Posts

The problem: Points leader Jimmie Johnson didn’t plan on just riding around. Johnson entered the race with a 28-point lead on Kenseth and up by 34 points on Kevin Harvick going into the final race of the 2013 season. Kenseth dominated the early stages of the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway and held the lead on Lap 80. Harvick led early before fading to 12th. MORE: Martin praised before final race | Johnson most dominant athlete | Can Jimmie win 7?...

Asked Monday about where his quarterback stands for Week 3, Lions coach Jim Caldwell replied only: “We’ll see.” MORE: 0-2 Lions down for the count | Bad beats from Week 2 Not encouraging words for Stafford, who underwent chest X-rays after being knocked around all afternoon in a 26-16 loss to Minnesota. Stafford was 32 of 53 for 286 yards with two touchdowns and an interception as the Lions fell to 0-2, but he spent much of the day running for cover....

George Bush and Bill Clinton have their nominations virtually locked, but 1992 is likely to remain a maverick’s playground. Perot’s flirtation is only one sign of the lingering unease with the mainstream choices. Buchanan and Brown will continue to lose primaries, but they have little to lose by sticking around. Matching federal funds and an underemployed campaign press will help keep them visible. Brown’s slashing attacks on what he calls Clinton’s “scandal a week” past-and key labor endorsements-will garner him plenty of attention in New York before the April 7 primary....

DALLAS — Monta Ellis came to Dallas because he wanted to pair up with Dirk Nowitzki and see what kind of scoring tag team they could be. With the Mavericks in danger of making their playoff road much more difficult, they shared their best moment of the season. Ellis matched his season high with 37 points and Nowitzki scored 21 of his 23 during a second-half rally that carried the Mavericks back to the postseason in a 101-98 victory against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night....

The options he faces range from a relatively simple arthroscopic procedure to clean out debris and fix the cartilage that doctors know is damaged all the way to microfracture surgery, according to an unidentified source cited by the Morning News. But that’s something that won’t be known until the procedure is begun. MORE: Love likely out for season | Hope for Cavs without Love | Updated NBA mock draft...

That’s why he worked much deeper than expected Wednesday in a home loss to the Braves. To the shock of the assembled media, he emptied the tank as he threw 116 pitches in his six-plus innings. The final line looked ugly — seven runs, all earned, and six walks — but much of that had to with reliever Brandon Kintzler serving up a grand slam to Matt Kemp after Scherzer finally exited....

Minnesota’s Maxx Williams did just that in the Citrus Bowl against Missouri on Thursday. MORE: Must-see bowl game moments | Melvin Gordon 53-yard touchdown | Baylor touchdown trickery The tight end leaped over one defender and dodged another in the air for the 54-yard touchdown. Williams’ score put the Gophers up 14-13, but Missouri answered with a score of its own when quarterback Maty Mauk trucked a defender on this 18-yard touchdown run....

Most baseball fans remember Kerry Wood’s masterful 20-strikeout performance against the Astros on May 6, 1998, or at least know about it because it was a historic day at Wrigley as Wood became just the second pitcher in history to fan 20 batters in a nine-inning game. (The other pitcher was Roger Clemens, who did it in 1986 and again in 1996.) MORE: 10 single-season MLB feats we’ll never see again...

Romulus Mayor LeRoy Burcroff acknowledged using $4,500 from the funds to cover the open bar at the wedding at a yacht club, according to a Friday report from local ABC News affiliate WXYZ. Burcroff’s attorney, Daniel Wholihan, told the news outlet that the wedding was related to the campaign because many of those attending the wedding had also worked for Burcroff. Wholihan added that while using the money for the wedding created “poor optics,” he did not believe it constituted an improper use of funds....

“Carelessness can lead to an explosion in infections,” the South Korea capital’s mayor said, asserting that the order would remain in place indefinitely, according to France 24. The decision came after the federal government issued a nationwide health advisory asking that such venues be closed for at least another 30 days after a rise in cases was linked to the 29-year-old man’s night out. The man was believed to have no symptoms when he visited a number of bars and clubs in Seoul’s popular Itaewon district last weekend....

A photo posted to Instagram showed Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens attending an eight-person dinner at a time when social distancing rules capped the limit of people at six. Last Wednesday, Windsor-Essex was classified as yellow “protect” status under the province’s coronavirus response framework. The “strengthened measures” level limits the number of people allowed to be seated at the same restaurant table to six. Since then, the region has moved into the orange “restrict” level, which will tighten capacity to four people per table....

Marylou Whitney, 73, heir to the $100 million Whitney fortune, says she’ll cut the museum out of her will–and wishes the family name could be taken off the place. Whitney director Maxwell Anderson concedes the equation of Giuliani with the fuhrer is a reach: “censorship… is not what we do here.” But one thing is sure: the combination of calculatedly goat-getting art and a hair-trigger mayor will have viewers lining up around the block–again....

Mbappe has been struggling with a knee injury sustained in the opening-day win over Toulouse and did not get off the bench during the 4-1 victory over Dijon last Sunday. Monaco 7/1 to win Ligue 1 The 18-year-old, who has been heavily linked with PSG and Madrid in recent weeks, has been left out entirely from head coach Leonardo Jardim’s squad for the meeting at Stade Saint-Symphorien. No reason has been given for Mbappe’s absence, although Jardim has suggested he is not in the right frame of mind to be involved....

All the latest Arsenal rumours Monaco starlet Kylian Mbappe has attracted attention from various clubs in Europe and while his price tag is expected to fetch over £100m, Pires believes does not think that will put the manager off, despite his reputation for financial prudence. Pires, 43, who has been linked with a role as sporting director, is aware of the calibre of player the Gunners require to sign and already has a personal shortlist....

In practice, in other words, McCain still behaves very much like a young man, even though on paper he’s 71. But the Arizona senator will have to work very hard to get that message out, because polls show that he is facing deep and widespread ageism in the U.S. electorate, especially among Democrats. Ageism is defined as prejudice against the elderly, based on the idea that they’re slower, less competent–or perhaps just closer to death....

McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, admitted on Friday that the Senate may not flip to Republican control as the party deals with increased Democratic turnout due to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, candidates perceived as polarizing to moderate or independent voters, lagging fundraising numbers, and a slew of disappointing polls in key swing states. Polls indicate Democrats may be poised to expand their majority—despite initial expectations they would be plagued by President Joe Biden’s struggling poll numbers....

“Some of the gun violence prevention groups have made it — upped the ante even further to say that, if this bill is not passed, Mitch McConnell and the Republicans in the Senate and the president will have hell to pay,” the California Democrat said at a press conference flanked by other top lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “So, let’s save time. Let’s just get it done — now....

Speaking at an event in Kentucky, McConnell said both parties have been tempted to do away with the chamber’s 60-vote threshold while they hold the majority. “That’s what we had on full display this past week,” McConnell said. “Fortunately—even though many, many Democrats who, when the previous president was in office, were anxious to defend the filibuster all of a sudden lost their zeal for it and flipped their position— we had a pretty narrow victory....