By Barry Wilner AP Pro Football Writer NFL owners have delayed a decision on implementing a 17-game regular season for 2021. During a teleconference call Wednesday that replaced the usual December gathering of owners in Dallas, they opted to push back any move on the expanded season ...

By The Associated Press Despite an impressive prime-time win over the Steelers, Bills Mafia can't celebrate a playoff berth just yet. But it's getting closer. The Bills can wrap up the AFC East for the first time since 1995 win a victory at Denver on Saturday or a Dolphins loss on Sunday ...

  NEW YORK (AP) — Willie Mays will add some hits to his record, Monte Irvin's big league batting average should climb over .300 and Satchel Paige may add nearly 150 victories to his total. Josh Gibson, the greatest of all Negro League sluggers, might just wind up with a major league ...

AP Source: NHL now focusing on mid-January season start date By John Wawrow AP Hockey Writer Time has all but run out on the NHL's hope to start the season Jan. 1, with the league and NHL Players' Association now focusing their discussions on opening play in mid-January, a person ...

By Noah Trister AP Baseball Writer The free agent market received a small boost this week, although it remains to be seen whether teams will be eager to take advantage. A record 59 players became free agents when their teams declined to offer them contracts by Wednesday night's tender ...

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer The Big Ten's four unbeaten teams square off Saturday in two games that could go a long way toward settling the division races. No. 9 Indiana faces No. 3 Ohio State in a top-10 matchup featuring the conference's overwhelming favorite against its ...

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer SEATTLE (AP) — Kyler Murray was crunched on Arizona's second drive of the game. A rude hello from Seattle's L.J. Collier and Carlos Dunlap that left Murray with a sore right shoulder. After not being touched by the Seahawks in their first meeting, Murray ...

By JOHN TRANCHINA Associated Press TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Falling behind early is becoming a regular occurrence for Tulsa. So are late-game heroics. Zaven Collins returned an interception 96 yards for a touchdown in the second overtime to give No. 25 Tulsa a 30-24 comeback victory over Tulane ...

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer NBA free agency is usually a weeklong frenzy. Deals get struck, then teams and players must wait a few days before they can sign those contracts. And from there, a few more months often pass before the player goes to work with his new club. Not this ...

By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer It's difficult to sneak up on anybody in the NFL, given the attention the sport gets everywhere. Yet the Indianapolis Colts have been something of a hidden secret at 6-3. If you're surprised to see them tied with Tennessee atop the AFC South, it's ...

By The Associated Press The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed four more players on the COVID-19 list, including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The move comes a day after tight end Vance McDonald went on the list after testing positive following a 24-19 win at Dallas that pushed the Steelers to ...

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo Olympics organizers on Tuesday said they were encouraged by a gymnastics meet over the weekend and are now ready to hold test events early next year. The Sunday meet featured 22 Russian, Chinese and American athletes entering Japan and ...

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Pro Football Writer EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Joe Flacco and the rest of the New York Jets could feel it. Their first victory of a brutal season was there for the taking. They had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter against a struggling New England Patriots team ...

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Dawn Staley already has accomplished so much at South Carolina. Now she can add the first preseason No. 1 ranking in school history to the list of achievements. The Gamecocks received 29 of the 30 first-place votes in The Associated ...

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Take away a few white scoreboards in their usual places behind the greens, and the green television stands behind the 12th tee and a few other strategic locations, and this is what Augusta National looks like in November. It looks bigger ...

By PETE IACOBELLI AP Sports Writer Clemson coach Dabo Swinney always planned for talented freshman quarterback DJ Uiagalelei to take over for Trevor Lawrence, just not this weekend against Boston College. That's the situation for the Tigers, however, after Lawrence tested positive for ...

By DAVID GINSBURG AP Sports Writer COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — A back-and-forth game that featured comebacks by both teams, a dozen touchdowns and more than 1,100 yards in offense seemed destined to reach a second overtime before ending abruptly on — of all things — a botched conversion ...

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Brad Hand's solid season didn't earn him another one with the Indians. Feeling the financial pinch from a shortened season, Cleveland declined Hand's $10 million contract option on Friday and also chose not to exercise options for either ...

By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer The NFL is recommending that players on the sidelines who are not participating in a game or about to go on the field wear protective masks. In a memo obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, the league's management council also suggested the 32 teams ...

CHICAGO (AP) — Jon Lester's $25 million mutual option for 2021 was declined Friday by the Chicago Cubs, completing a $155 million, six-year contract and allowing the 36-year-old left-hander to become a free agent. Lester is owed a $10 million buyout: $2 million on each Dec. 31 from 2022 ...