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COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA Davenport Field rendering Proposed improvements to Virginia baseball’s Davenport Field include an additional 1,200 to 1,500 seats. The stadium’s present capacity is 5,000. COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA Golf rendering A new support facility for men’s and women’s golf gained approval by the Albemarle Planning Commission last week. COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA Tennis rendering The new outdoor tennis facility, which would be the home…

  (Richard Mackson, USA TODAY Sports) Back last January, I had one of those fantasy baseball epiphanies — you know, the kind you get when you are driving or in the shower or mowing the lawn and “bingo” — regarding my strategy in the League of Alternative Baseball Reality (LABR), the National League version. I did some research on Pedro Martinez during his peak years, and compared those numbers to…

Javier Herrera and Dan Blanchard thought an old-fashioned baseball game would be a fun way to celebrate Independence Day in the neighborhood. Eight years later, Springfield Throwback Baseball is synonymous with the holiday, drawing local food trucks and up to 500 people both in and out of Springfield. Residents on the east and west side of the neighborhood, divided by Main Street, play against each other on Klutho Park’s baseball…

Horseshoe pitching had a rare moment in the national spotlight Saturday, and fans of the sport hope the exposure will grow their ranks. ESPN’s “SportsCenter” program made a visit to Topeka on Saturday to broadcast from the World Horseshoe Pitching Tournament. Host Matt Barrie said they have covered unusual events as part of a summer series, including a three-on-three basketball tournament in Spokane, Wash. “We wanted to have a fun…

Two years after the El Salvador men’s soccer team and its rabid soccer fans gave M&T Bank Stadium a taste of what games are like in their home country for a Gold Cup quarterfinal against the heavily favored U.S., the scene at the same venue for the same event should be quite different Saturday. The result between Team USA and Cuba should not. Yet after mostly sloppy performances in the…

When the XFINITY Series took the green flag for Saturday’s Lakes Region 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Matt Wallace made NASCAR history. When the 19-year-old third-generation driver — following in the footsteps of his father, Mike Wallace — made his first career NASCAR start, the Wallace family became the first to have a father, son and daughter all compete in NASCAR. While Mike and his daughter, Chrissy, were not…

The most intriguing wrinkle for the Chase may not be which championship contenders are in or out after each elimination round. It could be if NASCAR decides to use a package responsible for a race that drew nothing but rave reviews from the drivers. Goodyear has not been informed that the race package that was such a hit last week at Kentucky Speedway will be used for the 10 races…

Carl Edwards fist-bumps after winning the pole position qualifying for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., Friday, July 17, 2015.(Photo: Cheryl Senter, AP) LOUDON, N.H. — With Carl Edwards leading the charge, Joe Gibbs Racing continued its recent hot streak and took four of the top eight qualifying spots for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Never…

NASCAR Xfinity qualifying takes place at 11:15 a.m. ET on NBCSN with coverage starting at 11 a.m ET from New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Austin Dillon was the fastest in Friday’s final practice session with a lap of 130.707 mph. His Richard Childress Racing teammates were second and third with Brendan Gaughan posting a top speed of 129.498 mph and Brian Scott at 129.459 mph. Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the first practice…

Randall Smith(Photo: Courtesy of family) The shocking attack on military facilities in Chattanooga, Tennessee, claimed another life early Saturday morning: a 24-year old petty officer and father who loved baseball and had just re-enlisted on shore duty after three years on a big deck amphib. Logistics Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Randall Smith joined the Navy on November 8, 2010, and left for recruit training at Great Lakes, Illinois, the same day….

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For a list of all the latest deals, check out the transfers page. Chelsea, who have had one £20m offer turned down, are set to make an improved bid for 21-year-old John Stones – but Everton are holding out for a British record fee for a defender. (Daily Mirror)  However, Everton have told Chelsea to forget about trying to sign former…

MLS is coming to the Twin Cities, if Minnesota United FC can get past the legislative red tape and build a stadium. We’ve had plenty of stadium debates in Minnesota. Just like the others, this one is taking awhile but seemingly for a different reason. Minnesota sports fans have been through the stadium wringer again and again. A palatial stadium for the Vikings opens next year. Not one but two…

Continuing Joe Gibbs Racing’s recent resurgence, Carl Edwards captured the pole for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Edwards put down a lap of 135.164 mph in qualifying Friday to earn his first pole of the season and first since November 2013. Sharing the front row with Edwards is Joey Logano, who won at New Hampshire last fall. “I’ve struggled at this race track so…

Midfielders Dario Suarez and Aricheel Hernandez were listed as absent on Wednesday’s lineup sheet before the 1-0 win over Guatemala in North Carolina, which advanced the Cubans to the knockout stage for the first time. Univision reported Friday that midfielder Ariel Martinez was not with the team. Gonzalez said he wanted to focus on the players he had. “Obviously, we know what they’re going through on and…

David Beckham and his investors plan to start negotiations with Miami to build a soccer stadium on city land next to Marlins Park, rejecting past concerns about a site they now see as having the potential to be a thriving entertainment district. The University of Miami is not part of the plan, though Beckham partner Marcelo Claure said talks with the college continue to build a big enough stadium to…

Isaac Alverez, 6, concentrates on hitting the ball at Swing-A-Thon 2015, billed as “America’s Greatest Youth Baseball Event.” The event was held Friday, July 17, 2015 at El Cariso Park in Sylmar. Kids participated in skills clinics and then watched a baseball game between the LAPD Centurions and the LASD Hooks. John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News When Los Angeles…

It’s hard to say that someone who hit 18 home runs struggled in the first half, but in comparison to other first basemen, Encarnacion did just that. Those 18 taters rank him seventh among the position, so in roto leagues he has at least provided pop. But his .233 average and just 71 hits are killing his overall value. The 71 hits place him 23rd among all first base-eligible players….

French Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi has died, nine months after suffering severe head injuries in a crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. The 25-year-old had been in a coma since crashing his Marussia car into a recovery vehicle in wet conditions in Suzuka last October. His family said: “Jules fought right to the very end, as he always did, but today his battle…

For a list of all the latest deals, check out the transfers page. Chelsea, who have had one £20m offer turned down, are set to make an improved bid for 21-year-old John Stones – but Everton are holding out for a British record fee for a defender. (Daily Mirror)  However, Everton have told Chelsea to forget about trying to sign former…