AP National Sports

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Commissioner Rob Manfred and top deputy Dan Halem met with players  on the final day of negotiations to end the lockout before Major League Baseball’s deadline to salvage a March 31 start to the regular season and a 162-game schedule. Emotions became more heated as

By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — No. 23 Florida removed the interim tag from Kelly Rae Finley’s title Monday and gave her a five-year contract to be the team’s head coach. The 36-year-old Finley took over in July when Cam Newbauer resigned amid allegations that he physically and verbally abused players.

Associated Press BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Pelé has been released from hospital after a urinary tract infection was treated. The 81-year-old Pelé was admitted on Feb. 13 to Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo to continue treatment for colon cancer, but days later doctors discovered an infection. The hospital reports the football great was released

CHICAGO (AP) — A man who spent $8.50 apiece in 1984 for a pair of tickets to Michael Jordan’s NBA debut with the Chicago Bulls has sold one of them at auction for $468,000. Michael Cole had bought the tickets as a college student at Northwestern University. He couldn’t find anyone to join him for

By ERIC OLSON AP Sports Writer Florida State pitchers Parker Messick and Bryce Hubbart have formed the most effective 1-2 punch in the country through two weeks. The redshirt sophomore left-handers have combined to strike out 46, walk three and allow one run in 23 2/3 innings. Unbeaten Texas posted two shutouts while sweeping Alabama.

NEW YORK (AP) — A Ukrainian tennis player who is seeded No. 1 at the Monterrey Open does not want to face a Russian opponent at the Mexican tournament unless tennis’s governing bodies follow the International Olympic Committee’s lead and insist that players from Russia and Belarus are only identified as “neutral athletes.” Elina Svitolina

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars will open the 2022 NFL preseason schedule on Aug. 4 in the Hall of Fame game. Former Raiders receiver Cliff Branch and defensive lineman Richard Seymour will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 6, as will ex-Jaguars tackle Tony

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — Russian teams have been suspended from all international soccer, including qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup, as Moscow was pushed toward pariah status in sports for its invasion of Ukraine. World soccer body FIFA and European authority UEFA banned Russian national and club teams from

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Bryson DeChambeau won’t be at Bay Hill to defend his title. He says on Instagram that he is not 100% healthy and doesn’t want to risk aggravating hip and hand injuries by playing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. DeChambeau says he’s been able to hit golf balls in a simulator but

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — Russian teams have been suspended from international soccer after the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The decision came Monday from FIFA and UEFA, saying Russia’s national teams and clubs were suspended “until further notice.” UEFA also ended its sponsorship with Russian energy giant Gazprom. The International Olympic

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — One of the perks of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray’s three years as the team’s quarterback is an absence of off-the-field distractions or drama. That’s changing in a hurry. Murray and the Cardinals have been engaged in a passive-aggressive public squabble after the team’s late-season

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer MIAMI (AP) — Derek Jeter announced a surprise departure from the Miami Marlins after 4 1/2 mostly unsuccessful years that didn’t come remotely close to matching his success as a player for the New York Yankees. Jeter became CEO of the Marlins in September 2017 when Bruce Sherman bought

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — The International Olympic Committee has made a sweeping move to isolate and condemn Russia over the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The IOC has urged others to exclude Russian athletes and officials from international events. The IOC says the move is needed to “protect the integrity of