NCAAF:
University of Southern California cornerback Josh Shaw has been indefinitely suspended by the team after admitting he lied to school officials about how he sprained his ankles last weekend, retracting his story about jumping off a balcony to save his drowning nephew. Head coach Steve Sarkisian said that honesty and integrity must be at the center of his football program, and he believes Shaw will learn from this.
The school didn't explain in its statement how Shaw actually was injured, but USC officials say they regret posting a story lauding Shaw's tale on their website Monday. Shaw is a fifth-year senior, a team captain and a key starter in USC's defensive secondary.
MLB:
In Major League Baseball, in the American League, the Los Angeles Angels still top the AL West by one game over the Oakland Athletics after both teams won on Wednesday. Mike Trout and Gordon Beckham each hit solo homers and drove in two runs as the Angels beat Miami 6-1. Sam Fuld hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer while Oakland put together a three-run ninth to beat the Astros 5-4 in Houston.
The New York Yankees chased David Price with nine straight hits in the third inning, beating the Detroit Tigers 8-4 last night. The Yankees scored all eight of their runs in the third off Price, who had pitched a one-hitter in his previous start. Jacoby Ellsbury started the barrage, and New York went all the way through the batting order until the 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner was pulled after the ninth hit of the inning.
The New York Yankees have reached a minor league deal with outfielder Chris Young, who played 88 games this season with the crosstown Mets. The 30-year-old hit .205 for the Mets before his release this month.
The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 last night. Pinch-hitter Danny Valencia hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning for the Blue Jays. Red Sox slugger David Ortiz returned to the lineup after sitting out the previous two games with a sore right foot. He gave the Red Sox their first hit with a one-out single in the fourth.
Elsewhere Tampa Bay slid past Baltimore 3-1, Texas blew out Seattle 12-4, Kansas City bested Minnesota 6-1 giving them a 2 ½ game lead over Detroit, and the White Sox edged Cleveland 3-2.
In the National League, Atlanta beat the Mets 3-2, Pittsburgh topped St. Louis 3-1, Philadelphia doubled up Washington 8-4, San Diego edged Milwaukee 3-2 in 10, Cincinnati defeated the Cubs 7-5, the Dodgers trumped Arizona 3-1, and it was San Francisco over Colorado 4-2.
Former major league baseball player Jose Offerman is appealing a federal court order that he pay $940,000 to a catcher injured during a minor league brawl in Connecticut in 2007. Last month, a jury awarded the money to former Bridgeport Bluefish catcher Johnathan Nathans. He says he suffered career-ending injuries when Offerman hit him in the head with a bat.
Tennis – U.S. Open:
Two-time U.S. Open champion Venus Williams reached the tournament's third round for the first time since 2010, beating 78th-ranked Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland 6-1, 6-4 last night. Maria Sharapova rallied from a set down to overcome a shaky serve and advance.
Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka got into a bit of a tiff with a spectator, telling him to "Shut up," on the way to moving ahead in the second round.
NFL:
Tonight marks the last of the preseason games in the NFL. The New England Patriots will be in the Meadowlands to play the New York Giants at 7:30 p.m., the Jets are in Philadelphia at 7, and Detroit will see Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium at 7.
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