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Bonds, Clemens left out of Hall again; McGriff elected

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling were passed over by a Baseball Hall of Fame committee that elected former big league slugger Fred McGriff to Cooperstown on Sunday. It was the first time that Bonds, Clemens and Schilling had faced a Hall committee since their 10th and final appearances on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot. Bonds and Clemens have been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, and support for Schilling dropped after he made hateful remarks toward Muslims, transgender people, reporters and others.

Mbappé is bringing soccer to a new dimension at World Cup

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo’s precision. Lionel Messi’s vision. The speed and power of the original Ronaldo from Brazil. Kylian Mbappé is bringing soccer to a new dimension. As Messi and Ronaldo play what will likely be their final World Cup there shouldn’t be any more questions over who might succeed them as the sport’s new superstar. Mbappé showed that when he scored twice and set up another goal for defending champion France in a 3-1 win over Poland to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament in Qatar.

Analysis: Deshaun Watson has long way to go for improvement

HOUSTON (AP) — Deshaun Watson’s shaky performance wasn’t his biggest problem. Blame a two-year layoff for Watson being rusty. His refusal to express remorse for alleged behavior that led to an 11-game suspension is more difficult to explain. Watson made it clear earlier in the week he had no interest in discussing accusations by more than two dozen women of sexual harassment and assault during massage sessions. He has settled 23 civil lawsuits brought by the women, while two others, including one filed in October, are pending. After playing his first game in 700 days against his former team in the stadium where he became a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, Watson still wasn’t interested in talking about it.

With 99 points in 2 games, Lakers’ Anthony Davis on big roll

Anthony Davis is healthy. His numbers have never been healthier. And, not coincidentally, the Los Angeles Lakers are playing like the team they expected to be. With 99 points in his last two games — his most ever in a span of two regular-season contests — Davis is doing something that few in the league’s history have done before. He shot 40 for 57 from the floor in those games, his 44-point performance at Milwaukee on Friday followed by a 55-point outburst at Washington on Sunday.

Image of Pelé shines bright for Brazilian fans at World Cup

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The image of a young Pelé celebrating goals and lifting trophies with Brazil’s national team appeared brightly on the shirts, flags and banners of Brazilian fans gathering before the Seleçao’s World Cup match against South Korea. The 82-year-old Pelé remained in a hospital in Sao Paulo recovering from a respiratory infection that was aggravated by COVID-19. The news coming from Brazil was good. Two daughters and one grandson of the soccer great say he was not under an imminent risk of death. It was reason for celebration for the many Brazilians who have been cheering for the Selecao and showing their support to Pelé in Qatar.

Future of CFP: How would 12-team playoff look this season?

The College Football Playoff is two years away from expanding, and those involved in growing the format from four to 12 teams have already said those first two seasons will be a test run. They are committed to the basics of the format: 12 teams, six conference champions and six at-large teams, but the door has been left open for tweaks for 2026 and beyond. The field has been for the second-to-last four-team CFP. No. 1 Georgia will play No. 4 Ohio State in the Peach Bowl. No. 2 Michigan faces No. 3 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. Now, let’s take this season’s final selection committee rankings and apply the future format.

Coach Prime delivers pizzazz to college football’s wasteland

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Deion Sanders has brought the buzz back to Boulder. He was introduced Sunday as Colorado’s new football coach. Sanders plans to coach Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17 before turning his attention full-time to rebuilding a Buffaloes program that has only one winning full-length season since joining the Pac-12 in 2011. Sanders delivered promises and one-liners during an introductory news conference that doubled as a party for long-suffering Buffs fans whose team just finished a 1-11 season. He says his son, Shedeur Sanders, will be Colorado’s new quarterback.

Cincinnati hires Louisville’s Satterfield as football coach

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Cincinnati has tweeted that it has hired Louisville’s Scott Satterfield to be its next football coach. Louisville was 7-5 this season under Satterfield and earned a berth in the Fenway Bowl, where coincidentally it will face Cincinnati. Satterfield replaces Luke Fickell, who recently left to become coach at Wisconsin. The Cardinals overcame starts of 2-3 overall and 0-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play with a 5-2 stretch run highlighted by wins over then-No. 10 Wake Forest, Pittsburgh and North Carolina State. Their disappointing start fueled speculation that Satterfield would be fired at midseason before Louisville won 31-17 at Virginia to begin its second-half surge toward bowl eligibility.

Nick Bollettieri, coach to many tennis stars, dead at age 91

Hall of Fame tennis coach Nick Bollettieri has died at the age of 91. Bollettieri worked with some of the sport’s biggest stars, including Andre Agassi and Monica Seles, and founded an academy that revolutionized the development of young athletes. Bollettieri died Sunday night at home in Florida after a series of health issues, according to his manager, Steve Shulla. Bollettieri helped no fewer than 10 players who went on to be No. 1 in the world rankings. That group includes sisters Serena and Venus Williams, Jim Courier, Maria Sharapova, Agassi and Seles. Six of his pupils were elected to the International Hall of Fame and that number is sure to grow.

QBE Shootout to be mixed-team event for PGA and LPGA tours

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson can expect plenty of more LPGA faces next year in the QBE Shootout. The tournament is going to a mixed team event. Players were informed of the move at a meeting in the Bahamas. It will be the first time for PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players to be teammates since the JC Penney Classic ended in 1999. Billy Horschel says the mixed team format is overdue. Players from the JC Penney Classic were happy to hear about the format returning. Dottie Pepper says it will be a big boost, especially for the LPGA Tour.

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