BASEBALLNEW YORK -- Max Scherzer celebrated aboard a boat off the British Virgin Islands, doused by college pals on a floating party.Rick Porcello enjoyed the moment at his parents home in New Jersey, surrounded by family, friends and a few bottles of wine.As for Justin Verlander, well, fuming supermodel Kate Upton brought the heat for her fiance.Teammates for five seasons in Detroit, the three right-handers topped the Cy Young Award talk Wednesday: Scherzer easily won the NL prize, Porcello edged out Verlander for the AL honor.Porcello, who led baseball with 22 wins for Boston and had a 3.15 ERA, won despite getting just eight of the 30 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers Association of America -- the first time the AL Cy winner didnt get the most firsts.Verlander went 16-9 with a 2.40 ERA while leading the AL in strikeouts and other categories. He got 14 first-place votes, but didnt draw as much support across the board -- he was left off two ballots, too.LOS ANGELES -- Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday at the White House.Scully retired last month after spending his entire 67-year career in the booth for the Los Angeles Dodgers.He turns 89 on Nov. 27.Scully is one of 21 recipients of the Medal of Freedom announced Wednesday, including NBA Hall of Famers Kareen Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan.HOUSTON -- Right-hander Charlie Morton agreed to a contract with Houston, giving the Astros two of the best groundball pitchers in the majors.Morton accepted a $14 million, two-year deal that includes annual salaries of $7 million and performance bonuses of $625,000 apiece for 12, 20, 25 and 30 starts each season.Morton, who ranks second in the majors among active pitchers in career groundball to fly ball ratio (2.48), joins a staff that features last years American League Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel, a lefty who leads the league in that category (2.84).NFLNEW YORK -- -- First-year eligibles LaDainian Tomlinson, Hines Ward, Jason Taylor and Brian Dawkins are among 26 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fames class of 2017.Joining them as first-time semifinalists is tackle-guard Chris Hinton, who retired in 1989 but has made this cut for the first time.The other 21 candidates -- there was a tie for 25th in voting by Hall of Fame selectors as the list was trimmed from an original 94 -- all have made it this far in the past.Two coaches, Don Coryell and Jimmy Johnson, have made the semifinals. So has placekicker Morten Andersen, the NFLs career scoring leader.Previously nominated by the veterans committee was safety Kenny Easley, and by the contributors committee were Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.The 2017 class will be selected on Feb. 4, the day before the Super Bowl. Between four and eight new members will be chosen.NBADALLAS -- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says the teams decision not to stay at Donald Trump-branded hotels in New York and Chicago was made before the presidential election.The billionaire technology entrepreneur declined to elaborate on the decision, telling The Associated Press it was made months ago. Not recently.Cuban was a frequent critic of Trump during the campaign and supported Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who lost to the Republican president-elect.ESPN, citing anonymous sources, reported that Dallas, Memphis and Milwaukee were among the teams that moved away from Trump-branded hotels in New York and Chicago. The network reported that the decision was made in part to avoid any implied association with Trump.NEW YORK -- Detroit Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy says he has used the term posse before, and it was always in regards to minorities.A day after LeBron James criticized Knicks President Phil Jackson for using the word in an interview to describe James friends and business partners, Van Gundy was reflective when thinking about his own words, calling on people to be aware of their language and attitudes.COLLEGE BASKETBALLKENT, Ohio -- Kent States players made their home opener memorable, and it had little to do with winning.In a sign of unity they hope catches on, the Golden Flashes invited fans onto the court to stand with them during the national anthem before their game against Mississippi Valley State.Moments before tip-off, Kent States players went into the crowd and each of them asked a fan of a different race to join them while the schools Flasher Brass pep band performed the anthem.Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said the players approached the coaching staff with the idea.HOCKEYTAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos has a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee and will be sidelined indefinitely.General manager Steve Yzerman announced the diagnosis after Stamkos returned home for further evaluation of the injury the two-time NHL scoring champion suffered Tuesday night in a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.Stamkos, who last summer re-signed with the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2008 rather than testing free agency, scored his ninth goal against the Red Wings and leads the NHL with 20 points in 17 games.The six-time All-Star center grabbed the back of his knee and limped off the ice to the dressing room after colliding with Detroits Gustav Nyquist along the boards.Its the third significant injury Stamkos has had over the past three years.CALGARY, Alberta -- Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau was scheduled to undergo surgery for a fractured finger.Gaudreau suffered the injury in Tuesdays 1-0 win over the Minnesota Wild. The team said a timeline for his return will be provided in the coming days.Gaudreau left Tuesdays game early in the third period after taking a slash to the hand.NEW YORK -- International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel said he had a good discussion Wednesday with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players Association Executive Director Don Fehr about the worlds top hockey players participating in the 2018 Olympics in South Korea.Bettman described the meeting as constructive and candid.Still lots of issues, Bettman wrote in an email to the AP.Fasel said his job is to raise funds for the players transportation and insurance. The International Olympic Committee does not want to cover those costs as it has the previous five Olympics. Fasel hopes to persuade the IOC to financially support the NHLs participation. Cheap Real Air Max . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. Cheap Air Max For Sale . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. https://www.airmaxchina.us/ .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. Air Max Outlet . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. Cheap Air Max . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. England are braced for a seismic explosion when Semesa Rokoduguni and Nemani Nadolo collide upon Fijis visit to Twickenham on Saturday.The Pacific Islanders have spoken of the special treatment Rokoduguni and Nathan Hughes will be given due to their Fijian origins after both opted to represent the Red Rose on grounds of residency.Rokoduguni is the Aviva Premierships joint leading try-scorer and the competitions form wing, while Nadolo is a 65, 22-stone giant cast in the image of Jonah Lomu.There could be a seismic explosion on the far side with Nadolo and Rokoduguni running into each other!! England scrum coach Neal Hatley said.Fiji are obviously very motivated and wed like to think that Roko and Nathan are motivated to play for England. Im sure that it adds a little spice amongst them as individuals, but theyve been brilliant the whole week in terms of getting ready to play.Rokoduguni will make only his second Test appearance on Saturday having been dropped after a 24-21 defeat by New Zealand two years ago.Mixed messages followed when Stuart Lancasters regime explained his exclusion with Rokoduguni returning to Bath on injury grounds, only to then play the following weekend.Eddie Jones has suggested he was overwhelmed by the occasion and the way he was handled on his debut, so has bided his time carefully before selecting the visit of Fiji for hhis comeback.ddddddddddddThe 29-year-old has beaten more defenders, made more clean breaks and gained more metres than any rival in the Premiership this season, but Hatley insists it is his deeds off the pitch that have truly inspired his England teammates.A lance corporal and reconnaissance tank soldier of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards in the British Army, he completed a tour of Afghanistan in 2011.Ive seen first-hand the knock on effect that Rokos life experiences have had on the players at Bath, said Hatley, who was an assistant coach at the Recreation Ground.He has got proper life experience, of sitting [in] and driving a tank, which no-one has had any experience of inside the group. The players draw inspiration from that and the value that he brings with that sort of experience is definitely reflected in some of the conversations that weve had during the week.What I really liked about what he did when he was dropped by England, and obviously I was a Bath coach at the time, is that he came straight back to the club and played on the weekend.Hes been fantastic over the last 18 months and hes had a really good start to this season. Hes probably been Baths out and out straight weapon from an attacking point of view. ' ' '