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CLOSE x Embed x Share These drivers could break out as the Monster Energy NASCAR cup series moves on to the Auto Club Speedway at Fontana, Calif. USA TODAY Sports Austin Dillon celebrates after winning the 2016 Xfinity Series race at Auto Club Speedway.(Photo: Will Lester, AP) It’s Xfinity Series race day at Auto Club Speedway, and we’ve got everything you need to know to get ready for Saturday’s Service…

Team USA hockey goalie Alex Rigsby practices in Plymouth Township in December. The team did not take the ice for a training camp this week.(Photo: Carlos Osorio / AP) Plymouth — The USA women hockey players say they will not defend their World Championship, beginning March 31 at USA Hockey Arena, unless USA Hockey addresses their concerns about pay, benefits and training conditions. USA Hockey said Friday it has begun…

ST. LOUIS • Investors asking for $60 million in public money to help build a Major League Soccer stadium say they have broad regional support, but they’re only cautiously optimistic the vote will pass. That’s because when the money question gets settled at the ballot box April 4, only city voters get to make the decision. That has supporters expecting a close vote in what they…

PENN STATE ABUSE SCANDAL HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Former Penn State President Graham Spanier was convicted of hushing up child sexual abuse allegations in 2001 against Jerry Sandusky, whose arrest a decade later blew up into a major scandal for the university and led to the firing of beloved football coach Joe Paterno. The jury found Spanier guilty of one misdemeanor count of child endangerment over his handling of a complaint…

SCOTT SIMON, HOST: And it’s time for sports. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) SIMON: The women’s ice hockey world championship kicks off next week. The Czech Republic faces Switzerland on Friday. The U.S. women’s team are the reigning world champs. They won the last two tournaments, but they might boycott this year’s games. We’re joined now by Howard Bryant of ESPN and ESPN The Magazine. Howard, thanks for being with us. HOWARD…

The NCAA tournament had made it through almost three full rounds and 56 total games without a buzzer beater. Then, in a span of five minutes in the Florida-Wisconsin game, there were two. The madness had finally begun. In the Wisconsin-Florida Sweet 16 game, Florida’s Chris Chiozza drilled a full-speed, stop-on-a-dime 3-pointer as time expired in overtime to give his Gators a stunning 84-83 win. In case that wasn’t dramatic enough, the…

One of the biggest stories last week at Phoenix Raceway was Austin Dillon and Cole Custer’s battle in the XFINITY Series. Dillon got spun by Custer late in the race and retaliated by forcing Custer into the wall. NASCAR announced that there wouldn’t be any penalties or fines for Dillon after the incident. Danica Patrick weighed in on the lack of a fine to Dillon during media availability on Friday…

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Mar 24, 2017 Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print comment Nearly 2,700 athletes from 105 nations descended upon the Austrian cities of Schladming, Ramsau and Graz to compete in the Special Olympics World Winter Games, which concluded Friday. The athletes, including nearly 200 from the United States, competed in the sports of skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, figure skating, speed skating, floor hockey and floor ball. But they did more than…

Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print comment The International Olympic Committee and hockey’s governing body will have to make concessions before the NHL sends the world’s best players to the Winter Games in South Korea next year, commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday. Big Question: Want to play in the Olympics? We asked the players if they wanted to take part in the Winter Games, and nothing rings hollow about…

RELATED: Read more Inside Groove   NASCAR’s latest brush with wildlife stopped practice Friday at Auto Club Speedway as an owl decided to set up camp on the racing surface during opening Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice.   Practice was interrupted until safety workers were able to corral the bird, which initially took low-flying evasive action on the track apron. No word on whether NASCAR race official David Hoots…

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) Get `em on, move `em over, drive `em in. That old-school philosophy doesn’t play in the major leagues anymore. Teams rely more on the long ball than small ball. As a result, the sacrifice bunt is a dying art. There were only 1,025 sacrifices in the majors last season, down from 1,667 in 2011. The average of .21 sacrifices per game in 2016 was the lowest in…

PENN STATE ABUSE SCANDAL HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Former Penn State President Graham Spanier was convicted of hushing up child sexual abuse allegations in 2001 against Jerry Sandusky, whose arrest a decade later blew up into a major scandal for the university and led to the firing of beloved football coach Joe Paterno. The jury found Spanier guilty of one misdemeanor count of child endangerment over his handling of a complaint…

NCAA TOURNAMENT SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Trevon Bluiett scored 25 points, Sean O’Mara scored inside with 40 seconds left and No. 11 seed Xavier upset No. 2 Arizona 73-71 in the West Region. Xavier (30-13) stayed with the second-seeded Wildcats behind Bluiett’s 18 first-half points and tracked down the Wildcats after they tried to pull away in the second half. O’Mara scored on a power move inside, but missed a…

While the NFL offseason is over two weeks old, Tony Romo still remains a member of the Dallas Cowboys and there doesn’t seem to be a quick resolution of this situation. The long-time starting quarterback for the team has been linked to numerous teams, as well as to Fox Sports if he decides to stop playing football, but another NFL broadcaster could jump in the mix if he becomes available….

10:07 PM ET Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print comment As the history of other sports leagues has constantly shown, the idea of fielding replacement players during labor disputes is a short, ugly and ineffective negotiating tactic. But that’s been yet another lesson lost on USA Hockey in its bungled, 14-month negotiations with its women’s national team that hit a new nadir Friday afternoon. After threatening for nearly a…

One of the biggest stories last week at Phoenix Raceway was Austin Dillon and Cole Custer’s battle in the XFINITY Series. Dillon got spun by Custer late in the race and retaliated by forcing Custer into the wall. NASCAR announced that there wouldn’t be any penalties or fines for Dillon after the incident. Danica Patrick weighed in on the lack of a fine to Dillon during media availability on Friday…

NCAA TOURNAMENT SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Trevon Bluiett scored 25 points, Sean O’Mara scored inside with 40 seconds left and No. 11 seed Xavier upset No. 2 Arizona 73-71 in the West Region. Xavier (30-13) stayed with the second-seeded Wildcats behind Bluiett’s 18 first-half points and tracked down the Wildcats after they tried to pull away in the second half. O’Mara scored on a power move inside, but missed a…

10:07 PM ET Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print comment As the history of other sports leagues has constantly shown, the idea of fielding replacement players during labor disputes is a short, ugly and ineffective negotiating tactic. But that’s been yet another lesson lost on USA Hockey in its bungled, 14-month negotiations with its women’s national team that hit a new nadir Friday afternoon. After threatening for nearly a…