‘Fosbury Flop’ high jumper Dick Fosbury dies at 76

Dick Fosbury, the lanky leaper who revamped the technical discipline of high jump and won an Olympic gold medal with his “Fosbury Flop,” has died. He was 76.

Fosbury died Sunday after a recurrence with lymphoma, according to his publicist, Ray Schulte.

Before Fosbury, many high jumpers cleared their heights by running parallel to the bar, then using a straddle kick to leap over before landing with their faces pointed downward. At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, Fosbury took off at an angle, leaped backward, bent himself into a “J” shape to catapult his 6-foot-4 frame over the bar, then crashed headfirst into the landing pit.

It was a convention-defying move, and with the world watching, Fosbury cleared 2.24 meters (7 feet, 4 1/4 inches) to win the gold and set an Olympic record. By the next Olympics, 28 of the 40 jumpers were using Fosbury’s technique. The Montreal Games in 1976 marked the last Olympics in which a high jumper won using a technique other than the Fosbury Flop.

AP source: Jimmy Garoppolo, Raiders agree to 3-year deal

HENDERSON, NEV. >> Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has agreed to a three-year, $67.5 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be announced until Wednesday.

Garoppolo’s contract includes $34 million in the guaranteed money, the person said.

Garoppolo played for the San Francisco 49ers the past six seasons. He took the Niners to the Super Bowl in the 2019 season.

Before that, he played for the New England Patriots for three years under then-offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, now the Raiders’ head coach.

Former Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer reportedly signs with Japanese team

Trevor Bauer, effectively exiled from Major League Baseball after his suspension for violating the league’s sexual assault policy expired, has reportedly agreed to play in Japan.

The Yokohama Bay Stars have reached agreement on a one-year, $3-million contract with Bauer, Sanspo Sports reported Monday morning. Bauer’s representatives declined to comment, and the team has not made an announcement, although one could come Monday night, according to a person familiar with the matter but not authorized to discuss it.

The Dodgers released Bauer rather than reinstate him to their roster. They remain liable for his $22.5-million salary this season. Had Bauer signed with another major league team, that team would have paid Bauer the MLB minimum of $720,000 and the Dodgers would have paid the balance.

In December, an arbitrator terminated Bauer’s suspension, which would have extended into the 2024 season. Had the suspension remained in effect, Bauer would have been unable to sign in Japan, where MLB suspensions are honored, a league official said Monday.

Bauer, 32, the 2020 National League Cy Young winner, signed a three-year, $102-million contract with the Dodgers before the 2021 season. The suspension cost him — and saved the Dodgers — $37.5 million. He made 17 starts for the team, including his last MLB appearance on June 28, 2021. — The Associated Press