SAN ANTONIO (AP) — When Tony Parker started running low on masterful plays, Tim Duncan was there to take over and lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Joe Thornton set the tone for the San Jose Sharks with a dominant first period. After that, the Sharks did their best to hang on and tie up their playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vinny Del Negro is out as coach of the Los Angeles Clippers after a season in which the team won its first division title but lost in the first round of the playoffs.
LONDON (Reuters) - Spaniard Sergio Garcia has apologized after a "fried chicken" jibe aimed at world number one Tiger Woods during a European Tour awards dinner on Tuesday. Garcia, who has a frosty relationship with Woods, was on stage with his Ryder Cup team mates when he was asked in jest whether he would be inviting Woods for dinner during next month's U.S. Open in Merion. "We will have him round every night. We will serve fried chicken." Garcia was heard to say. ...
LONDON, May 22 (Reuters) - Spaniard Sergio Garcia has apologised after a "fried chicken" jibe aimed at world number one Tiger Woods during a European Tour awards dinner on Tuesday. Garcia, who has a frosty relationship with Woods, was on stage with his Ryder Cup team mates when he was asked in jest whether he would be inviting Woods for dinner during next month's U.S. Open in Merion. "We will have him round every night. We will serve fried chicken." Garcia was heard to say. ...
(Reuters) - The Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Draft Lottery and the top overall pick for the second time in three years on Tuesday. The Cavaliers were able to edge out the Orlando Magic, who had the highest probability of winning the top selection, as they continue to rebuild a franchise reeling from the loss of LeBron James following the 2009-10 campaign. "It's huge for us," Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert told reporters. "This is our third year in a row in the lottery. Hopefully it's our last for a long, long time. ...
(Reuters) - Mike Trout became the youngest player in the American League ever to hit for the cycle in the Los Angeles Angels' 12-0 rout of the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. The reigning AL rookie of the year singled in the third inning, tripled in the fourth, doubled in the sixth before completing the feat with a home run in the eighth. The 21-year-old finished with five RBIs while starter Jerome Williams pitched eight scoreless innings to get the win. Alex Rodriguez previously held the record when he hit for the cycle in 1997. ...
(Reuters) - San Antonio squandered a big lead in the fourth quarter and had Tim Duncan to thank for settling their nerves in overtime as the Spurs ground out a 93-89 win over the Memphis Grizzlies and took a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals on Tuesday. Up by 14 in the fourth, the Spurs failed to score in the last four minutes of regulation and were pushed to overtime by the rallying Grizzlies. However, Duncan scored his team's first six points in the extra session to put the Spurs back on track for the Game Two win. The series now shifts to Memphis for Game Three on Saturday. ...
(Reuters) - The Charlotte Bobcats want to take a step back in time and restore an old nickname to the city. The National Basketball Association (NBA) team will ask the league's board of governors in July to approve changing the franchise's name to Charlotte Hornets effective with the 2014-15 season, Bobcats owner Michael Jordan said on Tuesday. Charlotte's original NBA team enjoyed sellout crowds as the Hornets between 1988-2002 before then-owner George Shinn moved the franchise to New Orleans. ...
CLEVELAND (AP) — Indians closer Chris Perez deactivated his Twitter account following two rough outings, and after receiving a slew of negative comments.
(Reuters) - Broadcast network CBS said on Tuesday it won this season's ratings race among the 18-to-49 age group most prized by advertisers, claiming its first victory in that audience in 21 years. CBS, a unit of CBS Corp, snatched the title from News Corp-owned Fox, which had dominated the age group for eight straight years until it was hurt this season by a ratings slump for singing competition "American Idol." CBS rode hits like "The Big Bang Theory" and "2 Broke Girls" and was helped by February's Super Bowl broadcast, which attracted the biggest TV audience of the year. ...
By Simon Evans MIAMI (Reuters) - For a brief but dazzling spell in the 1970s, New Yorkers fell in love with soccer as Pele and the Cosmos showcased the world's most popular game in a city long dominated by baseball and American football. Now Major League Soccer hopes that a new team, called the New York City Football Club and formed by an alliance of English Premier League club Manchester City and baseball's grandest club the New York Yankees, can not only recapture that excitement but this time, sustain it. ...
(Reuters) - The Los Angeles Clippers have decided to part ways with head coach Vinny Del Negro, announcing on Tuesday they will not offer him a new contract to lead the National Basketball Association team. Del Negro compiled a 128-102 record with the Clippers in three seasons, guiding them to the playoffs in 2012 and 2013. The Clippers finished the 2012-13 season with a franchise-high of 56 wins, including a 17-game winning streak, and were fourth-seeded in the Western Conference playoffs before falling 4-2 to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. ...
Golf's two governing bodies outlawed the anchored putting stroke used by four of the last six major champions, approving a new rule that starts in 2016 and urging the PGA Tour to follow along so the 600-year-old sport is still played under one set of rules.
By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - A divided federal appeals court has revived a lawsuit against Electronic Arts Inc by a former Rutgers University star football quarterback, who accused it of using his image in a video game without permission. By a 2-1 vote, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said on Tuesday that Ryan Hart, who played for Rutgers from 2002 to 2005, may pursue allegations that EA misappropriated his likeness for its NCAA Football game, one of the nation's best-selling video games. ...
By Julian Linden NEW YORK (Reuters) - San Francisco and Houston were chosen on Tuesday as host cities for the 2016 and 2017 Super Bowls after National Football League (NFL) team owners voted for the two ahead of Miami. The San Francisco Bay Area will host the 50th Super Bowl in early 2016 at Levi's Stadium, the brand new home of the 49ers, which is still under construction. Then Houston will stage the 51st edition of the sport's championship game in early 2017 at Reliant Stadium, the home of the Texans. ...
By Simon Evans MIAMI (Reuters) - The New York Yankees and Premier League club Manchester City have formed a Major League Soccer (MLS) team to play in New York City from 2015, aiming to win over America's largest sports market to the global game. City, owned by Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi, will be the majority partner in New York City Football Club with the biggest name in baseball, the Yankees, as a minority partner active in running the team. The ownership group will pay a $100 million franchise fee. ...
By Tony Jimenez VIRGINIA WATER, England (Reuters) - Martin Kaymer's popularity has gone down a notch on the other side of the Atlantic after he holed the winning putt for Europe in last year's Ryder Cup against the United States, he said on Tuesday. The 28-year-old German, who spends a lot of his time on the U.S. PGA Tour, explained that some Americans had turned against him following his exploits in Illinois in September. ...
By Larry Fine (Reuters) - Golf club makers Ping and Cobra Puma Golf hit back on Tuesday at a rules change that will ban the anchoring of putters. The ban, announced on Tuesday, will take effect on January 1, 2016. It does not apply to equipment and golfers will be able to use belly and broomstick putters. They will not, however, be allowed to anchor the club against their body for their putting stroke. Ping chairman John Solheim and Bob Philion, head of Cobra Golf, had lined up with the U.S. ...
By Larry Fine May 21 (Reuters) - Golf club makers Ping and Cobra Puma Golf hit back on Tuesday at a rules change that will ban the anchoring of putters. The ban, announced on Tuesday, will take effect on Jan. 1, 2016. It does not apply to equipment and golfers will be able to use belly and broomstick putters. They will not, however, be allowed to anchor the club against their body for their putting stroke. Ping chairman John Solheim and Bob Philion, head of Cobra Golf, had lined up with the U.S. ...
By Larry Fine NEW YORK (Reuters) - The decision on Tuesday by golf's rule-makers to ban the anchoring of putters brought cheers and jeers from among prominent players and major golf organizations. The U.S. PGA Tour and the PGA of America, who both emphatically opposed the proposed rule, said they were still against a ban and would evaluate their positions now that the rule has been officially adopted to begin on January 1, 2016. The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), meanwhile, said it would follow the rules and adopt the ban. ...
By Tony Jimenez VIRGINIA WATER, England (Reuters) - The golfing world must unite behind the new ban on the anchoring of putters from 2016 and avoid any unseemly legal disputes, according to Royal & Ancient (R&A) chief executive Peter Dawson. The ban was announced by the game's rule makers, the R&A and the United States Golf Association, on Tuesday, and Dawson has implored the rest of the sport to fall in line behind the regulation. The U.S. PGA Tour and the PGA of America, who both emphatically oppose the rule, said they were against the ban and are planning to evaluate their positions. ...
By Tony Jimenez VIRGINIA WATER, England (Reuters) - Sergio Garcia's feud with Tiger Woods will not stop him shaking hands with the world number one the next time they are drawn together in a tournament, the Spaniard said on Tuesday. Garcia blamed a roar from the crowd watching the 14-times major winner for an errant shot when the two men featured in the same group at the Players Championship in Florida two weeks ago. The gallery erupted during the Spaniard's backswing upon seeing Woods reach for his five-wood for a daring escape from a tee shot deep into the trees. ...