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ARLINGTON, Texas — Max Scherzer said he feels confident that he has figured out what was causing a nerve issue that has kept him from pitching for a month, and the three-time Cy Young Award winner is now ready to rehab to get back on the mound for the Texas Rangers.

Scherzer said Saturday that a change in mechanics alleviated the irritation of the triceps nerve that was only happening when he was pitching. He came out of a full bullpen session Friday without any pain.

“I feel like I can overcome this, because there’s nothing wrong. … I don’t have an injury here. This was just nerve irritation,” Scherzer said. “I feel like I potentially have solved this, and now I can actually build back up.”

Even with reigning World Series champion Texas already shifting its focus to 2025 — the Rangers went into Saturday night’s game 10 games back in the AL West — the 40-year-old Scherzer said he definitely wants to pitch again this season, and still plans to pitch more after that.

“I’ve got to go out there and prove it,” he said. “And if I do, then, yeah, I definitely want to pitch next year. I said that coming in. I came into this year thinking I was going to pitch next year, so nothing’s changed. Obviously if I fail at this, you know, I’ve got to rethink, but I don’t think I’ll have to rethink. I think I’ve got to go out there and execute this.”

Scherzer is in the final season of his contract. The Rangers acquired him from the New York Mets in a deadline trade last summer after the pitcher agreed to opt in on that final year for this season at $43.3 million — with New York paying $30.83 million.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Scherzer could be ready as soon as Monday to throw to hitters or in a rehab game.

“He’s got a different look about him because he thinks he’s got this cleared up with the arm thing with the mechanical adjustment he made, so that’s what you like to see,” Bochy said.

Scherzer (2-4, 3.89 ERA), still MLB’s active strikeout leader, last pitched July 30, when he exited after 68 pitches and four innings at St. Louis. That was only his eighth start since his season debut June 23 following offseason back surgery and then dealing with a nerve issue in his arm.

He went on the injured list after his last start with shoulder fatigue. An MRI revealed some inflammation, and Scherzer kept having setbacks when he tried to ramp back up to get back on the mound.

“I passed every strength test, yet I still couldn’t throw a ball,” he said. “It was the nerve issue again in the triceps, so that kind of set off another chain of events, go see more doctors, had nerve tests.”

Scherzer said there was no nerve damage, and it was determined that something must be pinching the nerve when he was trying to pitch. That led to the mechanical adjustment he described as minor and similar to others he has made throughout his 17 big league seasons.

“It’s usually because of a performance thing,” he said. “I’ve never had my mechanics really cause an arm injury or cause a nerve irritation, and so that’s what was so perplexing to me.”

In his last home start July 25, two days before this 40th birthday, Scherzer struck out nine in six innings against the Chicago White Sox to pass fellow three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander for 10th on the strikeout list. His 3,405 career strikeouts are three more than Verlander, who is the active leader for wins (260) and games started (561) and the only one ahead of Scherzer’s 216 wins and 456 starts.

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Rich Rod bans Mountaineers from TikTok dancing

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Rich Rod bans Mountaineers from TikTok dancing

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, like all football coaches, wants his players to show up on time, work hard and play their best.

Oh, and another thing: Don’t dance on TikTok.

“They’re going to be on it, so I’m not banning them from it,” he said Monday. “I’m just banning them from dancing on it. It’s like, look, we try to have a hard edge or whatever, and you’re in there in your tights dancing on TikTok, ain’t quite the image of our program that I want.”

Making TikTok dance videos is a popular activity among high school- and college-age users of the social media platform. Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, Boise State star Ashton Jeanty and Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola are among college football players who have posted dance videos.

Rodriguez is beginning his second stint as Mountaineers coach. He said he has talked to his players about the tendency in society to emphasize the individual rather than the team and that banning TikTok dancing is something he can do to put the focus where he thinks it belongs.

“I’m allowed to do that. I can have rules,” he said. “Twenty years from now, if they want to be sitting in their pajamas in the basement eating Cheetos and watching TikTok or whatever the hell, they can go at it, smoking cannabis, whatever. Knock yourself out.”

As for now, he said: “I hope our focus can be on winning football games. How about let’s win the football game and not worry about winning the TikTok?”

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Battle, DB star at USC and former Jet, dies at 78

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Battle, DB star at USC and former Jet, dies at 78

LOS ANGELES — Mike Battle, an All-American defensive back and a member of USC‘s 1967 national championship team who later played two seasons for the New York Jets, has died. He was 78.

He died of natural causes on March 6 in Nellysford, Virginia, the school said Tuesday.

In 1967, Battle led a USC defense that allowed only 87 points all season. The Trojans were 26-6-1 and won three conference titles during his three-year career. Battle played in the 1967, 1968 and 1969 Rose Bowl games, all won by the Trojans.

Battle was USC’s annual punt return leader in each of his three seasons and still owns the school record for most punts returned in a season. He was the NCAA statistical champion in 1967, when he had 49 returns for 608 yards, a 12.4-yard average. He also holds the school mark for most punts returned, with 99 during his three years.

He was chosen in the 12th round of the 1969 NFL draft by the Jets and played for two seasons in 1969 and 1970.

Battle appeared in the 1970 film “C.C. and Company,” a biker film starring Jets teammate Joe Namath and actor Ann-Margret.

He is survived by his wife Laura and children Christian Michael, Hunter, Frank, Michael, Kathleen, Murphy and Annie.

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Stars forward Hintz out a week with facial injury

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Stars forward Hintz out a week with facial injury

Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz will be sidelined for a week with a facial injury but avoided a fracture.

General manager Jim Nill said Tuesday that Hintz has to keep his heart rate down for 5-7 days to avoid pressure or swelling.

Hintz, 28, was struck in the face by a puck midway through the second period in Saturday’s 5-4 loss at Edmonton. He did not return.

Hintz is tied for second on the Stars in goals (25) and is fourth in points (52) through 59 games this season.

He has 362 points (172 goals, 190 assists) in 451 career games in seven NHL seasons. Dallas drafted him in the second round in 2015.

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