BASEBALL
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - San Francisco Giants President and CEO Larry Baer was granted a leave of absence from the team on Monday following the release last week of a video showing him in a physical altercation with his wife.
The Giants board of directors released a statement that said Baer had made a request that was accepted to take personal time away from the team in response to the video released by TMZ showing the altercation in a San Francisco park between Baer and his wife, Pam.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says Clayton Kershaw is making steady progress in his recovery from left shoulder inflammation, but the ace may not be ready to start opening day.
Kershaw threw on flat ground Monday. The three-time Cy Young Award winner hasn’t thrown off a mound since he felt discomfort in his throwing shoulder nearly two weeks ago. He’s taking anti-inflammatory medication.
The Dodgers open the season on March 28 at home against Arizona. Kershaw has started a franchise-record eight consecutive times on opening day.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) - Retired pitchers Al Leiter and John Franco have been hired as baseball operations advisers by the New York Mets.
Leiter, a broadcaster since his last season in 2005, will be involved with scouting, player development and pitchers’ mental preparation.
Franco will scout and assist pitchers. The Mets said he will also continue in the club ambassador role he has held since 2010.
NHL
DETROIT (AP) - Ted Lindsay, the Hall of Famer who provided muscle and meanness on the Detroit Red Wings’ mighty “Production Line” of the 1950s and helped pioneer the first NHL players’ union, died Monday. He was 93.
Lew LaPaugh, president of the Ted Lindsay Foundation, which raises money for autism research, said Lindsay died at his home in Michigan.
Known as “Terrible Ted,” Lindsay was one of the game’s best left wings, a nine-time All-Star who played on four Stanley Cup winners. Lindsay, Sid Abel and Gordie Howe formed an offensive juggernaut of a line that made Detroit the first of the NHL’s great postwar dynasties.
The Hockey Hall of Fame waived its three-year waiting period when it inducted him in 1966.
NBA
MIAMI (AP) - Dwyane Wade now has more blocked shots than any guard in NBA history.
The Miami Heat star swatted away the 1,052nd shot of his career Monday night, blocking an attempt by Atlanta’s B.J. Johnson. When factoring in regular-season and playoff games, that’s one more block than Michael Jordan had in his career.
Jordan still has the all-time regular season record for blocks by a guard with 893. Wade’s two first-half blocks against the Hawks gave him 877.
MIAMI (AP) - Toronto and Houston will play a pair of preseason games in Japan next season.
The NBA announced Monday night that the Raptors and Rockets will play on Oct. 8 and Oct. 10 at the Saitama Super Arena.
The NBA played 12 regular-season games in Japan between 1990 and 2003. These preseason matchups will be the first time the league has returned to Japan since.
NFL
The Dallas Cowboys are placing the franchise tag on DeMarcus Lawrence for the second straight year. Their star defensive end doesn’t appear to be in any rush to sign the lucrative one-year contract this time.
Two people with knowledge of the decision said Monday the Cowboys had decided on another tag while the sides keep working on a long-term deal. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the decision hasn’t been announced.
The move means Lawrence has a one-year offer for $20.5 million, 120 percent more than he made under the tag last season.
-By AP Football Writer Schuyler Dixon.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - The New York Giants have re-signed veteran quarterback Alex Tanney.
The team confirmed the signing on Monday without releasing details. The 31-year-old, who did not take a snap in 2018, earned $555,000 in his first season with the Giants.
Tanney will join Eli Manning and now second-year pro Kyle Lauletta for the upcoming organized team activities.
HOUSTON (AP) - The Houston Texans placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on defensive end/outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney on Monday.
The move doesn’t close the door for the Texans to sign the edge rusher to a long-term deal. General manager Brian Gaine says: “Our goal is to continue to work with his representation on a long-term contract. This gives us both an opportunity to continue to do so.”
Houston will offer Clowney, the first overall pick in the 2014 draft, a one-year guaranteed contract for an amount based on position.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Kansas City Chiefs placed the franchise tag on outside linebacker Dee Ford on Monday, making official a decision the team had been leaning toward throughout the offseason.
Ford is coming off the best season of his career, piling up 13 sacks and forcing an NFL-leading seven fumbles. The Chiefs have expressed an interest in signing Ford to a long-term deal, though they are also open to trading him as they switch from a 3-4 to 4-3 base defense.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) - The Atlanta Falcons placed a franchise tag on Grady Jarrett on Monday while saying they still hope to negotiate a long-term contract with the defensive tackle.
The $15.209 million tag comes after Jarrett was a bright spot in the Falcons’ disappointing 2018 season. Jarrett had 52 tackles and set career highs with six sacks and three forced fumbles as the leader of Atlanta’s defensive front.
The 25-year-old Jarrett was seen as one of the top free agents at defensive tackle.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - The San Francisco 49ers have signed offensive lineman Mike Person to a three-year contract extension.
Person was set to become an unrestricted free agent next week before signing the deal Monday to stay under contract with the 49ers through the 2021 season.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips has agreed to re-sign with the Buffalo Bills, according to two people with direct knowledge of the deal.
The people spoke to the AP on Monday on the condition of anonymity because the agreement has not been announced. Phillips posted a note on his Twitter account earlier in the evening in which he wrote: “Done deal. LETS GO BILLS MAFIA!”
He was a regular backup in appearing in 12 games with the Bills, who claimed him off waivers after being cut by Miami.
-By AP Sports Writer John Wawrow.
GOLF
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the Arnold Palmer Invitational with what he describes as a neck strain.
Woods announced his decision Monday on Twitter . He says his lower back is fine and he has no concerns over the long run. Woods says he’s had the neck strain for a few weeks and it hasn’t improved with treatment to the point he feels he can play.
This is the first time the 43-year-old Woods has withdrawn from a tournament in two years, shortly before his fourth back surgery to fuse his lower spine.
COLLEGE ATHLETICS
ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) - Jim Delany, one of the most influential figures in college athletics for three decades, will step down as Big Ten commissioner when his contract expires June 30, 2020.
The Big Ten announced Delany’s plans on Monday. The 71-year-old has been commissioner since 1989.
WNBA
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indiana Fever hired former White House adviser Allison Barber as president and chief operating officer and promoted former star Tamika Catchings to vice president of basketball operations.
Barber will replace Kelly Krauskopf, who became assistant general manager of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers in December. Barber has been serving as chancellor of Western Governors University Indiana and will be only the second team president in franchise history.
ESPORTS
NEW YORK (AP) - Two female gamers have been invited to attend this year’s NBA 2K League draft, the first time women will be included in the draft pool.
Chiquita Evans from Kentucky and Brianna Novin from New Jersey qualified for the esports draft through the league’s online combine. They are both expected to be at Barclays Center for the event Tuesday night.
The 2K League is entering its second season and did not have any female players in its inaugural year.
SOCCER
ZURICH (AP) - The FIFA panel overseeing Women’s World Cup preparations recommended on Monday using video review to help referees, clearing the path for final confirmation next week.
The plan has strong backers in FIFA President Gianni Infantino and UEFA leader Aleksander Ceferin, who chaired Monday’s meeting of the organizing committee for world soccer competitions.
At a meeting in Miami next week, FIFA’s ruling council is set to ratify video assistants being deployed to help women referees at the June 7-July 7 tournament in France.
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