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Italy pivots to RHP Aaron Nola in WBC semis vs. Venezuela
Team Italy will turn to right-hander Aaron Nola as the starter for Monday's World Baseball Classic semifinal game against Venezuela at Miami, instead of right-hander Michael Lorenzen.,With an eye toward Tuesday's championship game, Italy presumably will line up Lorenzen for a potential matchup again...

Guardians 3B Jose Ramirez evaluated for sore shoulder
Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez is being evaluated for a sore left shoulder after leaving Sunday's spring training game, Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said Monday.,Ramirez, who is hitting .233 this spring with two homers, two doubles and nine RBIs, sustained the injury when he slid into third ...

Reports: Northern Illinois hiring Matt Majkrzak as coach
Northern Illinois is hiring Northern Michigan's Matt Majkrzak to be the next head coach of the Huskies, multiple outlets reported Monday.,Majkrzak compiled a 136-73 record over seven seasons at the school in Marquette, Mich., guiding the Wildcats to four consecutive Division II NCAA Tournaments. ,Th...

MLS Cup 2026 final scheduled for Dec. 18
The 2026 MLS Cup will take place on Friday, Dec. 18, the league announced Monday.,The game will be hosted by the team with the better regular-season record.,This is the final full season before MLS switches to a summer-spring calendar for 2027-28. The league also will have a short 14-game transition...

Alabama G Aden Holloway arrested on drug charge
Alabama starting guard Aden Holloway was arrested on drug possession charges on Monday, four days before the fourth-seeded Crimson Tide play their NCAA Tournament opener.,A spokesperson for the Tuscaloosa (Ala.) police department told 247Sports that the 21-year-old junior was charged with first-degr...

AFC official: Iran still set to play in 2026 World Cup
Iran has given no indication it intends to remove its national team from this summer's FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, a representative for the Asian Football Confederation said Monday.,The Iranian team, currently 20th in the FIFA rankings, is set to compete in its fourth con...

Butler coach Thad Matta announces retirement
Butler men's basketball coach Thad Matta announced his retirement Monday after winning more than 500 games at three schools and earning four conference Coach of the Year honors.,Butler announced that Matta, 58, will remain at his alma mater as a special assistant to the president and athletic direct...

USMNT unveils 2026 World Cup kit
Nike and U.S. Soccer released images Monday of the new kits the U.S. men's national team will debut in a friendly this month before sporting them at this summer's FIFA World Cup.,It will become the new look for all U.S. soccer national teams upon its release, marking the first time all American seni...

Report: Jets trading QB Justin Fields to Chiefs
The New York Jets are finalizing a trade to send quarterback Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs, multiple outlets reported Monday.,The Jets will acquire a 2027 sixth-round draft pick in exchange, with the Chiefs taking on $3 million of the guaranteed $10 million of Fields' salary.,The move free...

Phil Mickelson to make LIV season debut this week
Phil Mickelson will make his LIV Golf season debut this week in South Africa.,HyFlyers GC confirmed the return of its captain Monday with a post on social media: "Cap is Back.",Mickelson, 55, missed the first four events of the 2026 season due to an undisclosed family health matter.,The LIV Golf tou...

Report: Uniqlo buys naming rights at Dodger Stadium
For the first time since the ballpark opened in 1962, the Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly have sold the naming rights to their field at Dodger Stadium.,The team has reached a deal with the Japanese fast-fashion retailer Uniqlo as the field's official presenting sponsor, The Athletic reported Sunday.,...

Reports: Rashan Gary agreed to pay cut in trade to Cowboys
Rashan Gary took less money to be traded to the Dallas Cowboys rather than being released by the Packers earlier this month, according to multiple reports. ,Gary will be paid $16 million for the 2026 and 2027 season and he receives a signing bonus of $13.2 million, NFL Network reported. ,Acquired fr...

NFLPA re-elects Jalen Reeves-Maybin as president
The NFL Players Association's board of player representatives re-elected linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin as union president on Sunday.,"I'm honored that the Board has trusted me to continue serving as president," he said in a statement. "There's important work ahead, and I'm looking forward to contin...

WNBA commish: 'We're going to keep making progress'
Another marathon negotiating session between the WNBA and union leaders ended early Monday morning after making progress toward a "historic" deal, commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.,"We are going to keep going. We're going to get this deal done," Engelbert said. "And, you know, it's going to be hist...

Report: Memphis retaining coach Penny Hardaway
Memphis is retaining men's basketball coach Penny Hardaway following the program's first losing season since 1999-2000, ESPN reported Monday.,The Tigers lost eight of their last nine games to finish 13-19 (8-10 American Conference), culminating with an 81-69 loss to Tulane in the first round of the ...

Expansion plans in Seattle, Vegas reportedly on NBA docket this month
NBA expansion plans are on the league agenda this month with discussions centering on valuations for franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas, according to multiple reports Monday.,The NBA Board of Governors has had open dialogue about returning to Seattle, where the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise calle...

Dejounte Murray boosting Pelicans, who face Mavericks on uptick
New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray is making up for lost time.,After spending 13 months sidelined with a torn Achilles tendon, Murray has ramped up the pace in eight games since returning, a positive sign going into Monday's home contest against the Dallas Mavericks.,Murray's season-high mar...

Trail Blazers looking to limit turnovers vs. youthful Nets
On Sunday, the Portland Trail Blazers struggled to avoid turnovers and could not match the physicality of an Eastern Conference team in a playoff race.,The Trail Blazers hope to correct their issues Monday night when they visit the Brooklyn Nets, owners of the NBA's fourth-worst record.,Portland has...

Short-handed Warriors, proud of effort, take chances vs. Wizards
Riding the momentum of an impressive performance as an undermanned visitor in New York on Sunday, the Golden State Warriors hope the potential return of three key players will help them snap a five-game losing streak at the expense of the host Washington Wizards on Monday.,Getting contributions from...

Top players to watch in the Women's NCAA Tournament
Interest around collegiate women's basketball continues to rise.,The last three national championship games have averaged over 9 million viewers -- including 18.9 million for Iowa-South Carolina in 2024 -- and 20 regular-season games this season had more than 500,000 viewers, the most in history.,Fo...