Sports

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears have signed veteran tight end Ryan Griffin to a one-year contract. Griffin has 206 receptions for 2,158 yards and 14 touchdowns over nine seasons with the Houston Texans and New York Jets. He has seven catches for 64 yards in four playoff games. Griffin caught 27 passes

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer Kent Johnson has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets that begins immediately. He’s the first of several University of Michigan players expected to jump to the NHL after their college season ended with a loss in the Frozen Four. The Blue Jackets also signed free

By PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — A decorated former water polo coach at the University of Southern California has been found guilty in the college admissions bribery scandal. A federal jury in Boston convicted Jovan Vavic of fraud and bribery on Friday. He declined to comment after the hearing and left court with

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Seattle Mariners have signed Gold Glove shortstop J.P. Crawford to a $51 million, five-year contract ahead of the start of the regular season. Crawford, 27, had agreed last month to a $4.85 million, one-year deal and would have been eligible for free agency after the 2024 season. He gets a $5

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers bolstered their depth at running back by re-signing free agent Giovani Bernard to a one-year, $1.12 million contract. The 30-year-old who spent the first eight years of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals initially joined the Bucs as a free agent in 2021, when injuries limited him

NEW YORK (AP) — Kelsie Whitmore has signed a contract with the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League, becoming one of the first women to join a league connected to Major League Baseball. The 23-year-old Whitmore pitched and played in the outfield for the U.S. women’s baseball team from 2014-19. She also played college

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James will miss the final two games of the Los Angeles Lakers’ season with a sprained left ankle. That almost certainly prevents him from winning his second NBA scoring title. The Lakers made the announcement before they hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder. Los Angeles’

By MARK DIDTLER Associated Press LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Looking back on her journey before her first game with Class A Tampa, Rachel Balkovec reflected on the discrimination she experienced before becoming the first woman to manage a minor league affiliate of a major league team. The 34-year-old Balkovec held a pregame media session at

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Seattle Mariners have signed Gold Glove shortstop J.P. Crawford to a five-year contract ahead of the start of the regular season. The 27-year-old Crawford was under contractual control through 2024. He won’t be eligible for free agency now until after the 2026 season. Crawford has been a standout defensive player since

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks have signed guard Rayjon Tucker. The 6-foot-3 Tucker appeared in three games with the Denver Nuggets this season while on a 10-day contract. He averaged 2 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 9.7 minutes. He also played 14 games for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2020-21 and 20 games for

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 28% of Major League Baseball players were born outside the 50 states for the second straight season. MLB says 275 of 975 players on expanded 28-man, opening-day rosters, injured lists, the restricted list and the bereavement list were born outside the 50 states. The Dominican Republic led with 99

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Purdue’s board of trustees has approved a $6.7 million renovation plan for Mackey Arena. Construction is expected to begin following next basketball season. The funding will come entirely from private donations. The updates include reconfigured locker rooms and players lounges for the men’s and women’s basketball teams, an expansion of

GRAMBLING, La. (AP) — New Grambling volleyball coach Chelsea Lucas has cut more than half of the team’s scholarship players and told incoming recruits that the previous coach’s commitments would not be honored. Athletic director Trayvean Scott defended Lucas’ right to reshape the program as she deems appropriate and also has sought to refute reports

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Butler Bulldogs have hired Austin Parkinson as their new women’s basketball coach. Parkinson will stay in Indianapolis after spending the past 12 seasons at nearby IUPUI. The move comes a little more than two weeks after athletic director Barry Collier fired Kurt Godlevske. Parkinson won two Horizon League Tournament championships over

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees say they failed to reach an agreement with Aaron Judge before his deadline to get a long-term deal by opening day. They hope to resume talks after the season. General manager Brian Cashman says the Yankees had offered Judge an eight-year