Sports: Tigers, Lions Fall Short on Comeback
The Lions were down 31-10 at half, and almost came back against the Packers, but lost 34-27 on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Aaron Rodgers threw for 205 yards and four touchdowns, including two in the first half to Jordy Nelson. Rodgers was 15 of 24, leading the Packers to touchdowns on their first three series. Nelson had 101 yards on six catches, returning to the form that made him one of the NFL's best receivers before missing the 2015 season with a knee injury. Matthew Stafford passed for 385 yards and three scores for the Lions, who held advantages in total yardage (418-324) and time of possession, holding the ball for 35 minutes. Marvin Jones' 35-yard touchdown catch with 3:34 left got Detroit (1-2) within seven. Jones had a career-high 205 yards on six receptions. But the Packers burned the secondary with big plays, and Eddie Lacy ran for 103 yards on 17 carries. The Lions managed just 50 yards running the ball. Stafford was intercepted once as Eric Ebron caught the ball but had it ripped away by the defender. Matt Prater kicked two field goals, including the 30th of his career of more than 50 yards. The Lions are 1-2 and head to Chicago to play the winless Bears this Sunday.
Monday Night Football
Atlanta is at New Orleans.
Tigers
The Tigers were hammered in the first inning and couldn’t recover against the Royals, losing 12-9 Sunday. The Royals hit for the cycle in the first against Matt Boyd who didn’t record a single out. The Tigers had 17 hits, including home runs from Justin Upton and Victor Martinez whose grand slam got the Tigers back into the game in the third. But the bullpen of Anibal Sanchez, Shane Greene, and Mike Pelfrey couldn’t stop the Royals’ attack. One bright spot was Jordan Zimmerman being unexpectedly pressed into service. He pitched well over the final three innings. The Tigers fell 1½ games behind Baltimore for the second wild-card spot. The loss cut Cleveland's magic number to clinch the AL Central to one — the Indians start a four-game series in Detroit tonight. Buck Farmer will start for the Tigers. Broadcast time is 6:45 on WBCK. The Tigers have seven games left, four at home with the Indians and the final three in Atlanta. Baltimore has six games left, against the Blue Jays and Yankees.
Arnold Palmer Dies
The sports world is mourning the loss of seven-time major champion Arnold Palmer, who has died at age 87. Golf became a major television draw while Palmer was earning his 62 PGA titles, including four Masters, two British Opens and one U.S. Open from 1958-64. Palmer's daring playing style was most evident at the U.S. Open, where he rallied from seven shots down to win and once blew a seven-stroke lead on the back nine to lose.
PGA Golf
Rory McIlroy stormed back from a late three-shot deficit to win the Tour Championship and the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus. McIlroy began his comeback with an eagle on 16, extended the tournament with a birdie on 18 and beat Ryan Moore and Kevin Chappell with a birdie on the fourth playoff hole. Moore and Chappell had chances to win it on the final hole of regulation before falling into a three-way playoff.
Vin Scully’s Last Home Game
Legendary Dodgers announcer Vin Scully called his last regular season game in Dodger Stadium last night. He worked with the team for 67 years . . . the longest any announcer ever worked with any professional sports team. And it was an absolute fairy-tale ending . . . the Dodgers were losing in the bottom of the 10th, with two outs, and a guy named Charlie Culberson came to the plate and hit a two-run walk-off homer that clinched the pennant. They ended up winning 4-3 over the Rockies. It was Culberson's first home run of the year.
Marlin's Ace Jose Fernandez Killed
Marlins ace right-hander Jose Fernandez was among three people who were killed when their boat slammed into a jetty off Miami Beach. The 24-year old 2013 National League Rookie of the Year was completing his best major league season and one of the best pitchers in the majors. Fernandez defected from Cuba when he was only 15, and became a major leaguer three years ago. He had three unsuccessful attempts to flee Cuba, and on the fourth one he saved a fellow passenger by diving into the water without hesitating, and only then found out that the person who had fallen overboard was his own mother.
NASCAR
Kevin Harvick won Sunday's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to earn a spot in the second round of NASCAR's Sprint Cup playoffs. The 2014 Sprint Cup champion was able to zip past Matt Kenseth on the final laps, then held on to join Martin Truex Jr. in the second round. Kenseth finished second, followed by Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch.
Gym Doc Faces More Abuse Charges
A former USA Gymnastics team physician accused of sexually abusing two gymnasts faces 16 more abuse complaints at the university where he was a faculty member. The Indianapolis Star obtained Michigan State University police reports filed this month for abuse allegations since 1996. The newspaper cites interviews with four women claiming Dr. Larry Nassar penetrated them with his finger during what were supposed to be medical treatments.
College Football Poll
The top seven spots in the new Associated Press Top-25 poll are the same as last week, with Alabama leading Ohio State, Louisville, Michigan, Clemson, Houston and Stanford. From there, things are a bit different. Jumping three spots to eighth is Wisconsin, followed by Texas A&M and Washington. Michigan State falls to 17th after the loss to Wisconsin.
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