STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State has hired Boston College athletic director Patrick Kraft to be its next AD. The 43-year-old Kraft will take over for the retiring Sandy Barbour on July 1 after the Penn State Board of Trustees approved an agreement that had been in the works for several days. The former
Continue Reading By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has launched a late bid to buy Chelsea for 4.25 billion pounds ($5.3 billion). Rival offers featuring American investors were already being assessed as the sale process is nearing a conclusion. The Premier League club was put up for sale in March after Russia
Continue Reading BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona says midfielder Nico González and forward Martin Braithwaite have been sidelined because of health issues. Nico fractured a toe on his left foot in practice and Braithwaite tested positive for COVID-19. The club did not say how long they are expected to be out. Barcelona has only five games left
Continue Reading By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer Europe’s domestic leagues have told UEFA to scale back its plans to add more Champions League matches and help teams to qualify based on their historical performances in the competition. The Champions League is due to expand from 32 to 36 teams with two slots set aside for
Continue Reading By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has launched a late bid to buy Chelsea for 4.25 billion pounds ($5.3 billion). Three three offers featuring American investors were already being assessed as the sale process is nearing a conclusion. Chelsea was put up for sale in March after Russia owner Roman
Continue Reading By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says Karim Benzema and Vinícius Júnior will likely be rested on Saturday for the match that can give the team the Spanish league title. Madrid needs a draw against Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium to clinch its record-extending 35th league
Continue Reading GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — American Hunter Armstrong has set a swimming world record in the men’s 50-meter backstroke. Armstrong posted a time of 23.71 seconds in the non-Olympic event at the International Team Trials at Greensboro, North Carolina. The meet is selecting the U.S. team that will compete at this summer’s world championships in Budapest,
Continue Reading By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — The president of the Spanish rugby federation will resign from his job after the national team lost its place at next year’s Rugby World Cup for fielding an ineligible player. Alfonso Feijoo says he swill step down when the appeal process is completed. He also says
Continue Reading VIENNA (AP) — Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has been appointed as coach of the Austrian national team. The Austrian soccer federation says Rangnick will start working with the team in late May ahead of a Nations League game against Croatia on June 3. That is shortly after United’s last scheduled game of the
Continue Reading LONDON (AP) — Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been voted “Footballer of the Year” in England for a second time, and Chelsea striker Sam Kerr has won the women’s award. The Football Writers’ Association announced its awards on Friday and reported Salah garnered 48% of the vote, ahead of Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne
Continue Reading By Matias Grez, CNN Chris Paul shot a perfect 14-of-14 from the field to help the Phoenix Suns close out their opening round playoff series with a 115-109 Game 6 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Living up to his ‘Point God’ moniker, it marked the first time in playoff history that a player made
Continue Reading LONDON (AP) — West Ham is investigating allegations that two German radio journalists were attacked by home fans at London Stadium while broadcasting the Europa League semifinal match between the Premier League club and Eintracht Frankfurt. German newspaper Bild reported that fans seated behind the commentators punched them and pulled a headset off one of
Continue Reading CNN By CNN Sports staff Boxers Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano are set to go head-to-head at Madison Square Garden on Saturday — the first time two women will headline the iconic venue in its 140-year history. Ireland’s Taylor is the undisputed lightweight champion and is undefeated in 20 professional fights, while Puerto Rico’s Serrano
Continue Reading By Kikue Higuchi and Don Riddell CNN For the first time in its 140-year history, two female boxers are headlining at Madison Square Garden as undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor goes toe-to-toe with seven-weight champion Amanda Serrano in the ring on Saturday. “I think this is one of those history making fights. Male or female,
Continue Reading By MATTHEW COLES Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson each scored 24 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Utah Jazz 98-96 on Thursday night in Game 6 to wrap up the first-round series. After Brunson hit a 3-pointer from the corner, Mike Conley was called for traveling with
Continue Reading By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer Chris Paul is still looking for his perfect ending. A perfect entry to Round 2 will have to suffice for now. Paul and the Phoenix Suns — the team with the best record in the NBA this season — have moved on to the Western Conference semifinals, where a
Continue Reading By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer A few hours before Game 6 of his team’s first-round series against Toronto got started, Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers was busy watching film. It wasn’t tape of the Raptors. He was watching the Miami Heat. The next challenge is now known for the 76ers, and Rivers wasted no time
Continue Reading By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer Luka Doncic and his teammates remind Jason Kidd a little of the last Dallas Mavericks team to advance in the playoffs. The coach now was the point guard then when the Mavericks had split the first four games of the 2011 playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers. He recalls
Continue Reading By HOWARD FENDRICH AP National Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez still sticks to his favorite catch phrases and his familiar optimism, invoking phrases about “going 1-0 today” and “anything can happen.” He recalls, naturally, that when the Nationals were 19-31 early in 2019, “Everybody wrote us off, right?” And he reminds
Continue Reading By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer Georgia’s defense dominated the first round of the NFL draft 3 1/2 months after whipping Alabama in the national championship game. The surprising part was that linebacker Nakobe Dean wasn’t among the Bulldogs whose names were called Thursday night. Dean, who watched a half dozen of his ex-teammates
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