w Page 29 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Skidding Reds get back Nick Lodolo for start against Astros
The Cincinnati Reds were probably hoping to ease Nick Lodolo back into action after the left-hander missed the start of the season with a blister on his left index finger.,Instead, Lodolo will be asked to help snap Cincinnati's seven-game losing streak when he takes the mound against the visiting Ho...

Khamzat Chimaev, Sean Strickland to settle bad-blood feud at UFC 328
Things have reached a boiling point in the middleweight division ahead of Saturday's UFC 328 event in Newark, N.J., as newly minted UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev looks to handle unfinished business against former champion Sean Strickland in the headliner of a 13-fight card., ,The friends...

Vikings agree to 1-year deal with former 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings
The Minnesota Vikings added to their receiver depth by agreeing to deal with former San Francisco 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings on Thursday.,The team didn't disclose the terms, but The Athletic reported it's a one-year deal with a base salary of $8 million with incentives which could pay Jennings as...

Veteran QB Taylor Heinicke announces retirement
Veteran quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who went from undrafted to a playoff starter in the NFL, announced his retirement on Thursday.,"For 25 years, I had the pleasure to play this great sport of football," Heinicke wrote in an Instagram post. "It has taught me a lot, not only about myself but about l...

Report: Majority of Big 12 teams declining $30M private equity credit
Multiple Big 12 schools have already declined the line of credit being extended by the conference to its member institutions thanks to its newly established private equity partnerships, Front Office Sports reported Thursday.,The deal with RedBird Capital Partners and Weatherford Capital, approved in...

Miami host committee assured ICE will not be at World Cup games
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will not be seen at World Cup matches this summer, according to the co-chair of the Miami host committee.,Rodney Barreto told The Athletic on Thursday that he received reassurances from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that ICE would steer clear of the world so...

NHL salary cap rising to record $104M for 2026-27 season
The NHL's salary cap will reach a record of $104 million per team in 2026-27, the league and the NHL Players Association announced Thursday.,That figure is an increase of $8.5 million (8.9%) from the 2025-26 cap.,The salary cap floor will be $76.9 million, making the midpoint $90.4 million. To demon...

Valkyries to begin sophomore season vs. revamped Storm
The expansion Golden State Valkyries took the WNBA by surprise last year, finishing with a record above .500 and making the playoffs.,Their second season, which begins Friday at the Seattle Storm, is off to a head-scratching start.,On draft night, the Valkyries sent the rights to the No. 8 pick, LSU...

Improvement required for Wolves as Spurs series pivots home
Forget the Alamo.,That is the Minnesota Timberwolves' mindset as they return home from San Antonio. After a narrow win in Game 1 and a lopsided loss in Game 2, they will tip off against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series Friday night in Minneapolis.,The winn...

Ducks bring speed, confidence home in tied series with Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights may be the favorites in their playoff series with the Anaheim Ducks, but they have their hands full as the showdown shifts to Southern California for Friday's Game 3.,The Western Conference semifinal is tied 1-1, but the Ducks were the better team in both contests, especiall...

Alex Lyon has 'caught fire' in net as Sabres, Habs prepare for Game 2
The Montreal Canadiens want to take home-ice advantage in their best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff series with the Buffalo Sabres back to Quebec with them. ,They will need a much better effort on Friday in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series to accomplish that.,Literally and figurativ...

Tempo's veteran squad set for WNBA debut vs. young Mystics
When the Toronto Tempo make their WNBA debut by hosting the Washington Mystics on Friday night, it might be difficult to tell which team is the expansion group.,The Tempo have several proven WNBA players (and a two-time WNBA champion head coach in Sandy Brondello), and the Mystics are one of the you...

Red Sox place OF Roman Anthony on IL with hand sprain
Red Sox left fielder Roman Anthony was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hand sprain on Thursday, retroactive to Tuesday.,Anthony sustained the injury, which the team initially called a wrist sprain, on Monday in Detroit. Anthony clarified on Thursday that he sprained a ligament under h...

Michelle Wie West cards 'nervy' 82 in first LPGA round in 3 years
As Michelle Wie West prepared to play her first LPGA Tour event in three years on Thursday, she hoped she had everything she needed.,She didn't want to bring a case of nerves.,Wie West battled her mental game as well as the greens in carding a 10-over-par 82 at the Mizuho Americas Open in West Caldw...

Liberty to navigate season opener vs. Sun without Ionescu
Chris DeMarco's first major challenge in coaching the New York Liberty is figuring out how to compensate for Sabrina Ionescu's absence for a few weeks.,DeMarco's coaching debut occurs Friday when the Liberty host the Connecticut Sun in New York, and Ionescu will be watching from the bench after inju...

World Cup ticket prices dropping on secondary market
The current get-in price of a group stage game at the 2026 FIFA World Cup has dropped 17.1% on the secondary market in the past two weeks.,That's according to data from the ticket tracking service TicketData.com provided to Field Level Media on Thursday.,The average price currently sits at $567, dow...

Slumping Blue Jays again turn to RHP Dylan Cease against Angels
The Toronto Blue Jays need a repeat of the result from the last time Dylan Cease opposed the Los Angeles Angels.,The Blue Jays open a six-game homestand Friday night against the Angels in a four-game losing streak after a 2-5 road trip.,In his start against the host Angels on April 20, Cease (2-1, 3...

OG Anunoby's presence in jeopardy as Knicks seek 3-0 edge over 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers played short-handed in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series.,Now it appears the New York Knicks might face similar adversity when the teams meet Friday in Game 3 in Philadelphia.,The Knicks lead the series 2-0, but they could be without second-leading scorer OG Anunoby,...

Yankees' Jasson Dominguez to hit IL with shoulder sprain
New York Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez sustained a low-grade AC sprain in his left shoulder in a collision with the auxiliary scoreboard in Thursday afternoon's 9-2 victory over the visiting Texas Rangers.,The team announced after the game that concussion tests were negative at the time on D...

It's official: NCAA tournaments expand to 76-team brackets
The 2027 NCAA Tournament will officially expand to 76 teams following approval Thursday afternoon by the Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Committees, the Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Oversight Committees, the Division I Finance Committee, the Division I Board of Directors and the N...