DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Daytona International Speedway is getting another facelift, this one considerably bigger than the last. Three years after a complete repaving project, the famed track is overhauling the frontstretch to enhance the “fan experience.” International Speedway Corp., which owns Daytona and 12 other NASCAR tracks, announced funding approval Tuesday. ISC estimates … Continue reading →

Redhawks 3,
Zephyrs 1 Oklahoma City scored three unearned runs in the seventh inning on two Zephyrs errors to win the opener of a four-game series Tuesday at Zephyr Field. Brandon Laird led off the seventh with a slow roller off Brian Flynn (2-7) that … Continue reading →

TODAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS TV 7 p.m. Indiana vs. Oregon St. ESPN 10 p.m. Postgame Show ESPNU 6 p.m. Dodgers at Yankees ESPN2 7 p.m. A’s at Rangers FSNO … Continue reading →

BOSTON — Jonny Gomes hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, completing a doubleheader sweep. Daniel Nava was aboard on a leadoff walk when Gomes followed with a towering shot off Joel Peralta (1-3) that cleared the … Continue reading →

ATLANTA — Zack Wheeler lived up the hype in his major league debut, pitching six scoreless innings to lead the New York Mets to a 6-1 victory over the first-place Atlanta Braves and a doubleheader sweep on Tuesday. Wheeler gave up only four hits and struck out seven while consistently reaching the upper 90s on … Continue reading →

NEW YORK — Kevin Youkilis needs back surgery, and Mark Teixeira returned to the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with an aching right wrist, the latest injury setbacks for the depleted New York Yankees. Youkilis will miss at least 10-12 weeks after he has the procedure in California on Thursday. He had gone back on the … Continue reading →

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel still has three years of eligibility left at Texas A&M. But a tweet he sent out early Sunday morning has some fans wondering how long he’ll stay. Starting the tweet with an expletive, Manziel’s said stuff “like tonight is why I can’t wait to … Continue reading →

TODAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS TV 2 p.m. LSU vs. N. Carolina ESPN 7 p.m. N.C. State vs. UCLA ESPN2 8 p.m. Spurs at Heat ABC 7:30 p.m. U.S. vs. Honduras ESPN Continue reading →

The WNBA’s first president feels that women’s college basketball needs to make changes if the sport is to grow. Val Ackerman was hired by the NCAA in November to assess the state of the women’s game. In a report submitted last week, Ackerman advised a series of ideas that would help. They included moving the Final … Continue reading →

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A contrite Chad Johnson apologized Monday for disrespecting a judge when the former NFL star slapped his attorney on the backside in court last week and was released from jail after only a week instead of 30 days. Broward County Circuit Judge Kathleen McHugh accepted Johnson’s apology and cut back … Continue reading →

BOSTON — Tuukka Rask shut out the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday night and got enough help from the Bruins’ offense to do it without another exhausting overtime. After playing four extra periods in the first two games, the Bruins made an early night of it with second-period … Continue reading →

Sounds 5, Zephyrs 3 In Nashville, Tenn. Nashville built a 5-0 lead as the Sounds snapped the Zephyrs’ four-game winning streak. Brad Hand, who was activated from the disabled list on Monday and scheduled to start after missing nearly a nearly a month with an oblique strain, aggravated … Continue reading →

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Saying she has already rolled up her sleeves and is ready to work, Julie Hermann took over as Rutgers’ athletic director with the promise that her No. 1 job is to create an atmosphere for Scarlet Knights students to excel on and off the field. Continue reading →

LOUISIANA ALL-STAR CLASSIC: June 22-23, Crescent Park, Plaquemine. 7-8 Machine Pitch tournament. Fee $125. 3-game guarantee. Cal Ripkin rules. Call Dwayne Lambert (225) 279-6362. Email: Dwayne.lambert@pbrc.edu. LOUISIANA ALL-STAR CLASSIC: June 29-30, Belleview District Park, Plaquemine. Boys 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13-15 age divisions. Fee $225. 3-game guarantee. Cal Ripkin/Babe Ruth rules. … Continue reading →

Sarah Davison of Choudrant captured the 85th Louisiana Women’s Golf Association amateur championship last week at Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant. Davison defeated LSU golfer Elise Bradley of Mandeville to win the title. Bradley birdied the 17th hole to cut the lead to 1-up, but Davison birdied the 18th to close the match with a 2-up … Continue reading →

ARDMORE, Pa. — A steady hand gave Justin Rose the shiny U.S. Open Trophy. A wild ride gave Phil Mickelson yet another silver medal. Rose captured his first major championship Sunday with remarkable calm and three pure shots on the punishing closing holes at Merion. A par on the 18th hole gave him an even-par … Continue reading →

Ian Carr of Kenner started running a couple of years ago because walking to work took too long. Now he’s the first King of the Mississippi River Bridge Run Series. Carr completed his sweep of the races across three spans of the river by winning the Great Huey P. Long Bridge Run segment of the series … Continue reading →

While Ian Carr and Charlotte Werhan were taking top honors in Sunday’s Great Huey P. Long Bridge Run, there was plenty of action back in the pack as well. Here’s a sampling: On his first Father’s Day as a dad, Carlos Paiz and his fiancée, Lyndsay Cleary, of Metairie, took their eight-month old Addison, … Continue reading →

A 59-year-old Marrero man collapsed and died shortly after the start of the Great Huey P. Long Bridge Run on Sunday. Douglas Stinson had reached the one-mile marker on the West Bank side of the bridge in the 3.1-mile race when he collapsed, according to Danny Bourgeois, marketing director for the race. “There was a … Continue reading →

TODAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS TV 2 p.m. Oregon St. vs. Louisville ESPN2 7 p.m. Miss. State vs. Indiana ESPN2 10 p.m. Postgame Show ESPNU 6 p.m. Cubs at Cardinals ESPN … Continue reading →

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Greg Biffle gave Ford a milestone victory — right down the road from company headquarters. Biffle raced to his second straight Sprint Cup win at Michigan International Speedway, easily holding off Kevin Harvick after points leader Jimmie Johnson smacked the wall in the final laps Sunday. It was the 1,000th victory for … Continue reading →

BOSTON — Tyler Seguin knew something had to be said. And he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be fit for public consumption. After the Chicago Blackhawks badly outplayed the Boston Bruins in the first period of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday night, Seguin ditched the microphone he had been wearing … Continue reading →

ARDMORE, Pa. — Considering the history of bad pants in golf, Billy Horschel had to go a long way to stand out. But the Octopus-print pair he donned for Sunday’s final round at the U.S. Open did the trick. Somewhere, John Daly, long considered golf’s leader in the clubhouse for bad fashion, is rummaging through … Continue reading →

ARDMORE, Pa. — Rory McIlroy started the U.S. Open with a run up the Rocky steps. He ended it going a few rounds with one of his clubs. McIlroy was miserable at Merion and he took out his frustrations on his club on No. 11 on Sunday. His first tee shot plopped in … Continue reading →

ARDMORE, Pa. — Shawn Stefani lost track of the ball as soon it rocketed off his 4-iron. A roaring U.S. Open gallery tracked it for him. “Go! Go! Go! Go!” It did Sunday when Stefani aced the 17th hole, making him the first golfer to make a hole-in-one at any U.S. Open at … Continue reading →

HALLE, Germany — Roger Federer found the perfect place to end his title drought — a small town in western Germany that has a big tennis stadium and a street named Roger-Federer-Allee leading to it. Federer left Halle a winner again Sunday, ending a 10-month run of 11 tournaments without a title, an eternity by … Continue reading →

Zephyrs 8,
Sounds 5 NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kyle Skipworth’s two-out double in the seventh inning broke a 4-4 tie as New Orleans defeated the Nashville Sounds 8-5 on Sunday. The win was the Zephyrs’ fourth in a row and improved … Continue reading →

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — University of Louisiana at Lafayette guard Elfrid Payton is one of 16 players named as finalists for the USA Basketball U19 team that will represent the United States in the FIBA World Championships from June 27-July 7 in Prague, Czech Republic. Continue reading →

ARDMORE, Pa. — Phil Mickelson began his week with flights back and forth across the country. Even longer might be the 18 holes that now stand between him and that U.S. Open title he has been chasing his entire career. He has never had a better opportunity. Despite a bogey on the final hole … Continue reading →

BROOKLYN, Mich. — A year ago, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally snapped his long losing streak. He left Michigan International Speedway with hopes of more victories to come — maybe even a Sprint Cup championship. He hasn’t won since. “We want to win more races. We want to win numerous races and multiple races in … Continue reading →

TODAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS TV 2 p.m. N.Carolina vs. N.C. State ESPN2 7 p.m. LSU vs. UCLA ESPN2 (Monday replays, 2 a.m. & noon, ESPNU) 10 p.m. Postgame Show ESPNU Noon Cubs at Mets WGN Continue reading →

Now that the New Orleans VooDoo is learning how to win, the players plan to work on finishing opponents. Until the fourth quarter, Saturday night’s 54-51 victory against Tampa Bay at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome was not as close as the final score. The VooDoo held a comfortable lead early in the fourth quarter, thanks to the defense’s ability to … Continue reading →

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Donovan Solano hammered a seventh inning grand-slam to deliver the New Orleans Zephyrs a come-from-behind victory. Sean Halton hit a pair of home runs to give Nashville the early lead. The Z’s answered in the fourth with a Kevin Kouzmanoff home run to tie the … Continue reading →

CHICAGO — Daniel Paille scored in overtime and the Boston Bruins beat the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 Saturday to tie the Stanley Cup finals at one game apiece. The Blackhawks failed to clear the puck along the boards. Tyler Seguin picked it up and delivered a cross-ice pass to Paille, who beat Corey Crawford on his … Continue reading →

WEST ALLIS, Wis. — When Ryan Hunter-Reay picked up his first win of the season in Alabama, he regretted that his wife and newborn son weren’t on hand for Victory Lane photographs. He made up for it Saturday with an early Father’s Day celebration at his favorite track, no less. Hunter-Reay continued Andretti Autosport’s … Continue reading →

ARDMORE, Pa. — Now Steve Stricker has to close the deal. A good supply of frozen yogurt might help get it done. Running out of time to win a major, the 46-year-old’s steady game — and family-first schedule — has him in the frame of mind to finally clear that hurdle. He’s only one stroke … Continue reading →

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia freshman cornerback Reggie Wilkerson is facing major surgery on his right knee and will miss the 2013 season. Wilkerson, from Ocala, Fla., enrolled at Georgia in January and injured his knee in voluntary practices with his teammates this week. He … Continue reading →

BROOKLYN, Mich. — The rain drops splashed down on the pavement at Michigan International Speedway about an hour after Regan Smith’s victory Saturday. Too late to interrupt the race — and that was fine with Smith and crew chief Greg Ives. “I’ve had a lot of different situations over the years, of … Continue reading →

ARDMORE, Pa. — Former Masters champion Zach Johnson was among 12 major champions who failed to make the cut, and he wasn’t happy — not about his game, not about the way Merion was set up, and certainly not with the USGA. “I would describe the whole golf course as manipulated,” Johnson said … Continue reading →

ARDMORE, Pa. — Phil Mickelson made his first birdie on his last putt. Billy Horschel never missed a green. It was all they could do to barely break par against Merion, which is turning out to be the real star of this U.S. Open. Nearly half the field did not finish the second round when … Continue reading →

ARDMORE, Pa. — With the tease of an ace on each tee shot, golfers count down to the 13th hole. It’s where the shortest hole at Merion Golf Club waits. And at the U.S. Open, that makes 13 the life of the 18-hole party, the off-campus bash down the block from the staid library. Continue reading →

ARDMORE, Pa. — “Hello, Merion Golf Club. May I help you?” “Can I speak to a rules official from the U.S. Golf Association, please? I saw a twig move.” “Sir, thousands of twigs get tossed around here every day. It’s a golf course.” “Yeah, but this one was moved by Tiger Woods’ backswing, … Continue reading →

TODAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS TV 2 p.m. Miss. State vs. Oregon St. ESPN2 7 p.m. Louisville vs. Indiana ESPN 10 p.m. Postgame Show ESPNU 3 p.m. Blue Jays at Rangers FSNO 6 p.m. Game of the Week Fox Continue reading →