Sports

Valley Raceway to host the U.P. 2-Stroke Championship and AMA State Championship Weekend

Local Sports July 31, 2026

CRYSTAL FALLS — The unmistakable sound of two-stroke motorcycles will once again echo across the Upper Peninsula as Valley Raceway hosts the U.P. 2-Stroke Championship and AMA State Championship Weekend Aug. 21–23 in Crystal Falls. The three-day event combines championship motocross racing with a celebration of motorcycle heritage, bringing together riders and fans from throughout Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and the Midwest for one of the region's premier amateur racing weekends. The weekend begins Friday evening with the debut of the Flying Iron U.P. 2-Stroke Bike Show, which ...

Carlo Ancelotti tells AP that 2028 Olympics important for Brazil's next World Cup team

National Sports July 31, 2026

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti is still recovering from his team's round-of-16 loss to Norway in the World Cup. But as the 67-year-old Italian turns to the next four years on the job, he pledges to closely watch youth division players and the country's squad at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to spearhead an overhaul. Ancelotti also said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press at the headquarters of the Brazilian soccer confederation in Rio de Janeiro that the five-time World Cup winners don't need to copy defending champion Spain or high-powered France to ...

Macklin Celebrini gets 5-year, $94M extension from the Sharks in the NHL's richest deal ever

National Sports July 31, 2026

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini signed a five-year, $94 million extension Wednesday that will make him the highest-paid player in the NHL. Celebrini had one year remaining on his three-year, $2.925 million entry-level contract before signing the deal that ...

Packers career rushing leader Ahman Green says he has early onset Parkinson's disease

National Sports July 31, 2026

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Ahman Green, a four-time Pro Bowl running back and the Green Bay Packers' career rushing leader, said he learned last year that he has early onset Parkinson's disease. The 49-year-old Green discussed his diagnosis this week on Tyler Dunne's "Go Long" podcast. "I ...

Cue the trumpet: Edwin Díaz returns to earn save for the Dodgers after 85-game absence

Michigan Sports July 31, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Cue the trumpet. Edwin Díaz is back to close out games for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 32-year-old right-hander came off the injured list Wednesday after missing 85 games, having had arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow in April. "We just got a lot better," manager Dave Roberts said. Fans were on their feet cheering when Díaz entered in the ninth to Timmy Trumpet's "Narcos." He gave up two hits and one run while earning his fifth save of the season in a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners. His four-seam fastball touched 98 mph. "I feel ...

Steelers QB Mason Rudolph has spent his career trying to prove himself. And so it goes in 2026

National Sports July 31, 2026

LATROBE, Pa. — Mason Rudolph knows the drill. At this point, maybe a little too well. The Pittsburgh Steelers begin training camp each summer and Rudolph sits down in a quarterback room that always seems to include a new face or two (or sometimes three) and gamely try to tune out the ...