AP Sports Summary for September 28th.
Damian Lillard traded from the Trail Blazers to the Bucks in 3-team deal
Damian Lillard was traded by Portland to play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee on Wednedday. The deal ends his 11-year run with the Trail Blazers and a a three-month saga surrounding Lillard's wish to be moved elsewhere in hopes of winning an NBA title. The seven-time All-Star goes from the Trail Blazers to the Bucks in a three-team deal that sends Jrue Holiday from the Bucks to Portland, Deandre Ayton from Phoenix to Portland and Jusuf Nurkic from the Blazers to the Suns.
Michigan State fires coach Mel Tucker for bringing ridicule to school, breaching his contract
Michigan State has fired Mel Tucker, saying the suspended football coach failed to present adequate reasons why he should not be fired for cause after having what he described as consensual phone sex with an activist and rape survivor. The school said Wednesday that it terminated what's left of Tucker's $95 million, 10-year contract for acknowledging actions that subjected the institution to ridicule, among other reasons. The woman said Tucker sexually harassed her during the phone call in April 2022. Michigan State informed the 51-year-old Tucker that it planned to fire him on Sept. 18 and gave him a week to respond, which he did on Monday.
Rory McIlroy once called the Ryder Cup an exhibition. He knows better now
GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy (AP) — The Ryder Cup is no exhibition. That's how Rory McIlroy referred to it before playing in his first one and he laughs at those words now. McIlroy read comments he made 14 years ago about how it wouldn't mean all that much to him and he wouldn't be fist-pumping. That changed when he played his first one in Wales in 2010. And now he's the most experienced Ryder Cup player at Marco Simone and a de facto leader of Team Europe. McIlroy wants to be sure younger players look over to him without looking up to him.
Travis Kelce notes Taylor Swift's bold appearance at Chiefs game but is mum about any relationship
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce calls Taylor Swift's appearance at the Chiefs' victory over the Chicago Bears bold but wants to remain private about any relationship with the superstar singer. Speaking on his podcast "New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce," Kelce discussed Swift's well-publicized appearance in a suite at Arrowhead Stadium with his family during Sunday's 41-10 victory. The 12-time Grammy Award winner sat next to Kelce's mom, Donna, and yelled during the game. While he acknowledged being more vocal in the media spotlight than Swift, he said he wanted to respect both of their lives and keep the discussion focused on football.
Rays hold oddly timed celebration, 10 days after clinching postseason berth
BOSTON (AP) — Champagne sprayed, cigar smoke wafted through the air and the Tampa Bay Rays passed around a fancy glass decanter of liquor while hip hop music blared from the speakers in the visitor's clubhouse at Fenway Park. It was time to celebrate. What they were celebrating wasn't obvious. The Rays donned ski goggles, covered their lockers with plastic and danced a victory dance for the traditional party that comes when a baseball team clinches a spot in the postseason. There was just one minor quibble: They didn't clinch anything at all by beating the Boston Red Sox 5-0 on Wednesday night. The Rays secured a playoff spot 10 days earlier on a day they lost to Baltimore.
Guardians give manager Terry Francona perfect send-off in his final home game, 4-3 win over Reds
CLEVELAND (AP) — Shane Bieber shut down Cincinnati for six innings and the Cleveland Guardians sent manager Terry Francona off with a victory in his final home game, 4-3 over the Reds, whose playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. Bieber limited the Reds to one run and five hits in just his second start since July 15. The right-hander missed more than two months with elbow inflammation, one of several key injuries that contributed to the Guardians not defending their AL Central title. The Reds are 1 1/2 games behind Chicago and Miami for the last NL wild card with just three games left.
Pro Picks: Lions get another win in Lambeau after ending Aaron Rodgers' career with the Packers
The Detroit Lions are going back to Lambeau Field for the first time since ending Aaron Rodgers' career in Green Bay. The Packers look just fine with Jordan Love. The two 2-1 teams meet Thursday night in an early season battle for first place in the NFC North. Love, who led an impressive comeback win over the Saints last week, watched from sideline when the Lions knocked the Packers out of the playoffs with a win in the final regular-season game in 2022. The Packers haven't had running back Aaron Jones and wide receiver Christian Watson the past couple of games because of hamstring injuries. If they can return on a short week, that'll boost an offense that has played well behind Love.
Ezekiel Elliott focuses on Patriots knowing emotions may flow in homecoming with Cowboys
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Ezekiel Elliott is set for a Dallas homecoming when his New England Patriots visit the Cowboys. Elliott figures there will be emotions when he returns to the place where he was a star for seven seasons alongside quarterback Dak Prescott. The two-time rushing champion believes he can keep the focus on getting the Patriots a victory. The Cowboys released the club's No. 3 career rusher in a cost-cutting move in the offseason. A slow start for Elliott is turning around after a short training camp. He's coming off a season-high 80 yards in a win over the New York Jets.
Without Lionel Messi, Inter Miami loses 2-1 to Houston in US Open Cup final
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi was not on Inter Miami's roster for the U.S. Open Cup final against Houston on Wednesday night, marking the fourth match for club and country that he's missed in recent weeks while dealing with some sort of leg issue. It's unclear if Messi will continue to be sidelined with Inter Miami resumes its push to make Major League Soccer's playoffs this weekend. Without Messi, Inter Miami struggled and lost the title match 2-1. NBA star James Harden is part of the Houston club's ownership group and was at the match to see his team win the trophy.
Former first daughter Barbara Bush tells AP about helping lead NBA's social responsibility efforts
Barbara Bush never got to any of the NBA championship celebrations held at the White House when her grandfather was president of the United States. Never got to one when her father occupied the Oval Office, either. She got to the one held for Golden State earlier this year as an NBA employee. The former first daughter has very quietly worked for the NBA for the past year after connecting with the league during the pandemic on some health-related and social justice initiatives. The league has now announced that Bush was recently promoted to lead its social responsibility department, helping oversee initiatives surrounding racial justice, public service and more.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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INTERLEAGUE
Final Arizona 3 Chicago White Sox 0
Final Cleveland 4 Cincinnati 3
Final Baltimore 5 Washington 1
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Kansas City at Detroit 1:10 p.m. (Suspended)
Final Tampa Bay 5 Boston 0
Final N.Y. Yankees 6 Toronto 0
Final Minnesota 6 Oakland 4
Final Texas 5 L.A. Angels 0
Final Houston 8 Seattle 3
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final N.Y. Mets 11 Miami 2
Final Philadelphia 7 Pittsburgh 6
Final Atlanta 6 Chicago Cubs 5
Final Milwaukee 3 St. Louis 2
Final Miami 4 N.Y. Mets 2
Final L.A. Dodgers 8 Colorado 2
Final San Diego 5 San Francisco 2
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PRESEASON
Final Toronto 5 Buffalo 2
Final N-Y Islanders 2 Philadelphia 1
Final Carolina 4 Florida 1
Final Montreal 4 Ottawa 3
Final OT Tampa Bay 2 Nashville 1
Final SO Calgary 3 Winnipeg 2
Final OT Edmonton 2 Vancouver 1
Final Anaheim 4 San Jose 2
Final OT Los Angeles 4 Vegas 3
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Final tie FC Dallas 1 Philadelphia 1
Final tie Vancouver 2 Colorado 2
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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INTERLEAGUE
Arizona at Chi White Sox 2:10 p.m.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Kansas City at Detroit 1:10 p.m.
Oakland at Minnesota 1:10 p.m.
Boston at Baltimore 6:35 p.m.
N-Y Yankees at Toronto 7:07 p.m.
Texas at Seattle 9:40 p.m.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis at Milwaukee 4:10 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia 6:05 p.m.
Miami at N-Y Mets 7:10 p.m.
Chi Cubs at Atlanta 7:20 p.m.
L-A Dodgers at Colorado 8:40 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PRESEASON
Buffalo at Pittsburgh 7 p.m.
Detroit at Washington 7 p.m.
New Jersey at N-Y Rangers 7 p.m.
Colorado at Minnesota 8 p.m.
St. Louis at Chicago 8:30 p.m.
Vancouver at Seattle 10 p.m.
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Detroit at Green Bay 8:15 p.m.