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Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova was banned for taking meldonium Maria Sharapova set up a match against Eugenie Bouchard with a first-round win at the Madrid Open on Sunday. Canadian Bouchard called Sharapova “a cheater” prior to the Russian’s return to competitive action in April after a 15-month doping ban. Bouchard, who beat Alize Cornet on Saturday, believes the five-time Grand Slam winner should be banned for life. Sharapova…

Saturday night’s 250SX and 450SX Main Events at the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas may have been the craziest races of all time. In 450SX, Eli Tomac started the last lap one spot ahead of championship rival Ryan Dungey. However, that would still give Dungey the title so Tomac tried to back him up into the traffic behind. In the end, it didn’t work in Tomac’s favor, as…

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(From left) Mitch Albom, Bob Ryan, John Saunders and Mike Lupica on the set of “The Sports Reporters” in 2002 in New York.(Photo: Rich Arden/ESPN) Today, for the last time, I will rise early, put on a suit and tie, and sit with colleagues as a TV host says, “Welcome to the Sports Reporters … .” Different people have said this over the decades. A guy named Gary Thorne said…

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New Albany pitcher Josh Casleman, 11, is greeted at home plate by his teammates (Photo: Doug McSchooler/The Indianapolis Star) The youth sports world has changed dramatically since I grew up in the 1980s and ’90s. All the way through my senior year of high school, I played football, basketball and baseball. Once basketball season was over, you’d put your stuff away and — for the most part, with the exception of…

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Saul “Canelo” Alvarez dominated a grudge match against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Saturday, winning a unanimous decision in a fight that left no doubt who is the top active Mexican boxer. Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 KOs) used a punishing jab to take control early in the 12-round matchup of former middleweight champions. The bigger Chavez (50-3-1, 32 KOs) started bleeding from the nose in the third…

U.S. bobsledding star Steven Holcomb, a three-time Olympic medalist who competed in three Olympics after beating a disease that nearly robbed him of his eyesight, was found dead in Lake Placid, New York, on Saturday. He was 37. It’s unclear exactly how Holcomb died but foul play was not suspected, the Associated Press reports. “The entire Olympic family is shocked and saddened by the incredibly tragic loss today of Steven Holcomb,” said Scott…

A photo posted by Tom Brady (@tombrady) The Kentucky Derby, one of sports’ oldest traditions, has developed into a vibrant social scene. The big hats, unique fashion choices and mint juleps now define the Run for the Roses almost as much as the actual race. On Saturday, athletes across sports donned their largest headwear and most overbearing suits at Churchill Downs in Louisville for the 143rd edition of the Derby….

John Wall has always been viral, from that infamous image of his distraught face on the bench, to his smiling on-court shimmy, to that whole pregame dancing thing. The best kind of sports viral, though, is the kind linked to winning. Think Michael Phelps, stewing in nuclear silence behind Chad le Clos at the Rio Olympics. The fury in Phelps’s scowl toward the shadowboxing South African was unforgettable. Match it…

TALLADEGA, Ala. – There are no shortages of confederate flags flying from tents and RVs at NASCAR races, particularly at Talladega Superspeedway. Although NASCAR likely wishes that was not the case, issuing a statement in 2015 discouraging fans from flying the flag in order “to create an all-inclusive, even more welcoming atmosphere for all” and “demonstrate (a) sense of mutual respect and acceptance for all who attend our events.” But…

New Albany pitcher Josh Casleman, 11, is greeted at home plate by his teammates (Photo: Doug McSchooler/The Indianapolis Star) The youth sports world has changed dramatically since I grew up in the 1980s and ’90s. All the way through my senior year of high school, I played football, basketball and baseball. Once basketball season was over, you’d put your stuff away and — for the most part, with the exception of…

Always Dreaming won the 143rd Kentucky Derby on Saturday, raced over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs. The winning time for the 1 1/4 miles in the Run for the Roses was 2:03.59 Trainer Todd Pletcher won the Derby for the second time. John Velazquez was the jockey, and it was also his second Derby victory. “It was pretty easy. He relaxed,” Velazquez said post-race. “He responded right away.” Always Dreaming…

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A last-minute push to clear up the murky legal status of fantasy sports in Florida failed in the waning moments of the legislative session. Late Friday, the Florida House rejected a proposal that fantasy sports are legal and not subject to regulation. The Florida Senate had added the provision earlier in the week to a bill repealing state regulation of several different…

In a move to expand the profile of their United Soccer League squad, the Sounders plan to move the Sounders 2 affiliate to Tacoma to play at a new 5,000-seat soccer specific stadium adjacent the Tacoma Rainiers Class AAA baseball team’s home venue. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was reached between the Sounders and the Rainiers to build the new venue on land near Cheney Stadium a few miles from…

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST: I wait all week to be able to say time for sports. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) SIMON: The NBA playoffs continue, but does it sometimes look more like hockey? We’re joined now by Howard Bryant of espn.com and ESPN The Magazine. Howard, thanks so much for being with us. HOWARD BRYANT: Hey, Scott, good morning. SIMON: Morning. And, you know, before we go to the playoffs, I know…

Lewis Hamilton has increased his wealth by more than £25m over the past year to take his total fortune to £131m and claim the title of the richest sportsperson in the UK. Hamilton, 32, the three-time FIA Formula One world champion, ranks ahead of Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney in this year’s Sunday Times rich list. He took the top spot thanks to his driving fees from Mercedes…

Newport County caretaker boss Mike Flynn described himself as “ecstatic” as his side pulled off one of the greatest relegation escapes in Football League history. When Flynn took over in March the Exiles were 11 points adrift, but a dramatic 2-1 win over Notts County kept them in League Two. Instead Hartlepool were went down. “I’m ecstatic. I’m so happy for the fans, for the players and for myself. They’ve…

Billy Jones netted only his second goal in Sunderland colours Hull dropped into the relegation zone as they suffered a first home defeat under Marco Silva against relegated Sunderland. The hosts created several chances, only for Lazar Markovic and Abel Hernandez – most notably – to be denied by impressive away keeper Jordan Pickford. Sunderland took advantage to go ahead through Billy Jones’ close-range diving header after John O’Shea’s flick-on…