Sports briefs
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New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone ejected for fifth time this season
NEW YORK | The New York Yankees’ Aaron Boone was ejected for the major league-high fifth time this season and the 38th time in his managing career when plate umpire Edwin Jiménez tossed him for arguing during Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Boone was ejected before the start of the seventh inning for arguing from the dugout after slumping Alex Verdugo was called out on a full-count fastball from Colin Poche that appeared to be low. Verdugo repeatedly complained after the call for the first out in the bottom of the sixth.
New York was trailing 3-0 at the time.
Boone led the major leagues with nine ejections in 2022 and tied for the high with seven last year.
Tadej Pogacar celebrates his third Tour de France victory in style
Tadej Pogacar had no need to attack on the final stage of the Tour de France. Defending a lead of more than five minutes in Sunday’s time trial, he was set to comfortably win the race for the third time and first time in three years, anyway.
But defense has not been in his vocabulary during this race and he simply could not resist another attack.
With his main rival Jonas Vingegaard unable to challenge him, Pogacar celebrated his Tour victory in style with a dominant win in the time trial ending in Nice for the 17th stage win of his already illustrious Tour career.
The 25-year-old Slovenian rider also became the first cyclist to secure the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in the same year since the late Marco Pantani in 1998.
“To win both together is another level above,” said Pogacar, who rides for UAE Team Emirates. “I think this is the first Grand Tour where I was totally confident every day. Even at the Giro I remember I had one bad day. This year, the Tour was just amazing. I was enjoying it from day one.”
The two-time defending champion Vingegaard of Denmark was second overall. He also finished the 21st and final stage in second place.
Pogacar won the 34-kilometer (21-mile) time trial on the French Riviera’s roads from Monaco to Nice in 45 minutes, 24 seconds. Vingegaard was 1 minute, 3 seconds behind him and Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel 1:14 back in third spot.
In the overall standings, Vingegaard finished 6:17 behind Pogacar and Evenepoel was third overall, 9:18 behind Pogacar — whose other Tour wins came in 2020 and 2021.
“I’m super happy. I cannot describe how happy I am after two hard years in the Tour de France,” Pogacar said. “This year everything (was) perfection.”
The race did not finish in Paris as it usually does because of the Olympic Games. Nice mayor Christian Estrosi called the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the southern French Alps “perfect cycling territory.”
From early Sunday morning, fans camped along the popular Promenade des Anglais in Nice to guard a spot that would offer the best glimpse of cyclists.
Some fans chanted “Remco, Remco” as the race-against-the-clock specialist zoomed past them.
They may have been surprised to see Pogacar going flat out.
After his explosive attack on Friday, Pogacar said he would not try to win Saturday’s stage. Yet he still won it to become the second man to clinch five mountain stages in one Tour after Italian rider Gino Bartali in 1948.
Pogacar led Vingegaard overnight by 5 minutes, 14 seconds. But the lure of another stage win proved too strong and he flew down the winding roads past picturesque Èze and Villefranche-sur-Mer on the approach to Nice, where the route flattened out again.
Pogacar held out three fingers as the finish line and a sixth stage win approached on this year’s Tour — the same number of stages he won when dominating the Giro d’Italia.
It was Pogacar’s biggest winning margin of his three Tour wins — beating the 5:20 gap on Vingegaard three years ago, but below the 7:29 victory margin Vingegaard enjoyed over Pogacar last year.
The battle with Vingegaard was not as close as it might have been in different circumstances.
The 27-year-old Vingegaard was hospitalized for nearly two weeks in April following a high-speed crash in the Tour of the Basque Country. He resumed competitive racing only on this Tour.
“Under normal circumstances, I would be disappointed with my Tour de France. But, after everything I’ve gone through, I can’t be disappointed,” Vingegaard said. “I would have loved to go a bit further, but it is what it is. I would like to come back to the Tour de France and win it again … I believe the yellow jersey is the most beautiful jersey in road cycling.”
Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz won the best climber’s polka dot jersey while Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay won the top sprinter’s green jersey and the 24-year-old Evenepoel capped a fine debut Tour with the white jersey for best young rider.
“I feel like I’m floating through the sky. It’s super nice,” Girmay said. “I just want to say for the young kids, keep working hard and everything is possible.”
Utah State football player dies in an apparent drowning at reservoir
LOGAN, Utah | Utah State cornerback Andre Seldon Jr. died Saturday in an apparent drowning at Porcupine Reservoir, according to the school.
A search began Saturday afternoon after callers reported that a young man seen diving from cliffs at the reservoir did not resurface, the Cache County Sheriff’s Office said. His body was recovered by a dive team at around 9:05 p.m.
“Our investigation leads us to believe this is a tragic accident as multiple witnesses recount the same information,” the sheriff’s office said.
Seldon joined the Utah State football program this summer after transferring from New Mexico State, where he played the past two seasons under Nate Dreiling, Utah State’s interim head coach and defensive coordinator. Before that, he spent two seasons at Michigan.
“Our football program is heartbroken to have to endure the loss of one of our own,” Dreiling said. “Having had a previous relationship with Andre during our time together at New Mexico State, I can tell you he was an incredible person and teammate. Our condolences and prayers go out to Andre’s family as we grieve with them over this tremendous loss.”
Dreiling was promoted earlier this month after Utah State fired Blake Anderson, saying he violated university policies.
Seldon, who played for Belleville High School in Michigan, appeared in 15 games last season for New Mexico State, recording 36 tackles, seven pass breakups and an interception.
“The Aggie community is devastated to hear the news of the passing of Andre Seldon Jr.,” New Mexico State said in a social media post. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
Seldon was scheduled to start classes at Utah State in the fall semester.
“Our Utah State University Athletics family is devastated over the sudden death of Andre Seldon Jr.,” Utah State vice president and athletic director Diana Sabau said. “We extend our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, teammates and all who loved Andre.”
Hamilton takes his record 200th podium after ‘hair-raising’ duel in Hungary
BUDAPEST | Lewis Hamilton added to his Formula One milestones by becoming the only driver to stand on a winners’ podium for the 200th time after his third-place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The seven-time world champion extended his record podium haul following a classic Hamilton drive that featured a scintillating duel with rival Max Verstappen.
The jousting between the two best drivers of their generation ended with Verstappen’s Red Bull momentarily going airborne after they made contact late in the race. Verstappen had been battling for several laps to get into third position.
“The close battle we had at the end was a bit hair-raising but that’s motor racing,” the 39-year-old Hamilton said.
“I saw him coming from a long way back and he was able to brake a lot later than me, but he sent it up the inside, I stayed still and he clipped the wheel and went over, so I think a racing incident.”
Race stewards investigated the incident but decided no action was necessary after “no driver was predominantly to blame.”
Hamilton had already fended off Verstappen’s repeated overtake attempts. The Red Bull driver finished fifth after Charles Leclerc took advantage of his run-in with Hamilton to slip ahead into fourth.
Verstappen had a difficult drive, bickering over his team radio about what he considered a poor strategy, either regarding tire choice or pit-stop timing.
“Today was a rough race for us so naturally that frustrated me as I want things to be better,” he said. “I don’t think we were fast enough. We unfortunately just didn’t have the pace and the strategy wasn’t working for us today.
“I need to look back at what happened with Lewis, but I committed to the move and I don’t think I braked too late, but we collided.”
Hamilton got his winning groove back at the British GP two weeks ago, taking his record victory tally to 104. That triumph at Silverstone ended a winning drought that dated back to the second-to-last race of 2021. It also made him the first driver to win nine times at the same track.
His world titles are only matched by Michael Schumacher, who is second all-time in podiums at 155.
Hamilton is enjoying his best run with Mercedes since Verstappen took his place as F1’s dominant driver and won the last three titles.
Even so, Hamilton has said he has no regrets over his move to Ferrari next year. He still wants to finish out his 12th and final season with Mercedes in the best possible fashion.
“For us, the team have done a great job at pushing this car … we didn’t have the pace of the McLarens or of the Red Bulls but we were just able to hold,” he said about Sunday’s performance.
Hamilton also had praise for McLaren, where he made his F1 start and won his first title in 2008, after Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris completed a one-two for their team in Budapest. It was Piastri’s first win in F1.
“A huge congratulations to McLaren for the one-two,” Hamilton said. “They are my old original family. I am really glad to see you old boys back up front.”
Clark, Reese
provide highlights
for the WNBA All-Stars
PHOENIX | Caitlin Clark delivered the pinpoint passes. Angel Reese supplied the hustle and rebounding.
The two WNBA rookies made life difficult for the U.S. Olympic team on Saturday night. Someday soon, the duo might be the ones providing the highlights for the red, white and blue.
Clark finished with a team-high 10 assists while Reese added 12 points and 11 rebounds in the WNBA All-Stars’ 117-109 victory over the Olympians during All-Star weekend. The U.S. used the game as a tune-up for the Paris Olympics, which begin next week.
“Hopefully, four years from now we’ll be on the other side, being able to play with the USA,” Reese said. “I’m just trying to embrace this moment right now, not think too far ahead. But I’m really proud.”
The Clark-Reese rivalry is arguably the biggest story in women’s basketball over the past three years, boosting the sport’s popularity as the two stars moved from college to the professional ranks. On the same team for the first time, they proved they could share the ball: Clark’s 10th assist of the evening came on a nifty bounce pass to Reese in the fourth quarter.
Reese said Clark couldn’t help but poke fun at the moment on the bench.
“You know how many people are happy right now?” Reese recounted Clark saying.
Reese responded: “Man, I already know. I’m going to see that video everywhere.”
Reese said she could see the future of the WNBA — and potentially Team USA — during Saturday’s game.
“It’s easy to work off her, I’ve been playing against Caitlin for a really long time so you pick up her tendencies,” Reese said. “I just said ‘Let’s do a pick-and-roll.” … She passes the ball really well so you’ve always got to have your hands ready.”
Clark and Reese — both just 22 years old — continually played at a breakneck pace on offense, catching the U.S. a step slow multiple times. Clark pushed the ball up the court on nearly every possession while Reese’s muscle and athleticism created a force that the national team couldn’t always handle.
Clark’s excellent passing offset a tough shooting night. She went 2 of 9 from the field, including 0 of 7 on 3-pointers, to finish with four points.
“I just love passing the basketball,” Clark said. “I love to push the pace, I want to make people run, and honestly sometimes it almost works better when the other team scores. They take a breath for a second, but I want to get the ball and go.”
The 6-foot-3 Reese made her presence felt late in the first quarter, crashing hard for an offensive rebound and a putback that gave the WNBA All-Stars a 24-23 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“Is it a surprise?” Reese said. “I feel like I do this every night. The expectations are set and this is what I’m expected to do.”
Less than a minute into the second, it was Clark with two big moments in a row, beating the press on the fast break before finding Aliyah Boston for a bucket. Clark was back at it on the next possession, firing up the court to Jonquel Jones for another close-range basket.
Clark broke the WNBA record with 19 assists in a game earlier in the week.
Women’s hoops legend Cheryl Miller coached the WNBA All-Stars. She started Clark while Reese came off the bench, but both players closed the game after their effectiveness on the court.
This year’s All-Star Game was in a similar format to three years ago, when Arike Ogunbowale scored 26 points to earn MVP honors and lead the WNBA All-Stars over the U.S. 93-85. Ogunbowale was the star again on Saturday, scoring 34 to earn MVP again.
Clark said she was happy to help the U.S. prepare for Paris. In four years, it’s Clark and Reese who could be the ones preparing.
“If anything, it shows how good this league is,” Clark said. “It shows how much talent is in the league and how you have to show up and prepare every single night.”
—From AP reports
