Mike Vrabel retires from NFL and joins Ohio State coaching staff

Deion Sanders says Dez Bryant needs to hire a ‘no man’

WR Terrell Owens pays child support in full

PHOENIX — It was perhaps the ultimate father-son moment.

• 

  By Jeff Gross, Getty Images

  It took 12 home runs in the final round for the Yankees’ Robinson Cano to win the 2011 home run derby.

By Jeff Gross, Getty Images

It took 12 home runs in the final round for the Yankees’ Robinson Cano to win the 2011 home run derby.

Just like they’d done countless times with no one else watching, former major league pitcher Jose Cano threw batting practice to his son. Only this time there was a stadium full of cheering fans and more watching on television.

But Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees wasn’t thinking about pressure or winning the All-Star Home Run Derby. He just took a powerful swing at each ball his father threw him.

Cano connected on a final round-record 12 home runs to take home the trophy before 44,820 at Chase Field.

• BLOG: How the Home Run Derby unfolded

• BLOG: Is the home run derby a matter of league or national pride?

“It’s a dream come true,” Cano said. “It’s something I’m going to have in my mind and in my heart.”

The competition came down to a pair of traditional rivals, with first baseman Adrian Gonzalez representing the Boston Red Sox. The two American League East rivals easily outdistanced the rest of the field with 20 total home runs in the first two rounds.

With his father, a former major league pitcher, on the mound, Cano needed to set a championship-round record with 12 homers to defeat Gonzalez.

Cano tied things up with a blast off the Home Run Derby tote board above the swimming pool in right-center field. He followed it with another blast along almost the same line to win the title with three outs to spare.

“It’s a memory you can bring home and share with your family, said Cano, who brought not only his mother and father with him but several other family members as well. “Not only now, but when you retire, you can look up and say, ‘Wow, I was good back in the day.’”

It was also special because Cano was able to share the spotlight with his father, who played one season (1989) with the Houston Astros. “He asked me to throw it inside and low, and I said that’s how I throw to you the whole year. That will be easy for me,” Jose Cano said.

Gonzalez had homered on eight of his first 11 swings in the final round, with his fifth home run splashing into the swimming pool in right-center field.

He finished with 11 in the finals.

AL captain David Ortiz of the Red Sox and National League captain Prince Fielder of the Milwauke Brewers secured the final two spots in the semifinals by out-homering the St. Louis Cardinals’ Matt Holliday in a swing-off after they all hit five out in the first round.

That result meant that the four to advance to the semifinal round were all left-handed hitters, while the four right-handed batters in the competition were eliminated early.

The final tote board showed Ortiz’s AL sluggers finishing with a 76-19 margin against their NL counterparts.

In the second round, a fan trying to catch a ball hit by Fielder found himself dangling over a pool deck roughly 20 feet below after being caught by his brother and a friend.

A fan at a Texas Rangers game died last week while trying to catch a ball thrown into the stands.

Posted | Updated

PHOENIX – This one’s for the wife, who wouldn’t let her husband quit.

• 

  By Eric Risberg, AP

  The Giants’ Ryan Vogelsong went 1,760 days without a Major League job. Now he’s an All-Star.

By Eric Risberg, AP

The Giants’ Ryan Vogelsong went 1,760 days without a Major League job. Now he’s an All-Star.

But first, let’s travel back exactly one year, in the strange journey of Ryan Vogelsong.

It is the All-Star break, 2010, and these are hard days. Vogelsong has been with wife Nicole at the hospital, after his father-in-law suffers a heart attack. Then, his minor league team releases him.

He has not pitched in the major leagues in four years, since a few uneventful seasons with San Francisco and Pittsburgh, when he went 10-22. He has spent three years in Japan as a Hanshin Tiger and Orix Buffalo, because nobody would give him a job here. He is about to turn 33.

• BLOG: Vogelsong playing a sweet tune in Giants’ rotation

Now he’s not even wanted by the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Even worse, they are the Class AAA affiliate of the Phillies team he once rooted for, growing up outside Philadelphia. A childhood friend has told him to get lost. In September, Salt Lake, the Los Angeles Angels’ Class AAA team, would cut him, too.

They call that the bottom.

One year later, Ryan Vogelsong sits in a hotel ballroom during a press session. He is an All-Star pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. He is the baseball equivalent of a lottery winner.

“Crazy, huh?” he begins. “Never in a million years did I think I’d be sitting in this room. Maybe on that side (with the media).

“It’s like a dream. It’s like I’m waiting for myself to wake up.”

Or as teammate Tim Lincecum mentions, “I don’t think there’s a guy here who has been through more of a weird road.”

–

According to the number crunchers at Elias, the last man to spend four years away from the majors and then make the All-Star team his first season back was Mickey Harris. Might not ring a bell. He pitched for the Boston Red Sox in 1946.

So Vogelsong’s a rare bird. Surely, there were moments in those 1,760 days without a major league job when he wondered if he was finished.

“Quite a few times,” he said. “More than I like to remember.”

But this is a tale of refusing to take no for an answer. Ryan Vogelsong? Well, him too. But we were talking more of Nicole.

“It’s been hard on her. I mainly dragged her across the world,” he said. “She’s the optimist and I’m the realist. I was ready to talk about (quitting). She wasn’t. She’s never ready to talk about it. When we went to Japan, our biggest fights were because she thought I was selling myself short.”

So he kept at it, impressed the Giants this spring, got a shot in the rotation when Barry Zito went down, and now he’s 6-1 with a shiny 2.17 earned run average. What might the wife have to say about all this?

“Nothing.” he said. “She smiles because she knows she was right.

“She cried for a good bit when I told her I made the All-Star team. She cried last night when we got here. She’s just a crier.”

–

The Japanese media crowded around Vogelsong Monday to find out how someone gets from Orix to the National League All-Star roster.

“I don’t think it’s one thing, it’s a whole bunch of things,” he was saying, crediting this sudden blossoming to improved confidence and concentration as much as anything. “Everything that I’ve been through has helped me to get better.”

How about a start one day against the beloved Phillies who cut him? “I think I’m going to let that one alone.”

There must be a message in his story; something for anyone out there wondering if his chance will ever come, perhaps arguing with his wife about it.

“It’s as simple as don’t ever give up,” he said. “I came into this game and people told me that you don’t stop playing until they kick you out and take your uniform. That’s what I was going to do, and now here I sit.”

Several players passed on this event for one reason or another, but it’d be a hard sell getting Ryan Vogelsong to take the All-Star Game for granted. Nicole Vogelsong, even harder.

Posted

PHOENIX — Josh Hamilton says there will be a time and place to meet the family of Shannon Stone, the 39-year-old Brownwood, Texas, firefighter who fell to his death Thursday reaching for a ball Hamilton tossed his way for his 6-year-old son at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

• 

  By Ronald Martinez, Getty Images

  Hamilton said his Christian faith, which helped him overcome alcohol and drug addiction, has buoyed him and his family this week in the wake of the tragedy at Rangers Ballpark.

By Ronald Martinez, Getty Images

Hamilton said his Christian faith, which helped him overcome alcohol and drug addiction, has buoyed him and his family this week in the wake of the tragedy at Rangers Ballpark.

Monday’s funeral was neither that time nor place.

“I didn’t know Mr. Stone. I don’t know his family,” Hamilton said Monday, a day before he starts in left field for the American League in the All-Star Game. “I don’t feel it’s my place to be in an intimate setting such as that.

“But when I feel like the time is right and enough time has passed, I’ll definitely reach out and talk to his wife and little boy.”

• STORY: Hundreds attend funeral for Rangers fan

Hundreds of family members, friends and law enforcement personnel attended the memorial service at First United Methodist Church in Brownwood.

Hamilton said his Christian faith, which helped him overcome alcohol and drug addiction to become one of baseball’s brightest stars, has buoyed him and his family this week. He said his family continues to pray for the Stone family.

“This is life,” Hamilton said. “There are tragedies, things that happen that you have no control over and you don’t understand them. One of them is standing in front of your maker.

“Maybe I was a little more prepared to handle a situation like this. Still, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt and affect you. It was just a random act of kindness that turned tragic.”

Texas teammate Michael Young thinks Hamilton will be OK.

“I think Josh is in a good place right now — or as good a place as we could have hoped for,” Young said. “I think he’s put this in the hands of a higher power and really relied on his faith.

“It’s been a very tough week for Josh and everybody else. The last couple games, baseball was kind of on the back burner. We were far more concerned about a family, a son and a wife.”

Hamilton, who has 11 homers and has batted .346 during the Rangers’ current seven-game winning streak, says he’s looking forward to the All-Star game, despite the difficult week.

“I’d be lying to you if I said I hadn’t thought about what happened since it happened,” said Hamilton, who was voted into the All-Star lineup by fans and will bat fifth and play center field.

Said Rangers and AL manager Ron Washington, “Josh is handling everything with class, which he always does.”

Hamilton said the tragedy can’t help but influence him and Major League Baseball to reconsider items being sent into the stands as souvenirs.

“This is going to impact and make a difference,” he said. “Where are you tossing it to? How far up? … We take it for granted. When something like this happens, the cautionary (aspect) needs to stay with you every day after that.”

Young, however, doesn’t think Hamilton will stop interacting with fans or that the practice of tossing souvenirs to the crowd will cease.

“I think (Hamilton) recognizes it was an accident,” Young said. “We still want to have that interaction with our fans. It was just an accident — a tragic accident.”

Posted | Updated

All-Stars set a roster record with 83rd player named

Home Run Derby: Is it a matter of league or national pride?

DRESDEN, Germany — Anybody out there notice a lot of extra ringing, buzzing and beeping in the air during the last 24 hours?

• 

  By Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP

  Abby Wambach, left, and goalkeeper Hope Solo celebrate winning the quarterfinal match against Brazil at the World Cup on July 10 in Dresden.

By Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP

Abby Wambach, left, and goalkeeper Hope Solo celebrate winning the quarterfinal match against Brazil at the World Cup on July 10 in Dresden.

Oh, that was just America’s soccer heroines corresponding with their growing number of fans.

“Blow-ing up,” Shannon Boxx said Monday about the voice messages and e-mails she’s gotten on her cell phone since the U.S. delivered a miracle finish to beat Brazil in a high-drama World Cup quarterfinal Sunday.

“It’s been so fun,” Boxx, a veteran midfielder, added. “I turned the phone back on after the game, and right away I had about 30 e-mails, a couple of texts. I don’t do Twitter, but the young ones all have Twitter and they’ve been getting tweets from the most random people, which is very cool.

“It makes you appreciate the people back home supporting you. We’re kind of building. You’re hearing, ‘I never watched a soccer game before, but now I’m watching.’”

Some of the random fans congratulating the players on Twitter: basketball’s LeBron James, football’s Aaron Rodgers and Hollywood’s Tom Hanks.

“That’s pretty cool,” Boxx said. “It’s fun to hear that these big names back home that you watch and idolize are watching women’s soccer.”

Midfielder Heather O’Reilly said her Twitter followers almost tripled overnight. “I think this game has really got people talking,” she said.

The U.S. won 5-3 on penalty kicks after a 2-2 tie that was highlighted by an Abby Wambach goal with about a minute left in overtime.

O’Reilly, a New Jersey native, got a kick out of news that U.S. highlights were shown on the big screen at Yankee Stadium. “That’s unbelievable,” she said. “It’s amazing that it’s getting outside the soccer world. I think soccer people were following us. Now the general sports fan is picking up on how special this team is and how special that game was.”

“Somebody,” she added, chuckling, “said that Derek Jeter’s Sports Illustrated cover might get bumped for this win.”

The U.S. women play France in a semifinal Wednesday.

Posted

SANDWICH, England — For all the conversation about golf’s big names and grand courses, it is the unexpected winner who is likely to be most associated with one specific championship, one unique place, one extraordinary week in a career.

• 

  By Dave Martin, AP

  Ben Curtis celebrates after winning the British Open in 2003. Curtis was the first golfer in 90 years to win in his first major appearance.

By Dave Martin, AP

Ben Curtis celebrates after winning the British Open in 2003. Curtis was the first golfer in 90 years to win in his first major appearance.

Ben Curtis arrived at that spot just this week. He came to Royal St. George’s a bit apologetic, and more than a little tired. The two were related.

“I just got here and just got acclimated a little bit with the course and the grounds again … and I’m sure on Thursday, I’ll be a bit more excited and a bit more fired up and ready to go.”

It was in 2003 that Curtis, 396th in the world golf rankings, won the Open Championship in his first appearance in a major, becoming the first man since Francis Ouimet in the 1913 U.S. Open to win in his major debut. He has since won two more times on the PGA Tour and had a strong year in 2008 with five top-10 finishes, including a tie for second at the PGA Championship, and a berth on the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team.

• MORE: Curtis remembers Royal St. George’s

• PHOTOS: The best images from the Britis Open

• MORE: Hole-by-hole at Royal St. George’s

But nothing he has done since can compare to what he did then, and now that the British Open has come back to Royal St. George’s for the first time in eight years, Curtis, 34, comes with it — the course and the champion joined once again on the world stage.

If only he could recapture how he felt approaching that week in 2003, the lack of expectations, the pure joy of playing in his first major.

“I was just coming over to have fun,” he said. “I wasn’t really worrying about the golf. I had great form coming in. I was playing well in some events leading up to it. … But as far as expectations, really the only goal I had was to play four days and to see what it was like to play … it was my first major, just to see what it was like and just to enjoy it. I said, ‘This is the last time I might play in it.’ I didn’t know it was one of 30 more to come.”

As the week wore on, Curtis’ confidence built. The night before the final round, his wife, Candace, asked him how he thought he’d do Sunday.

“I just kind of looked at her and said, ‘I’m going to win.’ I mean, it wasn’t cocky or anything, I just felt comfortable. I wasn’t nervous or anything like that. I was just having fun with what I was doing and just really took to playing the links golf that I’d never played before, and until this day, every time I come over I get excited and enjoy playing them.”

After he held off Thomas Bjorn and Vijay Singh to win by a stroke, the magnitude of what he had just done didn’t hit for quite some time.

“I think when I got in the car,” he said. “You know, once you win, you get the trophy and you say a few words and then you walk around the 18th green for a little while and take some pictures, and then you come in here (to the media center) and you do this and you go out there and do a few more. I remember it was almost dark when I left here. We didn’t even go back to the place we were staying. I don’t even know what happened to our luggage or anything. … We got in the car and Candace was kind of quiet, and I said, ‘What’s the matter?’ She said, ‘You won’t believe the zoo that’s going on back home.’ It really didn’t sink in until I got off the plane in Cleveland. The flight was from Gatwick to Cleveland, and we came down the escalator in the baggage claim and there were thousands of people down there. That’s when it really hit that this was a lot bigger deal than I thought it was.”

Curtis is eight years removed from the newness of that victory. Not that that’s all bad. In 2003, he and his wife stayed in an apartment that he said was no bigger than the dais he was sitting on Monday at his news conference.

This year, befitting the returning champion he is, they upgraded to a house where the rent for the week reaches five figures.

“We’ve got the whole compound this year,” Curtis said. “We went from the outhouse to the mansion.”

Posted | Updated

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (AP) — Police charged three parents — including the town prosecutor — with third-degree assault and disorderly conduct after a brawl during a youth baseball tournament put a player in a hospital, a city official said Monday.

The fight involved at least six adults during a game for 12-year-olds, and police were still trying to sort out what triggered the brawl and who was involved, KUSA-TV reported.

The defendants insisted they were trying to protect their children from attack.

“It’s really unfortunate for the kids that play,” said police Lt. Tim Gorman. “You’re taking the whole fun part of it out.”

Andrew Lee Carlson, his wife, Shannon Carlson, and Christy Ausmus, a prosecutor contracted by the town of Castle Rock, were charged after the June 26 melee, town spokeswoman Kim Mutchler told The Associated Press.

Shannon Carlson and her son said they were trying to dispute an umpire’s call when the fight erupted, according to a police report. Ausmus and her own son also were at the scene in a pavilion near a ballfield.

The boys got into a dispute, and Ausmus claimed Andrew Carlson attacked her son from behind, put him in a chokehold and punched him. Ausmus said the boy, 16, eventually was hospitalized with a concussion.

“I hit (Carlson) as hard as I could, as many times as I could, to get him off my kid,” Ausmus said. “He suffers constant headaches still from the concussion.”

Carlson insisted he was defending his own 15-year-old son from Ausmus’ son.

“This kid is assaulting my son and I pulled him off,” Carlson said. “Then this lady just started attacking me. She attacked me and started punching me three or four times in the face. Then she went after my wife, punched her, pushed her over a bench.”

“It’s a sad day for youth baseball,” Carlson said.

Castle Rock is about 30 miles south of Denver.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Posted

PHOENIX — The world’s greatest collection of baseball players is supposed to be on the field today in the 82nd All-Star Game at Chase Field, but with the rash of recent dropouts, there might be more stars lying on beaches with their families.

• 

  By Michael Chow, The Arizona Republic

  Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero, right, with Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, replaced injured Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco on the National League All-Star roster.

By Michael Chow, The Arizona Republic

Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero, right, with Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, replaced injured Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco on the National League All-Star roster.

There was more talk during Monday’s workout about the absence of icons Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols than those actually playing, fueling debate about whether baseball needs to re-examine the game process. If it continues to determine home-field advantage in the World Series, shouldn’t the game be decided by the best players?

“An event like this isn’t quite the same when you’re missing a guy like Derek,” said Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, unable to play because of a strained calf. “It’s just weird not having Derek and Albert here. Those two guys have been the face of our game.”

Pujols, a three-time National League MVP, badly wanted to play in the game after coming off the disabled list last week. But NL manager Bruce Bochy said no one told him of Pujols’ wishes, and he had already picked Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero as an injury replacement.

• BLOG: All-Stars set a roster record with 83rd player named

• MORE: Phillies’ Halladay, Angels’ Weaver named All-Star starters

Jeter, who Saturday became the first New York Yankee to reach 3,000 hits, said he needed time off to rest; he returned July 4 from a calf injury. He is one of 16 selected who will not play, with six pitchers disqualified after pitching Sunday.

“I’m disappointed in players, without injury, who would decide not to come,” Diamondbacks President Derrick Hall said. “It’s something, as an industry, that we need to find a solution for.”

It’s unfair and inaccurate, said Michael Weiner, executive director of the players association, to think players are blasé about the game.

“It’s just unfortunate we’ve had guys named to the team that are unable to play,” Weiner said.

Said Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, “Every player wants to be here, so if they’re not, there’s a good reason for it.”

Posted | Updated

Former Bengal shot, killed by police at convenience store

Rams officially staying home for training camp

DRESDEN, Germany — They screamed and hugged.

• 

  By Jens Meyer, AP

  U.S. players celebrate after beating Brazil in a penalty shootout 5-3 in the World Cup quarterfinals on July 10 in Dresden, Germany.

By Jens Meyer, AP

U.S. players celebrate after beating Brazil in a penalty shootout 5-3 in the World Cup quarterfinals on July 10 in Dresden, Germany.

They laughed and cried.

Then they went to a late dinner with family and friends, hit the sack in the wee hours and woke up working on their game faces.

The U.S. women’s soccer players, heroic in an incredible, emotional comeback victory in a World Cup quarterfinal against Brazil on Sunday, were ready to get back to business on Monday.

“We had a great night last night and really reflected on the game and how great it was,” midfielder Heather O’Reilly said. “But this morning, you can already see a different mentality. It’s like, ‘Let’s move on. Let’s get it done.’

“We’re not satisfied at all yet.”

Next up: a semifinal Wednesday against France in Moenchengladbach.

France, ranked seventh in the world, is in the World Cup semifinals for the first time and is led by forwards Marie-Laure Delie and Gaetane Thiney, who have two goals apiece.

What is the likelihood that the U.S. team, coming off such an emotional high and physically demanding effort, will come up flat against France?

“I don’t think there are any fears of that with this group,” O’Reilly said. “I think we’re a lot to deal with right now. I think we’ve got a lot in our corner.”

They do. They have a hot goalkeeper in Hope Solo, a rejuvenated scorer in Abby Wambach and, in their gritty performance against Brazil, another example that they will fight and not give up until the last whistle.

They also have the motivation that Germany and Brazil, their two most feared opponents coming into the tournament, have been eliminated.

But they also know that France has played surprisingly well and that the French women, even though they also had to go to penalty kicks in their quarterfinal victory against England, have one more day to recover than the U.S. team.

Recovery is a sometimes overlooked factor in tournament soccer. For the U.S. players, how they recover Monday and Tuesday is crucial.

“Every hour counts,” O’Reilly said. “But we have a fitness coach (Dawn Scott) who has really encouraged us, even outside the World Cup, about recovery strategies. It’s part of our culture now — ice baths, massage, wearing these very, very, very tight compression pants.

“We’re just doing anything and everything to get our legs back, and it’s been working. I think that showed in the game.”

Added midfielder Carli Lloyd: “We’ll do everything possible to get our legs recovered. It is a little bit of an advantage to France. But they also went into overtime. It’s not really about how many days. It’s about how fast you can recover. I think we are going to recover faster and I think we’ll be ready to go.

“And even if your legs are a little bit tired, you’re just going to dig deeper. We’ll get that rest after the final.”

The Americans, seeking to win their first World Cup since 1999, will be without center back Rachel Buehler against France. She must sit out a game after getting a red card for jostling Marta in the box midway through the second half .

U.S. coach Pia Sundhage can go a couple of different ways with her lineup. One of them would be to move left back Amy LePeilbet to center back, her more natural position, and start Stephanie Cox at left back.

Buehler said she didn’t think she had fouled Marta and was shocked to receive the red card.

“I’ve never been red-carded before,” said Buehler, nicknamed “Buehldozer” for her hard tackles. “I thought it was a fair jostle. I really didn’t think I was doing anything too bad. I thought I was playing fair.”

O’Reilly, one of Buehler’s best friends, said, “I’m bummed for her. But she’s been great. She was so thrilled last night. It will be tough to replace her.”

Posted

PHOENIX (AP) — Keith Carmickle and his friends had already caught three balls during Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby Monday night and wanted more.

• 

  By Michael Chow, AP

  Fans hold the legs of Keith Carmickle as he nearly falls over a railing trying to catch a ball during the MLB Home Run Derby Monday,

By Michael Chow, AP

Fans hold the legs of Keith Carmickle as he nearly falls over a railing trying to catch a ball during the MLB Home Run Derby Monday,

He nearly got a lot more: a headfirst fall to a pool deck about 20 feet below.

Chasing a home run hit by Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder, Carmickle was saved from a long fall when his brother and a friend grabbed him around the legs and arms, then pulled him back as he dangled above the deck area behind the pool in right field at Chase Field.

His near miss came the same day as the memorial service for Shannon Stone, a 39-year-old fan who died last Thursday while trying to catch a ball thrown into the stands at a Texas Rangers home game.

• STORY: Hundreds attend funeral for Texas Rangers fan

• STORY: Is the home run derby a matter of league or national pride?

• BLOG: Robinson Cano outhomers Adrian Gonzalez in Derby finals

“I thought: I’ve lived a good life,” Carmickle said about dangling.

Seated in a small section of seats above the right-field fence, Carmickle, of Kingman, and his group had already grabbed home-run balls by Robinson Cano and Adrian Gonzalez and were looking to add another to their collection when Fielder came up in the second round of the derby.

Trying to snare a towering shot by Fielder, Carmickle stepped up onto a metal table about 18 inches wide and reached down to catch the ball. It hit a wall several feet below Carmickle. His momentum carried him forward, headfirst over a short railing at the back of the table.

Carmickle was headed for a hard landing when his friend, Aaron Nelson, grabbed his legs and his brother, Kraig, grabbed him around the arms. Carmickle dangled briefly over a deck were a couple of cameras were positioned behind Chase Field’s pool before being pulled back up to his seat as the crowd above and below gasped.

“He tried to catch it, I grabbed his legs and his brother grabbed his arms,” said Nelson, who, along with Kraig Carmickle, is from Chandler. “So when he went over the ledge, we pulled him back. He wasn’t going down, I was holding on.”

The Carmickles and Nelson gathered themselves after the near fall and let out a few shouts before breaking into high-fives. They relived the moment with a few of the fans around them, then again as they looked at photos taken by an Arizona Republic photographer, who had shots from behind of Carmickle on the table, then falling.

The trio spoke with security personnel a few minutes later and were allowed to remain in the game, with Carmickle putting his arm around a security guard who told him to be careful before he walked back to his seat.

“I stepped up on the table, I missed the ball by 2 or 3 feet and went over,” he said. “We caught three balls and I told the guys I was going to go for the cycle. Dude, they were really holding onto me.”

Fielder didn’t notice the close call and continued his turn in the derby.

“I didn’t see it,” he said. “We don’t need any of that.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Posted | Updated

The prospect of a revised NFL collective bargaining agreement appears closer to reality as owners and players haggle over the vexing issue of compensation for first-round draft picks. The two sides holed up Monday in New York to expedite resolution of the four-month lockout in order to preserve the 2011 regular season and perhaps the entire preseason.

• 

  By Mark J. Terrill, AP

  Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton could end up with a lot less than last year’s No. 1 pick Sam Bradford, if the rookie wage scale changes.)

By Mark J. Terrill, AP

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton could end up with a lot less than last year’s No. 1 pick Sam Bradford, if the rookie wage scale changes.)

In an ideal scenario, the owners might be able to ratify a deal at their July 21 meeting in Atlanta. That would allow the first preseason game Aug. 7 between the Chicago Bears and the St. Louis Rams to avoid cancellation, in all likelihood.

Negotiations are scheduled to continue this week in an effort to save the entire 2011 season, including each team’s four preseason games. Those games remain important sources of income for owners, representing 20% of ticket revenue.

That a labor agreement could be signed before any games were canceled doesn’t surprise Gary Roberts, dean of sports law at Indiana University.

“This was absolutely predictable,” said Roberts, an NFL Network legal analyst who forecast almost a year ago that the NFL labor tussle would end in August. “Neither side was going to let the season go — everyone is making too much money. It would have been insanity for either side to throw away this $9.5 billion pot. This was a script written a year ago. There is nothing surprising or exciting about any of this.”

While the two factions have not agreed on much since the lockout began in March, they appear to be in accord on one thing — a rookie salary structure that eliminates enormous guaranteed contracts for top draft selections.

A year ago, the Rams gave quarterback Sam Bradford, the No. 1 overall selection, $50 million in guarantees, a record sum. Representatives for the owners and players have exchanged various proposals in hopes of reaching agreement on the rookie pay issue.

One example, according to an ESPN report citing people familiar with the negotiations: A No. 1 overall draft pick would earn $34 million in five years, including a team option for the fifth season. In the current system, that number could be $78 million through six seasons.

This year’s top draft pick, Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, could see a drastic reduction in guaranteed money when he signs with the Carolina Panthers. ESPN reported that the players have agreed to slice rookie money by as much as 50% as long as rookies can become free agents after four seasons. Owners want to wrap up players for five seasons with one exception relating to quarterbacks, the network said.

“There has to be a trade-off if the owners are pushing on (less) guaranteed money,” agent Joe Linta said. “Players need less onerous restrictions on the length of their contracts. The bottom line is that the owners cannot have it both ways.”

ESPN also reported that a document called “The Transition Rules” specifies an orderly procession for teams once the lockout ends. One of the most important provisions is the time frame for making free agents eligible to sign, which the network reported as July 28.

The chief obstacle — division of $9 billion-plus in revenue — appears settled with the sides in virtual agreement on the players receiving 48% of gross proceeds initially.

Posted | Updated

PHOENIX — Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez spent the season’s first half soaking in the nightly sellout crowds at Fenway Park, the incessant buzz walking along Boylston Street and the news media horde almost always awaiting a quick sound bite.

• 

  By Winslow Townson, AP

  Adrian Gonzalez (right) is greeted by David Ortiz after hitting one of his 17 home runs this season.

By Winslow Townson, AP

Adrian Gonzalez (right) is greeted by David Ortiz after hitting one of his 17 home runs this season.

But it wasn’t until he boarded a private flight Sunday night, surrounded by All-Star teammates, that reality smacked Gonzalez across the face.

“I can say things are different now,” Gonzalez says, breaking into a slow grin. “Real different.”

He might have been a perennial All-Star when playing for the San Diego Padres, reaching the game in each of the previous three seasons, but now that Gonzalez has been embraced by the ubiquitous Red Sox nation and is putting up eye-popping numbers, he’s America’s star.

• MORE: All-Star Game starters named

• MORE: Steinbrenner’s death changes the Yankees

• COLUMN: Longing for Ted Williams at the All-Star Game

“He’s on the big stage now,” Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia says, “and everyone in the world is seeing what kind of player he is.”

Gonzalez leads the major leagues with a .354 average, 77 RBI, 29 doubles and 214 total bases. He has amassed 128 hits, the most at the All-Star break by any player in Red Sox history.

Monday, he seized his chance on the national stage, putting on a power clinic in baseball’s Home Run Derby by swatting 30 balls over the Chase Field fence, finishing runner-up to the New York Yankees’ Robinson Cano.

“Everybody is just going crazy over him in Boston,” says Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley, a TBS and New England Sports Network analyst. “I mean, people heard about him in San Diego, but you just didn’t see him. Now that people are seeing him, it’s like, ‘Wow. Where did this guy come from?’”

The Red Sox also have difficulty believing what they’re seeing, as Gonzalez, 29, is helping transform them into the most powerful offensive machine in the game.

“Nobody really paid attention to him until he came over here,” outfielder Josh Reddick says. “I mean, you heard the name but didn’t really know how good he is.

“We sure realize it now. I mean, when he’s at the plate, everybody in the dugout stops and watches him. You figure it’s either going to be a double or a home run. When he makes an out, you’re almost shocked.

“If he had spent his whole career here, he might already have a few MVPs and Triple Crowns.”

Gonzalez has neither — yet. He finished fourth in National League MVP voting last season.

If Gonzalez needed a subtle reminder how his life has changed, he says the journey to Phoenix jolted his senses. He traveled with his wife, Betsy, on a plane chartered by teammates Josh Beckett and David Ortiz. They landed at a private airport in Scottsdale where a stretch limo was waiting to take them to their Biltmore hotel.

“He went from planes, trains, boats and automobiles when he was with the Padres,” says John Boggs, Gonzalez’s agent, “to traveling in luxury. He’s loving it.”

Two years ago, Gonzalez and then-Padres teammate Heath Bell took a circuitous route to St. Louis, site of the All-Star Game. It included a red-eye flight, a three-leg journey through Las Vegas and Indianapolis, a missed connection and a minivan they drove the final 250 miles.

They took turns driving, stopped at Steak ‘n Shake for breakfast and sang to keep awake.

“It was an experience,” Gonzalez says, without the hint of a smile, “to say the least.”

When you play for the powerful Red Sox, those low-budget, coupon-clipping days are over.

“Hey, when you’re hitting .350 in the American League East,” Pedroia says, “they may be bringing the All-Star Game to you.”

Numbers tell the story

The Red Sox envisioned greatness when they sent three top prospects to the Padres for Gonzalez in December, and he agreed to a seven-year, $154 million contract. They haven’t been disappointed.

Over the last four years, he averaged .284, 105 RBI and 311 total bases. He might have those numbers by the end of July.

“I think he’s surprised everybody,” third baseman Kevin Youkilis says. “If anybody would have said, ‘Oh yeah, we expected this out of him,’ you’d be out of your mind. Nobody expected him to hit .350.”

Instead of wilting in the spotlight, playing on one of the biggest stages in America, Gonzalez has thrived.

“In the AL East, if you don’t figure it out quick,” DH Ortiz says, “they’ll eat you up. Well, he’s eating them up. He loves the big stage. And he worries about winning more than anybody I’ve ever seen.

“This is one of the best moves the Red Sox have made in years. This kid is the perfect player to build your organization around. He’s everything you’d want in a ballplayer.

“The only thing I say to him now is, ‘Dude, what took you so long to come over?’”

You hit for big numbers in San Diego, and a nation yawns, most of it asleep by the time the West Coast games end. You put up big numbers in Boston or New York, and you’re immortalized.

“The atmosphere here is so great,” Gonzalez says. “You just feed off that energy in the stadium. There’s such an adrenaline boost.

“But you kind of need that here. The games are 3½ to four hours long. In the National League, the game was over and I was already home.”

Gonzalez keeps his focus

If Gonzalez wanted, he could be the next biggest thing in Boston to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Boggs says his phone rings incessantly with marketing and endorsement opportunities. But except for a doughnut commercial here, a banking and sunglasses sponsorship there, Gonzalez wants nothing to interfere with baseball.

“I just want to show up at the ballpark at the same time every day,” Gonzalez says, “and not be worn down by the off-the-field stuff.”

Gonzalez’s vision is as narrow as the Ted Williams Tunnel. He and Betsy live in a condo within walking distance of Fenway Park, in the heart of Boston. Yet when it comes to sightseeing, Dunkin’ Donuts may be his highlight. He has yet to step into Faneuil Hall or visit Bunker Hill or Paul Revere‘s house — all Revolutionary War landmarks.

“We don’t go out,” he says. “I go from my condo to the ballpark. From the ballpark to my condo. That’s it.”

Gonzalez’s idea of a perfect day is spending the morning with Betsy, attending a chapel worship group in the afternoon, winning the game while going 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI, hitting the weight room and being home for a late-night meal with his wife.

“I’m kind of a simple guy,” he says. “People talk about pressure and those kinds of things or distractions here. That’s not going to happen.

“My focus has always been on God, it’s never been on baseball. Pressure is when your emphasis is on pleasing somebody. My only goal every day is to please God.

“That doesn’t change what team you’re with.”

Yes, but it can change the team, as Gonzalez is proving.

No one has benefited more from Gonzalez’s presence than Ortiz. This is Ortiz’s best season since 2007, when Manny Ramirez was around. Ortiz is hitting .304 with 19 home runs and 53 RBI.

“I love talking to him, just as I did Manny,” Ortiz says. “He’s one of the smartest hitters I’ve ever been around. He has so many thoughts about hitting, it’s ridiculous.”

Says hitting coach Dave Magadan: “He’s very baseball smart, but we’re not asking him to split the atom. We’re just asking him to get big hits in key situations.

“He’s got so much confidence, he’s not afraid of anything.”

Gonzalez, who studies pitchers warming up in the bullpen, scoffs when it comes to the pressure of playing in Boston. He calls the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry little more than media hype. He has 10 RBI at Yankee Stadium this season.

“He was actually much easier to pitch to in San Diego,” says Yankees All-Star catcher Russell Martin, who spent the last five years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. “You just pitched around him, because there was nobody around him. You can’t pitch around him now.”

Says Red Sox pitcher John Lackey: “To me, there was only one way to pitch to Adrian. Look to see who’s in the on-deck circle.”

The only one not in awe is Gonzalez. Ask him about his RBI total, and he says it’s easy when there’s always runners on base. He ignores the fact he’s hitting .369 with runners in scoring position. Bring up the fact he’s running away with the batting title, and he credits his teammates for wearing down pitching staffs and playing home games at Fenway, one of the game’s friendliest hitter parks. He’s hitting .383 at home with a 1.042 OPS (on-base-plus-slugging percentage).

“I told him he’s making a mistake,” Youkilis says. “Everyone’s going to expect him to hit .350 every year. He’s set the bar too high.

“Then again, with the way he’s hitting, maybe we don’t know what that bar is.”

Posted | Updated

In case you missed Joe Flacco’s wedding photos …

World Series of Poker pot still a big one

The NFL lockout has dampened the usual offseason analysis of each team’s comings and goings. But, lockout or not, the league will still be moving on at some point — hopefully in time for the regular season to start on time Sept. 8. And during the labor impasse, USA TODAY will focus back on the field by breaking down the five biggest questions facing each team for the 2011 season.

Up today: The Cleveland Browns.

1. Is QB Colt McCoy the real McCoy?

Don’t judge a book by its cover — or one chapter. Yes, McCoy was intercepted six times in the final two games last season as a rookie. But those two starts were against the Ravens and Steelers, no easy pickings for any quarterback. And there were flashes of promise in the overall body of work in 2010 by McCoy, a third-round draft pick from Texas. In Week 6, he made his NFL debut in a start at Pittsburgh. Though the Browns lost 28-10, McCoy hit 23 of 33 passes for 281 yards with one TD pass and two INTs. He also ran four times for 22 yards. In his next three starts, he threw for only one touchdown. But he had no interceptions as the Browns beat the Saints and Patriots and lost a close one to the Jets. Going into this year’s draft, the Browns originally had the No. 6 pick, but they traded down. When asked before the draft whether Cleveland might pick a quarterback early, GM Tom Heckert didn’t rule it out completely, but he said, “We like Colt McCoy, we really do.” There are things to like about McCoy. Whether the Browns come to love him remains to be seen.

2. How much did the Browns help themselves in the draft?

With the No. 6 pick acquired from the Browns, the Falcons selected WR Julio Jones from Alabama. He may prove a valuable addition to a solid Atlanta team. Certainly, Cleveland could have used a big-play receiver like Jones. But the Browns have many holes to fill. They partially addressed that thanks to the deal. In return for the pick, the Browns got the 27th, 59th and 124th choices in this year’s draft. They’ll also get first- and fourth-round choices from the Falcons in 2012. The Browns later traded pick No. 27 and a third-rounder to the Chiefs to move up to No. 21, where they selected Baylor DT Phil Taylor. He is the kind of run-stopper they will need as they switch from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense. In Round 2, Cleveland got DE Jabaal Sheard from Pitt and WR Greg Little from North Carolina. Sheard could be an instant contributor. But this draft was geared to the long haul and bolstering the roster with the kind of talent it will take to compete in the AFC North. The extra picks from Atlanta next year also will help.

3. Will the lockout hurt the Browns more than other teams?

Drafting players is often called an inexact science. Trying to figure out which teams are going to come out of the lockout most smoothly is at least that. After finishing 5-11 last season under since-deposed Eric Mangini, the Browns are starting over again with another new coach in Pat Shurmur, most recently offensive coordinator of the Rams. The Browns also have a new defensive coordinator in Dick Jauron. Rookie camps, mini-camps and OTAs would have helped. The lockout has eliminated that. Nonetheless, Shurmur may have summed it up when he told a Browns’ fan gathering in May: “What I see is 32 teams playing on a level playing field. Every team is new every year. There’s some established teams that are teaching new systems. There’s established teams that may be breaking in new quarterbacks. There’s going to be learning for everybody.” But the sooner the Browns get on the practice field, the better.

4. Can Cleveland stop the run?

This has been a lingering concern for a team that finished 27th in the league last season in rushing yards allowed. The Browns took a step toward addressing that by acquiring Taylor (6-4, 337 pounds). He will join promising Ahtyba Rubin (6-2, 330) up front. That’s definitely a start in a division where Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincinnati will come after you with the run. Says Heckert: “We really like Phil Taylor, and we think he is a really good football player. He obviously is a huge man, and we think with him and Rubin inside we are going to be tough inside.” Shurmur says there is “absolutely no question” Taylor can start as a rookie. “He’s got size. He can play the run, and he had pass-rush ability inside,” says Shurmur. “When you are putting together a 4-3 line, to have two big bodies like we now have I think is going to be good for us.”

5. How quickly can they become playoff contenders?

The key here is the Browns don’t seem to be going for quick fixes under the direction of team president Mike Holmgren and Heckert. Turnarounds can happen overnight in the NFL, but the Browns know they have to lay the foundation first. That was evident in the way they maneuvered in the draft. They have a quarterback in McCoy who might be the answer. But it will take another season or two to figure that out, and in the always brutal AFC North, the Browns aren’t going to catch up with one draft. Yet they may well have in place a system that will deliver results soon. This season will be a test of whether they are headed in the right direction. That would be a start for a franchise with one postseason trip since it returned to the NFL in 1999.

See photos of: NFL, Cleveland Browns, Mike Holmgren, Colt McCoy

Arizona immigration law met by silence from Major League Baseball

PHOENIX — Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, inundated with letters from immigration support groups, discards them.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, barraged with phone calls and requests for a boycott, ignores them.

Michael Wildes, an immigration attorney, has called for baseball to back immigration rights at the All-Star Game but gets the indifference.

Puente, a human-rights organization, is among the groups scheduled to protest Arizona’s anti-illegal immigration law Tuesday outside Chase Field. Luis Avila, president of Somos America, Arizona’s largest immigrant-rights coalition, has asked players to wear white ribbons in support. Their outcry has been met with silence.

Gonzalez was among several players who attacked Arizona’s immigration initiative, SB 1070, a year ago, saying he would consider boycotting the All-Star Game if it wasn’t moved out of Arizona. Gonzalez, born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, not only plans to play — voted as the American League’s first baseman — but also remain silent on the issue. He told USA TODAY he will decline to answer all questions on the subject in today’s news conference.

“What I said was misinterpreted,” Gonzalez said, “especially the way the question was asked. At the time, I didn’t know much about the law. I still don’t. It’s not something I’m even going to get into.”

The bill makes it a misdemeanor for non-U.S. citizens to be in Arizona without carrying citizenship or immigration papers. Several key passages were struck down in federal court, but critics still say it still encourages profiling.

“I understand this is not a comfortable platform,” Wildes said. “People may resent the political undertones, but …if they speak out, it can have a dramatic effect.”

See photos of: Adrian Gonzalez

Let’s say you’re one of those who wouldn’t jump on soccer’s bandwagon with a bazooka to your head.

• 

  By Jens Meyer, AP

  Abby Wambach wraps an American flag around her after an emotional victory vs. Brazil in the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals on Sunday in Dresden, Germany. The USA won in a penalty-kick shootout.

By Jens Meyer, AP

Abby Wambach wraps an American flag around her after an emotional victory vs. Brazil in the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals on Sunday in Dresden, Germany. The USA won in a penalty-kick shootout.

This one still should have moved you.

Let’s say you think any sport where the referee reaches in the pocket and pulls out a little red or yellow card is silly. And you can’t understand why they put up extra time at the end of each half, but won’t tell anyone exactly how much. And you couldn’t describe the offsides rule if they offered you a bank truck. And there’s still the same old problem of not enough scoring.

This one still should have left you cheering.

Who cared Sunday what the sport was? Remarkable is remarkable, epic is epic.

Great sport is about beating the odds and beating the pressure and beating the clock — then being speechless when it is over, so deep is the emotion. Doesn’t matter if it is done with a bat or a glove or a stick or a hand or a foot.

So here is the women’s U.S. soccer team, turning back Brazil on Sunday in the World Cup quarterfinals on penalty kicks, with the type of drama that can wow a country. Even that part of the country preoccupied with when the lockout might end — either of them.

Whoever’s writing this team’s script deserves a raise.

Take the goalie known for her individualism, named Solo. You couldn’t make that up. More pertinent, when the Brazilians absolutely, positively had to get a ball past her, they couldn’t.

Or the veteran Abby Wambach, who scored in the final seconds of overtime Sunday to save the day and force the penalty kicks. This was burying a three-pointer over LeBron James at the buzzer, homering on a 0-2 pitch in the ninth inning off one of Mariano Rivera‘s best cutters, throwing a Hail Mary pass for a touchdown on the final play against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Plus, nothing makes a victory more telegenic than when it comes after a team has been sucker-punched by luck. This band of Uncle Samettes endured iffy calls and having to play shorthanded for more than 50 minutes. It was as if Brazil was in a perpetual power play.

So the Americans tied the game on their last gasp, and then won the penalty-kick shootout, which is like two goalies having to stand there trading punches, as if they were Ali and Frazier, until one of them finally falls down. Hope Solo was the one left standing.

Many on these shores are not fully on board with the Women’s World Cup, but maybe we can put it in another more appealing way.

This was as close as you can get to an Olympic moment without a flame or flying doves. And we eat up Olympic moments like they were hamburgers.

You know how it has been watching sports lately. One American retreat after another.

Turn on golf, and Europeans are making most of the big birdies.

Turn on tennis, and its Spain or Serbia or Russia or Switzerland.

Turn on the NBA, and the pride of German basketball is holding up the trophy.

Turn on baseball, and it’s Latin America‘s pastime.

We still rule in the hot dog eating contest, but not much else. Pro football, certainly, but they’re not even playing.

So here’s to the women who gave their country a scintillating Sunday, something rare lately. And now they want to finish the job.

In truth, the Americans don’t even have the best storyline going among the final four teams. That would be Japan, as a soccer team tries to help heal a nation shattered by a tsunami.

But when it is time to meet France in Wednesday’s semifinals, the Americans go in as fighters who have already cheated death. We make movies about people like that.

—

Contact Mike Lopresti at mlopresti@gannett.com.

Posted | Updated

PHOENIX – By design, the XM All-Star Futures Game showcases minor league talent on the way to the majors. By nature, some participants are closer to the big leagues than others.

• 

  By Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

  Pinch-hitting for Jason Kipnis, Grant Green hit a fifth-inning double to give the U.S. a 3-0 lead. Green was the recipient of the Larry Doby MVP Award.

By Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

Pinch-hitting for Jason Kipnis, Grant Green hit a fifth-inning double to give the U.S. a 3-0 lead. Green was the recipient of the Larry Doby MVP Award.

Take Cleveland Indians prospect Jason Kipnis, who led off the bottom of the first inning Sunday with a home run, setting the tone in a 6-4 victory for Team U.S.

The Indians have already displayed a willingness to promote from within this season, particularly infielders. Rookie Lonnie Chisenhall is playing third base and second baseman Cord Phelps was returned to the minors July 7 after appearing in 19 games.

That could ultimately open a door for Kipnis, a converted outfielder, who at 5-11, 185 packs a punch. His homer came on a 3-2 pitch against Braves prospect Julio Teheran, who has gone 9-1 with a 1.79 ERA for Class AAA Gwinnett (Ga.) and has already been summoned to make two starts with Atlanta this season.

• BLOG: How the game unfolded

Kipnis, 24, says he doesn’t mind waiting for his chance.

“Those guys (Chisenhall, Phelps) are some of my best friends on the team,” he says. “I’ve been glued to the TV when they’re up to the plate. Whenever (my time) comes, it comes.

“Hopefully the Indians (execs) were watching this one.”

Kipnis, a second-round pick out of Arizona State in 2009 (previously drafted by the Padres), has a reputation for his quick bat and being a good two-strike hitter. He displayed both attributes, pulling his home run to right field. In 83 games for Class AAA Columbus this season, Kipnis has hit .297 with 11 homers and 51 RBI.

The Indians believe they have another up-and-coming talent in left-hander Drew Pomeranz (1.87 ERA in 15 games for Class A Kinston), the fifth overall selection in the 2010 draft. But in a game dominated by the majority of 19 pitchers, Pomeranz had a rough outing, surrendering four runs in two-thirds of an inning.

Ultimately, it was a single by Yankees catching prospect Austin Romine to deliver Tim Beckham, a former first overall draft pick of Tampa Bay, that put Team U.S. ahead to stay in the eighth inning. Beckham doubled home Grant Green (A’s), who opened the inning with a long double to center against Kelvin Herrera (Royals). Nolan Arenado (Rockies) doubled home Romine with an insurance run.

Green was recipient of the game’s Larry Doby MVP Award. Pinch-hitting for Kipnis, he lined a double against Martin Perez (Rangers) to give Team U.S. a 3-0 lead in the fifth.

Posted | Updated

Derek Jeter: A quiet night after a boisterous afternoon

Eighth inning rally lifts U.S. over World in Futures Game

Fox announcer Joe Buck can better appreciate what athletes mean when they say injuries turned out to be a blessing that made them appreciate what they already had.

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  By David Cooper, USA TODAY

  Fox announcer Joe Buck, here prepping for the 2009 All-Star Game in St. Louis, is working his way back after suffering an injury to one of his vocal cords.

By David Cooper, USA TODAY

Fox announcer Joe Buck, here prepping for the 2009 All-Star Game in St. Louis, is working his way back after suffering an injury to one of his vocal cords.

Buck nearly lost his voice and career over the last four months as he fought off a nerve ailment in his left vocal cord.

He has been doing vocal exercises and taking singing lessons as part of his rehab. Although he can’t go off on a call like new Fox colleague Gus Johnson, Buck will call Fox’s telecast of Major League Baseball‘s 82nd All-Star Game on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET).

The telecast will mark 42-year-old Buck’s first big, national event since his illness. The son of legendary St. Louis Cardinals announcer Jack Buck will be in the booth with partner Tim McCarver for a record 13th All-Star Game.

“When you get into it as somebody’s kid, and you’re around it your whole life, it just kind of seems like second nature,” Buck said Sunday. “But when the idea of it is hanging in the balance or you feel like it may be taken away from you, you start thinking, ‘My God, I really do love what I do.’ I’d rather work than not work. I’d rather do a game than not do a game.”

Until a few months ago, Buck led a seemingly charmed life. He started calling Fox’s MLB and NFL games in his mid-20s. He serves as lead play-by-play announcer for Fox’s baseball and football coverage. However, he has had his career disasters. In June 2009, Joe Buck Live premiered on HBO, and comedian Artie Lange proceeded to embarrass Buck, telling him he should not have left the play-by-play arena. Buck couldn’t rein in Lange. HBO dropped the show after three episodes.

But nothing has been like the last few months. The trouble started for Buck after calling Super Bowl XLV. He caught a virus that weakened his left vocal cord. With therapy, Buck’s pipes are back to about 85% to 90%, he told columnist Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Despite a sometimes hoarse voice, he has called eight regional baseball telecasts on Fox this season.

The illness has “made me stronger. And reminded me how much I love what I do,” Buck said.

Meanwhile, Major League Baseball says players will use Twitter to interact directly with fans from the field during ESPN’s telecast of Home Run Derby on Monday (8 p.m. ET).

Among those supposed to tweet: Jose Bautista, David Ortiz and Matt Kemp. They’ll also post video and pictures to MLB.com. Baseball says it’s the first time players will use social media to connect with fans during an MLB event.

Best TV moment: Hands down, the most stirring sports TV of the weekend was ESPN’s telecast of the Women’s World Cup quarterfinal match between the USA and Brazil on Sunday.

The short-handed U.S. team pulled off a stunning comeback from a goal down and won on penalty kicks.

British announcer Ian Darke earned whatever big bucks ESPN is paying him by rising to the occasion with a great call.

Said an excited Darke: “Oh, can you believe this? Abby Wambach has saved the USA’s life in this World Cup!”

Even the great ones repeat themselves. Darke also threw in a “Can you believe this?” during his memorable call of Landon Donovan’s World Cup goal against Algeria last year.

Worst TV moment:CNN covered Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees joining the 3,000-hit club when he bashed a home run Saturday. But CNN confused hits and homers. Its on-screen headline read: “Derek Jeter gets 3,000th homer.”

Spice rack: If true, this could turn out great — or be a disaster. CNBC’s Darren Rovell tweeted Sunday that retired NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal is joining Turner Sports’ TNT.

Network spokesman Jeff Pomeroy said nothing was “in place at this time” about O’Neal joining Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson on Inside the NBA.

But the hire would make sense. O’Neal is the biggest potential TV free agent out there. Better for TNT to grab him before ESPN tries to turn him into the next Sir Charles.

But would the studio be big enough for the egos of both Shaq and Barkley? Stay tuned.

Posted | Updated

Quarterbacks tend to stick together. So maybe it’s no surprise Kurt Warner defended Cowboys QB Tony Romo.

Speaking on NFL Network’s NFL Total Access last week, Warner tried to poke holes in some of the criticism floating around Romo while putting an onus on the Cowboys to do more to help him.

“I think we know the expectation in Dallas every year are to win a championship — that’s the pressure, that’s the expectation within the organization and outside with the fan base. But I think you have to look around the league and you say, ‘OK, if it’s not Tony Romo, who else are you gonna put in his place?’ ” said Warner.

“And I think that’s the big question is that not enough teams (or fans) do that. They just say, ‘Well this guy hasn’t won for us, we’re gonna throw him out, and we’re gonna find somebody else to replace him.’ “

A three-time Pro Bowler, Romo holds several franchise records including most passing yards and TDs in a season. He was recently voted the 72nd-best player (and No. 9 QB) in the league by his peers.

“I believe Tony Romo’s a Top-10 quarterback in this league. I believe he has all the tangibles to be able take that team to the Super Bowl,” Warner added. “I just think they need to figure out the pieces within the organization. You look at them — all kinds of talent — but they haven’t been able to put everything together. And whether that’s leadership, whether that’s continuity, whether that’s some changes that need to take place, I don’t what it is.

“But I don’t believe Tony Romo’s the problem. I think he’s safe in Dallas for a long time to come, and I think he’ll continue to succeed year in and year out because he’s that kind of talent.”

Yet Romo is just 1-3 in playoff starts with the Cowboys, a litmus test that hurts him in a town that reveres Hall of Famers Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman.

“Legends are made in the clutch, which happens to be the postseason. There’s a lot of regular-season warriors that are out there who do a lot of different things — that’s the problem with Tony Romo right now,” said NFLN analyst Jamie Dukes. “Tony Romo has not found a way to be the Tony Romo in the regular season that’s fantastic. But in the clutch, in the playoffs, that’s escaped him so far.”

Romo’s game was also questioned by former Cowboys CB Everson Walls last week on a Dallas radio station.

“In the beginning of his career, the Jessica Simpson crap that came up, it really seemed to affect his game,” said Walls.

“Then afterward, the injuries started to come and then, all of a sudden, there became around the league, this so-called rumor out there that Romo has a lot of tells in his game. He hasn’t been able to remedy those tells in his game.

“That’s when you start to stay, ‘OK, who’s going to be best for the Cowboys? Is it Romo, because of his premature popularity that he has? Or are you going to go with a guy like (backup QB Jon) Kitna?”

See photos of: NFL, Dallas Cowboys, Tony Romo, Kurt Warner

World Series of Poker pot still a big one

Kurt Warner: ‘Tony Romo’s a Top-10 quarterback’ who can win Super Bowl

NFL, NFLPA lawyers to resume CBA negotiations

Live blog: USA beats Brazil in shootout

Is Shaquille O’Neal joining Charles Barkley on TNT?

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Hi Ted.

• 

  AP

  During the 1941 All-Star Game, Ted Williams is greeted at home plate by teammate Joe DiMaggio, left, and coach Marv Shea after hitting a dramatic ninth-inning home run to give the American League a 7-5 victory over the National League at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.

AP

During the 1941 All-Star Game, Ted Williams is greeted at home plate by teammate Joe DiMaggio, left, and coach Marv Shea after hitting a dramatic ninth-inning home run to give the American League a 7-5 victory over the National League at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.

The All-Star Game is just down the road, and when it comes time to name the MVP on Tuesday night, they will hand out the Ted Williams Award. Obviously, you mean a great deal to this shindig, and it seemed a good idea to check how you’re doing.

So here I am, gazing at the slate gray front of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, in a quiet neighborhood of deserted office buildings on a Sunday afternoon. Your bust is in Cooperstown, but your head is in Alcor, maintained, they say, at minus-196 degrees. Since it hit 100 outside this weekend, nice to see someone remaining cool.

Two cars were in the parking lot Sunday, so I guess workers were minding the store, not to mention the liquid nitrogen.

To be frank, this feels rather odd. The ballpark and the hotel are the normal places to spot past greats and recall old times, not hanging around outside a cryonics lab. But since you were frozen or vitrified or whatever they call it — the general idea to preserve your brain until the day medicine can do something about the body — no All-Star journey to Arizona would have been complete without visiting Alcor.

Nice area, by the way. Jeanne’s Slip Covers is right next door, down the street is the Scottsdale airport, and a short drive away are not only a gaggle of golf courses but also a Jack in the Box.

And you know what they say about the three most important things on where to spend vitrification. Location, location, location.

Now, you and 105 other Alcor patients wait for the doctors. But then, don’t we all?

What I’ve really come to say is the All-Star Game misses you. The event has been ailing a little bit with lousy ratings and top names bailing out with injuries. For this one, the most glittering Yankees — Jeter, Rodriguez, Rivera — dropped like leaves off an October tree.

And now they have this rule that prohibits any pitcher who starts Sunday from working on Tuesday, which this year means no Justin Verlander, no Matt Cain, no Cole Hamels. Between all the All-Stars who are playing and all those who aren’t, Tuesday’s introductions might run longer than the game.

You represent another time, and another flavor of All-Star Game. You played in 18 of them, and hit .304 with four home runs. And we both know what happened 70 years ago, don’t we?

In the summer of 1941, with war clouds forming, you electrified the All-Star Game in Detroit with a two-out, three-run homer in the ninth inning to give the American League a 7-5 win. That might remain the most dramatic hit in the history of this get-together, and you did it when you were 23.

The homer came off Claude Passeau, so the gopher ball was thrown by a Cubs pitcher. Some things never change, do they?

Anyway, I found a tape of the homer and you were clapping your hands and dancing around the bases like a giddy kid. I don’t think anyone could say to you now the All-Star Game doesn’t matter.

Of course, they’d have to get past Alcor security to do it.

By the way, you were hitting .405 at the All-Star break in 1941. You finished at .406. Nobody Tuesday will be sniffing that.

Maybe that explains 1999, when the 20th century’s best players were introduced before the All-Star Game in Fenway Park, and you brought the house down when you appeared in a golf cart. The younger players huddled around you, wide-eyed and agog, as if Elvis had suddenly appeared.

The field was full of immortals, but as American League manager Joe Torre said that night, “Ted Williams put the cherry on top.”

So happy anniversary of the big one in ’41. This is Arizona’s first crack as All-Star host — leaving the two Florida teams as the only franchises never to get the game — and a good thing there’s a roof and air conditioning, or else the home run derby would set a record for sweating.

Good to stop by, Ted. Stay cool.

–

Contact Mike Lopresti at mlopresti@gannett.com.

Posted

AUGSBURG, Germany (AP) — Lotta Schelin scored one goal and set up another Sunday as Sweden beat Australia 3-1 to reach the semifinals at the women’s World Cup.

• 

  By John Macdougall, AFP/Getty Images

  Sweden’s striker Lotta Schelin (8) celebrates with her teammates after scoring the team’s third and final goal in a 3-1 quarterfinal win over Australia at the FIFA Women’s World Cup on Sunday.

By John Macdougall, AFP/Getty Images

Sweden’s striker Lotta Schelin (8) celebrates with her teammates after scoring the team’s third and final goal in a 3-1 quarterfinal win over Australia at the FIFA Women’s World Cup on Sunday.

Having set up Therese Sjogran for the opening goal in the 11th minute, Schelin made the match safe in the 52nd to set off the players’ traditional Swedish dancing celebrations.

Schelin capitalized on a poor back pass from Kim Carroll, took one touch past goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri before slotting the ball into the unguarded net.

“There is a fantastic atmosphere in our team and we pulled each other through,” said Schelin, the player of the game.

• PHOTOS: Top images from women’s World Cup

• SCHEDULE: All the Women’s World Cup matchups

The result means Sweden also qualifies for the London Olympics next year.

Sjogran set up Lisa Dahlkvist for Sweden’s second goal in the 16th in front of 24,605 fans, before Ellyse Perry briefly gave Australia hope with a stunning effort in the 40th.

Japan upset host Germany in another quarterfinal and will play Sweden on Wednesday. Brazil plays the United States in Sunday’s other quarterfinal.

“Now we have to concentrate on winning against Japan. We don’t have very good memories of playing against them,” Sweden coach Dennerby said. “Our players will work hard to go one step further.”

Appearing in its first quarterfinal, Australia started cautiously against the 2003 runner-up and was almost caught out when Schelin missed a chance in the sixth minute when she failed to capitalize on a weak back pass from Servet Uzunlar.

Barbieri had to react to punch Sara Thunebro’s cross away from the approaching Schelin shortly afterward, but the Sweden stiker made her mark minutes later.

After great work on the left wing, Schelin took the ball past Perry before cutting it back for Sjogran, who beat Barbieri at the near post.

Sjogran, playing in her 172nd game for Sweden, was blocked from close range minutes later.

Australia threatened only from set pieces and its defense couldn’t deal with the intelligent running and quick passing of the Swedish attack.

Five minutes after the first goal, Dahlkvist rose unopposed to head in Sjogran’s cross from close range.

Josefine Oqvist should have made it 3-0 in the 21st, but she was unable direct Schelin’s cross on target. Schelin then fired over the bar as Sweden continued cutting through the Australian defense.

Australia tried hard to find a response but was let down by the final ball more than once. A free kick in the 32nd came to nothing after Heather Garriock sent a cross to where nobody was waiting.

Caitlin Foord’s persistence earned a corner, however, and when the ball came to Perry on the edge of the area, her shot into the top left corner gave Australia a lifeline before the interval.

Schelin took it away again, taking advantage of a terrible back pass at the second time of asking to make the game safe.

“Unfortunately, we made too many simple mistakes,” Australia coach Tom Sermanni said. “After their last goal it was extremely difficult.”

Despite the setback, Australia tried to rally again — Kyah Simon heading wide, and De Vanna dragging her shot — but it simply didn’t have the quality nor experience to deny Sweden another semifinal appearance.

“We’re very satisfied,” Dennerby said.

————

Lineups:

Sweden: Hedvig Lindahl, Charlotte Rohlin, Annica Svensson (Lina Nilsson, 92), Sara Thunebro, Sara Larsson, Caroline Seger, Therese Sjogran, Lisa Dahlkvist, Lotta Schelin, Josefine Oqvist (Madelaine Edlund, 83), Linda Forsberg (Nilla Fischer, 67).

Australia: Melissa Barbieri, Kim Carroll, Ellyse Perry (Tameka Butt, 59), Elise Kellond-Knight, Servet Uzunlar, Emily Van Egmond (Clare Polkinghorne, 58), Collette McCallum (Sally Shipard, 79), Caitlin Foord, Lisa De Vanna, Kyah Simon.

Referee: Silvia Reyes, Peru.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Posted | Updated

SAINT-FLOUR, France (AP) — Spanish rider Luis Leon Sanchez has won Sunday’s crash-marred ninth stage of the Tour de France after forming part of a long breakaway in the mountains.

• 

  By Laurent Rebours, AP

  Luis-Leon Sanchez of Spain celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the ninth stage of the Tour de France. The stage ran 129 miles starting in Issoire and finishing inSaint-Flour on Sunday.

By Laurent Rebours, AP

Luis-Leon Sanchez of Spain celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the ninth stage of the Tour de France. The stage ran 129 miles starting in Issoire and finishing inSaint-Flour on Sunday.

Frenchman Thomas Voeckler finished second and took the overall race leader’s yellow jersey from Thor Hushovd of Norway.

Veteran Kazakh rider Alexandre Vinokourov abandoned the race after crashing near the halfway point of the 129.2-mile trek from Issoire to Saint-Flour in the Massif Central.

Spanish rider Juan Antonio Flecha was hit by a car late in the stage and took down Dutch rider Johnny Hoogerland with him as he flew sideways off his saddle. Both got up and continued to race.

• PHOTOS: The best images from the 2011 Tour de France

• STORY: Costa wins Stage 8

Defending champion Alberto Contador fell early on, but the Spaniard was unharmed and rode on.

Team Sky rider Juan Antonio Flecha was struck by a car late in Sunday’s ninth stage of the Tour de France, sending the Spaniard flying into Dutch cyclist Johnny Hoogerland and bringing them both down.

Flecha had cuts to his legs and arms but got back on his bike. Hoogerland also remounted his bike and continued racing.

The Tour car was parallel to Flecha before, the driver seemingly misjudging how close it was to the Spaniard and turning into him. He was knocked from his saddle and collided with Hoogerland, who flew into a ditch.

The 33-year-old Flecha’s jersey was shredded on the back and blood dripped from his knee and elbow. Despite the heavy fall, he rode at a decent pace upon resuming racing.

By sheer luck, Hoogerland escaped a potentially horrific injury as he was sent flying narrowly over a barbed wire fence.

The pair had been in a front group of five when the incident happened but both were soon caught by the chasing pack, Hoogerland appearing to have some difficulty as he pedaled.

Earlier Sunday, a mass crash forced Kazakh rider Alexandre Vinokourov out of the race with a suspected broken leg. Defending champion Alberto Contador also crashed, but the Spaniard was unharmed and got back on his bike.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Posted

AUSTIN — Nothing stacked in the USA‘s favor — not home-court advantage, not the superior team on paper, not even the absence of Rafael Nadal— could push the Americans past a deep and dogged Spanish squad in their quarterfinal Davis Cup clash.

• 

  By Eric Gay, AP

  David Ferrer gets a ride as Spain celebrates its victory against the USA in Davis Cup on Sunday in Austin. David Ferrer completes Spain’s victory against the USA with a four-set win vs. Mardy Fish on Sunday in Austin.

By Eric Gay, AP

David Ferrer gets a ride as Spain celebrates its victory against the USA in Davis Cup on Sunday in Austin. David Ferrer completes Spain’s victory against the USA with a four-set win vs. Mardy Fish on Sunday in Austin.

David Ferrer did the serious damage, winning both singles matches, including a marathon 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 7-6 (7-5) defeat of Mardy Fish in Sunday’s reverse singles to give Spain an insurmountable 3-1 lead.

• MORE: Serbia rolls past Sweden

• MORE: Andre Agassi inducted into Hall of fame

At 4 hours, 11 minutes, it was the longest four-set match in Davis Cup history.

“It’s a very special Davis Cup,” said Ferrer shortly after falling on his back when Fish’s final forehand sailed out. “It was a very long match, a very tough match.”

“We had a lot of chances,” said a disappointed U.S Davis Cup captain Jim Courier. “We had a lot of looks. We were ahead in a lot of sets. But that’s never a guarantee against players that are strong and players that are professional. This weekend is a prime example of that. You have to close door on these guys.”

Spain, seeking its third title in four years, had never won a tie on U.S. soil in four previous trips. It now moves on to a home match against France, which defeated Germany 4-1. Defending champion Serbia will face Argentina in the other semifinal in September.

“For us it is like a historic victory,” Spanish captain Albert Costa said on court. “We never won in the States. For us it is a great breakthrough.”

The USA, meantime, had lost only one tie at home since 1999.

The USA had good reason to be appropriately confident coming into the weekend.

The 32-time champions had two top-10 singles players in Fish and Roddick (Nos. 8 and 10) to Spain’s one in No. 6 Ferrer. They had the world’s top-ranked doubles team in Bob and Mike Bryan, who were fresh off their Wimbledon title. They could count on a slick hardcourt tailored to their power games.

This tie also was in Austin native Roddick’s backyard. Fan support was fittingly boisterous in the 16,200-seat Frank Erwin Center on the University of Texas campus.

But history wasn’t on the U.S. side after they fell into a 0-2 hole following singles losses by Fish and Roddick on Friday. Since 1900, when the nation-vs.-nation competition began, the USA had come back once in 37 attempts when trailing 0-2. The 38th did not buck the trend.

“We knew with or without Rafa it was going to be a very tough match,” Courier said of Wimbledon finalist Nadal, who sat out to rest his weary body.

The Bryan brothers, 18-2 in Davis Cup play, kept the USA alive on Saturday with a 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 doubles victory against Marcel Granollers and Fernando Verdasco.

Afterward, Spanish captain Costa said Spain had nothing to prove. But they played like it all three days.

No. 31 Feliciano Lopez, a Wimbledon quarterfinalist enjoying a revival at 29, gutted out a nearly four-hour, five-set win against Fish to open the contest. Ferrer then smothered Roddick in straight sets with his mind-boggling returns and relentless baseline play.

Not that the Americans didn’t have their chances. Roddick and Fish together were up breaks in three of six sets Ferrer won. Both also served for sets at 5-4 only to see Ferrer storm back.

There would be no redemption for Roddick, the “Alpha Dog” and soul of the Davis Cup team who sat out last year’s campaign to rest his body.

When Fish lost, he would have no chance to play hero and improve upon his perfect 12-0 record in clinching matches (in fact, the final “dead” rubber was not played).

“That’s the hardest part for me,” said boyhood friend Fish. “To not deliver and let him take that last match would have been a great ending for the tie.”

The conclusion of the Davis Cup campaign adds sting to what has a frustrating season in which the 28-year-old Roddick has won one minor title at Memphis and failed to advance past the fourth round in any Grand Slam event.

“He’s tired and disappointed would be a good way to describe it, not in that order,” Courier said.

Courier added that he was proud of his team’s effort but gave props to Spain, which came into hostile territory without their top player and emerged with the win.

“Spain is the deepest nation out there in men’s tennis right now,” he said.

Posted | Updated

CINCINNATI (AP) — Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has been arrested in Cincinnati on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

• 

  By Andy Lyons, Getty Images

  Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones, seen here at Bengals training camp in July 2010, was arrested early Sunday morning.

By Andy Lyons, Getty Images

Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones, seen here at Bengals training camp in July 2010, was arrested early Sunday morning.

The 27-year-old Jones was jailed around 3 a.m. Sunday. Cincinnati media outlets reported documents filed in court accuse Jones of being disorderly and shouting profanities in a bar and trying to pull away as officers arrested him.

Jones denied the allegations in an interview with WCPO-TV after leaving jail Sunday.

His career has been marred by off-the-field troubles, including at least six arrests and a dozen instances that involved police intervention.

He signed a two-year deal with Cincinnati in May 2010. He’s been recovering from a neck injury last fall that required surgery, but he was expecting to play this year.

A Bengals spokesman said the team had no comment.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Posted

Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia said he is close to signing a deal with Turkish professional team Besiktas that will allow him to play overseas if the NBA lockout extends into next season.

• 

  By Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images

  Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia spent his teen and early adult years playing in Turkey and has fond memories of the country.

By Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images

Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia spent his teen and early adult years playing in Turkey and has fond memories of the country.

Pachulia, 27, told USA TODAY in a phone interview he expects to finalize the deal early this week. Besiktas is the same team New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams agreed in principle to play for next season, too.

If Williams and Pachulia start the season in Turkey, both would be able to return to their NBA teams if the lockout ends.

Two other players who spent last season in the NBA are headed overseas, too. Forward Darius Songaila, who played in just 10 games with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2010-11, signed a one-year deal with Turkish team Galatasaray.

• MORE: Nets’ Deron Williams may be first star to go abroad

• STORY: What NBA can take from court’s rulings in NFL lockout

Songaila, 33, is an unrestricted NBA free agent and his options in Europe might be better than in the NBA. That is not the case with Sonny Weems, who played in 59 games for the Toronto Raptors last season. He signed a one-year deal with Lithuanian team Zalgiris Kaunas, and Weems does not have an opt-out to return to the NBA if the lockout is resolved.

Weems, 25, is a restricted free agent, and the Raptors have extended a qualifying offer. If Weems stayed in the NBA, the Raptors maintained the right to match any offer from another team and keep Weems, who averaged 9.2 points, 2.6 rebounds 1.8 assists and 23.9 minutes.

With the uncertainty of the NBA lockout, Weems took control of his situation. In an e-mail to USA TODAY, his agent, Roger Montgomery, said Weems’ decision was lockout-motivated.

“We have to utilize our alternatives,” Montgomery said. “And for Weems and probably many more, Europe will be that alternative.”

For Pachulia, a native of the Republic of Georgia, it was a no-brainer. He spent his teen and early adult years playing in Turkey and has fond memories of the country. Pachulia played in his first professional Turkish game when he was 16 years old in 2000 and averaged 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds for Turkish team Ulker in the 2002-2003 season when he 18 and 19.

The Orlando Magic selected him 42nd in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft. He has played at least 59 games in each of his eight NBA seasons and averaged 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds in 2005-2006 and 12.2 points and 6.9 rebounds in 2006-2007 for the Hawks. He averaged 4.4 points and 4.2 rebounds last season.

“Turkey has had a huge impact on my career,” he said. “If not for Turkey, I doubt I could’ve made it in the NBA and wouldn’t be the same player I am now. … Istanbul is one of the best cities in the world.”

Pachulia also said Besiktas will pay for the insurance premium on his NBA contract.

Two factors were behind Pachulia’s decision to play in Turkey if the NBA lockout extends into October. The Turkish Basketball League begins in mid-October.

“Both are equal reasons,” he said. “First thing, I love the game of basketball. I don’t want to wait until the lockout ends. … Another thing is the financial situation.

“I’m just excited to join the team, for I don’t know how long. But whatever it’s going to be or it’s going to take, I’ll be there doing my best to help the team and help myself, as well, and help” Williams.

Pachulia said he has not spoken with Williams.

“I know him from the court and am excited to meet him personally,” he said.

Posted | Updated

NEW YORK (AP) — A rookie wage scale and free agency for veterans appear to be the biggest stumbling blocks to ending the NFL lockout.

• 

  By Paul Sancya, AP

  One of the key sticking points left in NFL CBA negotiations is how much rookies, like Lions’ first-round pick Nick Fairley, seen here with team general manager Martin Mayhew, left, and head coach Jim Schwartz in April, will get paid.

By Paul Sancya, AP

One of the key sticking points left in NFL CBA negotiations is how much rookies, like Lions’ first-round pick Nick Fairley, seen here with team general manager Martin Mayhew, left, and head coach Jim Schwartz in April, will get paid.

Several people with knowledge of the talks tell The Associated Press that such key issues as splitting total revenues — the major reason for the dispute — the salary cap, fewer offseason workouts and the length of a new collective bargaining agreement are close to being completed.

The people spoke anonymously because details are supposed to remain private.

Owners and players are preparing to meet again this week after two days of long negotiations last week. The sticky topics include limits on rookie salaries and signing bonuses. Another is the number of transition tags for free agents, with right of first refusal.

• MORE: NFL labor talks break with ‘almost no progress’ made

With training camps scheduled to open in less than two weeks for some teams, time is growing short to reach an agreement to end the nearly four-month lockout without a disruption to the preseason. With court-appointed mediator Arthur Boylan on vacation this week, the two sides plan to negotiate in New York, where last Friday talks were slowed by differences over the rookie wage scale and guidelines for unrestricted free agents.

NFL owners have long sought to restrict the huge bonuses and salaries paid to unproven rookies, particularly those selected high in the draft. Quarterback Sam Bradford, the 2010 top overall pick by St. Louis, signed a six-year, $78 million contract that included a record $50 million in guaranteed money.

The NFLPA insists that money diverted from the rookies go to veteran players; some also would go for retired players’ benefits. The main disagreement right now is how deep into the first round the rookie wage scale would apply, perhaps eight picks, perhaps twice that many. Some owners also are seeking longer contracts for rookies.

In addition, the owners are pushing for more restrictions in free agency, which the players “vehemently oppose,” one of the people familiar with the negotiations said.

“Maybe for one year there might be an extended right of first refusal as a compromise,” the person said.

Would either side hold up a deal over that, especially with the possibility of lost exhibition games no longer remote? NFL revenues would be reduced by upward of $60 million for one weekend of canceled preseason games. The first full weekend of exhibition play is Aug. 11-15; the Hall of Fame game between the Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams is Aug. 7 in Canton, Ohio.

Who pays how much to a so-called “legacy fund” to help retired players has become somewhat contentious. Originally, the funding was to be 50-50 between the owners and the players. There has been no agreement yet on that breakdown.

Whenever a deal is struck, it will be anywhere from six to 10 years. It also will include mechanisms for ending the CBA early, as happened with the 2006 agreement that the owners opted out of in 2008, leading to no salary cap in 2010 and, ultimately, to the lockout.

A topic on which there remains little disagreement is the salary cap. Some owners are not thrilled with a salary floor that requires teams spend up to 90 percent of the cap in cash on players’ salaries each year, but that is not expected to be a significant hurdle.

Players would receive around 48 percent of all league revenues, which reached $9.3 billion last year, and the owners have dropped their demand for money off the top before splitting income with the players. There still will be some stadium credits for teams that recently financed new homes or are planning to do so.

An 18-game regular season still is favored by the owners, but has been set aside for now.

Reducing offseason workouts and minicamps, and the parameters for drug testing are close to being resolved and not seen as major roadblocks.

Boylan has ordered the two sides to meet before him in Minneapolis on July 19. He also made it clear that both sides should continue their own sessions in the interim “in an effort to define and narrow the differences between their respective settlement positions.”

He also ordered lawyers from both sides to be ready to meet with him on the evening of July 18 for an “in-person agenda-setting session” that presumably would set the stage for productive talks the following day.

The owners have a labor meeting scheduled for July 21 in Atlanta.

———

AP Sports Writer Jon Krawczynski contributed to this story.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Posted

DRESDEN, Germany — The final seconds of this marathon World Cup quarterfinal were ticking away — maybe 60 or so left.

• 

  By Petr David Josek, AP

  U.S. players celebrate after winning a penalty kick shootout against Brazil at the World Cup quarterfinals in Dresden on July 10.

By Petr David Josek, AP

U.S. players celebrate after winning a penalty kick shootout against Brazil at the World Cup quarterfinals in Dresden on July 10.

Crafty and dazzling one moment, emotional and unpredictable the next, Brazil led the U.S. team 2-1 in the second minute of stoppage time after 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime.

For the Americans, who were playing 10 against 11 because of a red card given to defender Rachel Buehler in the 65th minute, their earliest World Cup exit seemed imminent.

There just simply did not seem to be any way for the U.S. to win.

There turned out to be two.

•Way No. 1 — A long cross from sub Megan Rapinoe to Abby Wambach, soccer’s Queen of Midair, who headed it into the net in the 122nd minute.

Wambach has been in the worst slump of her career, having scored one goal coming into the tournament and going scoreless despite several chances in the first two Cup games. Then she knocked one in off her shoulder in a 2-1 loss to Sweden on Wednesday.

And now … she’s not in a slump any more. This will go down as one of the most spectacular goals in women’s soccer history.

“To be honest,” Wambach said, “I can’t believe what just happened. These last three hours have been some of the most up-and-down moments of my life.”

The pass from Rapinoe, according to Wambach, should also become legendary. “That was by far the best ball in the tournament,” Wambach said of Rapinoe’s cross. “That ball was world class. She put that ball right on my head. Luckily, I didn’t miss it.”

Rapinoe had subbed in for Lauren Cheney in the 55th minute. She once again showed why she has been one of the most dynamic players in the tournament.

“I don’t think I’ve ever hit a ball like that with my left foot,” Rapinoe said.

•Way No. 2 — A save by U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo on Brazil’s third kicker in the penalty-kick shootout — Daiane. Solo, four years ago, was benched in a Cup semifinal against Brazil and the Americans lost 4-0.

After the match, she ripped coach Greg Ryan for the decision and veteran Briana Scurry for allowing goals she said she would have saved.

Sunday, finally getting her World Cup start against Brazil, she was a hero.

The first two shooters for Brazil, Cristiane and Marta, made their kicks.

“I didn’t really try to read them,” Solo said. “I had in my head where I thought they’d go.”

Then sweeper Daiane, who had spent the day mostly deep on defense, addressed the ball.

Solo decided to try to read and react. She lunged to her right and got her right hand on the ball.

The Americans made all their kicks, so Solo’s save turned out to be the decider.

“Amazing,” said defender Christie Rampone, playing in her fourth World Cup. “Best goalkeeper in the world.”

U.S. coach Pia Sundhage helped heal relationships between Solo and her teammates when she was hired after the 2007 World Cup. She also has stuck with Wambach through the slump.

Sundhage was deeply moved by what she saw Sunday. “I come from Sweden,” she said. “This American attitude of putting everything together and bringing out the best in everybody is contagious. I am very proud to be the coach of this U.S. team.”

The Americans’ ability to compete with Marta, Cristiane and Co. despite being a player short was impressive. In fact, their play seemed to pick up when Buehler was sent off. Rampone organized a brilliant effort by the defenders, including a resurgent performance by left back Amy LePeilbet, and veteran Shannon Boxx was a rock in the midfield.

“Marta is the best player in the world, hands down,” Sundhage said. “She is phenomenal. However, this team is better than one player.”

Marta scored both Brazilian goals, one on a controversial penalty kick re-try in the 68th minute. The first penalty kick, by Cristiane, was saved by Solo, but Solo was ruled to have come off the line, giving Brazil a second chance. Marta’s second goal came on a masterful, soft-touch shot in the second minute of overtime.

As she has been in the previous matches in Germany, Marta was booed by German fans. “I don’t know why,” Brazilian coach Kleiton Lima said. “Probably because she is not German.”

Posted | Updated

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees spent Saturday celebrating one of the greatest feats in their legendary history, but as the euphoria fades the bottom line becomes the bottom line: another profitable business day for the wealthiest pro sports franchise in North America.

• 

  By Stephen Dunn, Getty Images

  General Manager Brian Cashman has been the driving force behind most of the Yankees moves, especially after George Steinbrenner gave him more power to make decision in 2008. However, Cashman says ”I’m not afraid to go somewhere else,” when asked about his future.

By Stephen Dunn, Getty Images

General Manager Brian Cashman has been the driving force behind most of the Yankees moves, especially after George Steinbrenner gave him more power to make decision in 2008. However, Cashman says ”I’m not afraid to go somewhere else,” when asked about his future.

The emotions flooded Yankee Stadium when Derek Jeter became the first player in franchise history to collect 3,000 hits, doing so with a home run in front of a crazed sellout crowd. Yet, something — or make that somebody — was missing.

George Steinbrenner, who died a year ago Wednesday on the morning of the All-Star Game, would have tearfully embraced the moment as well as Jeter. Instead there were no signs of the Steinbrenner family. George’s sons, Hal and Hank, may have assumed their father’s role, but unlike the “Boss,” they faded into the background on this momentous day. Hal, the managing general partner and co-chairperson, issued a congratulatory statement.

Although George Steinbrenner, who bought the team in 1973, had gradually stepped away from the heavy lifting of the Yankees in the years before his death, there has been a distinct change in the feel and operation of the franchise in the past year.

• MORE: Is Jeter the greatest Yankee?

• MORE: A-Rod opts for surgery

“It’s a lot more businesslike today,” says Yankees DH Jorge Posada, who along with Mariano Rivera and Jeter are the last remaining members of the World Series championship run that started in 1996. “I know baseball has changed a lot, but it’s especially changed here.

“I will always remember the way it was here when (Steinbrenner) was alive. The things he did for a lot of the players, the things he did behind closed doors … well, you just don’t see that now.”

The change became evident last winter when the Yankees made contract negotiations with Jeter public, even daring the team’s captain to shop for a better deal. Six weeks later, general manager Brian Cashman took the unusual step of revealing that Hal Steinbrenner had overruled him in signing free-agent reliever Rafael Soriano. And then in May, Cashman embarrassed Posada when he told a national television audience that the 15-year veteran had begged out of the lineup.

“Certainly, his presence is missed,” Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, senior advisor for the Yankees, says of Steinbrenner. “His presence added a fiber and strength and confidence that we all relied on. He made a significant difference. I don’t know if that will ever be replaced.

“The wealth of the franchise, the value of the franchise, had been much greater the last couple of years, and that’s a tribute to the leadership. The (Steinbrenner) boys are committed as strong as ever to the excellence of the franchise.”

And yet …

“If there’s a complaint of some kind,” Jackson says, “maybe (it’s) the personal relationships of some of those players. That has definitely changed.”

Cashman’s future unclear

Cashman, the first GM to win four World Series championships since Buzzie Bavasi 50 years ago with the Dodgers, epitomizes that change.

Cashman has been with the Yankees for 25 years, starting as an intern in 1986 and becoming GM in 1998. But he has never been so bold and candid in his assessments. He treated Jeter in contract talks as if the shortstop was a washed-up employee negotiating a severance package. It wasn’t about what Jeter had accomplished, rather what he could do in the future at 36.

“If I’m going to be honest with you,” Jeter said at the news conference announcing his three-year, $51 million contract, “I was angry about it. The negotiations were supposed to be private.”

Also last winter, Posada was told he could become a full-time DH after catching more than 1,500 games for the Yankees since 1995. When Posada, 39, was hitting .165 on May 14, the team moved him to No. 9 in the lineup and he asked to sit vs. the Boston Red Sox. Cashman said in a TV interview during the game that Posada wanted out because of the demotion, but Posada angrily denied it, saying he just needed to clear his head.

Jeter and Posada may be two of the Yankees’ greatest stars, and along with Rivera their three most popular players, but it’s as if Cashman can’t wait to prove they can win without them. Posada will almost definitely not be re-signed after the season. Jeter’s remaining two seasons could be uncomfortable if his production continues to wane. And Rivera is still an elite closer, but at 41 and with another season remaining on his contract his time may be short.

However, each could outlast Cashman. His contract expires Nov. 1 and given the recent events it wouldn’t be a surprise if he doesn’t return. There could be attractive job openings with teams such as the Chicago Cubs or Detroit Tigers, or an opportunity to latch on as TV analyst

“Sometimes I’m burned out, sometimes I’m enjoying it,” Cashman says. “It’s a job. But it’s a job I do like. I mean, right now, if I could be in a boat, drinking a Pina Colada out on Long Island Sound, I might prefer that. Since I don’t have a boat, this is second to none.”

Yet, he sounds open to leaving when asked about his future.

“I’ve got the greatest job I’ll probably ever have,” Cashman says. “There are a lot of reasons to stay, and a lot of things hard to walk away from. But I’m not afraid to go somewhere else, let’s put it that way.”

If Cashman were to bolt, it would severe another tie to the recent glory years and somebody schooled in the ways of George Steinbrenner.

Then again, Cashman was set to walk after his contract expired in 2008. He returned only after Steinbrenner agreed to give him more authority as well as a three-year, $6 million contract. But there have been times when that authority has been tested or usurped, most recently with the signing of Soriano to a three-year, $35 million contract.

The Yankees ownership, as well as president Randy Levine, thought it was worth surrendering a first round pick in compensation to get Soriano and fortify the bullpen. They celebrated the signing at the news conference, that is until Cashman said he vehemently opposed the move.

“If you go back, and look at George’s history, it’s clear that despite what people might have said, he didn’t really like ‘yes’ men,” Levine says. “He really liked when people spoke their mind. He encouraged debate.

“The Boss’ mandate is that the Yankees should be the best of all time. … That philosophy is exactly the same.”

Maintaining a winning foundation

Cashman, who says he sensed the Yankees were on the verge of another World Series title when he stayed after the 2008 season, believes the organization has never been in better shape since his arrival.

The Yankees draw nearly 45,00 fans a game. They play in a state-of-the-art stadium. They own their TV network.

And, of course, they win. They have reached the postseason every year but one since the 1994 strike, winning five World Series titles, including in 2009, and seven AL pennants.

This year they are 53-35 with the third-best record in baseball, yet they trail the Red Sox by one game in the AL East.

They’re also showing signs of age. Alex Rodriguez, 35, is scheduled to undergo knee surgery today that will sideline him for 4-6 weeks, and Rivera and Jeter are missing the All-Star Game with nagging injuries.

“Every time I hear someone say they’re old, I just laugh,” says Jim Bowden, former GM of the Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds who worked in the Yankees front office in 1989. “The shrewd moves (Cashman) makes are not getting enough love. When Cashman ended up getting more power, he was able to do the things the way he felt they had to be done.

“He decided, and convinced other people in the organization, they’re going to spend on players (strong on offense and defense). He focused on guys still in their 20s when he got them.”

Cashman signed ace CC Sabathia, now 30, and power-hitting first baseman Mark Teixeira, 31. He brought second baseman Robinson Cano through the farm system. He traded for center fielder Curtis Granderson. And there could be other talented youngsters on the way, with a farm system that is ranked among the top five, according to Baseball America.

Cashman says the Yankees are built for now and the future, even if he’s not around to see it.

“(Steinbrenner) changed an entire community,” Cashman says. “

He created an entire culture of Yankee fans that expect nothing but victory at all times, with no excuses. You better win now, because there’s no tolerance for anything but winning.

“So, in those terms, nothing has changed whatsoever.

“We’ve done the job. Now it’s our job to keep trying to find higher ground.”

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AUSTIN (AP) — Brothers Bob and Mike Bryan earned the United States its first point in the Davis Cup quarterfinal against Spain, keeping the Americans alive with a doubles victory over Marcel Granollers and Fernando Verdasco.

• 

  By Eric Gay, AP

  Bob Bryan, left and Mike Bryan of the USA swing at an overhead ball against Fernando Verdasco and Marcel Granollers of Spain during the Davis Cup quarterfinals Saturday in Austin.

By Eric Gay, AP

Bob Bryan, left and Mike Bryan of the USA swing at an overhead ball against Fernando Verdasco and Marcel Granollers of Spain during the Davis Cup quarterfinals Saturday in Austin.

The No. 1 doubles team in the world dropped the first set before earning a 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory on Saturday.

• MORE: Spain takes control on Day 1

• PHOTOS: A look back at past Davis Cups

Granollers and Verdasco were playing their first doubles match together. Granollers was a substitute for Feliciano Lopez, who won a four-hour singles match over Mardy Fish on Friday.

Spain leads the Americans 2-1 heading into Sunday’s singles matches pitting David Ferrer against Fish and Lopez against Andy Roddick.

The U.S. is 1-36 in Davis Cup history when falling behind 0-2. The only time the U.S. rallied to win was 1934 against Australia in London.

The pro-American crowd was eager for a United States victory after the two singles losses Friday night and erupted in chants of “U-S-A!” throughout the doubles match.

The Spaniards caught the world’s No. 1 doubles team by surprise by winning the first set. The Bryans then broke serve in the first game of the second set to get the home crowd roaring.

The Bryans ended the match with their trademark chest bump to send the Americans into Sunday with a fighting chance to advance to the semifinals.

Spain, which is playing without world No. 2 Rafael Nadal, is seeking its third Davis Cup championship in four years.

In other Davis Cup play Saturday, France secured a spot in the semifinals when Michael Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga swept the doubles in straight sets to give their team an unassailable 3-0 lead over Germany in Stuttgart. France will play either Spain or the United States. France lost to Serbia in last year’s final.

Argentina wrapped up a 5-0 victory over Kazakhstan with Juan Ignacio Chela and Juan Monaco winning their singles matches in Buenos Aires. Chela defeated Evgeny Korolev 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, and Monaco won over Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4, 6-1.

Argentina will face either Sweden or Serbia in the semifinals. Argentina has never won the Davis Cup and has finished second three times: 1981, 2006 and 2008.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Reds manager Dusty Baker had a simple message for his players before they faced the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night: Stay positive and good luck will come our way.

• 

  By Jeffrey Phelps, AP

  Jay Bruce’s 21st home run of the season sparked a five-run 10th inning as the Reds defeated their NL Central rivals, the Brewers, 8-4, on Saturday.

By Jeffrey Phelps, AP

Jay Bruce’s 21st home run of the season sparked a five-run 10th inning as the Reds defeated their NL Central rivals, the Brewers, 8-4, on Saturday.

It didn’t take very long for Baker’s words to resonate with his frustrated team.

Jay Bruce sparked Cincinnati’s five-run 10th inning with a leadoff homer and the Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-4 after the defending NL Central champions cleared the air during a pregame team meeting.

“Team meetings, they help and they’re not always negative. Today was just kind of a meeting of reinforcement, reiteration that we do have the talent to win here,” Bruce said. “You have to think like you’re a winner. Some stuff hasn’t gone our way lately, and that’s OK, that’s OK. That’s baseball.”

• BOX SCORE: Reds 8, Brewers 4

The Reds, who also got an early home run from Ramon Hernandez, had lost six of eight to fall a season-worst two games under .500 and appeared to be in trouble several times in this one.

But Bruce hit a towering drive to right against Marco Estrada (2-6) for his 21st homer, and the Reds tacked on four more runs while sending 10 men to the plate.

Milwaukee was again without Ryan Braun and blew a big opportunity in the ninth.

“We just have to put this one behind us and move on,” catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. “It was a tough loss.”

Before the game, Baker called for a meeting and wouldn’t say what he planned to discuss, but afterward called it a good reminder that the Reds are in the thick of the NL Central even after a bumpy stretch.

“I told my guys, you’ve got to think positive, think lucky and keep thinking positive and lucky and good things will happen,” Baker said. “When the team’s not going good, you just try to make it short and sweet.”

It didn’t appear that much had changed until Bruce belted his third homer in four games. After losing consecutive one-run games, everyone else got involved in Cincinnati’s offensive outburst, too.

“Dusty’s competitive. Obviously he wants to win and he wanted to remind us we have two games left, let’s not sleep into the All-Star break here,” Scott Rolen said. “We can make up a little ground right now.”

The Reds are three games behind the Brewers and Cardinals for first place in the NL Central.

Rolen doubled after Bruce’s homer and moved to third on Edgar Renteria’s sacrifice. Hernandez then hit an RBI single, and Miguel Cairo, Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips each drove in a run later in the inning.

The outburst came after a tense ninth when reliever Logan Ondrusek gave up a leadoff single to Rickie Weeks before leaving for Bill Bray.

Bray (2-1) immediately threw errantly to first, allowing Weeks to advance to second. Nyjer Morgan struck out on a sacrifice attempt, slamming his helmet in frustration in the dugout after it rolled foul. Corey Hart followed with a fly ball that would’ve been plenty for a sacrifice fly, but instead only moved Weeks to third.

After Bray walked Prince Fielder, he got Mark Kotsay, Friday night’s hero, to pop out harmlessly.

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke spoke with Morgan briefly after the game.

“I have to keep my head up. I was a little frustrated there that I didn’t get the job done,” Morgan said. “I was hoping my boys behind me were going to pick me up and we were going to win it right there. It was just one of those things where the kid didn’t get the bunt down and, you know. It was just that one run.”

Reds closer Francisco Cordero gave up a run in the 10th after allowing three the night before, but managed to close it out.

Braun missed his seventh straight game with a strained left calf and will not play in Tuesday’s All-Star game. Scott Rolen was added to the NL squad during the game as a replacement for Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones and will join teammates Bruce, Votto and Phillips in Arizona.

“It’s an honor. Chipper’s so old, they upgraded in age and youth,” said the 36-year-old Rolen, who plans to pick up his children before heading to Phoenix. “My daughter cried the first time. She didn’t think I’d come home for the All-Star break.”

For the third straight game, the teams swapped leads back-and-forth in the early innings.

Milwaukee went up 2-0 in the first on singles by Hart and Kotsay. The Reds took a 3-2 lead in the second on Fred Lewis‘ double and Hernandez’s two-run homer to straightaway center field. Milwaukee tied it in the bottom of the second on Shaun Marcum‘s suicide squeeze.

The Reds left 12 runners on base as a team, with Rolen failing with nine runners on base in his first four at-bats.

“I left a small village on base, not through lack of effort. Things weren’t going my way,” Rolen said. “Jay leads off with a home run and everybody started putting some good at-bats together.”

NOTES: The teams wore replica uniforms as part of Milwaukee’s sixth annual Negro Leagues tribute with the Brewers representing the 1923 Milwaukee Bears and the Reds honoring the 1936-37 Cincinnati Tigers. … Kotsay has an eight-game hitting streak. … The Reds will start LHP Dontrelle Willis on Sunday. Willis had been 5-2 with a 2.63 ERA in 13 starts at Louisville this year, but hasn’t pitched in the majors in more than a year … Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen is replacing Braun on the NL All-Star roster.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Steve Stricker stood in the bunker left of the first fairway, eyed his ball in the rough on the edge of the trap, then looked at the flag 122 yards away.

• 

  By Michael Cohen, Getty Images

  Steve Stricker hits his drive on the second hole during the third round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run on Saturday in Silvis, Ill.

By Michael Cohen, Getty Images

Steve Stricker hits his drive on the second hole during the third round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run on Saturday in Silvis, Ill.

If it felt like he’d been in that position before, well, that’s because he had.

• RESULTS: John Deere Classic leaderboard

• MORE: Scottish Open shortened to 54 holes

“I had that same stance in my pro-am,” he said. “Same bunker, same exact shot. I was right in the same spot.”

All he wanted to do was get the ball on the green, which he did. And then came the shot of the day, a 75-foot putt for birdie that led to an 8-under-par 63 Saturday and a two-stroke lead after three rounds of the John Deere Classic.

“I was just trying to get a two-putt and par and move on,” Stricker said. “To make a put like that, you don’t expect to, nor are the odds in your favor to make a putt like that. But it went in with perfect speed and it got me going.”

Stricker fashioned his best round of the year while closing in on his third straight victory in the tournament. He’s at 20-under 193 following a par on save on 18, where he twice hit into bunkers before drilling a 15-foot putt.

That put Stricker in a good spot because he’s won the last four times he held the outright lead going into the final round. Stricker said he often hears stats like that, but insisted he doesn’t remember them.

“I don’t put a lot of stock in numbers past, present, whatever,” he said. “I just try to go out there and do the things that I’m capable of doing. You’ve just got to stick to your own game and that’s what I’ve been able to do the last four or five years.”

Zimbabwean Brendon de Jonge is alone in second at 195 after matching Stricker’s 63. Second-round leader Chez Reavie, who started the day two strokes up on Stricker, shot 68 and was 17 under, one ahead of Kyle Stanley (65).

With one more solid round, Stricker would join an elite group. Only 20 times previously on the tour has someone won a tournament three years in a row, a list that includes Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Johnny Miller,

Woods has done it six times and was the most recent to accomplish the feat, winning the Bridgestone Invitational in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

“I haven’t really given it much thought, but it would mean a lot,” Stricker said. “It’s hard enough to win an event three times, let alone three in a row. So it will be tough. I’ve got to fight through nerves, but it would be special to be part of that list.”

As he has done so often recently at TPC Deere Run, Stricker made it look easy, even after getting into immediate trouble with that opening tee shot. He took a baseball-type swing to get out of the rough and hit a line drive that stopped on the front part of the green, where the pin was in to the right and in the back.

Then he stepped up and knocked his putt in, the ball rolling uphill, topping a crest and carrying back down into the center of the cup.

Stricker raised both arms in celebration, then smiled at playing partner Jhonattan Vegas and shrugged as if to say, “When you’re hot, you’re hot.”

“At first, I thought I hit it too hard and then it looked like it was going to be good to tap in (for par),” he said. “And then it just went right in the last couple of feet.”

Stricker moved into the lead with a 14-foot birdie putt on No. 7 as Reavie made bogey at 6. When Reavie bogeyed 8, he suddenly found himself four strokes behind — a six-shot reversal in about 90 minutes.

De Jonge, meanwhile, kept making birdies to keep Stricker from running away with the lead.

“I got off to a great start today, which was the key to set up the round,” de Jonge said. “I think tomorrow’s going to be more of the same. You’re going to have to make a bunch of birdies. The golf course is in such good condition, the ball’s going so far, that you get a lot of wedges in your hands.”

Stricker birdied six of his first 10 holes before turning more humanlike down the stretch and making only two more birdies the rest of the way. But on this warm, breezy Midwestern day, no one was sharp enough to catch him, though for a few minutes at the end it looked as though his lead would drop to one.

His tee shot found a bunker left of the fairway and his second shot landed in a bunker in front of the green. He got the ball up to within 15 feet, not an easy putt by any means, but he knocked it in.

“That was a good save to kind of keep the momentum going into tomorrow,” he said.

De Jonge kept himself in position for his first tour victory if Stricker should falter on Sunday. He matched Stricker’s 30 on the front nine, then had his momentum blunted slightly when he bogeyed 13 after missing a 10-footer for par.

But he came back with a nifty chip from the fringe on 14 to set up a 2-foot birdie putt and capped his round with an approach from 163 yards to 11 feet for a birdie on 18.

De Jonge also was in contention going into the final round of the Transitions Championship, where he was just one stroke off the lead. But he shot a final round 73 to slip into a tie for fifth.

He seemed undaunted about facing down Stricker in the final round of this one.

“I think anybody’s got a chance that’s within a couple,” de Jonge said. “Obviously you’re going to have to play a good round of golf. But yeah, I think everybody feels like they’ve got a chance.”

Reavie looked positively Stricker-like while shooting a 62 on Friday, but the putting stroke that made him so effective in that round deserted him. He played the front nine at 1 over before scrambling back with consecutive birdies on 13, 14 and 15.

Steve Marino had an even tougher day after starting just two off the lead. Playing with Reavie in the final twosome, Marino missed a couple of makeable birdie putts early, then had three bogeys in a four-hole stretch late in the round to finish with a 2-over 73 that left him 10 under for the tournament.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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