SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — New Texas Rangers starter Andrew Cashner has been shut down from throwing for the second time this spring because of soreness in his right upper biceps.
Cleveland Browns guard Joel Bitonio has signed a multiyear contract extension. Bitonio has developed into one of the NFL’s best young interior lineman since Cleveland drafted him in 2014 and the Browns wanted to secure a player with Pro Bowl potential. Bitonio was injured on Oct. 9 against New England and was eventually placed on injured reserve.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — – Nate Freiman’s RBI double sparked a three-run first inning on Thursday as Israel beat the Netherlands 4-2 to finish top of Pool A in the World Baseball Classic with a 3-0 record. Zach Borenstein and Ryan Lavarnway also drove in runs in the first for Israel which clinched a berth in the second round when the Netherlands beat Taiwan 6-5 on Wednesday. The Netherlands (2-1) also advanced to the next round which starts on Saturday at Tokyo Dome.
Despite a double-bogey on the first hole, Matteo Manassero ended up in the lead after a 4-under 68 Thursday in the first round of the Indian Open. The four-time European Tour winner from Italy finished his round with seven birdies. David Horsey was at 5 under after 15 holes, one of the dozens of players who were forced off the course because of lightning.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Championship team owners Joe Gibbs and Roger Penske as well as the late Davey Allison are among five new nominees for the 2018 NASCAR Hall of Fame class.
How players deal with being dealt
Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston got his wish. Veteran receiver DeSean Jackson is expected to sign with Tampa Bay, giving the Bucs a major splash in free agency on offense.
Giving big dollars to older pitchers doesn’t make sense
PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO Depending on how you’ve rationed starts, there are only four tournaments remaining in Segment 2 or there are still four tournaments remaining in Segment 2. The imbalance in this season’s fantasy schedule becomes more palpable the deeper we get into the first third of the 2017 portion of the season. With only 19 golfers who competed last week in Mexico in the field at the Valspar Championship, there’s more than enough variety and depth to form a roster of six, but note the dispersion among the top 10. Even when you drop to Charles Howell III at 12th, the usual stair-step drop after the first six or seven has been replaced by a gentle slope. Ryan Moore’s own recent gentle slope (in form) is to blame for his position at No. 6 in my Power Rankings, but that didn’t deter the majority of gamers. Still, with his slice of the pie at just 43.3 percent, it’s not so much impressive as it is merely factual, because someone has to rate first overall. Henrik Stenson at No. 3 in ownership percentage is strong relative to the field, but it’s fair to wonder how much last week’s first-round withdrawal distracted potential investors. If we were going to project who would have paced the field in shares at Copperhead before the WD, no doubt the Swede would have been the leader in the clubhouse. The most surprising notable outside the top 10 is Charl Schwartzel, but only because he’s defending his title. Plain and simple, his form to open 2017 has been uncharacteristically bad. He checks in at 23rd in ownership percentage at 6.5 percent. But this is nothing. Segment 3 includes the first two majors and THE PLAYERS among its 11 events. And Segment 4 is 12 tournaments deep with the last two majors, the WGC-Bridgestone and all four Playoffs events. So, ignore the sweat you may be experiencing now because we’re merely stretching before the workout. NOTE: Rob’s Rating refers to where our Fantasy Insider slotted a golfer in his Power Rankings. No.-Player-Percentage-Rob’s Rating 1 Ryan Moore 43.3% No. 6 2 Justin Thomas 42.8% No. 2 3 Henrik Stenson 38.0% No. 1 4 Bill Haas 37.9% No. 3 5 Gary Woodland 34.5% No. 4 6 Matt Kuchar 33.5% No. 12 7 Graham DeLaet 29.5% No. 7 8 Patrick Reed 24.9% No. 9 9 Jason Dufner 23.5% No. 10 10 Daniel Berger 23.2% No. 11 Golfers in the Power Rankings and outside the top 10 in most owned Power Ranking-Player Owned-Rank-Percentage 5 Charles Howell III 12th 19.0% 8 Kevin Na 13th 14.7% 13 Charley Hoffman 32nd 4.5% 14 Billy Horschel 11th 19.5% 15 Wesley Bryan 16th 12.1% Wild Card Martin Laird 22nd 6.6% PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO There’s no love lost with Henrik Stenson. In fact, the same gamers who weren’t on board and needling their opponents who were when he withdrew during last week’s no-cutter are invested at Copperhead now. Sure, he’s one of the best on the planet, but worries are worries. Slotted third in ownership percentage is still a strong reflection of faith. Just as he does above, Ryan Moore sits first here as well. Compared to most other weeks, this has the feel of a default placement in the absence of someone like 2015 champ Jordan Spieth, who is idle. Also consider that it’s been a while since former automatics Luke Donald (15th; 1.4 percent) and Webb Simpson (T18; 0.8 percent) made noise time and again at Copperhead. And not many – any? – other events boast a respective 1-2 in their all-time earnings like generational talents and two-time winners Retief Goosen (picked just once) and K.J. Choi (rostered by four gamers), neither of whom has recorded a top 10 here since 2010. Defending champion Charl Schwartzel ranks 16th with 1.0 percent. Other notables outside the top 10 include Jason Dufner (12th; 2.1 percent), Kevin Na (13th; 2.0 percent), Jim Furyk (T20; 0.7 percent) and Bubba Watson (24th; 0.5 percent). No.-Player-Percentage 1 Ryan Moore 15.5% 2 Gary Woodland 12.3% 3 Henrik Stenson 8.8% 4 Bill Haas 8.7% 5 Justin Thomas 5.9% 6 Daniel Berger 5.1% 7 Matt Kuchar 5.0% 8 Charles Howell III 4.4% 9 Graham DeLaet 4.2% 10 Patrick Reed 2.7%
Bruins, Lightning lead East dark horses
