BOYS OF SUMMER ARE BACK
Toronto Blue Jays catcher Luke Maile relaxes as he waits for the start of spring training in Dunedin, Fla. Monday.
St. Andrews to host 2021 British Open
The British Open is returning to the home of golf in 2021. The Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland will host the 150th anniversary of the world’s oldest major to mark “a true celebration of golf ’s original championship and its historic ties to St. Andrews,” the R&A said. It will be the 30th time the Open Championship is played on the Old Course, and the first since 2015 when Zach Johnson lifted the Claret Jug after a threeway playoff. It ends the cycle of St. Andrews staging the Open every five years since 1990. It first hosted the event in 1873.
Ticats give two-year deal to receiver Tasker
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats signed American receiver Luke Tasker
to a two-year contract extension Monday. “Luke is a leader in our locker-room and has developed into one of the best receivers in the Canadian Football League,” head coach June Jones said. Tasker, 27, registered career highs in games (18), catches (104), receiving yards (1,167) and receiving touchdowns (seven) last season. The son of former Buffalo Bills star Steve Tasker, he has a career mark of 341 receptions for 4,224 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Bowman to play 13th season with Alouettes
John Bowman will return for a 13th CFL season. The Montreal Alouettes announced Monday Bowman, the club’s all-time sacks leader with 121, will play in 2018. Bowman, 35, has recorded 10 or more sacks in a season seven times. “John is a true Montrealer and we are thrilled that
he will have an opportunity to continue playing in front of the best fans in the CFL,” GM Kavis Reed said. The six-foot-three, 250-pound Bowman, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., had a team-high nine sacks last season. Bowman has been named a league all-star twice and helped Montreal win Grey Cups in 2009 and 2010.
Former Jays pitcher facing drug charges
Former all-star pitcher Esteban Loaiza has been arrested on suspicion of trafficking drugs after packages containing a white powder believed to be cocaine were found at a home he rented in Southern California, officials said Monday. The 46-year-old former player was booked Friday on charges involving the possession, transport and sale of 20 kilograms of suspected cocaine worth an estimated $500,000, according to the San Diego Sheriff ’s
Department. Loaiza played for numerous teams from 1995 to 2008, including the Toronto Blue Jays from 2000 to 2002.
Son of Cavs’ owner to undergo brain surgery
Nick Gilbert, the son of Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert who became a good-luck charm during the NBA lottery, will undergo brain surgery this week. A team spokesman said the 21-year-old Michigan State student will have the operation in Detroit. In 2011, the younger Gilbert endeared himself to Cavaliers fans when he represented the team at the draft lottery. Cleveland won the No. 1 overall pick, which the team later used to select all-star guard Kyrie Irving. Nick Gilbert was born with neurofibromatosis, a nerve disorder that causes tumours. He has undergone previous surgeries for the genetic illness.