Red Sox-Blue Jays suspended due to weather, will resume Aug. 26 (2024)

The Netherlands’ soccer team is becoming a party-pooper for its thousands of exuberant orange-clad fans at the European Championship. The Oranje have impressed off the field but not on it at Euro 2024, where Ronald Koeman’s team limped into the knockout stage after finishing third in Group D. Koeman was a key defender on the Dutch team that won Euro ’88 in West Germany and he's back for his second stint as coach. But he’s clearly unhappy with his charges, who are maintaining a longstanding Dutch tradition of disappointing at major tournaments. Koeman has called for a response in the Netherlands' next match, against Romania in the round of 16.

Cristiano Ronaldo narrowly avoided being hit by a fan who jumped from the crowd to try to get close to the soccer star when Portugal played Georgia at the European Championship. A video widely circulated on social media appears to show someone leaping over the top of the players’ tunnel at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen as Ronaldo headed to the locker room. A safety steward rushed to shield the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star and other security staff race toward the fan, who falls away out of sight.

The Paris Olympics open next month and the agency that oversees doping enforcement is under scrutiny following allegations it failed to pursue positive tests of Chinese swimmers who won medals — including three gold — at the Tokyo Games in 2021. The focus on the World Anti-Doping Agency and China’s swimmers raises questions for athletes about the fairness of the competitions and the effectiveness of doping control at the Olympics. American swimmer Katie Ledecky said recently “it’s hard going into Paris knowing that we’re going to be racing some of these athletes.”

Willie Mays authored plenty of unforgettable moments during his Hall of Fame career. But he wanted one more World Series at-bat in October 1973. The star center fielder’s son, Michael Mays, says he's perplexed his father didn’t get an opportunity to pinch hit for the New York Mets in the ninth inning of Game 7 against the Oakland Athletics. With two runners on, two outs and the Mets down 5-2, Mays remained on the bench as Wayne Garrett popped out to end the Fall Classic. Michael Mays says his father was in the dugout, ready to hit. "He’s Willie Mays. Put a bat in his hand,” the younger Mays said at Citi Field, where he threw out a ceremonial first pitch Wednesday. Willie Mays died June 18 at 93.

Among the first handful of players to be traded around in the NHL this summer, there were few stunners. Pierre-Luc Dubois might have surprised by Los Angeles sending him to Washington for goaltender Darcy Kuemper, but the inconsistent center's full no-trade clause kicking in July 1 was the impetus for a move. Goalies Jacob Markstrom, sent from Calgary to New Jersey, and Linus Ullmark, from Boston to Ottawa, were names discussed at the March trade deadline. Much more movement is expected in the coming days.

Bronny James’ draft night has likely arrived. The son of career scoring leader LeBron James was not selected in the first round of Wednesday’s NBA draft in New York, and now will wait to see if he’s picked in the second round when selections resume Thursday afternoon. The pick that might be most logical for Bronny James: 55th overall, a selection that just happens to be held by the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that LeBron James — who is widely expected to become a free agent next week — has played for since 2018.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray still has not decided whether he will be able to compete at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament that begins next week. His management company says Murray is training and working toward being able to compete at the All England Club. The tournament begins Monday. The draw is scheduled for Friday. The 37-year-old Murray has indicated this is likely to be his last season on tour before retirement. He has been dealing with a series of injuries in 2024, and had a surgical procedure on his back over the weekend after stopping during a match at a tuneup event.

The Alpine Formula One team says its driver Pierre Gasly has signed a multi-year contract extension. Alpine says the deal takes "Pierre into the 2025 season and beyond.” No further details were given. The 28-year-old Frenchman is in his second season with Alpine. After a tough start to this campaign he has scored points in the past three races heading into this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. He finished 11th in the drivers’ standings last season with a best finish of third at the Netherlands GP.

How well do you know the Tour de France? Try this quiz ahead of cycling’s biggest races, which starts on Saturday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two years before the World Cup descends upon Kansas City, the executive director of the planning organization for the tournament has quit the project, The Kansas City Star has learned.

MIAMI — Healthy marriages are built on love, trust and compromise.

BOONE, N.C. — In North Carolina’s mountains, a football coach named Jerry Moore led Appalachian State to new heights two decades ago.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — So Mark Pope held a mid-summer press conference Tuesday at the Joe Craft Center in which Kentucky’s new head men’s basketball coach talked on numerous topics, most of which had absolutely little to do with basketball.

PITTSBURGH — The Baseball Hall of Fame remains the biggest joke among America's sports museums. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are out, Bud Selig is in. That's all you need to know, though I could go on.

PHILADELPHIA — On Monday afternoon, Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh received a text from his mother, Sonja. He was in Detroit for a three-game series against the Tigers, and she was in Eugene, Ore., to watch his sister compete in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials.

DALLAS — Growing up, Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner attended Higher Goals, a basketball camp in the Dallas-Fort Worth area co-founded by Wayne Watts and Andre Buckner, brother of former Dallas Mavericks player and NBA assistant coach Greg Buckner.

Two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar are set to resume their Tour de France rivalry over the next three weeks. Two-time champion Pogacar has finished behind Vingegaard over the past two years but is in top shape ahead Saturday’s start in the Italian city of Florence. Vingegaard's form is worrying his team following a crash in April that wreaked havoc with his season. Vingegaard was hospitalized for nearly two weeks in Spain with a broken collarbone and ribs and a collapsed lung following the high-speed accident in the Tour of the Basque Country. He has not raced in competition since then.

NEW YORK (AP) — JuJu Watkins has already thought about how special it would be to play for the U.S. in 2028 at the Olympics in her hometown of Los Angeles. For now, Watkins is focused on the present and enjoying her summer before heading into her sophom*ore year at USC. The first-team AP All-…

The St. Louis Cardinals host the Cincinnati Reds to open a four-game series.

Both the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Minnesota Twins are looking for a series win with a victory on Thursday.

The Kansas City Royals host the Cleveland Guardians to begin a four-game series.

The Chicago Cubs look to break their four-game slide with a win against the San Francisco Giants.

The Baltimore Orioles host the Texas Rangers to start a four-game series.

The Los Angeles Angels host the Detroit Tigers trying to continue a three-game home winning streak.

The Philadelphia Phillies take on the Miami Marlins after Brandon Marsh's four-hit game on Wednesday.

The Toronto Blue Jays begin a four-game series at home against the New York Yankees on Thursday.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA Division I Council voted Tuesday to remove cannabis products from the banned drug substance list and end limits on how many football staffers can work with players on field. The council said cannabis products don't provide a competitive advantage and its focus in…

UNDATED (AP) — Zach Edey is taking his 7-foot-4 frame to Memphis to start his NBA career. Edey, the former Purdue center who became the first player in more than 40 years to win The Associated Press’ men’s college basketball player of the year award in back-to-back seasons, was taken by the …

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Rockets selected Reed Sheppard with the third overall pick in the NBA draft, adding a elite long-range shooter to their young team. The guard, who spent one season at Kentucky, was the first American taken in this year’s draft after French players Zaccharie Risache…

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves did some extra digging into Terrence Shannon Jr. before the draft. They found plenty of sources vouching for his character. The background work bolstered their confidence in a dynamic player whose final season at Illinois was overshadowed by a ra…

Facundo Torres leads Orlando City into a matchup with New York City FC fresh off of a two-goal showing against the Chicago Fire.

Los Angeles will aim to end its eight-game road losing streak when the Sparks take on Phoenix. The teams play Friday for the first time this season. Phoenix is 5-6 against the Western Conference, and Los Angeles is 2-6 against conference opponents.

All Times EDT

All Times EDT

The Minnesota Timberwolves did some extra digging into Terrence Shannon Jr. before the draft. They found plenty of sources vouching for his character. The background work bolstered their confidence in a dynamic player whose final season at Illinois was overshadowed by a rape charge he was recently exonerated of. The Timberwolves took Shannon at No. 27 overall in the first round. Shannon was found not guilty two weeks ago after a jury spent less than two hours deliberating the verdict. He was accused of sexual assault last September during a visit to Kansas for a football game.

MLB

PHOENIX – Carlos Correa connected with a hanging curveball in the fourth inning Wednesday, sending a line drive to center field, and Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ryne Nelson didn't bother turning his head to watch the RBI double.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were in no position to enhance the roster through free agency or trades after reaching the Western Conference finals. They got that done in the NBA draft by jumping in to get Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham after a trade with San Antonio for the eighth overall pick. Then they finished a productive first round by selecting Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. at No. 27. The Timberwolves sent future picks to the Spurs for a backup point guard in Dillingham. They took Shannon two weeks after he was found not guilty of rape by a jury in Kansas.

Michael Conforto and David Villar hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning, Luis Matos hit a tiebreaking solo shot in the fifth and the San Francisco Giants beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3. Seiya Suzuki homered for Chicago, which lost its fourth in a row and fell to 3-13 in its last 16 road games. Giants starter Hayden Birdsong was called up from Triple-A Sacramento for his major league debut, and allowed three runs and six hits with five strikeouts and three walks in 4 2/3 innings. Luke Jackson (4-1) followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings for his fourth straight win. Camilo Doval pitched the ninth for his 14th save.

The Southeast Division controlled the top two selections in the NBA draft, with Atlanta and Washington picking 1-2. The Hawks took French teen Zaccharie Risacher. The Wizards selected French 7-footer Alex Sarr. The Hawks and Wizards may have been in close proximity in the draft, but on the court, the teams are in very different positions entering this offseason. The Hawks were in the play-in round last season. Washington lost a franchise-record 67 games.