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 ...

Lincecum ends three-start skid, Giants beat Jays

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Tim Lincecum ended a three-start losing streak, Andres Torres hit a two-run homer and the San Francisco Giants beat Melky Cabrera and the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Brewers rally in 10th for victory over A’s

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Carlos Gomez scored from first on Yuniesky Betancourt's line drive in the gap between center and right in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night.

49ers hire Mangini as offensive consultant

SANTA CLARA (AP) - Eric Mangini is back in the NFL - and back to his coaching roots.

Deacon Jones: football’s most feared sackmaster

His nickname belied his calling. David "Deacon" Jones was the most feared member of the Fearsome Foursome, the original sackmaster.

Spoelstra, Popovich making the right moves

MIAMI (AP) - Other than being widely known by just the first syllable of their surnames, the coaches who will match wits in these NBA Finals may seem like polar opposites.

Federer loses quick French QF; Williams back in SF

PARIS (AP) - A point from losing the first set of his French Open quarterfinal, Roger Federer shanked a routine forehand, sending the ball 10 feet beyond the opposite baseline.

Kings’ new regime takes long-term approach

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Of all the lessons Mike Malone has learned from his head coaches in over a decade as an NBA assistant, the problem of unrealistic expectations was obviously one of them.

Milone, Crisp send A’s to victory over Brewers

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Tommy Milone was a force at the plate and on the mound.

Jason Kidd retiring from NBA after 19 seasons

NEW YORK (AP) - Jason Kidd became one of the best by making others better.

Raiders hope Roach is the man in the middle

ALAMEDA (AP) - Nick Roach lined up at middle linebacker, barked out a coverage adjustment, then quickly shifted behind the left side of the defensive line before bursting through to pressure Oakland rookie quarterback Tyler Wilson.

Heat off to Finals, beat Pacers in Game 7

MIAMI (AP) - Their season, their legacy, their reign atop the NBA was all at stake, and the Miami Heat responded in a manner befitting defending champions - with a blowout.

Bruins crush Penguins 6-1 to take 2-0 lead

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Boston Bruins keep talking about fortunate bounces and a dash of luck, insisting the margin between themselves and the Pittsburgh Penguins is thin.

Djokovic, Nadal on course for semifinal in Paris

PARIS (AP) - Less than 48 hours after learning of the death of his childhood coach, Novak Djokovic was on court at the French Open, determined to complete a career Grand Slam in honor of the woman he likened to a "second mother."

American women go 0 for 3 Monday at French Open

PARIS (AP) - A day before Serena Williams puts her 28-match winning streak on the line at the French Open, the three other U.S. women left in field tried to join her in the quarterfinals.

Colon’s 5-hitter leads Athletics past White Sox

OAKLAND (AP) - Bartolo Colon tossed a five-hitter a week after turning 40, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Chicago White Sox 3-0 on Friday night in a game that took only 2 hours, 14 minutes.