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Santa Clara Mayor Jamie Matthews is backing a plan that would jeopardize our city’s world class youth soccer park to accommodate the 49ers’ need for VIP stadium parking. It demonstrates how the 49ers flex their political muscle against the community and how political leaders accommodate them. Matthews’ proposal, introduced in this newspaper last week, places the needs of the NFL team high above those of the youth of Santa Clara….

REPORTER Kristopher Rivera San Elizario, the small, historic community southeast of El Paso nestled on the Rio Grande, is embracing its high school boys soccer team. The team made its own history by soaring its way to the top of the Class 4A state soccer playoffs. Today, the Eagles (17-4-3) play for the Class 4A state championship against Liberty Hill (22-5) at 1:30 p.m. in Birkelbach Field at Georgetown. “Coaches…

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Officials at Mississippi State University have responded after someone decoded a vulgar message aimed at Ole Miss hidden on shirts worn by the school’s baseball team. The shirts, provided by Adidas, feature a version of the famous Las Vegas sign and reads “VIVA STARKVEGAS Mississippi.” The rest of the shirt is covered with multi-colored dotted lettering spelling out words like “Hail State” and “Left Field Lounge.” But it’s the…

For the first time in more than two decades, Derek Jeter is not playing baseball this April. He hung up his spikes last season and so far has remained under the radar during the early days of his retirement. There’s a random photo here and there, but that’s all. On Wednesday, during a radio interview with SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio, Jeter admitted he doesn’t miss baseball at all right now….

DUNCAN, Okla.– A jury convicted a 17-year-old of first-degree murder Friday in the shooting death of an Australian college baseball player in southern Oklahoma. Chancey Allen Luna The Stephens County jury found Chancey Allen Luna guilty in the Aug. 16, 2013, death of Christopher Lane, who was shot in the back while jogging along a city street in Duncan. The jury recommended that Luna be sentenced to life in prison…

2015 Stats: .211 BA, 4 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB (41 PA) At the moment, Ian Desmond is making headlines for all the wrong reasons, including a poor start on offense and a downright dreadful one on defense. To wit, the 29-year-old has made a ridiculous six errors in his first 10 games, two more than any other player. If you think Desmond is frustrated—and he is, telling The…

It was just two weeks, but for Chicago Cubs fans and fantasy owners, it felt longer than that. The Cubs called up prized third baseman Kris Bryant, and he’ll make his debut tonight against the San Diego Padres. Chances are, he’s not available in your league as some enterprising owner stashed him in a bench spot. If you’ve got him, slot him in your everyday lineup and prepare for the…

By Roger Fingas Friday, April 17, 2015, 08:16 am PT (11:16 am ET) Two photos posted on Twitter today by British cyclist and ex-rugby player Will Carling show what appear to be unreleased Apple products, including a red version of the Apple Watch sport band and a folding UK wall adapter. Carling said that the folding charger was gifted to him by lead Apple designer Jony Ive. The provenance of…

ANN ARBOR — Nothing’s ever boring with Jim Harbaugh. And, apparently, HBO has figured out as much. The premium cable network announced Friday that Harbaugh will be featured on Tuesday night’s episode of “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.” HBO cameras were in Ann Arbor for Michigan’s spring game earlier this month, and sat down to speak with Harbaugh on a variety of topics. Among the topics, of course, is Harbaugh’s…

Most journalists long ago stopped discussing the Audi R8. It’s a danger that comes with the car business: Focus on the Next Big Thing, you can lose sight of recent achievements. But I started thinking about the sports car again this week, sparked by a review and eulogy from Jalopnik’s Patrick George of one of the last first-generation R8s. The R8, Audi’s first true sports car, was launched in 2006. When new,…

But first, it’s a Grantland Basketball Hour alert! On the heels of last night’s “Hardcore Playoff Preview” with me, Jalen Rose and Zach Lowe … … we have a second playoff special counting down the “25 Most Intriguing People” of 2015’s postseason premiering tonight on ESPN at 7 ET. We’re also running these GBH shows as podcasts and throwing segments online (like this one). And we’re producing four to six more shows during…

SATURDAY ON TV Australian rugby league 5:30 a.m. NRL: Sydney at Melbourne // Fox Sports 2 Auto racing 9:30 a.m. Xfinity Series qualifying // Fox Sports 1 11 a.m. Formula One qualifying // NBC SN 1:30 p.m. Xfinity Series: Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 // Fox Sports 1 6 p.m. IndyCar qualifying // NBC SN Soccer 9:55 a.m. EPL: Burnley at Everton // NBC SN Noon FA Cup: Reading vs….

REPORTER Kristopher Rivera San Elizario, the small, historic community southeast of El Paso nestled on the Rio Grande, is embracing its high school boys soccer team. The team made its own history by soaring its way to the top of the Class 4A state soccer playoffs. Today, the Eagles (17-4-3) play for the Class 4A state championship against Liberty Hill (22-5) at 1:30 p.m. in Birkelbach Field at Georgetown. “Coaches…

It was just two weeks, but for Chicago Cubs fans and fantasy owners, it felt longer than that. The Cubs called up prized third baseman Kris Bryant, and he’ll make his debut tonight against the San Diego Padres. Chances are, he’s not available in your league as some enterprising owner stashed him in a bench spot. If you’ve got him, slot him in your everyday lineup and prepare for the…

For the first time in more than two decades, Derek Jeter is not playing baseball this April. He hung up his spikes last season and so far has remained under the radar during the early days of his retirement. There’s a random photo here and there, but that’s all. On Wednesday, during a radio interview with SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio, Jeter admitted he doesn’t miss baseball at all right now….

2015 Stats: .211 BA, 4 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB (41 PA) At the moment, Ian Desmond is making headlines for all the wrong reasons, including a poor start on offense and a downright dreadful one on defense. To wit, the 29-year-old has made a ridiculous six errors in his first 10 games, two more than any other player. If you think Desmond is frustrated—and he is, telling The…

Well, it seemed like a good idea. Mississippi State baseball team’s new adidas batting shirts revealed Thursday looked pretty nifty at first glance, especially with the “Viva Starkvegas” Las Vegas-style sign replica on the front. The shirt was covered with neon dots that created phrases associated with MSU baseball, such “Dudy Noble” and “Left Field Lounge.” And then near the bottom on the back of the shirt was the phrase…

The Big Ten on Friday released a 12-page report presenting the idea for freshman ineligibility, arguing that college sports “stands as a house of cards” if the industry can’t demonstrate that educating athletes is paramount. In acknowledging that freshman ineligibiliity may not be the answer, the conference created a forum for a “national discussion” that addresses the criticism that too few athletes in major college football and basketball are being…

In the three decades since USA Network had last broadcast an NHL playoff game, just about everything in television watching changed. In that rapidly evolving world, the cable channel is again embracing the value of sports. USA aired two games as hockey’s postseason opened this week, with more coverage planned Tuesday and Wednesday nights in the early rounds. “This is the right move for USA at this time,” said Chris…

Virgin Media customers who take Sky’s sports package are being hit with a £2 a month increase – double the £1 a month hike that Sky’s own subscribers face from June. Announcing the changes, Virgin Media hit out at the satellite broadcaster, and suggested that it was passing on the costs in a way that was fairer than that chosen by Sky. Sky announced on 18 March that the price…