SPORTS digest

ESPN: Mt. Union, OSU top football history list

Bristol, Conn.

To celebrate the 150th season of college football, ESPN produced a list of the 50 best college football programs. The list was released on Thursday.

ESPN Stats & Information created the list to “Honor the accomplishments of teams across 150 seasons and all divisions, while rewarding successful programs at the highest level in the sport’s most competitive era.”

The formula included national championships, with an adjustment made prior to the Poll Era in 1936, and winning percentages over the first, middle and last 50-year increments.

Alabama topped the list followed by Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC.

North Dakota State was 10th and Mount Union was the top non-Division I program at 16. Wittenberg at 27 and Miami (Ohio) at 40 were the only other Ohio schools listed.

Reds Hall of Fame to include Brennaman

CINCINNATI

Long-time Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman will become the first inductee into the team’s Hall of Fame who is not a player, manager or general manager.

The team announced Friday it will honor Brennaman in April. He said in January he’ll retire after this season — his 46th with the franchise.

Plans include a series of special events in September for what officials called the “Month of Marty.” He’ll be the solo inductee into the Hall of Fame on April 25-26.

The hall’s Board of Directors unanimously voted to change the organization’s bylaws and allow Brennaman’s induction. He says “that means volumes to me.”

Brennaman was honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum with the Ford C. Frick Award in 2000.

AP sources: Nets, arena sold for $3.4 billion

NEW YORK

In a record sale for a U.S. sports franchise, Joe Tsai agreed to buy the remaining 51 percent of the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center for about $3.4 billion, two people with knowledge of the details said Friday.

Joe Tsai already had purchased 49 percent of the team from Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov in 2018, with the option to become controlling owner in 2021.

Terms were not disclosed, but those familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that Tsai is paying about $2.35 billion for the Nets and nearly $1 billion in a separate transaction for the arena. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreements are not complete.

The deal is expected to be completed by the end of September and is subject to approval by the NBA’s Board of Governors.

It will surpass the $2.2 billion that Tilman Fertitta paid for the NBA’s Houston Rockets, and that David Tepper spent for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.

Appeals court expands MiLB salary lawsuit

SAN FRANCISCO

A federal appeals court has expanded a lawsuit by minor league baseball players alleging they are being paid less than minimum wage.

Players sued major league teams in February 2014, claiming most earn less than $7,500 annually in violation of several laws. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero granted class-action status to a California class of players in March 2017, but denied the status to Arizona and Florida classes.

In a 2-1 decision Friday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said class action status should be given to the Arizona and Florida classes, too, and sent the case back to U.S. District Court for additional proceedings.

Circuit Judges Richard A. Paez and Michael R. Murphy, both appointed by President Bill Clinton, voted to expand the classes in a decision written by Paez. Circuit Judge Sandra S, Ikuta, appointed by President George W. Bush, dissented. Murphy, a 10th Circuit senior judge, sat by designation.

Major League Baseball declined comment.

Associated Press