Sports News Round-up: Ryan Blaney, Abercrombie in critical condition, Scioscia steps

The announcement ends months of speculation about the future of Scioscia, 59, who has led the Angels for the past 19 seasons.

Blaney advances in playoffs with Charlotte win

Ryan Blaney successfully navigated his way through a final-lap wreck that claimed the top two drivers, took the lead and went on to win the Bank of America Roval 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff race Sunday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway's infield road course. The victory at Concord, N.C., in the cutoff event of the first round of the playoffs, gave Blaney automatic entry into the Round of 12 of the 10-race playoffs, which resume next weekend in Dover, Del.

ATP roundup: Tomic ends three-year title drought

Ending a title drought that stretched back to July 2015, Australian qualifier Bernard Tomic completed an epic run at the Chengdu Open by beating top-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7) in the final Sunday in Chengdu, China. Tomic, who improved to 4-2 in finals, also denied Fognini's bid to be the first Italian man to win four titles in one season.

Tennis: Injured Halep retires in first round of China Open

World number one Simona Halep was forced to retire in the first round of the China Open on Sunday after aggravating a back injury. The Romanian injured herself in training at last week's Wuhan Open where she crashed out in the second round after being beaten in straight sets by Slovak Dominika Cibulkova.

Tennessee State LB Abercrombie in 'very critical condition'

Tennessee State linebacker Christion Abercrombie is in "very critical condition," as he recovers from emergency surgery after suffering a head injury, Tigers coach Rod Reed said Sunday on his radio show. Abercrombie complained to trainers about having a headache shortly before halftime of Saturday's game against Vanderbilt and collapsed a short time later. He was rushed to nearby Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., and underwent emergency surgery.

Nationals GM expects Martinez to return as manager

Dave Martinez is expected to return as manager for the Washington Nationals next season, general manager Mike Rizzo said Sunday. "We haven't considered anything else," Rizzo told reporters in comments published by the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.

Report: Steelers actively shopping Bell

The Pittsburgh Steelers have gone from taking calls on holdout running back Le'Veon Bell to making them, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The Steelers have yet to receive an acceptable offer for Bell, who has refused to report to the team or sign his franchise tender after getting tagged for the second consecutive offseason.

Scioscia steps down as Angels manager

Mike Scioscia said Sunday after the season finale that he will not return as manager of the Los Angeles Angels, sparking an outpouring of praise from people who have worked with him in the organization for most of the last two decades. The announcement ends months of speculation about the future of Scioscia, 59, who has led the Angels for the past 19 seasons. After a 5-4 home win on Sunday against the Oakland A's, Scioscia finishes with a 1,650-1,428 regular-season record. He guided the franchise to a World Series championship in 2002.

Europe beat United States to regain Ryder Cup

Europe regained the Ryder Cup as captain Thomas Bjorn's team reached the 14.5 points they required to beat the United States at a packed Le Golf National on Sunday. Leading 10-6 going into the 12 singles matches there were some nervous moments on an exciting afternoon as the Americans occasionally threatened a comeback.

Weary Woods sleepwalks his way to four losses in Ryder Cup

Tiger Woods sleepwalked his way through another disappointing Ryder Cup as the American suffered a fourth consecutive loss at Le Golf National when he was beaten 2&1 by Jon Rahm in singles on Sunday. After ending a five-year victory drought by winning the Tour Championship in Atlanta, Woods looked mentally drained all week in Paris.

Colts K Vinatieri breaks all-time field goals record

Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri is now the NFL's all-time leader in field goals. With a 42-yarder against Houston in the second quarter Sunday, Vinatieri booted Hall of Fame member Morten Andersen to second place on the all-time list. He also connected on a 44-yard field goal later in the game, which the Colts lost in overtime, 37-34.