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Bruins' Patrice Bergeron 'optimistic' he can play Game 5
BOSTON (AP) — Center Patrice Bergeron is "optimistic" he can play Saturday when the Boston Bruins face the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 5 of their first-round series.<p>Bergeron missed the Bruins' 3-1 Game 4 victory on Thursday with an undisclosed injury. The Bruins lead the series 3-1 lead and can …
Ice HockeyIf you rebuild it, they will come. Minor league teams join forces to help repair vandalized 'Field of Dreams'
Turns out, if you rebuild it, they will come, too.<p>Four minor league baseball teams in Iowa recently helped repair the iconic diamond at the <i>Field of Dreams</i> movie site in Dyersville after it was damaged by a vandal in January.<p>“It was really great to see everybody do their part and do everything free …
BaseballJustise Winslow's attempted mask sabotage cost him $15,000
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid returned to the court for Game 3 of the Sixers-Heat series wearing a mask and goggles to protect his orbital bone fracture, but Embiid’s goggles detached from his mask midway through the second quarter.<p>Miami’s Justise Winslow saw the goggles on the floor and …
BasketballCrystal Palace edges closer to survival with draw at Watford
WATFORD, England (AP) — Crystal Palace edged six points clear of the English Premier League relegation zone by drawing with Watford 0-0 on Saturday.<p>James Tomkins headed against the post in the second half for Palace, for which Wilfried Zaha was booked for diving at Vicarage Road.<p>Roy Hodgson's …
SoccerLiverpool's Mohamed Salah ties Premier League record with 31st goal of the season
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is on the verge of breaking the Premier League scoring record for most goals in a season. On Saturday at The Hawthorns, Salah gave Liverpool a 2-0 lead over West Brom with a chip over goalkeeper Ben Foster.<p>The goal was Salah’s 31st of the season in the Premier League, …
SoccerDomenech, Matthaus among coaches to apply for Cameroon job
YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — Former France coach Raymond Domenech and German World Cup winner Lothar Matthaus are among more than 70 men to have applied to be coach of African champion Cameroon.<p>Cameroon is looking for a new coach less than a year before it defends its African Cup of Nations title as …
AfricaColin Kaepernick honored by Amnesty for inequality protests
AMSTERDAM (AP) — Human rights organization Amnesty International has honored former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick with its Ambassador of Conscience Award for 2018, lauding his peaceful protests against racial inequality.<p>The former San Francisco 49ers star was handed the award at a ceremony …
Human RightsAdam Silver thinks the WNBA has a marketing problem -- but does he know how to fix it?
Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner who by all accounts has been very supportive of the WNBA and seems to want to do his best to make it thrive, sparked a debate on Friday when he mentioned on ESPN’s <i>Get Up!</i> one problem he thinks the league is having: It’s not connecting to young women and girls …
BasketballHamburger SV keeps alive survival hopes in Bundesliga
BERLIN (AP) — Lewis Holtby kept alive Hamburger SV's hopes of a Bundesliga survival by edging fellow relegation candidate Freiburg 1-0 on Saturday.<p>Holtby stopped the ricocheting ball and eluded two defenders before firing it past Alexander Schwolow early in the second half.<p>Freiburg's Caglar Soyuncu …
SoccerRoma beats Spal 3-0 ahead of Liverpool semi in CL
MILAN (AP) — Roma saw off relegation-threatened Spal 3-0 in Serie A on Saturday and stayed confident for the trip to Liverpool for the first leg of the Champions League semifinals.<p>Spal lost for the first time since Feb. 18 — a run of two wins and six draws — and was just one point above the …
SoccerFed Cup: US leads France 1-0 in semifinals
AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (AP) — Sloane Stephens fought hard to beat Pauline Parmentier 7-6 (3), 7-5 and give defending champion United States a 1-0 lead against France in the Fed Cup semifinals on Saturday.<p>The U.S. Open champion saved five set points serving at 5-4 down in the first set and rallied …
TennisWizards guard caught looking in concession worker's basket for a quick snack
Bradley Beal had 28 points and four assists in the Wizards win over Toronto on Friday night — a performance so strong that midway through the game, after hitting a shot, he was a bit hungry.<p>So he — as one camera brilliantly caught — looked into a concession worker’s basket to see if he could grab a …
BasketballFed Cup: Kvitova, Pliskova give Czechs 2-0 lead over Germany
STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova gave the Czech Republic a 2-0 lead over Germany in the Fed Cup semifinals with dominant displays in their opening rubbers on Saturday.<p>Kvitova defeated Julia Goerges 6-3, 6-2, before Pliskova followed up with a 7-5, 6-3 win over two-time …
TennisMarquette King tries to convince Danica Patrick to ditch Aaron Rodgers for him
Marquette King appears to have tuned into the Bucks game on Friday night — and noticed the presence of a semi-new sports couple: Danica Patrick and Aaron Rodgers.<p>And well, decided that the former NASCAR driver should consider some other options.<p>Unfortunately for King, tweeting at someone to break …
Marquette KingUEFA: Europa League trophy not damaged after being stolen
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA says the Europa League trophy was not damaged after being stolen in Mexico.<p>The silverware was at a promotional event in the central city of Leon when it was reported by authorities to have been taken from a vehicle.<p>The theft came ahead of the semifinals of Europe's …
SoccerSergio Garcia chucks driver into bushes out of frustration on way to bizarre bogey
Sergio Garcia most definitely plays with passion, and that can boil over.<p>There was the time last year he slammed his putter and took it out of play at TPC Boston. That came just months after the Spaniard hurt himself swinging in frustration at gorse.<p>Add another one to the tally. Here’s Garcia …
GolfThe 7 best things I ate at MLB's first annual Food Fest
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball’s first-ever Food Fest event, featuring sample menu items from all 30 big-league ballparks, kicked off Friday night with an invite-only VIP preview for respected and powerful influencers like myself. There, I joined my fellow attractive people for an evening of …
Tampa BayMalawi under-20 player dies in Portugal of suspected malaria
BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — Malawi under-20 striker Abel Mwakilama died on Friday of suspected cerebral malaria in Portugal, where he had only recently joined a lower-league team. He was 18.<p>Mwakilama's manager, Venancio Patrick, said it's thought that the player contracted cerebral malaria while back …
MalawiRafael Nadal beats Grigor Dimitrov to reach Monte Carlo finals
MONACO (AP) — Rafael Nadal remained on course for a record 31st Masters title after beating Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-1 in the Monte Carlo semifinals on Saturday.<p>Nadal shares the Masters record with Novak Djokovic, whose 30 wins include two here.<p>The top-ranked Nadal will face Kei Nishikori, who beat …
TennisSalah shares scoring record as Liverpool held by West Brom
WEST BROMWICH, England (AP) — West Bromwich Albion kept its slim hopes of Premier League survival alive with a stunning late comeback to draw 2-2 with Liverpool on Saturday and take the shine off Mohamed Salah's latest goal-scoring landmark.<p>The Egypt international matched the record of 31 goals for …
SoccerCome September, Richmond Raceway will be a much more fan-friendly experience
RICHMOND, Va. -- The infield at Richmond Raceway will look dramatically different when NASCAR returns to the Virginia track in September.<p>Already in the midst of a major renovation project, aptly named Richmond Reimagined, the track aims to provide a more fan-friendly experience that will entice …
MotorsportHow Lance Armstrong escaped a $100 million lawsuit
Lance Armstrong once took great pride in his ability to avoid getting caught for all the sins that could bring him down.<p>He kept getting away with it, always "winning" in the end.<p>And now he's arguably done so again, this time against the federal government.<p>After battling lawsuits for years, the …
CorruptionFed Cup: Kvitova, Pliskova give Czechs 2-0 lead over Germany
STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova gave the Czech Republic a 2-0 lead over Germany in their Fed Cup semifinal with dominant displays in their opening rubbers on Saturday.<p>Kvitova defeated Julia Goerges 6-3, 6-2, before Pliskova followed up with a 7-5, 6-3 win over …
TennisNASCAR Cup race at Richmond 2018: Start time, lineup, TV schedule, more
RICHMOND, Va. — It’s NASCAR race day at Richmond Raceway, and we’ve got some essential information you need to get ready for Saturday night's Toyotoa Owners 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race:<p><b>START TIME:</b> Lauren Fulcher, a proud owner of a 2017 Toyota Yaris IA and a VIP customer of Haley …
MotorsportHiroshima increases J-League lead after Patric's 6th goal
TOKYO (AP) — Brazilian striker Patric scored his sixth goal of the season on Saturday as Sanfrecce Hiroshima beat Sagan Tosu 1-0 to increase its lead in the J-League.<p>Patric's right-footed shot from 17 meters (yards) in the 87th minute allowed Hiroshima to remain undefeated this season and improve …
HiroshimaFed Cup: Japan and Britain 1-1 after opening day
MIKI, Japan (AP) — Johanna Konta has leveled Britain's Fed Cup World Group playoff against Japan with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Kurumi Nara on Saturday.<p>After taking a 3-0 lead in the second set, Konta broke Nara to lead 5-2 and then served for the win to level the playoff at 1-1.<p>Naomi Osaka, who claimed …
TennisAdvantage Utah? Jazz's Derrick Favors "100 percent" back
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — When Derrick Favors can find ways to impose his will, good things happen for the Utah Jazz.<p>Favors has been quietly, albeit effectively, getting it done against the Oklahoma City Thunder, playing in the shadows of Utah rookie of the year candidate Donovan Mitchell and Jazz …
NBASharks 4th liners help team advance to 2nd round
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Eric Fehr and Marcus Sorensen spent most of the season toiling in the AHL, just waiting for their chance.<p>That opportunity has arrived in the playoffs for San Jose and those two fourth-line forwards are a major reason why the Sharks swept Anaheim to advance to a second-round …
Ice HockeyFormer NFL player's 1952 Mantle card sells for $2.88 million
DALLAS (AP) — A Mickey Mantle baseball card from 1952 was sold at auction for $2.88 million, falling just short of setting a record.<p>The card, sold by former NFL lineman Evan Mathis through Heritage Auctions, earned the second-highest figure for a card at an auction, trailing only the $3.12 million …
NFLMcCutchen hits 3-run homer as Giants overpower Angels 8-1
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Jeff Samardzija had just loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth inning of his season debut when San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy went out to the mound, mainly to give his big righty a rest.<p>"He wasn't going anywhere, trust me," Bochy said after the Giants used …
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