COLLEGE BASKETBALL
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The NCAA didn’t feel Louisville went far enough with its self-imposed sanctions following a sex scandal investigation, so the governing body handed down a few more.
An outraged Rick Pitino feels the NCAA went too far.
After completing its investigation of Katina Powell’s allegations that she and other escorts were hired to have sex parties and strip for Louisville recruits and players, antics the NCAA described as “repugnant,” it benched the Cardinals men’s basketball coach for five games and imposed several other penalties.
Pitino’s suspension is less than Jim Boeheim and Larry Brown recently received for NCAA violations.
Still, Louisville said it is appealing the NCAA’s decision, and even that wasn’t enough for Pitino. He fired a few salvos at the NCAA after reviewing the report.
GOLF
ERIN, Wis. — Erin Hills played like a pushover for a U.S. Open.
Check out the score of Rickie Fowler, who matched the U.S. Open scoring record to par for the opening round with a 7-under 65. Right behind him were 43 other players who broke par, breaking a championship record that had stood for 27 years. Adam Hadwin tied a U.S. Open record with six straight birdies.
Erin Hills also played like a beast.
Look no further than Rory McIlroy, the No. 2 player in the world, who didn’t hit a fairway after the 10th hole, shot 42 on the back nine and posted a 78, his worst score in 27 rounds at the U.S. Open. Jason Day made two triple bogeys and closed with a birdie to avoid the indignity of shooting 80. He still had his worst score in a U.S. Open.
There were as many amateurs who broke par as players in the top 10 in the world — two each.
ERIN, Wis. — A small blimp crashed near the U.S. Open, seriously injuring the pilot and grabbing the attention of fans and golfers alike as they watched the fiery, smoking craft fall from the sky into an open field.
Sheriff’s officials said the pilot was the only one on board. He had some burns, but was in stable condition, according to Pamela S. Sullivan, a senior air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board.
Sullivan said the pilot had been interviewed by detectives from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, but the NTSB had not talked to him yet. He had just taken off on his second flight of the day in a hybrid of a typical blimp and a balloon envelope when he decided it was too windy and planned to return to a private airstrip. He encountered an updraft on his way down and vented some of the air from the envelope so he could drop back down. He heard some rip sounds and the then the blimp started going down.
BASEBALL
PHILADELPHIA — Pinch-hitter Ty Kelly doubled home the only run in the eighth inning of a pitchers’ duel between Philadelphia’s Nick Pivetta and Boston’s Chris Sale to lead the Phillies to a 1-0 victory.
Sale, looking to win his eighth straight decision, was cruising until a one-out single by Andrew Knapp set the stage for Kelly’s game-winning hit that ended the Phillies’ eight-game losing streak. Kelly lined a slider into the left-field corner. Andrew Benintendi’s throw sailed over the cutoff man and was a tad late, allowing Knapp to score from first for the only run of the game.
Sale allowed four hits with 10 strikeouts, upping his major league-leading total to 136.
NEW YORK — Bryce Harper hit a home run so hard that it twice sailed over the head of Mets right fielder Jay Bruce, propelling Gio Gonzalez and the Washington Nationals past New York 8-3.
Harper lined a solo drive in the first inning that sailed about a dozen rows deep into the seats. The ball ricocheted out of the stands in a hurry and Bruce couldn’t catch the rebound, the carom flying far onto the grass.
Harper’s 17th home run left the bat at 116.3 mph, his hardest-hit ball since Statcast began tracking in 2015.
Daniel Murphy added three more hits against his former team and Michael A. Taylor hit the Nationals league-leading 100th home run.
NBA
OAKLAND, Calif. — Even from six rows back, 9- and 10-year-old brothers William and Rizal Cahambing were not going to miss a chance to see their favorite Golden State Warriors player, Stephen Curry, as he rode atop a double-decker bus during the parade to celebrate the team’s latest championship.
The brothers took turns climbing on top of a water cooler to see over the crowd and jumped with delight as Curry’s bus went by.
With talk of the team being an NBA power for years to come, the brothers and other kids may grow up in an era of Warriors dominance that could make this year’s celebration a regular occurrence — although not one that takes place in Oakland much longer.
The Warriors are headed to San Francisco, where they broke ground this year on a new arena slated to open in 2019. Oakland is also losing one of its other beloved teams, the Raiders, to Las Vegas.
INDIANAPOLIS — Paul George is committed to playing for the Indiana Pacers next season.
After that, it’s anybody’s guess.
The four-time All-Star forward provided clarity on his short-term plan before playing in a charity softball game just a short walk away from the only NBA arena he’s called home.
George’s succinct message might satisfy Pacers fans temporarily, though the much larger question still looms: Will he continue to suit up in Indiana beyond 2017-18?
If he doesn’t sign the max contract former president of basketball operations Larry Bird has been promising before July 2018, George could become one of the most coveted free agents on the market next summer.
NHL
The Tampa Bay Lightning got the young defenseman they have been looking for in Mikhail Sergachev, even though it cost them highly skilled forward Jonathan Drouin.
Tampa Bay acquired the soon-to-be 19-year-old Sergachev from the Montreal Canadiens in a trade that checks off one box on general manager Steve Yzerman’s offseason checklist and could provide short- and long-term benefits. Dealing Drouin helps the Lightning ahead of the Vegas expansion draft and in their tight salary-cap situation, and adding Sergachev potentially strengthens their blue line for the next decade.
Along with Sergachev, Tampa Bay got a conditional 2018 second-round pick that previously belonged to Washington and Montreal a 2018 conditional sixth-rounder.
Hours after the trade, the Canadiens signed Drouin to a $33 million, six-year contract.
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