Sports News Roundup: Astros' Verlander eager to snap World Series winless streak; World Series fans greet Trump with boos, chants

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

U.S. women's national team appoints Andonovski as head coach

Vlatko Andonovski was vaulted into one of the most coveted positions in women's soccer on Monday, taking the helm of the United States women's national team in the wake of their record-extending fourth World Cup victory. Andonovski, a coach in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), takes over from Jill Ellis who, after leading the team to a second back-to-back World Cup title in July, announced that she would step down.

Astros' Verlander eager to snap World Series winless streak

Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander has fallen short of his lofty standards on baseball's biggest stage but can change that narrative when he pitches in a potential World Series clincher on Tuesday. Verlander allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks over six innings in a Game 2 loss last Wednesday that gave the Washington Nationals a 2-0 lead in Major League Baseball's best-of-seven championship series.

Athletics: Johnson urges quick return to training for Tokyo aspirants

As athletics' elite rest up from the latest world championships on record, 12 times global gold medallist Michael Johnson has some advice for Tokyo medal seekers: don't stray too far from the track or exercise room. "If you take too much time off, that's just going to extend the amount of time you have got to take to get back into training shape," the former 200 and 400 meters world record holder told Reuters in a telephone interview.

NBA fines Pistons' Morris $35K for verbal abuse

The NBA fined Detroit Pistons forward Markieff Morris $35,000 on Monday for "directing inappropriate and offensive language toward a game official" on Saturday. The incident occurred during the Pistons' 117-111 loss to the visiting Philadelphia 76ers.

Doping: Russia answers WADA but non-compliance threat remains

Russian authorities have responded to questions about "inconsistencies" found in data retrieved from a Moscow laboratory, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Monday, as the threat of missing the 2020 Olympics continues to hang over the country. Russia once again found itself in the doping hot seat when WADA revealed in September that historical data supplied by the country’s anti-doping authority contained “inconsistencies” that resulted in a decision to open a formal compliance procedure against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA).

Microsoft says Russia-linked hackers target sports organizations

Microsoft Corp said it has tracked "significant" cyberattacks coming from a group it calls "Strontium" or "Fancy Bear", targeting anti-doping authorities and global sporting organizations. The group, also called APT28, has been linked to the Russian government, Microsoft said in a blog post.

Yanks parting ways with pitching coach Rothschild

The New York Yankees on Monday parted ways with pitching coach Larry Rothschild, who has been with the club since the start of the 2011 season. While dealing with multiple injuries in 2019, New York finished 14th in the majors with a 4.31 team ERA. The Yankees compiled a 2.87 ERA in the postseason, which ended with a six-game loss to the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series.

After stunning turnaround, Astros look to close out Nats

HOUSTON -- It required only one weekend for the Astros to reclaim their identity, to rediscover the elements that paved the way to their 107-win season and status as World Series favorites. That their reversal unfolded so hastily should not have come as a surprise. The Astros came to life at Nationals Park in Washington D.C., outscoring the Nationals 19-3 to erase a 2-0 deficit in the World Series and head back to Minute Maid Park with a 3-2 series lead in advance of Game 6 on Tuesday.

World Series fans greet Trump with boos, chants

U.S. President Donald Trump was greeted with boos and a smattering of chants of "Lock him up!" when he appeared on screen at the World Series in Washington on Sunday, even as he celebrated one of the biggest wins of his administration. Trump appeared on a display screen at the Washington Nationals Park stadium between innings of the Game 5 match-up between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros.

Aiming at Olympic boom, Japan builds 'Ethnic Harmony' tribute to indigenous Ainu

On a wooded lake shore in northern Japan, the government is building a modernist shrine that has divided the indigenous Ainu community whose vanishing culture it was designed to celebrate. At a cost so far of $220 million, Japan's "Symbolic Space for Ethnic Harmony" is on track to open in time for the 2020 Olympics, part of a drive by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to draw millions of foreign visitors to Japan and to the northern city of Sapporo, where the Olympic marathon will be run.

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