South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been released from prison nearly a year after he was jailed for killing his girlfriend in 2013.

He will spend the remainder of his five-year sentence under house arrest.

NPR’s Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports for the Newscast unit:

“Oscar Pistorius’s release on parole a day earlier than expected, under cover of darkness, means he’s now under what South Africa calls correctional supervision – at his uncle’s house in Pretoria, South Africa.

“Pistorius was convicted of the culpable homicide of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who he shot through a locked bathroom door on Valentine’s day in 2013. The athlete, who sprints on prosthetic legs, says he mistook her for an intruder. Prosecutors are seeking to have the manslaughter conviction converted to murder, which would carry a lengthy sentence and see Pistorius return to prison. South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal is due to hear the case in two weeks.”

As we previously reported, “Pistorius said he fired his gun because he wrongly believed a burglar had broken into their Pretoria home.” Prosecutors, however, maintain he shot Steenkamp during an argument.

A lawyer for the Steenkamps told South African media that Pistorius’ release does not affect their lives.

“Reeva is still not coming back. Whether Mr. Pistorius remains incarcerated or whether he is released, Reeva isn’t coming back so it doesn’t make a difference to them,” Koen said.

Pistorius, nicknamed “blade runner” for the carbon fiber prostheses that he uses during competition, attained global fame during the 2012 London Summer Olympics when he competed against able-bodied athletes and even qualified for the semifinal in the 400-meter race.

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Nevada regulators have ordered daily fantasy sports sites like FanDuel and DraftKings to shut down, saying the businesses can’t operate in the state without a gambling license.

The sites, which claim they operate under a chance-based wagering model — not skill-based — and therefore should not be subject to gambling regulations, have soared in popularity over the last year, the Associated Press reports. But recently, increased scrutiny by regulators have dampened some of the excitement surrounding the sites.

In fact, Nevada’s order comes just one day after it was reported that federal authorities had begun questioning the practices of daily fantasy sites, according to The New York Times.

The FBI reportedly asked daily fantasy sports players whether the sites accepted bets from states where the practice is prohibited and if daily fantasy site employees benefited improperly from insider knowledge.

The questioning began shortly after a DraftKings employee accidentally released data showing which NFL players were started in the most fantasy lineups — before some games had started.

As we reported at the time, that same employee won $350,000 in a contest on rival site FanDuel, which prompted New York state to open an investigation.

The incident also spurred DraftKings and FanDuel to issue a joint statement saying that they valued “the integrity of the games” and were temporarily barring their employees from participating in either site’s contest.

It remains to be seen if the growing backlash against the sites will interrupt their meteoric rise. As Sports Business Daily reported, investors and participants alike quickly embraced the daily fantasy sports model.

“In 2014, 1.5 million Americans paid more than $1 billion in tournament entry fees and FanDuel grew 300 percent in active customers. Yahoo announced on July 8 that it will join the fray. KKR,Comcast/NBC and others have invested in FanDuel, whose valuation now exceeds $1 billion. DraftKings’ exclusive advertising deal with Disney reportedly guarantees $250 million in advertising on ESPN. With sponsorships in every U.S. major league, DFS advertising will soon exceed the levels of online poker sites PokerStars and FullTilt during the pre-2011 poker boom.”

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Joe Maddon posed for a selfie on the field with his wife. Jon Lester sprayed champagne with his young son. Rocker Eddie Vedder partied on the mound.

For the Chicago Cubs and their ever-hopeful fans, this bash was a long time in the making.

Kyle Schwarber, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez homered and the fresh Cubs clinched a postseason series at Wrigley Field for the first time ever, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 Tuesday to win the NL Division Series in four games.

“This is all just baseball fantasy, right?” a drenched chairman Tom Ricketts said.

Only once since they last brought home the World Series in 1908 had the Cubs won a playoff series and never before had they finished off the job at their century-plus-old ballpark.

But with a raucous, towel-waving crowd jamming the Friendly Confines, the North Siders gave generations of fans exactly what they wanted. And as they gathered in the pulsating neighborhood, the lit-up marquee at Wrigley Field said it all: Cubs Win.

“I can only imagine what the next thing is going to look like,” said Lester, the lefty who twice won the World Series with Boston. “And the next thing after that.”

The crowd started roaring before the first pitch. And when closer Hector Rondon struck out Stephen Piscotty on a ball in the dirt and catcher Miguel Montero made the tag to end it, the Cubs came streaming out of the dugout.

“They deserve it,” Rizzo said in the middle of the party. “Hopefully, this is just a taste of what’s to come.”

Up-and-comers all season under their first-year manager, Maddon’s bunch of wild-card Cubs had arrived.

As the music blared and the strobe lights flashed in the clubhouse, Cubs players and coaches soaked each other. Then they took the celebration back onto the field as fans went crazy — Vedder, from the local area, pitched right in.

The Cubs will face the winner of the Los Angeles Dodgers-New York Mets matchup. The Mets took a 2-1 lead into Game 4 Tuesday night.

Chicago will play Game 1 Saturday on the road.

No team was hotter down the stretch than Chicago, which finished third in the majors with 97 wins after five straight losing seasons.

The Cubs knocked out the two teams that finished ahead of them in the NL Central, beating Pittsburgh in the wild-card game and sending St. Louis home after it led the majors with 100 wins.

“I think we’re too young to even realize what we just did,” young slugger Kris Bryant said. “It truly is a special time right now.”

The banged-up Cardinals had reached the NLCS in the last four years.

“It was just unfortunate,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “This is a team that was as impressive to watch from Day One as any team I’ve ever been around.”

“That’s always hard to walk away from. We had an opportunity maybe to get back home and do things differently, but they took advantage of the opportunities they had,” he said.

Rizzo’s solo drive to right off losing pitcher Kevin Siegrist in the sixth put Chicago back on top 5-4 after St. Louis scored two in the top half.

As if the fans were already hollering at the top of their lungs after that home run, they were really screaming after Schwarber’s monstrous shot leading off the seventh. The ball landed on top of the right-field videoboard and wound up nestled against a railing on the front edge.

The late drives by Rizzo and Schwarber along with Baez’s three-run homer off John Lackey in the second came after Chicago set a postseason record with six long balls in Monday’s win.

And with the ball flying out again, the Cubs won for the 12th time in 13 games.

Cubs starter Jason Hammel allowed two runs and three hits. He exited after giving up a leadoff walk to Jhonny Peralta in the fourth.

Seven relievers combined to hold the Cardinals to two runs and five hits the rest of the way. Trevor Cahill picked up the win and Rondon worked the ninth for the save.

Hammel settled down after giving up a two-run homer to Piscotty on the game’s fourth pitch. He also singled in a run with two out in the second before Baez connected against Lackey, the man the Cardinals were counting on to keep their season going, to make it 4-2.

Lackey gave up four runs and four hits over three innings after outpitching former teammate Lester in a dominant series opener.

The Cardinals, playing without catcher Yadier Molina (left thumb), failed to advance in the postseason after winning at least one series the previous four years.

“I definitely think the ballpark had something to do with this. They also have a really good lineup,” Lackey said.

St. Louis scored two in the sixth to tie it. But the rally ended with Tony Cruz — who drove in a run with a two-out double — getting thrown out at home by Jorge Soler trying to score on Brandon Moss’ RBI single to right.

“I will be shocked if they’re not in the World Series or winning it,” Piscotty said. “They’re playing well. You got to tip your hat.”

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On Sunday night, the New York Giants celebrated a thrilling 30-27 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

But one player wasn’t there to join in the jubilation.

Tight end Daniel Fells was in an hospital intensive care unit, suffering from a MRSA infection so severe it may require the amputation of his foot. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of staph infection that is resistant to many antibiotics, and the pressing fear is that the infection may travel to his bone and infiltrate his bloodstream.

Fells’ health problems arose when the 32-year-old suffered injuries to his toe and ankle and was given a cortisone shot for the pain. After a week of foot and ankle pain, his wife took him to the hospital on Oct. 2 with a 104 degree fever, according to NFL.com.

“This is a serious situation that has been taken seriously from the beginning. We’re all fighting for Daniel,” Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said, per NFL.com. Giants General Manager Jerry Reese and head coach Tom Coughlin have reportedly visited Fells in the hospital, and in his post game press conference Sunday night, Coughlin said the team “dedicated [the] game to Daniel Fells and his family.”

Last week, it was widely reported that the Giants scrubbed their locker rooms and meeting areas “under the supervision of infectious disease specialists” in order to prevent the highly contagious infection from spreading.

MRSA is not a new affliction for athletes; for years both professional and college athletes have been contracting the infection, which thrives in warm, unsanitary environments like locker rooms. According to a 2007 ESPN report, “MRSA is mostly spread by direct physical contact, but can also be spread by teammates sharing razors, soap, or towels.”

“Many athletes get the infection after surgery, including Grant Hill of the Magic and the Patriots’ Junior Seau. When athletes get MRSA infections which don’t involve surgery, these are called “community-acquired.” These infections have struck at all athletic levels — from high schools to the pros — and in virtually every sport. But most reported cases have been in wrestling, and particularly football, because athletes often sustain open wounds and there’s frequent skin-to-skin contact.

“‘Football is a sport where people tend to get a lot of breaks in the skin from abrasions they sustain when they go down,’ says Jeff Hageman, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ‘And we know that with staph and with MRSA, it requires breaks in the skin to actually cause disease.’

“Several prominent NBA players have also suffered staph infections, including Paul Pierce of the Celtics and the Cavaliers’ Drew Gooden.”

While Fells’ condition remains serious, he was upbeat in an Instagram post before Sunday night’s game, writing, “My heart is with my brothers tonight. Get that W G-men. I love every one of you #thiswillnotdefeatme.”

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Mexico beat the United States 3-2 in Saturday night’s CONCACAF playoff game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., thanks to an overtime goal from Mexico’s Paul Aguilar. With the win, Mexico will advance to play in the 2017 Confederation’s Cup in Russia.

At the end of regulation, the match was tied 1-1 after two first half goals — one from U.S. defender Geoff Cameron and the other from Mexico’s star Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez. During extra time, Mexico’s Oribe Peralta scored the go-ahead goal before U.S. substitute Bobby Wood knocked home the equalizer in the 108th minute. The game seemed destined for penalty kicks but then Aguilar, assisted by a bicycle-kick from Raul Jimenez, sealed the win for El Tri.

This also marks Mexico’s first win against their rivals under U.S. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

Their victory places them in the 2017 Confederations Cup, as NPR’s Laura Wagner previously reported:

“Saturday’s game between the rivals has been looming for months, ever since Mexico won the Gold Cup in July. Tournament rules required the tiebreaker game because the U.S. won the 2013 Gold Cup and Mexico took the following title this summer. The winning team advances to play in the Confederations Cup, a tournament held one year before the World Cup that allows the best teams from around the world to see how they measure up against stiff international competition.”

More than 90,000 fans were in attendance at the game and while disappointment and disbelief were etched on the face of U.S. soccer fans, the stadium was raucous with the celebrations of Mexico supporters who actually outnumbered U.S. fans in the typically pro-Mexico venue.

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Here we go: some international soccer news that doesn’t involve FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1, the United States men’s national team will square off against Mexico’s in a one-game playoff that’s being called the CONCACAF Cup. It will be held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., a historically pro-Mexico venue, and the winner of the game will go on to represent the region in the Confederations Cup in Russia in 2017.

Saturday’s game between the rivals has been looming for months, ever since Mexico won the Gold Cup in July. Tournament rules required the tiebreaker game because the U.S. won the 2013 Gold Cup and Mexico took the following title this summer. The winning team advances to play in the Confederations Cup, a tournament held one year before the World Cup that allows the best teams from around the world to see how they measure up against stiff international competition.

Here’s what you need to know about the game:

1. U.S. Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann Under Pressure

After a disappointing performance in this summer’s Gold Cup, Klinsmann started to feel the heat. While the German’s leadership and vision for the U.S. squad has been questioned repeatedly since he took over in 2011, former U.S. star Landon Donovan ramped up the rhetoric this week, calling for Klinsmann’s job should the U.S. lose, according to ESPN.

“Around the world, if a player plays poorly and a player has a bad string of results, they get dropped from the team. Jurgen said many times he wants our players to feel pressure — so if they lose a game they can’t go to the grocery store the next day. If they lose a game, they are getting hammered in the press.

“Well, the same holds true for the coach, and so we had a very poor summer with bad results in the Gold Cup. The last game against Brazil was probably the worst game I’ve seen them play under Jurgen.

“The reality is that now, anywhere else in the world, if this coach had those results, and they lose this game against Mexico, they’d be fired.

“I think if Jurgen wants to hold all the players to that standard, then he has to be held to that standard too.”

Of course, it’s worth keeping in mind that some bad blood lingers between Donovan and his former coach after Klinsmann decided to leave the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. off the 2014 World Cup roster. But then again, former U.S. head coach Bob Bradley was fired after the team lost to Mexico in the 2011 Gold Cup final, which could be seen as a precedent should the U.S. decide to cut ties with the coach. For what it’s worth, the U.S. has never lost to Mexico under Klinsmann.

2. Mexican Star Giovani Dos Santos Out With Injury

The Mexican national team confirmed on Twitter this week that Giovani Dos Santos is suffering from a muscular injury and will not be with the team.

The 26-year-old striker already has 89 starts with the national team and 17 goals, including the winning goal in Mexico’s 4-2 victory over the U.S. in the 2011 Gold Cup final.

Dos Santos’ absence could definitely hurt Mexico, but El Tri has a talented cast of characters ready to step up and fill his cleats, including his brother, Jonathan Dos Santos.

3. Battle Of The Advertisements

Remember the ad aired on Mexican TV last month that used Donald Trump’s controversial remarks on immigration to hype the game? As we reported at the time, the ad spliced snippets from Trump’s comments with footage of the U.S. team losing to the Mexican side.

“In the ad, an electric guitar wails ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ in the background as the Republican presidential candidate says things like ‘we don’t have victories anymore’ and ‘the American dream is dead.’ Meanwhile, a video montage plays of Mexican players scoring goals, frustrated U.S. players and disappointed American fans.”

On Friday, Fox Soccer responded with its own ad, again using Trump’s words. In this promotion, however, Trump is seen saying, “Our country has tremendous people, tremendous potential,” and “we will make American great again.” He also says, “I love the Mexican people.”

The ad immediately incurred backlash on social media. There were hundreds of negative responses to the commercial, including from U.S. men’s national team player Herculez Gomez and the Twitter account for one of the main U.S. soccer fan groups, American Outlaws.

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