SPORTS HEADLINES

Carlos Alcaraz becomes youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam. Is a calendar Slam next?

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz had Novak Djokovic across the net from him and Rafael Nadal watching from above in Rod Laver Arena. His inspiration, and his idol. Alcaraz had visions of this as a kid — not entirely long ago, in the scheme of things — so there was no better time to show them what he’d learned from watching the two all-time greats, or borrowed from their aura. He had a comeback, four-set win over Djokovic and walked away from the Australian Open final Sunday as the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam — that’s winning all four of the tennis majors. At 22 and 272 days of age, he’s considerably younger than Nadal (24) and Djokovic (29) were when they achieved that milestone, lowering a mark that Don Budge set in 1938 when he was a couple of days shy of his 23rd birthday.

NASCAR’s Clash postponed to Wednesday due to historic snowfall in North Carolina

WINSTON, SALEM, N.C. (AP) — A bomb cyclone over North Carolina has forced NASCAR to reschedule its preseason exhibition to Wednesday night. Snow-covered roads have made it too dangerous for teams and fans to reach Bowman-Gray Stadium. The Clash was initially set for Sunday night but has been postponed twice due to intense snowfall. NASCAR first condensed the event to a Sunday-only show, then moved it to Monday. On Sunday, they announced the shift to Wednesday evening because of the historic winter weather. The race is now set to run one week before Daytona 500 qualifying.

NBA suspends Philadelphia 76ers’ Paul George 25 games for violating anti-drug policy

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Paul George of the Philadelphia 76ers has been suspended for 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program. The league announced the suspension on Saturday but did not disclose the substance involved. George released a statement to ESPN saying he took something that was “improper.” He apologized to the team and its fans, saying he takes “full responsibility for my actions.” This is George’s first violation, according to the agreement between the NBA and the Players Association. The suspension will cost him approximately $11.7 million of his salary. George has averaged 16 points in 27 games this season, ranking third on the team.

Boxer Jarrell Miller has his hairpiece knocked upward by a punch, then throws it into the crowd

NEW YORK (AP) — Boxer Jarrell Miller was hit with such a good punch it knocked his hair off. The heavyweight was facing Kingsley Ibeh on Saturday night when Ibeh landed a punch in the second round that caused a roar from the crowd, despite it not looking particularly hard. But the punch knocked Miller’s head backward, and his hairpiece popped upward from the front, revealing a large bald spot that covered most of his head. Miller finished the round with the hairpiece, then ripped it off in his corner between rounds and tossed it into the crowd at Madison Square Garden. Miller won by split decision, then rubbed the top of his head while doing a celebratory dance.

Lindsey Vonn sits out final race before Olympics but remains on track for Games after crash

Lindsey Vonn is sitting out a World Cup super-G race on Saturday after crashing and injuring her left knee a day earlier but remains on track for the Milan Cortina Olympics. Vonn’s personal head coach Chris Knight tells The Associated Press in a text message “No she is not racing today but preparing for Cortina as usual.” Vonn posted on Instagram that “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to race today.” She adds “Doing my best right now….” with praying hands and fingers-crossed emojis. Vonn crashed in a downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Friday and ended up in the safety nets. It still wasn’t clear what her injury was. Saturday’s super-G was slated to be her final race before the Games open next Friday.

Ohtani won’t pitch in World Baseball Classic, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch for Japan in the World Baseball Classic in March. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says Ohtani has decided to focus solely on being the designated hitter for his country. Roberts says the Dodgers would have supported him if he wanted to pitch. World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto will pitch for Japan despite a heavy workload with the champion Dodgers last season. Ohtani says he is healthy and has had a normal offseason because he hasn’t been rehabbing from surgery, which he was last year.

Justin Rose delivers a Tiger-like performance at Torrey Pines. He leads by 6 shots

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Justin Rose delivered a performance Saturday at Torrey Pines that Tiger Woods could appreciate, stretching his lead to as many as eight shots until a few late mistakes led to a 4-under 68 for a six-stroke lead in the Farmers Insurance Open. Rose, who won at Torrey in 2019, started the third round with a four-shot lead and quickly pulled away with a brilliant stretch of three holes on the front nine of the South course. Rose was at 21-under 195. It was the second-largest 54-hole lead at the tournament behind the eight-shot lead Woods had in 2008. Woods practically owned the public course along the Pacific Bluff with eight professional wins, including the U.S. Open. Dahmen finished strong for a 68 and was second.

Cavs acquire Ellis and Schroder in 3-team trade with Kings and Bulls, AP source says

The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired guards Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder from Sacramento in a three-team deal that sends forward De’Andre Hunter to the Kings. A person familiar with the trade said Saturday night that the Chicago Bulls will get forward Dario Saric from Sacramento along with two second-round picks. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams hadn’t announced the trade. ESPN first reported the deal.

Demonstrators in Milan protest ICE unit at Winter Olympics

MILAN (AP) — Hundreds of demonstrators have gathered in Milan to protest the deployment of ICE agents during the upcoming Winter Olympics. Saturday’s protest took place in Piazza XXV Aprile, a square named for Italy’s liberation from Nazi fascism in 1945. The protest occurred despite clarifications that agents will participate in security for the U.S. delegation and not operate on the streets. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has said they are not welcome. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has been called to Parliament to testify about the deployment this week. ICE unit Homeland Security Investigations frequently sends its officers to overseas events like the Olympics.

Seahawks’ Klint Kubiak in 2nd round of head coach interviews with Raiders and Cardinals

Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak interviewed for head coaching positions with the Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals. This marks the second round of interviews for both teams. If Kubiak accepts a position, no announcement can be made until after the Super Bowl between the Seahawks and New England Patriots on Feb. 8. The Raiders, who have struggled since their last Super Bowl appearance in 2002, hold the top pick in this year’s NFL draft. Arizona has been searching for a new coach for nearly four weeks. Kubiak’s work with quarterback Sam Darnold likely has impressed both teams.

A nod to the past brought Sidney Crosby to tears. The Penguins captain is smiling about the present

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby didn’t try to fight back the tears during a tribute to the 2016 team that won the Stanley Cup. Crosby says he knew the emotions would bubble up on a night the Penguins honored the club that won the franchise’s third Stanley Cup. Well over a dozen members of the team flew in to be honored before a 6-5 win over the New York Rangers. The 38-year-old Crosby is upbeat about the current group of Penguins. Pittsburgh has won 13 of 17 to move into second place in the Metropolitan Division.