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Bills failed on drafting of Araiza

By Rob Maaddi The Associated Press The Buffalo Bills decided releasing Matt Araiza was the “right thing” to do, two days after the rookie punter was accused of gang-raping a teenager in a civil lawsuit. The only surprise is that it took this long. “Our culture in Buffalo is more important than winning football games,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Saturday night. After a “thorough examination” by the team failed to produce sufficient information for management to act, disturbing details in the lawsuit plus public backlash forced the Bills to cut ...

Defending champs not worried about defending

By Paul Newberry The Associated Press ATLANTA — A significant chunk of Georgia’s defense for the ages has moved on to the NFL. Can we expect a major drop-off in 2022? Don’t count on it. The reigning national champions still have plenty of talent on that side of the line, led by massive lineman Jalen Carter, linebacker Nolan Smith, and defensive backs Kelee Ringo and Christopher Smith. They’ll get a chance to claim the spotlight when No. 3 Georgia opens the season Saturday against No. 11 Oregon in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in ...

Cowboys should put aside feud

By Jim Caltagirone For the Mirror One of the nation’s longest-running soap operas continues to hold an audience. It has been 28 years since Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson announced a “transition” that ended Johnson’s tenure as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, but the status of their relationship remains a source of nationwide interest and entertainment. Just prior to Johnson’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021, Jones committed to enshrining his two-time Super Bowl-winning coach in the club’s Ring of Honor. However, as a committee of one, Jones ...

More discontent ahead for golf

By Paul Newberry The Associated Press ATLANTA — Golf’s season of discontent reaches its official stopping point this weekend at the Tour Championship. Predicting where the sport goes from here is sort of like trying to hole a shot from the fairway. The PGA Tour was woefully slow in reacting to the challenge from upstart, Saudi-backed LIV Golf. When it finally mustered a defense on the historic grounds of East Lake Golf Club, it seemed nothing more than a bunch of warmed-over ideas pulled straight from rebel tour’s playbook. Mainly, it comes down to this: The top PGA Tour ...

LL memories will last a lifetime

Every year the annual Little League World Series brings back a flood of memories for me, and I'm especially happy the Hollidaysburg kids are the first Blair County team to play for all of the marbles in Williamsport. In the summer of 1962, I was selected as a center fielder on the Altoona Little League all-star team that was fully expected to reach the Little League World Series. It was the best baseball team on which I ever played. We had a strong pitching staff, great hitters and always played well defensively. We opened play in mid-July on our home field, which was then ...

It’s been a dreary week in sports

When you awake to a dreary day, it puts you in a bit of a mood. Especially when you’re a journalist, which for some of us is essentially a synonym for grumpy cynic. Considering we’re still more than four months way from Festivus and the annual Airing of the Grievances, let’s see if there’s room for a new summer tradition. A few things that are bugging me (in no particular order): n Deshaun Watson will return to the football field this season, albeit after sitting out an 11-game suspension, paying a $5 million fine and getting some long-overdue treatment for his shocking ...