By the next day, the New York Daily News was well on its way to being a nonunion newspaper. Its owner, the Chicago-based Tribune Co., had achieved its apparent aim. Nine of 10 unions, including the one representing reporters, went on strike, nearly 2,500 workers in all. With no contract since March, their protections seemed gone. Every union employee refusing to cross the picket line and report to work was fired (though some could be hired back)....

The Cowboys and the 26-year-old failed to agree a multi-year extension before Wednesday deadline, meaning Prescott will play the upcoming season on a franchise tag worth $31.4 million. When the Cowboys franchise-tagged their quarterback in March, there appeared to be plenty of room for a long-term deal to be agreed upon. However, by the time Prescott signed the franchise tender last month, momentum had significantly stalled and the two parties will find themselves in exactly the same scenario next offseason....

The only one not surprised by the 4th-round pick out of Mississippi State leading America’s Team to the best record in the NFL is Prescott himself. He feels everything in his short NFL career was “supposed to happen.” That’s the most intriguing tidbit from Prescott’s exclusive interview with NBC’s Sports’ “Football Night in Minnesota” pregame show that will air before tonight’s Cowboys (10-1) vs. Vikings (6-5) Thursday Night Football telecast (7:30 p....

Earnhardt's radio exchange with his crew demonstrated his joy and highlights the best in-car audio from the Daytona 500. Earnhardt, quite simply, could not believe he had won NASCAR's biggest race for the second time and expressed his appreciation to crew chief Steve Letarte and his Hendrick Motorsports crew. MORE: Confident Earnhardt on top of his game | France thrilled with Earnhardt win | Junior and his dad PHOTOS: Daytona 500 | Earnhardt celebrates

Royals manager Ned Yost has known Earnhardt since Earnhardt was 8 years old. Yost and Earnhardt’s father met on a hunting trip in the 1980s, and remained close friends. Yost’s uniform No. 3 is no coincidence — it’s to honor the seven-time Cup champion who died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. MORE: Dale Jr.’s ‘Knight Rider’ reboot | Earnhardt among drivers who need championship | Kansas picks...

Named after famed short-track drivers Billy and Bobby Myers, the award has been given out annually since 1958 and is presented by the National Motorsports Press Association. Earnhardt was handed the award Thursday at the NASCAR awards luncheon at the Encore in Las Vegas. Earnhardt won the award for co-owning a race team (JR Motorsports) that competes and grooms future Sprint Cup mechanics and drivers, not just in what is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series but also gives young racers and mechanics a shot on late model cars that compete at area short tracks....

One pair went to a fan that was there apparently just for the re-sale value, which ticked off Lillard on Twitter. MORE: Damian Lillard responds to Twitter troll | LaMarcus Aldridge re-aggravates hand injury Shawn Dinneen went out and got his signed pair – one of just 21 during a 30 minute visit by Lillard – and then immediately took them to a Portland sneakerhead Facebook page for re-sale....

But at the same time, he hasn’t decided his preferred path for the 2021-22 NBA season either. Lillard spoke about his status on Friday afternoon after a USA Basketball practice. He denied the trade rumors that had swirled around social media all day but also said that he hadn’t made a “firm decision” on his future. “I woke up to those reports and a lot of people reaching out to me....

At the weekend a public increasingly skeptical of the administration’s competence in international affairs saw Clinton play the role to which his temperament and history are least suited: that of commander in chief. Once more, American troops were being sent to nudge along a supposed “transition” to democracy of a Third World country that had never known democracy’s blessings. This time, it was six warships sent to enforce a blockade off Haiti, a rifle company to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and 39 marines to augment the defense of the American Embassy in Port-au-Prince....

Less than a week after the veteran defenseman officially parted ways with the rebuilding Sharks and agreed to a two-year, $9 million deal with a full no-movement clause with the Rangers, he discussed his decision to come to New York. During the 15-minute chat, the soon-to-be, 38-year-old Boyle provided a series of tasty bites. On wanting to play for the Rangers: “Once I found out I was done in San Jose, that’s the team that kind of jumped out....

Posting on social media on Thursday night, Crenshaw accused Wood of wanting “donations for his legal fees” and for Republicans to self-destruct as the party seeks to hold onto its Georgia Senate seats and overall majority in the upper chamber. The GOP lawmaker hit out at Wood after the lawyer told a “stop the steal” rally in Georgia that Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue had not earned their votes, before urging them to boycott the crucial Senate races slated for January 5....

In a video shared on Twitter by Alex Stein, Stein can be heard yelling “eye patch McCain” at the lawmaker and calling him a “globalist RINO.” Others can be seen following and yelling at Crenshaw as he walks through a hall at the convention. Last month, Fox News host Tucker Carlson called Crenshaw “eye patch McCain” while he was criticizing the congressman over his support of funding for Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing invasion....

Two sources told Sporting News that Dan Hawkins has agreed to become the new offensive coordinator at Florida International University. MORE: Figuring out the CFP picture ahead of Rivalry Week Hawkins will be working under Butch Davis, who also left an ESPN announcing role last week to become FIU’s new head coach. Hawkins, 56, previously served as head coach at Boise State (2001 to 2005) and Colorado (2006 to 2010)....

Last week, Sporting News talked to Patrick about all that — and, unavoidably, his relationship with ESPN, specifically the process that led to him showing up on Scott Van Pelt’s first “SportsCenter” earlier in September. MORE: How ESPN stars fared after jumping ship | What Bill Simmons should do at HBO SN: Does this give me a leg up on the “Sports Jeopardy” application process? Can I just bypass the line whenever you guys set up Season 3?...

Former World #1 Ole Schemion (GPI#2) added some much needed points, but it’s not enough to take the top ranking. Incredibly, Schemion trails Smith by less than a single point in the rankings it was is the smallest margin ever seen. MORE: Smith Back on Top of GPI World Rankings | Paul Pierce, Richard Seymour Playing WSOP Main Event | WSOP November Nine Set GLOBAL POKER INDEX WORLD POKER RANKINGS TOP 10 (July 23, 2014)...

Two weeks ago, an SUV barreled through the crowds that were gathered for the Waukesha Christmas Parade, killing four of the Dancing Grannies’ members: Tamara Durand, 52, Virginia “Ginny” Sorenson, 79, Wilhelm Hospel, 81, and Leanna “Lee” Owen, 71. The Dancing Grannies marched at the Franklin Christmas parade on Saturday to honor those who passed. They did not perform; rather, “they walked arm-in-arm, waving at the cheering crowds along the parade route and wishing them a merry Christmas,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported....

Predictably, such speculation did not sit well with Beijing. If the dam were attacked, warned Chinese Lt. Gen. Liu Yuan in the state-run China Youth Daily, Beijing’s retaliation would “blot out the sky.” Liu, who is the son of the late Chinese president Liu Shaoqi, slapped down the Pentagon’s suggestion that such a threat could ever stop a war over Taiwan. “It will have the exact opposite of the desired effect,” said Liu, who for good measure described the United States as “a prostitute pretending to be a gentleman....

Massimiliano Allegri’s men beat Dinamo Zagreb 4-0 on Tuesday to make it four points from two games in Group H after their scoreless draw with Sevilla on matchday one. A double header against Lyon awaits now and Alves is confident they can see off the French side on their way to the knockout stages. Is Cahill finished at Chelsea? “Juventus are an excellent side and are capable of taking on anyone in Europe,” Alves told Sky Sport....

That’s about the only thing she won’t have to worry about as she tries to put a disappointing 2013 season behind her and look forward to her second Sprint Cup campaign. Patrick finished 27th in the standings with just one top-10 finish — her historic eighth-place run in the Daytona 500 (the best-ever for a female driver in that event), a race where she became the first woman to start a Cup race from the pole....