Sports briefs
College baseball
Behind four RBI from senior catcher Kristian Webb California University secured a 6-3 victory over East Stroudsburg to advance in the PSAC tournament in Johnstown on Thursday morning at Point Stadium.
With the win, the Vulcans improve to 36-14 overall and advance to play the loser of the Millersville-Bloomsburg on Friday. Cal has matched the program record with 36 wins.
Junior starter Bradyn Kail improved to 9-1 after yielding three runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts over seven innings. Sophomore Hunter Robinson earned his third save with two innings of relief.
Dolphins sign cornerback
Cornerback Xavien Howard will be a cornerstone in the Miami Dolphins’ rebuilding effort.
Howard agreed to terms on a $76.5 million, five-year extension, the most lucrative deal ever for an NFL cornerback. The contract includes $46 million guaranteed, and signals that new coach Brian Flores is expecting Howard to lead a turnaround by the Dolphins’ defense.
Howard made the Pro Bowl for the first time last season even though Miami allowed a franchise-record 6,257 yards. He tied for the league lead with seven interceptions despite missing the final four games because of a knee injury.
The Dolphins signed veteran offensive lineman Jordan Mills on Thursday to a $3 million, one-year contract.
Red Sox visit
White House
President Donald Trump honored the World Series champion Boston Red Sox – well, some of them – at the White House on Thursday, but made no mention of the controversy that shadowed the visit.
The team’s manager, Alex Cora, did not attend the ceremony after citing his frustration with the administration’s efforts to help his native Puerto Rico recover from a devastating hurricane. And nearly a dozen members of the team, all players of color, skipped the opportunity to shake Trump’s hand. Meanwhile, every white player on the team – as well as outfielder J.D. Martinez, who is of Cuban descent – attended.
The Red Sox repeatedly denied there was any sort of racial divide caused by the White House visit, which has been transformed from moment of celebratory ritual to hyper-politicized event under Trump.
The day was not without mishaps: The White House first incorrectly labeled the team as the “Red Socks” on its website and then later, in an email, dubbed them the champions of something called the “World Cup Series.”
Big East, CBS reach deal
The Big East Conference has reached a multi-year agreement with CBS Sports to televise its men’s college basketball games through the 2024-25 season.
Games will be shown on CBS and on the CBS Sports Network.
The conference and CBS Sports said Thursday the deal is through a sublicense agreement with Fox Sports, which owns the rights to Big East men’s basketball and has sold some of them to CBS Sports every year.
The agreement provides national exposure for 20 men’s regular-season basketball games per year, with at least two appearances for each of the Big East’s 10 schools.
CBS will broadcast up to four games per season, with the remainder airing on CBSSN.