Off the wire

BASEBALL Rangers coach dies at 54

Hector Ortiz, who spent the past 18 years as a manager and coach in the Texas Rangers organization, died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. He was 54. The Rangers said Ortiz died at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, not far from the club’s spring training home in the suburb of Surprise. Ortiz was a coach on the minor league player development staff the past three years after serving on the major league staff under two previous managers, Jeff Banister and Chris Woodward. The former catcher played 18 professional seasons from 1988-2005, appearing in 93 major league games with Kansas City and seven with the Rangers. Ortiz was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988.

BASKETBALL NBA denies Knicks’ protest

The NBA has denied the Knicks’ protest of their loss in Houston, two days after New York won a game in large part because of a call that was determined to be incorrect. The Knicks protested their 105-103 loss to the Rockets on Feb. 12, a game that ended with Houston’s Aaron Holiday making two free throws after officials called a foul on New York’s Jalen Brunson with 0.3 seconds remaining. After the game, referee Ed Malloy said the contact between the players was marginal and no foul should have been called. However, that is not grounds to overturn the result, the NBA ruled Wednesday. “Under the standard for NBA game protests, New York was required to demonstrate that there was a misapplication of the official playing rules, as opposed to an error in judgment by game officials,” the league said in a statement. There hasn’t been a protest upheld in the NBA since the 2007-08 season, when an error by the Atlanta stat crew led to Miami’s Shaquille O’Neal fouling out of a game when he had only five fouls at the time. The league ordered the final 51.9 seconds of their game to be replayed.

Draft moves to Brooklyn

The WNBA Draft will have a new home this year and for the first time in eight seasons have the space for 1,000 fans to attend. The league will hold the annual event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on April 15. Recent drafts, which were held in Manhattan, were in smaller, more intimate venues that didn’t have room for fans. There’s a lot of excitement around this year’s draft with Iowa star Caitlin Clark potentially eligible if she decides to forego her fifth year of college eligibility. The Indiana Fever have the top pick in the draft for the second consecutive year. Last season the team drafted Aliyah Boston with the No. 1 pick. Clark, who earlier this month became the NCAA’s all-time women’s scoring leader, hasn’t announced her plans yet. UConn star Paige Bueckers, who was projected to be drafted in the lottery, has said she will return for at least one more season at the school. Stanford’s Cameron Brink and LSU’s Angel Reese haven’t announced whether they will turn pro or come back to college for another year.

MOTOR SPORTS Horner remains in charge

Red Bull dismissed the allegations of misconduct against team principal Christian Horner on Wednesday, closing an investigation that has overshadowed the start of the Formula 1 season. Horner will remain in charge of the champion F1 team after Red Bull’s internal investigation cleared him of alleged misconduct toward a team employee. The details of the allegations have not been made public but the investigation had been the major talking point in the run-up to this weekend’s season-opening race in Bahrain. The Red Bull announcement came shortly after the team drivers had finished their regular pre-race media availability and less than 24 hours before the first practice session. Red Bull won all but one race last season and its driver Max Verstappen is the three-time defending champion.

FOOTBALL ‘Superfan’ pleads guilty

A Kansas City Chiefs superfan known as “ChiefsAholic” pleaded guilty Wednesday to a string of robberies and attempted robberies of banks and credit unions in multiple states. Xaviar Michael Babudar, 29, pleaded guilty in federal court in Kansas City, Mo., to one count each of money laundering, transporting stolen property across state lines, and bank robbery. Sentencing was scheduled for July 10. Federal prosecutors said Babudar admitted to a string of robberies or attempted robberies in 2022 and 2023. Much of the stolen money was laundered through casinos and online gambling, prosecutors said. As part of the plea agreement, Babudar must pay at least $532,675 in restitution. He also must forfeit property — including an autographed painting of Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes that was recovered by the FBI. Prior to his arrest, Babudar was a well-known figure on social media for his rabid support of the Chiefs. He attended several games dressed as a wolf in Chiefs’ clothing.

HOCKEY Stars add defenseman

The Dallas Stars acquired defenseman Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night, the latest addition by a Stanley Cup contender in the Western Conference ahead of the March 8 NHL trade deadline. Dallas sent a 2024 second-round pick, 20-year-old defense prospect Artem Grushnikov and a 2026 conditional third-rounder to Calgary for Tanev, who was considered one of the top trade candidates available. The Flames are retaining half and New Jersey another quarter of Tanev’s $4.5 million salary as part of the deal, which also includes the Stars flipping a ‘26 fourth-round pick to the Devils for unsigned goaltending prospect Cole Brady. Tanev, 34, gives the Stars some much-needed depth not only on the penalty kill but defensively 5-on-5 to try to get through the gauntlet that is the playoffs in the West. The league-leading Vancouver Canucks already got the top center available by trading with Calgary for Elias Lindholm, and the Central Division first-place Winnipeg Jets followed suit by acquiring Sean Monahan from Montreal.

SOCCER Ronaldo suspended

Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended for one match for making an alleged offensive gesture during a Saudi Arabia league game while playing for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. The suspension was announced late Wednesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the match took place. Footage on social media appeared to show Ronaldo cupping his ear and repeatedly thrusting his hand forward near his pelvis, seemingly aimed at rival Al Shabab supporters. The incident occurred on Sunday after Al Nassr beat Al Shabab 3-2. In the background were chants of “Messi.” Lionel Messi is Ronaldo’s longstanding soccer rival. While the incident was not captured by television cameras, criticism of the 39-year-old Portugal striker was swift. The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star will also have to pay a fine of $5,333 to AlShabab, to cover the costs of the club filing the complaint, and half of that amount to the federation.

Spain captures WNL title

Spain hasn’t lost momentum since winning its first World Cup title, defeating France 2-0 on Wednesday to also win the inaugural edition of the Women’s Nations League. Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati and Mariona Caldentey scored a goal each for Spain in front of 32,657 fans at La Cartuja Stadium in southern Spain. It was a record crowd for Spain’s women’s team in the country. Spain also holds the men’s Nations League title, having beaten Croatia in the final in June. Bonmati, named the player of the match, volleyed in a low cross in the first half and Caldentey doubled the lead shortly after the break in a dominant performance by the hosts.