Update on the latest sports
APNFL-NEWS
AP source: Eagles send Carson Wentz to Colts for draft picks
UNDATED (AP) — A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that the Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to trade Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts.
The person says the Eagles will receive a third-round pick in this year’s draft and a conditional second-round pick in 2022 that can turn into a first-round pick if Wentz plays 75% of the snaps this year or 70% and the Colts make the playoffs. Wentz is an ideal fit to succeed Philip Rivers, who retired after leading the Colts to the playoffs in his only season in Indianapolis.
Wentz is coming off the worst season of his five-year career and was benched for rookie Jalen Hurts after 12 games. In 2017, he led the Eagles to an 11-2 record before a knee injury ended his season and Philadelphia went on to win its only Super Bowl title.
In other NFL news:
— The Atlanta Falcons have cleared almost $11 million in cap space by releasing two veterans, safety Ricardo Allen and defensive end Allen Bailey. The Falcons also waived quarterback Kurt Benkert, who spent the 2020 season on the Falcons’ practice squad. The Falcons cleared $6.25 million by releasing Allen, a four-time team captain, and another $4.5 million by cutting Bailey. There may be more cost-cutting moves ahead for the Falcons, who rank near the bottom of the NFL in salary cap space, according to Spotrac. The Falcons, coming off a 4-12 season, have new leadership with coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot.
— The NFL has increased the salary cap to a minimum of $180 million for the 2021 season. The league and the NFL Players Association had previously set a minimum of $175 million because of revenue losses incurred during the coronavirus pandemic. In a memo sent to clubs on Thursday and obtained by The Associated Press, the league says a decision to increase the floor by $5 million came after discussion with the union about 2020 revenues and projected attendance for 2021. The final cap number will be determined following further review of revenue figures for 2020 and other accounting. The cap was $198 million last season.
— The NFL says the first position-specific helmet created for its players represents a major step in helmet technology, though it must still undergo testing by the league and the players’ union before being authorized for use. The helmet provides additional support in the front, where most head impacts take place for offensive and defensive linemen. The league has shared tracking data about head impacts and in turn the data has allowed manufacturers to develop new systems and new technologies in an attempt to create a safer helmet
MLB-NEWS
Blue Jays expect to play in Florida, Buffalo and Toronto
UNDATED (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays expect to split the home portion of this year’s regular-schedule among their spring training complex in Dunedin (duhn-EE’-dihn), Florida, their Triple-A ballpark in Buffalo, New York, and the Rogers Center in Toronto.
Toronto announced Thursday that it will play the first two homestands of the season in Dunedin because of Canadian government restrictions during the pandemic. Team president Mark Shapiro (shuh-PY’-roh) says a return to Buffalo is a likely option in June because of the heat and humidity in Florida. He hopes for games in Toronto at some point during the summer.
During the shortened 2020 season the Blue Jays played their home games at Sahlen (SAY’-lihn) Field, home of the Buffalo Bisons. The Canadian government didn’t allow the team to play at home because of the risk of spreading COVID-19, citing frequent travel required in the U.S. during a baseball season.
The Canada-U.S. border remains closed to nonessential travelers who are not Canadian citizens. Canada requires those entering the country to isolate for 14 days.
In other MLB news:
— Indians ace Shane Bieber recently tested positive with COVID-19, delaying the AL Cy Young winner’s arrival at training camp. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said Bieber has only dealt with “very mild symptoms” from the virus. Antonetti anticipates that Bieber, who had been working out at the team’s training complex in Goodyear, Arizona this winter, will join the club in the next few days. The 25-year-old Bieber was dominant last season, leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts.
— The Indians are bringing back reliable and crafty reliever Oliver Pérez. The 39-year-old agreed to a minor league deal with Cleveland, which also invited the left-hander to training camp. Pérez. has spent the past three seasons with the Indians, appearing in 139 games. Pérez went 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA in 21 games last season while helping the Indians gain a wild-card spot. Pérez has a 73-92 record and 4.35 ERA in 18 seasons with the Mets, Pirates, Diamondbacks, Padres, Nationals, Mariners, Astros and Indians.
— Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale is getting closer to getting back on the mound following Tommy John surgery in March. The 31-year-old was the only player at the team’s facility in Florida this summer as he began his rehab this offseason. He’s had a few hurdles that have slowed down the process, including a mild bout with COVID-19 and a neck injury. But as the team joins him to open spring training, Sale says he has no restrictions with and is concentrating on checking off each benchmark of his throwing program as he inches closer to a return.
— Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo says Stephen Strasburg is in “preparation mode, not in rehabilitation mode” as official spring training workouts get started for the team. The 2019 World Series MVP threw only five innings last season before he was shut down because he needed surgery for a right wrist problem. Manager Dave Martinez said Strasburg is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday. Martinez also said that three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer is being told to take things slowly because he sprained his ankle doing conditioning work a couple of weeks ago.
— Former Minnesota second baseman Brian Dozier has retired after nine years in the major leagues and 167 career home runs. Dozier played his first seven seasons for the Twins. He won the World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. The 33-year-old Dozier was drafted by the Twins in 2009. Dozier was an All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove award in 2017. He hit 42 homers in 2016. That matched Rogers Hornsby for the second-highest single season total by a second baseman in major league history.
— Former Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has reached a final lawsuit settlement to reimburse local government $5.5 million for the cost of building Marlins Park, which opened in 2012. The Miami-Dade County commission approved the deal after Loria agreed to a last-minute increase in the amount. A tentative settlement of $4.2 million was reached last month. The payment stems from the $1.2 billion sale of team by Loria in 2017 to Derek Jeter’s ownership group. Loria bought the Marlins for more than $158 million in 2002. Public money covered more than three-fourths of the $634 million cost for Marlins Park.
NHL-LIGHTNING-STARS POSTPONED
Lightning at Stars postponed, 4th straight in Dallas called off
DALLAS (AP) — The NHL game between Tampa Bay and Dallas scheduled for Saturday has been postponed, marking four straight home games for the Stars to be called off because of frigid conditions and power outages in Texas.
The postponement announced Thursday also means the first four meetings between the teams from last season’s Stanley Cup Final have been been postponed.
The NHL said the decision to postpone was made after consultation with city and state officials. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson was among the first to encourage the club to postpone games as the city struggled with outages. The first two postponements were Monday and Tuesday against Nashville.
The defending champion Lightning and Stars were supposed to play twice in the first week of the season before COVID-19 issues with the Stars forced them to postpone their first four games. Two meetings in Dallas were called off by the weather.
Dallas now has eight games that need to be rescheduled. The next scheduled game for the Stars is Monday at Florida, the start of five road games in eight days. Two of those scheduled games are against Tampa Bay.
SKI WORLD CHHAMPIONSHIPS-WOMEN’S GS
Gut-Behrami wins again, edges Shiffrin in giant slalom
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Lara Gut-Behrami has edged Mikaela Shiffrin for gold in the giant slalom at the skiing world championships.
The Swiss skier made up a deficit on the first-run leader with a blistering final leg to beat the American by two-hundredths of a second. Katharina Liensberger of Austria was 0.09 seconds behind in third in what was the closest finish ever of a women’s giant slalom at the worlds.
American skier Nina O’Brien was 0.02 behind in second after the opening run before dropping to 10th.
TOKYO OLYMPICS-HASHIMOTO
Seiko Hashimoto takes over as Tokyo Olympic president
TOKYO (AP) — Seiko Hashimoto has appeared in seven Olympics, four in the winter and three in the summer — the most by any “multi-season” athlete in the games. She made even more history on Thursday in Japan, where women are still rare in the boardrooms and positions of political power.
The 56-year-old Hashimoto was named president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee after a meeting of its executive board, which is 80% male. She replaces 83-year-old Yoshiro Mori, a former Japanese prime minister who was forced to resign last week after making sexist comments about women. Essentially, he said women talk too much.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said Hashimoto was “the perfect choice” for the job.
Hashimoto competed in cycling in three Summer Olympics – 1988, 1992 and 1996 – and in speedskating in four Winter Olympics – 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1994. She won a bronze medal — her only medal — at the 1992 Albertville Games in speedskating.
NASCAR-ROUSH-CARBON NEUTRAL
Roush Fenway becomes 1st carbon neutral NASCAR team
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Roush Fenway Racing has become the first NASCAR team to achieve carbon neutrality.
The move to reduce its carbon footprint began with small environmentally conscious measures that eventually grew into a company-wide initiative. The team contractually agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and offset the balance during negotiations with sponsor Castrol.
The carbon neutral designation will be spotlighted at Daytona on Sunday with by a clean, minimalistic paint scheme on Ryan Newman’s car. Roush Fenway Racing hopes it can be an example to other teams and the racing industry to reduce its carbon footprint.
