Blake Snell and San Francisco Giants agree to $62 million, 2-year contract, AP source says
A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and the San Francisco Giants have agreed to a $62 million, two-year contract. Snell has the right to opt out after this season and become a free agent. A 30-year-old left-hander, Snell is 71-55 with a 3.20 ERA in 191 starts over eight major league seasons, winning Cy Youngs in 2018 with Tampa Bay and last year with San Diego.
March Madness brackets are here. Here's how to pick your teams
UConn is the betting favorite to win a second straight national title, but repeating is not easy. Houston has now been tested by a power-conference schedule after joining the Big 12. Purdue will be eager to put aside last year's loss to 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson. Here's a quick early prediction: UConn, Houston, Gonzaga and longshot Michigan State reach the Final Four. Then Houston denies UConn a repeat in the championship game.
March Madness: Fabulous freshmen set to dazzle on big stage as NCAA Tournament arrives
In a season where fans marveled at the sustained excellence of NCAA all-time career scorer Caitlin Clark of Iowa, there's a stellar group of freshmen who've made an impact as they prepare to dazzle in their first NCAA Tournament. Newcomer JuJu Watkins at Southern Cal has surpassed Clark's points output as a freshman. Hannah Hidalgo at Notre Dame, MiLaysia Fulwiley at South Carolina and Madison Booker at Texas were all named MVPs in their first conference tournaments. And all are ready for what's next.
Ovechkin becomes 3rd in NHL history with at least 20 goals in 19 straight seasons; Caps beat Flames
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) -- Alex Ovechkin scored twice and became the third player in NHL history to have at least 20 goals in 19 consecutive seasons as the Washington Capitals beat the Calgary Flames 5-2. The 38-year-old Ovechkin had two power-play goals in the second period as Washington won its third straight game. He joined Gordie Howe (22) and Brendan Shanahan (19) as the only players to achieve the goal-scoring feat. Dylan Strome, Hendrix Lapierre and Tom Wilson also scored for Washington. Kevin Rooney and MacKenzie Weegar scored for Calgary.
$510 Dodgers jerseys and $150 caps. Behold the price of being an Ohtani fan in Japan
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- The Dodgers are paying $700 million for Shohei Ohtani. That means his loyal fans in Japan will be paying big time for his merchandise. A store called Selection in Tokyo's Shijuku area sells gear for all 30 MLB teams, but store employees say about 60-70% of the sales are for Dodgers gear, or Ohtani-specific gear. And it's not cheap. One Dodgers cap with Ohtani's signature on the side and his No. 17 goes for $150. A Dodgers uniform top sells for about $500. If you want a baseball that Ohtani threw last year in an MLB game, that will be $22,000.
Is there a way to slow Caitlin Clark in March Madness? Here's how some have tried
Opposing coaches will try again to keep Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark under control in the NCAA Tournament. They all know it's hopeless to completely shut down Division I's all-time leading scorer. She's been slowed. Kansas State had two players switch off on Clark and varied its coverages off screens when it beat Iowa early in the season. Indiana got physical with her and used variations of man and zone defenses in a February win. Nebraska threw a box-and-one at Clark and held her scoreless in the fourth quarter of a win last month.
Bettors counting on upsets as they put money on long shots this March Madness
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Bettors expect a lot of upsets in this year's NCAA Tournament. They are placing wagers on long shots to win. The First Four is Tuesday and Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio. The tournament begins in full Thursday. Recent history has shown some of those fliers can turn into big money. Saint Peter's made the Sweet 16 two years ago as a No. 15 seed. Last year's Final Four included a very un-blue-blooded San Diego State, Florida Atlantic and Miami.
Scottie Scheffler is reaching a dominance not seen since Tiger Woods
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Golf is always searching for the next Tiger Woods. Scottie Scheffler is the next candidate. The world's No. 1 player left little doubt when he became the first back-to-back winner of The Players Championship. His lead atop the world ranking is the biggest in seven years. His consistency and nine worldwide wins in the last 25 months is what gets people talking. Scheffler was quick to point out that while he has been No. 1 for a total of 78 weeks, Woods was No. 1 for just over 13 years. Scheffler says to be mentioned alongside Woods is special.
March Madness kicks off with First Four games and teams looking to do some bracket busting
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- Last year, a team from New Jersey called Fairleigh Dickinson played its way out of the First Four and then became one of the most improbable bracket-busters in NCAA Tournament history. Two days after winning in Dayton, the Knights upset Purdue, only the second time in history a No. 16 seed beat a No 1 seed. Eight teams begin their NCAA Tournament journey on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, hoping to be the next team to start in Dayton and do some bracket busting. Wagner faces Howard on Tuesday night, followed by Colorado State against Virginia. On Wednesday, Grambling plays Montana State, and Colorado draws Boise State.
Anthony Edwards throws down huge dunk over John Collins in Timberwolves' win against Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Anthony Edwards threw down a thunderous dunk over John Collins of the Utah Jazz on Monday night, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 114-104 victory but leaving both players banged up after a play that immediately went viral on social media. Timberwolves veteran point guard Mike Conley said it might have been the best dunk he's ever witnessed in person. Edwards dislocated his left ring finger after his hand collided with Collins' cheekbone. He raced back to the locker room during a subsequent timeout, popped the finger back in place, got it taped up and returned to action. Collins was ruled out for the entire fourth quarter while being evaluated for a possible concussion. His injury was later confirmed to be a head contusion.