Sports

J.J. Spaun leads U.S. Open at Oakmont on a wild day of great shots and shockers

OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — J.J. Spaun is the U.S. Open leader at Oakmont after a relatively calm day compared with everyone else. Spaun played bogey-free for a 66 that matches the lowest opening round for a U.S. Open at Oakmont. He leads by one over Thriston Lawrence. Brooks Koepka is back in the major mix with a 68. So is Jon Rahm at 69. They were among 10 players to break par, so Oakmont was plenty tough. Scottie Scheffler made five bogeys in his round of 73. Rory McIlroy shot a 41 on his second nine and shot 74. Oakmont was as tough as advertised.

In Charlie Hustle’s day, 110% effort was non-negotiable. In modern baseball, it’s more complicated

DENVER (AP) — There’s no quicker way for a player to earn praise inside the dugout than with a little hustle. On the flip side, the lack of it can land a player in a manager’s doghouse. In this modern era of baseball, where the average salary topped $5 million for the first time this season, the politics of hustle may play a role. It’s a balancing act between going all out — the old-school way — and conserving energy over the course of a long season. Yankees infield Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s recently outlined a theory where going 70% might be the way to cut down on strained obliques and pulled hamstrings.

Simone Biles apologizes for heated exchange with Riley Gaines over trans athlete participation

Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles has apologized to former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines following a heated online exchange. Biles, a two-time Olympic all-around champion, says she shouldn’t have made her comments toward Gaines, a noted anti-trans athlete activist, “personal.” Biles says she took issue with Gaines sharing a picture of a high school softball team and commenting that one of the team members was “a boy.” Biles says minors who have no control of what she called a “flawed system” should not be the target of public scrutiny.

NASCAR’s first Cup Series race outside US hits travel snags to Mexico City

MEXICO CITY (AP) — NASCAR’s first Cup Series race outside the United States was off to a bumpy start with several teams yet to arrive in Mexico City because of travel issues in North Carolina. At least one chartered flight to Mexico City was grounded Thursday with an engine issue, leaving teams scrambling to find alternative routes to Mexico. Some drove to Atlanta to catch a commercial flight. But when the track opened Friday, many were not at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Trackhouse Racing was among them and the communications director for the Cup team had been summoned to help unload the Trackhouse cars because no crew members were available.

Big offense and big hearts fuel Murray State Racers as their improbable CWS run is about to begin

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Murray State Racers are about to be embraced as the College World Series’ lovable underdogs by local fans looking to adopt a team for the week. Murray State merchandise already was selling fast among locals who are much more likely to identify the southwestern Kentucky school with basketball alums Ja Morant or Popeye Jones than with the upstart ballclub making its CWS debut. The Racers are the fourth No. 4 regional seed since 1999 to make it to the CWS. They play UCLA on Saturday.

Stanley Cup Final is becoming a showcase for the Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — This is becoming Leon Draisaitl’s Stanley Cup Final for the Edmonton Oilers. The standout German forward has scored the overtime goal in each of their two wins in the championship series rematch against the Florida Panthers. He’s just the fifth player in NHL history and first in over three decades to score twice in overtime in the final. Draisaitl’s four OT goals this playoffs are the most in a single postseason. With the Panthers doing their darndest to stop Connor McDavid, Draisaitl is making his case for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

A golf course with a 6-lane highway? Welcome to the US Open at Oakmont, where I-76 somehow blends in

OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — From an overhead view, the sight is somewhat jarring. The Pennsylvania Turnpike essentially cuts Oakmont’s golf course in half. At ground level, though, the highway is surprisingly unintrusive at this week’s U.S. Open. In fact, it can’t be seen from much of Oakmont’s layout. The biggest reason the roadway blends in when you’re on the course is because there’s an elevation change down to the highway. So the Turnpike presents largely as a gap in the middle of the course. That’s if it’s perceptible at all.

Fever say Caitlin Clark will be ready to play in showdown with Liberty on Saturday

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark is ready to play again, meaning the Indiana Fever will have their best player back in time to play the reigning WNBA champion New York Liberty on Saturday afternoon. The Fever made the less-than-surprising announcement Friday. Clark missed five games with a quadriceps injury, then practiced this week with all signs pointed toward her playing against the undefeated defending champs. Fever coach Stephanie White says “as long as we don’t have any regressions, she’s going to be ready to roll.”

Game 4: Pacers look to move 1 win from title, Thunder seeking to show resiliency once again

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana stole Game 1. Oklahoma City bounced back in Game 2. Indiana showed its resiliency in Game 3. And now, it’s Game 4 on Friday night — where either the Pacers will move one win from a title, or the Thunder will turn this NBA Finals into a best-of-three to decide which team will hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy sometime in the next few days. Indiana leads the best-of-seven 2-1 going into Game 4. Oklahoma City has the two leading scorers in the series: NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32 points per game, and Jalen Williams is averaging 20.7 per game.

Ex-NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown facing attempted murder charges in Miami shooting

Former NFL player Antonio Brown is facing an attempted murder charge stemming from a shooting that took place during an altercation outside an amateur boxing event in Miami, according to an arrest warrant. Brown, 36, is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier. The victim, Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, told investigators one of the bullets grazed his neck. The warrant does not list an attorney for Brown, an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in the NFL in 2021 for Tampa Bay but spent most of his 12-year career with Pittsburgh. Brown did not respond to messages sent to his social media accounts.