College football’s annual rite of spring seems to be withering.

Texas became the latest major program Thursday to ditch or change it’s annual spring scrimmage that has long been a staple for fans eager to see the rising stars of their program and get a peek into the upcoming season.

Coach Steve Sarkisian announced there would be no Orange & White scrimmage this year, citing the wear and tear of playing 30 games over the last two seasons when Texas twice advanced to the College Football Playoff.

As of Thursday, about half of the 68 Power Four schools had publicly announced dates for spring games. Formats vary, with some schools holding traditional scrimmages and others conducting skills competitions and holding autograph sessions.

MLB

Yankees and manager Boone agree to 2-year extension >> Aaron Boone and the New York Yankees agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2027 season.

Boone is entering his eighth season as manager. The team had exercised his 2025 option in November.

Boone has led the Yankees to a 603-429 record, three AL East titles and one pennant. New York reached the World Series last year for the first time since 2009, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.

NBA

Wembanyama expected to miss remainder of season >> San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama’s season is likely over after he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder, a condition that will sideline one of the league’s brightest stars and is the second massive health-related hit for the Spurs in a matter of months.

Wembanyama is beginning treatment immediately and the Spurs are working under the expectation that the 7-foot-3 center from France will fully recover, said a person with knowledge of the situation.

Wembanyama’s diagnosis comes about 3 1/2 months after Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke and was forced to take a leave from the sideline, with assistant coach Mitch Johnson serving as acting coach ever since. The Spurs have said Popovich’s condition is improving, but there is no timetable for his return to the bench.

Davis out at least 2 more weeks >> Anthony Davis will be sidelined at least two more weeks with the groin injury sustained in his Dallas debut, while the Mavericks said their star forward is making good progress in his recovery.

Davis was dominant in the first half of his only game with the Mavericks against Houston on Feb. 8, but pulled up lame late in the third quarter of Dallas’ 116-105 victory.

Milwaukee’s Portis suspended >> The NBA has suspended Milwaukee forward Bobby Portis Jr. for 25 games without pay because he tested positive for the painkiller Tramadol, a violation of the league’s anti-drug program.

Portis cannot play again until April 8 — the 79th game of Milwaukee’s 82-game regular-season schedule — at the earliest. His suspension starts with the Bucks’ game Thursday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Walton’s family selling items from late player’s career >> The family of Bill Walton is selling items from the late Hall of Fame basketball player’s career covering his days as a prep player in San Diego to starring at UCLA under coach John Wooden and his time in the NBA along with his broadcasting tenure.

Pennsylvania-based Hunt Auctions said Thursday it will hold the event in June. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the orthopedic department at UC San Diego.

Walton died of cancer last year at age 71.

Boxing

Heavyweight title bout in doubt >> Heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois was undergoing a medical evaluation Thursday, raising doubts about whether he can go ahead with his scheduled IBF title bout against Joseph Parker on Saturday.

Dubois was a no-show at a press conference in the Saudi capital, and promoter Frank Warren said it’s because of a medical exam.

The 27-year-old Dubois made his first title defense in September with a brutal fifth-round knockout of Anthony Joshua in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.

Olympics

Staton, US trailblazer at 1952 Games, dies at 92 >> Mabel Staton, the Black track and field standout who broke through racial barriers and became the only woman to compete for the United States in the long jump at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, died Thursday. She was 92.

Staton, who went by the name of Mabel Landry when she attended DePaul in the 1950s, before the school had a women’s track team, was inducted into the university’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2011. Senior associate athletic director Thad Dohrn said Landry’s daughter notified the school of her mother’s death, which came after a long battle with cancer.

Staton was the only American woman to meet the Olympic qualifying standard in the lead up to the Helsinki Games, where she finished seventh.

Tennis

TOP PLAYERS UPSET >> Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz lost for just the second time this year when 25th-ranked Jiri Lehecka beat him 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open.

Alcaraz’s only other defeat in 2025 was to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarterfinals. The 21-year-old Spaniard, ranked No. 3, won the Rotterdam Open earlier this month. ... No. 2-ranked Iga Swiatek lost to a player younger than 18 for the first time on tour when she was stunned by Mirra Andreeva in the Dubai Championships quarterfinals. The 17-year-old Andreeva won 6-3, 6-3 to become the youngest semifinalist in Dubai’s 24-year history.