Sports

The man who fell over a railing at PNC Park is in critical condition. Police say it was an accident

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A man who fell from the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park during a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs remains in critical condition. Pittsburgh Public Safety, which includes Pittsburgh Police and EMS, posted on X says that the “incident is being treated as accidental in nature.” The man appeared to fall while celebrating as Pittsburgh star Andrew McCutchen delivered a go-ahead two-run single. McCutchen said the team is focusing on the man’s health. The fan was tended to for approximately five minutes by members of both the Pirates and Cubs training staffs as well as PNC personnel.

Transgender women soccer players to be banned from women’s teams in England and Scotland

LONDON (AP) — The governing bodies for soccer in England and Scotland say they will ban transgender women from playing on women’s teams following a U.K. Supreme Court ruling last month. The Football Association and Scottish Football Association said Thursday they will bar transgender women from playing the women’s game. The decision comes two weeks after the U.K’s highest court defined a woman for anti-discrimination purposes as someone born biologically female. The FA’s policy had allowed transgender athletes to play on women’s soccer if they had reduced testosterone levels.

LeBron: ‘I don’t have the answer’ to questions about his future after Lakers’ exit from NBA playoffs

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James wasn’t ready to make any decisions about his future in the painful moments immediately after his 22nd NBA season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round playoff exit. The top scorer in NBA history said he doesn’t have the answer to questions about whether he will return for a record-breaking 23rd season. The 40-year-old James has given no public indication he is thinking about retirement this year, but Lakers fans will be holding their breath until the top scorer in NBA history makes his plans official. James provided no hints after recording 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the Lakers’ 103-96 loss to Minnesota.

Longtime Cubs fan revels in Pete Crow-Armstrong using his group’s song for walkup music

CHICAGO (AP) — John Hauldren has been a Chicago Cubs fan all his life. During the team’s last homestand, he got a text message from a high school friend. It was the first text he had received from him. Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong had just used “Front to Back” — a song from Hauldren’s electronic music group, Levity — as his walkup music in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hauldren, who is from the Chicago suburbs, was in disbelief until he confirmed the moment himself. Levity played Coachella this year, and it is on the bill for Lollapalooza this summer.

Brazilians getting impatient as soccer federation negotiates with Ancelotti to become next coach

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil is hoping to have a new national team coach in place this month ahead of its next two World Cup qualifiers but fans are growing impatient as negotiations with Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti drag on. Two sources at Brazil’s soccer federation, CBF, confirmed to The Associated Press that negotiations with Ancelotti are ongoing but complicated by the fact that he has another season left on his Madrid contract. Brazil hopes to present a new coach before May 20 when it announces the squad for its next two World Cup qualifying matches in June which will be one year out from the 2026 World Cup.

Max Verstappen skips Thursday in Miami as he awaits birth of first child with partner Kelly Piquet

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Four-time reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen skipped Thursday activities at the Miami Grand Prix to be with his partner as she awaits the birth of their first child. It is not clear when Kelly Piquet is due and Red Bull only announced Thursday morning that Verstappen would not attend media activities. The team said no further details would be released and that Verstappen is expected in Miami in time for Friday on-track action. Verstappen and Piquet went public with their relationship in 2021. Verstappen won the first two Miami Grand Prix races.

US ice dancers Alex and Maia Shibutani return to competition with an eye on 2026 Olympics

Alex and Maia Shibutani are making a comeback with an eye on competing for the U.S. figure skating team at next year’s Milan-Cortina Olympics. The brother-sister duo stepped away from competing shortly after the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, where they won bronze in both the individual ice dance competition and the team event. They chose to focus on school and other interests, and the hiatus wound up getting extended when Maia was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on her kidney. She is healthy now, and the 34-year-old Alex and 30-year-old Maia hope to make the loaded U.S. team for the 2026 Olympics.

Celtics’ Jrue Holiday wins NBA’s sportsmanship award, becomes 5th player to win it more than once

Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics has won the NBA’s sportsmanship award for the second time, making him the fifth player in league history to win that trophy in multiple years. Holiday received about 34% of the first-place votes cast by nearly 400 current NBA players to decide the award winner. Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen finished second, Dallas’ Kyrie Irving was third, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was fourth, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Dorian Finney-Smith was fifth and Orlando’s Franz Wagner was sixth.

Road to Garcia-Haney rematch runs through Times Square, where both box Friday in famed New York spot

NEW YORK (AP) — The road to a Ryan Garcia-Devin Haney rematch runs right through the heart of Times Square. Both boxers will fight Friday night in a ring set up in the center of the city’s famed tourist spot. It’s their first fight since Garcia’s victory over Haney last year in New York was overturned to a no-contest after Garcia tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. If both win, they are expected to move on to a rematch of that fight. Teofimo Lopez defends his title against Arnold Barboza Jr. in the first fight of the tripleheader on the main card.

Warriors return home to Chase Center with another chance to close out 1st-round series with Rockets

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Golden State Warriors missed a chance to clinch the best-of-seven series on the road, and they gave some momentum right back to the Rockets as red-hot Houston ran away for a 131-116 victory to stave off elimination. Jimmy Butler, Stephen Curry and Green will need to forget their Game 5 blowout fast and now count on their experience in big games as they return to Chase Center and try again to get past the second-seeded Rockets.