AP National Sports

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer RENTON, Wash. (AP) — For most of this offseason, Quandre Diggs has been able to usually wrap up his daily workouts before the lunch hour arrives. That’s a significant and welcomed change from a year ago when the Seattle Seahawks starting safety would spend his entire mornings doing rehab

By PATRICK STEVENS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threw out the first pitch Tuesday before the Washington Nationals’ annual Night Out game celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. The California Democrat, who said she is a season-ticket holder for the San Francisco Giants, said she had never thrown out a first pitch

LONDON (AP) — The financial crisis gripping English club rugby claimed another victim when London Irish was suspended from the entire league structure for missing its latest deadline to pay staff and players. Worcester Warriors and Wasps have already been banished from the English Premiership over the past years for financial reasons meaning the top

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer METAIRIE, La. (AP) — New Orleans Saints receiver Michael Thomas is participating in voluntary practices for the first time this offseason. He’s been recovering from a foot injury that sidelined him for all but the first three games of last season. That came after an ankle injury kept him

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer The announcement was so shocking that not even PGA Tour players knew what was coming. The tour was fighting the threat of Saudi-backed LIV Golf for more than a year. On Tuesday, they decided to start working together. The PGA Tour, European tour and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Pro Football Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard practiced Tuesday and didn’t look as if he missed a beat with the Tennessee Titans despite staying away after being asked to take a pay cut earlier this offseason. What he thinks about that request will wait for

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Marquette coach Shaka Smart has received a contract extension after leading the Golden Eagles to their first outright regular-season championship and tournament title in the Big East. Smart’s contract now runs through the 2029-30 season. This is the first extension Smart has received since signing a six-year deal when he took over

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Baseball Writer ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers signed Jacob deGrom to a $185 million, five-year deal in free agency last winter hoping the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner could help them get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and make a push toward winning

By JOHN MARSHALL AP Sports Writer PHOENIX (AP) — Frank Vogel led the Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA title in his first season by finding a way to mesh the skills of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The veteran coach is now in a similar situation in the desert, where he takes over a

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer MILWAUKEE (AP) — Adrian Griffin understands the responsibility that comes with taking over a title contender as a first-time head coach. The Bucks went against the grain by selecting Griffin rather than seeking someone with head coaching experience. Griffin has spent 15 seasons as an NBA assistant, including the

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Deebo Samuel didn’t mince words when it came to evaluating his 2022 season for the San Francisco 49ers, calling his performance “awful.” Samuel said he came into training camp out of shape following an offseason of distractions because of a contract dispute and

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Alabama coach Nick Saban is going from a visit with children with cancer to a business trip to Washington. Saban heads to Capitol Hill on Wednesday as part of a Southeastern Conference contingent to make the pitch for federal regulation of how college athletes can

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays demoted struggling right-hander Alek Manoah to the Florida Complex League Tuesday, one day after the 2022 All-Star and AL Cy Young finalist couldn’t get out of the first inning against the Houston Astros. Manoah was booed by Toronto fans after allowing six runs and seven hits in 1/3

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers have traded Ivan Provorov. The Flyers traded away the defenseman who boycotted the team’s pride night as part of a three-team trade that included the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Los Angeles Kings. The 27-year-old Provorov is set to enter the fifth season

By BETH HARRIS AP Racing Writer It’s been 50 years since Secretariat and jockey Ron Turcotte crushed the field by 31 lengths to win the Belmont Stakes and become horse racing’s Triple Crown champion in 1973. The colt nicknamed “Big Red” and his Canadian-born rider were a formidable duo on the track and shared a

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves recalled right-hander Roddery Muñoz from Triple-A Gwinnett and outrighted left-hander Lucas Luetge to Gwinnett before their series opener against the New York Mets. The Braves also acquired right-hander Ben Heller from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for international bonus pool money. The 31-year-old Heller was 2-0 with a

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Dream guard Aari McDonald is expected to miss three to four weeks as she recovers from a torn labrum. McDonald, who has started each of Atlanta’s first five games and leads the team with 3.8 assists per game, suffered the injury in Friday’s 92-87 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. The

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Pro Football Writer FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers participated in practice for the first time in front of reporters after a strained calf kept the New York Jets quarterback out of the sessions the past two weeks when reporters were in attendance. The 39-year-old Rodgers was acquired by