Sho-time in Tokyo: Ohtani, Dodgers prepare to open MLB season vs. Cubs on Tuesday
TOKYO (AP) — The Major League Baseball season kicks off Tuesday night at the Tokyo Dome when Shohei Ohtani and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers face the Chicago Cubs. It’s the first of a two-game series and features five Japanese players. Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and rookie Roki Sasaki pitch for the Dodgers while the Cubs have outfielder Seiya Suzuki and left-handed pitcher Shota Imanaga. The two MLB teams have been in Tokyo for several days, playing exhibition games against two Japanese teams. All four exhibition games had a capacity crowd of roughly 42,000. A similar atmosphere is expected for the two MLB games.
Dodgers’ star Freeman scratched from lineup with left rib discomfort before opening day vs. Cubs
TOKYO (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman was scratched from the starting lineup with left rib discomfort before the season opener against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night at the Tokyo Dome. Freeman was originally in the lineup, batting third and playing first base. The eight-time All-Star hit .282 with 22 homers and 89 RBIs last season. The Dodgers shuffled the lineup without Freeman, moving Kike Hernandez to first base and putting Michael Conforto in left field.
Rory McIlroy takes drama out of playoff to win The Players and build momentum to the Masters
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Rory McIlroy has won The Players Championship in a three-hole playoff against J.J. Spaun that lacked any real drama. McIlroy blasted a drive down the 16th fairway to set up a birdie. And then Spaun sailed over the island green on the par-3 17th and into the water for a triple bogey. McIlroy is the eighth multiple winner of the PGA Tour’s premier championship. It’s also the first time in his career he has won twice early in the season before the Masters. It was the first Monday finish in three years because of a four-hour rain delay on Sunday.
This small-town team in Sweden was a women’s soccer powerhouse. Then Europe’s big clubs took over
UMEA, Sweden (AP) — A transformation of women’s soccer in Europe is well under way. The elite, big-money clubs already established in the men’s game such as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea have begun pouring money, resources and extra focus into their women’s teams and are taking over. Umea and Turbine Potsdam, European champions only 20 years ago, are among the unfashionable relics of yesteryear who know they can no longer compete. But they seem OK with that and are adjusting to a new reality in a changing financial landscape as women’s soccer grows. Umea sporting director Jorgen Crovin says “I’m not in the least envious because these clubs are at a different level than we can ever achieve now.”
Messi out of World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil due to adductor injury
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Lionel Messi will miss Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil over the next eight days because of an injury to his adductor. The 37-year-old Messi was not included in the 25-man squad announced on Monday by coach Lionel Scaloni. Later Monday, Inter Miami said Messi — the reigning Major League Soccer MVP — underwent an MRI “to assess the extent of the discomfort in his adductor region,” an injury that the team said occurred in Sunday’s win over Atlanta United. Argentina leads South America and will visit second-place Uruguay on Friday and host fifth-place Brazil four days later in Buenos Aires.
NCAA agrees to lift name, image and likeness recruitment ban
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The NCAA will abandon a rule that stopped athletes from negotiating potentially lucrative endorsement deals before enrolling in a specific college, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti says as he announced a proposed settlement in a lawsuit over the policy. Skrmetti announced the deal Monday. He and a handful of attorneys general had sued the NCAA over its name, image and likeness recruiting ban, arguing the rule violated antitrust laws. The settlement must still be approved by a federal judge. The agreement, if approved by the court, will allow college athletes to negotiate compensation for name, image and likeness deals before enrolling in a specific school.
Strong TV ratings and attendance, women’s basketball in good place heading to NCAA Tournament
There was concern that attendance and overall interest in women’s college basketball would drop this year with the departure of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and other stars for the WNBA. Both took a dip — but only a dip. With JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers among those leading the way, attendance across the country was just short of last season’s record numbers. More networks showed more games on TV this season and ratings were strong heading into March Madness.
Who invented the March Madness bracket? Staten Island bar and Kentucky postal worker stake claims
NEW YORK (AP) — Trying to prove the real inventor of the March Madness pool seems about as implausible as picking a perfect bracket. Staten Island pub Jody’s Club Forest says it was the first in the late 1970s to design what would become the modern-day bracket. The first winner took home $880. By the time Jody’s Club shut down the pool in 2006, the jackpot hit $1.6 million for the winner. The family of a U.S. Postal Service worker out of Kentucky says he was the first one to create the bracket. His was the more traditional form of picking every game down to the champion.
Steve Kerr committed to finding Stephen Curry a rest day, insists superstar guard is exhausted
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry needs a break, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr is going to make it a priority to find some rest for his superstar. Two games after becoming the first player in NBA history to reach 4,000 3-pointers and three days after his 37th birthday, Curry struggled to find his shooting groove in a 114-105 loss to the undermanned Denver Nuggets.
76ers forward Paul George will miss the rest of the season to recover from his injuries
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Paul George will miss the rest of the season to recover from his injuries, ending a difficult first year in Philadelphia for the nine-time All-Star. The 76ers say George has received injections in his left adductor muscle and left knee, following consultations with specialists. According to the team, he “is medically unable to play and will be out for at least six weeks.” Philadelphia’s last game of the regular season is on April 13. George, who turns 35 on May 2, signed a $212 million, four-year contract in free agency last summer. But his first year in Philly was marred by injuries that resulted in the forward having one of the worst years of his NBA career.