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CLOSE x Embed x Share Gonzaga will spend another week atop the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll. USA TODAY Sports Rhode Island Rams forward Hassan Martin (12) reacts after a play against the Duke Blue Devils in the second half at Mohegan Sun Arena. Duke defeated Rhode Island 75-65.(Photo: David Butler II, USA TODAY Sports) You want to learn how to go from the First Four Out range to virtually no…

RELATED: Fast facts on race enhancementsBUY TICKETS: See the Daytona 500 live! DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR today announced the 2017 stage lengths for each race in all three of its national series. A number of factors went into determining the lap count for Stage 1, Stage 2 and the Final Stage of each race, with a singular goal in mind — the best racing for NASCAR fans.   “Every…

Sitting in the dugout last summer at a baseball game, John Roschella’s mind started to wander. As coach of a youth boys travel team in Howard County, he had taken his team to play in a variety of places from Virginia to Ohio to Cooperstown, N.Y. On that summer day, he set his mind in a whole new direction. “I wanted something a little different for this group,” Roschella said…

Mike Ilitch, the former Detroit Tigers and Red Wings owner who died last week, quietly paid the rent for civil rights icon Rosa Parks during her later years. Ilitch was known for his philanthropic efforts, but news of his intervention with Parks was unknown to the public. “They don’t go around saying it, but I want to, at this point, let them know, how much the Ilitches not…

Billie Jean King holds up her trophy after beating Bobby Riggs in the 1973 Battle of the Sexes. Gender, nationality, race, ethnicity — all of these issues have always been part of the sports fabric, writes espnW’s Kavitha Davidson. Sports are, at a baseline, the ultimate meritocracy. There’s a winner and a loser, and the outcome is seldom in question — a rarity in a world that’s mostly gray. And…

Mike Ilitch, the former Detroit Tigers and Red Wings owner who died last week, quietly paid the rent for civil rights icon Rosa Parks during her later years. Ilitch was known for his philanthropic efforts, but news of his intervention with Parks was unknown to the public. “They don’t go around saying it, but I want to, at this point, let them know, how much the Ilitches not…

Most of the teams in NASCAR’s three national touring series are based in Charlotte and while the majority of those teams have their own aircraft, a lot of NASCAR people still fly commercially. But those trying to fly from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to Daytona or Orlando or Jacksonville Wednesday got a rude surprise: Flights out of Charlotte-Douglas were briefly halted because of an accident involving an airplane taking off and…

Major League Baseball is considering eliminating the four pitches it requires to intentionally walk a batter with the goal of making the game faster. If the proposed rule passes, games will indeed be faster. You just might not notice. Last season, teams issued just 932 free passes in 2,427 games. The Count randomly sampled 10 of them and calculated they took 37.25 seconds on average. So when you do all…

Most of the teams in NASCAR’s three national touring series are based in Charlotte and while the majority of those teams have their own aircraft, a lot of NASCAR people still fly commercially. But those trying to fly from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to Daytona or Orlando or Jacksonville Wednesday got a rude surprise: Flights out of Charlotte-Douglas were briefly halted because of an accident involving an airplane taking off and…

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By: Luke Kerr-Dineen | February 15, 2017 9:07 am Follow @LukeKerrDineen

Once upon a time, Hi Corbett Field in Tuscon, Arizona, was the spring training home of the Cleveland Indians. The team held camp there from 1945-92. Parts of the movie “Major League” were filmed at the ballpark as well. Here is the famous spring training clip from “Major League”. You are forewarned: Some of the language is NSFW. Major League – “Players Arrive to Spring Training” – (HD) – Scenes…

MCALLEN, Texas – After three years of the approval for a youth baseball complex in the city of McAllen, construction is now underway. The 51-acre lot will feature 12 baseball fields as well as three lakes, picnic tables, and a granite walking trail around the complex. The complex will help boost the economy by being able to host baseball tournaments in the city. It’ll also be a disability-friendly facility. Mike…

By Steven Ruiz February 15, 2017 4:08 pm Follow @theStevenRuiz

PISCATAWAY — One week after the Rutgers football season ended, Jawuan Harris went back to work. But unlike his teammates, the Scarlet Knights wide receiver spent the first week of December honing his baseball skills inside the Rutgers Athletic Center. “I feel like transferring back to football is much smoother than transferring to baseball,” he said. “I wanted to get into the batting cage as soon as possible, and get back to (baseball)…

MC Sports filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Tuesday and will liquidate all 68 of its stores.(Photo: Al Lassen/Battle Creek Enquirer) The sports retail industry’s transition to online selling has claimed another victim with the bankruptcy filing of Midwest chain MC Sports. The retailer, known legally as Michigan Sporting Goods Distributors, said it plans to immediately begin liquidation sales at all of its 68 stores. The company left open the possibility…

Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees pitches in the ninth inning of the 79th Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York, U.S., on Tuesday, July 15, 2008. This will be the final All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium before the team moves to a new USD 1.3 billion home across the street. Photographer: Craig Ruttle/Bloomberg News In what way can stress…

11:00 AM ET Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print comment Wake up! Wake up! It’s about time to fire the engines. For those who have paid attention to the NASCAR offseason and think they remember everything, go back to sleep until the green flag drops at 8:24 p.m. ET Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway for the one preseason race of the year. This won’t have much new in…

By: Luke Kerr-Dineen | February 15, 2017 9:07 am Follow @LukeKerrDineen

Soccer legend Diego Maradona is again in the news for the wrong reasons. The two-time World Cup champion is in Madrid ahead of the Napoli-Real Madrid Champions League clash on Wednesday, and he got into it with a journalist in the hotel lobby on his way to eat dinner. The journalist said Maradona hit him, and Maradona said that if he were to hit him, he wouldn’t have a nose…