Update on the latest sports
MLB-CALLAWAY-INELIGIBLE LIST
Callaway goes on MLB ineligible list after harassment probe
NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway has been placed on the ineligible list by Major League Baseball through at least the end of the 2022 season following an investigation of sexual harassment allegations.
Commissioner Rob Manfred did not release details of what MLB’s probe determined, but said in a statement Wednesday that he had concluded that Callaway violated MLB’s policies, and that placement on the ineligible list is warranted.
Manfred said once the 2022 season ends, Callaway can apply for possible reinstatement.
Callaway was the Cleveland Indians’ pitching coach for five years before managing the Mets from 2018-19. After he was fired by New York, he was hired in October 2019 as pitching coach of the Los Angeles Angels, who suspended him on Feb. 2.
In a report published on Feb. 1, The Athletic said Callaway “aggressively pursued” several women who work in sports media and sent three of them inappropriate photos.
NHL-PLAYOFFS
3 teams on brink of elimination
UNDATED (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins are on the verge of another postseason meltdown. The New York Islanders have a 3-2 series lead in the best-of-seven series after winning Game 5 in double-overtime. So Wednesday’s Game 6 is a must-win for the Penguins. It’s not what they expected after posting a 26-8-2 record from March 2 through the end of the regular season.
Defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay gets another chance to put away the Florida Panthers, who survived Game 5 with the help of a 36-save performance from Spencer Knight in his Stanley Cup debut. At 20 years, 35 days, the Darien, Connecticut, native became the youngest goaltender in NHL history to make his playoffs debut with his team facing elimination.
The Vegas Golden Knights will try a second time to eliminate the Minnesota Wild after losing Game 5 despite a 40-14 shot advantage. The road team is 4-1 in this series.
NBA-PLAYOFFS
76ers, Grizzlies and Hawks try for 2-0 series leads
UNDATED (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks each look to take 2-0 leads in their respective first-round NBA playoff series Wednesday.
Philadelphia won its opener against sub.-500 Washington, while Western Conference No. 1 seed Utah fell to Memphis 112-109 in Game 1. The Jazz expect to have Donovan Mitchell back tonight after he was a late scratch Sunday.
Atlanta’s 107-105 victory over the Knicks in Game 1 was its first in four tries against New York this season.
ARENA-SPORTSBOOK
1st sportsbook at major pro sports arena opens in Washington
WASHINGTON (AP) — The first full-service sportsbook at a major sports arena or stadium in the United States has opened in Washington, D.C.
Capital One Arena is directly accessible from the sportsbook during games for the NBA’s Wizards in the playoffs. That possibility exists when the Capitals return to the ice this fall if the NHL adjusts its policies.
The New Jersey Devils opened a betting “lounge” inside Prudential Center in Newark in October 2018, but it’s only able to show odds with bettors able to place wagers on a mobile application. State restrictions there limit in-person wagers to casinos or racetracks.
Caesars CEO Tom Reeg called it a groundbreaking moment for sports betting. Caesars is in the process of buying William Hill.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-GONZAGA-TIMME
Star forward Drew Timme will return to Gonzaga next season
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (TIH’-mee) has announced that he will return for his junior season with the Bulldogs and won’t pursue professional options.
Timme will improve a roster that includes the nation’s second-ranked recruiting class. The 6-foot-10 Timme won the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award along with earning other honors. He scored 19 points per game last season to lead the West Coast Conference and also led the league in field-goal accuracy at 65.5%.
The Bulldogs won their first 31 games last season before losing to Baylor in the national championship game.
COLLEGE CORRUPTION-BOWEN LAWSUIT
Federal judge in South Carolina dismisses Bowen lawsuit
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A federal judge in South Carolina has dismissed former Louisville and South Carolina basketball player Brian Bowen II’s lawsuit against Adidas in its entirety.
Judge Joseph Anderson ruled that while Bowen was certainly impacted by the fraud committed by the defendants, it was not enough to confer standing to seek treble damages under civil racketeering laws.
Bowen became entangled in the federal corruption investigation into the sport when his father accepted payments for his son to play for Louisville. Bowen later transferred to South Carolina, although he did not play with the Gamecocks.
The case also included allegations that Adidas funneled money to the family of New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson while he was in high school. Both Bowen and Williamson were subjects during a federal corruption trial affecting college basketball in 2018.
PENN STATE-ABUSE
Judge upholds Penn St. ex-president Spanier’s jail sentence
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A judge has upheld the jail sentence of the former Penn State president who was forced out as the school’s top administrator after Jerry Sandusky was arrested nearly a decade ago.
The judge says Graham Spanier must report to jail on July 9 to begin serving at least two months for endangering the welfare of children, followed by two months of house arrest.
Spanier was charged in 2012 and convicted by a jury in March 2017 but appeals had allowed him to stay out of jail. He was convicted for his actions in response to reports from his aides that a graduate assistant football coach had complained of being greatly disturbed by coming across Sandusky showering alone with a boy in a team locker room in 2001.
A Penn State spokesperson says Spanier remains a tenured faculty member on administrative leave who is not teaching classes.
TRANSGENDER ATHLETES-WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia transgender athlete law challenged in court
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A federal lawsuit has been filed challenging West Virginia’s new ban on transgender athletes from competing in female sports in middle and high schools and colleges.
The American Civil Liberties Union and its West Virginia chapter filed the lawsuit Wednesday. It was submitted on behalf of an 11-year-old transgender girl who had hoped to compete in cross country in middle school in Harrison County. The lawsuit names the state and Harrison County boards of education and their superintendents as defendants.
The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission oversees scholastic sports. The commission says it hasn’t received any complaints about transgender athletes on girls teams.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-SENIOR BOWL-HBCU COMBINE
Senior Bowl, NFL to hold combine for top HBCU prospects
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — The Senior Bowl and the NFL will host a combine for top prospects from Historically Black Colleges and Universities next January.
The inaugural HBCU combine, scheduled for Jan. 28-29 in 2022, will be similar to the NFL combine with interviews and on-field and medical evaluations. It will be held at the University of South Alabama and will feature select players from four HBCU conferences — the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference — and other HBCU institutions.
No HBCU players were drafted this year.
