Comment on Ailing Merritt takes bronze behind Shubenkov

The Rockies’ closest shot at the NL West title feels like a long-off dream. In the series opener on Monday at Coors Field, the Dodgers made the Rockies look like little brother again in a 9-5 win. Dating back to when L. A. beat Colorado in 2018’s Game 163 to win the divisional title, Monday’s victory improved the Dodgers to 40 games over .500 (72-32) against the outmatched Rockies. L.

By KYLE HIGHTOWER (AP Sports Writer) BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum put his hands behind his head, with TD Garden fans standing on their feet cheering around him, and took it all in. Walking to the bench, he wrapped both arms around Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. The journey was complete. The Boston Celtics again stand alone among NBA champions. Tatum had 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, and the Celtics topped the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 on Monday night to win the franchise’s 18th championship, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in league history. Boston earned its latest title on the 16th anniversary of hoisting its last Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2008.

The offseason program is a good time for NFL players to build habits. Or, sometimes, to break them. Broncos inside linebacker Alex Singleton in recent weeks found himself occasionally still calling out to No. 47 while manning the middle of the Denver defense. Josey Jewell, though, plays in Carolina now. Thoroughly out of earshot. “You can ask Jonas and Cody and Justin and those guys I’ve taken reps with that I’ve said, ‘Hey Josey — I mean whoever it is that’s out here,’” Singleton told reporters last week. For Singleton, the goal this summer is to get to know his new running mates. For Jonas Griffith, Cody Barton and Justin Strnad, among others, the goal is to take a step toward earning that spot. Singleton, of course, will miss Jewell as a playing partner at inside linebacker and as a friend with whom he spent a huge amount of time at work and away from it.

Troy Renck: The pairing represented hope and renewal, but hidden beneath their jerseys were expiration tags that had quietly passed. Before the Rockies’ 2022 home opener, Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson bathed in a standing ovation and threw out the first pitch to slugger Kris Bryant. It was arguably their best moment in Colorado.

PINKHAM NOTCH, N. H. — A Colorado runner has won a race to the summit of New England’s tallest peak for a record-setting eighth time. Joseph Gray, 40, of Colorado Springs, won the Mount Washington Road Race on Saturday in a time of 1 hour, 2 minutes and 21 seconds.

LOS ANGELES — The way the NFL can distribute its package of out-of-market games could be decided in federal court as the result of a class-action lawsuit. Subscribers to the NFL’s “Sunday Ticket” package are claiming the league broke antitrust laws by selling its package of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games airing on CBS and Fox at what the lawsuit says was an inflated price.