Sports briefs
Trending
Minshew named
starting QB
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Arizona Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur says veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew will take over as the starter. Minshew replaced Jacoby Brissett and led a 14-point comeback for a 33-30 overtime win against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
LaFleur believes Minshew provided the needed spark for the struggling offense. Minshew threw for 188 yards and three touchdowns after entering the game late in the third quarter.
Rookie Carson Beck will be the backup, while Brissett moves to third string for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. Minshew is on a one-year deal. Beck was a third-round pick out of Miami.
Running games
dominate
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Baker Mayfield only threw three passes, completed zero and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were thrilled with those results. That’s because the offensive line dominated and the running backs were unstoppable.
The Buccaneers played old-school football in a 16-0 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in sloppy conditions on a rain-soaked field Sunday. Behind Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell, the Bucs set a team record with 324 yards rushing.
They were among four teams that ran for 200 or more yards. Those teams went 4-0. The Lions ran for 230 in a 19-15 victory over previously unbeaten Minnesota. The Cardinals had 202 in a 33-30 overtime win at Dallas. The Steelers got 200 in a 27-6 rout over Cleveland.
Courtroom
chaos hits
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- The college basketball season tips off with many players unexpectedly gaining an extra year of eligibility. They have received injunctions from courts in various states after the NCAA adopted a new five-year eligibility model that did not apply to them as they wrapped up their playing careers last season.
As of last week, the NCAA reported about 200 lawsuits involving 850 athletes. So far, most of the courts -- though not all -- have sided with athletes seeking another year of eligibility.
But nothing has been definitively decided as the season gets underway, leaving coaches to wonder whether their players will remain eligible through March.
Thunder to
honor Westbrook
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Oklahoma City Thunder will honor former league MVP Russell Westbrook by retiring his No. 0 in February. The 37-year-old Westbrook played 11 of his 18 NBA seasons with Oklahoma City and retired as team leader in games, points, rebounds, assists, steals, field goals and minutes.
The Thunder reached the NBA Finals in 2012, reached the playoffs nine times and made four Western Conference Finals appearances. He was named MVP for the 2016-17 season after averaging a league-best 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 10.4 assists and 1.63 steals to become the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season.
MLB players
get offers
NEW YORK (AP) -- New York Yankees closer David Bednar, Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki and Seattle outfielder Randy Arozarena were among eight players who received $23.15 million qualifying offers from their teams.
Milwaukee first baseman/outfielder Jake Bauers and Baltimore left-hander Trevor Rogers also received the offers along with Minnesota catcher Ryan Jeffers, Pittsburgh second baseman Brandon Lowe and San Diego left-hander Adrian Morejon.
A player has until Nov. 17 to accept.
Qualifying offers began after the 2012 season, and only 18 of 157 prior offers have been accepted. The figure is determined by the average of the top 125 major league contracts this year.
Fraud trial
underway
NEW YORK (AP) -- The trial of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz is underway in New York on charges that they colluded with gamblers who made hundreds of thousands of dollars betting on individual pitches.
Their careers and possibly their freedom are at stake in the jury trial that began Monday with jury selection in in Brooklyn federal court. Several professional baseball players, including catchers and baseball executives, are among witnesses likely to testify.
Clase is the Guardians’ former closer while Ortiz was a starter when they were charged in November 2025. Both have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges and are on non-disciplinary leave from the club without pay.
Lightning star
wants a trade
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Reigning NHL MVP Nikita Kucherov requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning because he feels disrespected by a lack of communication with general manager Julien BriseBois.
Kucherov will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He’s in the final season of an eight-year, $76 million contract signed in 2018 before he helped Tampa Bay win the Stanley Cup twice, led the NHL in scoring three times and won the Hart Trophy in 2018-19 and 2025-26.
Clark pens
children’s book
NEW YORK (AP) -- Caitlin Clark has been an avid reader since she was a kid, thanks in huge part to her mother. Now the Indiana Fever star can add writer to her ever-growing resume with a new children’s book, “EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams.”
It’s a picture book that’s written in rhyming verse. Clark first thought about not having it rhyme, but she said it just worked better. The book focuses on teamwork, perseverance and the love of those around her, including her family, friends and teammates.
Clark’s book is based on a quote on a mirror that’s still in her childhood bedroom.