Rays are eager to return to Tropicana Field for the first game since hurricane damaged the roof
A sellout crowd will welcome the Tampa Bay Rays back to renovated Tropicana Field on Monday for the first time in 18 1/2 months. The quirky stadium with the tilted roof and unique catwalks underwent major repairs after Hurricane Milton swept through St. Petersburg on Oct. 9, 2024, and caused extensive damage. High wind ripped sections of the original roof, allowing rain to fall into the stadium bowl for months. Water caused mold and damage to electrical, sound and broadcast systems. There was thought initially the Rays would never play another game at the only ballpark they had called home since the franchise’s debut in 1998. Instead, nearly $60 million was spent to replace the roof and rebuild the Trop.
Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg turns left ankle and injures knee in Wolverines’ Final Four win
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Michigan star forward Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 11 points while playing just 14 minutes due to ankle and knee injuries in Saturday’s 91-73 win over Arizona in the Final Four. The first-team All-American left the game in the first half but was back on the court to start the second half. That came after he gingerly went through a series of warmup exercises at midcourt to test his left ankle. Lendeborg also wore a brace on his left knee. He said after the game that he turned his ankle and sprained his MCL, but he plans to play in Monday night’s national title game against UConn.
Dawn Staley eyes another title as South Carolina meets UCLA in the NCAA women’s final
PHOENIX (AP) — Dawn Staley won a national title nine years ago in her first trip as a coach to the NCAA championship game. Now UCLA is playing for the NCAA title in women’s basketball for the first time, and Staley hopes to help South Carolina deny the Bruins on Sunday. Since that first title in 2017, Staley has added two more. A win over UCLA would tie Staley for the third most titles by a coach, trailing only Geno Auriemma and the late Pat Summitt. Meanwhile, the Bruins haven’t won a national title since 1978, when women’s basketball was governed by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.
MASTERS ’26: Augusta’s ‘beautiful little hole’ at No. 7 has turned much nastier
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Players in the Masters will have a hard time believing Byron Nelson once drove onto the green at the par-4 seventh hole at Augusta National. But it’s not the same hole. It was Nelson’s shot in 1937 that first led the club to move back the green some 20 yards and elevate it. Then it added some trees down the left. And then 100 or so yards were added during some lengthening 20 years ago. Now it’s a hole where Scottie Scheffler says the fairway has to be hit. It plays slightly over par instead of once being a good birdie chance.
Geno Auriemma apologizes for tense exchange with Dawn Staley after UConn loss
PHOENIX (AP) — UConn coach Geno Auriemma has apologized for his actions during a heated exchange with Dawn Staley at the end of the Huskies’ loss to South Carolina in the women’s Final Four. A visibly upset Auriemma went over to Staley in the final seconds of South Carolina’s 62-48 victory on Friday night and appeared to chastise her. Coaches from both teams had to separate them. When the game finally ended, Auriemma walked off the court to the locker room without going back to shake hands with anyone from South Carolina.
Maria Jose Marin wins Augusta National Women’s Amateur after Asterisk Talley meltdown
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Maria Jose Marin of Colombia has won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. California teenager Asterisk Talley has reason to feel she lost it. Talley was cruising along until a shocking meltdown on the back nine at Augusta National. Talley twice hit into the water from a back bunker on the par-3 12th and made quadruple bogey that put her five shots behind. Marin, a junior at Arkansas, shot a 68 and set the Augusta National Women’s Amateur record at 14-under 202. She is the third NCAA champion to win the tournament, following Jennifer Kupcho and Rose Zhang. Talley shot 75 and tied for fourth.