Michigan State rallies to hire Colorado coach Tucker
Michigan State hired Mel Tucker as its football coach Wednesday, rallying to land a veteran leader with ties to the school who decided to leave Colorado after a single season.
The Spartans lured Tucker away from Colorado with a six-year contract worth about $30 million after appearing to be interested in coaches including Luke Fickell, Robert Saleh and Pat Shurmur. Tucker replaces Mark Dantonio, who retired two weeks ago after 13 mostly successful seasons.
Colorado hired Tucker in December 2018 and his departure caught many by surprise, especially after he and George issued statements Saturday that seemed intended to quell speculation about him going to Michigan State.
Tucker also posted on his Twitter account over the weekend: “While I am flattered to be considered for the head coaching job at Michigan State, I am committed to CU Buffs Football for the build of our program, its great athletes, coaches and supporters.”
Hockey
BOUWMEESTER REMAINS HOSPITALIZED AFTER BENCH COLLAPSE >> Jay Bouwmeester remains in Southern California, but the veteran St. Louis Blues defenseman was alert and talking with teammates one day after collapsing on the bench during a game.
The 36-year old Bouwmeester suffered a cardiac episode during the first period of Tuesday night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. General manager Doug Armstrong said during a news conference in Las Vegas that Bouwmeester was unresponsive after collapsing on the bench. A defibrillator was used and he regained consciousness immediately before being taken to an Anaheim hospital.
“He is doing very well and is currently undergoing a battery of tests. Things are looking very positive,” Armstrong said.
Baseball
MLB GOES AHEAD WITH 3-BATTER MINIMUM, ROSTER CHANGES >> Major League Baseball went ahead with its planned rules changes for this season, including the requirement a pitcher must face at least three batters or end the half-inning, unless he is hurt.
The changes were agreed to by MLB and the players’ association last March 8, subject to the study of a joint committee. The three-batter minimum will start in spring training games on March 12.
The active roster limit will increase by one to 26 from opening day through Aug. 31, will drop from 40 to 28 through the end of the regular season and return to 26 for the postseason. Each team may have a maximum 13 pitchers through Aug. 31 and during the postseason, and 14 from Sept. 1 through the end of the regular season.
Soccer
US SOCCER MEN’S UNION SAYS WOMEN’S PAY SHOULD BE TRIPLED >> The U.S. men’s national team urged the U.S. Soccer Federation to sharply increase pay of the American women and accused the governing body of making low-ball offers in negotiations with the men.
The union for the women’s team filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the USSF that is scheduled for trial starting May 5 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The women agreed to a collective bargaining agreement in April 2017 that extends through 2021. The men’s labor contract expired at the end of 2018.
“The women’s 2017-2021 deal is worse than the men’s 2011-2018 deal,” the men’s union said in a statement. “The federation continues to discriminate against the women in their wages and working conditions. ... What we believe should happen is simple. Pay the women significantly more than our recently expired men’s deal. In our estimation, the women were due at least triple what our expired deal was worth in player compensation.”
The men claimed the federation wants their pay to stay at the same level as in their expired contract.
Pro football
BROWNS’ GARRETT REINSTATED AFTER SUSPENSION >> Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett has been reinstated by the NFL after he was suspended indefinitely for hitting Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph over the head with a helmet.
Garrett missed Cleveland’s final six games last season after his disturbing attack on Rudolph in the closing seconds of a Nov. 14 game that was nationally televised. Garrett has been remorseful since the incident and Monday he met with Commissioner Roger Goodell and league officials in New York.
Garrett is cleared to return to all activities with the Browns.
Basketball
DIGGINS-SMITH HEADED TO PHOENIX >> Skylar DigginsSmith is going to Phoenix to join Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner.
The Dallas Wings traded the four-time All-Star to the Mercury for the No. 5 and 7 picks in the 2020 WNBA draft and Phoenix’s 2021 first-round pick. The Wings then sent the 2021 pick the team acquired in the deal to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Astou Ndour.
Diggins-Smith has averaged 15.9 points and 4.9 assists in her career. She won the league’s most improved player award in 2014 and guided the Wings to the playoffs in 2017 and 2018.
Toronto Boston Philadelphia Brooklyn New York
SOUTHEAST DIVISION
Miami Orlando Washington Charlotte Atlanta
CENTRAL DIVISION
Milwaukee Indiana Chicago Detroit Cleveland
Tuesday's games
Washington 126, Chicago 114 Philadelphia 110, Clippers 103
New Orleans 138, Portland 117
San Antonio 114, Oklahoma City 106 Houston 116, Boston 105
Wednesday's games
Atlanta at Cleveland, n. Detroit at Orlando, n. Milwaukee at Indiana, n. Toronto at Brooklyn, n. Washington at New York, n. Charlotte at Minnesota, n. Portland at Memphis, n. Sacramento at Dallas, n. Golden State at Phoenix, n. Miami at Utah, n.
Lakers at Denver, n.
Thursday's games
Clippers at Boston, 5 p.m.
Oklahoma City at New Orleans, 5 p.m.
1. Baylor (21-1) did not play.
2. Gonzaga 25-1) did not play.
3. Kansas (20-3) did not play.
4. San Diego State (25-0) beat New Mexico 82-59.
5. Louisville (21-3) did not play.
6. Dayton (22-2) beat Rhode Island 81-67.
7. Duke (20-3) did not play.
8. Florida State (20-3) did not play.
9. Maryland (20-4) beat Nebraska 72-70.
10. Seton Hall (18-5) did not play.
11. Auburn (21-2) did not play.
12. Kentucky (19-5) beat Vanderbilt 78-64.
13. Penn State (19-5) beat Purdue 88-76.
14. West Virginia (18-5) did not play.
15. Villanova (17-6) did not play.
16. Colorado (19-5) did not play.
17. Oregon (18-6) did not play.
18. Marquette (17-6) did not play.
19. Butler (18-6) did not play.
20. Houston (19-5) did not play.
21. Iowa (17-7) did not play.
22. Illinois (16-8) lost to Michigan St. 70-69.
23. Creighton (18-6) did not play.
24. Texas Tech (15-8) did not play.
25. LSU (18-6) beat Missouri 82-78.
FAR WEST
46 31 19 19 13
7 23 36 37 40 .868 .574 .345 .339 .245
Boise St. 74, Air Force 57
San Diego St. 82, New Mexico 59 Utah St. 75, Colorado St. 72
— 151⁄2
28 281⁄2
33
Boston Tampa Bay Toronto Florida Montreal Buffalo Ottawa Detroit
METROPOLITAN DIVISION
Washington Pittsburgh N.Y. Islanders Columbus Philadelphia Carolina
N.Y. Rangers New Jersey
GP W
Tuesday's games
L OT Pts
Buffalo 3, Detroit 2
N.Y. Islanders 5, Philadelphia 3 Florida 5, New Jersey 3
Tampa Bay 2, Pittsburgh 1, OT Toronto 3, Arizona 2, OT Minnesota 4, Vegas 0
N.Y. Rangers 4, Winnipeg 1 Dallas 4, Carolina 1
Colorado 3, Ottawa 0 Edmonton 5, Chicago 3
St. Louis at Anaheim, ppd.
Wednesday's games
Montreal at Boston, n. Calgary at Los Angeles, n. Chicago at Vancouver, n.
Thursday's games
Columbus at Buffalo, 4 p.m.
Dallas at Toronto, 4 p.m.
Detroit at New Jersey, 4 p.m. Edmonton at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m. Philadelphia at Florida, 4 p.m. Arizona at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m.
N.Y. Islanders at Nashville, 5 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Washington at Colorado, 6:30 p.m. Calgary at Anaheim, 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Vegas, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
At Ahoy Rotterdam Rotterdam, Netherlands $2,013,855
Hardcourt indoor
Purse: Surface:
SINGLES
Round of 32
57 57 57 56 58 57 56 58 56 55 55 57 57 56 55 55 34 37 30 30 27 25 18 14 36 34 33 30 31 32 28 20 11 15 19 20 24 24 27 40 15 15 16 17 19 21 23 25 12 5 8 6 7 8 11 4 5 6 6 10 7 3 4 10 80 188 143 79 203 152 68 203 189 66 198 188 61 179 176 58 162 178 47 147 191 32 120 216
GF GA
77 202 172 74 182 150 72 166 151 70 148 139 69 184 170 67 181 157 60 181 174 50 152 195
Jannik Sinner, Italy, def. Radu Albot, Moldova, walkover.
Alize Cornet, France, def. Jelena Ostapenko, Latvia, 6-1, 6-2.
SINGLES
Round of 16
Anastasia Potapova, Russia, def. Ajla Tomljanovic, Australia, 7-6 (2), 6-3. Oceane Dodin, France, def. Johanna Konta (4), Britain, 6-3, 6-4.
Belinda Bencic (1), Switzerland, vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia, 7-6 (4), 6-4.
College basketball
Tennis
Golf
at Boston at New Orleans
Thursday
Favorite
at Toronto at New Jersey at Buffalo at Tampa Bay at Florida Arizona at Nashville at Minnesota at Colorado at Vegas Calgary 11⁄2 (Off) 2 (Off)
LA Clippers Oklahoma City -138/+128 -180/+165 Off
Off -132/+122 -143/+133 -138/+128 -139/+129 -134/+124 -142/+132 -111/+101
Dallas Detroit Columbus Edmonton Philadelphia
at Ottawa NY Islanders NY Rangers Washington
St. Louis at Anaheim
Transactions
Signed RHP Trevor Cahill to a minor league contract.