ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — This is the best time of the year for Mark Bawers: Day after day of uninterrupted college basketball, all of it consequential.

PHILADELPHIA — A lawsuit accusing the NFL’s disability plan of violating its duty to retired players by routinely denying valid injury claims can proceed to trial on most counts, a federal judge in Maryland has ruled.

SEOUL, South Korea — Yoshinobu Yamamoto lasted just one inning in his Los Angeles Dodgers’ debut after signing a record $325 million, 12-year contract, giving up five runs to the San Diego Padres in a 15-11 loss on Thursday night.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Long Beach State’s athletic director said the timing of his decision to part with coach Dan Monson was done with the hope it might trigger the exact run that led the team on its unexpected trip to March Madness.

SEOUL, South Korea — Shohei Ohtani is referred to in Japan as “kanpeki no hito” — the perfect person — because of his manners and impeccable behavior.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean police said they’ve found no explosives at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome after searching the site Wednesday following a reported bomb threat against Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.

The NFL competition committee is proposing a rule to penalize so-called “hip-drop” tackles and a radical change to kickoffs to add more returns without compromising safety.

PARIS (AP) — The United States women’s soccer team will face Germany and Australia at the Paris Olympics when incoming coach Emma Hayes looks to get off to a flying start in the job.

LOS ANGELES — After seven seasons of success and setbacks as a starting NFL quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo decided it was time to take a step back to recharge his career.

The College Football Playoff and ESPN announced a $7.8 billion deal Tuesday that will give the network exclusive rights to the expanded postseason through the 2031 season, with the national championship game moving to ABC starting in 2026.

LOS ANGELES — Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has signed with the Los Angeles Rams as the backup to Matthew Stafford.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Calvin Ridley had a message Friday for anyone worried the Tennessee Titans overpaid for him or that the wide receiver who missed essentially two NFL seasons won’t live up to his new four-year, $92 million deal.

BUENOS AIRES — After watching Lionel Messi lift the World Cup trophy for Argentina, Japanese striker Ichika Egashira packed her bags and took a plane to the other side of the planet to play where her soccer hero was born.

PITTSBURGH — Russell Wilson didn’t come out Friday and say he expects to be the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh.

LOS ANGELES — Aaron Donald spent 10 years flattening quarterbacks, crushing ball-carriers, fighting through perpetual double-teams and generally wrecking NFL offenses. He was relentless, reliable and infinitely resourceful while he led the Los Angeles Rams all the way to a Super Bowl championship.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan fired coach Juwan Howard on Friday after five seasons, parting ways with the former Fab Five star whose return to his alma mater included a Big Ten title and advancing in two NCAA Tournaments before closing with two straight disappointing seasons.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — A year after his position was in crisis, Derrick Henry still feels a bond with his fellow running backs.

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — UFC Hall of Famer and former champion Mark Coleman called himself “the happiest man in the world” as he embraced members of his family from a hospital bed.

ATLANTA — Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among more than a dozen college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Thursday, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing transgender woman Lia Thomas to compete at the national championships in 2022.