KANSAS CITY, MO (October 31, 2019) –&nbsp;The Kansas City Royals today announced that Mike Matheny has been named the 17th&nbsp;full-time manager in franchise history. He will be formally introduced to the Kansas City media at 1:00 p.m today (Oct 31st) in the Level One Interview Room at Kauffman Stadium. “Our entire organization is delighted to announce and celebrate the hiring of Mike Matheny,” said Dayton Moore, Royals Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager.&nbsp; “Every department has had the pleasure to work and interact with him this past season.&nbsp; Through this interaction, it became very clear to our leadership team that Mike is the obvious person to lead our baseball team.&nbsp; Mike Matheny is a passionate leader with strong virtues, intelligence, and a relentless commitment to help players reach their full potential.&nbsp; We are looking forward to him and Kristin being a part of this very special city. “The strength of the relationship between Mr. Glass and Mr. Sherman allowed our leadership team to move forward in a natural way as we went through this very important process,” Moore continued.&nbsp; “I’m thankful for their support and guidance.”John Sherman, the new owner-in-waiting of the Royals added: “I’ve been well-informed by Dayton and the leadership team about the material activities underway with the Club, and have been impressed with the thoughtful, strategic process Dayton has run to get to this important decision.” Matheny, 49, managed over 1,000 games with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2012-18, his first managerial opportunity. He compiled a .555 winning percentage (591-474, while leading the Cards to a Wild Card berth in his first season (2012, then following up with three straight National League Central titles (2013-15, becoming the first manager to reach the postseason in each of his first four seasons. His clubs posted a winning record each year with St. Louis, including a Major League-best 100 victories in 2015.&nbsp; During his tenure, the Cardinals had the third-highest winning percentage in the Majors, behind only the Dodgers (.573) and Washington (.564). As of today, his 591 wins will open the 2020 season seventh among active managers in the Majors. Matheny led the Cardinals to the World Series in 2013, falling to the Boston Red Sox, while reaching the National League Championship Series in 2012 and 2014, before bowing to the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants both seasons.&nbsp; He managed 43 postseason games with St. Louis, which are third-most in the Major Leagues since 2012, trailing only Houston’s AJ Hinch (50, and the Dodgers’ Dave Roberts (47).&nbsp; Matheny’s 21 postseason victories are fifth most in baseball over the last eight postseasons. He was hired by the Royals as a Special Advisor to Player Development on November 23, 2018, following his tenure as Cardinals’ manager.&nbsp; He served in a similar capacity with St. Louis (2007-11, prior to accepting the managerial position on November 14, 2011. Matheny spent 13 seasons in the Major Leagues as a catcher, playing for Milwaukee (1994-98, Toronto (1999, St, Louis (2000-04) and San Francisco (2005-06). A defensive specialist, Matheny was a four-time&nbsp;Rawlings&nbsp;Gold Glove Award winner, while setting a Major League record with 252 consecutive errorless games and 1,565-straight errorless chances behind the plate, a mark which has since been broken. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Matheny was a 1991 eighth-round selection by the Brewers out of the University of Michigan, after co-captaining the Wolverines’ baseball team.&nbsp; He and his wife, Kristin, have five children: Katie, Tate, Luke, Jacob and Blaise as well as one grandson, Ryker.

BREAKING: Royals introduce new manage Mike Matheny

NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time, Oregon is No. 1 in The Associated Press top 25 women's basketball poll. The Ducks, led by sensational guard Sabrina Ionescu, received 25 of the 28 first-place votes. No. 2 Baylor, the defending national champion, received the other three. Stanford, Maryland and UConn round out the top five. Tennessee's 42-year streak of appearing in the preseason Top 25 is over.LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska heads to Purdue this weekend off losses in three of its last four games. The Cornhuskers have underachieved in a season in which they were a popular pick to win the Big Ten West. They are 4-4 and well behind Minnesota in the division race. Tension is palpable inside and outside the program. Frost has ripped his players inside and outside the locker room. A handful of new players have called out older players. A faction of the fan base is growing impatient.UNDATED (AP) — James Wiseman headlines the nation's top recruiting class at Memphis, but he isn't the only first-year player that figures to make an impact this season. So does Cole Anthony at North Carolina, Vernon Carey Jr. at Duke, Nico Mannion at Arizona, Isaiah Stewart at Washington and Anthony Edwards at Georgia.LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas is no longer the epicenter of high-level amateur hoops under NCAA's new recruiting calendar. Changes in the live recruiting period forced some Las Vegas tournaments to be played without college coaches in attendance. The one big Las Vegas tournament held during the live recruiting period in early July, the Las Vegas Classic, was lightly attended by college coaches because it was held at same time as the shoe company finals played on the other side of the country.PHOENIX (AP) — NCAA's new recruiting calendar aimed at eliminating some of the shady elements of recruiting. Live recruiting periods were split up into high school tournaments, NCAA-run camps and AAU tournaments. Despite some successes, the new calendar seems to be a work in progress. <figcaption id="caption-https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/10/1572524029462.jpeg" contenteditable="false" class="text-center text-sm italic text-gray-600 -mt-4 pb-4"></figcaption>

Sports