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SEC having conversations about breaking away from NCAA

National Sports

TAMPA, Fla. — Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey said Monday that leaders of the powerhouse league — some of them frustrated over the changes upending their industry — are having “real” conversations about breaking away from the rest of college sports, though that is not the preferred solution. “They’re real,” Greg Sankey said Monday of talks with school presidents involving the SEC separating itself from the rest of the NCAA. “They’ve opined about the frustrations that bring them to the point of saying we should look at something significantly ...

Bedard says Carlsson’s offer sheet had no effect on his contract approach

National Sports

CHICAGO — Connor Bedard never wavered. Whenever the young center was asked about his future, he always responded with similar variations of the same message. All the way to his $75 million, five-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. “I’ve said (it) so much and it’s not anything fake. Chicago’s really, you know, the only place I want to play,” Bedard said. Bedard’s new deal was announced on Saturday, a day after his 21st birthday. It provides a level of security for both Bedard and the rebuilding Blackhawks, even if it always seemed as if it was just a matter of ...

Ryan Fox and his road to British Open champion

National Sports

SOUTHPORT, England — Ryan Fox is the British Open champion, and it’s going to take time for that to sink in no matter how many times he watches the replay of a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole, or how many times he stares at his name on the base of the silver claret jug. “I don’t know if it’s something I’ve dreamed of. I don’t know if it’s something I ever thought was possible,” Fox said after his one-shot victory Sunday. “But we’re here now.” It’s how he got there that sets him apart from so many other names on golf’s oldest trophy. Never mind the ...

Scrappers beat Spikes to snap skid

Local Sports

NILES — The Mahoning Valley Scrappers completed what was a scheduled six-game homestand Sunday with a much-needed 7-4 win over State College. The victory, played at a sun-soaked 7 17 Credit Union Field, provided a ray of sunshine to what was an otherwise agonizing week for both the team ...