Hannover's police chief says authorities cancelled a friendly soccer match between Germany and the Netherlands because they had "concrete information" about a bomb threat.
The German news agency dpa quotes police chief Volker Kluwe saying the information concerned an explosives attack. dpa also cites unnamed security officials in Berlin that say a foreign intelligence agency had warned Germany of a possible attack by Islamic extremists.
Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere says indications of a planned attack became stronger as the match approached, and that the game was called off at his recommendation.
Lower Saxony Interior Minister Boris Pistorius added that there was no confirmation of rumors that an explosive device was placed in an ambulance or another vehicle inside or outside the stadium.
Chancellor Angela Merkel was among several German government officials scheduled to attend the match to send a signal that the country wouldn't bow to terrorism in the wake of the Paris attacks.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Davis Cup final between Belgium and Britain will go ahead next week despite security concerns following the Paris attacks. The International Tennis Federation is confident that the three-day final in Ghent will not be affected by security concerns. The city is 35 miles from Brussels, where a soccer friendly between Spain and Belgium was canceled due to safety reasons.
The three-day tennis final starts on Nov. 27 at the Flanders Expo. A sell-out crowd of 13,000 is expected.
NBA:
In the NBA, New York bested Charlotte 102-94, Brooklyn edged Atlanta 90-88, Washington beat Milwaukee 115-86, Detroit won against Cleveland 104-99, Denver beat New Orleans 115-98, and it was Minnesota over Miami 103-91.
NHL:
In the NHL, San Jose beat Boston 5-4, Dallas topped Buffalo 3-1, Calgary edged New Jersey 3-2, Los Angeles skated by Philadelphia in a shootout 3-2, Toronto bested Colorado 5-1, Nashville edged Anaheim 3-2, Columbus defeated St. Louis 3-1, and it was Pittsburgh over Minnesota 4-3.
NCAA:
In top 25 men’s college basketball, No. 19 UConn beat New Hampshire 85-66.
Tyler Ulis had 18 points and six assists as the second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats downed No. 5 Duke 74-63. Jamal Murray scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half for Kentucky, which forced 16 turnovers and outscored the Blue Devils 18-4 on fast-break points. Amile Jefferson led the Blue Devils with 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Marshall Plumlee finished with 12 points, 10 boards and six blocks.
Marist beat Dartmouth 73-63 last night. Dartmouth led until midway of the first half when Marist had a 15-2 run to lead 33-24 at the break. Evan Boudreaux finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Big Green.
UMass held off Harvard down the stretch for a 69-63 win last night. Jabarie Hinds scored 24 points, and Trey Davis added 13 for UMass. Zena Edosomwan finished with 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Harvard. Corbin Miller added 11 points.
Louisville used its size early and often against Hartford for an 87-52 victory last night. Pancake Thomas scored 20 points for the Hawks, who forged two ties and two lead changes early before Louisville steadily broke it open.
NFL:
Hakeem Nicks is back with the New York Giants. The team's first-round draft pick in 2009 has been signed to replace fellow wide receiver Victor Cruz on the roster. Cruz did not play this season, and was placed on injured reserve because he needs surgery on his left calf. Nicks played last season with the Indianapolis Colts.
New England Patriots offensive lineman Nate Solder has revealed that his infant son has cancer. Soder told a crowd at a charity event on Monday that his 3-month-old son, Hudson, has a form of kidney cancer. Earlier this year, Solder revealed that he was treated for testicular cancer.
The Cleveland Browns are about to give Johnny Manziel a long look. The Browns say Manziel will be their starting quarterback the remainder of the season. The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner has been filling in for the injured Josh McCown the last two games and has impressed coach Mike Pettine.
Manziel passed for 372 yards in a 30-9 loss at Pittsburgh on Sunday and has completed 76 of his 128 passes for 933 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions in six games this season. However, the Browns are 2-8 overall and 1-2 in games started by Manziel. The Browns made their announcement shortly before the NFL said Manziel would not be disciplined for a domestic incident with his girlfriend last month.
NCAAH:
In college hockey, third-ranked Quinnipiac had little trouble beating UConn at Hartford's XL Center last night, 6-2. Quinnipiac put the game away with six goals over a 7 minute span. Huskies winger Evan Richardson was also assessed a 7-minute major after cross-check to the head of Bobcats captain Soren Jonzzon. Quinnipiac remains unbeaten with the win.
MLB:
Mets pitchers Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz are the winners of the Joe DiMaggio Toast of the Town award in a vote by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The quartet will receive the honor at the chapter's annual dinner in January.
Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is expected to retire from baseball at the end of the 2016 season.
Major League Baseball has announced its managers of the year, and they come from teams that made huge improvements over the last 12 months.
Chicago Cubs skipper Joe Maddon is the National League Manager of the year following a 97-65 season that put the team in the postseason for the first time since 2008. Maddon was named the Cubs' manager after last season and helped them make a 24-win improvement over 2014. They finished just three games behind the NL Central-champion Cardinals before knocking off St. Louis in the division series.
Maddon came away with 18 of 30 first-place votes and 124 points. It's the third time he has captured the award after doing it with the Rays in 2008 and 2011. Cards manager Mike Matheny finished second in the balloting, followed by Terry Collins of the New York Mets.
Jeff Banister has been named the American League Manager of the Year after guiding the Texas Rangers to the AL West title in his rookie season. Banister led the Rangers to an 88-74 record and their first division title since 2011 before losing a best-of-5 division series against Toronto. He inherited a ballclub that was 67-95 and last in the division.
Banister received 17 of 30 first-place votes and 112 points to beat out Houston's A.J. Hinch and Minnesota skipper Paul Molitor for the honor. Banister is the fifth manager to win in his first year.
Brandon Crawford has received a nice contract. The San Francisco Giants' Gold Glove-winning shortstop has signed a six-year, $75 million package that runs through the 2021 season. The 28-year-old Crawford went to the All-Star game last summer before capturing Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. Crawford last season hit .256 with 21 homers and 84 RBIs.
In other baseball news:
—Veteran infielder Cliff Pennington became the first free agent to switch teams this offseason when the Los Angeles Angels signed him to a two-year, $3.75 million deal. Pennington will make $1.5 million in 2016 and $2.25 million in 2017 with the Angels. The switch-hitting utilityman batted .210 with three homers and 21 RBIs in 105 total games, making multiple starts at five positions with Arizona and Toronto.
Horse Racing:
Mike Dempsey is retiring as the director of racing at Monmouth Park. The racetrack on the New Jersey shore says the 60-year-old Dempsey will be retiring on December 31st. He was hired in 1979 as a claims clerk.
Fantasy Sports:
Daily fantasy sports operator FanDuel says it's temporarily suspending entry in paid contests for New York players. The New York-based company says the move follows its failed attempt to convince a judge to immediately block the state attorney general's efforts to shut it down. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sent FanDuel and Bostson-based DraftKings letters last week calling on them to halt what he considers illegal games of chance.
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