NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge is refusing to order the NFL to implement a rule that could have led to a do-over of the NFC championship game between the Saints and the Rams. The judge rejected arguments by two Saints season ticket holders who filed suit against the league and its commissioner. At issue was game officials' failure to call penalties against a Rams player at a key point in the final minutes of regulation play.
NEW YORK (AP) — People with knowledge of the deal tell The Associated Press that the New York Knicks have agreed to trade Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks. The team is parting with its young All-Star forward as he recovers from a torn knee ligament. The Knicks would acquire guard Dennis Smith Jr. and center DeAndre Jordan while also sending Tim Hardaway Jr. to Dallas. Other players are still to be added to the deal
UNDATED (AP) — Center Antoine Vermette will retire after 14 NHL seasons as one of the best faceoff men of his generation. The 36-year-old from Quebec won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015. He most recently played for the Anaheim Ducks. He became a free agent last summer. Vermette won 56.6 percent of his faceoffs, the ninth-best mark in the league. He played 1,046 regular-season and 97 playoff games.
UNDATED (AP) — Outfielder Michael A. Taylor and the Washington Nationals have argued baseball's first salary arbitration hearing this year. Taylor asked for a raise from $2.5 million to $3.5 million, and the Nationals countered with $3.25 million today before arbitrators Mark Burstein, James Darby and Matt Goldberg. A decision is expected tomorrow. Taylor hit .227 with six homers and 28 RBIs last year, down from a .271 average with 19 homers and 53 RBIs in 2017.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The NCAA has sanctioned Missouri's football, baseball and softball programs after an investigation revealed academic misconduct involving a tutor who completed coursework for athletes. Among the penalties handed down today were three years of probation and one-year postseason bans for all three programs. That means the baseball and softball teams will be ineligible for the NCAA Tournament this season and the football team will be ineligible for a bowl game this fall.
