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Polish hospitals have struggled over the Easter weekend with a massive number of people infected with COVID-19 following a huge surge in infections across Central and Eastern Europe in recent weeks. Tougher new pandemic restrictions were ordered in Poland for a two-week period surrounding Easter in order to slow down the infection rate. The country recently hit new records of over 35,000 daily infections and deaths are in the hundreds each day. The aim was to prevent large gatherings over the long holiday weekend culminating with Easter Monday. The government is also speeding up the country’s vaccine rollout. One hospital director said the coronavirus crisis has been made worse by those who believe it is all a hoax. 

You didn't see Daishen Nix, Isaiah Todd, Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga at the NCAA Tournament. They chose a different option as they teamed up for Ignite, a new developmental NBA G League squad. It's a different sort of basketball education. It's an option that is becoming more common and is slowly changing the nature of the college game itself. Instead of going one-and-done on some college team, more 18- and 19-year-olds are choosing the G League’s development team or heading overseas. Another option may soon be a new sports league called Overtime Elite which markets itself to high schoolers and guarantees an academic education along with $100,000 salaries.

Shohei Ohtani hit a 451-foot homer and pitched two-hit ball into the fifth inning in a historic two-way performance, and Jared Walsh hit a walkoff homer in the Los Angeles Angels’ 7-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Walsh hit two homers, including a big three-run shot off Matt Foster to end the Angels’ third win over Chicago in their four-game, season-opening series. Ohtani reached another milestone in his unique career when he took the mound and occupied the No. 2 slot in the batting order for the Angels. Ohtani didn’t allow a run through his first four innings.

Republicans in Congress are making the politically brazen bet that it’s more advantageous to oppose President Joe Biden’s ambitious rebuild America agenda than to lend support. They vow to fight the costly $2.3 trillion undertaking for roads, bridges and other infrastructure investments. Much the way Republicans provided no votes for the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, they plan to sit on the sidelines for this next big White House priority. The tension could mount this week. Biden shows no signs adjusting to satisfy Republican leaders, instead appealing directly to their constituents for support.

Shohei Ohtani both hit the hardest homer and threw the hardest pitch by a starter in the majors this season in an extraordinary two-way performance for the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani pitched and hit in the same game for the first time since moving to the majors, and the Japanese star had memorable moments in both of his endeavors against the Chicago White Sox. Ohtani hit 100.6 mph with a fastball in the first inning, and his 451-foot homer on the first pitch he saw as the Angels’ No. 2 hitter went 115 mph off the bat. Those are both tops this season.

The Nationals and Atlanta Braves hadn’t heard by Sunday evening whether Major League Baseball will allow their game while Washington deals with a COVID-19 outbreak that could prevent 11 players from participating. Washington’s season-opening, three-game series against the Mets at Nationals Park was postponed because of coronavirus concerns. Nats general manager Mike Rizzo said none of those 11 — a majority of whom, although not all, were supposed to be on the opening day roster — would be available if the three-game set with Atlanta begins Monday afternoon.

The Nationals will open their season by hosting the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday after dealing with a coronavirus outbreak that involves 11 of Washington's players. Major League Baseball postponed the opener of a three-game series between Washington and Atlanta that was supposed to start Monday at Nationals Park. Washington also had its entire season-opening three-game set against the New York Mets postponed. Four Nationals players have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past week and are isolating. Another seven are under quarantine because contact tracing determined they might have been exposed to the illness. 

Patty Tavatanakit survived Lydia Ko’s final-round charge Sunday to win the ANA Inspiration for her first LPGA Tour victory. Five strokes ahead entering the day and six in front after a chip-in eagle on the par-5 second, Tavatanakit shot a 4-under 68 in 100-degree heat to beat Ko by two strokes in the first major championship of the year. Ko matched Lorena Ochoa’s tournament record with a 62, shooting 7-under 29 on the front nine for the best nine-hole score in event’s 50-year history. A day after matching the tournament 54-hole record of 14 under, Tavatanakit finished a stroke off Dottie Pepper’s 72-hole mark of 19 under set in 1999. The 21-year-old Thai player finished the wire-to-wire victory with a short par putt on 18. 

Aari McDonald’s small shoulders carried Arizona through a rebuilding project to the brink of a national championship. Her last second shot couldn’t carry the Wildcats to the title as they fell 54-53 to Stanford in the final. But the program that has been routinely overlooked and was on the bottom of the Pac-12 just four years ago has served notice there is a new power out West to be reckoned with nationally going forward. 

After nearly four years, Jordan Spieth is a winner again on the PGA Tour. The three-time major champion finally put an end to his slump by winning the Texas Open. He closed with a 6-under 66 for a two-shot victory over Charley Hoffman. Spieth had not won since he captured the British Open in 2017. His slump was so bad that he nearly fell out of the top 100 in the world. But he started to turn it around in the spring, and he capped it off with what he called a monumental victory at the TPC San Antonio.

More than hosting the first major of the year, Augusta National has become a 10-day celebration at the home of the Masters. It started Friday and Saturday with the Augusta National Women's Amateur. The kids took over Sunday morning for the Drive, Chip and Putt national finals. And by late afternoon, the course became the stage for the best in the world. Now it's time for the Masters. Brooks Koepka showed up and plans to play just three weeks after surgery on his right knee. Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas were among those playing.

Now comes the hard part for Gonzaga. Less than 16 hours after walking off the floor with one of the most scintillating wins in the game’s history, the barely-still-undefeated Bulldogs returned to the practice court to get ready for the national championship game. Their opponent, Baylor, is rested, ready and waiting for a challenge. The meeting Monday is one most hoops fans have waited for all year. It's a matchup between two teams who have been on a collision course since the bracket came out. No need for extra motivation here. But how do the Zags move on after that? Jalen Suggs' shot from just inside of halfcourt beat UCLA at the buzzer Saturday night and was still the talk of basketball a day later.

Detroit Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo homered in his first major league at-bat — on the very first pitch he saw. Baddoo led off the bottom of the third inning with a drive to left field off Cleveland’s Aaron Civale. This game was the 22-year-old Baddoo’s first appearance above Class A. Baddoo was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 2016, and the Tigers took him with the third pick of the 2020 Rule 5 draft. He is coming off a terrific spring in which he hit .325 with five home runs in 21 games.

Defending leads used to be a forte of Jose Mourinho but not anymore. His Tottenham team has caved in again by conceding an 85th-minute goal to draw 2-2 at Newcastle and stay outside the top four of the Premier League. Tottenham has dropped 11 points because of goals conceded in the final 10 minutes of games this season which is the most of any Premier League side. If Spurs were better at seeing out victories they could already be preparing for life in next season's Champions League but they are in fifth place. Manchester United beat Brighton 2-1 to consolidate second place and restore the 14-point gap to leader Manchester City. Aston Villa and Southampton also won. 

Alec Bohm hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning, Zach Eflin gave Philadelphia another strong start and the Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the defending NL East champion Atlanta Braves with a 2-1 win Sunday. Philadelphia’s pitching staff was the story of the season-opening series as the starting trio of Aaron Nola,  Zack Wheeler and Eflin surrendered only three runs, 11 hits and one walk in 20 2/3 innings against an Atlanta lineup that led the majors in 2020 with 556 hits. The Phillies bullpen, which posted a 7.06 ERA in 2020, didn’t yield a run in 7 1/3 innings in the set.

Domingo Germán was cheered by Yankees fans in his return from a domestic violence suspension but struggled against the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing three runs over three innings in a 3-1 loss. Germán hadn’t pitched since Sept. 18, 2019 due to an 81-game ban under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy after an alleged incident involving his girlfriend, with whom he has at least one child. The 28-year-old was applauded by fans in right field after he bolted out of the dugout for warmups about 35 minutes before first pitch. He got more cheers after completing a 12-pitch first inning.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has agreed to a four-year contract extension that will be worth at least $134 million and possibly much more with incentives. The move represents the latest step in the Bucks’ heavy investment in their trio of Holiday, two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and two-time All-Star Khris Middleton as they chase their first NBA title since 1971. The 30-year-old Holiday is averaging 17 points, 5.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals this year in his first season with the Bucks. Milwaukee acquired him from New Orleans as part of a four-team trade.

Jon Rahm can play the Masters with a clear head and a happy heart. His wife gave birth to their first child. Kelley Rahm’s due date was the weekend of the Masters, and Rahm had said he would leave at a moment’s notice to be with her during the delivery, even if that meant pulling out at Augusta National. He shared the news of the baby's birth on Instagram. They named their son Kepa Cahill Rahm. He was born early Friday. Rahm is the No. 3 player in the world and considered one of the favorites for a green jacket.

The April 12 NHL trade deadline is unlike any in history. The salary cap will remain flat for at least next season. The 56 games this season give a shorter runway to the playoffs. The seven teams based in Canada face a mandatory weeklong quarantine for any players acquired from the U.S. Almost two-thirds of teams have $1 million or less in cap space. That means things will be tight at the deadline. Some prominent players like Buffalo's Taylor Hall and goaltenders Devan Dubnyk and Jonathan Bernier are still expected to change places.

Their protests are not centered on a controversial war in some far-off jungle but issues of racial and social inequity at home. And their pulpit is not a segregated lunch counter, a hippie festival in upstate New York or Freedom Rides through the South but rather the seemingly boundless power of social media. They are college athletes — football and soccer and basketball players, men and women, from schools big and small. They number in the thousands, of all races and religions, bound together by their hope of a brighter future for everyone. Their voices are being heard louder and clearer than they have in years.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A controversial Iranian TV spy thriller is once again generating buzz in the Islamic Republic, drawing the ire of government officials and complaints from viewers Sunday over alleged censorship in the second season finale.…

Baylor is in the national championship game against Gonzaga on Monday night. The Bears would not have gotten this far without star guards Jared Butler, MaCio Teague and Davion Mitchell. They have done just about everything together the past couple of years. That includes leading the Bears to their first national championship game since the 1940s.

Lawmakers in several states are proposing legislation that would require more training for police in how to interact with someone in a mental crisis following some high-profile deaths. The proposals in places like California, New York and Utah lean heavily on additional training for officers or updating standards. But none of the laws appear to address the root question: whether police should be the ones responding when someone is mentally ill. A 2015 report says people with untreated mental illness are 16 times more likely to be killed during a police encounter than others. A law enforcement expert say training in mental health response hasn't changed for over 25 years and needs updating.