Update on the latest sports
APNFL-NEWS
Ware, Mathis among 1st-year eligibles for Pro Football Hall of Fame
UNDATED (AP) — Ten first-year eligible players, including defensive standouts DeMarcus Ware and Robert Mathis, and receivers Andre Johnson, Steve Smith and Anquan Boldin are among 122 nominees for the 2022 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Other first-year eligibles are kick returner Devin Hester; offensive linemen Jake Long and Nick Mangold; defensive lineman Vince Wilfork and defensive back Antonio Cromartie.
The list will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in November and to 15 finalists in January before the selection committee discusses and chooses the class of 2022 that will be enshrined in August.
In other NFL news:
— Houston Texans rookie quarterback Davis Mills will make his first career start Thursday night against a Carolina Panthers defense that ranks first in the NFL. Mills made his debut in the second half of a loss to Cleveland last Sunday after Tyrod Taylor was injured. The Panthers are 2-0 for the first time since 2017. The last time they opened a season 3-0 was in 2015 when they won their first 14 games and reached the Super Bowl.
— Tua Tagovailoa (TOO’-ah tuhng-ah-vy-LOH’-ah) has fractured ribs and won’t play Sunday when the Miami Dolphins visit the Las Vegas Raiders. The Dolphins announced the diagnosis Wednesday, after initial tests suggested Tagovailoa was dealing with bruised ribs. Further exams showed the fractures and the Dolphins have already decided that Jacoby Brissett will start this weekend. It’s unclear how long Tagovailoa will be sidelined. Dolphins coach Brian Flores did not want to offer a timetable for a potential return but said Tagovailoa is already improving.
— Justin Fields is set to make his first start for the Chicago Bears. Coach Matt Nagy says the team will go with the prized rookie quarterback when the Bears visit the Cleveland Browns this week with veteran Andy Dalton sidelined because of a left knee injury. Nagy says Dalton remains the team’s No. 1 quarterback and the plan is for him to be the starter when he is healthy. Nagy says the three-time Pro Bowler is week to week, but the Bears don’t think he will be placed on injured reserve. Super Bowl 52 MVP Nick Foles will be the backup quarterback. Fields, the No. 11 pick in the draft, took over on Chicago’s final drive in the first half of Sunday’s 20-17 win over Cincinnati.
— Carson Wentz has two sprained ankles and the Indianapolis Colts have only two other quarterbacks healthy enough to play Sunday at Tennessee. They’re hopeful Wentz will recover quickly enough to start against the defending the AFC South champs. But the Colts are preparing for a key division game as if Jacob Eason will make his first career start.
— Odell Beckham Jr.’s return has moved a little closer to reality. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski did not rule out Beckham for Sunday’s game against Chicago, clearing the way for the star wide receiver to make his season debut and play for the first time since undergoing knee surgery last year. The Browns need Beckham more than ever after wide receiver Jarvis Landry sprained a knee ligament in Sunday’s win over the Texans. Landry was placed on injured reserve and will miss at least three games.
— The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed cornerback Nevin Lawson to a one-year contract. Lawson gives the team an experienced veteran in case CJ Henderson can’t play against Arizona. Henderson is dealing with a groin injury and coach Urban Meyer calls him questionable for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. Veteran Tre Herndon is still recovering from a knee injury that sidelined him the first two games for the winless Jaguars.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Kluber faces Rangers for 1st time since May no-hitter
UNDATED (AP) — Yankees right-hander Corey Kluber (KLOO’-bur) faces the visiting Texas Rangers Wednesday night for the first time since pitching a no-hitter against them May 19 in Texas. That was the sixth of a record nine no-hitters in the majors this season. The 35-year-old Kluber left his next start after three innings, however, and was sidelined until Aug. 30 with a right shoulder strain.
This will be his second consecutive outing against a former team, after going six innings last Friday in an 8-0 win over the Cleveland Indians, with whom he won a pair of Cy Young Awards.
With 10 games remaining, New York is locked in a tight race with Boston, Toronto, Oakland and Seattle for two AL wild cards.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— Wednesday’s game between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park has been postponed because of rain. The game will be made up on Monday afternoon. The Tigers stalled the White Sox’s drive for the AL Central title with a 5-3 victory on Tuesday. Chicago’s magic number for clinching the division remain at two. It plays the second-place Cleveland Indians on the road in a five-game series beginning Thursday. The White Sox are closing in on their first division title in 13 years.
— The finale of Pittsburgh’s three-game series at Cincinnati was postponed by rain Wednesday about 10 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. The game was rescheduled for Monday at 1:10 p.m. The teams split the first two games of the series. The Reds have lost eight straight series and were trying to avoid losing a ninth straight series, which would be their longest streak since a 10-series losing streak in August-September 1982. They are chasing the streaking St. Louis Cardinals for the second NL wild card.
— The Cleveland Indians have postponed their game against the Kansas City Royals because of rain and rescheduled it for Monday afternoon. The postponement was announced about three hours before the scheduled 6:10 p.m. EDT first pitch. The AL Central race could be decided in Cleveland this week when the Chicago White Sox and Indians play a five-game series scheduled to begin Thursday with a day-night doubleheader. Chicago leads the AL Central by 10 1/2 games and its magic number to clinch the division is two.
NBA-TIMBERWOLVES-ROSAS FIRED
Timberwolves fire basketball ops boss Rosas after 2 seasons
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves fired president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas on Wednesday, less than a week before training camp in yet another leadership change for a franchise often in flux.
Owner Glen Taylor announced that the Timberwolves “parted ways” with Rosas in a two-sentence statement that revealed no explanation for the dismissal after just two seasons.
Rosas became the first Latino to run an NBA team when he was hired by the Timberwolves in May 2019. Rosas previously had a long tenure in the front office with the Houston Rockets.
NHL-NEWS
Sabres agree to terms with Dahlin on $18M, 3-year contract
UNDATED (AP) — The Sabres agreed to terms Wednesday with defenseman Rasmus Dahlin on a three-year contract worth $18 million, getting the deal done on the eve of Buffalo’s first training camp practice.
Dahlin was among the last unsigned restricted free agents around the NHL. The 6-foot-3 Swede has 107 points on 18 goals and 89 assists in 197 games since Buffalo took him with the first pick in the 2018 draft. With Dahlin’s situation settled, the Sabres’ focus is now squarely on injured captain Jack Eichel (EYE’-kul), who was expected to report for his physical after an offseason of trade talks. Eichel’s future with the team is unclear.
Dahlin will count $6 million against the salary cap through the 2022-23 season, a contract that could set a comparable deal for Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes, the only other prominent restricted free agent defenseman left unsigned.
In other NHL news:
— Goalie Cal Petersen has agreed to a three-year, $15 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Kings. Petersen went 9-18-5 last season for the struggling Kings, but established career-bests in goals-against average and save percentage. He appeared in a team-leading 35 games while assuming the role of Los Angeles’ No. 1 goalie in the injury absence of Jonathan Quick, the Kings’ two-time Stanley Cup champion and their starting goalie since the 2008-09 season. Quick will make $5.8 million this season and next. He appeared in just 22 games last season while dealing with injuries. He had shoulder surgery during the offseason.
— Florida Panthers top-line defenseman Aaron Ekblad has pronounced himself ready for training camp. He says he’ll be on the ice when the Panthers formally begin practice Thursday, just short of six months since he broke his left leg in a scary on-ice incident. Ekblad has been skating for several weeks and does not expect to be limited as camp begins.
— Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman (EYE’-zur-muhn) says forward Tyler Bertuzzi (bur-TOO’-zee) is Detroit’s only unvaccinated player. Bertuzzi won’t be able to play games in Canada unless federal laws there change. Detroit plays nine games north of the border. Bertuzzi is in line to forfeit over $450,000 of salary for that time because NHL protocols allow teams to suspend unvaccinated players when they are not available to participate. Edmonton GM Ken Holland says one Oilers player is unvaccinated. The NHL says it expects to have 10 to 15 unvaccinated players out of about 700 when the season begins.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-NEWS
CFP expansion stalls as commissioners sort through issues
UNDATED (AP) — A plan to expand the College Football Playoff has stalled.
The CFP management committee was not able to come to a consensus on a whether to grow the postseason format from four to 12 teams. The committee will reconvene next week, with college presidents joining online. No vote is expected.
A plan to increase the four-team playoff to 12 teams was unveiled in June. Concerns have been raised about some of the details, including how many games a team would end up playing in a season.
In other college football news:
— Miami is planning to play without quarterback D’Eriq King on Saturday when it takes on Central Connecticut State. King injured his shoulder in last weekend’s 38-17 loss to Michigan State, an outcome that knocked the Hurricanes out of the AP Top 25 and sent the Spartans into the poll at No. 20. King has not been able to practice this week and a specific diagnosis of the injury has not been revealed. It’s unclear who will start in King’s place. Returning freshman Tyler Van Dyke and true freshman Jake Garcia will both play Saturday.
