Blue Jays suspend CF Pillar
ATLANTA — Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar was suspended two games Thursday for yelling an anti-gay slur at an Atlanta Braves pitcher. The Blue Jays suspended Pillar without pay shortly after he apologized in a prepared statement, saying he was “completely and utterly embarrassed” by the word he directed at Jason Motte. Pillar was angry at Motte for allegedly quick-pitching him to get a strikeout that ended the seventh inning in Atlanta’s 8-4 victory Wednesday night. Replays appeared to show Pillar using the slur as he shouted toward the mound. After what he described as a sleepless night, the player acknowledged his wrongdoing. “I regret saying it,” Pillar told reporters at Sun Trust Park a few hours before the finale of a four-game series against the Braves. “I’m going to use myself as an example of how there are words out there you can’t use. It’s not a word I use ever. … It’s something that just came out.” Toronto general manager Ross Atkins flew to Atlanta to apologize on behalf of the organization and announce the suspension, which he said was deemed appropriate by Major League Baseball and commissioner Rob Manfred.
› NEW YORK — Hall of Famer John Smoltz, the former Atlanta Braves pitcher, is among 16 men appointed to a new competition committee by Manfred. Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro is the only holdover from the 14-man special committee for on-field matters appointed by then-commissioner Bud Selig in 2009. Manfred is considering implementing speedup rules in 2018 that could include a pitch clock and limits on catchers’ trips to the mound.
HORSE RACING
› BALTIMORE — Charging hard down the stretch, Lookin At Lee barely missed winning the Kentucky Derby as a 33-1 long shot — yet his second-place finish seemingly impressed few. Lookin at Lee has received little attention at Pimlico Race Course this week and is a 10-1 underdog in the Preakness Stakes behind Always Dreaming, the 4-5 favorite in Saturday’s race after outlasting Lookin At Lee by a mere 2 3/4 lengths at muddy Churchill Downs. What gives? “We don’t worry about that too much,” Lookin at Lee assistant trainer Scott Blasi said after Wednesday’s draw. “He’s a blue-collar horse and probably easy to overlook, but he’s not for us.” Lookin At Lee hasn’t won a race since last August but has finished in the money in seven of 10 career races. In the in the Arkansas Derby on April 15, Lookin At Lee finished 1 1/2 lengths behind winner Classic Empire and a length behind runner-up Conquest Mo Money. Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Always Dreaming, called the Kentucky Derby runner-up “a very good horse” and said he expects another close race Saturday.
FOOTBALL
› GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida receiver Antonio Callaway, the team’s top playmaker, is facing a marijuana possession charge. According to court documents posted Thursday, Callaway was cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession (fewer than 20 grams) last weekend in Gainesville. Coach Jim McElwain said in a statement that he’s aware of the citation and “it is being dealt with.” Callaway, who will be a junior this season, has 89 catches for 1,399 yards and 11 touchdowns in two seasons.
› LOS ANGELES — The opening of the $2.6 billion football stadium under construction in Inglewood, Calif., has been pushed back one year to 2020 because of construction delays caused by an uncommonly wet winter. Los Angeles Rams spokesman Artis Twyman confirmed the delay Thursday for the 70,000-seat stadium, which will be shared by the NFL’s Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. The massive project also includes a 300-acre entertainment district.