NOTEWORTHY
Judge gets 61st homer ball
IN THE WORLD OF SPORTS
When Aaron Judge’s American League recordtying 61st home run dropped into Toronto’s bullpen Wednesday night, coach Matt Buschmann picked it up – a souvenir worth potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Bad news is I’m down here in Florida battling a hurricane, but the good news is I can announce my retirement,” Buschmann’s wife, Sara Walsh, a Fox Sports reporter and former ESPN anchor, joked in a tweet.
Then Buschmann and Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano passed it to New York Yankees reliever Zack Britton, who made sure it got to Judge.
Judge entered the Yankees’ series at Toronto this week one shy of the AL single-season record of 61 home runs set by Roger Maris in 1961. The only players to surpass Maris – Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa – all did so as suspected or confirmed steroid users, leading some to consider Judge’s quest a push for the legitimate season record.
When Judge hit a 3-2 pitch from Blue Jays lefthander Tim Mayza toward the lower deck in left field in the seventh inning on Wednesday night, fans wearing gloves readied themselves to try to catch a piece of baseball history. Instead, the ball grazed past two outstretched gloves, bounced off a wall and dropped into Toronto’s bullpen.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Air Force received two years of NCAA probation, had its squad size reduced by 10 players for four years and incurred other penalties as part of its sanctions for recruiting violations.
The infractions reportedly involved hosting high school prospects on campus during dead periods in 2020 and providing them with improper benefits. The penalties were announced after Air Force and four individuals reached an agreement with NCAA enforcement staff. A fifth individual in the case has contested their role and will be heard by the committee on infractions.
Among those under investigation was Bill Sheridan, who joined Wisconsin as inside linebackers coach in February and resigned three months later after he was implicated in the Air Force violations.
NFL
Cleveland Browns all-pro defensive end Myles Garrett returned to the team’s headquarters Thursday after flipping his Porsche and hitting a fire hydrant near his home after practice Monday.
The 26-year-old suffered a sprained shoulder and strained biceps and had several cuts and bruises from the wreck. He has not been ruled out for the game Sunday at Atlanta.
Also Thursday, the Ohio State Highway Patrol cited Garrett for speeding, saying he was going 65 mph in a 45 mph zone.
Winston in limbo: New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston was held out of a second straight practice because of a back injury, raising questions about whether he’ll be able to play against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Chiefs-Bucs game stays put: Sunday night’s game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa as scheduled.
The highly anticipated Super Bowl 55 rematch featuring quarterbacks Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes was threatened by Hurricane Ian, but the area was spared serious damage. The game would have been moved to Minnesota if needed.
BASKETBALL
Alyssa Thomas had 13 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists to help the United States beat Serbia 88-55 in the quarterfinals of the women’s World Cup in Sydney.
The U.S. will play Canada in a semifinal Friday.
AUTO RACING
Alex Bowman will miss Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway with a concussion the Hendrick Motorsports driver apparently suffered last week at Texas.
HMS said Bowman was evaluated Thursday and ruled out. Noah Gragson will drive the No. 48 Chevrolet for Bowman.
Albon returns: Williams driver Alex Albon even surprised himself by recovering from his recent appendicitis and respiratory failure in time to be ready for this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Albon, 26, fell ill during the Italian GP and had surgery Sept. 10. Then, after suffering respiratory failure following his surgery, he was moved into an intensive care unit.