Blog

Louisville Bats catcher Chris Berset (14) sits in the stands as he waits for the team’s morning workouts to begin at Louisville Slugger Field in Louisville, Kentucky. April 8, 2015(Photo: John Sommers II/Special to the CJ) The first thing to note is, the salaries of minor-league baseball players are a joke. If McDonald’s paid its people what Major League Baseball pays its low minor-leaguers, nobody would ever get fries with…

x Embed x Share USA Today Sports’ Jeff Gluck looks ahead to the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway and the story lines that fans should keep an eye on during the week. USA TODAY Sports Empty seats during the AAA 400 Drive For Autism at Dover International Speedway.(Photo: Matthew O’Haren, USA TODAY Sports) For eight years, Lanette and Jim Williams of Missouri said they traveled to an average…

x Embed x Share USA Today Sports’ Jeff Gluck looks ahead to the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway and the story lines that fans should keep an eye on during the week. USA TODAY Sports NASCAR – like many sports – is trying to determine if empty seats like these at Bristol Motor Speedway show a decline in fan interest or a change in fan consumption.(Photo: Randy Sartin,…

A new crop of great American swimmers shined at the U.S. Olympic trials in Omaha, Nebraska, this week. Veterans like Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps and Missy Franklin were surprised by a series of fresh faces who gave the London Olympics stars a run (swim?) for their money. Among them is 19-year-old Lilly King, who won the 100-meter breaststroke – besting 2012 Olympian Breeja Larson and Jessica Hardy (who holds…

Kyle Busch had a scary moment Friday morning during practice for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Busch lost a right-rear tire on his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with nine minutes left in practice. Once the tire failed, Busch’s car turned right and he went nose-first into the SAFER barrier on the outside wall of the track. The car was heavily damaged, but Busch was…

To save articles or get newsletters, alerts or recommendations – all free. Don’t have an account yet?Create an account » Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?Learn more » Need to connect your Home Delivery subscription to NYTimes.com?Link your subscription »

When Mario Xavier Cruz and Robert Jaime, baseball teammates at Sylmar High, look up into the sky on the Fourth of July and see fireworks bursting in the air, their thoughts may turn emotional. Jaime leaves July 11 for Army boot camp at Fort Jackson, S.C. Cruz leaves the same day for Fort Sill, Okla. Another Sylmar teammate, Erick Aleman, left June 20 for boot camp at Fort Benning, Ga….

For those who are unfamiliar with my thought process, I aim to add as many home run hitters as possible to my daily fantasy baseball lineups. One way of doing that is to look at a player’s isolated power numbers (ISO). The ISO statistic removes singles and provides a larger weight for each extra-base hit. I also use the weighted on-base average (wOBA) metric. This stat takes every positive outcome…

When Mario Xavier Cruz and Robert Jaime, baseball teammates at Sylmar High, look up into the sky on the Fourth of July and see fireworks bursting in the air, their thoughts may turn emotional. Jaime leaves July 11 for Army boot camp at Fort Jackson, S.C. Cruz leaves the same day for Fort Sill, Okla. Another Sylmar teammate, Erick Aleman, left June 20 for boot camp at Fort Benning, Ga….

Eddie Jones has transformed the England rugby union team since their inglorious failure at the Rugby World Cup last year. Under his leadership the team has won their first grand slam at a Six Nations for 13 years and whitewashed Australia 3-0. Among the changes Jones made when he took over was the appointment of former England cricketer and qualified psychologist Jeremy Snape, who flew out to Australia before the…

Buy Photo Drew Lane was a centerpiece for Detroit Sports 105.1, but the station did not renew his contract last October.(Photo: Andre J. Jackson, DFP)Buy Photo Tom Mazawey and Sean Baligian, two show hosts at Detroit Sports 105.1 (WMGC-FM), explained Thursday some of the mistakes and failures that led to the station discontinuing its sports-talk format Wednesday after a 34-month run. Questionable programming decisions, failing to provide a Detroit-centric morning show…

After filing for Chapter 11 in March, Sports Authority is currently on a quest to sell off its remaining assets. An auction with the purpose of doing just that began on Wednesday, and lasted through early Thursday morning. The event, which was run by Hilco Streambank, saw Dick’s Sporting Goods dks pay $15 million for the Sports Authority brand name as well as additional intellectual property, the Wall Street Journal…

After filing for Chapter 11 in March, Sports Authority is currently on a quest to sell off its remaining assets. An auction with the purpose of doing just that began on Wednesday, and lasted through early Thursday morning. The event, which was run by Hilco Streambank, saw Dick’s Sporting Goods dks pay $15 million for the Sports Authority brand name as well as additional intellectual property, the Wall Street Journal…

Michael Phelps is heading back to the Olympics. So is Missy Franklin. Phelps, the most decorated athlete in Olympic history, held off a stiff challenge from Tom Shields to win the 200-meter butterfly at the U.S. swimming trials Wednesday night. Phelps whipped around to look at his time — a bit slower than he probably would’ve liked — and held up all five fingers on his right hand after notching…

Off the bike, the first thing you notice about Peter Sagan is the hair. The hair is magnificent. It’s chestnut-brown with blondish streaks, and it brushes the shoulders of Sagan’s rainbow-striped jersey, which he wears because he’s the sport of road cycling’s reigning world champion. It is not the hair of a typical bike racer. It is the hair of a man who holds a sword while fighting a tiger—and…

The most medaled human being in existence is going to make some more Olympic history. By winning the 200-meter butterfly at the Olympic trials in Omaha yesterday, Michael Phelps has qualified for his fifth summer games, a first for an American male swimmer. Phelps finished in 1:54.84, not a great time, but the time didn’t matter. Phelps is going to Rio, and with everything that’s gone down in his life…

At first glance, it just seemed like a typical poster promoting swimming safety. While visiting a pool in Salida, Colorado, a woman named Margaret Sawyer noticed a Red Cross pool safety poster showcasing diverse swimmers. But she observed one catch: Only white people displayed “cool” behavior and almost everyone behaving in ways that were “not cool” were people of color. Sawyer told NBC affiliate KUSA she thought it was a…

A human foot and another body part were found washed ashore Wednesday on Rio’s Copacabana Beach, just in front of the venue where beach volleyball will be played during the Olympics in a matter of weeks, according to police near the site. A beachgoer found the remains, which police say appear to have belonged to a woman or young adult. Several incidents of violence have overshadowed Olympic preparations in Rio de…

i Michael Phelps celebrates qualifying for his fifth Olympic Games, after winning the men’s 200-meter butterfly at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials Wednesday in Omaha, Neb. Mark J. Terrill/AP hide caption toggle caption Mark J. Terrill/AP Michael Phelps celebrates qualifying for his fifth Olympic Games, after winning the men’s 200-meter butterfly at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials Wednesday in Omaha, Neb. Mark J. Terrill/AP Swimming superstar Michael Phelps made history…