Williams is AP Female Athlete of Decade
Serena Williams dominated the decade, on the court and in conversation.
There were, to begin with, the dozen Grand Slam single titles — no other woman had more than three over the past 10 seasons — and the 3½ years in a row at No. 1 in the WTA rankings.
And then there was the celebrity status that transcended tennis, making everything she did and said newsworthy, whether it was the triumphs and trophies and fashion statements or the disputes with tournament officials, the magazine covers or the Super Bowl ad with a message about women’s power, the birth of her daughter or the health scare that followed.
Still winning matches and reaching Grand Slam finals into her late 30s, still mattering as much as ever, Williams was selected by The Associated Press as the Female Athlete of the Decade on Saturday after a vote by AP member sports editors and AP beat writers.
“When the history books are written, it could be that the great Serena Williams is the greatest athlete of all time. … I like to call it the ‘Serena Superpowers’ — that champion’s mindset. Irrespective of the adversity and the odds that are facing her, she always believes in herself,” said Stacey Allaster, CEO of the WTA from 2009-15 and now chief executive for professional tennis at the U.S. Tennis Association, which runs the U.S. Open.
“Whether it was health issues; coming back; having a child; almost dying from that — she has endured it all and she is still in championship form,” Allaster said. “Her records speak for themselves.”
Gymnast Simone Biles of Spring, the 2019 AP Female Athlete of the Year, finished second to Williams in voting for the decade honor, followed by swimmer Katie Ledecky. Two ski racers were next, with Lindsey Vonn finishing fourth and Mikaela Shiffrin fifth.
MLB: No plans to cut minor leagues
Major League Baseball said it is committed to protecting minor league teams, a day after U.S.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal warned of possible congressional action if the organization followed through on minor league contraction plans.
“It is not Major League Baseball’s goal to eliminate any club in these negotiations, and MLB currently has a plan for every club to continue operations with some level of support,“Major League Baseball said in a statement.
MLB has proposed a contraction plan that could end minor league baseball at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Connecticut, and ballparks across the nation by eliminating its affiliation with 42 teams. The Norwich Sea Unicorns — formerly the Connecticut Tigers — play in the Class A New York-Penn
League.
On Friday, Blumenthal, who represents Connecticut, urged Major League Baseball to save the team.
In a letter to Commissioner Robert D.
Manfred Jr., the Democratic senator said that if MLB “turns its back” on communities like Norwich, Congress “must look at appropriate remedies, including removing Major League Baseball’s antitrust exemption.”
Major League Baseball said that its goal is to improve pay and working conditions for minor leaguers, and that it has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the past decade to subsidize minor league operations.
“However, minor league baseball owners have refused to bear any portion of the contemplated cost increases for improving facilities, working conditions and pay,“the MLB said. “Instead, they’ve indicated that they would prefer to simply eliminate franchises.” In other news:
• Left fielder Corey Dickerson agreed to terms on a $17.5 million, two-year contract with the Marlins, according to a person familiar with the deal.
Dickerson battled injuries last season but batted .304 with 12 homers, 59 RBIs and a .906 OPS in 78 games for the Phillies and Pirates. He’s a nineyear veteran and a career .286 hitter from the left side who made the American League All-Star team with the Rays in 2017, when he hit a career-best 27 homers.
• The Blue Jays agreed to a $4.85 million, twoyear contract with veteran pitcher Shun Yamaguchi of Japan.
The 32-year-old righthander pitched 170.0 innings with a 2.91 ERA, 60 walks and 188 strikeouts over 26 starts for the Yomiuri Giants.
USC parts with pair of coaches
Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast and special teams coordinator John Baxter will not return to coach Clay Helton’s staff at Southern California.
The changes were widely anticipated after new USC athletic director Mike Bohn elected to retain Helton earlier this month. In other news:
• Texas A&M running back Jashaun Corbin announced via Twitter that he was transferring to Florida State.
Corbin, of Melbourne, Fla., had 779 total yards as a freshman for the Aggies last year but was injured in the second game this season.
Shiffrin wins giant slalom
Mikaela Shiffrin wrapped up an eventful return from her 11-day break from World Cup racing, dominating a giant slalom at Lienz, Austria, for her 63rd career victory and moving into outright second place on the women’s winners list.
Marta Bassino of Italy, finished second, while Austria’s Katharina Liensberger finished 1.82 back in third.
The victory moved Shiffrin into outright second place on the women’s winners list. Lindsey Vonn holds the women’s record of 82 wins.