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A little perspective on three-peats

By Paul Newberry The Associated Press ATHENS, Ga. — When Larry Farmer walked into UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion for the first time, his gaze quickly turned toward the rafters. It was impossible to miss all those championship banners. “I immediately knew that was the standard,” Farmer recalled Friday. “It was right there in plain sight. Second or third wasn’t really the goal.” As Georgia begins its quest for an unprecedented three-peat in college football, those who have been there before can provide some helpful perspective on what it takes to keep winning titles year ...

Technology can’t be sold short

By Jim Caltagirone For the Mirror The U.S. women’s national soccer team was defeated in the Round of 16 of the World Cup by Sweden, but it was knocked out of the tournament by technology. A video review of the decisive penalty kick by Sweden’s Lina Hurtig confirmed that the ball had crossed the goal line before American goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher reached behind to swat away the deflection of her initial block. “Someone said there was a picture of it, and it was off by a millimeter,” Naeher said. “It’s tough to have your World Cup end by a millimeter.” The Video ...

Buyer beware with Ohtani next year

By David Brandt The Associated Press The two-way baseball superstardom of Shohei Ohtani these past three seasons has been nothing short of absurd. Tape-measure homers on the regular. Fastballs that hovered around 100 mph. Sometimes, just a few minutes apart. In a sports world littered with questionable hyperbole, Ohtani’s on-field heroics lived up to every bit of the hype. It’s why there was a palpable sense of melancholy around the sport after the Los Angeles Angels announced that the 29-year-old Japanese sensation has a torn ligament in his elbow and won’t pitch again ...

What happened to the Yankees?

By Paul Newberry The Associated Press The franchise of Ruth and Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle, Jeter and Rivera is a pinstriped mess. The only recognizable thing about this storied club is the “New York” stitched across its uniforms. These are the Damned Yankees. “We’re not showing up,” Aaron Judge conceded. “No one’s happy about it.” Speak for yourself, Mr. Judge. Much of the baseball world is gloating about the misfortune of America’s most famous sports team, the one that always receives out-of-proportion media coverage and excessive slots in the national ...

Reaching for Messi is not new

Lionel Messi’s first appearance in a South Florida soccer stadium this season created high drama, and he wasn’t even wearing cleats. Messi’s formal introduction as the newest addition to the Inter Miami CF roster attracted a near-capacity crowd for an event that had all the trappings of a championship celebration. This wasn’t the first time an American city rolled out the red carpet for a superstar who was seeking a new experience, big payday, elusive team championship or fulfillment of a personal goal. Teams that are flush with cash doggedly pursue athletes who they view ...

All will suffer from realignment

The realignment frenzy in college athletics is all about football. And all that money, of course. There is barely a consideration of how these seismic changes will affect every other team on campus. From grueling road trips to missed classes to mental health challenges, it’s hard to see anything positive in all this dollar sign-driven nonsense if you’re an athlete who doesn’t happen to suit up for the pigskin squad. “I chose to play in the Pac-12 because of the ability to play close to home and in front of family,” said Shannon Cunningham, an Arizona State softball ...