YALE-HARVARD GOING TO FENWAY PARK
BOSTON» Yale football captain Kyle Mullen thought he would have one more chance to play in The Game at Harvard Stadium, a last trip to the century-old venue on the nearly 400year-old campus for the 135th edition of the rivalry.
Instead, the Bulldogs will play Harvard in November at Fenway Park — a ballpark with a bit of history itself.
“I was looking forward to beating Harvard at their home stadium,” Mullen said with a smile as he stood in the Fenway stands Tuesday. “But I guess I’ll have to settle for this.”
The home of the Boston Red Sox, Fenway will host the Ivy League finale Nov. 17. It’s the first new site for the game known as “The Game” since 1912.
“Any time you take the leap of faith, you sort of break up tradition,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. “It’s really an extraordinary opportunity to be playing here next year.”
Fenway was the home of the American Football League’s Boston Patriots in the 1960s, and it has also hosted college football since it opened in 1912. Last year, it was converted to a gridiron in the baseball offseason for several games, including a Boston College victory over UConn.
Coaches wants to reward transfer grads.
ARIZ.» The American SCOTTSDALE, Football Coaches Association wants the NCAA to consider allowing players who transfer and sit out a season at their new school to earn back that year of eligibility by graduating.
AFCA Executive Director Todd Berry said Tuesday the association’s board of trustees, a group of active college coaches representing each FBS conference along with FCS, Division III and Division III, unanimously backed the proposal to contribute to the NCAA’s work on reforming transfer rules.
Berry was in Arizona putting the idea in front of coaches from the Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, American Athletic Conference, Mid-American and Mountain West. The leagues are holding spring meetings.
An NCAA working group has been crafting what it hopes will be comprehensive changes to transfer rules for all sports.
Another gymnast comes forward.
HOUSTON» A former member of the U.S. national team became the latest gymnast to file suit over sexual abuse by imprisoned former sports doctor Larry Nassar’s, alleging USA Gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic Committee and the husband-and-wife duo who coached America’s top female gymnasts for three decades failed to protect her and other athletes.
Sabrina Vega, who was on the team that won a gold medal at the 2011 World Championships, alleges the organizations along with Bela and Martha Karolyi ignored signs about Nassar’s behavior or should have known he posed a risk to the gymnasts he treated.
Vega alleges that during medical treatments, Nassar molested her hundreds of times from 2008, when she 12 years old, until 2012, during competitions and while she trained at the Karolyi Ranch. The ranch is located outside of Huntsville, about 70 miles north of Houston. Vega’s lawsuit was filed in state district court in Huntsville.
Footnotes.
The winners of the singles titles at Wimbledon will each receive about $3 million as part of a 7.6 percent increase in the total prize money at this year’s tournament. The All England Club says the total prize fund will be 34 million pounds ($46.5 million). Of that, 2.25 million pounds ($3.07 million) will go to the men’s and women’s champions — up 50,000 pounds ($68,000) from 2017. … Real Madrid conceded early again but held on to a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich to reach its third straight Champions League final 4-3 on aggregate. … West Virginia forward Esa Ahmad has withdrawn his name from the NBA draft and will return for his senior season. … Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife, Amy, announced the birth of their first child on social media. Isla Rose Earnhardt was born Monday night. — The Associated Press