NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones have been elected to baseball's Hall of Fame. Beltrán, in his fourth ballot appearance, received 84.2% of the votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Jones, in his ninth appearance, was picked on 78.4% of ballots. Beltrán's vote percentage has steadily increased since 2023. He was also briefly hired as the New York Mets' manager in 2019. Jones started with just 7.3% in 2018 but has steadily climbed. They will be inducted in Cooperstown, New York, on July 26, along with second baseman Jeff Kent.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz says he has been spending some time with tennis great Roger Federer at the Australian Open, sharing a round of golf. Alcaraz says Federer's golf swing is as stylish as his tennis. The 22-year-old Alcaraz is in Australia aiming to complete a career Grand Slam. He won his second-round match against Yannick Hanfmann on Wednesday. Alcaraz is looking to legends like Federer for inspiration as he tries to get an edge in his rivalry with two-time Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner. In the third round he'll meet Corentin Moutet, who advanced when Michael Zheng retired due to injury.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 3 Coco Gauff have advanced to the third round of the Australian Open. Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz and third-seeded Alexander Zverev also advanced in the men's draw. Sabalenka had a 6-3, 6-1 win over Bai Zhouxuan and Gauff beat left-hander Olga Danilovic 6-2, 6-2 in day matches Wednesday. Alcaraz defeated Yannick Hanfmann 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2 in the afternoon and Zverev won at night to cap another day with a record crowd at Melbourne Park. Sabalenka won the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024 and was the runner-up a year ago against Madison Keys. Alcaraz is here trying to add the Australian title to his collection and complete a career Grand Slam.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Rory McIlroy believes the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have grown “too far apart” to form an alliance and bring a splintered sport back together. McIlroy says “I just don’t see a world where it can happen at this point." McIlroy was speaking ahead of the Dubai Desert Classic on the European tour. Brooks Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour from LIV has brought into sharper focus the fading hopes of any form of deal being struck by top officials on the two circuits.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ilia Malinin, a 20-year-old figure skating sensation, is being hailed as the best of his generation. With an Olympic gold medal next month, the American star might become the best of any generation. He's known for landing jumps no one else can, and he combines creativity and artistry with unmatched execution. Malinin has won the past two world titles, the latest in Boston, and hasn't lost a competition in about two years. His scores rival the best in the sport's history. But with the Milan Cortina Games approaching, pressure is mounting, both from corporate sponsors and his growing legion of fans. His team is preparing him mentally and physically to peak at the Olympics, where the son of former Olympic skaters aims to shine.
Manchester City has lost 3-1 at tiny Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt in one of the most humiliating upsets in Champions League history, while defending champion Paris Saint-Germain was also on the end of an unexpected defeat at Sporting Lisbon. Vinícius Júnior turned jeers from his own fans to cheers by scoring for Real Madrid in a 6-1 win over Monaco. Arsenal became the first team to secure direct qualification for the round of 16 after a 3-1 victory at Inter Milan, maintaining its 100% record in the league stage after seven games.
CHICAGO (AP) — The New York Mets have acquired center fielder Luis Robert Jr. in a trade with the Chicago White Sox. New York sent infielder Luisangel Acuña and minor league pitcher Truman Pauley to Chicago for Robert, who has struggled with injuries and inconsistency since a stellar 2023 season. The Mets had been looking for outfield help since they traded Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for second baseman Marcus Semien. They were in the mix for Kyle Tucker before he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tyler Bilodeau hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with eight seconds left, leading UCLA to a 69-67 win over No. 4 Purdue. It snapped Purdue's nine-game winning streak in its first visit to Pauley Pavilion in 26 years. C.J. Cox missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. Fans stormed the court on a night when UCLA honored John Wooden, the Indiana native and Purdue alumnus. Donovan Dent led the Bruins with 23 points and 13 assists. It was Purdue's first loss since Dec. 6 and kept the Boilers from taking sole possession of first place in the Big Ten over idle Nebraska.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — The Indiana Hoosiers were ready to party Tuesday night, and hundreds of loyal fans joined them when they arrived back on campus in Bloomington. Turning out in freezing temperatures and brutally cold wind chills, fans, players and coaches celebrated college football’s implausible national champions. Fans chanted “Hoo, hoo, hoo, Hoo-siers,” as the team buses arrived at Indiana's practice facility. Parking lots filled up at Indianapolis International Airport with fans hoping to greet the team, and some ended up following the buses in their card as the players were escorted by police back to campus.
Indiana is No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 after finishing a 16-0 season with a victory over Miami in the College Football Playoff championship game. The Hoosiers are the third straight Big Ten national champion and No. 1 team in the final poll, following 2024 Ohio State and 2023 Michigan. No. 2 Miami ended with its highest ranking since the 2002 season. The last time the Hurricanes finished in the top 10 was in 2003. Mississippi, Oregon and Ohio State were next. The Big Ten had three teams in the top five for the second straight year.
Finals
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Tampa Bay 4 San Jose 1
Final Ottawa 4 Columbus 1
Final Montreal 4 Minnesota 3
Final Dallas 6 Boston 2
Final Winnipeg 3 St. Louis 1
Final Buffalo 5 Nashville 3
Final New Jersey 2 Edmonton 1
Final Los Angeles 4 N-Y Rangers 3
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (3)Michigan 86 Indiana 72
Final UCLA 69 (4)Purdue 67
Final (9)Iowa State 87 UCF 57
Final (10)Michigan State 68 Oregon 52
Final (12)Texas Tech 92 Baylor 73
Final (20)Arkansas 93 (15)Vanderbilt 68
Final (16)Florida 79 LSU 61
Final North Carolina State 80 (18)Clemson 76
Final (19)Kansas 75 Colorado 69
Final (21)Georgia 74 Missouri 72
Final (24)Saint Louis 81 Duquesne 77
Final (25)Miami (OH) 107 Kent State 101