The Washington Post - USA (2021-12-22)

D2 EZ M2 THE WASHINGTON POST.WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22 , 2021

ALPINE SKIING

Shiffrin is not tested

in giant slalom victory

Mikaela Shiffrin dominated
the first of two midweek women’s
World Cup giant slaloms with
three of the American’s main
rivals sitting out Tuesday’s race
in Courchevel, France, after
positive coronavirus tests.
Building on a big lead from
the first run, the Olympic
champion finished the race on
the Émile Allais course .86
seconds ahead of Sara Hector of
Sweden, who posted the fastest
second-run time.
Michelle Gisin of Switzerland,
who was second after the
opening run, dropped to third,
1.08 seconds behind.
Defending overall champion
Petra Vlhova, who skipped the
previous three weekends of
speed racing to focus on the
technical events, finished fourth.
Shiffrin reclaimed the overall
lead from Sofia Goggia, who
failed to finish her second run
after she lost her balance when
hitting a bump on the icy surface.
Goggia had overtaken Shiffrin at
the top of the standings with two
wins in nearby Val d’Isère last
weekend.
It was Shiffrin’s 72nd career

victory, leaving her 10 short of

the women’s mark set by Lindsey

Vonn.

World champion Lara Gut-

Behrami, slalom World Cup

winner Katharina Liensberger

and Alice Robinson had to skip

the race after testing positive for

the coronavirus.

BASEBALL

Major League Baseball

payrolls dropped more than

4 percent in 2021 compared with

MLB’s previous full season, and

the $4.05 billion total was the

lowest in a fully completed year

since 2015.

Falling payrolls have sparked

the labor unrest that led to the

sport’s first work stoppage in

more than a quarter-century this

month, when the collective

bargaining agreement expired

and owners locked out the

players Dec. 2.

Payrolls are down 4.6 percent

from their record high of just

under $4.25 billion in 2017, the

first year of the just-expired CBA,

according to information sent to

clubs by the commissioner’s

office and obtained by the

Associated Press. Spending on

major league players has not

been this low since a $3.9 billion

total in 2015.

The Los Angeles Dodgers led

baseball with a $262 million

payroll in 2021, the second

highest in major league history

behind the franchise’s

$291 million mark in 2015....

Kimera Bartee, a former

major league outfielder and

Detroit Tigers first base coach,

died at 49. The Tigers said Bartee

died suddenly but did not

disclose the cause of death.

Bartee was an outfielder in

Detroit from 1996 to 1999 and

played the next two seasons with

the Cincinnati Reds and

Colorado Rockies.

SOCCER

Even after scoring a hat trick

for Arsenal, Eddie Nketiah was

momentarily upstaged by

another academy graduate. It’s

not often a teenager scores in his

debut.

Eleven minutes after coming

off the bench, Charlie Patino

completed a 5-1 victory over

Sunderland to send Arsenal into

the semifinals of the League Cup

in London.

For the stoppage-time goal at

Emirates Stadium, the

1 8-year-old midfielder found the

net after Nicolas Pépé rolled the

ball into the penalty area.

Pépé also was Arsenal’s second

scorer in the first half after

Nketiah netted the opener from

close range in the 17th minute

against the third-tier side.

It’s another encouraging result

for Arsenal, which is fourth in

the English Premier League as it

tries to end a five-season exile

from the Champions League.

The League Cup semifinal

lineup will be completed

Wednesday when Chelsea goes to

Brentford, Liverpool plays

Leicester, and Tottenham hosts

West Ham....

Sevilla was held, 1-1, at home

by Barcelona in a Spanish league

match in which the hosts

finished with 10 men after

defender Jules Koundé was sent

off for throwing the ball into an

opponent’s face....

Juventus ended the year on a

positive note by beating

relegation-threatened Cagliari,

2-0, to close the gap to the top

four in Italy’s Serie A.

Moise Kean and Federico

Bernardeschi scored as Juventus

moved within four points of

Atalanta, which was surprisingly

held to a 0-0 draw at struggling

Genoa.

BASKETBALL

F ormer San Antonio Spurs

star Manu Ginóbili, Seattle

SuperSonics and Phoenix Suns

forward Tom Chambers and

Olympic and WNBA champion

DIGEST

Lindsay Whalen are among the

first-time nominees for the

Naismith Memorial Basketball

Hall of Fame.

More than 150 players,

coaches and other contributors

will be considered for induction,

and the Class of 2022 will be

announced during the NCAA

tournament’s Final Four in New

Orleans in April.

— From news services

TELEVISION AND RADIO

PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL

2 p.m. NBA G League Winter Showcase: Texas vs. College Park » ESPNews

3 p.m. NBA G League Winter Showcase: Greensboro vs. Iowa » NBA TV

5 p.m. NBA G League Winter Showcase: Oklahoma City vs. Delaware » ESPNews

7:30 p.m. NBA: Orlando at Atlanta » NBA TV

10 p.m. NBA: Los Angeles Clippers at Sacramento » NBA TV

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

8 p.m. Armed Forces Bowl: Missouri vs. Army » ESPN

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Noon Maryland Eastern Shore at George Washington » NBC Sports Washington

1 p.m. Texas A&M Corpus Christi at Notre Dame » ACC Network

3 p.m. Diamond Head Classic, quarterfinal: Liberty vs. Northern Iowa » ESPNU

4 p.m. Bucknell at Richmond » NBC Sports Washington

5 p.m. Green Bay at Minnesota » Big Ten Network

5 p.m. Diamond Head Classic, quarterfinal: Wyoming vs. Stanford » ESPNU

6 p.m. Murray State at Auburn » SEC Network

6 p.m. Western Kentucky at Kentucky » ESPN

6 p.m. Pacific at California » Pac-12 Network

7 p.m. Arizona at Tennessee » ESPN2

7 p.m. Clemson at Virginia » ACC Network, WSBN (630 AM)

7 p.m. Northern Kentucky at Indiana » Big Ten Network

7:30 p.m. Kennesaw State at Nebraska » ESPNU

8 p.m. Lipscomb at LSU » SEC Network

8 p.m. Boise State at Washington State » Pac-12 Network

9 p.m. Virginia Tech at Duke » ESPN2, WJFK (106.7 FM)

9 p.m. Missouri vs. Illinois » Big Ten Network

9:30 p.m. Diamond Head Classic, quarterfinal: BYU vs. South Florida » ESPNU

Midnight Diamond Head Classic, quarterfinal: Vanderbilt at Hawaii » ESPN2

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

8:30 p.m. Notre Dame at DePaul » Fox Sports 1

SOCCER

Noon Turkish Super Lig: Fenerbahce at Fatih Karagumruk » beIN Sports

3 p.m. French Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain at Lorient » beIN Sports

FROM NEWS SERVICES

AND STAFF REPORTS

The NFL’s coronavirus issues

abated a bit Tuesday as teams

placed 21 players on their covid-19

reserve lists.

All 21 tested positive for the

virus, according to a person famil-

iar with the NFL’s testing results.

That also was the figure cited on

the league’s transaction wire.

That number, while still signifi-

cant, marked a sizable decrease

from the 51 players who were

placed on their teams’ lists Mon-

day. All 51 of those players had

positive coronavirus tests, 47 of

them Monday. (Four players test-

ed positive Sunday but were not

placed on their teams’ lists until

Monday.)

The Kansas City Chiefs placed

seven players, including wide re-

ceiver Tyreek Hill, on their

c ovid-19 reserve list Tuesday. The

Chiefs, who are scheduled to host

the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday,

placed tight end Travis Kelce on

the list Monday.

The Buffalo Bills placed wide

receiver Cole Beasley on their

covid-19 reserve list. Beasley pre-

viously had declared himself to be

“pro-choice” when it came to vac-

cination.

The new testing and return-to-

play protocols completed by the

league and the NFL Players Asso-

ciation are in effect. Vaccinated

players generally are tested only if

they have symptoms; otherwise

they are subject only to targeted

spot testing. Vaccinated, asymp-

tomatic players also can be cleared

to return to team activities in as

little as one day following a posi-

tive test.

— Mark Maske

l BROWNS: Cleveland re-

ceived bad news on defensive end

Takkarist McKinley. It’s hoping for

better on Myles Garrett.

Cleveland’s defense, already

ravaged by coronavirus cases, was

dealt another blow: McKinley will

miss the rest of the season with a

torn Achilles’ tendon suffered in

Monday’s 16-14 loss to the Las

Vegas Raiders.

The Browns are anxiously

awaiting test results on Garrett

after the star injured his groin in

the fourth quarter. Garrett left the

field and was checked in the side-

line medical tent before returning.

The 2020 all-pro was clearly not

himself in the final minutes.

Coach Kevin Stefanski was

awaiting more information on

Garrett, who has a career-high 15

sacks.

Stefanski, who missed Mon-

day’s game after a positive corona-

virus test and hasn’t cleared the

protocols, wouldn’t speculate on

whether Garrett will be available

for Saturday’s game at Green Bay.

After the game, Garrett said he

wasn’t coming out.

“Everybody’s fighting through

something, and you’re going to

have to kill me to take me off that

field or you’re going to have to

break my leg, you’re going to have

to take me completely out, be-

cause I’m going to go out there

until I can’t,” he said.

— Associated Press

NFL NOTES

Positives

slow a bit;

teams add

21 to l ists

come true, especially not having

the opportunity to go four years

ago,” Oshie said then. “It would

just mean that much more, espe-

cially for myself and where I’m at

in my career. It would just be an

absolute honor to throw the USA

sweater on again.”

This time, players expressed

concerns about going to the

Olympics because of the lengthy

isolation period mandated by the

Chinese government after a posi-

tive test.

There were reports that the

IOC told the NHL that any

athlete with a confirmed positive

test at the Olympics must pro-

duce two negative tests 24 hours

apart to be released. If that

doesn’t happen, the isolation pe-

riod in Beijing could last from

three to five weeks.

Oilers star Connor McDavid

recently told reporters that the

isolation period was “unsettling.”

[email protected]

the mainstays they had been

expecting.

And NHL veterans who might

have been viewing the Beijing

Games as their last shot at partic-

ipating in the Olympics must

cope with the disappointment of

another opportunity missed.

NHL players last participated

in the Olympics during the 2014

Sochi Games, where Canada won

the gold medal. NHL players

were not allowed to participate

in the 2018 PyeongChang Olym-

pics.

Many players were upset with

that decision — notably Wash-

ington Capitals star Alex Ovech-

kin, who released a lengthy state-

ment expressing his disappoint-

ment.

During the U.S. Olympic me-

dia summit in October, T.J. Os-

hie, Ovechkin’s teammate on the

Capitals, said he was looking

forward to the Beijing Games.

“Gosh, it would be a dream

In early December, NHL Com-

missioner Gary Bettman said it

would be up to the players to

decide whether they wanted to

participate in the Olympics. Bett-

man said the league wanted to

act in “good faith” and let the

players make the call.

But the rapid spread of the

omicron variant has caused ma-

jor disruptions throughout pro-

fessional sports, and the situa-

tion spiraled quickly in the NHL.

The decision raises many

questions that will need to be

addressed over the coming days

and weeks.

With the Olympic break no

longer needed, the league must

figure out how to reschedule

games that have been postponed.

Many NHL arenas are booked for

other events in February, which

could present difficulties.

Meanwhile, national hockey

federations have to determine

their Olympic rosters without

Olympics without financial pen-

alty.

On Sunday, the league

scrapped travel between the

U nited States and Canada

through its holiday break be-

cause of coronavirus concerns.

That led to the postponement of

12 games. More postponements

followed Monday afternoon, and

the planned stoppage moved five

more games.

Ten teams had been shut down

before the league announced its

stoppage Monday: the Columbus

Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers,

Ottawa Senators, Montreal Can-

adiens, Detroit Red Wings, To-

ronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Av-

alanche, Florida Panthers, Nash-

ville Predators and Boston Bru-

ins. The Calgary Flames on

Monday reopened their facility

to members of the organization

not in the protocols.

OLYMPICS FROM D1

NHL players won’t be going to Beijing

BY SAMANTHA PELL

philadelphia — The Washing-

ton Capitals’ game Tuesday night

against the Philadelphia Flyers

was postponed, the NHL an-

nounced early Tuesday after-

noon.

Two Washington players —

winger Daniel Sprong and de-

fenseman Justin Schultz — were

pulled from the morning skate

after their coronavirus test re-

sults came back. The Capitals

said Sprong and Schultz were

getting retested before the

league announced the postpone-

ment. Washington already had

three players in the coronavirus

protocols: centers Nicklas Back-

strom and Evgeny Kuznetsov

and winger T.J. Oshie.

The Capitals, who canceled

media availability after the

morning skate, enter the league’s

adjusted holiday break with two

games that need to be made up.

Their game at the New York

Islanders, scheduled for Thurs-

day, was postponed Monday

night, when the NHL decided to

halt its season starting Wednes-

day amid a spike in coronavirus

cases and the rise of the omicron

variant.

Washington’s next game is set

for Monday at Capital One Arena

against the Ottawa Senators.

Makeup dates have not been

announced for the postponed

games.

The NHL was the first major

pro sports league in North Amer-

ica with plans to halt play entire-

ly, albeit briefly. Team facilities

will be closed from Wednesday

through Saturday, and players

will return Sunday for coronavi-

rus testing and practice.

Games are scheduled to re-

sume Monday.

The shutdown is a slight ad-

justment to the league’s previ-

ously scheduled holiday break,

which was initially set to run

from Friday through Sunday.

[email protected]

Caps’ virus woes ice game with Flyers

CAPITALS’ NEXT THREE

vs. Ottawa Senators

Monday7NBCSW

vs. Nashville Predators

Dec. 29 7NBCSW

at Detroit Red W ings

Dec. 31 7:30 NBCSW

Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM),

WFED (1500 AM)

TINGSHU WANG/REUTERS

National hockey federations now must figure out which players they’ll send to the Beijing Olympics, which are less than two months away.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

L ucas Johnson passed for a
c areer-best 333 yards and three
touchdowns and ran for another
score as San Diego State beat
No. 24 Texas San Antonio, 38-24,
in the Frisco Bowl in Texas on
Tuesday night for the Aztecs’
p rogram-record 12th win of the
season.
Jesse Matthews caught touch-
down passes of 11 and 20 yards and
set career marks with 11 catches
and 175 receiving yards. Tyrell
Shavers caught the other touch-
down pass, a 24-yarder.
Greg Bell also scored on a one-
yard run for San Diego State (12-2).
Johnson completed 24 of 36 pass-
es.
The Aztecs’ Matt Araiza made a
33-yard field goal and finished the
season with an NCAA-record 51.19
yards per punt. Araiza broke the
mark set by Texas A&M’s Braden
Mann in 2018 (50.98).
Frank Harris threw touchdown
passes of 12 yards to De’Corian
Clark and four yards to Zakhari
Franklin for the Roadrunners
(12-2), and Brenden Brady scored
on a two-yard run. Hunter Duples-
sis added a 41-yard field goal.
l WYOMING 52, KENT
STATE 38: Levi Williams ran for
200 yards and four touchdowns
and passed for 127 yards and an-
other touchdown to lead the Cow-
boys past the Golden Flashes in
the Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho.
Williams, who had a career-
best single-game rushing per-
formance, tied the Potato Bowl
record for touchdown runs and
was named the game’s MVP.
Kent State (7-7) r aced to a 17-7
lead and held a 24-21 advantage at
halftime but c ouldn’t hold up
against Wyoming’s relentless
rushing attack.
The Cowboys (7-6) scored 21
consecutive points to start the sec-
ond half, including scoring runs of
27 and 80 yards by Williams, to
build a 42-24 lead that proved to
be too much for Kent State to
overcome.

Slovis is off to Pittsburgh

Former Southern California
quarterback Kedon Slovis an-
nounced h e is heading east to join
ACC champion Pittsburgh.
He will get a chance to replace
conference player of the year Ken-
ny Pickett.
“I’m feeling incredibly grateful
for the opportunity to be a Panther
— and I can’t wait to prove myself
again on this stage,” Slovis said in a
story he wrote for the Players’
Tribune.
l MIAMI: The H urricanes’
plans to play in the Sun Bowl on
Dec. 31 appear to be uncertain at
best after the school announced
that its program had entered the
covid-19 protocols.
Miami (7-5) did not say how
many players or coaches were
dealing with coronavirus-related
issues. It is scheduled to play
Washington State (7-5) in El Paso.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

In first for

program,

Aztecs earn

12th victory

SAN DIEGO STATE 38,

TEX. SAN ANTONIO 24