12:40 AM ET Associated Press PERTH, Australia — Serena Williams stepped up her Australian Open preparations with a straight-sets victory over Britain’s Katie Boulter on Thursday to complete an unbeaten Hopman Cup campaign. Williams cooled off after a strong start but prevailed with a 6-1, 7-6 (2) victory in 78 minutes to level the tie
9:35 PM ET Associated Press KAPALUA, Hawaii — Patrick Reed, who says he can’t please everybody, is sure going to try when he hosts the dinner for Masters champions in April. His menu starts with ribeye steaks, macaroni and cheese, creamed spinach and creamed corn. But he wants options in case some Masters champions don’t
7:52 PM ET Emily KaplanESPN The NHL announced its 2019 All-Star roster on Wednesday night. Three San Jose Sharks players — center Joe Pavelski and defensemen Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson — highlight the four-division team format, as the Sharks will host this year’s festivities, which begin with a skills competition on Jan. 25. Auston
5:58 PM ET Jim Margraff, coach of Johns Hopkins football since 1990, died Wednesday at 58, the university announced. Margraff was the winningest coach in school history with a 221-89-3 record. His team finished 12-2 this past season, when the Blue Jays advanced to the NCAA Division III semifinals for the first time in school
5:41 PM ET CHICAGO — The Cubs hired former major league infielder Mark Loretta as their bench coach Wednesday, replacing Brandon Hyde, who was hired as the manager of the Baltimore Orioles last month. Loretta, 47, had spent the past nine years in the front office of the San Diego Padres. He’ll be manager Joe
5:16 PM ET Kevin SeifertNFL Nation Close ESPN.com national NFL writer ESPN.com NFC North reporter, 2008-2013 Covered Vikings for Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1999-2008 NFL television ratings rose by 5 percent in 2018 compared to the 2017 season, according to figures released Wednesday by the league. The uptick partially stemmed two years of ratings slides for
5:05 PM ET Former unified junior featherweight world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux’s first fight in more than a year will come against journeyman Giovanni Delgado on Jan.13, Premier Boxing Champions announced on Wednesday. Rigondeaux will face Delgado in a 10-round junior featherweight bout on the undercard of super middleweight world titlist Jose Uzcategui’s mandatory defense against
4:48 PM ET Michael Wells INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts are on their way to having their starting offensive line back together for the AFC wild-card playoff game against the Houston Texans on Saturday. Center Ryan Kelly, the anchor of the offensive line, was a full participant in practice Wednesday. The Pro Bowl alternate said
4:23 AM ET Maurice Hamilton Close • Veteran F1 journalist, covering the sport since 1977• Motor racing correspondent for the Observer for 20 years• Has written several books and covered F1 for BBC Radio 5 Live On Wednesday, January 20 2002 I flew to Barcelona, specifically to interview Michael Schumacher. While this would be one among many for
4:20 PM ET Rory McIlroy‘s focus for 2019 is the United States. Specifically, the PGA Tour. That is why, for the first time, McIlroy is competing in this week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, an event he previously qualified for six times but skipped. And that is why McIlroy, who is from Northern Ireland,