FOOTBALL
Giants fire Judge
The New York Giants have cleaned house, firing Coach Joe Judge a day after General Manager Dave Gettleman retired. The Giants announced the move late Tuesday afternoon, ending some brief speculation that the owners planned to hire a new general manager and let him determine the 40-year-old coach's fate. Co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch said they felt it was best for the Giants to move in another directions after five consecutive seasons of double-digit losses. The Giants have made the playoffs once since winning the Super Bowl in February 2012. They have gone through four coaches in the past six seasons, starting with Ben McAdoo in 2016, interim coach Steve Spagnuolo, Pat Shurmur in 2018 and Judge who was hired in 2020. Mara said he met with Judge on Monday and again on Tuesday, informing him of the decision at the second meeting.
BASEBALL
Mets to retire jersey
It's been 25 years since the New York Mets put Keith Hernandez into their Hall of Fame. Now, they are putting his jersey number into their history books, too. Hernandez's No. 17 will be retired by the Mets on July 9, before a game against the Marlins at Citi Field, the team announced on Tuesday. Hernandez spent seven years with the Mets, batting .297 with 939 hits and five Gold Gloves at first base. He also helped lead the Mets to their most recent World Series title, batting .310 with 13 home runs and 87 RBI in 1986.
TENNIS
No inductees for Hall class
No new inductees were selected for the International Tennis Hall of Fame for the first time in its history. The Hall has been around since 1955. Grand Slam title winners Ana Ivanovic, Flavia Pennetta, Carlos Moya and Cara Black were the new nominees on the ballot for the Class of 2022, joining holdovers Lisa Raymond and Juan Carlos Ferrero. None reached the required 75% of the vote in combined results from the official voting group -- which includes media, histories, Hall of Famers and industry experts -- and bonus percentage points awarded based on a fan vote. All six candidates will be back on the ballot for the Class of 2023, because nominees can remain in contention for three years.
Murray advances to second round
Five-time Australian Open finalist Andy Murray advanced to the second round of the Sydney Tennis Classic by beating Viktor Durasovic 6-3, 6-1 on Tuesday. Murray entered the tournament with a wild card and has also been handed one for next week's Australian Open. Since he last reached the Australian Open final in 2016, when he lost to Novak Djokovic, the 34-year-old Murray has only made it past the first round once at Melbourne Park. Recurring hip injuries have meant he has played only one of the past four Australian Opens. The former No. 1-ranked player is now 135th. The three-time Grand Slam champion forced Durasovic into numerous errors.
BASKETBALL
Beal enters protocols
Bradley Beal was out for Washington's game Tuesday night against Oklahoma City after entering health and safety protocols for the second time in less than three weeks. Beal entered the protocols Dec. 23 and returned after a week. He said then that he didn't have covid-19 and the absence was due to contact tracing. Beal, who missed a chance to play in the Olympics last year after testing positive, was unvaccinated when the season began. When he returned late last month, he said he'd always kept an open mind about receiving the vaccine and decided to do so for family reasons. Coach Wes Unseld Jr. said Tuesday he thought a test from Monday was flagged, but he didn't want to say with certainty. He said Beal would need two consecutive negative tests to exit protocol.
GOLF
Watson gets Masters honor
Six years after Tom Watson played the Masters for the 43rd time, the two-time champion returns in April to hit the ceremonial tee shot alongside Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. Watson, who held off Nicklaus in his Masters victories in 1977 and 1981, becomes the 11th player to be an honorary starter dating to 1963. All but four of them were Masters champions, including Lee Elder, the first Black golfer to complete in the Masters in 1975. Elder was invited to be a one-time honorary starter last year, though his health kept him from swinging a club. While the club was not specific, Watson is likely to be a regular on the first tee each Thursday morning, a simple act that draws thousands of fans around the tee and spilling down both sides of the fairway.
New York Giants head coach Joe Judge reacts on the sidelines against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Giants head coach Joe Judge yells from the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins defeated the Giants 20-9. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)