KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas CIty Royals open their long-awaited spring camp in Arizona on Monday with a somewhat unexpected edge over just about every other team in baseball: youth. For one thing, they return almost their entire roster intact, making an abbreviated spring training easier to deal with. For another, all those players are full of youthful energy, and might not quite need the two months of work to get limbered up for the season. The Royals are coming off a 74-88 season but were coming on strong at the end, giving them a lot of optimism about the upcoming year.
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina will be a late arrival for what could be his final spring training. Molina is heading into his 19th and likely final season with St. Louis. The 10-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove winner agreed to a $10 million, one-year deal in August. President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak says Molina reached out to him a few days ago and said he was going to be delayed for personal issues.
UNDATED (AP) — Gonzaga will head into the NCAA Tournament exactly where it ended up in the final AP Top 25 — right on top. The Bulldogs received 54 of 61 first-place votes from a national media panel after romping through the West Coast Conference Tournament to land at No. 1 in the final AP Top 25 for the second straight year. The next three teams also landed No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, with Arizona earning the other seven first-place votes to finish at No. 2. Kansas was third and Big 12 rival Baylor was fourth. Tennessee was the biggest departure between the poll and bracket, finishing fifth among voters but only earning a 3-seed.
UNDATED (AP) — There are some remarkable numbers when it comes to the teams that made the NCAA Tournament. The youngest team in terms of experience? That would be top-seeded Arizona, one of the favorites to win the championship. The oldest team in the field by that measurement is Texas Southern. The number 25.1 is how many points Bryant’s Peter Kiss scores per game, best in the nation. Alabama puts up 30 3-point attempts every game. The team that makes the most of those long-range shots? That would be South Dakota State, which makes 45 percent of its 3-point tries.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Ryan Hawkins is Creighton's undisputed leader as the Bluejays prepare for their NCAA Tournament first-round game against San Diego State on Thursday. Hawkins transferred from Division II Northwest Missouri State and has led the Bluejays in scoring and rebounding. His biggest role has been as a leader for a team that lost all five starters from a year ago. Four freshmen and a sophomore play significant minutes. Northwest Missouri won three national titles in Hawkins' five years there. Creighton coach Greg McDermott says Hawkins' winning habits have rubbed off on the young Bluejays.
UNDATED (AP) — Let the dealing begin — if mostly unofficial. The NFL’s “legal tampering period” in free agency began Monday with a slew of deals even as many teams released veterans to clear salary cap space before the league’s business year begins Wednesday. Among those on the move will be linebacker Haason Reddick, from Carolina to Philadelphia; guard Laken Tomlinson from San Francisco to the New York Jets; running back Chase Edmonds from Arizona to Miami; tackle Rodger Saffold from Tennessee to Buffalo; and quarterback Mitch Trubisky from Buffalo to Pittsburgh — with many more switches to come.
PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — The San Diego Padres say All-Star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. likely will need surgery for a broken left wrist and could miss up to three months. General manager A.J. Preller says Tatis suffered the injury in the offseason. The injury is a blow to a team that was looking for a fresh start following a brutal late-season collapse that left them with yet another losing record. The 23-year-old Tatis had a series of injuries to his left shoulder last year, when he still led the NL with 42 home runs and finished third in balloting for the NL MVP.
MONDAY SCORES
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final OT Cleveland 120 L.A. Clippers 111
Final Denver 114 Philadelphia 110
Final Atlanta 122 Portland 113
Final Charlotte 134 Oklahoma City 116
Final Minnesota 149 San Antonio 139
Final Golden State 126 Washington 112
Final Sacramento 112 Chicago 103
Final Milwaukee 117 Utah 111
Final Toronto 114 L.A. Lakers 103
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Arizona 5 Ottawa 3