Day: February 25, 2022

By JENNA FRYER, AP Auto Racing Writer ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Roger Penske celebrated his 85th birthday in victory lane with the Daytona 500 trophy. He skipped the post-race hamburger party with winner Austin Cindric to get back to Detroit for a regularly scheduled global call with Penske associates, and then finally it was on to St. Petersburg for the IndyCar season opener. The Captain will have you know he’s feeling just fine. “I'm doing well. I'm still getting up every morning and I feel great,” Penske said in an interview with The Associated Press. “You always feel good after a big win like this past weekend. It gives you a few more years, you know?” Cindric's victory Sunday at Daytona International Speedway was the third Daytona 500 win for Pens...

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Alexander Zverev was fined $40,000 by the men's professional tennis tour and will forfeit more than $30,000 in prize money and all rankings points from the Mexican Open after hitting the chair umpire’s stand with his racket following a loss in doubles. In addition to those penalties, the ATP announced Thursday it would undertake “a further review of the incident.” Zverev was the 2020 U.S. Open runner-up. He is currently ranked No. 3 and was the defending singles champion in Acapulco. The 24-year-old German was kicked out of the tournament after yelling and cursing at official Alessandro Germani and violently striking the umpire’s chair no fewer than four times. Zverev and partner Marcelo Melo had just ...

By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Kurt Kitayama came into the Honda Classic with 25 previous appearances on the PGA Tour, most of them ending by missing the cut. He’s on track to do a bit better this week in the Honda Classic. Kitayama — ranked No. 289 in the world — was nearly flawless at PGA National on Thursday, shooting a 6-under 64 to take a one-shot lead over Daniel Berger, Chris Kirk and Rory Sabbatini. It was Kitayama's best score in 69 rounds on the PGA Tour, fueled by a career-best run of four consecutive birdies on his second nine. And he qualifies as a surprise leader, considering even he didn’t expect a start like this. “Maybe not a start like that, but I felt like I’ve been playing well, and I’ve started...

By ROB HARRIS, AP Global Soccer Writer UEFA will no longer host the Champions League final in St. Petersburg after Russia launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine on Thursday, The Associated Press has learned. An extraordinary meeting of the UEFA executive committee will be held Friday to discuss the geopolitical crisis and when officials are set to confirm taking the May 28 showpiece game out of Russia, a person with knowledge of the process said on Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private talks. UEFA did publicly rebuke Russia and said it was dealing with the “situation with the utmost seriousness and urgency” while confirming the meeting for 0900 GMT on Friday. “UEFA shares the international community’s significant Hey ...

By JOE STIGLICH, Associated Press SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Zdeno Chara broke the NHL record for games by a defenseman Thursday night. The seven-time All-Star was on the ice for the New York Islanders for the opening faceoff against San Jose for his 1,652nd regular-season game. He broke the mark set by Hall of Famer Chris Chelios. Chara received a standing ovation from the SAP Center crowd and waved in acknowledgement when his feat was announced during a stoppage of play. Oofos Shoes  The Sharks also played a videotaped message of congratulations from former San Jose forward Patrick Marleau, who holds the NHL record for games by any player. The Slovak star, the tallest player in NHL history at 6-foot-9, is in the twilight of a decorated career that began i...

By CLIFF BRUNT, AP Sports Writer OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Devin Booker had 25 points, 12 assists and a career-high six steals to help the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 124-104 on Thursday night. Booker played point guard with All-Star Chris Paul out with a fractured right thumb. Booker finished with a season-high assist total and helped the Suns win their eighth straight game. “I thought Devin managed the game well," Suns coach Monty Williams said. Oklahoma City collapsed on big man Deandre Ayton, limiting him to six points on five shots. Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges each scored 21 points for the Suns, Hey Dudes Shoes  who have won 19 of 20 to improve to 49-10. The Suns will try to turn Paul's absence into a growing experi...