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YSU’s Marx receives C-USA honor

YOUNGSTOWN — Former Youngstown State student-athlete Madyson Marx was voted the Conference USA Scholar Athlete of the Year in bowling for her combined achievement in academics, athletics and community service.

The faculty athletics representatives from the conference’s 10 full-time members voted on the honorees across the league’s 19 sports, and the winners were announced on Thursday. Youngstown State is an affiliate member in bowling.

Marx, a fifth-year senior on Youngstown State’s 2024-25 team that won that National Championship, is YSU’s first Scholar Athlete of the Year honoree in Conference USA. The Maplewood, Minn., native was a First-Team All-American in 2024-25, following up a second-team nod in 2023-24 and honorable mention accolades in 2022-23. Marx was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Final Four as she averaged a team-best 22.54 pins per frame at the event, and she led the Penguins with a 22.06 average overall in the NCAA Tournament.

Marx finished her career as YSU’s all-time leader in traditional game average and the program’s only three-time All-American. ?She averaged a career-best 210.71 in traditional play in 2024-25, and she also set career highs in fill-frame percentage and strike percentage.

Academically, Marx was an Academic All-District selection by College Sports Communicators in each of her final three seasons, and she was twice a Conference USA Academic Medal recipient. She was also a member of the Conference USA All-Academic Team in 2024, and she was a three-time All-Academic Team selection in the Southland Bowling League. Marx graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in May 2024.

WNBA’s Portland parts ways with Son

PORTLAND, Ore. — Inky Son, president of the expansion WNBA team in Portland, is leaving the organization after less than three months on the job.

RAJ Sports, led by team owners Alex Bhathal and Lisa Bhathal Merage, announced the move Friday.

“During her brief but impactful tenure, Son helped lay the foundation for the franchise’s presence in Portland, shaping its early business operations and community engagement efforts,” the firm said in a statement. “Son will return to New York, where she was previously based, and the organization thanks her for her leadership during this important phase and wishes her success in her next chapter.”

The team is set to start play next season, along with the expansion Toronto Tempo. Portland’s team does not yet have a name, a coach or a general manager.

Portland’s branding is expected to be announced on July 15.

Son was announced as the first employee of the team in early April. As president of business operations, Son was tasked with leading all aspects of the business, including marketing, ticket and sponsorship sales, community relations, finance, legal, and human resources. She was also responsible for hiring.

Before working for the team, Son was chief administrative officer for the National Basketball Players Association.

Portland was awarded an expansion team in September. The Bhathal family paid $125 million for the franchise.

Jordan card sells for $2.5 million

A autographed Michael Jordan rookie card sold for $2.5 million in an auction that closed on Thursday.

The 1986-87 Fleer card sold through Joopiter — the auction platform founded by Grammy-winning artist and producer Pharrell Williams three years ago — shows Jordan soaring toward the rim with his right arm extended and tongue dangling. It was one of nine trading cards signed in a blue sharpie at his private golf course in Florida last year.

According to ESPN, the $2.5 million is the most paid for a Jordan rookie card — signed or unsigned — and the third-highest price in a public sale for any Jordan card. That record is $2.928 million.

In March, an autographed Bulls jersey that Jordan wore in a preseason game during his rookie year sold for $4.215 million at an auction through Sotheby’s.

Knapp makes PGA Tour history

DETROIT — Jake Knapp has pulled off a feat no one else has in PGA Tour history.

Knapp shot an 11-under 61 on Friday to break a Rocket Classic record that stood for less than a day and became the first on the tour to break 60 and shoot a 61 or lower in the same season.

That still wasn’t enough to put him in the top six, entering the weekend at Detroit Golf Club.

Chris Kirk (65), Philip Knowles (64) and Andrew Putnam (66) share the second-round lead at 14 under. Jackson Suber (65) was another shot back.

Aldrich Potgieter, who had a 70 after sharing the 18-hole lead with Kevin Roy after a record-setting 62, was two strokes back with Michael Thorbjornsen (67) and Mark Hubbard (69).

Knapp was in a large pack of players, including with Collin Morikawa (64), Hideki Matsuyama (66) and Roy (71), three shots off the lead going into the third round.

The 31-year-old Knapp, who won the Mexico Open last year as a rookie, started the second round 130th in the 156-player field after opening with a 72. He surged into contention with nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round.

“I was just probably upset all night and this morning, so I think that maybe helped a little bit,” he said.

Knapp, ranked No. 99 in the world, is the only player on the tour to shoot 61 or better in two rounds this season.

He shot a 59 — one off the tour scoring record of 58 set by Jim Furyk in 2016 — at the Cognizant Classic four months ago, when he broke the tournament scoring record before cooling off and tying for sixth.

Knapp broke the 18-hole record at Detroit Golf Club that was set Thursday in the first round when Potgieter and Roy both shot a 62.

The 28-year-old Knowles, shooting for his first PGA Tour win, made the cut for just the third time in 11 events after failing to make it to the weekend at five straight tournaments.

The 40-year-old Kirk, whose sixth win was the season-opening tournament last year at Kapalua, opened the second round with three straight birdies and finished with nine birdies and two bogeys.

Most of the leaders were in morning groups, when conditions were more favorable, and Putnam was an exception.

Putnam played in the afternoon when the wind was stiff and swirling on a hot and steamy day. He started strong with three birdies and a bogey on the front nine before getting only one birdie on the back, putting him in a position to possibly win his second PGA Tour event and first since 2018.

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YSU baseball to host prospect camp

The Youngstown State baseball coaching staff will host a Summer Prospect Camp at the Watson and Tressel Training Site (WATTS) on July 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The camp provides an opportunity for players to receive instruction from the YSU baseball coaches, participate in drills, develop a routine and see the work that collegiate players are expected to handle. The camp will feature a 60-yard dash, infield/outfield skill development, catcher pop times, bullpen sessions and batting practice.

The camp’s first session will feature pro-style workouts and defensive instruction from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. with check-in at 8:30 a.m., and the second session will feature offensive instruction and batting practice from 1-4 p.m. The camp is open to participants in grades 8-12 as well as junior college players.

The camp costs $185.50 for position players, $159 for pitchers only (first session) and $207 for two-way players (position and pitchers).

Each camper must bring all necessary baseball equipment. Players should bring a glove, bat, batting gloves, helmet, running shoes or turf shoes, hat and any other equipment they feel necessary to compete. Please mark the camper’s name on all items. The camp is not responsible for lost, damaged or stolen belongings.

For more information or to register, go to penguinsbaseballcamps.com or email Director of Player of Personnel Rodney Lopez at rllopez@ysu.edu.

Matt Martin retires from NHL

Matt Martin announced his retirement Tuesday after 16 NHL seasons, all but two with the New York Islanders, a departure that leaves the league with only a few players who take the ice without a visor.

Martin was one of just five holdovers in the league who played without a visor on his helmet. His move to the front office as special assistant to Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche makes Ryan O’Reilly, Jamie Benn, Zach Bogosian and Ryan Reaves the only visor-less players remaining.

The NHL and NHL Players’ Association agreed in 2013 to mandate visors for newcomers, grandfathering them like helmets were decades earlier.

Asked about it in November 2023, Martin figured it would be a major adjustment to put a visor back on, especially given how much of his job on the ice was fighting. He played his final of 1,075 regular-season and playoff games without one on April 17.

“If they mandated it, I would’ve wore it,” Martin told The Associated Press at the time. “I took it off because of the role I play, and at the time, everybody that played that role didn’t wear it. I got used to that, so I never changed.”

Craig MacTavish, who played until 1997, was the NHL’s last helmetless player. Martin called Benn and O’Reilly “the odds-on favorites” to be the last without a visor.

Sky’s Vandersloot has ACL surgery

CHICAGO — Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot underwent surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee, the team announced on Tuesday.

Vandersloot suffered the season-ending injury in Chicago’s 79-52 loss to Indiana on June 7. She had the operation at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

A five-time All-Star, Vandersloot averaged 10.6 points and 5.3 assists in seven games.

The 5-foot-8 point guard was selected by the Sky with the third overall pick in the 2011 WNBA draft and helped lead them to the 2021 championship. She spent the previous two seasons in New York and helped the Liberty win the WNBA title last year before returning to Chicago.

The Sky were 11th in the league at 3-10 entering their game against the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday.

Finals finale had viewership jump

BRISTOL, Conn. — The NBA generated more than 5 billion views across social media platforms during this season’s NBA Finals, up 215% from last season’s title series.

That figure, released Tuesday, follows a 10% leap in overall viewership for ESPN and ABC during the 34 games they carried in this year’s playoffs as opposed to their numbers from a year ago.

Oklahoma City’s 103-91 victory over Indiana in Game 7 was the most-watched NBA Finals game in six years.

Sunday night’s game averaged 16.53 million on ABC and ESPN+ according to preliminary ratings data from Nielsen. The audience peaked at 19.28 million during the second half (9:45-10 p.m. EDT).

It is the first time since Toronto wrapped up its title in Game 6 against Golden State in 2019 (18.34 million) that the finals have had an audience over 16 million. The last Game 7, when Cleveland beat Golden State in 2016, averaged 31.02 million.

This seven-game series averaged 10.27 million, down from the 11.31 million average for Boston’s victory over Dallas in five games last year.

The seven games were the most-watched television broadcasts since the first week of May. Game 7 was the most-watched finals game internationally ever on NBA League Pass, the league said, up 42% vs. last year’s title-clinching Game 5.

Pac-12 reaches deal with CBS

The Pac-12 struck a media-rights deal with CBS on Monday that sets up the network to broadcast a minimum of four football and men’s basketball games per season on its main network and provide a cable and streaming presence for the reconfigured league from 2026-31.

An inability to secure a media deal is what nearly cratered the league in 2023, with all but Oregon State and Washington State departing for the Big 12, Atlantic Coast and Big Ten Conferences.

The new deal with what the league calls its “primary long-term media partner” kicks in the next season, when Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State and San Diego State will join the Pac-12 in all sports, with Gonzaga joining in everything but football.

The Pac-12 needs to add another football program to reach the minimum eight teams necessary to be in the Football Bowl Subdivision and, thus, the College Football Playoff. Multiple reports say Texas State has emerged as the top candidate.

Under the new deal, CBS will broadcast at least three regular-season football and men’s basketball games per season, along with the championships for both sports. The league also will have what it called a “consistent regular-season presence” on the cable CBS Sports Network.

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Curbstone to honor state champs

On Monday at the Avion Banquet Center on Western Reserve Road in Beaver Township, The Curbstone Coaches will honor the following 2025 Ohio high school state champions:

¯ Beaver Local’s Savannah Nign, Division II track & field girls 400-meter dash

¯ Division III McDonald boys track & field team

¯ McDonald’s Drew Zajack, track & field discus

¯ Chalker’s Ethan Bosch, Division III track & field boys 100-meter dash

The event begins at noon and coaches, parents, fans and general public are welcome to attend.

The buffet lines will open at 11:45 a.m.

Note: This will be the final meeting of the season for the Curbstone Coaches.

They will recess for the summer and reconvene a new season on Sept. 8.

Badgers sue Miami for tampering

The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective VC Connect filed a joint lawsuit on Friday against the University of Miami alleging it knowingly induced one of the Badgers’ football players to abandon a lucrative name, image and likeness contract to play for the Florida school this upcoming season.

Allegations of tampering rarely get to this level and the 23-page lawsuit, which was filed in state court in Wisconsin and obtained by The Associated Press, is unusual. Depending on its resolution, it could have a a wider impact on future NIL deals across college athletics.

The player in question in the filing is referred to only as “Student-Athlete A.” But the case summary describes facts that line up with the situation involving cornerback Xavier Lucas, who last December announced his plans to enter the transfer portal.

Shortly afterward, Darren Heitner, who has been representing Lucas, indicated that Wisconsin was refusing to put Lucas’ name in the portal and that it was hindering his ability to talk with other schools. In January, Heitner announced that Lucas would be playing for Miami this fall.

“Indeed, student-athletes’ newfound NIL rights will be rendered meaningless if third parties are allowed to induce student-athletes to abandon their contractual commitments,” a portion of the lawsuit reads.

Wisconsin said in January that it had credible information that Miami and Lucas made impermissible contact with each other before the former Badgers cornerback decided to transfer.

Wisconsin and VC Connect allege that the inducement for Lucas to attend Miami happened within days of him entering his NIL agreement to play for the Badgers, and that they incurred substantial monetary and reputational harm. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and “a declaration that Miami’s conduct directed towards Student-Athlete A constituted tampering.”

A message left with the University of Miami seeking comment was not immediately returned. In a text message Friday, Heitner declined to comment on the lawsuit but he said that Lucas still plans to attend Miami and play football.

Lucas, who is from Pompano Beach, Florida, had 12 tackles, an interception and a sack as a freshman for Wisconsin last season.

Heitner said that Lucas hasn’t received any money from Wisconsin and therefore owes no money to the school. Heitner also argued that Wisconsin had violated an NCAA bylaw by not entering Lucas into the transfer database within two business days of the player’s request.

Clark, Collier lead All-Star voting

Indiana star Caitlin Clark has an early lead in the fan voting for next month’s WNBA All-Star Game, the league announced Friday.

The guard received 515,993 votes and was followed by Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, who garnered 484,758 votes. There were three other Indiana players in the top 10 with Aliyah Boston third, Kelsey Mitchell seventh and Lexie Hull ninth.

This year’s game will be played in Indiana on July 19.

A’ja Wilson of Las Vegas and Breanna Stewart of New York were fourth and fifth in the balloting, respectively. The two were the captains for the All-Star Game in 2022 and 2023.

Sabrina Ionescu, Stewart’s teammate, was eighth, while rookies Paige Bueckers of Dallas, in sixth, and Kiki Iriafen of Washington, in 10th, rounded out the top 10.

Fan voting ends on June 28 and accounts for 50% of the overall vote. Current players and a media panel each account for 25%. The top four guards and six frontcourt players with the best overall score between the three groups are honored as starters for the All-Star Game.

The league’s coaches choose the 12 reserve players.

The two starters who receive the most fan votes will be the captains of the game and choose their All-Star teams with the results announced on July 8.

This year’s contest will have the traditional format of two teams playing against each other. Last season was a matchup of the USA Olympic team playing against an All-Star team.

Stanley Cup Finals rating drop

U.S. television ratings for the Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers declined from their first matchup a year ago.

An average of 2.5 million viewers watched on TNT, with 2.8 million tuning in for the Panthers’ series-clinching Game 6 victory. The overall number on cable is down from 4.17 million last year when the final was on over-the-air TV on ABC and the lowest since Tampa Bay versus Montreal in 2021.

The share of viewers increased 15% from TNT’s first Cup final in 2023 when Vegas defeated Florida. Social media engagements on NHL content were up 32% over the course of the playoffs.

An average of 3.8 million viewers watched the final in Canada on Sportsnet, with Connor McDavid looking for his first championship. The 1.8 million on average for the playoffs, which included five out of the 16 teams involved being based in Canada, is a 6% increase from a year ago.

Ratings for the Cup final were significantly lower than the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, the return of international competition featuring the NHL’s best players. The final between the U.S. and Canada was watched by 9.3 million people in the U.S. and 10.7 million in Canada, after the six round-robin games averaged 4.6 million in North America.

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Spots open for Cy Young Days lunch

Reservations are being taken for the Cy Young Days Festival Luncheon featuring former Cleveland Indian Greg Swindell.

The luncheon will be held at Newcomerstown High School on Beaver Street on June 28. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. and lunch will be at 12:30 p.m.

Costs are $25 for adults and $15 for children under 12.

Reservations are required because of limited seating and can be made by calling 7402271544 or email chaney.janet8@gmail.com.

Swindell will be signing items at the luncheon. For those who would like to bring items to be autographed, limit your items to one per person.

Swindell will serve as our Grand Parade Marshall that evening starting at 6 p.m., and after the parade, he will be at the Olde Main Street Museum for autographs. Limit one item please.

The schedule is subject to change, so check out the schedule at http://www.cyyoungdaysfestival.com. You can also find the event on Facebook.

Pelicans, Pacers trade draft picks

NEW ORLEANS — The Indiana Pacers have agreed to trade their 23rd overall choice in next week’s NBA draft to New Orleans for a 2026 first-round pick, the Pelicans announced Tuesday.

The deal gives the Pelicans two first-round picks — the seventh and 23rd overall — in the draft, raising the prospect that New Orleans could package both in a deal to move up in the first round next Wednesday.

The Pelicans also will receive the rights to Mojave King, a 2023 second-round draft choice who has played for Indiana’s G League affiliate as well as overseas in Puerto Rico and New Zealand.

The Pacers are getting back a 2026 pick they had traded to the Toronto Raptors in a 2024 deal sending Pascal Siakam to Indiana. Last February, Toronto dealt that pick to New Orleans as part of a trade that sent Brandon Ingram to the Raptors.

The Pacers are the reigning Eastern Conference champions and currently trail the Oklahoma City Thunder, 3-2, in the best-of-seven NBA Finals, with Game 6 scheduled for Thursday in Indianapolis.

Trial for Rays shortstop Franco

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — The trial of suspended Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who faces charges of sexual abuse involving a girl who was 14 years old at the time of the alleged crimes, will resume on Monday in the Dominican Republic.

The court announced the move Tuesday.

After five hearings in which prosecutors and defense attorneys presented their evidence, the judges decided to suspended the trial. The closing arguments and conclusions from each side will be presented in court on June 23.

Franco, who was charged in July 2024 and is on supervised release, could face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty.

“I’m going to feel good, because everything is in God’s hands now,” the 24-year old Franco said while leaving the hearing.

The judges explained that the adjournment for so many days is to analyze everything presented by the parties in order to make a decision.

“The Public Prosecutor’s Office has evidence and will present its findings next Monday, June 23, and request the appropriate sentence for each of the accused,” prosecutor Claudio Cordero said at the end of the hearing.

Teodosio Jáquez, Franco’s lawyer, insisted that there is no evidence linking the player to the crimes for which he is accused.

“That young man’s future is being cut short, simply because of comments on social media,” Jáquez added.

Documents that prosecutors presented to the judge last year and were viewed by The Associated Press alleged that Franco, through his mother Yudelka Aybar, transferred 1 million pesos ($17,000) to the mother of the minor on Jan. 5, 2023, to consent to the purported abuse.

The mother of the minor has been charged with money laundering and is under house arrest.

Franco also has been charged with sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor, and human trafficking.

Franco was in his third major league season when his career was halted in August 2023. He agreed to an 11-year, $182 million contract in November 2021. He is currently on Major League Baseball’s restricted list after initially being placed on administrative leave.

Spire Motorsports punishes Hocevar

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Spire Motorsports fined Carson Hocevar $50,000 on Tuesday for derogatory comments he made about Mexico City on a live stream as NASCAR raced there last weekend.

Hocevar walked back the comments Sunday night with an apology and the 22-year-old admitted it was the first time he’d ever been outside the United States and believed all the negative things he’d read and heard about Mexico City.

“I am embarrassed by my comments,” he posted in a lengthy apology.

Spire also ordered Hocevar to attend cultural-sensitivity and bias-awareness training.

Spire said the $50,000 fine will be donated in equal portions to three organizations that serve Mexican communities:

• Cruz Roja Mexicana (Mexican Red Cross).

• Un Kilo de Ayuda, a nonprofit combating childhood malnutrition and supporting early-childhood development in rural communities.

• Fondo Unido México (United Way Mexico), which funds local NGOs that improve education, health, and housing in 22 Mexican states.

Spire said it informed NASCAR of Hocevar’s penalties and that it satisfied the sanctioning body’s requirements.

“Together we remain committed to showcasing NASCAR’s global growth, celebrating the passionate Mexican fanbase we experienced firsthand last weekend, and ensuring every member of our organization treats hosts, competitors, and communities with dignity,” Spire said.

“We look forward to turning the page by racing hard, representing our partners, and living our values on and off the track.”

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Grizzlies trade Bane to Orlando

The Orlando Magic wanted to find scoring and shooting this summer. Desmond Bane was their answer, and the first big move of the NBA summer — before the NBA summer even officially begins — has arrived.

The Magic acquired Bane from Memphis on Sunday in a deal that sends Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and four first-round draft picks to the Grizzlies — one this year, another in 2026, then others in 2028 and 2030. The deal also included the option for a pick swap in 2029.

Bane averaged 19.2 points this season for the Grizzlies, plus he connected on 39% of his shots from 3-point range. He would figure to be an upgrade for a Magic team that has made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons — going out in the first round both years — but has sought more shooting to pair with star forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

Bane has an ignitability to his game that the Magic have long lacked from the perimeter as well. He has scored 30 points in 29 different regular-season games, topping the 40-point mark twice. His career high for 3-pointers in a game is eight; the Magic haven’t had anyone make eight 3s in a single regular-season game in more than four years.

And the 3-pointers, for a Magic team looking to become a serious contender in the East, are a big deal.

Orlando was last in the NBA this season — by significant margins — in both 3-pointers per game (11.2) and 3-point percentage (.318). The Magic were 28th in scoring (105.4), barely ahead of Brooklyn and Charlotte (both 105.1).

Orlando won games with defense, and Bane will fit in on that end as well. He averaged 1.2 steals per game this season.

Caldwell-Pope — a two-time NBA champion, having won titles with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and Denver in 2023 — started more games than anyone else on the Magic roster this season. He was in the opening five 77 times, averaging 8.7 points on 44% shooting.

Anthony averaged 9.4 points in his fifth pro season, all with Orlando. His five years there were decidedly up and down; sometimes he would start, sometimes he would be out of the rotation entirely.

ION extends WNBA TV deal

NEW YORK — Caitlin Clark’s arrival and a major surge in viewers over the past year led to ION Television reaching a multiyear agreement on Friday to extend its broadcasting partnership with the WNBA.

ION, which is owned by the Cincinnati, Ohio-based, E.W. Scripps Company, did not reveal the length or value of the contract, which extends the network’s original deal reached in 2023 to broadcast regular-season games and host a weekly studio show.

The existing three-year deal is worth $13 million per season.

In a release, ION said the average viewership for its WNBA Friday Night Spotlight show increased by 133% from 2023 to ’24, and attracted more than 23 million unique viewers, including game coverage. The jump coincides with Clark’s celebrated rookie season in Indiana last year.

The network reaches more than 128 million homes though its various platforms.

Last year, the WNBA struck an 11-year media rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC that begins in 2026 and is worth about $200 million a year.

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Hannon hired as Titans’ assistant

Former Girard basketball coach Craig Hannon was hired as an assistant coach for the Westminster College men’s basketball team. The university’s athletic department announced the addition.

Hannon became the Indians’ head coach in 2012 before leaving following the 2024-25 season.

Westminster head coach David Richards and Hannon had a prior connection. The two played together at Westminster for three seasons.

“This is an exciting opportunity for my family and me, especially getting to do it alongside Coach Richards,” Hannon said in a press release. “I look forward to working with him, helping to achieve our goals for the program and bring Westminster basketball back to its place as one of the flagship programs in the PAC.”

YSU’s Fossum named All-American

Youngstown State senior outfielder Kyle Fossum was voted a Third-Team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association when the organization announced its 2025 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. I All-America Teams on Friday.

Fossum becomes just the third player in YSU history to garner All-America honors. The Seattle, Wash., native is the first Penguin to collect All-American recognition since Jim Lipinski earned honorable mention honors in 2001.

Fossum was also selected to the ABCA/Rawlings East All-Region First Team by the American Baseball Coaches Association on Tuesday. He became the first Penguin since 2021 to earn first-team all-region honors. ABCA/Rawlings All-Region first team selections were eligible for All-America honors.

Fossum enjoyed one of the most prolific and productive seasons at the plate in program history in 2025 after spending the first three years of his career at Washington. The senior batted .382 with 84 hits while setting new single-season school records for home runs (23), RBIs (62), runs scored (67), slugging percentage (.777) and total bases (171). Fossum also recorded 18 doubles, 46 walks, a .496 on-base percentage, a 1.273 OPS and nine stolen bases while starting all 57 games. He ranked in the top 10 in the Horizon League in batting average, hits, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, OPS, RBIs, runs scored, home runs, doubles and walks.

Fossum became the second YSU player and the first since Tom Clayton in 2010 to be named Horizon League Player of the Year. He was also named First-Team All-Horizon League to become the first YSU outfielder to garner first-team all-league honors since Trey Bridis in 2018. Fossum batted .423 and slugged .902 with 52 hits, 14 doubles, 15 home runs and 36 RBIs over 30 games in Horizon League play. In Horizon League games only, he led all players in batting average, hits, runs scored and doubles. Fossum was twice named the Horizon League Batter of the Week during the 2025 season.

Rams sign D.J. Humphries to deal

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams signed veteran offensive tackle D.J. Humphries to a one-year deal on Friday.

Humphries, a longtime starter for the NFC West rival Arizona Cardinals, will provide depth and insurance on the Rams’ offensive line behind starting left tackle Alaric Jackson.

Jackson agreed to a three-year, $57 million free agent deal to return to Los Angeles this spring, but the NFL Network reported this week that Jackson is dealing with a reoccurrence of the blood clots that ended his 2022 season.

Humphries spent his first eight NFL seasons with the Cardinals, who drafted him in the first round in 2016. He started 98 games, mostly at left tackle, and was selected for the Pro Bowl in 2021.

Humphries was out of the NFL last season while recovering from a torn knee ligament from 2023. He also missed much of the 2022 season with a back injury.

Humphries’ agents announced on social media in late April that he had signed with the San Francisco 49ers, but that deal was never completed.

Aces’ Wilson in concussion protocol

HENDERSON, Nev. — Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson is in concussion protocol and will miss Friday night’s home game against the Dallas Wings.

The three-time WNBA MVP was injured in Wednesday’s 97-89 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Wilson also could miss Sunday’s home game against Phoenix. The Aces then play at Minnesota on Tuesday before returning to Las Vegas to face Seattle on June 20 and open a four-game homestand.

The loss of Wilson deprives what would have been a marquee matchup between the reigning MVP and this year’s top WNBA draft pick in Dallas’ Paige Bueckers, who this week also returned from a concussion as well as an illness.

Wilson averages 20.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists this season.

Westbrook won’t exercise option

Russell Westbrook will not be exercising his $3.5 million player option with the Denver Nuggets for next season and will instead become a free agent, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Friday.

The decision doesn’t necessarily mean that Westbrook won’t be back with the Nuggets, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because neither side revealed the decision publicly.

NBA reporter Marc Stein first reported Westbrook’s decision, which was later confirmed by ESPN and The Denver Post, among others.

Westbrook averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists for the Nuggets this season — his 17th in the NBA — and helped Denver reach the second round of the playoffs, falling in seven games to eventual Western Conference champion Oklahoma City.

He underwent surgery after the season to repair multiple ligament tears in his right hand, an issue he played through during the season. At that time, Westbrook posted in his newsletter than he was “grateful for everyone’s support all year and I can’t wait to be back out there at 100% soon. The comeback is already in motion.”

That would indicate that he is planning to play somewhere next season.

Westbrook is a nine-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA selection and won the MVP award after the 2016-17 season. He’s also part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team and has averaged 21.2 points and eight assists per game over his career.

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Warren Legends golf sold out

The golf outing for the Warren Football Legends weekend is sold out. But there are spots still open for the Saturday night dinner.

The dinner will feature a few media members who have plenty of experience covering the Cleveland Browns. The guests will be the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s May Cay Cabot, ESPN’s Tony Grossi and the Akron Beacon Journal’s Marla Ridenour.

The dinner is $125 per person. It features a grand buffet, open bar and dessert station, and the event begins at 5 p.m.

Anyone interested in golf can still be put on a waiting list. The cost is $125 per person, and to be added to the waiting list, contact Ray Yannucci by phone at 2168701036 or via email at ryannucci@yahoo.com.

Corso’s final ‘Gameday’ at OSU

BRISTOL, Conn. — Lee Corso’s final headgear pick on “College GameDay” will be on the campus where it all started.

ESPN’s iconic show will begin its 39th season at Ohio State before the defending national champion Buckeyes host the Texas Longhorns on Aug. 30.

Corso, who turns 90 in August, announced earlier this year that his final show would be on the opening week of the season.

Corso began his popular headgear segment on Oct. 5, 1996, before Ohio State faced Penn State. Since then, he has gone 286-144 in 430 selections wearing everything from helmets and mascot heads to dressing up as the Fighting Irish leprechaun from Notre Dame, the Stanford tree and historic figures James Madison and Benjamin Franklin. He has worn 69 different school’s mascot headgear.

Corso — the lone remaining member of GameDay’s original cast — has selected and worn Brutus Buckeye’s headgear a record 45 times. Alabama is next with 38.

This will be the 26th appearance by “College GameDay” in Columbus. The Buckeyes have a 19-6 record in those games.

McLaurin skips minicamp

ASHBURN, Va. — Terry McLaurin is not at Washington Commanders mandatory minicamp as the team’s top wide receiver looks for a new contract.

McLaurin, who turns 30 in September, is only signed through the next NFL season.

“Hey, sometimes football and business, they intersect and this is one of those times,” coach Dan Quinn said Tuesday. “Terry is a fantastic teammate and really puts in the work, and we spent a lot of time with him already this offseason.”

McLaurin has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving each of the past five seasons and fell only 81 short in his rookie year because he missed games because of an injury.

A third-round pick in 2019 out of Ohio State who dealt with quarterback roulette for the quite some time after breaking into the league, McLaurin set career highs with 82 catches and 13 touchdowns with Jayden Daniels as the starter and Marcus Mariota the backup.

Quinn downplayed McLaurin not being there, saying the good news is the wideout and QBs have already established strong rapport. He’s leaving the negotiating part to general manager Adam Peters.

“The business side of things, Adam and their crew and Terry and his group, let them work through that,” Quinn said. “But in the meantime, lots of stuff to do.”

Rodgers says he is now married

PITTSBURGH — Aaron Rodgers added another ring to his collection before he even signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The four-time NFL MVP quarterback and Super Bowl champion said Tuesday after his first practice with the Steelers that he got married “a couple months ago.”

Rodgers was spotted wearing a ring on his left ring finger in a photo the Steelers shared after the 41-year-old signed a one-year deal to join the team for the 2025 season.

When asked if the ring was an indication he was married, Rodgers replied, “Yeah, it’s a wedding ring.” He wore the ring on Tuesday while participating in drills with his new team.

Rodgers has revealed little about his bride. During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” last fall, he mentioned he was dating a woman named Brittani but offered no other details.

His previous dating history includes long-term relationships with race car driver Danica Patrick and actors Olivia Munn and Shailene Woodley.

Capsules

Thiel to host tennis tournament

Thiel College will host a tennis tournament on July 12-13 on its campus in Greenville, Pa.

There are four singles divisions, boys and girls 18 and under and boys and girls 16 and under. Competitors must be a USTA member.

Junior memberships are free for those under 19 years of age, and while spots are available, they are limited.

The tournament is a level 6 USTA-sanctioned event.

Registration is open. For more information, contact Anthony Kobak via email at akobak@thiel.edu or by phone at 3303981808.

Ex-Cowboy Tom Rafferty dies

WINDSOR, Colo. — Tom Rafferty, an offensive lineman who won a Super Bowl and played with two Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman over 14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, has died. He was 70.

Rafferty died Thursday in Windsor, Colorado, where he had been hospitalized since early May following a stroke, his daughter, Rachel Powers, told The Dallas Morning News.

A year after getting drafted out of Penn State, Rafferty’s first season as a starter was at right guard in 1977, which ended with the Cowboys’ 27-10 victory over Denver in Super Bowl 12. He played the same position a year later when the Cowboys lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-31 in the title game.

After a move to center, Rafferty threw one of the key blocks on Tony Dorsett’s record 99-yard touchdown run in a 31-27 loss at Minnesota on Jan. 3, 1983. Dallas had 10 men on the field for that famous play.

Rafferty’s final season was Aikman’s rookie year in 1989, when he started eight games at center for a 1-15 team.

Rafferty is one of 12 Dallas players to spend at least 14 seasons with the franchise. He was teammates with seven players on that list.

French Open: Sinner beat Djokovic

PARIS — After beating top-ranked Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (3) in the French Open semifinals on Friday, Jannik Sinner must find a way past defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

Sinner has not dropped a set en route to his first final at Roland-Garros, but Alcaraz has won their last four meetings and leads him 7-4 overall. Sinner is aiming for his fourth major title and Alcaraz his fifth.

Djokovic is the men’s record 24-time Grand Slam champion but could not counter Sinner’s relentless accuracy and pounding forehands on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Sinner became the second Italian man to reach the final at Roland-Garros in the Open era, which began in 1968, after Adriano Panatta, the 1976 champion.

Earlier, Alcaraz led 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 2-0 against Lorenzo Musetti when the eighth-seeded Italian retired with a leg injury.

Djokovic fought back in the third set but wilted in the tiebreaker, somehow missing an easy smash at the net to trail 3-0 and then lost on the second match point he faced when his forehand hit the net.

Djokovic was emotional and said it might have been his last ever match at Roland-Garros. He kissed his hand after the defeat, then put it on the clay, as if saying farewell to the stadium.

Sinner’s tennis legacy here, and elsewhere, is still growing.

He extended his winning streak in Grand Slam tournaments to 20 matches, after winning the U.S. Open and the Australian Open.

Djokovic was bidding for a record-extending 38th Grand Slam final, and eighth in Paris, where he was won three times. But he spent much of the semifinal camped behind the baseline, sliding at full stretch and grunting loudly while Sinner sent him scurrying left and right like a windscreen wiper.

Sinner was becoming the Roland-Garros showman Djokovic so often was on the main court, where he won three of his major titles.

One improvised flick-of-the-wrist drop shot from back of the court was majestic, too good even for Djokovic to get back.

Djokovic had a brief massage on his upper right thigh during the changeover at 6-5 down. Serving for the second set for a second time, Sinner clinched it when Djokovic could not return his strong serve.

Djokovic took a medical time out immediately and received massage treatment on the same leg for a few minutes.

He looked sharper in the third set, but Sinner held his nerve.

Champ takes lead at Canadian

CALEDON, Ontario — Masters champion Rory McIlroy tumbled out of the RBC Canadian Open on Friday with his worst round in nearly a year, with Cameron Champ taking a two-stroke lead into the weekend in the final event before the U.S. Open.

McIlroy shot an 8-under 78, making a mess of the fifth hole with a quadruple-bogey 8 in his highest score since also shooting 78 last year in the first round of the British Open. He had a double bogey on No. 11, four bogeys and two birdies.

At 9 over, the two-time Canadian Open winner was 21 strokes behind Champ on the rain-softened North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.

Champ had four birdies in a 68 in the morning a day after opening with a 62. He was at 12 under, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey.

The three-time PGA Tour winner got one of the last spots in the field after being the eighth alternate Friday when the commitments closed.

Andrew Putnam was second after a bogey-free 62 on the course hosting the event for the first time. He won the 2018 Barracuda Championship for his lone tour title.

Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark, tied for the first-round lead with Cristobal Del Solar after a 61, had a 70 drop into a tie for third at 9 under with Canadians Richard Lee (64) and Nick Taylor (65) and France’s Victor Perez (65).

Taylor won the 2023 event at Oakdale.

Del Solar was 8 under after a 71. Shane Lowry (68) also was 8 under with Ryan Fox (66), Jake Knapp (69), Sam Burns (66) and Matteo Manassero (65).

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