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Let’s recap the last week or so in baseball: Jose Bautista got punched in the face during the massive brawl between the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays. Raul A. Mondesi got popped for PEDs after taking the wrong cough syrup. Brad Ausmus had a meltdown, cussing out an umpire and leaving his hoodie on home plate. [Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest now] There were suspensions aplenty, all…

CHICAGO (AP) – Chris Sale went the distance on a masterful four-hitter on Thursday night, becoming the first major league pitcher since 2008 to win his first nine starts, and the Chicago White Sox edged the Houston Astros 2-1 to snap their season-high four game losing streak. Sale walked none and struck out a season-high nine en route to his second straight complete game. No other pitcher has more than…

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Step aside, ads for daily fantasy and erectile dysfunction: The 2016 baseball season has added another marketing campaign to the pantheon of pervasive (and widely loathed) sports promotions. Major League Baseball has rebranded grand slams1 as “Papa Slams” across all of its properties,2 issuing ad infinitum the accompanying promise that every grand slam will yield a 40 percent Papa John’s pizza discount the next day. And thanks to an increased…

11:24 AM ET print Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson drew criticism earlier this week for some of the NC State anecdotes he shared during his commencement address at the University of Wisconsin. But Wilson’s baseball coach at NC State, Elliott Avent, had no issues with Wilson’s speech. He instead said he was proud of his former player and thought Wilson delivered a spectacular message. In the speech, Wilson mentioned that…

This week’s waiver wire picks are more exciting than last week’s recommendations, largely because we have a little bit of everything. New closer, top prospects, notable players returning from injuries, an infielder on an HR tear, good young pitchers — it’s pretty much everything fantasy baseball owners love. We’re still in a “calm-before-the-storm” phase with pickups. The Rangers’ closer job is the first to change hands in a while (not counting…

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BEIJING—English soccer club Aston Villa, whose fans includes Britain’s Prince William, has found an owner from China, where President Xi Jinping has made development of the sport a national ambition. Recon Group, a holding company owned by businessman Tony Jiantong Xia, has bought “100%” of the Birmingham club from its former chairman, Randy Lerner, according to Mr. Xia and the club. Mr. Xia said in an interview on Thursday…

The United Soccer League has awarded an expansion franchise to DMD Soccer, a Nashville-based ownership group, to own and operate a team – USL Nashville 2018 – beginning with the 2018 USL season. In addition, the ownership group has confirmed that it will host a public event in mid-June to roll out its overall vision for the new team. The DMD Soccer ownership group is made up of a group…

RELATED: Harvick through the years Stewart-Haas Racing announced Thursday that it has signed Kevin Harvick to a long-term contract extension, scuttling any outlying speculation about his future with the team. Details of the deal were not released. Harvick, 40, is in his third year with the SHR No. 4 Chevrolet team and crew chief Rodney Childers. Harvick won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2014, his first year with the operation…

A Cobb County high school senior was hospitalized with a brain injury after a game of bubble soccer last Friday. Salvador “Chava” Reyes was celebrating the end of the Campbell High School soccer season with his teammates when he collided with another player, causing the traumatic head injury, according to Channel 2 Action News. Reyes was in the Critical Care Unit at WellStar Kennestone Hospital facing a long road to…

Texas A&M among six teams in race for SEC baseball title The Texas A&M baseball team celebrates scoring against Alabama earlier this season at Blue Bell Park. The Aggies hope to celebrate their first SEC title this weekend as they host Ole Miss in the middle of a six-team race for the championship. TEXAS A&M BASEBALL • Matchup: Ole Miss at Texas A&M • When: 6 p.m. Thursday; 6:30 p.m….

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Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS) booked a 10% decline in first-quarter earnings, as tepid consumer spending weighed on the retailer’s bottom line. But Dick’s reiterated that consolidation, especially the bankruptcy of Sports Authority, will pave the way for sales gains in the long run. Continue Reading Below In a new bankruptcy filing Thursday, Sports Authority revealed plans to close all of its stores after a failed attempt to find a…

Burnley claimed the Football League Championship trophy this season after winning the second tier English football could be heading for its biggest shake-up since the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The Football League wants to create an extra division with 20 teams in each from 2019-20. It would mean England had 100 teams in five divisions, up from 92. Currently, there are 24 teams in the Championship, League…

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