Sports News Roundup: Opening Day arriving to fans' relief, Braves begin title defense; McIlroy relaxed ahead of another Grand Slam bid and more

Fans feared they might not hear the words "Play ball!" this year after Major League Baseball (MLB) locked out its players in December and in March canceled the start of the regular season. Baseball-Ohtani gets the ball on Opening Day with eye on back-to-back MVPs Shohei Ohtani makes his first career Opening Day start for the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday as the two-way star looks to continue the awe-inspiring play that made him baseball's most talked-about player last season.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Cricket-Yorkshire aims to be 'beacon of hope' for diversity, says Patel

Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) aspires to be a "beacon of hope" for diversity in English cricket, its chairman Kamlesh Patel told Reuters on Tuesday. The club was rocked by a racism scandal last year after Azeem Rafiq, a former England under-19 captain of Pakistani descent, alleged that he had been a victim of institutional racism at Yorkshire.

Soccer-Football Union of Russia withdraws appeal over FIFA ban

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday said the Football Union of Russia (FUR) had withdrawn its appeal against soccer's world governing body FIFA as well as the Polish, Swedish and Czech Republic Football Associations. FIFA and European governing body UEFA decided together that all Russian teams, whether national or club sides, would be suspended from participation in their competitions until further notice after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Baseball-Opening Day arriving to fans' relief, Braves begin title defense

A baseball season once in doubt kicks off on Thursday, as the Atlanta Braves look to defend their World Series title and the fearsome Los Angeles Dodgers aim to fight their way back to the top. Fans feared they might not hear the words "Play ball!" this year after Major League Baseball (MLB) locked out its players in December and in March canceled the start of the regular season.

Baseball-Ohtani gets the ball on Opening Day with eye on back-to-back MVPs

Shohei Ohtani makes his first career Opening Day start for the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday as the two-way star looks to continue the awe-inspiring play that made him baseball's most talked-about player last season. The Oshu, Japan native last year drew comparisons to Babe Ruth for his immense, "Shotime" talent as both a hitter and pitcher, and went on to be named the unanimous winner of the 2021 AL MVP award.

Baseball-Five storylines to follow during the 2022 MLB season

Five storylines to follow as the 2022 Major League Baseball season gets underway with Opening Day on Thursday. 1 - Lockout ends, but can sport grow its fanbase?

Golf-McIlroy relaxed ahead of another Grand Slam bid

Rory McIlroy's quest to complete a career Grand Slam continues for an eighth consecutive year at the Masters this week and the Northern Irishman said on Tuesday that he actually feels less pressure now than in previous attempts. The pressure of a Grand Slam pursuit has been following McIlroy around since he won the 2014 British Open, a victory that gave him three of the four major championships.

Golf-Woods says he will play in this week's Masters

Tiger Woods will play in this week's Masters and feels he can win the event for a sixth time in his highly-anticipated return to competition following a car crash last year that nearly resulted in doctors amputating his right leg. "As of right now I feel like I'm going to play," Woods said during his pre-tournament news conference.

Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf to retire at end of season

Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf announced Tuesday that he will retire from the NHL following the conclusion of this season. Getzlaf, 36, has played his entire 17-year career with Anaheim. He is the Ducks' all-time leading scorer in both the regular season and playoffs.

Tennis-Wimbledon organisers holding talks with UK govt on Russian, Belarusian players

The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) is holding talks with the British government on the participation of players from Russia and Belarus at this year's Wimbledon, saying on Tuesday that it hopes to announce a decision in mid-May. Russian and Belarusian players have been allowed to compete on the regular ATP and WTA Tours but not under the name or flag of their countries following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Baseball-Testing lapse in MLB lockout not ideal but 'BALCO days' long gone-USADA head

U.S. Anti-Doping Agency head Travis Tygart said the lapse in testing during Major League Baseball's lockout was not ideal but the league's drug policy and a change of culture in the sport meant there was little chance of a return to the "BALCO days". MLB locked out its players in December after the two sides failed to reach a deal on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.