Burnes wins Orioles debut
Orioles starter Corbin Burnes gave up a solo homer to three-time MVP Mike Trout in the top of the first inning Thursday, but that was the only hit he allowed in his Baltimore debut.
Burnes pitched six innings and struck out 11 Angels in an 11-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on opening day at Camden Yards.
The Orioles traded with the Milwaukee Brewers in the offseason for the 2021 NL Cy Young winner as they look to repeat as AL East champions.
Cedric Mullins and Adley Rutschman homered as Baltimore steadily built an 11-1 lead.
COLLEGE WRESTLING
Dean Hamiti, a Big Ten wrestling champion for Wisconsin in 2023, is transferring to Oklahoma State, he announced this week.
The 165-pound competitor was a three-year starter for the Badgers. He was a conference champion as a sophomore and the runner-up this season as a junior. He reached all-American status in the weight class as a freshman and sophomore.
He has one year of eligibility left.
Hamiti reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA championships this season and finished 28-4. The Joliet, Illinois, native was 81-14 in three seasons.
NFL
The Carolina Panthers flew under the radar and signed free agent outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney on Wednesday.
The team did not disclose terms but ESPN and NFL Network reported it’s a two-year deal worth $20 million and up to $24 million with incentives. Clowney fills a big void for a Panthers club that traded Pro Bowl pass rusher Brian Burns to the New York Giants earlier this month and lost Yetur Gross-Matos in free agency.
Clowney, 31, racked up 9.5 sacks in 17 games (15 starts) last season for the Ravens. That matched his career high for sacks, accomplished in 2017. The Panthers will be Clowney’s sixth team. He has 52.5 sacks in 126 games (113 starts).
NBA
After exploring the possibility of relocation to Virginia, the NBA’s Wizards and NHL’s Capitals will be staying in Washington until 2050.
Washington mayor Muriel E. Bowser and Ted Leonsis, who owns both franchises, signed a deal on Wednesday that would keep the Wizards and Capitals in town as long as the D.C. Council approves it.
Per the deal, the city will put $515 million into Capital One Arena – the home of both the Wizards and Capitals – over the next three years. Because of those renovations, Leonsis will sign a new lease that runs from 2025-50.
Just three months ago, Leonsis had a handshake agreement with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) in place for the construction of a new arena in Alexandria.
Knicks center returns: New York center Mitchell Robinson returned from a 50-game absence due to an ankle injury and played 12 minutes in the Knicks’ 145-101 rout of the host Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. Robinson sustained the injury on Dec. 8 and required surgery.
Robinson, who turns 26 on Monday, began the night averaging 6.2 points with a team-high 10.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21 games (all starts) before the injury.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
After working a dozen years for two of the most successful programs in the nation, John Jakus is getting a shot to lead his own program.
Florida Atlantic announced Wednesday that it hired Jakus as its head basketball coach. Terms of the deal weren’t revealed, but Jakus received a fiveyear contract, according to multiple media reports.
Jakus, 48, takes over the Owls after spending the last 12 years at Baylor and Gonzaga. After joining the Bears as a graduate assistant for two seasons, he moved to Gonzaga to serve as the director of basketball operations under Mark Few. In 2017, he rejoined Baylor as an assistant under Scott Drew.
The Bulldogs reached the national championship game in Jakus’ tenure in 2017 and the Bears won the national championship in 2021. In 12 seasons as a Division I coach, Jakus has seen his teams appear in five Sweet 16s, three Elite Eights and two Final Fours with the one national championship.