National Sports

NEW ORLEANS — Disgraced NFL star Darren Sharper's attempt to get out of a 2016 plea deal and 18-year prison sentence in a sexual assault case has been rejected by a federal judge.

TORONTO — Succeeding the hard-to-miss Tim Leiweke in late 2015, Michael Friisdahl has been content to work behind the scenes and stay out of the spotlight as CEO and president of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.

TORONTO — While the Toronto Maple Leafs and Raptors gear up for next season, Scotiabank Arena is getting a multimillion-dollar facelift.

Wednesday's Games MLB American League Toronto 4 Kansas City 1 Detroit 9 L.A. Angels 1 Cleveland 10 Houston 4 Tampa Bay 8 Boston 5 Texas 9 Seattle 7 National League Atlanta 5 Washington 4 (10 innings) Cincinnati 4 Pittsburgh 1 L.A.

Wednesday's Games MLB American League Toronto 4 Kansas City 1 Detroit 9 L.A. Angels 1 Cleveland 10 Houston 4 Tampa Bay 8 Boston 5 Texas 9 Seattle 7 National League Atlanta 5 Washington 4 (10 innings) Cincinnati 4 Pittsburgh 1 L.A.

WASHINGTON — Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime and Milos Raonic are moving on at the Citi Open. Auger-Alliasime beat American Reilly Opelka 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in a second-round match in Washington on Wednesday, while eighth-seeded Raonic of Thornhill, Ont.

LIMA, Peru — Jacqueline Simoneau and Claudia Holzner developed a pre-swim routine to calm their nerves when they joined forces as an artistic swimming tandem. It involves a declaration of trust and a reference to a Disney character.

LIMA, Peru — Canadian gymnast Ellie Black's breakout performance came four years ago in Toronto. Her Pan Am Games encore in Lima was on par and nearly one better.

Ross Atkins believes new acquisition Derek Fisher will be a complementary piece for the rebuilding Blue Jays, but time will tell whether the outfielder will be worth the high price Toronto paid for his services.

It never occurred to Bill Paul that he might have a lasting legacy in Canadian golf — until Golf Canada announced last week that he would be retiring after 43 years with the organization.