Record Crowds, Strong Rips

MIAMI — Josh Richardson was unable to shoulder the burden last season. Now for the veteran Miami Heat guard, it’s about regaining his footing. After missing the second half of last season following shoulder surgery, the hope was of picking up where he left off nine months ago amid a winter revival during his second Heat tour. But now the pesky heel issue that had Richardson out at the start of the season again had him watching his steps in recent days, including missed practice time this past week. “It’s very frustrating, as a guy who tries to approach it the right way,” Richardson said, with the Heat’s attention turning to Friday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors at Kaseya Center.

By BEN NUCKOLS, Associated Press Sports Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The NCAA’s yearslong efforts to get lawmakers to address myriad problems in college sports could finally pay off in the new, Republican-controlled Congress. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who is set to take over as chair of the powerful Commerce Committee, said recently that a college sports bill will be a top priority, accusing Democrats of dragging their feet on needed reforms.

UCF and Utah are teams on parallel tracks. Both teams failed to meet preseason expectations, falling short of postseason bowl eligibility with identical 4-7 records. Both have dealt with quarterback struggles, relying on a fourth-stringers to lead their teams Friday. And both have coaches facing uncertain futures. After the Knights’ loss to West Virginia, Gus Malzahn was emphatic that he had no plans to retire despite reports speculating on his future. “I’m not retiring,” Malzahn said.

By KANIS LEUNG, Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — A cryptocurrency entrepreneur who bought a piece of conceptual art consisting of a simple banana, duct-taped to a wall, for $6.2 million last week ate the fruit in Hong Kong on Friday. Chinese-born Justin Sun peeled off the duct tape and enjoyed the banana in a press conference held in The Peninsula Hong Kong, one of the city’s priciest hotels, in the popular shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui. “It tastes much better than other bananas.

By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is set to create a National Energy Council that he says will establish American “energy dominance” around the world as he seeks to boost U. S. oil and gas drilling and move away from President Joe Biden’s focus on climate change. The energy council — to be led by North Dakota Gov.

When I think back on what I read this year, on what stuck, and stuck, refusing to unstick, the common denominator was my surprise at my own surprise. A fresh take! A subject I’d assumed I knew! An antidote to heard-it-all-before-ism, that cynicism we develop from having access to every story ever told, every opinion ever voiced and every song ever sung, behind a black mirror in your pocket.