QB Young to start after Dalton crash

SHORTS

CT_IC_1049824903_1049857340_016-1024_AFP-Getty_FILE- Dodgers Pitcher Fernando Valenzuela Dies at .jpg

FILE - According to reports, former Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela died at 63 on October 22, 2024. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 19: Fernando Valenzuela waves to fans after throwing the ceremonial first pitch during the 92nd MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Dodger Stadium on July 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

CT_IC_1049824903_1049857552_016-1024_1023_NWS_young.jpg

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young walks on the field before an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

CT_IC_1049824903_1049857437_016-1024_1023_NWS_muniz.jpg

FILE - Actor turned race car driver Frankie Muniz leans on his car before the ARCA 200 auto race Feb. 18, 2023, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Muniz is the surprising points leader in the ARCA Series heading into Saturday’s race at Kansas Speedway in his first full season in stock car racing. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)

PREVIOUS IMAGE

Image

NEXT IMAGE

QB Young to start after Dalton crash

Bryce Young will start Sunday at quarterback for the Panthers against the Broncos after Andy Dalton sprained the thumb on his right throwing hand during a car crash on Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Panthers coach Dave Canales made the announcement Wednesday after practice. Canales said there were no serious injuries in the crash, and that the 36-year-old Dalton would be listed as day to day. Canales said it’s possible that Dalton could be the team’s No. 2 quarterback on Sunday. “Bryce has been an absolute stud through this whole process. He has been engaged,” Canales said. “He has been involved in what we were doing and is excited about the opportunity.” Canales said Dalton was driving the car when the crash occurred. His wife and three children also were in the car but were uninjured. Young, above, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, was benched two games into the season after starting 0-2. Dalton has gone 1-4 as a starter since then, losing his last four starts. “I’m fired up for him to have another opportunity and just get in there and play,” Canales said of Young.

Dodgers icon Valenzuela dies at 63

Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican-born Dodgers pitcher who inspired “Fernandomania” while winning the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981, died Tuesday at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 63. The team didn’t provide any other details. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said Valenzuela will be honored during the World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees. Valenzuela left his commentator job on the Dodgers’ Spanish-language TV broadcast in September without explanation. In 1981, Valenzuela became the first player to win a Cy Young and Rookie of the Year in the same season. His performances created the delirium known as “Fernandomania” among Dodgers fans. Valenzuela was an All-Star selection every year from 1981-86, when he recorded 97 wins, 84 complete games, 1,258 strikeouts and a 2.97 ERA. He was 5-1 with a 2.00 ERA in eight postseason starts. Valenzuela threw a no-hitter in 1990. He retired in 1997, going 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA, the all-time MLB leader in wins and strikeouts (2,074) by a Mexican-born player.

Actor Muniz lands NASCAR ride

Former “Malcolm in the Middle” star Frankie Muniz is set to continue his NASCAR career with a full-time ride in the Truck Series for 2025. Muniz will make the jump from part-time racer to a full slate in the No. 33 Ford for Reaume Brothers Racing. He made two starts for Reaume Brothers this season in the Truck Series. “We’re thrilled to welcome Frankie to our team full-time and to expand our relationship with Ford Performance,” team owner Josh Reaume said in a statement. Muniz is scheduled to compete in the Truck race Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He competed twice this season in NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series. Muniz, 38, said he was confident the team could “achieve great things together.” The actor-turned-race car driver also has competed in the ARCA Series, one of the lower rungs on the NASCAR feeder system. Muniz entered 14 races in 2006 in the Formula BMW USA series, and the following year, he moved up to the Champ Car Atlantic Series. He continued racing until 2009, when a crash left him with injuries that led to him stepping away. —AP