FOOTBALL
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson said he’s following a conservative plan as he recovers from major shoulder surgery, but that he’s been able to throw at full speed.
Watson played in just six games in his second season with Cleveland before suffering a fracture to the glenoid bone in his throwing shoulder. The 28-year-old said his rehab has gone according to schedule and that there haven’t been any setbacks.
He’s been throwing pain free and without any issues.
“Everything is fluid motion, no hinging,” Watson said Tuesday, raising his arm to demonstrate. “When I’m throwing, everything is fluid and motion is really good. The velocity and the strength is really good.”
While giving a positive medical report, Watson didn’t have a timetable for when he’ll be 100%.
“It can be sooner than later, it can be later than sooner,” he said.
Also, Watson isn’t sure if he’ll practice this spring and pushed any decisions about him playing in preseason games this summer off on Browns GM Andrew Berry and Coach Kevin Stefanski.
Watson reported to the team’s training facility on Monday for the start of the voluntary offseason program. Per NFL rules, the team is limited to individual workouts and class room sessions.
TENNIS
PORSCHE GRAND PRIX: Zheng Qinwen eased past Sorana Cîrstea 6-2, 6-3 in the first round at Stuttgart, Germany, despite a long journey from China to reach the clay-court tournament.
The seventh-ranked Zheng traveled from Changsha to Beijing and then on to Frankfurt before a final leg to Stuttgart, but showed little sign of jet lag as she wrapped up her win in 76 minutes.
Belgium’s Elise Mertens finished strongly to beat Tatjana Maria 6-1, 4-6, 6-0 to set up a match against two-time defending champion Iga Świątek in the second round. Świątek is bidding to become the first three-time champion in Stuttgart since Maria Sharapova won between 2012-14.
OLYMPICS
MEN’S BASKETBALL: LeBron James plans to go back to the Olympics. Stephen Curry is planning on going for the first time. Kevin Durant will go there with his eye on history.
And they’re just part of a star-studded roster the Americans have assembled for the Paris Games.
USA Basketball has gotten confirmations from 12 players — James, Curry, Durant, Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards and Kawhi Leonard — that they will accept invitations to be on the Olympic roster, three people with knowledge of the decisions said. That group includes seven previous gold medalists.
PARIS: Even without the help of Apollo, the flame that is to burn at the Paris Olympics was kindled at the site of the ancient games in southern Greece.
Cloudy skies prevented the traditional lighting, when an actress dressed as an ancient Greek priestess uses the sun to ignite a silver torch — after offering up a symbolic prayer to Apollo, the ancient Greek sun god.
Instead, she used a backup flame that had been lit on the same spot Monday, during the final rehearsal.
Normally, the foremost of a group of priestesses in long, pleated dresses dips the fuel-filled torch into a parabolic mirror which focuses the sun’s rays on it, and fire spurts forth.
But this time she didn’t even try, going straight for the backup flame, kept in a copy of an ancient Greek pot. Ironically, a few minutes later the sun shone forth.
From the ancient stadium in Olympia, a relay of torchbearers will carry the flame along a 3,100-mile route through Greece, including several islands, until the handover to Paris Games organizers in Athens on April 26.
SOCCER
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Marcel Sabitzer scored late and set up two goals to send host Borussia Dortmund into the semifinals with a helter-skelter 4-2 win over Atlético Madrid.
After losing the first leg of their quarterfinal 2-1 in Madrid, Dortmund had to come from behind twice over two legs to advance 5-4 on aggregate.
• Kylian Mbappé scored twice as visiting Paris Saint-Germain reversed its first-leg loss at home to return to the semifinals with a 4-1 win over Barcelona.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.