Your Top Plays for Today: AP's Sports Guide

Here's a look at some of the defining moments, exciting scenes, triumphs and defeats from the world of sports.

(Reuters) - Future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki said he wanted to return the faith shown by Miami Marlins executives after they flew to Japan to convince the veteran to sign for the Florida ball club. The 41-year-old outfielder agreed a one-year contract on Tuesday with the Marlins after his two-and-a-half year stay with the New York Yankees ended last year. "I am humbled that they flew 18 hours to get here, this is something that just doesn't happen," Suzuki was quoted as saying by Kyodo News on Thursday after signing up for a 15th year in MLB. As a player, it's something I've been looking for the past two years." Ichiro moved to Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Seattle Mariners in 2001 before joining the Yankees in 2012.

Quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Tom Brady make the Super Bowl 49 clash between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots a duel of contrasting styles. New England's Brady, of course, is already guaranteed his spot in the Hall of Fame. A three-time Super Bowl winner, the 37-year-old Brady will be the first quarterback to start six Super Bowls.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, who were playing without injured superstar LeBron James, beat Portland 99-94 to extend their win streak to eight games behind an electric performance from Kyrie Irving. Irving tallied a career-high 55 points which included a team-record 11 three pointers in front of a crowd of 20,500 at the Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday. His final dagger from beyond the arc came with just six seconds left and gave the Cavaliers the lead for good. "He delivered," said Cavaliers coach David Blatt.

Don't let the party bus fool you, New England's Rob Gronkowski takes his role as one of the NFL's premier tight ends seriously. Big, powerful yet deceptively elusive, Gronkowski has bounced back from injury to become a key target for quarterback Tom Brady, and a man Seahawks defenders know they'll have to stop. "That's their playmaker," Seattle safety Kam Chancellor said of Gronkowski, who had 82 catches for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns in his most productive season since 2011. "I definitely don’t take the game for granted anymore," Gronkowski said.

Phoenix (AFP) - Quarterback Tom Brady, whose New England Patriots take on Seattle in Super Bowl 49 on Sunday, looked sharp in practice despite battling a cold.

Stacy Lewis, Jessica Korda and Azahara Munoz carded matching, six-under 66s in Wednesday's first round of the season-opening LPGA Tour's Coates Golf Championship, which was suspended due to darkness. There were 21 players still on the course when play was halted at the Golden Ocala Golf course. Lewis, the number three player in the world, has won 11 times on the LPGA Tour, including three victories last season. Korda, a three-time winner on tour, won twice last year at the season-opening Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic and the Airbus LPGA Classic.