The NFL draft is the light at the end of the tunnel for many. No wonder Pittsburgh is a fitting host
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The NFL draft is set to transform downtown Pittsburgh this weekend, with hundreds of thousands expected to take in the spectacle. Over a dozen prospects will be there to walk the red carpet before the first round, hoping to hear their name called by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the consensus top overall pick, will watch from back home in Florida. Pittsburgh is hoping to use the draft as a way to showcase that the city has evolved considerably from its roots as one of the world's foremost producers of steel.
After Fernando Mendoza at No. 1, the NFL draft’s QB board could go quiet fast
The NFL draft might see only one quarterback picked in the first round this year, unlike the quarterback-heavy drafts of 2021 and 2024. Fernando Mendoza is expected to be the No. 1 pick by the Las Vegas Raiders. Ty Simpson is the next quarterback on the list, but he might not be picked until later in the round. Only two drafts in the last 24 years have had just one first-round quarterback. It happened in 2022 with Kenny Pickett and 2013 with EJ Manuel.
Spurs' Keldon Johnson honored as NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, topping Jaquez, Hardaway
Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs has been honored as the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year. Johnson played in all 82 games, all off the bench, becoming only the second NBA player in the last decade to do that. He also became the first Spurs player to score 1,000 points as a reserve in a season. Johnson got 64 first-place votes from a media panel, topping Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Denver's Tim Hardaway Jr. It’s the first individual NBA award for Johnson, who was part of the U.S. Olympic team that won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Mets stop 12-game skid with 3-2 win over Twins as Soto returns but Lindor exits with calf injury
NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Vientos blooped a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning and the New York Mets snapped their 12-game losing streak, beating the Minnesota Twins 3-2 after getting one superstar back only to see another exit with a similar injury. Juan Soto went 1 for 3 with a single and a walk in his return from a strained right calf, but shortstop Francisco Lindor was removed with left calf tightness after laboring around the bases while scoring from first on Francisco Alvarez’s go-ahead double in the fourth. Byron Buxton tied it 2-all with a leadoff homer in the sixth against Mets starter Clay Holmes.
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor exits game with left calf tightness
NEW YORK (AP) — No sooner did the struggling New York Mets get a star player back than another one went down with a similar injury. Francisco Lindor was removed Wednesday night against the Minnesota Twins with left calf tightness, just hours after teammate Juan Soto came off the injured list. Lindor labored around the bases while scoring from first on Francisco Alvarez’s fourth-inning double. The switch-hitting shortstop headed down the dugout tunnel with an athletic trainer and was replaced in the lineup by Brett Baty, who entered at third base in the top of the fifth. Bo Bichette slid over from third base to shortstop.
Pistons pound the Magic in paint and meet them at the rim to end their long home playoff win drought
DETROIT (AP) — Ben Wallace and Rick Mahorn watched the Detroit Pistons pound the Orlando Magic in the paint and meet them at the rim in a 98-83 win that tied their first-round series at a game apiece. Wallace was a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and Mahorn was an enforcer for the Bad Boys, helping the Pistons win a lot of games that looked like Wednesday's slugfest. Top-seeded Detroit held eighth-seeded Orlando to 33% shooting and season lows in points and field goals. The Pistons forced 19 turnovers and blocked 11 shots.
LPGA is keeping with tradition at the first major. But it's a pool, not a pond in Houston
HOUSTON (AP) — The LPGA is trying to stick with tradition at the first major of the year. The Chevron Championship starts Thursday at Memorial Park in Houston. It doesn't have water on the 18th hole. That's important because this major is famous for the winner taking a plunge. That's how it was in the California desert before moving to Houston a few years ago. Officials have built a small pool by the 18th green. Nelly Korda is among the favorites. She's played in the final group in all four of her tournaments this year. Jeeno Thitikul is aiming for her first major.
Man City top of Premier League as Haaland's winner relegates Burnley
Manchester City has completed its ominous, late-season rise to the top of the Premier League. City beat Burnley 1-0 thanks to Erling Haaland’s fifth-minute goal and ended Arsenal’s 200-day stay in first place. The result condemned American-owned Burnley to relegation after one season back in the top flight. With goal difference potentially coming into play, City might regret not putting more past Burnley at Turf Moor. Winning by a one-goal margin left City and Arsenal tied on 70 points and with both on a goal difference of +37. City only leads courtesy of more goals scored, 66 to Arsenal’s 63.
Shohei Ohtani might be held out of the lineup during more pitching starts, Dodgers manager says
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is committed to Shohei Ohtani’s health and keeping him fresh to perform both on the mound and at the plate for the long haul. And that may look different by the day or week, depending how the two-way star is feeling. For some games, that could mean Ohtani pitches but isn’t batting as the designated hitter, and Roberts plans to keep his options open. Ohtani made his fourth mound start Wednesday night against the San Francisco Giants. A week earlier, Ohtani was held out of the lineup while pitching for the first time since 2021.
With a wink, 76ers rookie V.J. Edgecombe has quickly found his playoff footing
BOSTON (AP) — 76ers rookie V.J. Edgecombe marked his arrival in the NBA by scoring the third-most points for an NBA player in his first game. He capped his second career playoff game by becoming the first rookie to record at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game since Tim Duncan did it nearly 30 years ago. For Edgecombe it is the culmination of a season in which he says he's learned not to overthink things or put extra pressure on himself. His efforts helped Philadelphia beat the Celtics in Game 2 of their opening-round playoff series to tie it at a game apiece.
