Off the wire

FOOTBALL Bills-Browns game moved

The Buffalo Bills’ home game against the Cleveland Browns is being moved to Detroit on Sunday because of a lake-effect snowstorm set to hit the Buffalo region, the NFL announced Thursday. The move to relocate the game comes before the storm even began. The forecast is for between one to three feet of snow on the region through the weekend. The switch in sites means the Bills will play back-toback games in Detroit. They’re scheduled to play the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. The league made the decision out of safety concerns, and in consultation with the Bills and local and state officials. The National Weather Service has issued a lake-effect storm warning lasting through Saturday morning for southern Erie County, which includes the Bills home in Orchard Park. The storm is projected to bring wind gusts off Lake Erie as high as 35 mph, which will make travel conditions hazardous and lead to potential power outages. Ticketing details were not immediately available for fans wanting to travel to Detroit, and for fans who were scheduled to attend the game in Orchard Park.

GOLF Ko nears $2M prize

Lydia Ko began her quest for the largest prize in women’s golf history by hitting a tree and making bogey on a par 5. The rest of Thursday in the CME Group Tour Championship couldn’t have gone better. Ko responded with eight birdies, including four in a row late in the round at Tiburon Golf Club, that sent her to a 7-under 65 and a one-shot lead in the LPGA Tour season finale. So much as at stake this week, even beyond the $2 million prize to the winner. Ko has a one-point lead in the race for LPGA Tour player of the year. She would appear to be a lock to win the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average. Both are worth a point in her bid to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame. Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) is tied for 13th at 3-under 69. Gaby Lopez (Razorbacks) shot a 1-under 71.

Hammer holds RSM lead

Cole Hammer would have been happy with pars in the cold and wind off Sea Island. He wound up with more birdies than he imagined Thursday for an 8-under 64 and the low score to par after one round of the RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Ga. “It was really cool looking at the top (of the leaderboard) and seeing my last name there,” Hammer said. Cool applied more literally to the field, with temperatures in the 50s and feeling even colder with the wind off the ocean. This was a day for wool caps, layers of long sleeves and mittens. As usual at this tournament, that didn’t stop the low scoring. Hammer, who graduated fromt he University of Texas in May, shared the low score with another Longhorn alum, Beau Hossler, whose 6-under 64 came at the host Seaside course, which played about two shots more difficult to par. Hammer’s big run ended with a bad swing that sent him into the trees right of the par-5 eighth fairway. He took a penalty drop and wound up with a bogey. Former University of Arkansas golfer David Lingmerth is tied for sixth at 5-under 67. Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Razorbacks) is at 1-under 71. Nico Echavarria (Razorbacks) posted an even-par 72. Taylor Moore (Razorbacks) is at 2 over. Andrew Landry (Razorbacks) is at 3 over.

BASEBALL Lewis traded to Arizona

The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired 2020 AL Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis from the Seattle Mariners on Thursday in exchange for catcher/outfielder Cooper Hummel, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been officially announced. The 27-year-old Lewis was a star outfielder during the shortened 2020 season, batting .262 with 11 home runs and 28 RBI. He hasn’t come close to that level of production since, hitting just .143 and three home runs last season while spending a big chunk of the year in the minors. If Lewis can rebound, he could provide some right-handed power in a left-handed heavy D-backs lineup. Hummel — who is also 27 — just finished his rookie season, spending time in both the outfield and behind the plate. He hit .176 with three home runs and 17 RBI in 176 at-bats while splitting time between the majors and minors.

Texas to host 2024 Game

The Texas Rangers will host Major League Baseball’s 2024 All-Star Game at their stadium where a neutral-site World Series was played during the pandemic, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Thursday. Speaking at the conclusion of this week’s owners’ meetings in New York, Manfred announced the game will be held July 16, 2024 at Globe Life Field, a retractable-roof stadium that opened without fans being able to attend during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The World Series was played there with a limited number of fans, the first Fall Classic since 1944 held all at one site. Next year’s All-Star Game will take place in Seattle, which last hosted in 2001 in Ichiro Suzuki’s rookie year and Cal Ripken Jr.’s final season.

BASKETBALL Spurs settle lawsuit

A psychologist who worked for the San Antonio Spurs has settled her lawsuit against the team and former player Josh Primo over allegations he had exposed himself to her multiple times in private sessions, her attorney said Thursday. Hillary Cauthen worked as a performance psychologist for the team. In a lawsuit filed earlier this month in Bexar County, where San Antonio is located, she had accused the 19-year-old Primo of exposing his genitals to her nine times “despite her numerous complaints about Primo’s improper sexual conduct to the organization’s leadership.”

VOLLEYBALL Oregon State coach retires

Oregon State Coach Mark Barnard will retire at the end of the season, closing a tenure marked by frequent roster turnover, player allegations of emotional abuse and the school’s long-running lawsuit against The Associated Press to withhold records about the athletic department’s response to complaints. Barnard is 70-131 over nearly seven years as head coach, including 7-19 in the 2022 season, which ends Nov. 25. He took the Beavers to the NCAA Tournament in 2017, where they lost in the first round. Starting in July 2020, the AP ran stories documenting more than a dozen players who had either quit or transferred from Barnard’s program since he took over in 2016. Three team members said they had contemplated taking their lives during that span. One story included allegations from players who said the coach had pitted players against each other in team meetings, threatened to revoke scholarships for struggling players and pushed team members past health warnings in practice as punishment. A follow-up story told of a player whose scholarship was shopped around not long after she thought about taking her life.

TENNIS Fritz moves on in ATP Finals

Taylor Fritz advanced to the final four of the ATP Finals by beating Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5), 6-2 on Thursday at the year-end tournament. The American will face five-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. The match went with serve until the final set when Fritz broke twice in the final three games, either side of holding to love, sealing his spot in the next round on the first of two match points as fellow tournament debutant Auger-Aliassime sent a backhand wide. Prior to the sixth game of the final set, the only other break points had come in the second game of the second set when Fritz had to stave off three of them against his Canadian opponent. Casper Ruud had already booked his place in the semifinals but he lost 7-5, 7-5 to the already eliminated Rafael Nadal to leave the Norwegian 0-8 against topthree players.