Update on the latest sports
APMLB-SCHEDULE
Sanó homers to lead Minnesota past Baltimore 3-2
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Miguel Sanó hit a three-run homer, leading the Minnesota Twins over Baltimore 3-2 for a three-game sweep of the major league-worst Orioles. Michael Pineda allowed one run and three hits over six innings in his first start since May 13 following a trip to the injured list caused by a thigh abscess. He struck out eight and walked two, and fell behind in the first on Trey Mancini’s 11th home run. Minnesota rallied to win for the sixth time in seven games and extend its winning streak to a season-high four. The Twins have beaten Baltimore 15 straight times.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— Tommy Edman hit two home runs, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago White Sox 4-0 to avoid a three-game sweep. Edman connected against Carlos Rodón in the third and Aaron Bummer in the eighth to make it 2-0. Edmundo Sosa added a two-run single in the ninth, and the NL Central-leading Cardinals came away with the win after losing four of five. John Gant dodged bases-loaded jams in the first and third innings while pitching scoreless ball into the sixth. Manager Mike Shildt got ejected by third-base umpire Joe West in the seventh.
— The game between the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees scheduled for tonight has been postponed due to a forecast of poor weather and will be made up as part of a doubleheader Thursday.
MLB-CALLAWAY FIRED
Callaway fired
NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway was fired by the Los Angeles Angels as their pitching coach shortly after he was suspended by Major League Baseball following an investigation of sexual harassment allegations.
Callaway was the Cleveland Indians’ pitching coach for five years before managing the Mets from 2018-19. After he was fired by New York, he was hired in October 2019 as pitching coach of the Los Angeles Angels, who suspended him on Feb. 2.
In a report published on Feb. 1, The Athletic said Callaway “aggressively pursued” several women who work in sports media and sent three of them inappropriate photos.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— Yankees right-hander Corey Kluber is expected to miss at least two months with a right shoulder injury and first baseman Luke Voit is also headed to the injured list with a right oblique strain. Kluber was pulled after three innings Tuesday against Toronto in his first outing following a no-hitter last week. An MRI on his shoulder Wednesday revealed a subscapularis strain.
— Cleveland Indians right-hander Zach Plesac will not need surgery after breaking the thumb on his pitching hand while yanking off his undershirt following a rough outing. Indians manager Terry Francona says Plesac will be reassessed every seven to 10 days and is expected to begin a throwing regimen in three weeks.
NFL-NEWS
NFL expects full stadiums this season, remains cautious
UNDATED (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league expects full stadiums this season and players and staff are being encouraged to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. So far, 30 of 32 teams have approval to safely open at 100% capacity before the preseason schedule begins. The Colts and Broncos do not but are on a path to get approval before August.
Goodell said 30 of 32 teams also have above 90 percent vaccination among Tier 1 and 2 staff and the other two clubs are over 85 percent. He said the positivity rate for COVID-19 is currently at 0.04 percent, down from .08 percent during the regular season.
The league updated its COVID-19 protocols and removed many restrictions for fully vaccinated players.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
— San Francisco 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. will miss the start of the 2021 season after undergoing surgery on his injured knee. General manager John Lynch says Wilson injured his knee last week when he stood up in the locker room following practice and a weightlifting session. Lynch says Wilson felt a “pop” in his knee. He says an MRI determined that Wilson tore his meniscus. Wilson underwent surgery and is expected to miss four to six months.
— Tua Tagovailoa (TOO’-ah tuhng-ah-vy-LOH’-ah) says his surgically repaired hip feels 10 times better than last year, and he looks different, too. He’s sporting a beard. Now 18 months removed from surgery for a serious hip injury, Tagovailoa says he feels much better physically, and also has an improved grasp of the Dolphins’ playbook.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-GONZAGA-TIMME
Star forward Drew Timme will return to Gonzaga next season
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (TIH’-mee) has announced that he will return for his junior season with the Bulldogs and won’t pursue professional options. Timme will improve a roster that includes the nation’s second-ranked recruiting class. The 6-foot-10 Timme scored 19 points per game last season to lead the West Coast Conference and also led the league in field-goal accuracy at 65.5%.
The Bulldogs won their first 31 games last season before losing to Baylor in the national championship game.
Elsewhere in college basketball:
— Michigan freshman center Hunter Dickinson has entered the NBA draft while giving himself the option of staying in school. Dickinson earned second-team All-America, Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year and all-conference honors last season. The 7-foot-1, 255-pound Dickinson averaged team highs in points, rebounds and blocks. The NBA draft is July 29.
COLLEGE CORRUPTION-BOWEN LAWSUIT
Federal judge in South Carolina dismisses Bowen lawsuit
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A federal judge in South Carolina has dismissed former Louisville and South Carolina basketball player Brian Bowen II’s lawsuit against Adidas in its entirety.
Judge Joseph Anderson ruled that while Bowen was certainly impacted by the fraud committed by the defendants, it was not enough to confer standing to seek treble damages under civil racketeering laws.
The case also included allegations that Adidas funneled money to the family of New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson while he was in high school. Both Bowen and Williamson were subjects during a federal corruption trial affecting college basketball in 2018.
PENN STATE-ABUSE
Judge upholds Penn St. ex-president Spanier’s jail sentence
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A judge has upheld the jail sentence of the former Penn State president who was forced out as the school’s top administrator after Jerry Sandusky was arrested nearly a decade ago.
The judge says Graham Spanier must report to jail on July 9 to begin serving at least two months for endangering the welfare of children, followed by two months of house arrest.
TRANSGENDER ATHLETES-WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia transgender athlete law challenged in court
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A federal lawsuit has been filed challenging West Virginia’s new ban on transgender athletes from competing in female sports in middle and high schools and colleges.
The American Civil Liberties Union and its West Virginia chapter filed the lawsuit on behalf of an 11-year-old transgender girl who had hoped to compete in cross country in middle school in Harrison County. The lawsuit names the state and Harrison County boards of education and their superintendents as defendants.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-SENIOR BOWL-HBCU COMBINE
Senior Bowl, NFL to hold combine for top HBCU prospects
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — The Senior Bowl and the NFL will host a combine for top prospects from Historically Black Colleges and Universities next January.
The inaugural HBCU combine, scheduled for Jan. 28-29 in 2022, will be similar to the NFL combine with interviews and on-field and medical evaluations. It will be held at the University of South Alabama and will feature select players from four HBCU conferences — the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference — and other HBCU institutions.
No HBCU players were drafted this year.
