BASEBALL
La Russa leaving White Sox
Tony La Russa stepped down as manager of the Chicago White Sox on Monday because of a heart issue, ending a disappointing two-year run in the same spot where the Hall of Famer got his first job as a big league skipper. La Russa, a three-time World Series champion who turns 78 today, missed the final 34 games with the underachieving White Sox. He left the team on Aug. 30 and doctors ultimately told him to stay out of the dugout. La Russa has a pacemaker implanted in February and doctors later found another heart problem that he has not detailed. Chicago began the season with World Series aspirations but was plagued by injuries and inconsistent play.
FOOTBALL
Pair of Auburn players out
Auburn edge rusher Eku Leota could miss the rest of the season with a pectoral injury, Coach Bryan Harsin said Monday. Leota will have surgery today for the injury sustained early in last weekend's loss to LSU, Harsin said. The Tigers are set to visit No. 2 Georgia on Saturday in their first road game of the season. Harsin also confirmed previous reports that transfer quarterback Zach Calzada will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. The former Texas A&M starter hasn't played this season. A 6-foot-4, 257-pound graduate transfer, Leota has 17 tackles, including 5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. He had seven sacks last season after transferring from Northwestern. Auburn has switched to a 4-2-5 defense on the depth chart, with Derick Hall as the only starting edge rusher. "Eku is a big loss," Harsin said. "He's an emotional leader. He's one of the smartest football players we have."
Denver RB done for year
Denver Broncos standout running back Javonte Williams is out for the year after tearing his right ACL in Denver's 32-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, and pass rusher Randy Gregory needs knee surgery and will miss multiple weeks. Also, QB Russell Wilson has a sore right throwing shoulder and he was listed as limited on the players' day off Monday. "Yeah, he got dinged up in the game and you know he's just a little sore today," Coach Nathaniel Hackett said. "We're just gonna be sure to take care of him and give him treatment throughout the week." Hackett said as of now, Wilson will play Thursday night against the Colts. As for Williams and Gregory, "both of those guys are obviously very important to our team," Hackett said. "Losing Javonte is so unfortunate, a dynamic player in this league. Randy, same thing. Having to have him miss some time right now is hard because he's been a great force on the team." Hackett said Gregory, who got hurt chasing Derek Carr with about six minutes left in the game, will have arthroscopic surgery soon and IR is a possibility. The good news is an MRI showed his ACL was intact. Williams got hurt on the first play of the third quarter Sunday when he took the handoff from Wilson and was tackled behind the line of scrimmage. He didn't put any weight on his right leg as he was helped off the field after staying down for an extended time. Williams had 202 yards on 47 rushes and 76 yards on 16 catches this season.
Baltimore DB retires
Defensive back Jimmy Smith announced his retirement Monday after 11 years with the Baltimore Ravens. Smith said late last season that if he was going to continue playing, he wanted it to be for the Ravens. He was drafted by Baltimore in 2011 and never played anywhere else. Smith hasn't played anywhere this season, and the Ravens held a news conference Monday with him, Coach John Harbaugh and General Manager Eric DeCosta for his official retirement. Baltimore won the Super Bowl in Smith's second season, and he made key plays when the team kept San Francisco out of the end zone to preserve a late lead in that game -- 49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh pleaded in vain for Smith to be called for holding on a fourth-down incompletion, but there was no flag. Smith becomes the sixth Raven with at least 10 years served who played his entire career in Baltimore, joining Ray Lewis, Sam Koch, Marshal Yanda, Jonathan Ogden and Ed Reed.
Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa, back right, talks to reporters in the dugout before a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)