Sports

Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame

NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones have been elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame. Beltrán, in his fourth ballot appearance, received 84.2% of the votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Jones, in his ninth appearance, was picked on 78.4% of ballots. Beltrán’s vote percentage has steadily increased since 2023. He was also briefly hired as the New York Mets’ manager in 2019. Jones started with just 7.3% in 2018 but has steadily climbed. They will be inducted in Cooperstown, New York, on July 26, along with second baseman Jeff Kent.

Alcaraz and Federer get into the swing of things at the Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz says he has been spending some time with tennis great Roger Federer at the Australian Open, sharing a round of golf. Alcaraz says Federer’s golf swing is as stylish as his tennis. The 22-year-old Alcaraz is in Australia aiming to complete a career Grand Slam. He won his second-round match against Yannick Hanfmann on Wednesday. Alcaraz is looking to legends like Federer for inspiration as he tries to get an edge in his rivalry with two-time Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner. In the third round he’ll meet Corentin Moutet, who advanced when Michael Zheng retired due to injury.

Record crowds witness Sabalenka, Alcaraz, Gauff and Zverev advance at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 3 Coco Gauff have advanced to the third round of the Australian Open. Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz and third-seeded Alexander Zverev also advanced in the men’s draw. Sabalenka had a 6-3, 6-1 win over Bai Zhouxuan and Gauff beat left-hander Olga Danilovic 6-2, 6-2 in day matches Wednesday. Alcaraz defeated Yannick Hanfmann 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2 in the afternoon and Zverev won at night to cap another day with a record crowd at Melbourne Park. Sabalenka won the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024 and was the runner-up a year ago against Madison Keys. Alcaraz is here trying to add the Australian title to his collection and complete a career Grand Slam.

NFL teams opt for change over patience in offseason with record-tying 10 coaching changes

The Buffalo Bills moved on from coach Sean McDermott after a successful nine-year run that included at least one playoff win the last six seasons but no Super Bowl appearances. Three other teams are keeping their long-term coaches despite not winning it all. Whether that leads the ultimate success of a Super Bowl ring remains to be seen. But only one coach hired since the start of the Super Bowl era in 1966 won his first championship with a team later than his eighth season with Bill Cowher winning it all for Pittsburgh after the end of his 14th season in 2005.

Rory McIlroy says LIV and PGA Tour ‘too far apart’ to strike a deal

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Rory McIlroy believes the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have grown “too far apart” to form an alliance and bring a splintered sport back together. McIlroy says “I just don’t see a world where it can happen at this point.” McIlroy was speaking ahead of the Dubai Desert Classic on the European tour. Brooks Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour from LIV has brought into sharper focus the fading hopes of any form of deal being struck by top officials on the two circuits.

Ilia Malinin: The 20-year-old American figure skater redefining the sport

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ilia Malinin, a 20-year-old figure skating sensation, is being hailed as the best of his generation. With an Olympic gold medal next month, the American star might become the best of any generation. He’s known for landing jumps no one else can, and he combines creativity and artistry with unmatched execution. Malinin has won the past two world titles, the latest in Boston, and hasn’t lost a competition in about two years. His scores rival the best in the sport’s history. But with the Milan Cortina Games approaching, pressure is mounting, both from corporate sponsors and his growing legion of fans. His team is preparing him mentally and physically to peak at the Olympics, where the son of former Olympic skaters aims to shine.

200 FBS quarterbacks went into portal, and the best ones came out with promises of big paychecks

About 200 Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks had entered the transfer portal by last week’s deadline. That doesn’t mean it was a buyer’s market. The top programs in the power conferences were paying a premium for players at the most important position on the field. Experienced starters commanded financial packages worth $3 million to $4 million or more. Among the 68 quarterbacks who were starters in 2025 at power conference schools and Notre Dame, 24 are out of eligibility, 16 entered the portal and 28 indicated they would return to their teams.

Man City stunned by tiny Bodø/Glimt in huge Champions League upset and Arsenal into round of 16

Manchester City has lost 3-1 at tiny Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt in one of the most humiliating upsets in Champions League history, while defending champion Paris Saint-Germain was also on the end of an unexpected defeat at Sporting Lisbon. Vinícius Júnior turned jeers from his own fans to cheers by scoring for Real Madrid in a 6-1 win over Monaco. Arsenal became the first team to secure direct qualification for the round of 16 after a 3-1 victory at Inter Milan, maintaining its 100% record in the league stage after seven games.

Buster Posey takes center stage among the newcomers for next year’s Hall of Fame ballot

Buster Posey is expected to be the top newcomer on baseball’s 2027 Hall of Fame ballot. There are no first-ballot inductees this year after the results were announced Tuesday night. Holdover candidates Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones were the only ones voted in. Beltrán and Jones were the top returning vote-getters from 2025, so it wasn’t a shock when they received the necessary 75% approval from members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Next year, Posey has a chance to make the Hall on his first try. The star catcher the San Francisco Giants to three World Series titles.

No. 1 Indiana tops final AP Top 25 football poll of season as Big Ten’s title run reaches 3 straight

Indiana is No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 after finishing a 16-0 season with a victory over Miami in the College Football Playoff championship game. The Hoosiers are the third straight Big Ten national champion and No. 1 team in the final poll, following 2024 Ohio State and 2023 Michigan. No. 2 Miami ended with its highest ranking since the 2002 season. The last time the Hurricanes finished in the top 10 was in 2003. Mississippi, Oregon and Ohio State were next. The Big Ten had three teams in the top five for the second straight year.