AP Sports

Shohei Ohtani says he never bet on sports, interpreter Ippei Mizuhara stole money, told lies

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani says he never bet on sports and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara stole money from him and told lies. Ohtani held a news conference at Dodger Stadium, five days after Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well over $1 million. Ohtani spoke for nearly 12 minutes, referring to a document in front of him. He did not take questions.

NFL owners approve a radical overhaul to kickoff rules, adopting setup used in XFL

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Kickoff returns are returning to the NFL. Team owners have approved a new rule that will take what essentially had become “a dead play” and make it an integral part of the game again. The major overhaul to special teams has been in the works for years. It takes elements of the kickoff rules used in the XFL and tweaks them for use in the NFL beginning in 2024. There were 1,970 touchbacks on kickoffs last season that now could be returns. There were 92 fair catches last season that are no longer allowed. Any ball caught in the field of play must be returned.

Iowa’s Clark shows love for the fans after they cheer her on one last time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Caitlin Clark raised her arms as she walked across the court, pumped her fists and made a heart with her hands as she bid farewell to her adoring fans who came to see her play one last time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The clock had just hit zeroes on No. 1 seed Iowa’s hard-earned 64-54 win over No. 8 West Virginia in the women’s NCAA Tournament, and she wanted to thank them. She said she’s forever grateful for the support shown by Iowa fans. She scored 32 points in her final game at the arena.

Utah coach says team was shaken after experiencing racist hate during NCAA Tournament

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Utah coach Lynne Roberts says her team experienced a series of “racial hate crimes” after arriving at its first women’s NCAA Tournament hotel and was forced to change accommodation during the event for safety concerns. Roberts revealed what happened after Utah lost to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAAs. Roberts says it was incredibly upsetting and happened Thursday after the team arrived in the Spokane, Washington, area for the tournament. There were concerns about safety among the traveling party. Utah was staying about 30 miles away in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and was relocated to a different hotel on Friday.

Raptors’ Jontay Porter at center of NBA investigation into gambling activity

The NBA has opened an investigation into Toronto two-way player Jontay Porter amid gambling allegations. Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic says he learned of the probe shortly before the team’s game on Monday night. ESPN first reported the investigation, which it said included Porter’s performance in games on Jan. 26 and March 20. Porter was not with the team on Monday and the Raptors said that was because of personal reasons.

The NCAA Tournament wants to expand without losing its soul. It will be a delicate needle to thread

The NCAA Tournament could be heading toward expansion. The tournament field is currently set at 68. That number could bump up to 72 or 76 schools in the coming years. There are several factors at play, including how to divide up the increased number of at-large bids in an expanded field. There’s a concern that expansion would lean heavily toward awarding teams from power conferences and not deserving schools from mid-major conferences. Oakland coach Greg Kampe says he’s OK with the tournament growing provided it doesn’t turn its back on small schools that he believes help make the tournament special.

Pac-12’s final chapter is not over yet. Conference has 5 teams in women’s Sweet 16

LOS ANGELES (AP) — In a women’s NCAA Tournament where Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, LSU coach Kim Mulkey and undefeated South Carolina have dominated the headlines, the Pac-12 Conference is making sure it doesn’t go away quietly in its final season. The onetime Conference of Champions leads the way with five teams making the Sweet 16. The Pac-12 is one of five conferences to have multiple teams get to the regional semifinals. The ACC has three, with the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 placing two apiece. The Pac-12 also had five teams get to the second weekend of tournament play in 2017 and ’19.

Analysis: Celtics have an average victory margin that puts them in elite club

No team in NBA history has more wins than the Boston Celtics. No franchise has more championships than the Celtics, who are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers with 17 apiece. They built the dynasty of NBA dynasties with eight consecutive championship seasons spanning parts of the 1950s and 1960s; no other team has a streak even half that long. They are synonymous with greatness. Now consider this: This season’s Celtics are on pace to do something the franchise hasn’t done before. The Celtics are outscoring opponents by 11.5 points per game, on pace to be the fifth-largest margin by any team in NBA history

Fredette, Barry, Maddox and Travis picked for USA Basketball 3×3 Olympic men’s roster

Jimmer Fredette, Kareem Maddox, Canyon Barry and Dylan Travis piled up enough wins together last year to get USA Basketball qualified in men’s 3×3 for the Paris Olympics. They’re staying together to chase gold in France. USA Basketball announced its men’s 3×3 roster for the Paris Games on Tuesday, going with the same foursome that won a silver medal at the World Cup and gold at the Pan Am Games last year. USA Basketball’s picks for men’s, women’s and women’s 3×3 are expected later this spring.

Column: Silver medals for Cameron Young don’t tarnish the talent

Cameron Young has seven runner-up finishes without winning on the PGA Tour. That’s a position David Duval knows all too well. Duval was a runner-up seven times in his first three seasons on the PGA Tour. And when he finally got the first one, the trophies began to pile up. All Duval knows about the 26-year-old Young is his power game that he sees on TV. He says the key to staying patient while waiting on that first win is to realize he’s doing everything he can and he doesn’t have to do anything else but just keep playing.