Sports in Brief: Halladay was flying plane low, witnesses tell safety board
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Witnesses have told federal investigators that former star pitcher Roy Halladay was flying his tiny sport plane low over the Gulf of Mexico shortly before it slammed into the water and killed him.
National Transportation Safety Board Investigator Noreen Price says Halladay's ICON A5 experienced a "high-energy impact" with the water. She says both flight data recorders were recovered and the plane did not have a voice recorder.
Price says the 40-year-old Halladay had been a licensed pilot since 2013 and logged about 700 hours of flight time before Tuesday's crash near Tampa. She said a preliminary report on the cause likely will be issued in seven to 10 days, but the full investigation could take up to two years.
Halladay was a two-time Cy Young Award winner and retired after the 2013 season.
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Olympic Club gets PGA Championship and Ryder Cup — The Olympic Club in San Francisco is leaving its U.S. Open heritage to host the PGA Championship in 2028 and the Ryder Cup in 2032.
The announcement Wednesday adds to the growing list of major golf events on the West Coast, which typically have stronger television ratings because they can be shown in prime time on the East Coast.
The PGA of America is bringing the Ryder Cup back to California for the first time since 1959 when it was held in Palm Springs. The PGA Championship will be in San Francisco twice over an eight-year period — Harding Park in 2020 and Olympic in 2028.
It was the first of a series of announcements over the next month that fills in the PGA Championship schedule for the next decade.
Anthony's flagrant foul stands, NBA rescinds Westbrook's — The NBA says Carmelo Anthony's flagrant 2 foul will stand, but has rescinded the flagrant issued to Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City's last game.
The league also fined Westbrook, Paul George and coach Billy Donovan $15,000 apiece Wednesday for their criticisms of the officials after the call against Anthony on Sunday.
Both were unusual plays in that flagrant fouls are usually called against defensive players. Instead, Anthony and Westbrook were whistled for contact they created while attempting shots.
Anthony drove to the basket and elbowed center Jusuf Nurkic in the face on a shot that went in during the Thunder's loss in Portland on Sunday. The basket was overturned after review and Anthony was hit with the automatic ejection.
Crew chief Rodney Mott said after the game that referees ruled the contact was excessive and not a natural basketball move.
Westbrook was attempting a jump shot Tuesday against Sacramento when he and defender Bogdan Bogdanovic collided. Westbrook was issued a flagrant 1 foul.
A flagrant 1 is considered unnecessary contact. The flagrant 2 is deemed unnecessary and excessive. The league reviews all flagrants and can upgrade, rescind or leave them as called on the floor. If a player exceeds five flagrant foul points during the season, he will be suspended for the next game.
Bengals' RT Fisher out for season; Winston returns — The Bengals placed right tackle Jake Fisher on an injury list Wednesday, ending his season and leaving their struggling offensive line in flux.
Eric Winston was signed, but it's unclear how much he can play right away after sitting out half the season.
Fisher became ill and was taken to a hospital in Jacksonville during a 23-7 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday. He saw a doctor on Tuesday who recommended a procedure that will sideline him the rest of the season. Fisher asked to keep the nature of the problem private.
Winston was released at the end of training camp and didn't sign with another team. He played for the Bengals from 2014-16.
The Bengals (3-5) play at Tennessee (5-3) on Sunday.
Packers waive TE Bennett — The Green Bay Packers have waived Martellus Bennett, bringing the tight end's short tenure at Lambeau Field to a surprising end.
General manager Ted Thompson announced the move on Wednesday after practice.
No reason was given for the move, though the veteran was added to the injury report after the bye last week with a shoulder injury. He did not play in the 30-17 loss on Monday to the Detroit Lions.
Bennett also posted on Instagram during the bye week a message that indicated he was thinking about retirement.
Messages left for his agent were not immediately returned.
Bennett signed with the Packers as an unrestricted free agent last offseason and started seven games. He had 24 catches for 233 yards.
Atlanta midfielder Gressel named Rookie of the Year — Atlanta midfielder Julian Gressel has been named Major League Soccer's Rookie of the Year.
Gressel, 23, appeared in 32 matches with 24 starts, and had nine assists, third-most for a rookie in league history. He also had five goals.
Atlanta United, playing its first season in MLS, went 15-9-10 this season and finished fourth in the Eastern Conference. United was the first expansion team to make the playoffs since 1998.
"It's a great honor, not just for me but I think for the whole club," he said. "It's been a tremendous year for me personally and now you add a trophy to it — it's kind of a cool thing."
The eighth overall selection in the MLS SuperDraft, Gressel had 30 goals and 26 assists over four seasons at Providence College.
MLS team technical staffs, members of the media and current MLS players voted for the award.
Stewart hints he may run some NASCAR events in future — Tony Stewart hasn't ruled out a return in some form to NASCAR, perhaps in the Xfinity Series or at Charlotte Motor Speedway's road course.
The three-time NASCAR champion expressed interest in getting back in a stock car Wednesday as he introduced Aric Almirola as the newest driver at Stewart-Haas Racing. At one point, Almirola turned to his new boss and asked if he can run Xfinity Series races next season.
Stewart told Almirola he'd have to see, since Stewart might want to run some races next year. Stewart added he's had discussions to run some races at road courses, including the one Charlotte will debut next fall.
Stewart later told The Associated Press he's working on something even bigger that does not involve NASCAR. He declined to share more information.
Stewart retired at the end of last season.