Francisco Lindor and Mets Agree on $341 Million Contract Extension

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports The superstar shortstop is committed to Queens through 2031 after adding 10 years to his previous deal.https://nyti.ms/3m8dTM8

Tiger Woods Update: Sheriff Says Crash Investigation Is Done

By BY GILLIAN R. BRASSIL, KEVIN DRAPER AND GWEN KNAPP from NYT Sports Alex Villanueva, the sheriff of Los Angeles County, said that the authorities would need Woods’s permission to release the results of the investigation.https://nyti.ms/39yKohv

The Sabres’ Losing Streak Ends at 18

By BY ANDREW KNOLL from NYT Sports Buffalo had been on a dry spell, going 0-15-3 since late February, before beating Philadelphia on Wednesday.https://nyti.ms/39tDR7F

Twelve hours of baseball await.

By BY BENJAMIN HOFFMAN from NYT Sports Of four games being broadcast nationally on ESPN, the most interesting will probably be the Astros’ road opener at Oakland.https://nyti.ms/39y4LeH

Crowd size will vary wildly.

By BY BENJAMIN HOFFMAN from NYT Sports https://nyti.ms/3fwXYWo

Breaking down all 30 teams.

By BY BENJAMIN HOFFMAN from NYT Sports https://nyti.ms/39vGcPN

Tiger Woods Update: Sheriff Says Crash Investigation Is Done

By BY GILLIAN R. BRASSIL, KEVIN DRAPER AND GWEN KNAPP from NYT Sports Alex Villanueva, the sheriff of Los Angeles County, said that the authorities would need Woods’s permission to release the results of the investigation.https://nyti.ms/31BeqNl

Nationals Player Tests Positive for Virus Before Opening Day

By BY DAVID WALDSTEIN from NYT Sports Because of contract-tracing rules, four other players and a staff member will be held out of Washington’s season opener against the Mets on Thursday.https://nyti.ms/3u7MQ6D

Pitchers Beware: Giancarlo Stanton Is Feeling Strong

By BY JAMES WAGNER from NYT Sports The slugger has been dogged by injuries as a Yankee. But after a big postseason, and some changes to his workouts, he is expecting a big year.https://nyti.ms/3ftdBy7

Old Ballgame, New Ball

By Unknown Author from NYT Sports Major League Baseball introduces a new ball in response to years of record home runs.https://nyti.ms/3wi8ve4

Women’s Basketball Coaches Challenge N.C.A.A. Leaders Over Gender Inequity

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports Wednesday’s session came as college sports leaders struggled to move past disparities that sometimes seemed to overshadow games.https://nyti.ms/3sGIyTh

N.B.A. Trade Deadline Fallout: Uncertainty for the Lakers and Raptors

By BY MARC STEIN from NYT Sports After more than a dozen trades at the deadline, there are still many moves to be made, with lingering free agents, buyouts and executive contracts in the balance.https://nyti.ms/2PNLQ8A

How Each Baseball Stadium Will Handle Fans to Start 2021

By BY THE NEW YORK TIMES from NYT Sports Every major league stadium will let in fans to start the season, but capacities vary, ranging from just over 1,000 to 40,300.https://nyti.ms/31Dp7ic

Was Connor McDavid’s Big Hit a Dirty Play?

By BY SHAWNA RICHER from NYT Sports After the Oilers captain elbowed Montreal’s Jesperi Kotkaniemi on Tuesday, there were calls for a suspension, or at least a fine. But McDavid had his defenders, too.https://nyti.ms/2PLgz6w

Hernandez and Strawberry. Reyes and Wright. Lindor?

By BY DAVID WALDSTEIN from NYT Sports Francisco Lindor hasn’t committed to the Mets beyond this season, but he has the talent and track record to match up with the best all-around players in franchise history.https://nyti.ms/3sDPrEN

Soccer Samples Streetwear and Loves the Fit

By BY RORY SMITH from NYT Sports Juventus reimagined its look, P.S.G. partnered with Jordan Brand, and now Arsenal and Inter Milan are following suit. But soccer’s interest in design has little to do with the sport.https://nyti.ms/2PKrNIc

An Early Look at the N.C.A.A. Men’s Final Four

By BY LAUREN GEWIRTZ from NYT Sports Gonzaga vs. U.C.L.A. Houston vs. Baylor. Here are the ups and down with each team.https://nyti.ms/3cCgStd

N.C.A.A. Tournament Women’s Final Four: A First-Timer Crashes a Group of Powers

By BY NATALIE WEINER from NYT Sports Seeking its first title since 2016, UConn faces an Arizona team making its debut in the national semifinal. Two No. 1 seeds, Stanford and South Carolina, will play in the other matchup.https://nyti.ms/3sEeYOm

With 17 Games, the N.F.L. Evolves for Streaming Generation

By BY MIKE TANIER from NYT Sports The last time the league expanded its regular season 43 years ago, it was evolving for TV broadcasts and priming for an offensive era.https://nyti.ms/3m5EpG5

Gonzaga Makes Final Four With Another (Expected) Rout

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports The Zags’ pursuit of an undefeated season has often come on the undercard for other games during this N.C.A.A. men’s tournament.https://nyti.ms/39q0FFu

South Carolina Rolls Past Texas Into the Final Four

By BY GILLIAN R. BRASSIL from NYT Sports Texas was held scoreless in the fourth quarter as the Gamecocks started their celebration early.https://nyti.ms/3sGYs0a

N.F.L. Officially Adds 17th Regular Season Game

By BY KEN BELSON from NYT Sports The measure passed by team owners Tuesday is the first expansion of the N.F.L.’s regular season schedule since 1978 and will force the league to push the Super Bowl back one week.https://nyti.ms/3udds6h

The Capacity Crowd That Didn’t Materialize

By BY JESUS JIMÉNEZ from NYT Sports The Texas Rangers removed all capacity limits for an exhibition game on Monday, but a modest crowd of 12,911 showed up.https://nyti.ms/3u6qGl5

UConn-Baylor: Was It a Foul?

By BY ANDREW DAS from NYT Sports DiJonai Carrington thought she was fouled at the end of Baylor’s loss to UConn. So did a lot of people. The refs didn’t blow their whistles.https://nyti.ms/3ua0uG6

The Dodgers Made It to the Top. They Want to Stay There

By BY KEVIN DRAPER AND KATHERINE ROSMAN from NYT Sports As most teams look for ways to scale back, Los Angeles wants to get bigger and better. To do so, the fan base needs to grow.https://nyti.ms/3cC3XaS

How Blowing Up College Sports Became a Rallying Cry for Some in Washington

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports The N.C.A.A. is under scrutiny on Capitol Hill and at the Supreme Court. The pressure for college sports to change is bound to intensify.https://nyti.ms/3u2zloL

Mikaela Shiffrin Is Not Going Downhill

By BY BILL PENNINGTON from NYT Sports This winter, Shiffrin didn’t win as often as she usually does, but the ski racer says she is exactly where she needs to be given the pandemic and the death of her father.https://nyti.ms/3rBd8MX

Houston Hangs On and Reaches the Final Four

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports For the first time since 1984, the Cougars advanced to the national semifinals. They will face Baylor, which is making its first Final Four appearance since 1950.https://nyti.ms/3szJuZJ

Texas Removes Restrictions, but Fans Show Some Caution

By BY JESUS JIMÉNEZ from NYT Sports The Rangers raised eyebrows by opening 40,300 seats at Globe Life Field for Monday’s exhibition. Only 12,911 fans showed up.https://nyti.ms/2O7N91W

Houston Hangs On and Reaches the Final Four

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports The Cougars dominated Oregon State early and then fended the Beavers off in the second half, reaching the national semifinals for the first time since 1984.https://nyti.ms/3rzcuiQ

UConn Reaches Final Four With Tight Win Over Baylor

By BY GILLIAN R. BRASSIL from NYT Sports The slugfest in the round of 8 delivered what the coaches had predicted: a thriller that could have been a title game.https://nyti.ms/31yEM2x

Meet the New U.C.L.A.: Plucky Underdog

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports After barely making the field of the N.C.A.A. men’s basketball tournament, the Bruins are enjoying a revival under Coach Mick Cronin. Now they’re one win from the Final Four.https://nyti.ms/3cx0nhU

The Champions League Is Changing. Here’s How It Will Work.

By BY TARIQ PANJA AND JOE WARD from NYT Sports After more than a generation in its current form, the Champions League is remaking itself, and about to become an actual league for the first time.https://nyti.ms/3sACBY1

The Rich Get Richer With Nets’ Signing of LaMarcus Aldridge

By BY SOPAN DEB from NYT Sports Aldridge, a seven-time All-Star center, won’t be expected to play a leading role but will provide more depth to a team that has been excelling despite Kevin Durant’s injury.https://nyti.ms/2QEGWLE

O Dunedin: Canada Will Have to Wait to See the Blue Jays

By BY DAVID WALDSTEIN from NYT Sports Because of travel restrictions, one of baseball’s most promising teams will begin its season at a small park nearly 1,500 miles from home.https://nyti.ms/2QEGVr4

A Ballpark Half Full and Another Half Empty for All 30 Teams

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports Reasons for optimism and pessimism abound. Catch up with where each team stands ahead of opening day.https://nyti.ms/39mtK4P

He’s the Ideal College Athlete. So Why Did He Quit?

By BY KURT STREETER from NYT Sports Hunter Woodhall made history in track and field, but N.C.A.A. restrictions on athletes’ earnings drove him out of college sports.https://nyti.ms/3lYKLa4

No Longer a ‘Tigress,’ Amari Avery Will Try to Make Augusta Roar

By BY BRENDAN PORATH from NYT Sports Avery, 17, and her dad once drew attention for their Tiger-and-Earl Woods aspirations. They hope to make a different sort of splash at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.https://nyti.ms/3sy6Lv8

Baseball Puts the Regular Back in Regular Season

By BY TYLER KEPNER from NYT Sports A return to a full 162-game schedule, with fans in the stands, has Major League Baseball poised to be a slice of normalcy in a world turned upside down.https://nyti.ms/2O2Oqaz

U.S. Men Fail to Qualify for Olympic Soccer Tournament

By BY ANDREW DAS from NYT Sports Goals by Honduras on either side of halftime dashed the Americans’ hopes of a trip to Tokyo.https://nyti.ms/3rq5G7e

Another Laugher as Gonzaga Reaches the Round of 8

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports The three N.C.A.A. tournament victories by Gonzaga, which is trying to become the first unbeaten men’s basketball champion since Indiana in 1976, have been by 43, 16 and 18 points.https://nyti.ms/3svLsud

These N.B.A. Contenders Just Got Better

By BY SOPAN DEB AND SCOTT CACCIOLA from NYT Sports A look at the league’s top-tier contenders after a busy period of player movement.https://nyti.ms/3w4PtYx

South Carolina Easily Defeats Georgia Tech in N.C.A.A. Tournament

By BY GILLIAN R. BRASSIL from NYT Sports The Yellow Jackets locked down the all-American Aliyah Boston in the women’s round of 16, but could not stop the Gamecocks’ other weapons.https://nyti.ms/39jCg4f

Oregon State Gets Past Loyola, Extending a Surprise March Run

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports Oregon State’s zone defense and plenty of good shooting by Ethan Thompson lifted the Beavers into the Elite Eight.https://nyti.ms/39jgkWY

Yankees’ Voit Out for First Month of Season With Knee Injury

By BY JAMES WAGNER from NYT Sports The major league home run champion had been playing through soreness in spring training and but will opt now to have his knee repaired.https://nyti.ms/3ruoe6m

Howard Schnellenberger, College Coach Who Built Winners, Dies at 87

By BY RICHARD GOLDSTEIN from NYT Sports After assembling the formidable offense for the unbeaten 1972 Miami Dolphins, he breathed new life into football programs at two universities.https://nyti.ms/3rv7Sds

UConn Routs Iowa in Round of 16, Contains Clark

By BY GILLIAN R. BRASSIL from NYT Sports The first round of 16 matchup in the N.C.A.A. women’s basketball tournament was the first to welcome paying spectators. Huskies fans made sure the rest of the crowd in San Antonio knew who won.https://nyti.ms/3tTNpAK

Expecting N.C.A.A. Miracles, the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles Make a Run

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports The No. 15 seed from Tulsa, Okla., plays No. 3 Arkansas on Saturday, and the players will try to show that they are not done yet.https://nyti.ms/3dfD2k0

Charli Collier of Texas Honors Her Father’s Memory With Resilience

By BY GILLIAN R. BRASSIL from NYT Sports The Texas center, projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2021 W.N.B.A. draft, got through a difficult year by drawing strength from her family.https://nyti.ms/39jQi5U

Expecting N.C.A.A. Miracles, the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles Make a Run

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports The team from Tulsa, Okla., would be only the second No. 15 seed to advance to the tournament’s round of 16 if it were to upset No. 3 Arkansas.https://nyti.ms/3lXrZjx