Michael Block walked out after signing his scorecard at Colonial on Friday afternoon with his cap turned backward, his shirt untucked and still with a smile on his face after a grueling 36 holes and being at the bottom of the 120-player field.

A week after the club pro from California became a sensation for everyday golfers by finishing tied for 15th in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill, Block was looking forward to finally getting home and playing with his black Labrador in the backyard.

Only then, he said, would he be able to fully exhale and reflect on how much his life has changed in the past week.

"I'm not trying to do anything, period. I'm just playing golf," the 46-year-old Block said. "That's what I know to do."

After a week of intense attention with countless media interviews, thousands of texts and messages that included one from Michael Jordan, and a late sponsor's exemption to play in the Charles Schwab Challenge, the exhausted Block never got his game going at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

"I have no legs," Block said Friday.

He said he still felt good with his irons, short game and putter, but Block hit only 11 of 28 fairways over two rounds.

"Even when I hit it good, it would land over the bunker and then bounce back in the left of the bunker when it shouldn't," Block said. "I think I felt the wrath of the golf gods this week, which I get it. I completely get it, and I don't blame them for it because they gave me a lot of positive things last week.

"I got it. I'm not even surprised by it. I'm not surprised at all by my kicks and whatever else happened, my lies. It is what it is, and I'm moving on."

His 4-over 74 on Friday was seven strokes better than his opening 81 that began with three consecutive bogeys, included a par after an approach off a cart bridge and ended with three double-bogeys the last four holes.

There were consecutive birdies in the second round, a 19-foot putt at No. 18 before making his turn with a 4-footer at the par-5 first. But there were also two more double-bogeys, though Block doffed his cap to a receptive crowd and more shouts of "Block Party!" after walking onto the No. 9 green to finish his final hole.

Block had a flight scheduled Friday evening to go home to California, seven days after originally planning to return from the PGA Championship in New York.

"I'm not going to let it all out until I get probably in the -- when I get to my house and I'm sitting in the backyard -- no, I can't talk about this stuff right now," Block said. "My black lab, Messy, he's waiting for me. I haven't seen him in almost two weeks, and I can't wait to get home and throw the ball with him."

Block, the head professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, was a virtual unknown when he arrived at the PGA Championship just more than a week ago. Over the span of four days, however, he captivated the golfing world with his performance.

Even Block did not have such high expectations. He had booked a 10 a.m. ET flight for last Saturday morning. Instead, he was playing in the third round of the year's second major.

"So, to say the least, for me to finish 15th and make the cut and be there on Sunday and for whatever happened is insane because we were all going home Saturday morning, and that didn't happen obviously," Block said. "Life changed a little bit since then, and I've enjoyed every single moment."

From the moment he showed up at Colonial, Block shook hands and greeted volunteers, jumped into selfies and signed autographs for fans young and old. More than two hours after his final putt Friday, he was still near the clubhouse mingling with fans.

"I thought I was just going to hit a chord with like 40-year-olds -- with the dad bods, which I think I did," Block said. "But I think I hit a chord with all the other ones too, which is really, really cool. I met a lot of young people and old people and middle-aged people and whatever else. It's my appreciation to them all. I just want to say thank you."

Block will get another chance on the PGA Tour. He has a sponsor's exemption to play at the RBC Canadian Open in two weeks.

"I can't wait for Canada," he said. "I cannot wait to get to Toronto."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

New quarterback Derek Carr had a familiar helping hand this past week -- former Raiders coach Jon Gruden -- as the New Orleans Saints installed their offense during offseason workouts.

The Saints brought in Gruden to help Carr and the offensive coaching staff under coach Dennis Allen, NOLA.com reported Friday.

A second-round draft pick by the Raiders in 2014, Carr spent his career in the silver and black until his release after the 2022 season. He signed a four-year, $150 million contract with the Saints in March.

With the Raiders, Carr ran the West Coast offense installed by Gruden during the latter's tenure as coach from 2018 through the first five games of the 2021 season. The offense is similar to the one the Saints employ.

The Saints' version of the West Coast offense is an offshoot of the one former coach Sean Payton used during his 15 seasons as head coach in New Orleans. And it had its roots with Gruden -- Payton and Gruden coached together in 1997 with the Philadelphia Eagles, where Gruden was the offensive coordinator and Payton the quarterbacks coach.

"It's a new system, new words, [but] a lot of similarities to things that I grew up on and believe in," Carr told NOLA.com. "It's still a learning curve, but not as big of a curve as it could be in a different system or a different offense."

The Saints signed Carr because of his familiarity with the scheme.

"He's a great fit for us," Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael told NOLA.com of Carr. "We'll cater to things that he likes as long as it fits with our personnel. The majority of what we've done [in New Orleans], he's had some of that over his career. There's a lot of similarities."

To continue the migration from Las Vegas, the Saints also signed two former Raiders in free agency -- wide receiver Bryan Edwards and tight end Foster Moreau.

NOLA.com and Reuters contributed to this report.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals released wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on Friday, the team announced.

Hopkins' future with the Cardinals had been in question since the end of the 2022 season because of his team-high $30.75 million cap hit, which ranked tops among wide receivers in the NFL and seventh highest overall.

By releasing Hopkins now, the Cardinals will save $8.15 million in cap space in 2023, but are set to take a dead cap hit of $22.6 million. Hopkins had been under contract through the 2024 season.

Hopkins, 30, had been at the center of trade speculation for months, but the Cardinals didn't deal the wide receiver during April's NFL draft. General manager Monti Ossenfort said at the time: "DeAndre's a Cardinal, and we're moving forward."

The Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots had been among the teams reportedly interested in pursuing Hopkins.

Hopkins skipped the Cardinals' voluntary organized team activities this month, saying on the "I Am Athlete" podcast with Brandon Marshall that he was instead in Toronto to work out.

In his three seasons in Arizona, Hopkins had 2,696 yards and 17 touchdowns on 221 receptions, including 64 catches for a team-leading 717 yards and three TDs last year. Hopkins missed the first six games of the 2022 season after being suspended for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Without Hopkins, the Cardinals' wide receiver corps will be led by Marquise Brown (67 catches for 709 yards in 2022), Greg Dortch (52 catches, 467 yards) and Rondale Moore (41 catches, 414 yards).

Hopkins was traded to the Cardinals in March 2020 from the Houston Texans along with a fourth-round pick for running back David Johnson, a second-round pick that year and a fourth-round pick in 2021.

The NBA's Fitness to Play panel has cleared Kansas State guard/forward Keyontae Johnson, allowing for him to be selected in the June NBA draft, his agents Mark Bartelstein and Ross Aroyo of Priority Sports told ESPN on Friday.

NBA teams were informed of Johnson's clearance in a memo shared from the league office on Friday afternoon. Johnson, considered a potential late first-round pick, will now be eligible to start traveling and working out for prospective teams, Bartelstein said.

Johnson had conducted interviews with teams at the NBA draft combine in Chicago last week.

As a member of the Florida Gators, Johnson, 23, collapsed on the court against Florida State in December 2020 and spent three days in a medically induced coma. He was diagnosed with a heart condition, but he eventually was cleared to play again and landed at Kansas State, where he was voted the 2023 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

Fifteen months after collapsing, Johnson made one last ceremonious appearance for the Gators in March 2022 before entering the transfer portal and getting medical clearance to play at Kansas State this past season.

Johnson averaged 17.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists on a team that advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.

Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone recently auctioned off 24 pieces of memorabilia from the 1992 Summer Olympics USA Basketball "Dream Team" -- game-used jerseys and sneakers from all 12 members -- to the tune of $5 million.

The bulk of those earnings from the auction with collectibles marketplace Goldin, unsurprisingly, came via Michael Jordan's No. 9 white jersey -- worn during the 127-76 dismantling of Lithuania in the semifinals. It sold for $3,003,000 -- a record for any game-used Olympics Jordan item. Jordan's game-worn sneakers from the 1992 Tournament of the Americas -- the pre-Olympics event where the Dream Team debuted -- sold for $420,000.

Larry Bird's jersey, also from the semifinal against Lithuania, sold for $360,000, while a pair of Bird game-used sneakers sold for $91,200 -- records for a Bird jersey and sneakers. In a 2023 addendum to "Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals," Magic Johnson wasn't far behind, as his semifinal jersey sold for $336,000 -- a record for a game-used Olympics Magic item.

They weren't the only Dream Team members whose semifinal jerseys hit six figures: Charles Barkley ($230,400) and David Robinson ($116,400) also eclipsed that threshold and set all-time records for their jerseys. Clyde Drexler's semifinal jersey -- which includes the inscription, "I enjoyed being your teammate!" -- fetched $92,200 but set a record for any game-used Drexler jersey.

Malone had displayed the collection for years at one of his car dealerships in Utah. He invited Goldin's executive chairman and founder Ken Goldin out when he decided to sell, a scene captured on Netflix's "King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch."

"It was truly remarkable to have been able to work with Karl Malone himself to offer this iconic collection to fans everywhere," Goldin said. "Now a lucky few own a piece of revolutionary sports history from some of the greatest players of all time."

The Denver Nuggets returned to practice on Friday as they continue to wait to see whom they will face in the NBA Finals.

The Nuggets have not played since sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals on Monday, meaning they will have nine off-days heading into Game 1 of the NBA Finals, which are scheduled for June 1 no matter when the Eastern Conference finals are decided between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat.

"It's impossible to keep your rhythm if you're not playing games," Denver head coach Michael Malone said Friday after practice. "You can do whatever you want in practice, but there's no way you can replicate playing an NBA playoff game."

The Nuggets were off on Tuesday. Some players came in for an optional workout day on Wednesday and did conditioning on Thursday before participating in practice on Friday. They are scheduled to practice on Saturday.

"For us, my biggest concern is the rhythm but more importantly conditioning," Malone said. "You're playing every other day for so long, and now all of a sudden you have an eight-, nine-, 10-day break, whatever it is. I wanted to make sure we got up and down, conditioned."

Despite not knowing their Finals opponent, the Nuggets are sharpening things more mentally than physically to stay on top of their game.

"Just our awareness, especially we need to lock in on practices for just the detail stuff," point guard Jamal Murray said of what the Nuggets are trying to work on during this break. "Let's be on time, let's not have any turnovers, that we're doing scripts, just kind of the simple things so we're not getting sloppy just because we are where we are. I think it's more of those mental awareness days. We know our bodies are going to be right by that time June 1, so just making sure our mental is staying sharp and locked in throughout these days."

Murray said the Nuggets are using this break to rest up and get healthier, to nurse any lingering injuries in order to be ready to go for Game 1 next week. But they want to maintain urgency as well after playing some of their best basketball against the Lakers.

"We take the rest," Murray said. "But you don't want to pick up bad habits throughout this week. Staying sharp, whatever it is. If we've got to flip the switch and lock in for a drill or two, let me do that. Just be able to stay locked in.

"We don't want to get relaxed. I think that's the biggest thing. We don't want to relax and just wait. We want to stay sharp."

Back in February, D'Angelo Russell spoke to reporters about a fresh start on the Los Angeles Lakers, nearly six years after last suiting up for the purple and gold. He exuded confidence about the player he had become since starting with the Lakers after being selected as the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NBA draft as a teenager.

As he reflected on his memories of teaming up with Kobe Bryant, pivoted from his experience with the Minnesota Timberwolves and looked ahead to playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Russell said something meant to be boastful that can be interpreted much differently now that the Lakers season is over.

"I know I'm dangerous on the floor," Russell said Feb. 10 at the Lakers' practice facility.

Three months later, Russell's production tanked when L.A. needed him most on the floor in the Western Conference finals.

He averaged just 6.3 points on 32% from the field (13.3% from 3) and 3.5 assists in the four-game sweep to the Denver Nuggets.

In the third quarter of Game 3, with the Lakers back home and facing an 0-2 deficit, he shot 0-for-4 with two turnovers -- one because of an off-target crosscourt pass he threw that was intercepted by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. It ignited a fast break for Denver, prompting Lakers coach Darvin Ham to call timeout and sub Russell out.

He lost his starting spot in Game 4 -- the only game he came off the bench in the 34 games (regular season, play-in and playoffs) he played for L.A. after the three-team trade to acquire him -- and had his minutes cut to 15 in the loss.

"It was tough to agree with it, obviously," Russell said of the benching. "But in the short period of time, [it was important] to not become a distraction to your teammates and to everybody else that's preparing just like you to get the one goal done, which is win. I knew that was where you have to be professional."

To judge Russell's impact on the Lakers off those four games against the Nuggets would be shortsighted. The four games he had in Games 1 and 6 in both the Memphis and Golden State series -- 22 points on 51.5% shooting and 4.5 assists in four wins -- were major contributions in getting L.A. to the conference finals.

Russell is eligible to sign a two-year, $67.5 million extension by June 30, which the Lakers will not pursue at the max number, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN.

And the market could be flat for the 27-year-old Russell, as the teams with that type of cap space this summer -- Houston, San Antonio, Utah, Orlando, Oklahoma City, Detroit and Indiana -- are either still in rebuild mode or already filled at the position.

Beyond James' retirement decision -- which could be a nonissue, with a source close to James telling ESPN on Thursday that he believes the Lakers star will indeed be back for season No. 21 and fulfill his contract -- the biggest question facing the Lakers this offseason is figuring out what to do at point guard.

After L.A. spent 1½ seasons reeling from its 2021 trade to acquire Russell Westbrook, the need to get the position right should be fresh on the minds of the front office.

Here are the three directions the Lakers can take this summer to address their point guard situation, while rounding out the roster to try to compete, once again, for a championship next season:

1. Run it back

"I would say this resoundingly clear: Our intentions are to keep our core of young guys together," Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said Tuesday before exit interviews.

This would include making an extension offer to Russell -- perhaps in the $18 million to $23 million annual compensation range depending on the contract length -- picking up the team option on Jarred Vanderbilt ($4.6 million) and re-signing restricted free agents Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura (for both, L.A. can match any outside offers that might come to retain them).

The Lakers' 18-8 record in the regular season after the trade deadline would be an argument to stay the course and consider the Denver series -- against a team with far more continuity and familiarity from the last several years -- part of the growth process.

"I think that team, there's not really a lot of holes in their system," Russell said of the Nuggets. "It also shows the league what a year of chemistry can do for an organization and for a team and coaching staff."

This would also allow L.A. to see how the group looks to start next season and figure out if it recaptures the magic it had to finish out 2022-23, and then have a larger sample size to make decisions off of.

2. Shake it up

L.A. could decide to let Russell walk as a free agent and replace him via trade. The Lakers have an option on Malik Beasley ($16.5 million), and Mo Bamba's $10.3 million for next season becomes guaranteed if the Lakers don't waive him by June 29. Their deals, combined with Vanderbilt's contract and some assortment of the Lakers' upcoming draft picks -- they have Nos. 17 and 47 this year, and either their 2029 or 2030 first-rounders should hold a lot of value for their post-LeBron era potential -- can make them players on the market.

Could that be enough to have Dallas cut bait on the Kyrie Irving-Luka Doncic experiment and try to restock some of the depth it gave up to acquire Irving in the first place? Would Toronto accommodate a sign-and-trade with Fred VanVleet if he doesn't pick up his $22.8 million player option for next season rather than seeing him potentially leave for nothing as an unrestricted free agent? While not a prototypical point guard, could the Lakers target a trade for Atlanta's Dejounte Murray for his defensive prowess -- hoping his addition could get the team out in transition more often where a traditional point guard with half-court sets sensibilities is less needed?

3. Split the difference

There's also the option to still prioritize re-signing Reaves and Hachimura, pick up the other contract options on the table and free up the full non-taxpayer midlevel exception (worth $12.2 million) to try to keep Dennis Schroder -- who outperformed his veteran minimum contract this past season.

Or perhaps they would even be able to give Schroder the bulk of the MLE and save some of it to give a role player such as Troy Brown Jr. or Wenyen Gabriel -- two reserves who kept L.A. moving in the right direction despite the team's rocky start -- a raise beyond another minimum deal.

It's one giant puzzle the Lakers will try to figure out between now and the June 22 draft when teams look to make deals leading up to the start of free agency June 30.

The franchise has momentum for the time being, but how it manages decisions over the next six weeks could very well determine if that momentum carries over into training camp in the fall.

BALTIMORE -- Texas Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom threw 31 pitches during a bullpen session Friday, mixing his pitches without showing any apparent sign of pain.

The injured pitcher threw in front of Texas manager Bruce Bochy and others before the Rangers faced the Baltimore Orioles.

The big questions now are: How will the 34-year-old pitcher feel in the aftermath of his latest throwing session? And when will he return from the injured list, where he has languished with right elbow inflammation for nearly a month?

"He felt fine," Bochy said. "Now it's just wait and see how he recovers from that."

DeGrom has been on the 15-day injured list since April 29. That was a day after he departed early for the second time in his past three starts, and an MRI showed some inflammation.

DeGrom threw 32 pitches Monday, all of them fastballs, during a bullpen session in Pittsburgh. For an encore Friday, he went for more variety.

"He spun the ball, slider more so than the curveball, threw some changeups. Used his whole arsenal," Bochy said. "Looked pretty good."

Texas won all six games started by deGrom (2-0) before the injury. But he has thrown only 30⅓ innings for the Rangers since they signed the former New York Mets star to a $185 million, five-year contract as a free agent in December.

There's really no telling when deGrom will return to the starting rotation.

"After today, we'll have a map outlined for him, his next step," Bochy said. "It's just hard to say at this point because you're adjusting on the fly a little bit now."

That could be another bullpen session with an increased workload, but for now Bochy is seeing progress.

"To me, it's encouraging. He was letting it go and looked like he felt pretty good," the manager said.

The right-hander started at least 30 games for the Mets from 2017 to 2019, but he totaled only 26 starts in his final two seasons in New York. He was shut down with an elbow injury in July 2021, and last year he didn't pitch until August after enduring a stress reaction on his right scapula.

DENVER -- Colorado Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner is slowly recovering from a concussion and fractured skull. He doesn't know if he can pitch again this year, but he hasn't ruled it out.

Feltner spoke publicly for the first time Friday since getting hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Philadelphia's Nick Castellanos on May 13. Feltner spent a night in the hospital and has lingering concussion symptoms, as well as right ear pain.

"A lot of fractures symptoms, just a headache from the concussion, dizziness, but today there's no pain," he said while sitting in the home dugout at Coors Field. "I'm sleeping well, and day-to day stuff has become a lot easier. So the feel is that I'm in a really good spot compared to where it could be."

Feltner was injured when Castellanos lined an 92.7 mph slider up the middle. Feltner turned away, the ball hit him in the back right portion of his head and he immediately collapsed on the mound.

"I didn't really lose consciousness or anything. Everybody got out there pretty quick to check on me, so just kind of getting my bearings," he said. "I was just glad I was able to walk off. I knew right away what was going on."

Castellanos was visibly shaken as he crouched at first base and expressed remorse after the game. Feltner said he received a letter and a small gift from Castellanos.

"I felt bad for him because I saw how upset he was, but it's part of the game," Feltner said.

Feltner started balancing exercises Thursday and faces a long road to recovery. He can't sit in the dugout for games, he can read and watch TV in short spurts and he said he is most comfortable outside, where he can focus on things at a distance.

"There isn't a set program like a Tommy John program," Rockies assistant athletic trainer Scott Murayama said. "It's take steps to make sure that these symptoms resolve make sure the fracture heals, and then slowly starting back into activities.

"His balance has actually has been very good, but with the concussion and ear injury he can have balance issues. So it's retraining the body to be aware of where its at."

The 26-year-old Feltner is in his third season with Colorado and second year as part of the rotation. He is 2/3 with a 5.86 ERA in eight starts, and hopes he can return this year.

"I don't want to rule it out. The desire on my end is there. I'm putting my trust in the team, the professionals that know more than I do about the issues. We're in this process together, but I will pitch again at some point, I don't know if will be this year."

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was set to start Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays after being activated from the bereavement list Friday.

Kershaw (6-4) went on the list Monday following the death of his mother, Marianne Tombaugh. He took the loss Sunday at St. Louis, allowing four runs over 3⅔ innings.

"I talked to Clayton a little bit today," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "He certainly feels much better than he did the last couple starts. There is some kind of overall body fatigue, the ball wasn't coming out well, so he's in a considerably better spot going into tomorrow."

Also, Julio Urías, the Los Angeles left-hander who left his start May 18 after three innings because of a strained left hamstring, was scheduled to throw off a mound Saturday.

"Everything I've heard, he's trending in the right direction," Roberts said. "He's going to throw a bullpen tomorrow, and so after that then we'll see where we go from there."

In other moves, the Dodgers optioned right-hander Tayler Scott to Triple-A Oklahoma City, claimed righty Zack Burdi on waivers from Tampa Bay, and moved right-hander Tyler Cyr (right shoulder impingement) from the 15- to 60-day injured list.

Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow was set to make his regular-season debut Saturday. Sidelined since spring training by a strained left oblique, he made four minor league starts.