MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The celebration was at once familiar and unique. The confetti cannons sent a crimson and white shower into the air and Alabama players ran to the sideline to grab their championship hats and T-shirts.

LOS ANGELES — Tommy Lasorda looked on from a suite at Globe Life Field in Texas, watching as the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the World Series in Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

LOS ANGELES — Tommy Lasorda, the fiery Hall of Fame manager who guided the Los Angeles Dodgers to two World Series titles and later became an ambassador for the sport he loved during his 71 years with the franchise, has died. He was 93.

Floyd Little, the versatile running back who starred at Syracuse and for the Denver Broncos, has died after a long bout with cancer. He was 78.

Through plenty of potholes, seas of empty seats and enough piped-in crowd noise to make broadcasts sound like sitcom laugh tracks, the NFL is about to put the wacky and worrisome 2020 season in its rearview.

The playoffs are just around the corner, so squads are gearing up for stretch runs. The AFC is looking as deep as ever, as Kansas City, Buffalo and Pittsburgh all have 11 wins while Tennessee, Indianapolis and Cleveland each have 10.

The National Hockey League and players reached a tentative deal Friday to hold a 56-game season in 2021, pending the approval of each side’s executive board and Canadian health officials.

A bill being introduced Thursday by four Democratic lawmakers would grant college athletes sweeping rights to compensation, including a share of the revenue generated by their sports, and create a federal commission to oversee college athletics.

Week 14 will go down as the week Buffalo rose up as an AFC powerhouse, knocking off Pittsburgh on a primetime stage. More on that game later.

STANFORD, Calif. — Tara VanDerveer and Tennessee's Pat Summitt planned home-and-home series whenever their schedules allowed, two power programs in opposite regions of the country ready to test their teams against a fellow great. Ready to challenge themselves as coaches, too.

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians are changing their name — they just don't know to what or when.

The longest week in NFL history is finally over, as Pittsburgh beat Baltimore's JV/COVID squad to reach 11-0. It was a key win, as the AFC has Kansas City at 10-1 and three 8-3 teams in Buffalo, Cleveland and Tennessee.

Last Saturday, the Clemson Tigers made the trip to Tallahassee to take on the Florida State Seminoles in a game many thought would get ugly as Clemson pounded Florida State. The game ultimately did not happen, but things still got ugly as Florida State elected not to play because a Clemson p…

Turkey Day is here, so you know it's time to grub out and enjoy a few NFL games. But first, let's look back on Week 11, during which Pittsburgh moved to a perfect 10-0.

What a wild Week 10 we had. Don't worry, we'll get to the Buffalo-Arizona finish, but first let's talk about the cream rising to the top in both conferences. Pittsburgh dismantled Cincinnati to get to 9-0, putting pressure on division leaders Kansas City, Buffalo and Indianapolis.

The Ivy League became the first Division I conference this year to cancel all winter sports, including men’s and women’s basketball.

We were able to reach the NFL's midpoint in week nine and it sure was invigorating. Pittsburgh nearly wrecked its chances at a perfect season, but Ben Roethlisberger put together an MVP-level performance to vanquish Dallas.

Week eight will be remembered for being upset central. For Atlanta, Cincinnati, Las Vegas, Minnesota and Miami, these squads all probably had your parlays out of whack this weekend.

We're about half way home, folks. Week seven was highlighted by great games, led by Pittsburgh outlasting Tennessee in a battle of undefeateds. There were more wild finishes for Detroit and Philadelphia, but we really saw the cream rise to the top.

ARLINGTON, Texas — No dogpile, no champagne and a mask on nearly every face — the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their first World Series title since 1988 in a manner no one could have imagined prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Walker Buehler pitched in the World Series like the Los Angeles Dodgers' aces of old.

We had a high-flying slate in week six with upsets coming from Denver, Atlanta and Tampa Bay, and some wild finishes for Baltimore, Indianapolis and Tennessee. We also got some old-fashioned blowouts from Pittsburgh, Arizona, Miami and Detroit.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Clayton Kershaw, Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers left the Tampa Bay Rays stuck in neutral to start a most strange World Series played amid the pandemic.

As the halfway point of October has come, we near the halfway mark of the NFL season. Week six is up next after a weekend that saw several upset wins, the season's second head coach/general manager firings, as well as another primetime performance for MVP front-runner Russell Wilson. Unfortu…

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The ultimate anguish. The ultimate joy.

SAN DIEGO — Luke Voit and Gleyber Torres hit impressive home runs, Jordan Montgomery and three relievers combined on a three-hitter and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 Thursday night to force a deciding fifth game in their AL Division Series.

As spooky season commences, football season is just picking up steam.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee will not be returning to the team's facility Wednesday after two more players tested positive amid the NFL's first COVID-19 outbreak, and the New England Patriots now have canceled practice through Thursday amid reports that a third player has tested positive for…

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — LeBron James woke up from his gameday nap Tuesday and decided it was time to send his Los Angeles Lakers teammates a message.

SAN DIEGO — Randy Arozarena, Mike Zunino, Manuel Margot and Austin Meadows hit home runs, and Tyler Glasnow struck out 10 to set a postseason record for the Tampa Bay Rays, who beat the New York Yankees 7-5 Tuesday night to even their AL Division Series at one game apiece.

SAN DIEGO — Giancarlo Stanton hit a grand slam in the ninth inning for New York's fourth home run of the game, and the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9-3 Monday night in the opener of their AL Division Series at Petco Park.

The NFL has postponed this week's game between New England and the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs after positive COVID-19 tests on both teams. ESPN reported on Saturday that Patriots quarterback Cam Newton was among those contracting the disease.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans now know when they are rescheduled to play the Pittsburgh Steelers after the first NFL game postponed by a COVID-19 outbreak.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans find themselves back in a waiting mode, hoping the NFL allows them back inside their headquarters by Tuesday.

And we're off folks. Week three brought exciting matchups and some names that are staking their claim for the MVP. Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and yes, Josh Allen, have all set themselves apart from the pack.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans suspended in-person activities through Friday after the NFL says three Titans players and five personnel tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the first COVID-19 outbreak of the NFL season in Week 4.

EDMONTON, Alberta — The joyful yells from the bench could be heard in the empty arena in the final seconds and the roar from players when Commissioner Gary Bettman called for Steven Stamkos to accept the Stanley Cup echoed even louder.

When the Los Angeles Clippers got knocked out in the second round of the NBA playoffs, fans just assumed the crosstown Lakers would automatically win the franchise's 17th NBA title. The Lakers had the best record of the final four teams and the two best players remaining in the playoffs.

Another week, another rash of injuries.

It was a compelling week one of the NFL season, with upsets coming from Washington, Jacksonville and Arizona and former MVPs Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Cam Newton grabbing the spotlight. Some other superstars like Tom Brady, Saquon Barkley and Carson Wentz still have some fine tuning to do.

It's finally here, y'all. Week one of the NFL season is upon us and to say it's been a trying time to get this far would be underselling it.

It's the biggest fantasy football day of the year, and who wouldn't like a few tips?

NEW YORK — Tom Seaver, the galvanizing leader of the Miracle Mets 1969 championship team and a pitcher who personified the rise of expansion teams during an era of radical change for baseball, has died. He was 75.

Listen.

Cliff Robinson, an early star in UConn’s rise to power and longtime top sixth man in the NBA, died Saturday. He was 53.

Early in February of 2017, in one of those breakout interviews at the team hotel during Super Bowl week, I had an animated discussion with Marcellus Bennett, then a tight end for the Patriots and one of the more outspoken players in the NFL.

In a typically awkward way, Major League Baseball has been pulled into America’s discussion about racial injustice.

The NHL postponed two days of playoff games Thursday after withering criticism from Black players who said the league was slow to acknowledge the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — An unprecedented NBA walkout over racial injustice postponed a second day of the playoffs Thursday, although players pledged to finish the postseason even as they wrestled with their emotions about wanting to bring change in their communities.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Empty practice fields made for loud and powerful statements at facilities across the NFL.