Baseball
Brewers farmhand David Denson reveals he’s gay
MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee Brewers minor leaguer David Denson became the first openly gay player on a team affiliated with Major League Baseball.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said Denson, with the help of former major leaguer Billy Bean, reached out to the newspaper to tell his story.
The 20-year-old first baseman plays for the Helena Brewers in the rookie Pioneer League. Bean, Major League Baseball’s first Ambassador for Inclusion, revealed he is gay after his playing career.
In June, pitcher Sean Conroy of the Sonoma Stompers of the independent Pacific Association, revealed that he is gay. The Pacific Association is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.
Basketball
Boys hoops team was disqualified for using a girl
NEW YORK – Kymora Johnson just wanted to play basketball.
The 10-year-old girl was thrown into the spotlight earlier this month when her youth team from Virginia was disqualified from a basketball tournament because she played in it. Johnson is the lone girl on the boys’ team, the Charlottesville Cavaliers. The tournament had a rule, put in place this year, that girls couldn’t play on a boys’ team because there was also a girls’ competition. Johnson had been playing with the Cavaliers for the last few years because there was no girls’ team in her area until recently.
After they were disqualified from the tournament in South Carolina, her teammates watched the semifinals in pink uniforms to support Johnson.
When the WNBA’s New York Liberty heard the story, they brought the Cavaliers to Saturday night’s game.
“In this day and age it really is unheard of. Kids at this age, boys and girls, they play together,” Liberty president Isiah Thomas said. “I think these are the type of moments where you continue to break down barriers and shine the light and expose. A moment like this and a night like this for the kids in terms of basketball it’s everlasting. ”
Golf
Canadian teen torches the field at Portland Classic
PORTLAND, Ore. – Brooke Henderson won the Cambia Portland Classic by eight strokes Sunday to become the third-youngest champion in LPGA Tour history.
The Canadian closed with a 3-under 69 at Columbia Edgewater to finish at 21-under 267, the lowest total since the event went from 54 holes to 72 in 2013. Henderson is 17 years, 11 months, 6 days.
Lydia Ko set the age record as an amateur in the 2012 Canadian Women’s Open at 15 years, 4 months, 2 days. She also won the Canadian event in 2013 at 16 and won four times at 17. Lexi Thompson won the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic at 16 years, 7 months, 8 days.
Soccer
U.S. women rout Costa Rica to begin victory tour
PITTSBURGH – Christen Press scored three goals to power the United States to an 8-0 exhibition romp over Costa Rica on Sunday in its first game since winning the Women’s World Cup last month.
The game opened a victory tour by the Americans and was played before a crowd of 44,028 at Heinz Field.
Meghan Klingenberg grew up in Pittsburgh and rewarded her hometown fans with a goal. Heather O’Reilly added two goals, with the other scores coming from Julie Johnston and Whitney Engen
Press was two of Sunday’s six starters who did not start in the World Cup final. Forward Alex Morgan did not play, having undergone minor knee surgery after the World Cup. Goalkeeper Hope Solo and forward Abby Wambach entered in the second half.
Associated Press
