Sports
Brittney Griner, Rickea Jackson ejected as Mercury top Sparks
Jul 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; The LA Sparks logo at midcourt at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The Phoenix Mercury held on to beat the host Los Angeles Sparks 85-81 on Tuesday night in a game marred by an altercation late in the first half that led to the ejections of Brittney Griner and Rickea Jackson.
Griner and Jackson were thrown out with 18.8 seconds remaining in the half with the Sparks leading 43-36 during a free-throw attempt by the Mercury’s Celeste Taylor.
Griner raised her elbow close to Jackson’s face and Jackson took a swipe at Griner.
Griner finished with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field and Jackson was 2-of-11 from the floor and scored eight points.
Los Angeles rallied in the fourth quarter despite trailing by as many as 15 points. After the Sparks cut their deficit to 79-74, Herbert Harrigan made a 3-pointer just before the shot clock expired to push the Mercury’s lead to 82-74 with 1:38 remaining.
Kia Nurse made a 3-pointer with 14.3 seconds remaining to cut the lead to 84-79.
Sophie Cunningham made one of two free throws with nine seconds left before the Sparks’ Stephanie Talbot closed the scoring with a jump shot in the lane as time expired.
The Mercury (19-20) conclude their regular-season schedule Thursday at home against the Seattle Storm. Phoenix will enter the playoffs as the No. 7 seed.
Los Angeles (7-32) lost its eighth straight game in its final home game of the season. The Sparks wrap up their regular season on the road against the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday.
Cunningham had 14 points and Diana Taurasi and Natasha Cloud each had 13 points for the Mercury. Cloud also had 12 assists.
Dearica Hamby had 21 points and nine rebounds to lead the Sparks. Li Yueru contributed 19 points and 12 rebounds off the bench in the loss.
The Sparks, who led by as many as 10 points in the first half, went into halftime with a 44-36 lead.
Phoenix opened the second half on a 12-2 run, which was capped by a layup by Cunningham as the Mercury took a 48-46 lead with 6:59 left in the third quarter.
Phoenix outscored Los Angeles 28-10 in the third quarter behind Taurasi’s 10 points. The Sparks were 4-of-18 from the floor and committed nine turnovers in the quarter.
Mercury guard Kahleah Copper missed her third straight game with a back injury.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: RB David Montgomery 'wants out' of Detroit
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) looks on before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Lions running back David Montgomery “wants out” of Detroit after three seasons, ESPN reported on Sunday.
Montgomery, however, immediately appeared to refute the report on X, posting: “Damn, Dmo told you that?”
The ESPN report claims the Lions would want “a decent Day 3 pick (possibly a fifth-rounder)” in the 2026 NFL Draft in return for Montgomery, who turns 29 in June and is owed $6 million next season.
The report follows general manager Brad Holmes’ remarks after the season about Montgomery being unhappy with his playing time in 2025. Sharing a backfield with Jahmyr Gibbs, Montgomery rushed for a career-low 716 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games (no starts).
“Those are conversations that we’re going to have to have because I’ve got a lot of respect for that player,” Holmes said of Montgomery in January. “He deserves to be in a situation where his skillset can be utilized, and so yeah would love for it to be here, but if it can’t be here then you’d just love to see where could work out best for him.”
At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Holmes said the situation with Montgomery is “fluid.” He signed a two-year extension during the 2024 season that runs through the end of the 2027 campaign.
“Yeah, I have been in touch with David’s agent, and his representation,” Holmes revealed. “Obviously, we love David, he’s a great player, we love to have him, you know, kind of want to put last year in the rear view, and just move forward. But, obviously, a player has to want to be at a certain place as well. The conversations are still fluid, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Montgomery has rushed for 2,506 yards and 33 touchdowns in 45 games (28 starts) in three seasons with Detroit (2023-25). He has 76 catches for 650 yards in that span.
He began his career with the NFC North rival Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the third round in 2019. Montgomery rushed for 3,609 yards and 26 scores in 60 games (51 starts) with the Bears (2019-22).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees LHP Ryan Yarbrough joins U.S. roster for WBC
Jun 18, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Ryan Yarbrough (33) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images New York Yankees left-hander Ryan Yarbrough was added to the Team USA roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic on Sunday.
The 34-year-old reliever replaces Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan, who is dealing with low back tightness. Ryan moves into the designated pitcher pool, meaning he is eligible for a call-up after each round of the WBC.
Yarbrough went 3-1 with a 4.36 ERA and one save in 19 games (eight starts) during his first season with the Yankees in 2025, striking out 55 batters and walking 19 in 64 innings.
Ryan Yarbrough has been added to our roster for the World Baseball Classic!#ForGlory???? pic.twitter.com/RrtKJQ20gz
— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) March 1, 2026
Team USA will play its first game of the 2026 WBC on Friday night, meeting Brazil in a Pool B contest in Houston.
Yarbrough has a career record of 56-41 with a 4.22 ERA and four saves in 215 games (76 starts) with the Tampa Bay Rays (2018-22), Kansas City Royals (2023), Los Angeles Dodgers (2023-24), Toronto Blue Jays (2024) and Yankees. The side-arming southpaw signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal in November to return to New York in 2026.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ex-pitcher Dan Serafini gets life sentence for '21 murder
Dan Serafini (file photo) pitched in MLB with seven teams. He was convited of first-degree murder. Former major league pitcher Dan Serafini was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Friday for the 2021 shootings of his in-laws in North Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Serafini, 52, was convicted in July of the first-degree murder of father-in-law Gary Spohr and the attempted first-degree murder of mother-in-law Wendy Wood during a burglary. Spohr, 70, died from a single gunshot and Wood, then 68, survived but died by suicide the following year.
In the courtroom on Friday in Auburn, Calif., Placer County prosecutor Morgan Gire described Spohr and Wood as loving grandparents.
“The impact of this attack has extended far beyond the immediate victims, deeply affecting family members and the broader community, and highlighting the lasting harm caused by deliberate violence,” Gire said.
Serafini, who pitched for six MLB teams from 1996 to 2007, addressed the court and maintained his innocence. He said he was out partying with his wife, Erin Spohr, at the time of the shooting and referred to himself as a “broken, imperfect man that makes mistakes,” according to MyNews4.
The Minnesota Twins selected Serafini, a native of the San Francisco area, with the No. 26 overall pick in the 1992 MLB Draft. He made his debut in 1996 and went on to appear in 104 games (33 starts) with the Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies before his retirement in 2007.
He had a 15-16 record with a 6.04 ERA and one save. He threw 263 2/3 innings and struck out 127 batters.
–Field Level Media
Report: RB David Montgomery 'wants out' of Detroit
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