- Associated Press - Wednesday, February 3, 2021

MLB

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Pitching coach Mickey Callaway was suspended by the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday after allegations of inappropriate behavior toward several women who work in sports media.

The Angels announced their decision a day after the allegations against the former New York Mets manager appeared in a report by The Athletic.

A person with knowledge of the Angels’ decision to suspend Callaway says the coach has denied wrongdoing, which means he can’t be fired for cause under California labor law without a full investigation of the allegations against him. The investigation by the Angels and Major League Baseball will begin swiftly, and could be completed this month.

- By AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham.

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The San Diego Padres have promoted general manager A.J. Preller to president of baseball operations and extended his contract through the 2026 season.

The Padres also promoted Erik Greupner from president of business operations to CEO and extended his contract through 2026. The promotions were announced Tuesday.

Preller was hired as GM in August 2014 and he has rebuilt the Padres into a playoff team.

AUTO RACING

Hendrick Motorsports signed its first two sponsors for Kyle Larson, a promising sign as the driver attempts to rebuild his image after his use of a racial slur derailed his promising career.

Cincinnati Inc., a machine tool maker, and heavy-duty truck manufacturer Freightliner will be the primary sponsors of Larson’s new No. 5 Chevrolet for two races each in 2021. Both companies, existing Hendrick partners, will also be full-time associate sponsors for Larson.

SOCCER

MANCHESTER, England (AP) - Manchester United beat nine-man Southampton 9-0 on Tuesday to tie the biggest margin of victory in a Premier League match.

It came 15 months after Southampton lost by the same score line at home to Leicester, for the heaviest-ever home defeat.

Southampton had 19-year-old midfielder Alexandre Jankewitz sent off after 82 seconds and was trailing 6-0 when Jan Bednarek also received a red card for a foul in the penalty area in the 86th.

TENNIS

In a Grand Slam first, all courts at the Australian Open will feature electronic line calling.

Players wanting to stare down or glare at a line judge at the season’s first major after a close or contentious call will have difficulty doing so this year. There won’t be any.

The absence of on-court line judges is designed to reduce the number of staff on-site amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Only players, chair umpires and ball kids will be on the court.

Tennis Australia announced the introduction of live electronic line calls using pre-recorded voices will be used for the terms “Out,” “Foot Fault” and “Fault” during the February 8-21 tournament

BASEL, Switzerland (AP) - Roger Federer is aiming to play his first tournament after two knee surgeries and more than one year out in Qatar next month.

Federer told Swiss radio station SRF on Tuesday he has targeted the Doha Open from March 8-13.

The 39-year-old 20-time Grand Slam champion said he preferred a smaller tournament.

Federer last played in January 2020 at the Australian Open, losing in the semifinals to Novak Djokovic while clearly struggling with injury.

OLYMPICS

USA Basketball will face France in one of its group games, and the U.S. women have been placed in the same group as Tokyo Olympics host Japan when the draw for the rescheduled Tokyo Games was held Tuesday. The draw took place in Mies, Switzerland, at FIBA headquarters.

The U.S. men will also face Iran and the winner of the qualifying tournament in Victoria, Canada, as its other Group A rivals.

The U.S. men are seeking a fourth consecutive gold medal. The U.S. women are going for a seventh consecutive Olympic title.

TOKYO (AP) - A coalition of 180 rights group on Wednesday called for a boycott of next year’s Beijing Winter Olympics tied to reported human rights abuses against ethnic minorities in China.

The games are to open in one year, on Feb. 4, 2022, and are set to go forward despite the pandemic.

The coalition is composed of groups representing Tibetans, Uighurs, Inner Mongolians, residents of Hong Kong, and others.

The group has issued an open letter to governments calling for a boycott of the Olympics “to ensure they are not used to embolden the Chinese government’s appalling rights abuses and crackdowns on dissent.”

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Ben Simmons says he hopes to play for Australia’s Olympic basketball team at the Tokyo Games after being included in a 24-man squad on Wednesday by coach Brian Goorjian.

The Melbourne-born NBA All-Star and his Philadelphia 76ers’ teammate Matisse Thybulle, a dual Australian-U.S, citizen who spent seven years in Australia as a child, were the notable additions to a squad which features 12 players with NBA experience.

NBA stalwarts Joe Ingles of the Utah Jazz and Patty Mills of the San Antonio Spurs are slated to play in their fourth Olympics while Toronto Raptors center Aron Baynes is also in the squad.

PREP SPORTS

GARY, Ind. (AP) - An Indiana high school basketball coach has been fired after throwing a chair and a basketball onto the court during a game Friday.

Nick Moore of Lighthouse College Prep Academy, located in the state’s northwest corner, announced on his Twitter account Monday night that he had been dismissed.

After the game, one of Moore’s assistants also hurled a chair onto the court, and the school’s athletic director was ejected during the game for arguing with referees.

OBITUARY

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Grant Jackson, the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the 1979 World Series for the “We Are Family” Pittsburgh Pirates and a reliable left-hander for 18 seasons in the majors, died Tuesday from COVID-19 complications. He was 78.

The Pirates said Jackson died at Canonsburg Hospital in Pennsylvania.

Jackson was 86-75 with 79 saves and a 3.46 ERA in 692 games from 1965-82. He was 3-0 with a 2.55 ERA in 13 postseason appearances.

Jackson was an NL All-Star in 1969 with Philadelphia as a starter and pitched in relief during the World Series with Baltimore in 1971, the New York Yankees in 1976 and the ’79 Pirates.

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More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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