Bud Grant, stoic coach of powerful Vikings teams, dies at 95
Bud Grant, the stoic and demanding Hall of Fame coach who took the Minnesota Vikings and their mighty Purple People Eaters defense to four Super Bowls in eight years and lost all of them, has died. He was 95.
The Vikings announced Grant’s death on social media Saturday.
“We are absolutely devastated to announce legendary Minnesota Vikings head coach and Hall of Famer Bud Grant has passed away this morning at age 95,” the post said. “We, like all Vikings and NFL fans, are shocked and saddened by this terrible news.”
Wearing his trademark purple Vikings cap and a stone-faced demeanor, Grant’s steely sideline gaze became synonymous with his teams. He guided the Vikings from 1967-85, with a one-year hiatus in 1984, on his way to a 158-96-5 record with 11 division championships in 18 seasons. He went 10-12 in the playoffs.
When he retired, Grant was eighth on the NFL’s all-time victory list.
Baseball
OHTANI, SASAKI HELP JAPAN REACH WBC QUARTERFINALS >>
Shohei Ohtani had another RBI double, 21-year-old right-hander Roki Sasaki reached 100 mph 21 times in 66 pitches and Japan beat the Czech Republic 10-2 on Saturday night to clinch a quarterfinal berth in the World
Baseball Classic.
Shugo Maki hit his second home run of the tournament and new Boston Red Sox oufielder Masataka Yoshida had three RBIs, including a go-ahead, two-run double in the third inning off loser Ondrej Satoria as the Samurai Warriors overcame a 1-0 deficit.
Ohtani went 1 for 3 with a walk before a crowd of 41,637 in the Tokyo Dome, leaving for a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. He is 5 for 10 with three doubles, four RBIs and five walks for Japan (3-0), which has one more group game and will host a quarterfinal on Wednesday or Thursday. He also has pitched four scoreless innings.
Hockey VAN REIMSDYK TO $9M, 3-YEAR DEAL >>
The Washington Capitals have resigned defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk to a threeyear contract worth $9 million.
General manager Brian MacLellan announced the extension Saturday, hours before his team took on the New York Islanders. The deal through the 2025-26 season carries a $3 million annual salary cap hit.
Van Riemsdyk, 31, and forward Conor Sheary were the only two pending unrestricted free agents Washington did not trade before the deadline. It was not immediately clear how close the Capitals and Sheary might be to a contract.
But they made it clear van Riemsdyk is part of their future blue line, along with Nick Jensen, who got a $12.15 million, threeyear contract to stay. Van Riemsdyk has a careerhigh 19 points through 66 games this season.
Skiing
SHIFFRIN SETS WORLD CUP SKIING RECORD WITH 87TH WIN >>
Two minutes after earning her 87th career win, Mikaela Shiffrin finally understood the significance of setting the record for most World Cup victories.
In the middle of the awards ceremony, a man in a red jacket unexpectedly stepped forward from the crowd and that was the moment Shiffrin first realized what it all meant to her.
It was her brother, Taylor, who had secretly flown in to Sweden and now came over to hug her.
“I’ve said it the whole time, I don’t know how to define that,” Shiffrin said about the record. “But when you have these special moments ... seeing my brother and (sister-in-law) Kristi and my mom (and coach, Eileen) in the finish today, that’s what makes it memorable.”
Soccer
BBC CRISIS ESCALATES AS PLAYERS, STARS RALLY BEHIND LINEKER >>
The BBC was forced to scrap much of its weekend sports programming as the network scrambled to stem an escalating crisis over its suspension of soccer host Gary Lineker for comments criticizing the British government’s new asylum policy.