BASKETBALL
Wade to Cavaliers
Dwyane Wade said he is heading to the Cleveland Cavaliers and that LeBron James is a big reason why. Wade made it official Wednesday, saying he picked the Cavaliers for a one-year, $2.3 million deal. It was finalized shortly after Wade cleared waivers, a necessary step following his buyout agreement struck with the Chicago Bulls over the weekend. Wade said Cleveland "believes in my talents and what I can bring to a championship contender both as a player and leader." Wade and James spent four seasons together with the Miami Heat, winning two championships and making the Finals four times as a duo as devastating as any in league history.
TENNIS
Barty advances
Australian Ashleigh Barty continued her strong form at the Wuhan (China) Open, beating her second consecutive top-20 player with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 victory over ninth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska in the third round on Wednesday. In hot and humid conditions, Barty broke Radwanska's service six times to advance to the quarterfinals against third-seeded Karolina Pliskova, who beat China's Wang Qiang 6-2, 6-1.
BASEBALL
Marlins sale OK
Major league owners have unanimously approved the sale of the team by Jeffrey Loria to an investment group led by Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman. Major League Baseball announced the approval, which was done via conference call Wednesday. A signed $1.2 billion agreement was submitted to Major League Baseball last month to sell the Marlins to a group led by Sherman, a venture capitalist who will be the controlling owner. Jeter, the former New York Yankees captain, plans to be a limited partner in charge of the business and baseball operations. The closing on the sale is expected within a few days. Jeter was a 14-time All-Star shortstop who retired in 2014 after 20 seasons with the Yankees. He has long talked of his desire to own a team.
Cain to retire
San Francisco pitcher Matt Cain said he'll retire after his start at home on Saturday against San Diego. Cain, 32, told his teammates on Wednesday in a closed meeting before the game at Chase Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He pitched the first perfect game in Giants' history in 2012. Cain, 3-11 this season, made his big-league debut with the Giants in 2005. He pitched in two of the Giants' three winning World Series appearances since 2010. The right-hander has a career record of 104-118 with a 3.69 ERA. The three-time All-Star is nearing the end of his contract with the Giants, who have an option for one more season.
Sano working out
Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sano took 60 swings on Wednesday, a positive step as he tries to recover in time for the postseason. Sano has been on the disabled list since Aug. 20 with a stress reaction in his left shin. He's not traveling with the team and worked out back in Minnesota. Chief baseball officer Derek Falvey said Sano's status for the playoffs remains uncertain, but "wouldn't rule out" placing him on the AL wild-card game roster, even if he was limited to pinch-hitting duties. Sano is batting .267 with 28 home runs, 77 RBI and a team-high 170 strikeouts in 111 games. The first-time All-Star fouled a ball off his left shin on Aug. 18 against Arizona and played the next day before being placed on the 10-day DL.
FOOTBALL
Faces more charges
Suspended Florida defensive lineman Jordan Smith is facing four more felony complaints. According to Alachua County court records, the Gainesville Police Department filed four sworn complaints against Smith on Wednesday. Police said Smith used the credit card of a Virginia man to pay $1,007.82 for his Gainesville apartment. Smith faces two fraud charges and two grand theft larceny charges. A redshirt freshman from Lithonia, Ga., Smith is one of nine players involved in the credit card scandal. University of Florida police said Smith used the same card to deposit $800 into his campus bookstore debit account. Smith faces 18 felony complaints in that related case. The nine remain indefinitely suspended from the team while the state attorney's office reviews the case and weighs formal charges.
Vandy won't move
Vanderbilt has opted against the idea of playing all its home football games at a proposed off-campus site that it would have shared with a potential Major League Soccer expansion franchise. School officials announced Wednesday that "we are not moving Vanderbilt football off campus." The Commodores play their home games at Vanderbilt Stadium, a 40,550-seat facility on campus. Nashville is seeking an MLS expansion franchise. Vanderbilt Athletic Director David Williams said in August he'd be interested in exploring the possibility of playing some football and soccer games at the potential MLS team's proposed new stadium. School officials said Wednesday they continue supporting Nashville's MLS bid and are "exploring the opportunity" to lease the proposed new soccer field for one or two Vanderbilt events per year.
SKIING
Vonn racing men?
Lindsey Vonn's request to race against men in a World Cup downhill will be studied again by the International Ski Federation (FIS) next week. FIS said the United States team will make the proposal at pre-season meetings in Zurich. It is expected to involve a race at Lake Louise, Canada, in the 2018-19 season. In 2012, FIS rejected a previous request because its rules bar mixed gender races. The governing body said Wednesday "this is certainly an anticipated topic that divides the FIS officials." Vonn, who turns 33 next month, has a longstanding ambition to race competitively against men before she retires. Of her record 39 World Cup downhill victories, 14 have been at Lake Louise where the men typically race in late-November, one week before the women.
SOCCER
PSG beats Bayern
Paris Saint-Germain beat five-time champion Bayern Munich 3-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday with unstoppable football from its super-expensive forwards. The French side's formidable attacking lineup tore the visitors' defense apart on the counterattack and took command of Group B with goals from Dani Alves, Edinson Cavani and Neymar. Kylian Mbappe, who was hired alongside Neymar this summer for a combined $469.7 million, did not score but tormented the Bayern defense throughout with his dribbling ability and frenetic pace. After scoring eight goals without conceding in their first two matches, PSG leads the group with six points, with Bayern and Celtic tied for second place with three points. Celtic won 3-0 at Anderlecht in the group's other match Wednesday. Bayern enjoyed a good spell in the first half and caused problems to the hosts' defense but lacked pace and finishing.
GOLF
Tiger talks health
Tiger Woods can drive a car, he can drive a golf cart, but he still cannot drive a golf ball. "I'm hitting 60-yard shots," Woods said more than once during a news conference Wednesday for the Presidents Cup, which opens today at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J. Woods answered a range of questions during an afternoon gathering of assistants from the United States and International teams. Most of those inquiries centered on Woods' health and if there is a timetable for his return. He acknowledged he has had "eight surgeries," most notably on his back, and the 41-year-old hasn't played a PGA Tour event since missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. "My timetable is based on what my surgeon said. As I alluded to last week, I'm hitting 60-yard shots," he said. Woods said he is enjoying serving as an assistant for the United States, along with Jim Furyk, Davis Love III and Fred Couples, and under captain Steve Stricker. Still, the focus of the questioning was on Woods the golfer. He was asked if he could see a scenario where he could not return to competitive golf. "Yeah, definitely," he said. "I don't know what my future holds for me. As I've told you guys, I'm hitting 60-yard shots."
Sports on 09/28/2017