Wayne Simmonds announces retirement

 

Wayne Simmonds announced his retirement from the NHL on Monday.

Simmonds, 35, will sign a one-day contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on April 13, the team announced. He played eight years with the Flyers, racking up 203 goals and 378 points in 584 games.

"It's hard to describe my emotions on a day like this, but one of my very first thoughts as I look back is my life in Philadelphia and playing for the Flyers," Simmonds said. "Taking the ice in a Flyers sweater is a special feeling and it's one that I'm truly proud of. The history of this franchise and standard of being a Flyer that was set is unique and one that I hold in the highest regard.

Denny Hamlin wins at Bristol

 

Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, passing Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. in the final laps for his fourth victory at the famed short track.

Hamlin also won at NASCAR’s bullring last September.

This one was much different. Tire issues hampered most everyone all afternoon as only five cars finished on the lead lap — the first time that has happened in the Cup Series in 20 years. The Gibbs cars were the class of the field.

Scottie Scheffler wins Players Championship

 

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler hung on to win the Players Championship by a single stroke over Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark, and Brian Harman on Sunday.

Scheffler pulled off the biggest final-round comeback in Players history after trailing by five following Round 3, and he became the first to win the tournament in consecutive years.

Clark had a chance to force a playoff on the 72nd hole, but his birdie putt lipped out.

Martin St. Louis takes indefinite leave

 

Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis is taking an indefinite leave from the team for family reasons, Montreal announced Saturday.

Assistant coach Trevor Letowski will handle head coaching duties in St. Louis' absence.

St. Louis joined the Canadiens as bench boss in his first NHL coaching role of any kind when they fired Dominique Ducharme in February 2022. The rebuilding squad has gone 70-94-21 with St. Louis at the helm.

Astros chasing Blake Snell

 

The Houston Astros could be major benefactors of the slow free-agent starting pitching market.

Houston is "engaged and in a serious pursuit" of left-hander Blake Snell, sources told Ken Rosenthal and Chandler Rome of The Athletic. 

The Astros and San Francisco Giants were among the teams that attended a simulated start from Snell earlier Friday in Seattle

Gerrit Cole out 3-4 Weeks

New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole won't throw for three-to-four weeks after he was diagnosed with nerve irritation and edema in his elbow.

"Three-to-four weeks no throw, and we'll go from there," Cole said on Saturday, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

"I think we determined that we just got a little too hot a little too quick this spring."

Rams sign Jimmy Garoppolo

 

The Los Angeles Rams have agreed to terms with veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on a one-year contract, Mike Garafolo and Peter Schrager of NFL Network report.

The NFL recently suspended Garoppolo two games for violating the league's PED policy. The 32-year-old spent the 2023 campaign with the Las Vegas Raiders but was recently released after just one year with the team.

Las Vegas signed Garoppolo to a three-year contract in 2023, giving him an opportunity to work with then-head coach Josh McDaniels again. However, the Raiders struggled for most of last year and fired McDaniels midway through the campaign. Garoppolo began as QB1 but lost the starting role in the season's second half. He finished the campaign with only seven touchdowns against nine interceptions in seven appearances (six starts).

RJ Barrett mourning death of brother

 

Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett is mourning the death of his younger brother, Nathan Barrett.

The Barrett family said in a statement that Nathan died Tuesday. The statement, released Thursday by the Raptors and Canada Basketball, did not disclose a cause of death or Nathan's age.

RJ and Nathan’s father, Rowan Barrett, is Canada Basketball’s general manager.

Vanderbilt fires Jerry Stackhouse

 Vanderbilt dismissed head coach Jerry Stackhouse, the school announced on Thursday.

Stackhouse had been in charge of the Commodores since 2019-20, registering a 70-92 combined overall record and a 28-60 mark in the SEC through five seasons. Vanderbilt went 4-14 in conference play this year and its season ended with Wednesday's 90-85 overtime loss to Arkansas in the first round of the SEC Tournament.

He never took the program to the NCAA Tournament. The school hasn't made the tourney since 2017 when Bryce Drew led Vanderbilt to a first-round exit in his first of three seasons in charge.

Chiefs sign Brown

The Kansas City Chiefs are bringing in a high-profile wide receiver as they try to pull off a historic three-peat.

Kansas City is signing Marquise Brown to a one-year contract worth up to $11 million, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The 26-year-old confirmed the agreement on social media Thursday.

Brown spent the last two years with the Arizona Cardinals and saw his contract expire at the end of the 2023 campaign. While playing in a Cardinals offense that didn't have quarterback Kyler Murray for half of the season, Brown posted one of his least productive campaigns with 51 receptions, 574 yards, and four touchdowns in 14 games. Those numbers, however, would've ranked second among Chiefs wide receivers - and third on the team - last year.