Sports News Brief

TENNIS SERENA WILLIAMS ON US FED CUP TEAM; VENUS IS NOT: WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) - Serena Williams is on the U.S. Fed Cup roster for matches against Ukraine on April 21-22, but her sister Venus is not. "She just played Miami and Charleston, so she's trying to gauge now her recovery, how much she can play," U.S. Fed Cup captain Mary Joe ...

SKI REPORTS

Royals Broxton wild as A's rally for win in 12

Blues will start Halak in goal vs Sharks

Stanford's football coordinators work to replace starters

NCAA puts Baylor basketball on 3 years' probation for calls

WACO, Texas (AP) - The NCAA put Baylor on three years of probation Wednesday after an investigation turned up hundreds of impermissible telephone calls and text messages sent to prep recruits by coaches and assistants on the basketball teams. The violations were considered to be major infractions, and they were announced less than a week after the Lady Bears won the national ...

NBA Capsules

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Chris Paul scored 31 points, including the game-winning shot on a layup with 8.8 seconds left, lifting the Los Angeles Clippers to a 100-98 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night that kept them in position for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Duffy leads Royals past Athletics

OAKLAND (AP) - Danny Duffy pitched six sharp innings and the Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics 3-0 in a rain-shortened game on Tuesday night.

Mavs gets much-needed win over Kings

DALLAS (AP) - The Dallas Mavericks finally won a game without Lamar Odom, who is no longer an option for them.

NBA Capsules

MIAMI (AP) - Paul Pierce scored 27 points, Kevin Garnett added 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Boston Celtics made their first eight shots of the fourth quarter to hold off the Miami Heat 115-107 on Tuesday night.

Fox, MLB file objections to Dodgers sale

Cespedes making quick impression in big leagues

OAKLAND (AP) - With one monster 462-foot home run, Yoenis Cespedes showed off a power stroke reminiscent of Oakland's Bash Brothers back in the day. That swing spoke volumes to those who questioned whether the prized Cuban defector could dominate in the major leagues for the Athletics as he did in his Caribbean homeland. Cespedes shrugs off his ...

Sharks learn from losses to Blues

Reds 2B Phillips gets $72.5 million through 2017

Sports News Brief

CYCLING 5 OF TOP 15 PRO TEAMS COMMIT TO TOUR OF UTAH RACE: SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Five of the world's top 15 international cycling teams have committed to the 2012 Tour of Utah. Utah's event is set for Aug. 7-12 and is the first major weeklong stage race following the Tour de France and London Olympics. <p ...

49ers trade up to get S Eric Reid with 18th pick

SANTA CLARA (AP) - Several years back, Eric Reid shunned Jim Harbaugh and Stanford to stick close to home at LSU.

Raiders select D.J. Hayden with 12th pick in draft

ALAMEDA (AP) - D.J. Hayden's remarkable comeback from a near-death experience has taken him to the first round of the NFL draft.

Bergland lifts Thunder to 2-1 series advantage

STOCKTON - The Stockton Thunder used a three-goal first period to take an early lead and held on for a 5-3 win over the Alaska Aces in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals, taking a 2-1 series lead in front of 3,297 fans at Stockton Arena on Thursday.

NBA committee deciding Kings’ fate to meet Monday

SEATTLE (AP) - Microsoft Chairman Steve Ballmer, part of the group attempting to purchase the Sacramento Kings and move them to Seattle, said Thursday he believes "there will never be a better opportunity" than now to bring back professional basketball to the Puget Sound.

McLouth stays hot in O’s win over A’s

OAKLAND (AP) - Nate McLouth's patience as Baltimore's leadoff hitter is paying off nicely so far.

American League capsules

BOSTON (AP) - David Ortiz went 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs, boosting his batting average over .500 as the Boston Red Sox beat the Houston Astros 7-2 Thursday night to win their eighth straight series opener.

National League Capsules

MIAMI (AP) - Luis Valbuena hit a tie-breaking solo home run in the ninth inning to lift the Chicago Cubs to a 4-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Thursday night.

NBA Playoff capsules

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Ray Allen scored 23 points and broke the NBA career playoff record for 3-pointers, and the Miami Heat used another of their patented runs to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 104-91 on Thursday night for a 3-0 lead in their first-round series.

Ripon Christian rebounds from loss with blowout win

Natalie Prins and Kaylie Colyn each netted two goals apiece for Ripon Christian during Wednesday's 8-0 Southern League victory over visiting Delhi.

Warriors look to stay hot back home against Denver

OAKLAND (AP) - Sleep deprived but back in the Bay Area, the Golden State Warriors returned to work Wednesday calm and confident that their Mile High City masterpiece will be no fluke.

Crawford has 3 hits in Giants’ loss to D’backs

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Brandon Crawford saved the day twice with late-inning offensive heroics. He never got a third chance, resting in the on-deck circle when the final out was recorded.

Oakland A’s feel missed call costly in loss to Red Sox

BOSTON (AP) - Oakland's Jed Lowrie rounded first base, reached second and immediately raised his arms in the air.

Coyotes knock off Sharks

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Coming off a dramatic victory in their home finale, the San Jose Sharks had a chance to move closer to earning home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

California environmental changes could aid Kings bid

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Proposed changes to California environmental protection law unveiled Wednesday could help Sacramento's effort to keep its professional basketball team, according to the leader of the state Senate.

MLB capsules

WASHINGTON (AP) - Yadier Molina hit a two-run single off Stephen Strasburg during St. Louis' three-run first inning, and the Cardinals beat the Nationals 4-2 Wednesday to complete a sweep and give Washington's All-Star ace the only four-start losing streak of his young career.