
AP Sports Summary for February 14th, 2024.
Shanahan bristles at the notion his 49ers can't win big games following another Super Bowl loss
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has heard the criticism that for some reason he is unable to win the big game. Those calls grew louder after a second Super Bowl loss in five seasons and Shanahan is as eager as anyone to quell them because it would mean he had won a title. The 49ers have just been unable to win the ultimate prize despite coming close in recent years, blowing late leads in two Super Bowls against Kansas City and losing two other times in the NFC title game.
Shaquille O'Neal's No. 32 jersey is the first to be retired by the Orlando Magic
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Shaquille O'Neal has become the first player to have his jersey number retired by the Orlando Magic. O'Neal's No. 32 was raised to the rafters on Tuesday. It was a day O'Neal thought would never come. He was drafted No. 1 overall by the Magic in 1992 and left Orlando after four seasons. He figured that would prevent him from being honored by the franchise. But the Magic had never retired a player's number and they decided their 35th anniversary season was the right time. O'Neal is the third player to have his jersey retired by three franchises, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Pete Maravich.
Warriors' Draymond Green calls Suns' Jusuf Nurkic 'softy' as players continue feud on social media
PHOENIX (AP) — Golden State forward Draymond Green and Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic have continued their feud on social media, with Green calling Nurkic a "300-pound softy" three nights after the Warriors beat the Suns on Stephen Curry's last-second 3-pointer. It's the continuation of a back-and-forth that started in December, when Green hit Nurkic in the head and was suspended by the NBA. The players exchanged taunts throughout Saturday's game. Green said on his podcast Tuesday that Nurkic was "embarrassed" because he's "not good enough." Nurkic fired back on X, saying Green shouldn't be "late for therapy." Green then called Nurkic a "300-pound softy that can't finish games."
Chiefs coach Andy Reid already talking about preparations for next season
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs coach Andy Reid already was thinking about next season on Tuesday when he talked with a small group of reporters upon his return from the Super Bowl. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday for their second consecutive championship and third in five years. There is a celebratory parade through downtown Kansas City on Wednesday, capped by a rally at Union Station where hundreds of thousands of fans are expected. Reid plans to give his staff about a week off after that to recharge, then they will get back to work with the NFL's scouting combine beginning Feb. 27 in Indianapolis.
An arrest has been made in the theft of a Jackie Robinson statue later found dismantled and burned
Police say a 45-year-old man has been arrested in the theft of a bronze Jackie Robinson statue found dismantled and burned in Kansas. Wichita police say Tuesday that Ricky Alderete was taken into custody in an unrelated case earlier this month and charged Monday. Police say the motive appeared to be financial and was unrelated to race. Thieves cut the bronze statue from its base at a Wichita park where a youth baseball league called League 42 plays. It is named after Robinson's uniform number with the Brooklyn Dodgers, with whom he broke the major leagues' color barrier in 1947. Alderete's attorney in the public defender's office did not immediately return a request for comment.
Jenny Cavnar makes history as Oakland A's primary play-by-play announcer
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Veteran baseball broadcaster Jenny Cavnar is the new primary play-by-play announcer for the Oakland Athletics, hired by NBC Sports California. Cavnar becomes the first woman to handle primary play-by-play duties in major league history — set to be the voice for most of the A's games during the upcoming 2024 season. She has covered baseball for 17 of her 20 years in the media business, most recently calling Colorado Rockies games the past 12 years as a backup play-by-play announcer while also hosting pregame and postgame shows and regional coverage.
Maple Leafs' Morgan Rielly suspended 5 games by the NHL for cross-checking the Senators' Ridly Greig
Morgan Rielly has been suspended five games for cross-checking Ridly Greig in the final seconds of a game over the weekend. The veteran Toronto defenseman took exception to the young Ottawa forward firing a slap shot into an empty net with 5.1 seconds left to make it 5-3 Senators. Rielly's absence is a major blow to the Maple Leafs as they try to hold on to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference without one of their most valuable players. Rielly skates over 24 minutes a game for Toronto and was one of the team's All-Star representatives.
ESPN, College Football Playoff agree on 6-year deal worth $1.3 billion annually, AP sources say
Two people with knowledge of the agreement say ESPN and the College Football Playoff have agreed to a six-year deal worth $1.3 billion annually that will allow the network to keep exclusive rights to the 12-team playoff through the 2031 season. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because a deal cannot be finalized until the CFP works through other outstanding issues regarding the format and revenue distribution. The Athletic first reported an agreement had been reached on those terms. ESPN declined to comment and CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock says negotiations are continuing.
Column: Three days of noise and hype in golf will be followed by Tiger Woods playing again
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Golf had three big events over the past three days. Their identity was loud noise and the hype to match. Who would have guessed the tamest would be LIV Golf? It was a strange end of the week. The WM Phoenix Open got most of the attention for being out of control even by Phoenix standards. Organizers say weather contributed to fans congregating and causing congestion. Alcohol might have been a factor. Tiger Woods had a miniature rock concert in LA to announce his new brand. As for LIV? Dustin Johnson won and now the circuit goes to Saudi Arabia.
Rintaro Sasaki, projected No. 1 pick in Japanese pro draft, decides to play baseball at Stanford
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Japanese high school baseball star Rintaro Sasaki has signed a national letter of intent to play at Stanford in 2025. Sasaki will graduate in March from Hanamaki-Higashi High School, the school that produced major league star Shohei Ohtani. Sasaki hit a Japanese high school-record 140 home runs and was projected to be the No. 1 pick in the Nippon Professional Baseball draft, but decided to go to a U.S. college. Sasaki has walked twice as many times as he has struck out and has a career batting average of .413, with a .514 on-base percentage and .808 slugging percentage.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Boston 118 Brooklyn 110
Final Oklahoma City 127 Orlando 113
Final Miami 123 Milwaukee 97
Final Minnesota 121 Portland 109
Final Phoenix 130 Sacramento 125
Final L.A. Lakers 125 Detroit 111
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Buffalo 7 Los Angeles 0
Final Toronto 4 St. Louis 1
Final Montreal 5 Anaheim 0
Final Ottawa 6 Columbus 3
Final Colorado 6 Washington 3
Final SO Tampa Bay 3 Boston 2
Final SO Seattle 2 N-Y Islanders 1
Final Dallas 4 Carolina 2
Final New Jersey 4 Nashville 2
Final Vancouver 4 Chicago 2
Final Edmonton 8 Detroit 4
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (4)Marquette 78 Butler 72
Final Syracuse 86 (7)North Carolina 79
Final (10)Iowa St. 68 Cincinnati 59
Final (12)Baylor 79 (25)Oklahoma 62
Final (14)Illinois 97 Michigan 68
Final (16)Dayton 75 Duquesne 59
Final (17)Creighton 94 Georgetown 72
Final (19)BYU 90 UCF 88
Final (20)Wisconsin 62 Ohio St. 54
Final Pittsburgh 74 (21)Virginia 63
Final (22)Kentucky 75 Mississippi 63
Final Illinois St. 80 (23)Indiana St. 67
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Atlanta at Charlotte 7 p.m.
Miami at Philadelphia 7 p.m.
New York at Orlando 7 p.m.
Brooklyn at Boston 7:30 p.m.
Chicago at Cleveland 7:30 p.m.
Indiana at Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Houston at Memphis 8 p.m.
Washington at New Orleans 8 p.m.
San Antonio at Dallas 8:30 p.m.
Detroit at Phoenix 9 p.m.
L.A. Lakers at Utah 9 p.m.
Sacramento at Denver 9 p.m.
L.A. Clippers at Golden State 10 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Florida at Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m.
San Jose at Winnipeg 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Arizona 9:30 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(1)UConn at DePaul 9 p.m.
(8)Tennessee at Arkansas 9 p.m.
(11)South Carolina at (13)Auburn 8:30 p.m.
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