Facing World Series elimination, D-backs need Zac Gallen’s All-Star performance in Game 5
PHOENIX (AP) — Zac Gallen hasn’t been the ace pitcher the Arizona Diamondbacks were hoping for this postseason. If the right-hander fails to return to form in Game 5 of the World Series against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night, there’s a good chance his team’s season will be over. The D-backs are facing playoff elimination after losing 11-7 to the Texas Rangers in Game 4 on Tuesday. Arizona fell into a 10-run gap late in the third inning and now trails 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. Gallen started for the National League in this year’s All-Star Game. He is 2-2 with a 5.27 ERA so far in October.
Ohio St., UGA, Michigan and FSU are in the top 4 in the CFP. NCAA investigation into Wolverines not factored into rankings
Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan and Florida State led the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, followed by undefeated Washington and Oregon. The NCAA is investigating a sign-stealing scheme that allegedly involved in-person screening banned by Michigan. Selection committee chairman Boo Corrigan said the allegations against Michigan were not part of the debate over the Wolverines’ ranking. He called it an NCAA problem, not a PSC problem.
Raiders fire offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi, AP source says
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders fired offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi on Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because there had been no announcement. Lombardi’s ouster came the morning after the club fired coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. Antonio Pierce is the Raiders’ interim coach and Champ Kelly is the interim general manager. Las Vegas hosts the New York Giants on Sunday. Pierce played for the Giants from 2005 to 2009.
Tyreek Hill and AJ Brown aim for NFL receiving record
Given the way Tyreek Hill and AJ Brown are playing, the NFL’s single-season receiving record could be in serious jeopardy. With both receivers having historic starts and the recent addition of the 17th game to the schedule, Calvin Johnson’s record of 1,964 receiving yards in 2012 is in danger of being broken. Hill has 1,104 receiving yards for the Miami Dolphins, becoming the first player in 52 years to reach the 1,000-yard mark in the first eight games of the season. Hill is averaging 126.8 yards per game and needs to average 106 yards the rest of the game to break Johnson’s mark. Brown is slightly behind with 939 yards for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Schools are taking over transfers in academic circles. It also means fewer freshmen on DI rosters
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — The number of incoming freshmen in Division I men’s basketball has declined amid the rush to free agency through the transfer portal. NCAA data shows the number of freshmen declined 18% between the pre-pandemic 2019-20 season and the 2021-22 season. It was the first season after a rule change allowing undergraduate athletes to transfer once without sitting out. The decline was more pronounced, at 24%, for Power Five leagues. Pittsburgh’s Jeff Capel says the portal provides “more options” for coaches. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said transfers usually offer advantages such as experience and toughness.
College football picks: SEC divisions in line with No. 13 LSU-No. 8 Bama, No. 14 Mizzou-No. 1UGA
First place in each Southeastern Conference division is on the line in Week 10 of the college football season. The race to Atlanta for the championship game could be all but over by Saturday night. No. 1 Georgia, the East leader, hosts No. 14 Missouri and No. 13 LSU visits No. 8 Alabama, the West leader. There are also Big 12 matchups featuring four of the teams currently in a five-way tie for first place.
Player’s death from neck skate cut in England prompts new NHL discussions over cut protection
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The death of American hockey player Adam Johnson from a skate blade to the neck has led officials in the NHL and other leagues to continue discussions about cut protection. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Players’ Association CEO Marty Walsh have already made contact. Further discussions are planned between the league and the union on the topic of skate blade safety. Last summer, the American Hockey League and ECHL mandated cut-resistant wrist, foot and ankle protection. At least one minor league team made neckwear mandatory immediately in response to Johnson’s death.
Senators GM out after NHL makes Ottawa forfeit draft pick for role in invalidated trade
The Ottawa Senators made an abrupt change at the general manager position after the NHL decided to award him a first-round draft pick for his role in a voided trade last year. Owner Michael Andlauer announced that longtime general manager Pierre Dorion had resigned and would be replaced on an interim basis by Steve Staios. Andlauer said the fact that the team was forced to forfeit in the first round in 2024, 2025 or 2026 was the final straw that led him to make a change in the organization’s hockey operations department.
This year’s spate of racehorse deaths places the Breeders’ Cup under intense scrutiny
ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — After horse deaths marred this year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and another occurred days before the world championships, security at the Breeders’ Cup is subject to careful scrutiny. For the first time, all 14 Cup races this weekend at Santa Anita will be run under the sport’s new national set of medication and safety rules. The most extensive reviews of horses’ veterinary and treatment records in the Breeders’ Cup’s 40-year history will continue through race days Friday and Saturday. Competitors are subject to random physical examinations at all times. Despite recent reforms to the sport, one Breeders’ Cup competitor collapsed and died this week and another was injured.
Larson and Bell, long-time rivals on dirt, finally face off for the NASCAR championship
AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The rivalry barely reaches the heights of Petty versus Pearson or Earnhardt versus Gordon as one of NASCAR’s great competitions. But there’s no doubt that dozens of on-track battles between Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell have created an interesting dynamic heading into Sunday’s championship. Larson beat Bell at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to claim the first of four spots in the title-deciding season finale on Sunday, then Bell won the following week at Homestead-Miami Speedway to take second. Their rivalry is the championship contenders’ most intense, and Bell and Larson will finally face off for the biggest trophy yet.
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