World Sports

Southern California coach Steve Sarkisian on thie sidelines during the Trojans’ loss to Washington.(Photo: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports) Southern California coach Steve Sarkisian is taking a forced leave of absence, athletic director Pat Haden announced Sunday. Haden wasn’t specific about the reasons for Sarkisian’s absence, only saying that “it was very clear to me that he is not healthy.” “I think it’s the right thing for our team, and…

To save articles or get newsletters, alerts or recommendations – all free. Don’t have an account yet?Create an account » Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?Learn more » Need to connect your Home Delivery subscription to NYTimes.com?Link your subscription »

Football is a dangerous sport and every Sunday brings physical risk, but once again the sport is facing a serious health hazard away from the field. NFL Network reported Sunday that New York Giants tight end Daniel Fells is fighting a case of MRSA so severe that he might need his foot amputated. And that may not be the worst of it, as there is concern that the illness may…

NEW YORK (AP) This much is certain: Anyone who bemoans that baseball’s gone soft never covered second base with Chase Utley bearing down on a potential double play. What’s not so clear is whether Utley’s takeout slide Saturday night, the one that broke the right leg of New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada and created all this postseason clatter, was a dirty play. ”It’s hard baseball, man,” said closer Kenley…

AP It’s Sunday night, and the Giants have an opportunity to separate from their peers in the NFC East. The 49ers, in turn, have a chance to catch the Seahawks and Rams for second place in the NFC West. You have an opportunity to watch the game, even if you aren’t near a TV.  Just go to NBC Sports Live Extra on your desktop or laptop computer, or you can download the…

In daily fantasy sports, players buy into competitions and can make cash based on the performance of the athletic lineups they pick. Laws vary by state, but the competitions generally are categorized as games of skill, so they’re not regulated like gambling is. Read MorePro sports teams’ secrets just got more valuable Venture capital darlings DraftKings and FanDuel came into the national spotlight with a…

For a list of all the latest deals, check out the transfers page. Suspended Fifa president Sepp Blatter and Uefa counterpart Michel Platini face being banned from football for years after new evidence was provided to the ethics committee of world football’s governing body. (Mail on Sunday)  Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood, 46, is under increasing pressure as he prepares for…

FOOTBALL GOSSIP Gordon Strachan is poised to make a decision on his future as Scotland manager next week, but he has given the strongest indication to date that he will stay on and orchestrate the bid to reach the World Cup finals in Russia in 2018. (Sunday Herald)  Scotland manager Gordon Strachan has been heartened by the response from those members of the…

The big story last week to rock the NFL world was the potential scandal involving daily fantasy football giants DraftKings and FanDuel. As a quick recap: A DraftKings employee mistakenly published on Twitter sensitive information prior to last Sunday’s kickoffs about which players were being used the most by participants, then won a $350,000 contest on FanDuel. Continue reading below The two companies stated that the employee published the information…

When a professional sports team wins a title, it makes the front page of The New York Times. When Tom Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots, controversially may (or may not) have deflated some footballs during a crucial game against the Indianapolis Colts, it was reported by every news media and became a trending topic on Twitter. Ask any sports fan, or even just a regular Joe, what “Deflategate” is,…

Yahoo Inc. and the National Hockey League have barred employees from playing in paid fantasy-sports contests, moves that come amid questions over whether workers at big fantasy-sports companies have access to inside data. Yahoo, a relative newcomer to paid fantasy sports, said Friday that employees are no longer permitted to play paid, daily contests on any site. Yahoo workers already were banned from playing on the company’s site….

You’ve seen the ads. The melodramatic plug featuring Edward Norton’s voice over folks fixated on their phones during every mundane moment of their lives. And then there’s the upbeat, everyday Joe-bro talking heads boasting about all the money they’ve won with their fantasy picks. You’ve seen the ads because they’re everywhere. The marketing pushes behind daily fantasy sports sites DraftKings and FanDuel—where sports fanatics assemble fantasy lineups and bet on them—have been…

Comments about ESPN’s Jessica Mendoza On Tuesday night, ESPN’s Jessica Mendoza became the first woman to ever call a nationally televised Major League Baseball playoff game. Even better — she was excellent. Her analysis was focused. Her insights nuanced. Best of all, her delivery was completely natural, seamlessly integrating with her two male colleagues in the booth. That Mendoza was so sharp shouldn’t be much of a surprise. She grew…

BASEBALL KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Houston Astros beat the Kansas City Royals at their own game Thursday night, relying on sharp pitching from Collin McHugh and stingy defense behind him for a 5-2 victory in the opener of their AL Division Series. McHugh (1-0) allowed four hits, including a pair of solo homers by Kendrys Morales, while pitching around a 49-minute rain delay. The right-hander lasted six innings before…

YouTube/The B.S. Report See Also Haralabos Voulgaris, also known as Bob Voulgaris or H-Bob on Bill Simmons’ podcasts, is a professional sports gambler, and has been called “the world’s top NBA gambler.“ Voulgaris has made a name for himself identifying patterns, locating edges, and developing models and algorithms to beat the sportsbooks. According to ESPN, he had accumulated “a fortune” before turning 30, and routinely bet $1 million on NBA…

For a list of all the latest deals, check out the transfers page. Incoming Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, 48, will give the club’s players a chance to prove themselves – rather than planning significant changes straight away. (Daily Express)  Klopp’s first big task at Liverpool will be to keep Philippe Coutinho after Manchester City targeted the 23-year-old Brazil playmaker as a…

The page you requested is temporarily unavailable. We’re redirecting you to the homepage in 5 seconds. http://www.post-gazette.com/

BASEBALL PITTSBURGH (AP) These Chicago Cubs are supposed to be too young to be here. Or maybe they’re just too good to care. Jake Arrieta allowed four hits in nine dominant innings and the Cubs rolled to a 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL wild-card game on Wednesday night. Arrieta struck out 11 without a walk. He also dusted himself off getting plunked by Pittsburgh reliever Tony…