Texarkana Gazette | Professional Sports

Professional Sports

French Open could see limited or no fans in September With the new $55 million retractable roof shut atop a barren Court Philippe Chatrier - where the red clay has dimmed to an orange-brown, the court's white lines have all but faded and there's no net - the French Open's main stadium was transformed into a far more imposing and modern-looking facility. by Associated Press Published May. 27 2020 @ 9:11pm

ANALYSIS | Did the NFL blow it with its pass interference reviews rule? Remember back to the NFC championship game in the 2018 season. Deep in the fourth quarter at the Superdome. by Associated Press Published May. 27 2020 @ 1:22pm

NHL moves ahead with 24-team playoff format if play resumes The NHL will abandon the rest of the regular season and go straight into the playoffs with 24 teams instead of 16 if it is able to resume play. by Associated Press Published May. 26 2020 @ 9:04pm

MLB players call league's economic proposal 'extremely disappointing' A rookie at the major league minimum would make a higher percentage of his salary than multimillionaire stars like Mike Trout or Gerrit Cole under a sliding-scale proposal by big league teams that players found "extremely disappointing." by Associated Press Published May. 26 2020 @ 9:01pm

Golf can't expect to be this entertaining always Now we know what Phil Mickelson is thinking over the most difficult of pitch shots. by Associated Press Published May. 26 2020 @ 8:58pm

Bayern beats Dortmund, closes in on eighth straight Bundesliga With a long-range lob, Joshua Kimmich put Bayern Munich on the verge of another Bundesliga title. by Associated Press Published May. 26 2020 @ 8:30pm

Virtual seventh-inning stretch brings ballpark feeling home It's 3 o'clock, about the time they'd be getting ready for the seventh-inning stretch at an afternoon Red Sox game. Josh Kantor settles onto the bench of the Yamaha Electone organ in his living room and clicks on his wife's iPhone to begin another show. by Associated Press Published May. 26 2020 @ 8:29pm

Some big names remain unsigned late in NFL's odd offseason Offseason shopping is still in full swing in the NFL. by Associated Press Published May. 26 2020 @ 8:22pm

Tennis, anyone? Not on this sunny Sunday at the French Open PARIS — Tennis, anyone? Not Sunday at the French Open. Nobody was there. Maybe they will be in September. by Associated Press Published May. 24 2020 @ 10:15pm

Woods, Brady win a TV charity match as good as real thing Tom Brady delivered the shot of the match that made it easy to forget the rest of his swings. Tiger Woods didn't miss a fairway and earned a small measure of revenge against Phil Mickelson. by Doug Ferguson Published May. 24 2020 @ 9:11pm

Hamlin suffers serious setback at the start of Coca-Cola 600 Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin had his shot at winning another crown jewel event Sunday night destroyed before the Coca-Cola 600 even began. by Jenna Fryer Published May. 24 2020 @ 9:07pm

NASCAR all alone on motorsports' biggest racing day The most celebrated day in motorsports has been whittled down to the third course, 600 miles around Charlotte Motor Speedway in NASCAR's longest race of the year. What began as the World 600 in 1959 became the nightcap to a spectacular day of automobile racing treasured annually by fans. by Jenny Fryer/The Associated Press Published May. 23 2020 @ 11:18pm

Out of the Woods: Tiger emerges for TV match with Lefty, QBs The purpose is to raise $10 million or more for COVID-19 relief efforts, and provide entertainment with four of the biggest stars from the PGA Tour and NFL. Another appeal to the Sunday made-for-TV exhibition, "The Match: Champions for Charity," is a chance to see Tiger Woods swing a golf club for the first time in 98 days. by Doug Ferguson/The Associated Press Published May. 23 2020 @ 11:16pm

Santa Anita cashes winning ticket as sport makes a comeback Horses are thundering down the stretch again at Santa Anita. There are no fans or owners cheering them on. No photos in the winner's circle. No bets placed at the track's windows. Still, it's a win for the sport to be back racing against the backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains after being idled for 1 1/2 months because of the coronavirus pandemic. by Beth Harris/The Associated Press Published May. 23 2020 @ 11:13pm

Thousands of replica fans take over German stadium Even when German fans are stuck at home, they can still be seen in the stadium. Around 13,000 cutouts filled the stands on Saturday as Borussia Mnchengladbach hosted Bayer Leverkusen in a Bundesliga game which could help decide Champions League qualification. by James Ellingworth/The Associated Press Published May. 23 2020 @ 11:09pm

IndyCar drivers cope with strange Memorial Day weekend Simon Pagenaud is spending the Memorial Day weekend quietly at home, far away from deafening engines and roaring crowds. He talks about the future — IndyCar's season opener in Texas on June 6, the series' first July race at the Brickyard, the COVID-19 pandemic that caused this chaos — and his hope that the rescheduled 500 weekend in August proves to be as festive and fun as he expected. by Associated Press Published May. 23 2020 @ 1:25am

NASCAR grabs much-needed momentum in return to live racing NASCAR came up with a health plan that allowed it to resume racing last Sunday at Darlington Raceway, the first of 20 events scheduled in seven Southern states through June 21. Although spectators are not permitted, making for eerie, empty venues, the racing itself has delivered. by Associated Press Published May. 23 2020 @ 1:14am

Jerry Sloan, coaching great of Jazz glory days, dies at 78 Sloan presided over the glory days of the John Stockton and Karl Malone pick-and-roll-to-perfection era in Salt Lake City. He is fourth on the NBA's victory list. by Tim Reynolds/The Associated Press Published May. 23 2020 @ 1:12am

COLUMN | Sloan and other coaching greats who were denied a title Jerry Sloan, who died Friday at age 78, isn't the only coaching guru lacking a trip to a title. Let's take a look at the 10 best coaches and managers who failed to win a title in America's biggest sports. by Paul Newberry/The Associated Press Published May. 23 2020 @ 1:10am

QBs holding passing sessions minus the bonding activities Players are keeping it simple and sticking to football instead of the annual weeklong bonding trips that have included sleepovers, cookouts, fishing, golfing and other activities. by Associated Press Published May. 23 2020 @ 1:09am

NHL awaits players' vote before discussing what comes next Under the plan proposed by the NHL/NHLPA Return To Play committee, the top four teams in each conference would play each other in a mini-tournament for seeding while the remaining 16 teams face off in a best-of-five series play-in round to set the final 16 to compete for the Stanley Cup. by Associated Press Published May. 23 2020 @ 1:08am

Clash of the racing titans | Busch, Elliott incident could spark new NASCAR rivalry Kyle Busch is NASCAR's reigning Cup champion and the resident villain of the series. Chase Elliott has been voted most popular driver the last two years and is quickly building a loyal and rabid fan base. by Associated Press Published May. 21 2020 @ 10:47pm