Professional sports

Rich Eisen's weekday talk show will have a new home for the next two months. NBC Sports Network announced Thursday that "The Rich Eisen Show" will air on the channel beginning Monday at 1 p.m. EDT. That will be the last two hours of the show, which begins at noon on a network of national radio affiliates, including Sirius/XM, as well as on PodcastOne...

CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Bulls came into the season thinking they were poised to contend for a playoff spot. The plan did not unfold the way they envisioned, and now, they have a new leader in the front office. The Bulls hired Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas to run their basketball operation, a person familiar with the situation said Thursday night...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow and Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young are among 58 prospects who will participate remotely in the NFL draft in two weeks that will double as a telethon to raise money to fight the coronavirus crisis...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- North Carolina says reserve big man Brandon Huffman plans to transfer. The 6-foot-10, 255-pound junior released a statement in a social-media post Thursday, saying he was "looking for an opportunity to expand as a player" but called it a "rough decision to make" after three years at UNC...

Hundreds of emails detailing the New Orleans Saints' efforts to conduct damage control for the area's Roman Catholic archdiocese amid its clergy sexual abuse crisis should remain shielded from the public, a court official recommended Thursday. The recommendation by a court special master came almost three months after The Associated Press urged the release of the confidential emails as a matter of public interest. ...

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Rams are trading receiver Brandin Cooks to the Houston Texans, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the teams hadn't announced the deal. The NFL Network reported the Rams will get a second-round pick while sending a future fourth-rounder to Houston...

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- UFC 249 was canceled Thursday after ESPN and parent company Disney stopped UFC President Dana White's plan to keep fighting amid the coronavirus pandemic. After defiantly vowing for weeks to maintain a regular schedule of fights while the rest of the sports world halted, White confirmed the decision to cease competition in a text to The Associated Press...

PHOENIX (AP) -- Slugger Mark Reynolds is retiring after hitting 298 homers over 13 seasons with eight teams. The 36-year-old made the announcement Thursday on SiriusXM Radio. When the free agent was asked whether he still was pursuing a new team, Reynolds said he's "moved beyond that, I've retired." He added that he's enjoying spending time with his family and it was time for him "to find something else to do."...

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world: ------ Carolina Hurricanes president and general manager Don Waddell said All-Star defenseman Dougie Hamilton would be ready to play if the season resumes after breaking his left leg in January...

Tua Tagovailoa's agent says the quarterback is healthy and will be ready for training camp. Tagovailoa held a virtual pro day with former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer on Thursday after the former Alabama star's personal pro day was canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak. Video of Tagovailoa's workout will be sent to NFL teams...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra said head coaches and senior department staffers will take 10% salary cuts among proposed budget reductions to offset anticipated revenue shortfalls because of event cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic...

** Dana White says UFC 249 has been canceled. LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Dana White says UFC 249 has been canceled.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Ivy League schools Harvard, Yale and Princeton will not allow their spring athletes to withdraw and return next year to preserve an extra year of eligibility. It's not a league-wide decision, though. Other schools are not encouraging seniors to withdraw, but will still allow them that option if they choose to...

NBA players will receive their full checks when the next payday for most of them arrives on April 15 despite no games having been played for more than a month at that point. The league gave teams the directive on Thursday in a memo that was obtained by The Associated Press...

ATLANTA (AP) -- Georgia Tech athletic director Todd Stansbury says the school met the requirements of its men's basketball postseason ban as part of punishments from the NCAA even though most of the postseason was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic...

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The manager of Rose Namajunas says the former UFC strawweight champion won't fight at UFC 249 on April 18 after two deaths in her family related to the coronavirus pandemic. Brian Butler posted the news on Instagram on Thursday. "Her hopes are to return to the Octagon as soon as possible, but for now we ask for people to respect their privacy during this time," he wrote...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee State has a new athletic direcrtor -- Mikki Allen, Tennessee's assistant athletic director. Allen starts May 1 at the Ohio Valley Conference school and succeeds Teresa Phillips, who is retiring after 16 years at Tennessee State...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina coach Dawn Staley believes her top-ranked Gamecocks are the women's basketball national champions, even without an NCAA Tournament trophy to put in their display case due to the pandemic-shortened season. "Why not?" she asked Thursday. "A national championship trophy was made. It's sitting somewhere."...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Forbes estimates the New York Yankees are baseball's most valuable franchise at $5 billion, up 9% over last year and 47% more than the No. 2 Los Angeles Dodgers at $3.4 billion. The Yankees are second among all sports in Forbes' evaluations to the Dallas Cowboys, listed at $5.5 billion in the last NFL ranking...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Kansas City Chiefs are bringing back cornerback Bashaud Breeland on a one-year deal that could be worth up to $4.5 million, helping to alleviate one of the Super Bowl champions' biggest concerns ahead of the NFL draft. The deal was confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because the Chiefs had yet to announce it. ...

Gene Sarazen hit the shot that put the Masters on the map. Jack Nicklaus made the ground shake with a charge that gave meaning to the Masters not really starting until the back nine on Sunday. Arnold Palmer had his army. Sam Snead slipped on the first green jacket...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina guard Jair Bolden is leaving the men's basketball program and will play his final season elsewhere. The school confirmed Bolden's departure. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound point guard from Brooklyn, New York will join his third school as a graduate transfer and be eligible to play immediately...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Jimmie Johnson, seven-time NASCAR champion and all-around Everyman, has added home-schooling elementary teacher to his resume. The sports stoppage from the coronavirus pandemic has thrown a red flag on Johnson's farewell tour. He had planned a final season of racing a full NASCAR schedule, but so far that has lasted just four races...

TORONTO (AP) -- Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave remains in a medically induced coma in a Toronto hospital after suffering a brain bleed earlier in the week. The Oilers, through Cave's family, provided an update on Cave's status Thursday on their Twitter account...

Taking ice away from NHL players has caused some to resort to desperate measures. New York Islanders captain Anders Lee bought a Peloton. Anaheim defenseman Josh Manson wants a pair of roller blades. League leading scorer Leon Draisaitl of Edmonton stickhandles around his dog...

CHICAGO (AP) -- There are no sponsored power plays at the moment. No doughnut races in the fourth quarter. No calls to the bullpen presented by phone companies. Amid the coronavirus shutdown, sports business executives are having tough conversations about lucrative advertising and marketing contracts with no games on the horizon. ...

De'Montrez Burroughs looked at it as his best shot to accomplish his NFL dream. The South Carolina State senior receiver had the dates circled on his calendar. First, the Bulldogs' annual pro day on March 19, followed a week later by the first-ever NFL combine event held for draft prospects from Historically Black Colleges and Universities who didn't receive invitations to the national combine in Indianapolis...

April 15 1918 -- Babe Ruth pitched a four-hitter for Boston in the season opener and drove in two runs in a 7-1 win over Philadelphia. 1937 -- The Detroit Red Wings beat the New York Rangers 3-0 to take the Stanley Cup in the fifth and final game. 1947 -- Jackie Robinson plays his first major league game for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He goes 0-for-3, but scores the deciding run in a 5-3 victory over the Boston Braves at Ebbets Field. He is the first black player to appear in the majors since 1884...

BERLIN (AP) -- With soccer teams in Germany resuming training in small groups this week, there is optimism among some that the Bundesliga will be able to resume in May. Such hopes appear slim, however, with the coronavirus outbreak still not under control...

BOSTON (AP) -- Federal prosecutors denied allegations that investigators deliberately withheld and fabricated evidence to entrap actress Lori Loughlin, her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, and other prominent parents charged with cheating the college admissions process...

Tiger Woods felt strong and fit enough to compete for another green jacket. He could sense the adrenaline starting to flow, along with a strange sensation. He was grumpy. Instead of flying to Augusta National for the Masters this week, he was home in Florida, where the only competition for a green jacket was a putting contest with his 11-year-old son, Charlie...

April 14 1910 -- William Howard Taft became the first U.S. president to throw out the first ball at a baseball opener in Washington. 1910 -- Chicago's Frank Smith pitched a one-hitter in the season opener to give the White Sox a win over the St. Louis Browns...

BERLIN (AP) -- Hertha Berlin hired Bruno Labbadia as the club's fourth coach of the season on Thursday. Labbadia was taking over immediately from Alexander Nouri, who was in charge for four games after Jurgen Klinsmann surprisingly left the club. Klinsmann was appointed amid much fanfare on Nov. 27, but the former Germany and United States coach left Hertha in chaos in February when he quit after nine Bundesliga games...

SOUTHAMPTON, England (AP) -- Southampton became the first Premier League club to announce an agreement with players to defer part of their salaries during the coronavirus pandemic. Players and coaches at the south-coast team will not be paid their full salaries during April, May or June "to help protect the future of the club, the staff that work within it and the community we serve," Southampton said Thursday...

GENEVA (AP) -- The International Cycling Union took "some drastic action" on Thursday to cut costs amid a revenue shortfall from hundreds of events canceled or postponed during the coronavirus pandemic, including the Tokyo Olympics. Cycling's financial outlook is among the bleakest revealed by an Olympic sport's governing body since the Tokyo Games were rescheduled to 2021...