TENNIS
Serena out in Miami
Serena Williams lost in the first round of the Miami Open on Wednesday, still rusty in her return from pregnancy and unable to overcome a tough draw against Naomi Osaka, who won 6-3, 6-2. Osaka, 20, who earned her first career title Sunday at Indian Wells, showed no signs of letup and overpowered the erratic Williams. Osaka had the stronger serve, and in rallies wore down Williams working her from side to side. The matchup worthy of a final came about because both players are unseeded. Osaka is ranked a career-best 22nd, while Williams' ranking is 491st after her layoff of more than a year. Osaka will next face No. 4-seeded Elina Svitolina as the tournament's new player to beat. Another new mother and former No. 1, three-time Key Biscayne champion Victoria Azarenka, defeated Catherine Bellis 6-3, 6-0.
U.S. team picked
Jack Sock, Sam Querrey, John Isner, Ryan Harrison and Steve Johnson have been picked for the U.S. Davis Cup team that will face Belgium in the quarterfinals next month in Nashville, Tenn. The U.S. Tennis Association announced captain Jim Courier's roster Wednesday. Belgium's team hasn't been made public yet. Sock is the highest-ranked American man at No. 11 this week, with Querrey at 14th and Isner 17th. The matches will be played on a hard court at Belmont University from April 6-8. The winner will face Croatia or Kazakhstan in the semifinals Sept. 14-16. The U.S. hasn't been to the Davis Cup's final four since 2012. The United States holds a 4-0 record against Belgium in the Davis Cup, but the countries last played each other in 2005.
BASEBALL
Cobb finalizes deal
Free agent pitcher Alex Cobb and the Baltimore Orioles have finalized a $57 million, four-year contract. Cobb was the last big-name starting pitcher still available in a slow-moving free agent market. He joins Andrew Cashner and Chris Tillman, who were signed last month, in a revamped rotation that includes holdovers Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman. The 30-year-old righty was 12-10 with a 3.66 ERA in 29 starts for Tampa Bay last season. He pitched 179 1/3 innings in his first full year back after missing nearly two seasons because of Tommy John surgery. Cobb is 48-35 with a 3.50 in six big league seasons, all with the Rays. He turned down Tampa Bay's $17.4 million qualifying offer in November. Baltimore will lose its third-highest draft pick, currently No. 51, and the Rays get an extra selection after the first round as compensation. Jose Mesa Jr. was designated for assignment Wednesday to clear a roster spot.
Wristbands for catchers
Major League Baseball made game-calling more difficult for catchers this winter when it changed the rules governing mound visits. For backstops with the Tampa Bay Rays, things got even trickier when the club announced plans for a four-man rotation to open the season. Pitching coach Kyle Snyder had an idea to help -- quarterback-style wristbands loaded with information designed to help with pitch calling. The Rays are joining the Indians, Mets and some others as teams are arming their catchers with data-filled forearm sleeves. Tampa Bay hasn't decided precisely what will be on the wristbands, though it will mostly include information on signs and strategies for attacking opposing hitters. The cards will have a flap to make sure opponents and cameras can't catch what's been written down.
Hall: No more Wahoo
The baseball Hall of Fame said it no longer will use the Cleveland Indians' Chief Wahoo logo for plaques of new members. In a statement, the Hall said Wednesday that it "concurs with the commissioner's sentiment and acknowledges the shifting societal view of Native American logos in baseball." Former Cleveland slugger Jim Thome was elected in January and said he wanted a block C logo on his plaque when it is unveiled in July. Thome said it was "the right thing to do." Major League Baseball announced earlier this year the Chief Wahoo logo won't appear on Cleveland uniforms starting in the 2019 season. The decision came after discussions between Commissioner Rob Manfred and team owner Paul Dolan. For years, groups of Native Americans and their supporters have protested outside Cleveland's stadium before the home opener, saying Chief Wahoo is an offensive depiction of their race.
BASKETBALL
Padgett out at Louisville
Louisville has let David Padgett go after one season as the Cardinals' interim men's basketball coach. Padgett went 22-14 after being elevated from second-year Louisville assistant last fall after the school placed coach Rick Pitino on unpaid administrative leave following its acknowledgement that it was being investigated in a federal corruption probe of college basketball. Interim athletic director Vince Tyra thanked Padgett in a statement for taking over the program "during incredible circumstances," and added that "We expect to determine a new head coach in a short period to build upon the great basketball tradition of this university." Pitino was fired in October after 16 seasons. Players had pushed for the former Cardinals player to be the interim replacement, and Padgett, 33, guided the team to a quarterfinal appearance in the NIT.
Ayton going to NBA
Arizona freshman big man Deandre Ayton is leaving early for the NBA after one dominating season. Ayton made the announcement on his Twitter feed Wednesday. The 7-foot-1, 260-pound Ayton was named the Pac-12 player of the year in 2017-18 after averaging 20.1 points on 61 percent shooting and 11.6 rebounds per game. The Bahamian big man has the size of a center, but the athleticism of a small forward. He has excellent footwork, a good midrange jump shot and passes well out of double teams, traits that have him projected to be a lottery pick in the NBA draft, possibly the No. 1 overall pick.
MOTOR SPORTS
IndyCar moves to NBC
IndyCar has signed a new media rights package with NBC Sports Group that will dramatically increase its exposure next season and move the Indianapolis 500 to a different network for the first time since 1965. The three-year deal begins in 2019 and gives NBC the entire IndyCar package. It has most recently been split between ABC and NBC Sports, and only ABC was permitted to air races on broadcast television. NBC was relegated to cable. Under the new contract, eight IndyCar races will be on broadcast next season, up from five that ABC aired. The rest of the schedule will be on NBC Sports Network. ABC had a stranglehold on the Indy 500 and its contract limited NBC-aired events to cable. Both IndyCar CEO Mark Miles and heavyweight team owners Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi had stressed the need for IndyCar to be on one network going forward with fewer races on cable.
HOCKEY
Rule change possible
The NHL could change its goaltender interference rules as soon as the playoffs that begin April 11. The league's general managers recommended shifting the decision on a coach's challenge for goalie interference from on-ice officials to the league's situation room in Toronto. The board of governors and NHL/NHL Players' Association competition committee must approve the change for it to go into effect. Currently, on-ice officials have the final say on whether a goal should count or be disallowed when challenged. Under the proposed change, the officials would continue to be involved, but a member of the NHL Officiating Management Team -- made up of former referees -- would be incorporated into the decision-making process. The league said no changes are being made to the standard by which goalie interference is judged, just the way it's determined.
Sports on 03/22/2018