Billie Jean King to present Lisa Bluder with the Joe Lapchick Character Award

September 18, 2026

NEW YORK — When Lisa Bluder first met Billie Jean King, the tennis icon signed a piece of paper saying: "pressure is a privilege, go Iowa basketball." Bluder put that up in the Hawkeyes' locker room as a constant reminder to her teams. "I've always admired Billie Jean," Bluder said in a phone interview. "Watching Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King play in the Battle of the Sexes, she's always been a hero to me." The two reconnected years later when King started following the Hawkeyes run with Caitlin Clark and became friends. When she retired, Bluder joined King's management ...

With 2 more homers, the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong makes his MVP case

September 18, 2026

CHICAGO — As Pete Crow-Armstrong came up with the bases loaded in the eighth inning, the Wrigley Field crowd chanted "M-V-Pete! M-V-Pete!" — and not for the first time Wednesday night. The fans serenaded the Chicago star after his first home run, his 43rd to break Billy Williams' Cubs record for left-handed hitters. They made their feelings known after his RBI triple and after his 44th home run. Even when Crow-Armstrong struck out on five pitches in the eighth, he still received a standing ovation on his way back to the dugout at the end of a 3 for 4 night with three RBIs and ...

NHL teams rush to sign players to eight-year contracts before the new CBA deadline

September 17, 2026

The clock is ticking toward an unusual deadline in the NHL, and teams with players relevant to it are rushing to beat the final horn. The new collective bargaining agreement goes into effect at midnight, at which time a seven-year contract will be the longest a player can re-sign with his ...

Misiorowski tosses 5 shutout innings, Brewers top Pirates 5-1 to win 4th straight NL Central title

September 17, 2026

PITTSBURGH — Jacob Misiorowski struck out seven in five shutout innings and the Milwaukee Brewers won their their fourth straight National League Central title with a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night. About 50 minutes after the final out, the Brewers clinched the division when the second-place Chicago Cubs lost to Atlanta. Milwaukee players watched the end of that game on television, raising hands and cheering at the final out. The flamethrowing Misiorowski (15-5) dropped his ERA to major league-best 1.89 and boosted his season strikeout total to 243. Nine of ...

Arizona State and Kansas choose different London travel plans for Wembley matchup

September 17, 2026

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham decided it would be best for the Sun Devils to depart for their game against Kansas in London this weekend immediately after their disappointing loss to Texas A&M on Saturday night. Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold and his team waited until Tuesday before taking off from Topeka, Kansas. The vastly different approaches to travel for Saturday's Union Jack Classic, the first college football game to be played at historic Wembley Stadium, in some ways mirror the approaches taken by the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, who ...

The Milwaukee Brewers and their brand of selfless baseball are NL Central champions again

September 17, 2026

PITTSBURGH — The best pitcher in baseball on the team with the best record in baseball isn't sure how exactly the Milwaukee Brewers keep doing this. Asked how a team that works on the fringe of baseball's middle class has turned Champagne celebrations into a September ritual, Jacob ...