Month: December 2021

By IAN HARRISON, Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — In each of the past two offseasons, pitcher Kevin Gausman spurned free agent advances from the Toronto Blue Jays and general manager Ross Atkins. When Atkins called again this winter, Gausman couldn’t say no any longer. Gausman and the Blue Jays finalized a five-year, $110 million contract Wednesday. “I had a feeling Ross was going to call again,” Gausman said at a virtual introductory press conference. “We almost reached a deal two years ago and even last year, too." “The closer it got to decision time it was like, ’All right, this is the team that I think I’m going to win the most with,'" he said. Gausman, who turns 31 next month, was 14-6 with a 2.81 ERA Latest Jordan 2020  and 227 strikeo...

By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — The Hero World Challenge has all the trappings of a working vacation on a Caribbean island with a 20-man field, no cut and warm tropical air in December. It just doesn't feel that way to Collin Morikawa. A historic year for the 24-year-old Californian can still get better. At stake for Morikawa this week at Albany Golf Club is a chance to reach No. 1 in the world in only his 61st tournament worldwide as a pro. Nike Air Force 1 Shadow That would be the second-quickest ascent to the top of the world in golf behind Tiger Woods (21 starts). None of this seems to faze Morikawa, not after a year in which he won his first World Golf Championship, his second major at the British Open and became the first Am...

By WILL GRAVES, AP Sports Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kenny Pickett didn't get specific. He didn't need to. The goal the Pittsburgh quarterback set for himself when he made the surprising decision to return in 2021 rather than enter the NFL draft covered all the bases. “I want to be the best," said Pickett, who was named the ACC's Most Valuable Player on Wednesday. “That’s always been my goal since I was young. And it’s something that, you know, you continue to work for.” A goal that's come tantalizingly close for Pickett over the Dr Martens Boots last three months. All he's done since September is rewrite a majority of the school's record book — surpassing the likes of Hall of Famer Dan Marino in the process — while leading the 17th-ranked Panthers (10-2) to their ...

By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Basketball Writer MIAMI (AP) — Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo needs surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb and is likely out until at least mid-January. It's the first major injury of Adebayo's five pro seasons. He is averaging a career-best 18.7 points for Miami this season, along with 10.2 rebounds per game. Adebayo, an Olympic gold medalist this summer, Hey Dude Shoes  was injured in Monday's loss to Denver. He underwent tests Tuesday and Wednesday to determine the full scope of the injury, and it was determined that he tore the ulnar collateral ligament. He shrugged off the injury after the game, insisting it was nothing. “I'm all right," he said. Turns out, he was anything but. The timetable for ...

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia and New Zealand will each stage 24 games in the group stage when the countries host the Women’s World Cup for the first time in 2023. FIFA released further details of the schedule Wednesday after previously announcing that Auckland will stage the opening match on July 20 and the final will be at the Olympic stadium in Sydney on Aug. 20. Australia's biggest city will also feature on the opening Vibram Shoes  day with one of six group games at the newly renovated Sydney Football Stadium. The Olympic stadium is also hosting a round of 16 game, quarterfinal and semifinal before crowning the champion. The 32-team tournament will be divided into eight four-team groups. New Zealand is in Group A and Australia in Group B but the other groups and t...

By RALPH D. RUSSO, AP College Football Writer DALLAS (AP) — The latest meeting on expanding the College Football Playoff wrapped up without a resolution Wednesday as the people involved agreed to keep talking. CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock said there remains a strong consensus among the management committee, comprised of the 10 major college football conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director, to expand the four-team playoff field. But how and when? A proposed 12-team model remains at the heart of the discussions and there is still hope it can be implemented for the 2024 season. Skechers Womens Outlet Which conferences would be ensured access to the field is still up for debate. “I thought there was a chance we’d get to the end tod...