Professional sports

The most VIP Super Bowl weekend costs $1.5M, includes butler (01/28 2:34 pm)

MIAMI (AP) -- Private jet service, a personal butler, or how about a meal with former Patriots star Rob Gronkowski to top off Super Bowl weekend? From legendary nightclubs to exclusive parties, no place caters to the rich and famous quite like glitzy Miami...
Chiefs embracing loose locker room culture on Super Bowl run (01/28 2:32 pm)

MIAMI (AP) -- If you're planning to walk through the middle of the Kansas City Chiefs locker room between lunch and their usual afternoon practice, you might want to grab someone's shoulder pads and helmet and brace for impact. There's a good chance you'll find yourself in the middle of a pickup basketball game involving 300-pound linemen...
AP source: Astros, Dusty Baker working on manager deal (01/28 2:32 pm)

HOUSTON (AP) -- Dusty Baker is working to finalize an agreement to become manager of the Houston Astros, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been completed...
House resolution proposed against minor league contraction (01/28 2:07 pm)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Four members of the House of Representatives introduced a resolution Wednesday urging Major League Baseball not to follow through with its proposal to eliminate 42 current minor league teams. MLB made the proposal last year to the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the governing body of the minors, during negotiations for a Professional Baseball Agreement to replace the deal that expires after the 2020 season...
Pilot of Bryant helicopter tried to avoid heavy fog (01/28 1:55 pm)

CALABASAS, Calif. (AP) -- The veteran pilot whose helicopter plunged into a Los Angeles-area hillside, killing NBA superstar Kobe Bryant and eight others, had tried to avoid fog so heavy that it had grounded police choppers, authorities said. But even experienced pilots may have only seconds to act when they are blinded by weather, an expert said as investigators examined the wreckage for clues to Sunday morning's crash...
UNC's Anthony eager for eventual return from knee surgery (01/28 1:43 pm)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Cole Anthony has spent six weeks watching North Carolina teammates struggle as he recovers from knee surgery. The Tar Heels' star freshman point guard can't wait to rejoin them the moment he is cleared to play again. "I'm doing pretty good, slowly and surely getting better," Anthony said. "As soon as I get clear, I'm hopping back on that court, I'll tell you that."...
Judge rejects Sandusky's latest request for shorter sentence (01/28 1:20 pm)

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) -- A judge flatly rejected Jerry Sandusky's latest request to have his 30- to 60-year child molestation sentence reduced during a brief hearing Tuesday. Judge Maureen Skerda said she purposely fashioned the prison term to have an impact on the former Penn State assistant football coach and noted Sandusky continues to maintain his innocence...
Austrian skier Schwarz leads slalom in front of 40,000 fans (01/28 12:37 pm)

SCHLADMING, Austria (AP) -- Marco Schwarz posted the fastest time in the opening run of a men's World Cup night race on Tuesday, giving his home crowd of over 40,000 hope for the first Austrian slalom win of the season. Schwarz clocked 51.41 seconds on the challenging course used for the 2013 world championships and was 0.14 faster than Henrik Kristoffersen, who leads the slalom and overall standings...
Spanish officials dismiss concerns over Wuhan team's arrival (01/28 12:33 pm)

MADRID (AP) -- Spanish authorities in the Andalucia region told local citizens on Tuesday that they have no reason to be concerned about the arrival of a Chinese soccer club from Wuhan for a preseason training camp. Wuhan Zall, based in the center of the deadly outbreak of a new virus, will be training in southern Spain for a couple of weeks. But health officials in Andalucia said the team has been away from its base in Wuhan since Jan. 2...
ESPN+ to get streaming deal as PGA Tour wraps up TV talks (01/28 12:21 pm)

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The PGA Tour is closing in on its next television rights deal, likely to be announced after the West Coast swing now that the digital side is coming together. Two people aware of the negotiations say ESPN has emerged as the winner of the streaming sweepstakes, which currently belongs to NBC Sports. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal is not finalized...
Cyprus, UEFA agree to work closely on fighting match-fixing (01/28 12:15 pm)

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) -- Cypriot authorities and UEFA officials have agreed to forge closer links in order to strengthen the fight against possible match-fixing, the country's justice minister said on Tuesday. Minister George Savvides said UEFA officials and Cypriot law enforcement agreed to establish "direct lines of communication" in order to speed up the exchange of information that could help in unraveling suspected match-fixing...
Column: A new tour without Tiger is no tour at all (01/28 12:05 pm)

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Jay Monahan was at Torrey Pines for the annual players meeting, most of it pertaining to the potential of a financial windfall for top players. Five days later, after so much chatter and speculation, the possibility had moved close enough to reality that the PGA Tour commissioner felt compelled to return. After all, Tiger Woods was five shots behind. Monahan thought he should be there if Woods were to set the record with career win No. 83...
Shiffrin to skip World Cup races at Sochi Olympics course (01/28 12:00 pm)

World Cup leader Mikaela Shiffrin is skipping this weekend's races in Russia in order to get some rest. The U.S. ski team said Tuesday on Twitter that Shiffrin "is taking the week off to rest and get a solid training block in." It's the second straight year that Shiffrin has opted to skip a return to Sochi and the course used for the 2014 Olympics...
No. 17 Maryland women get on a roll as 'player-driven' team (01/28 11:52 am)

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Riding a five-game winning streak and closing in on its customary perch atop the Big Ten standings, the 17th-ranked Maryland women's basketball team turned around its season with a minimum of assistance from fiery coach Brenda Frese...
Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals finalize $2M, 1-year contract (01/28 11:46 am)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ryan Zimmerman and the World Series champion Washington Nationals finalized a $2 million, one-year contract on Wednesday. The 35-year-old first baseman, who has spent his entire 15-year big league career with the Nationals, can earn $3 million in performance bonuses. He can earn $1.5 million based on games: $250,000 each for 65, 80, 95, 110, 125 and 140. He also can get $1.5 million for plate appearances: $250,000 apiece for 250, 300, 350, 500, 450 and 500...
Dream allowing Angel McCoughtry to test WNBA free agency (01/28 11:36 am)

ATLANTA (AP) -- Atlanta Dream two-time WNBA scoring champion Angel McCoughtry is testing free agency for the first time in her career. McCoughtry missed last season with a knee injury. She has reached an agreement with the Dream, which will not use its core designation to retain exclusive negotiating rights with the 33-year-old veteran. McCoughtry is an unrestricted free agent...
Soccer star Hegerberg's season ended by serious knee injury (01/28 11:30 am)

LYON, France (AP) -- Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg's season was ended by a serious right knee injury that needs surgery. European champion Lyon said Tuesday that the Norwegian striker ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in a training session. An operation will be scheduled within days...
Kobe Bryant leaves lasting impact on women's basketball (01/28 11:28 am)

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Kobe Bryant always had an interest in women's basketball, one that he shared with many in the sport even before his daughter Gianna started excelling at the game. Whether it was mentoring players like Diana Taurasi, Jewell Loyd and Sabrina Ionescu or working out with Gabby Williams and Katie Lou Samuelson, Bryant routinely gave of himself to help them improve their games...
Pilot of Bryant helicopter tried to avoid heavy fog (01/28 11:07 am)

CALABASAS, Calif. (AP) -- The veteran pilot whose helicopter plunged into a Los Angeles-area hillside, killing Kobe Bryant and eight others, had tried to avoid fog so heavy that it had grounded police choppers, authorities said. But even experienced pilots may have only seconds to act when they are blinded by weather, an expert said as investigators began scouring the wreckage for clues to Sunday morning's crash...
Churchill Downs executive addresses surge in horse deaths (01/28 10:49 am)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The corporate owner of a New Orleans horse racing track appeared before Louisiana's Racing Commission on Monday to address a surge in horse deaths there. Mike Ziegler, executive director of racing for Kentucky-based Churchill Downs Inc., presented a list of potential reforms for the commission to consider, including restrictions on certain equine drugs that have been linked by some to premature horse deaths at the Fair Grounds Race Course, The Times-Picayune/The News Orleans Advocate reported.. ...
Former Argentina president Macri to head FIFA education work (01/28 10:35 am)

ZURICH (AP) -- Former Argentina president Mauricio Macri is joining FIFA's educational foundation as executive chairman. FIFA on Tuesday announced the hiring of Macri, who has also served as mayor of Buenos Aires and was president of the city's soccer club Boca Juniors for 12 years...
A look at the week ahead in golf (01/28 10:26 am)

PGA TOUR WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN Site: Scottsdale, Ariz. Course: TPC Scottsdale. Yardage: 7,261. Par: 71. Purse: $7.3 million. Winner's share: $1,314,000. Television: Thursday-Friday, 3-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)...
Penguins sign D Pettersson to 5-year extension (01/28 10:16 am)

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Marcus Pettersson is sticking with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 23-year-old defenseman agreed to a five-year contract extension on Tuesday that runs through the 2024-25 season. The deal carries an average annual value of just over $4 million...
Judge frees NFL star Antonio Brown from house arrest (01/28 10:14 am)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- A Florida judge freed NFL free agent Antonio Brown from house arrest Tuesday, allowing him to travel freely as he awaits trial on charges that he attacked the driver of a moving truck. Circuit Judge Michael Usan agreed to let Brown travel freely within the United States so he can fulfill contractual obligations with ESPN and comedian Kevin Hart, according to news reports. ...
Berry returns to Browns as NFL's youngest general manager (01/28 10:10 am)

CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Browns have a new general manager, and they don't any need time to get to know him. Andrew Berry was named Cleveland's GM and executive vice president on Tuesday, returning to the team after a one-year stint in the Philadelphia Eagles' front office. Berry was the Browns' vice president of player personnel from 2016-18, when the team went 1-31 over two seasons and was mired in dysfunction...
Kobe Bryant and Philly: From hero to traitor to beloved (01/28 9:33 am)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Jeered like a traitor just a few miles from the high school where he won a state title, Kobe Bryant stewed on the bench as the final minutes of the 2002 All-Star game ticked away. Nearly every fan in Philadelphia had booed the hometown guy whenever he touched the ball...
In #MeToo era, Kobe and other athletes often get a pass (01/28 8:36 am)

DENVER (AP) -- Folded conveniently into the narratives about his "complicated past" was the detail about Kobe Bryant that could've wrecked him. It was a rape allegation by a 19-year-old employee of a Colorado hotel. It happened in 2003. Some argued that making that life-altering detail a mere footnote to the stories detailing Bryant's life and unexpected death was the human thing to do on such an awful day. ...
Folau moves to Europe, faces backlash over anti-gay views (01/28 8:32 am)

Israel Folau, the rugby star who was fired by Australia for social media posts that contained anti-gay views, was facing a widespread backlash on Tuesday after securing a move to French rugby league team Catalans Dragons. At the same time as Catalans announced the arrival of Folau on a one-year deal, the executive chairman of Europe's Super League said in a statement that the majority of "informed voices connected to our game ... ...
Tears shed, joyful times recalled at Kobe Bryant memorial (01/28 8:30 am)

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Fans call it The House that Kobe Built, and since Kobe Bryant's shocking death in a helicopter crash mourners by the thousands have gathered outside the glistening steel-and-glass edifice where the Los Angeles Lakers legend made so much basketball history...
Giovani Lo Celso joins Tottenham on permanent basis (01/28 8:14 am)

LONDON (AP) -- Tottenham took up the option to sign Giovani Lo Celso on a permanent basis Tuesday, with the Argentina midfielder regarded as a natural replacement for the departed Christian Eriksen. The 23-year-old Lo Celso initially joined from Spanish team Real Betis in a loan deal in the offseason. After a slow start to his time at Tottenham, particularly because of a hip injury, he has started to show glimpses of his potential...
Flamengo signs Gabriel from Inter Milan in 5-year deal (01/28 8:12 am)

SAO PAULO (AP) -- Copa Libertadores champion Flamengo signed 23-year-old striker Gabriel Barbosa from Inter Milan on a permanent basis on Tuesday. Inter loaned Barbosa to the Rio de Janeiro club last year. He had struggled to settle in Italy when he first arrived in 2016...
Greece ex-captain Zagorakis expelled from political group (01/28 7:29 am)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Former Greece football captain Theo Zagorakis has been expelled from the country's conservative group of European Parliament members following a public dispute over his former club team PAOK. Zagorakis, 48, captained Greece to its 2004 European Championship triumph and ended his 19-year professional career at PAOK three years later...
Federer saves 7 match points in Australia; Djokovic up next (01/28 6:48 am)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- Roger Federer was not going to go gently, of course, no matter how daunting the number of match points -- his opponent accumulated seven! -- no matter how achy his 38-year-old legs, no matter how slow his serves, no matter how off-target his groundstrokes...
Former France hope Ben Arfa extends career in Spain (01/28 6:44 am)

Sometimes referred to as the French Lionel Messi, Hatem Ben Arfa has been signed by another great of the game. The former France international extended his much traveled and turbulent career on Tuesday by signing a contract with Valladolid, the Spanish soccer club whose main shareholder is former Brazil striker Ronaldo...
The Latest: Djokovic "heartbroken" after Kobe Bryant's death (01/28 6:32 am)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- The Latest on the Australian Open (all times local): 11:25 p.m. Novak Djokovic choked back tears as he paid tribute to Kobe Bryant. After moving within two wins of an eighth Australian Open title with a win over Milos Raonic, Djokovic wore a green jacket with the letters K B and the numbers 8 and 24 embroidered on the chest, with a red heart under the numbers...

Professional sports

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