BASKETBALL
Nets' Irving out for season
Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving will have arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder and miss the rest of the season. The Nets made the announcement Thursday before playing the Philadelphia 76ers in their first game after the All-Star break. Coach Kenny Atkinson said earlier this week that the point guard was still having trouble with the shoulder that sidelined him for 26 games earlier this season and wouldn't play Thursday. Irving said pain in the shoulder initially worsened after a game on Nov. 4, and he played for about a week before sitting out for nearly two months. He was limited to just 20 games after signing with the Nets in July.
U.S. wins AmeriCup opener
Jalen Jones had 16 points and 11 rebounds, helping the U.S. beat Puerto Rico 83-70 on Thursday in the opening game of qualifying for the 2021 FIBA AmeriCup in San Juan, Puerto Rico. James Webb scored 13 points, Justin Anderson added 11 and Jaylen Adams made all four of his shots on the way to a 10-point effort for the Americans. All the U.S. has to do in qualifying is finish third or better in a four-team division -- Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Bahamas are the other teams in that division -- in order to get a spot in the AmeriCup, scheduled to be played in August 2021. The U.S. never trailed, used an early 11-0 run to take a 19-6 lead and eventually went up by as many as 29 early in the third quarter. Puerto Rico cut the deficit to 10 on two occasions in the fourth quarter but got no closer.
BASEBALL
Yankees pitcher shut down
New York Yankees right-hander Luis Severino has been shut down from throwing for the second consecutive spring training, this time because of right forearm soreness. Severino, who turned 26 on Thursday, was sidelined until the final weeks of the regular season last year. Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said Severino has been feeling on and off discomfort since October. Severino is to be examined Friday by team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad. General Manager Brian Cashman was not sure Severino would be available for the March 26 opener at Baltimore.
Carrasco suffers leg injury
Cleveland right-hander Carlos Carrasco felt discomfort in his right leg during a spring training workout Wednesday and is undergoing imaging tests to find out the severity of the injury and how long he'll be sidelined. Carrasco, who made an inspiring comeback last season after being diagnosed with leukemia, got an MRI on Thursday. The Indians kept him from working out and the team plans to provide an update on his status today. The 32-year-old Carrasco revealed last June that he had been diagnosed with leukemia. He received treatments and battled back, making his return as a reliever on Sept. 1. Carrasco, who won 35 games combined in 2017 and 2018, is hoping to start again in 2020.
Realmuto loses in arbitration
The Philadelphia Phillies won their arbitration case against All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto on Thursday, putting teams ahead of players 7-4 this year and ensuring clubs will finish with a winning record. Realmuto will get a raise from $6.05 million to $10 million instead of his $12.4 million request. Obtained from Miami just before spring training last year, Realmuto hit .275 with 25 home runs and 83 RBI, earning his second consecutive All-Star selection.
TENNIS
Federer to miss French Open
Roger Federer will miss the French Open and no fewer than three other tournaments while he is sidelined for at least four months after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. It's only the second operation for the 38-year-old Federer -- the other was on his left knee in 2016 -- and one that is certain to raise questions about his future in tennis. He posted on social media Thursday that his knee had been an issue "for a little while." The man who has spent more weeks ranked No. 1 than any other and owns a men's-record 20 Grand Slam titles said the operation was in his home country of Switzerland on Wednesday. He currently is ranked No. 3 behind rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Halep to Dubai semifinals
Top-seeded Simona Halep came from a set down for the second day in a row to beat Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 Thursday and reach the semifinals at the Dubai Championships. Halep had to save a match point against Ons Jabeur on Wednesday and again found herself in trouble against the hard-hitting Sabalenka. But she broke for a 3-1 lead in both the second and third sets to earn her third win in four career meetings with the Belarusian. Halep will next face American qualifier Jennifer Brady, who upset former No. 1 Garbine Muguruza 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 to reach her third career WTA semifinal. Brady wasted a 5-2 lead in the first set, but won the last four games of the second and broke again in the final game of the decider. In the other semifinal, Elena Rybakina will play Petra Martic.
FOOTBALL
McFadden sentenced
Former Arkansas Razorback and Dallas Cowboys running back Darren McFadden will have to report to jail to serve three days in connection with a driving while intoxicated arrest in McKinney, Texas, last year. McFadden was arrested shortly after midnight on Jan. 21, 2019, after falling asleep in the drive-thru lane of a Whataburger restaurant in McKinney. McFadden received one day credit for time served and will have to report to the Collin County jail to serve out the remainder of his sentence. An additional charge of resisting arrest, search or transport that McFadden faced was dismissed, according to court records. McFadden, 32, initially was charged with driving while intoxicated and resisting arrest. He was released on personal recognizance soon after being taken into custody in Collin County. McFadden retired from football after being released by the Cowboys in November 2017. He played 10 seasons in the NFL. McFadden was the fourth overall pick by the Oakland Raiders in the 2008 NFL draft out of Arkansas.
Redskins release TE Reed
The Washington Redskins released Jordan Reed on Thursday, cutting ties with an injury-prone tight end who was rarely able to show his full abilities. Injuries from head to toe limited Reed to 65 games over his first seven years in the NFL, all with Washington. He missed the entire 2019 season with his fifth documented concussion as a pro and seventh going back to his college career at Florida. Releasing Reed clears $8.5 million in salary cap space to give Washington more than $63 million to spend in free agency. A third-round pick in 2013, Reed caught 329 passes for 3,371 yards and 24 touchdowns and was a favorite option of Washington's many quarterbacks during his tenure there.
Longtime NFL assistant dies
Dan Radakovich, who starred as a linebacker at Penn State in the 1950s before winning two Super Bowls as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s, has died. Radakovich was 84. Robert Morris University, where Radakovich served two stints as an assistant coach between 1994 and 2007, announced Radakovich's death on Thursday. A cause of death was not immediately available. The Steelers won the first two of their four Super Bowl titles in the 1970s with Radakovich leading a linebacker group that included Hall of Famers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert. Radakovich's NFL coaching stints included time with San Francisco, Denver, Minnesota, Cleveland, the Los Angeles Rams and the New York Jets. Radakovich also coached collegiately at Cincinnati, North Carolina State and Westminster.
GOLF
McIlroy ahead by two shots
Rory McIlroy switched back to his old putter for the Mexico Championship in Mexico City and it made a world of difference. It helps that he's still hitting the ball like the No. 1 player in the world. McIlroy ripped a 4-iron from 275 yards into the thin air at Chapultepec to 15 feet for eagle on his second hole Thursday, made five more birdies and opened the Mexico Championship with a 6-under 65 for a two-shot lead. This is the only World Golf Championship that McIlroy hasn't won as he tries to join Dustin Johnson as the only players to win all four of them. Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson were at 67.
Stanley leads in Puerto Rico
Kyle Stanley shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday to take a two-stroke lead in the PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open. With most of the top players in the world playing in the World Golf Championship event in Mexico, Stanley had nine birdies and a bogey in windy afternoon conditions at Coco Beach Golf & Country Club. The two-time PGA Tour winner followed his opening birdie burst with another birdie on the par-5 fifth. He bogeyed the par-3 eighth, then birdied the next four and the par-5 15th. David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) finished with a 1-under 71. Sebastian Cappelen (Razorbacks) was at even-par 72 and Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Razorbacks) completed his round with a 2-over 74.
Sports on 02/21/2020