AP Sports Digest
The highlights of Tuesday's AP Sports report. An up-to-the minute listing of all stories planned, including games and events, is available in Coverage Plan on AP Newsroom, https://newsroom.ap.org/coverageplan. You can also find a link to Coverage Plan on the left navigation of the Newsroom home page, https://newsroom.ap.org. Sports content can be found at http://newsroom.ap.org/page/APSports
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All times EDT
TOP STORIES
BBA--ASTROS-SINGLETON'S PATH
HOUSTON — Back in the majors this season for the first time since 2015, first with Milwaukee and now with the Astros again, slugger Jon Singleton wonders what his career could have been if marijuana was taken off the banned substances list sooner. Once a top prospect, the 31-year-old saw his career derailed by multiple suspensions for the drug. “I definitely think the way things are handled now my career would have definitely been a lot different," he said. By Kristie Rieken. SENT: 1,070 words, photos.
US--SPORTS-FEAR OF FLYING
SAN FRANCISCO — Professional sports are a difficult career for athletes or coaches with a fear of flying. Hall of Fame football coach John Madden famously insisted on traveling across the United States by bus. Soccer star Dennis Bergkamp from the Netherlands was nicknamed “The Non-Flying Dutchman" for his refusal to travel by air. There's no getting around air travel in big-time sports, but some athletes are being more proactive. By Janie McCauley. SENT: 1,430 words, photos. An abridged version of 970 words also is available.
With:
— FBN--TITANS-FLYING QUARTERBACK — Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill takes to the sky with his pilot’s license. By Pro Football Writer Teresa M. Walker. SENT: 370 words, photos.
FBN--NEW COORDINATORS
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — When Steve Wilks was handed the reins to the NFL's stingiest defense in San Francisco, the priority for the new coordinator was learning what made the 49ers so good rather than installing his own system. The 49ers are one of 10 playoff teams from last season that is working with at least one new offensive or defensive coordinator in 2023. While some teams like San Francisco made the change out of necessity after a coordinator became a head coach, other contenders believed they needed a spark on one side of the ball or the other. By Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow. SENT: 850 words, photos.
FBC--COLORADO ST-SUMO WRESTLER
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Hidetora Hanada was a highly ranked sumo wrestler in Japan. He decided he wanted to try something different, so he arrived at Colorado State, where he is learning to be a defensive lineman for the Rams. In the ring, he refused to be pushed around. He’s taking that same approach to the football field as he learns the ropes of being a run stuffer/pass rusher for the Rams. By Pat Graham. SENT: 800 words, photos.
SOC--WWCUP-SPAIN-SWEDEN
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Spain will play for its first Women’s World Cup championship after Olga Carmona’s goal in the 89th minute lifted La Roja to a 2-1 victory over Sweden in the semifinals. Spain will face either tournament co-host Australia or England on Sunday in the final in Sydney. By Anne M. Peterson. SENT: 900 words, photos.
With:
— SOC--WWCUP-SPAIN-REAX — Spain hoping for one more win at Women’s World Cup to set off historic celebrations back home. By Tales Azzoni. SENT: 390 words, photos.
— SOC--WWCUP-DISAPPOINTED SWEDEN — Sweden again falls to the third-place game at the Women’s World Cup. By Anne M. Peterson. SENT: 550 words, photos.
— SOC--WWCUP-LOOKAHEAD — Australia has captured its continent as it plays England in its first semifinal of the Women’s World Cup. By Jenna Fryer. SENT: 700 words, photos.
— SOC—WWCUP-AUSTRALIA-ENGLAND-ASHES — The Women’s World Cup semifinal is the here and now for the Australia-England rivalry, not the Ashes. By John Pye. SENT: 880 words, photos.
ATH--WORLDS-HUNGARY HOSTING
BUDAPEST, Hungary – A country with authoritarian leanings spends millions, maybe billions, to put itself on center stage in sports. It’s hardly a new concept, though the country hosting this year’s world championships is not China or Qatar or Russia. Rather, it’s Hungary, which is bringing major events to its capital at a steady clip under the leadership of far-right prime minister Viktor Orban. By Eddie Pells and Pat Graham. SENT: 930 words, photos.
COMMENTARY
FBC--AP TOP 25-REALITY CHECK
The first Reality Check of the college football season, following the release of the preseason AP Top 25, can be a real bummer. The truth hurts, and the truth is a bunch of ranked teams won’t be as good as the voters think, with several breaking their fans' hearts and maybe even getting their coach fired. By College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo. SENT: 1,540 words, photos.
GLF--ON THE FRINGE-SHORT FIELDS
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. — Good news for Chicago. The golf-crazed market that once thought it would get to see the big names only every other year now gets two tournaments in a month. One of them is LIV Golf. Both will have small fields. By Golf Writer Doug Ferguson. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 5 p.m. EDT. With GLF--Golf Notes (upcoming) and GLF--Golf Glance (sent).
NOTABLE
FBC--OFF-CAMPUS TRAINING
PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — Players and coaches at Wisconsin and Cincinnati say getting away from campus for part of training camp helps them build camaraderie. But the number of schools training out of town has shrunk over the last decade. These off-campus training camps have gained attention in the wake of the Northwestern hazing scandal. Northwestern has announced it will no longer train at Kenosha, Wisconsin. Some of the hazing allegations that led to the filing of numerous lawsuits and the firing of football coach Pat Fitzgerald stem from those Kenosha camps. By Steve Megargee. SENT: 1,180 words, photos.
FBC--PICK SIX-IMPACT TRANSFERS
Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman won’t get a chance to add to his Atlantic Coast Conference record for career touchdown passes in his final season. But the former Wake Forest star’s new stop will allow him to face plenty of familiar foes. Hartman opted to use his final season of college eligibility at Notre Dame after five productive seasons at Wake Forest. Notre Dame faces Hartman's former team this season and also has matchups with ACC programs North Carolina State, Louisville, Duke and Pitt. By Steve Megargee. SENT: 730 words, photos.
SOC--INTER-MIAMI-MESSI
CHESTER, Pa. — Lionel Messi becomes the biggest soccer star to hit the Philly area when Inter Miami plays the Philadelphia Union in a Leagues Cup game. By Dan Gelston. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game starts at 7 p.m.
SOC--SAUDI ARABIA-NEYMAR
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Neymar became the latest superstar soccer player to take the riches on offer from the Saudi Pro League, completing a move to Al Hilal after six seasons at Paris Saint-Germain. SENT: 470 words, photos.
BBN--BREWERS-DODGERS
LOS ANGELES — Rookie Bobby Miller and the Los Angeles Dodgers put an eight-game winning streak on the line against Adrian Houser and the Milwaukee Brewers in the series opener between division leaders. By Beth Harris. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Game starts at 10 p.m.
BKL--AROUND THE WNBA
WNBA teams are scoring at near-record levels thanks in strong part to a quicker pace and incredible individual efforts. Teams are averaging 82.6 points a game this season, just a shade under the full season record set in 2018 of 82.8. The “bubble” season in 2020, which only had 22 games per franchise, saw teams average 83 points. By Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg. SENT: 500 words, photos.
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Tuesday’s EDT Time Schedule
BASEBALL
Cleveland at Cincinnati, 6:40 p.m.
Houston at Miami, 6:40 p.m.
Boston at Washington, 7:05 p.m.
Philadelphia at Toronto, 7:07 p.m.
Pittsburgh at N.Y. Mets, 7:10 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees at Atlanta, 7:20 p.m.
Detroit at Minnesota, 7:40 p.m.
Oakland at St. Louis, 7:45 p.m.
Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 p.m.
LA Angels at Texas, 8:05 p.m.
Seattle at Kansas City, 8:10 p.m.
Arizona at Colorado, 8:40 p.m.
Baltimore at San Diego, 9:40 p.m.
Tampa Bay at San Francisco, 9:45 p.m.
Milwaukee at LA Dodgers, 10:10 p.m.
WNBA Commissioner’s Cup
New York at Las Vegas, 9 p.m.
