after the noises that were made a month or two ago about us getting penalties,” Solskjaer said. "So clearly there is a point of managers influencing the referees which they shouldn’t do.” The manager even claimed a “cheeky” item on the Chelsea website was “influencing referees" which pointed to how United captain Harry Maguire had “survived VAR reviews” of fouls on their players in recent encounters. “What they are saying about Harry Maguire puts pressure on the referees to give penalties against us," Solskjaer said, deflecting attention away from the ineffective attack featuring Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford. Shaw went much further with a claim about what referee Stuart Attwell told Maguire. “I heard the ref say to H, ‘If I give a pen it’s going to cause a lot of talk after,’" Shaw said. “H was told it was a pen by VAR, but I’m not going to moan.” Tuchel pointed out that United striker Greenwood had actually handled the ball. “You see this one second on the iPad and I see it on the field live,” Tuchel said. “I don’t understand why he needs to check it, but I’m glad it’s not a penalty because it would have been even worse.” A game that ended with Christian Pulisic being deployed from the bench as Olivier Giroud's replacement to lead the attack offered little attacking quality. “Now it is a moment to hang in and to show performances every three or four days which demands a lot,” Tuchel said. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Rob Harris, The Associated Press
Trey Mancini took his first at-bat since last March.
NEW YORK — Charlie McAvoy had a goal and an assist, leading the Boston Bruins to a 4-1 win against the New York Rangers on Sunday. Tuukka Rask made 20 saves and earned his 299th NHL victory. Charlie Coyle scored twice and David Pastrnak added two assists as the Bruins snapped a two-game skid. Trent Frederic also scored for Boston. Alexandar Georgiev made 31 saves, but the Rangers fell for the second time in games. Colin Blackwell scored for New York. McAvoy hammered a one-timer to push the Bruins’ lead to 3-0 at 10:20 of the second period. Pastrnak and Brad Marchand assisted on the play. The Bruins and Rangers have met four times in the month of February this season, all at MSG. The teams are scheduled to play four more times at TD Garden in Boston during this abbreviated 56-game season with revamped divisions because of COVID-19. Coyle opened the scoring at 6:41 of the first period with a deft wrist shot from inside the left faceoff circle. Pastrnak’s leading pass allowed Coyle to enter the offensive zone with speed and get by Rangers rookie defenceman K’Andre Miller. McAvoy earned the secondary assist on the play. Before Coyle’s goal, Georgiev sustained a cut above his left eye following a collision with Bruins forward Nick Ritchie. Igor Shesterkin replaced Georgiev after the goal for the remainder of the first period. Georgiev returned for the second period and finished the game. Frederic extended the Bruins’ lead to 2-0 late in the first period when he redirected a puck past Shesterkin. Connor Clifton and Jack Studnicka assisted on the goal at 18:14 of the opening period. Blackwell spoiled Rask’s shutout bid at 10:47 of the third period. Alexis Lafreniere, the first overall selection of the 2020 draft, picked up his second career assist in as many games on the play. Coyle added a short-handed empty-net goal at 18:05 to seal the victory for the Bruins. POWER PLAY STRUGGLES The Bruins are 3 for 22 on the man advantage over their past nine games after going 12 for 34 over the first 10. LEARNING CURVE The Bruins dressed four rookies on Sunday, including Frederic, Studnicka, Jakub Zboril and Urho Vaakanainen. UP NEXT Bruins: Host Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Rangers: Host Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. ___ More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
LONDON — Gareth Bale turned back time for Tottenham, while Chelsea and Manchester United seemed happy just to play out time. Bale looked like the star player who left Tottenham for Real Madrid in 2013 as he scored twice in the club’s 4-0 win over Burnley, prompting Spurs manager Jose Mourinho to pronounce him “better than ever" though still not suitable to start week-in, week-out. While Bale found his form, Harvey Barnes had his good run cut short by a knee injury in Leicester's 3-1 loss to Arsenal. He is likely to need an operation and miss six weeks. Chelsea kept its unbeaten record under manager Thomas Tuchel in a 0-0 draw with Man United as both teams appeared reluctant to risk losing one point in the hope of getting three. BALE'S COMEBACK TRAIL Bale opened the scoring after 68 seconds and the Welsh forward added another early in the second half, both off assists from Son Heung-min. Back on loan from Spain, it was his first two-goal game since 2019. “Now he is better than ever,” Mourinho said. “It’s not just about the two goals he scored, it’s fundamentally about his physical performance." However, Mourinho warned that Bale would still have to rest for some upcoming games to manage his form and fitness. Harry Kane and Lucas Moura also scored, and it could have been more if not for some good saves from Nick Pope when Burnley was already four goals down. STAMFORD BRIDGE STALEMATE Chelsea's new identity under Tuchel is taking shape. There's intense, German-style pressing, but also a newfound compactness and solidity in the defence at Stamford Bridge, compared to former manager Frank Lampard's open but defensively vulnerable style. Against United's counterattacking specialists, both teams seemed risk-averse, even in the final minutes. The upshot was a ninth game unbeaten in all competitions for Tuchel at Chelsea, seven of them without conceding a goal, but it also meant that Chelsea missed an opportunity to overtake West Ham for fourth in the table. The draw also highlighted United's inability to mount an unlikely challenge to cross-city rival Manchester City for the title. City leads by 12 points from second-place United. ARSENAL BEATS LEICESTER Arsenal returned to form and the top half of the table with a 3-1 win over Leicester, with Nicolas Pepe scoring one goal and winning a penalty when Wilfred Ndidi blocked his shot with an arm. However, the game was overshadowed by an injury likely to keep Leicester's in-form midfielder Barnes out until April. He had scored six goals and assisted three more in his team's previous 10 league games. Manager Brendan Rodgers said Barnes will likely need an operation and will be on the sidelines for at least six weeks. It comes as Leicester is already without the injured James Maddison. FULHAM FALLS SHORT Fulham missed a chance for a win in a 0-0 draw with a Crystal Palace team which rarely presented any sort of attacking threat. The draw left Scott Parker's team unbeaten in five league games, with only one goal conceded during that time, but still 18th and three points adrift of safety. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
Let's analyze some of the top line combinations in the NHL and see what we can learn for fantasy hockey.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Royals and third baseman Hunter Dozier have agreed to a $25 million, four-year contract that includes a fifth-year option, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical. ESPN.com was first to report the extension, which buys out two years of free agency and includes several escalators and bonuses. “As I've said many times, we want to keep as many of our talented players as we possibly can,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said last week, when the team reported for full-squad workouts in Surprise, Arizona. “We'll always look to do that when the opportunity is right. There is a rhythm to that, there is a timing to all those decisions.” The 29-year-old Dozier has long been considered a cornerstone of the Royals rebuild, especially after a breakthrough 2019 season in which he hit 26 homers, tied for the American League lead with 10 triples and drove in 84 runs. But he missed the start of last season with COVID-19 and wound up hitting just .228 with six homers and 12 RBIs in 44 games. Still, the Royals believe Dozier will revert to form with a full spring training and 162-game season. “I definitely don't think you throw it away,” he said. “It's a learning experience. It's a season we hopefully never have to go through again. I think it was the hardest mental season we've been through. I mean, 60 games — there's a lot of pressure in a 60-game season. Normally you play 162. You have time to go through slumps. A 60-game season, you don't have time for that, as a team and as an individual. So I'm definitely looking forward to a normal season.” Dozier is also looking forward to a consistent spot in the everyday lineup. He has regularly moved between first base, third base and right field the past few years, but the signing of longtime Cleveland first baseman Carlos Santana coupled with a trade for Boston outfielder Andrew Benintendi means Dozier will primarily play third base this season. Not to mention Santana and Benintendi should help Dozier see better pitches in a vastly improved batting order. “They made some really good moves this off-season. We're really excited about it,” said Dozier, who was not in the starting lineup for the Royals' spring training opener against Texas on Sunday. “I think we have high expectations every season, (but) looking at this roster, you can't help but get excited and start thinking about winning a championship.” Dozier was the eighth overall pick in the 2013 first-year player draft out of Stephen F. Austin. He made his big league debut three years later, then missed most of the 2017 season with an oblique injury and a broken bone in his wrist. He finally became an everyday player in 2018, when he hit .229 with 11 homers and 34 RBIs in 102 games, then built on those numbers during his breakout 2019 season. Dozier increased his average to .279 while showing same power that made him a star in the minor leagues, and his defensive versatility made him a mainstay in the lineup. Given his relatively bumpy road to this point, Dozier — and evidently the Royals — believe his best is yet to come. “I feel like you have to think that,” he said. “You have to always get better, continue to get work and hopefully — I don't like to put a cap on anything or set any goals. Just keep working hard and let that play out like it is. But I definitely think there is another level. At least, I hope.” ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Dave Skretta, The Associated Press
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