Press Box: Sports Recap
AUTO RACING: The crew chief for Aric Almirola is the latest to earn a NASCAR suspension for a failed inspection. Drew
Blickensderfer was suspended three races because Almirola’s fourth-place car at Talladega Superspeedway had too much rear skew. He was also fined $65,000 and Almirola was docked 35 points.
COLLEGES: Illinois OL Darta Lee , TE Zarrian Holcombe and OL Howard Watkins were suspended indefinitely following arrests on charges of home invasion and armed robbery . ... UNLV junior F Dwayne Morgan was suspended indefinitely following his arrest on a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge in a dispute with a taxi driver over cab fare . ... Tennessee G
Shembari Phillips is transferring after two seasons with the Volunteers. He made 13 starts last season and averaged 6.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists . ... Nevada men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman signed a five-year extension through 2021-22 after leading the Wolf Pack to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007.
CYCLING: Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria won a bunch sprint at the end of the fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia to claim his second stage win. Quick-Step teammate Bob Jungels remained in the overall lead.
HOCKEY: Brock Nelson scored twice as the United States cruised to its third win of the ice hockey world championship with a 3-0 win over Italy in Cologne, Germany.
MEDIA: The wife of longtime ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman died in a traffic crash in Connecticut, the sports network’s president confirmed. Katherine Ann
Berman, 67, a teacher, was one of two victims in the two-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon in Woodbury, Conn., state police said. The other victim was identified by police as Edward Bertulis, 87, of Waterbury . ... Former Chiefs and Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez is joining Fox’s NFL pregame show. He will be a studio analyst on “NFL Kickoff ” after working on CBS’ “NFL Today” from 2014-16.
NFL: WR Michael Floyd signed a oneyear, $1.5 million contract with the Vikings. The deal could be worth as much as $6 million in incentives. Floyd, a St. Paul native and former Notre Dame standout, spent five years with the Cardinals, catching 242 passes for 3,739 yards and 23 touchdowns before the team waived him in December after he was arrested for driving under the influence . ... The NFL promoted Alberto Riveron to its head of officiating, replacing Dean Blandino.
SOCCER: Defending champion Real Madrid withstood an early onslaught by Atletico Madrid to reach a third Champions League final in four years despite a 2-1 loss. Francisco “Isco” Alarcon netted a crucial away goal for Real Madrid before halftime to secure a 4-2 victory on aggregate and a spot in the final against Juventus on June 3 in Cardiff.
TENNIS: Defending champion Novak Djokovic recovered from a 3-0 deficit in the third set to defeat Nicolas Almagro 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 and reach the third round at the Madrid Open. Rafael Nadal advanced after a 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4 win over Fabio Fognini .In the women’s draw, Eugenie Bouchard advanced to the quarterfinals after topseeded Angelique Kerber retired with a left thigh injury in the second set. Bouchard was leading 6-3, 5-0 when Kerber pulled out.