AP Sports Update for Tuesday Morning, August 8th, 2022
AP source: Durant reiterates desire to be traded by Brooklyn
Kevin Durant has again told Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai that he wants to be traded. He's reiterating a request he first made nearly six weeks ago. That's according to a person with knowledge of the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Monday night. That person says Durant also told Tsai that he has concerns about the Nets' direction under coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks. The Athletic first reported the details of the latest meeting between Tsai and Durant. Tsai tweeted Monday night that he supports the team's front office and coaching staff.
PGA Tour says players knew consequences of joining LIV Golf
The PGA Tour is asking a federal judge not to allow three suspended players from LIV Golf to take part in the FedEx Cup playoffs, the tour's lucrative postseason. Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford are seeking a temporary restraining order in federal court in California. A hearing is set for Tuesday. The first FedEx Cup playoff event starts Thursday in Tennessee. The tour says in an opposition filing that the LIV players knew they were ineligible for the postseason two months ago and are just now filing for an emergency stay.
Serena Williams earns first win of season in Toronto
TORONTO (AP) — Serena Williams earned her first win in more than a year by beating Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 6-3, 6-4 at the women's National Bank Open. It's just the second tournament of the season for the 40-year-old Williams, who returned to competition at Wimbledon just over a month ago. The 23-time Grand Slam champion fell in the first round to Harmony Tan in three sets at the All England Club. Before then, she last competed at the 2021 Wimbledon tournament, where she retired in the middle of her first match due to a torn hamstring. It was Williams' first victory since the 2021 French Open.
NFL: Rodgers' use of ayahuasca didn't violate drug policy
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' use of the hallucinogenic drink ayahuasca during an offseason retreat isn't considered a violation of the NFL's drug policy. Rodgers discussed on "The Aubrey Marcus Podcast" last week how he went on an ayahuasca retreat to Peru in 2020. Ayahuasca is defined as a psychoactive beverage native to South America and is often used for religious, ritualistic or medicinal purposes. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy says it wouldn't have triggered a positive test result on either the substance abuse or performance-enhancing substance policies collectively bargained by the NFL and its players' association.
Judge hits No. 44, Yankees beat Mariners 9-4 to stop skid
SEATTLE (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his 44th homer, Josh Donaldson went deep and drove in three runs, and the New York Yankees snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the Seattle Mariners 9-4. Donaldson doubled twice and Andrew Benintendi also had two doubles and three RBIs. But it wasn't a perfect night for New York because Matt Carpenter broke his left foot when he fouled off a pitch in the first inning. He hopes to return in September. Donaldson and Benintendi got the Yankees started as they knocked around Logan Gilbert for seven earned runs and 10 hits — six for extra bases. That was plenty for winner Jameson Taillon, who scattered three hits over seven innings.
Yankees DH Matt Carpenter fractures left foot on foul ball
SEATTLE (AP) — New York Yankees designated hitter Matt Carpenter broke his left foot when he fouled off a pitch against the Seattle Mariners and will be out indefinitely. Carpenter fouled a slider from starter Logan Gilbert off the foot in the first inning. Carpenter was briefly checked by manager Aaron Boone, but finished the at-bat and struck out swinging. He was replaced by Tim Locastro in the third. Carpenter had been enjoying a comeback season at age 36. The three-time All-Star began the night batting .307 with 15 home runs and 37 RBIs in just 127 at-bats.
Orioles hit 4 homers in 7-4 victory over Blue Jays
BALTIMORE (AP) — Ramón Urías hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and Anthony Santander, Ryan Mountcastle and Austin Hays also went deep to lift the Baltimore Orioles to a 7-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles entered the day two games behind Seattle and Tampa Bay for the final two wild cards in the American League. They pulled within three of Toronto for the first wild card. This was the first of 15 meetings down the stretch between the Blue Jays and Orioles.
Pandemic fuels sports biking boom in cycling nation China
BEIJING (AP) — Cycling is growing in popularity in China as a sport, not just a way to get to work. A coronavirus outbreak that shut down indoor sports facilities in Beijing earlier this year encouraged people to try outdoor sports including cycling. Organized rides in the Chinese capital take cyclists to outlying suburbs or city landmarks. Bicycles once outnumbered cars on China's city streets. Now cycling is increasingly seen as a sport by a newly affluent urban middle class. The sport's rising popularity has boosted sales of bicycles and signals growing public awareness of environmental protection and low-carbon lifestyles. At least 20 million people are participating in the sport nationwide.
Oklahoma's Gundy out after saying 'racially charged' word
A day after Oklahoma assistant head football coach Cale Gundy announced his resignation, the school said Gundy uttered what it called a racially charged word multiple times during a film session last week. Gundy had been with the program as an assistant since 1999. He announced his resignation Sunday in a social media post, and the school confirmed it with a statement shortly thereafter. Oklahoma sent out another statement on Monday giving more details about the incident.
Russian tennis players collect 3 titles at US Open tuneups
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's been quite a week for Russia's professional tennis players. There were four WTA and ATP tournaments — and Russians earned three of those titles. One of them, Liudmila Samsonova, thinks it might not be merely a coincidence that this recent run of success for her, Daria Kasatkina and Daniil Medvedev comes shortly after they were banned from competing at Wimbledon because of their country's invasion of, and ongoing war in, Ukraine. Samsonova beat Estonia's Kaia Kanepi 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final of the Citi Open in Washington on Sunday. That came a day after Medvedev won the championship at Los Cabos, Mexico, and several hours before Kasatkina won a title in California. All three are hard-court tuneups for the U.S. Open.