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Page 6 • The News-Banner • TUESDAY, JULY 2, 2013 Pacers make offer to Hansbrough Draft pick Solomon Hill introduced to media By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers definitely want David West back next season. They’d also like to keep Tyler Hansbrough, if they can afford it. On the first official day of Larry Bird’s second reign as president of basketball operations, he reiterated that the top offseason priority is re-signing West. He also said the Pacers had extended a qualifying offer to Hansbrough, a backup forward who was one of their more productive bench players last season. By offering Hansbrough roughly $4.15 million, it makes him a restricted free agent and gives the Pacers the right to match any offer he finds on the open market. There is a caveat. “We have a budget and we’re not going to go over the (luxury) tax for any reason,” Bird said. “David is our No. 1 guy.” It’s been a busy week for the Hall of Famer. On Wednesday, the Pacers announced Bird was coming back after taking a one-year hiatus to tend to health issues. On Thursday, he was re-introduced to the local media in his home state and then stuck around the team’s draft room to discuss what Indiana should do with its two draft picks. Indiana pulled a first-round shocker by taking 6-foot-7 forward Solomon Hill, then traded their second-round pick, Colton Iverson, to Boston for cash. Team officials said they’re convinced they made the right pick, even if the analysts panned it, because other teams showed immediate interest in trading for Hill. Before free agency opened Monday, the Pacers opted to make the offer to Hansbrough. One thing is clear. This is not an Signs of change popping up around Butler By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer LONDON (AP) — Less drama and more finesse did the trick for Sabine Lisicki, who backed up her victory over Serena Williams by topping Kaia Kanepi 6-3, 6-3 on Tuesday to advance to her second career Wimbledon semifinal. The 23rd-seeded Lisicki, who matched Williams’ power in her stunning victory Monday over the world’s No. 1 organization that intends to stand pat after winning the Central Division title and pushing Miami to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals. “We have to do what we can to have a better bench,” Bird said as coach Frank Vogel sat just a few feet away. “Our starters are pretty good players, but we need guys to come off the bench and not lose the lead like they did last year.” While the Pacers are hoping a costefficient Hansbrough will help stabilize things on the bench, they’d also like Hill to become an integral part of the revamped bench. Hill fits a model Bird prefers — a four-year college player with a reputation for being a team player and a gym rat. Last season, Hill finished as Arizona’s second-leading scorer (13.4 points) and second-leading rebounder (5.3). He considered leaving school a year early before opting to return for his senior year, saying he didn’t want to finish college after a first-round NIT loss. He’s also a solid defender and the scouting report says he can shoot 3-pointers, too. When asked to define a successful rookie season for Hill, Vogel responded with three words: “Winning a championship.” Vogel also cited Hill’s work ethic as a reason he’ll fit in with the Pacers, noting that at Arizona, the Wildcats awarded a yellow jersey to the player who worked the hardest at practice. Vogel said he was told Hill dressed in yellow for nearly two dozen consecutive weeks. Then there’s the Bird factor. “It’s very motivating because he’s the legend,” Hill said of Bird. “He put the work in, being in the gym hours before the game, putting up hundreds of shots.” It’s the same philosophy Bird used to build this team. By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The signs are all around Hinkle Fieldhouse these days. Inside, offices have been torn out of the front lobby, revealing steel girders and exposed wires to anyone who notices. Outside, basketball goals have been set up in the parking lot for one of Brad Stevens’ basketball camps, not far from construction equipment. And seemingly overnight, the words Big East Conference are being splashed everywhere from the shirt arm of athletic director Barry Collier to the front of one of college basketball’s most revered basketball venues. Welcome to the Big East, Butler. “What you’ll find is an overwhelming endorsement of the move (around campus) because it’s for more than Butler athletics,” Collier said Monday before throwing out the first pitch at Indianapolis’ minor-league baseball game. “It gets us aligned with more academicminded universities and their academic rates, their grad rates are very good, which is highly favored by the faculty and administration. We also are expanding our footprint. We’re still in New York, Philly and Washington, like we were in the Atlantic 10, and we’re also back in Chicago and Milwaukee, places we were out of during our stint in the A-10. And, of course, athletically, we’re competing in one of the best conferences in the country.” At first glimpse, it looks like the perfect move for Butler. Coaches and administrators have been working on schedules since the announcement was made back in mid-March. That gave Butler three more months than it had last year when it announced it would switch from the Horizon League to the A-10 in 2013- 14 before moving up the date to last fall in mid-June. Fortunately for Stevens, the men’s basketball coach, it has prevented the mad scramble to find opponents and fill open dates. When the spirit shop opened inside the fieldhouse on Monday morning, the new Big East T-shirts were in the front window and a hot commodity on the shelves. “It’s been the top seller for the day in the store and online, and today is the first day we sold them,” said Janine Frainier, the manager of the bookstore and spirit shop. “We’ve been fielding calls all day about the Big East merchandise.” Why wouldn’t fans be excited? The Bulldogs have spent most of the past decade being billed as one of player, came back less than 24 hours later and hit six drop shots for winners in dissecting the 46th-ranked Kanepi. “I’ve had some great challenges on the way to the semis, and now I’m ready for the semis,” said Lisicki, installed as the new tournament favorite at London sports books shortly after she snapped Williams’ 34-match winning streak. Lisicki, from Germany, will face the winner of another quarterfinal between Sports Roundup During Bird’s first run as president of basketball operations, the Pacers went from outside of the playoffs to making the postseason in 2011, winning a first-round series in 2012 and finally reaching the conference finals for the first time in nine years this past season — after Bird left town. To continue that steady rise, Bird knows more must be done. He acknowledged Monday that if the Pacers re-sign West as they would like, the next order of business will be finding a backup guard and perhaps another wing player if they can fit all three into the budget. The Pacers announced they had hired Nate McMillan as associate head coach. McMillan is a former NBA head coach who has the playing experience Vogel wanted from at least one of his assistants to help replace Brian Shaw, the new coach in Denver. Vogel also needs a second assistant after Jim Boylen left for San Antonio last week. “We’re going through the process, putting it together now and it’s going to be a heck of a staff,” Vogel said. Bird will take care of the rest — figuring out contracts, finding reasonablypriced free agents, maybe even pulling off a trade or two — all in the quest to reach the finals next season. “We’ll see what happens,” Bird said. “We know how much money we’ve got to spend and we’ve got to be creative with it.” NOTES: Indiana said it will send a 19-player contingent to the summer league in Orlando. Among the more notable names are Ben Hansbrough, Tyler’s brother, Orland Johnson and Miles Plumlee, all of whom played with Indiana last year; former Indiana star Christian Watford, former Syracuse star Johnny Flynn and former Kansas star Travis Releford and Indianapolis native Julian Mavunga. America’s top mid-major programs. They may be able to finally shed that designation now that they have joined forces with the likes of Georgetown, Marquette and Villanova, all former national champions; and DePaul, Providence, Seton Hall and St. John’s, who like Butler have all been to the Final Four. The two other conference schools, Creighton and Xavier, have been NCAA tournament regulars. So the Bulldogs are wasting no time getting putting that big-time image in public view. Just in front of the two free throw lines, the basketball court has already been repainted with a white background and blue lettering that reads Big East and a similar banner now hangs from the decades old rafters. At one of the baselines Monday, four employees from the ticket office sat at tables doing their work near a sign that read “Butler is proud to be a part of the Big East Conference.” And, of course, there was the huge banner outside with the Bulldogs logo next to the Big East logo and the phrase “Butler’s next chapter of excellence.” But to those who have been around the program, little has changed. As roughly 160 basketball campers were wrapping up their daily workouts, Stevens was shouting instructions to the camp counselors and then to the youngsters themselves. He didn’t bother to notice the changes around him. “All I see is the Bulldog,” Stevens said with his trademark smile. “I’m excited for the conference affiliation, but at the same time, you have to do your job as well as you can to help the university.” Other changes have not been as welcome. Some season-ticket holders are being asked to pay 7 to 10 percent more to keep their seats, an increase that has caused some consternation, and all that A-10 merchandise fans purchased last summer is suddenly outdated. Collier noted ticket prices have been reduced for upper level seats. The Bulldogs also shrunk the size of this year’s basketball camps because of the work being done during the fieldhouse’s $34 million renovation project. But that hasn’t stopped what Collier, Stevens and others see as a critical progression in the future of Butler basketball. “We’ve known we were in the Big East for quite a while, so this is a lot of ways,” Stevens said. “But it’s great for Butler, and it will be great for a lot of years moving forward.” Lisicki backs win over Serena with another Norwell’s Hanna Smith invited Norwell junior Hanna Smith has been invited to participate in the 11th IBCA/IHSAA Top 100 Showcase set for July 18 and July 23 at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis. Staged by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association with support from the Indiana High School Athletic Association, the Top 100 Showcase events are designed to give exposure to top basketball prospects from across the state to colleges across the state and nation. The 2013 Boys’ Showcase will be Thursday, July 18. The Girls’ Showcase will be Tuesday, July 23. Both events are NCAA certified. Both events begin at 2 p.m. and last until about 8 p.m. Baseball tournaments at Hartford City Blackford Area Baseball will be hosting a 14 and under and 15 and under baseball tournament July 26 through 28. Cost to enter a team is $300 and two new baseballs. Three games are guaranteed through pool play and single elimination tournament. Games will be played at the Hartford City Babe Ruth Park and Blackford High School. High school No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska and No. 6 Li Na. She’ll have more time to rest. Though the two quarterfinals began at the same time, Radwanska had just finished beating Li in a first-set tiebreaker at the time Lisicki and Kanepi were shaking hands. Then, rain started falling and the Li- Radwanska match had to be stopped for about 15 minutes while the roof on Centre Court was closed. rules will be used. For more information call John Hendricks at 765-348-6413 or e-mail hendricksjohn@hotmail.com. Registration deadline is July 20. F.O.P. 16, Standard Plastics 4 Fraternal Order of Police defeated Standard Plastics in a Bluffton Farm League baseball game. Carson McFarren and Julyan Barton each hit a home run for F.O.P., while McFarren also singled. Austin Lewis added two singles for F.O.P. McFarren also was the winning pitcher. Kedric Sonnigsen was the losing pitcher. F.O.P. 14, National Oil 9 Fraternal Order of Police beat National Oil 14-9 in a Bluffton Farm League baseball game. Austin Lewis doubled and singled twice for F.O.P. Holden Eisaman singled twice. Traxton Hummer doubled. Carson McFarren was the winning pitcher. Kaden Graft hit a home run for National Oil. Jacob Duncan doubled twice. Andrew Eubank doubled and singled. Austin Mygrant added a double. SPORTS NBA Free Agent Roundup Paul staying in L.A., Howard hears pitches to leave By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer Chris Paul’s answer was brief, just like his time on the free agent market. “I’M IN!!!” he wrote Monday on Twitter. He will be staying with the Clippers, the longtime losers he helped turned into a division champion in just two seasons. Dwight Howard will need more time to think. Free agency opened Monday in the NBA with the focus on the pair of Los Angeles All-Stars, though Paul took himself off the market only hours after shopping season started. Agent Leon Rose confirmed Paul’s return, which had been expected after the Clippers signed Doc Rivers as their new coach. The Clippers can pay the two-time Olympic gold medalist around $108 million for five years. Howard can make even more by staying with the Lakers, but that won’t stop him from looking elsewhere. He met with the Houston Rockets early Monday, the Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks also are interested, and the Lakers have said repeatedly they want to keep him. The Rockets got the first crack at persuading him to leave. With Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler joining its contingent, Houston pitched Howard on joining All-Star James Harden. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey wrote on Twitter that it was a great meeting with Howard and that having Olajuwon and Drexler there “made it obvious how (Howard and Harden) could be the next (great) big/wing combo.” Hawks general manager Danny Ferry and new coach Mike Budenholzer were visiting Howard later Monday, trying to convince him to join his hometown team. And he’ll meet Tuesday with the Lakers’ delegation. His first — perhaps only — season in Los Angeles was a disappointment and he acknowledged being unhappy at times. But the Lakers want to keep the former Defensive Player of the Year, believing the extra year and about $30 million more they can give him will provide a huge advantage. Steve Nash, who like Howard had a difficult first season in Los Angeles, tweeted Monday that he was flying from New York to Los Angeles to help the Lakers make their pitch. “(Dwight Howard) we’re coming for you,” he wrote. “You’re going to love the statue we build for you outside Staples in 20yrs!” Contracts can’t be signed until July 10, after the next season’s salary cap has been set. The Hawks also were expected to meet with their unrestricted free agents, Josh Smith and Kyle Korver, on their trip to Los Angeles, a person with knowledge of the plans told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Monday’s meetings have not been officially announced. There is plenty of interest in Smith, a versatile forward, and Deron Williams announced the Nets’ interest in Korver by posting a picture of the sharp shooter in a Brooklyn uniform on social media. Andray Blatche will return as a backup in the Nets’ soon-to-be upgraded frontcourt. The 6-foot-11 forward-center agreed to a multiyear deal, his agent said. Blatche will provide minutes behind All-Star center Brook Lopez and Kevin Garnett, who will come from Boston along with Paul Pierce in a deal that was agreed to on draft night, but can’t be completed until after next season’s salary cap is set. The Knicks are hoping Andrea Bargnani relocates his outside shot after agreeing to a deal with Toronto to acquire the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft. The Raptors will receive Knicks reserves Steve Novak, Marcus Camby and Quentin Richardson, who will be signed-and-traded. The Knicks are also sending the Raptors a 2016 first-round pick and two second-round picks, according to a person with knowledge of the details. Bargnani averaged a career-best 21.4 points just three seasons ago, but finished with his worst scoring and shooting numbers last season since he posted career worsts of 10.2 points and 38.6 percent shooting in 2007-08. Other top players that are available include Denver’s Andre Iguodala and Philadelphia’s Andrew Bynum — both part of the four-way trade that sent Howard from Orlando to Los Angeles last summer — and Indiana’s David West. Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith of the Knicks is a free agent, as is former winner Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs, who also could lose forward Tiago Splitter. Miami is trying to hold onto Chris Andersen, which would essentially keep together the entire core of the team that beat San Antonio in seven games to win the NBA championship. A person with knowledge of the deal told the AP that Eric Maynor agreed to a contract with the Washington Wizards. Maynor will serve as the backup point guard behind John Wall. Maynor confirmed the news on his Twitter account, saying he appreciated all the love and support and was “excited to be signing” with the Wizards. He averaged 4.5 points with Oklahoma City and Portland last season. The New Orleans Pelicans made an offer to Sacramento Kings restricted free agent guard Tyreke Evans, two people familiar with the situation said Monday. Several media outlets reported the deal was for four years and ranging between $40 million and $48 million. Because he’s a restricted free agent, the Kings will have the opportunity to match any offers Evans signs. Contracts can’t be inked until July 10, after next season’s salary cap is set. ——— AP Sports Writers Antonio Gonzalez in Sacramento, Calif., Brett Martel in New Orleans, Charles Odum in Atlanta and Joseph White in Washington contributed to this report. Colts’ safety due in D.C. court WASHINGTON (AP) — Indianapolis Colts safety Joe Lefeged is due in a Washington, D.C., court on a gun possession charge. Lefeged was arrested early Saturday after police found a semi-automatic pistol in the car he was riding in. Police say they also smelled marijuana in the car and found a bottle containing vodka. The car had been pulled over for speeding but then sped away. Police say Lefeged and another passenger were caught after they tried to run from officers. He’s been ordered held pending Tuesday’s hearing in D.C. Superior Court. The Colts have said they’re aware of the arrest and won’t be making additional comments until they gather more details. Lefeged, who grew up in Montgomery County, Md., is entering his third NFL season.
SPORTS TUESDAY, JULY 2, 2013 • The News-Banner • Page 7 Defending champion could miss Chase NASCAR drivers like By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer Tony Stewart’s defense of his 2005 championship doesn’t look so bad on paper, and it sure seemed to be soaring during his laborious celebratory fenceclimb following his July win at Daytona. It was his second win of the 2006 season, and it pushed him to fifth in the championship standings. Little did he know that hot summer night atop the flag stand would be his crowning achievement of the year. Disastrous finishes in the next two races dropped Stewart to 11th in the standings with only seven races to recover. It was too big of a hole and Stewart stunningly became the first defending NASCAR champion to miss the cut for the Chase for the championship in what was then a 10-driver field. In true Stewart fashion, he didn’t go out with a whimper: Stewart won three of the 10 Chase races, but wasn’t eligible to challenge Jimmie Johnson in what became the first of Johnson’s five consecutive Sprint Cup titles. Now here we are, seven years later, and another defending champion is in a similar hole. Brad Keselowski heads into Saturday night’s race at Daytona ranked 13th in the standings and winless this year. He’s got nine races left to claim a berth in the 12-driver field, and is among a handful of elite drivers jockeying for the final few spots in the Chase: • Keselowski: BK had three wins at this point last season but finds himself on the outside looking in after Sunday’s disappointment at Kentucky, where he had hoped to repeat last year’s victory. His problems Sunday started 48 laps in the race — so early that Keselowski said “there is no reason to drive like an animal” — when Kurt Busch drove on the apron, then shot back up the track into traffic and into Keselowski. It created a messy accident that stopped the race for nearly 20 minutes and it dropped Keselowski four spots in the standings to 13th. To earn a Chase berth, he either needs to be ranked inside the top 10 in points, or needs wins to be eligible to claim one of two wild card spots. Crew chief Paul Wolfe knew the ramifications the moment Busch hit the No. 2 Ford. “We were just holding onto the top 10 there, and we were one bad race away from falling out,” he said after the race. There is an upside to Keselowski’s situation. He is only 14 points behind 10th-place driver Joey Logano, his Penske Racing teammate. That’s not bad BASEBALL MAJOR LEAGUE AMERICAN LEAGUE All Times EDT East Division W L Pct GB Boston 50 34 .595 — Baltimore 47 36 .566 2 1/2 Tampa Bay 44 39 .530 5 1/2 New York 43 39 .524 6 Toronto 41 41 .500 8 Central Division W L Pct GB Cleveland 44 38 .537 — Detroit 43 38 .531 1/2 Kansas City 38 41 .481 4 1/2 Minnesota 36 43 .456 6 1/2 Chicago 32 47 .405 10 1/2 West Division W L Pct GB Texas 48 34 .585 — Oakland 48 35 .578 1/2 Los Angeles 39 43 .476 9 Seattle 35 47 .427 13 Houston 30 53 .361 18 1/2 Sunday’s Games Boston 5, Toronto 4 Tampa Bay 3, Detroit 1 Cleveland 4, Chicago White Sox 0 Kansas City 9, Minnesota 8 L.A. Angels 3, Houston 1 Texas 3, Cincinnati 2 Oakland 7, St. Louis 5 Chicago Cubs 7, Seattle 6 Baltimore 4, N.Y. Yankees 2 Monday’s Games Toronto 8, Detroit 3 N.Y. Yankees 10, Minnesota 4 Tampa Bay 12, Houston 0 Tuesday’s Games Detroit (Fister 6-5) at Toronto (Wang 1-1), 7:07 p.m. San Diego (Erlin 1-0) at Boston (Lackey 5-5), 7:10 p.m. Seattle (J.Saunders 5-8) at Texas (Grimm 7-5), 8:05 p.m. Baltimore (Hammel 7-4) at Chicago White Sox (Joh.Danks 1-5), 8:10 p.m. Cleveland (Kluber 6-5) at Kansas City (Mendoza 2-4), 8:10 p.m. N.Y. Yankees (P.Hughes 3-7) at Minnesota (Deduno 4-2), 8:10 p.m. Tampa Bay (Price 1-4) at Houston (Bedard 3-3), 8:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Feldman 7-6) at Oakland (Griffin 6-6), 10:05 p.m. St. Louis (Lynn 10-2) at L.A. Angels (Weaver 1-4), 10:05 p.m. Wednesday’s Games Detroit (Scherzer 12-0) at Toronto (Jo. Johnson 1-2), 7:07 p.m. Baltimore (Mig.Gonzalez 6-3) at Chicago White Sox (H.Santiago 3-5), 7:10 p.m. San Diego (Volquez 6-6) at Boston (Lester 8-4), 7:10 p.m. Seattle (F.Hernandez 8-4) at Texas (D.Holland 6-4), 8:05 p.m. Cleveland (Kazmir 4-4) at Kansas City (Guthrie 7-6), 8:10 p.m. N.Y. Yankees (Sabathia 8-6) at Minnesota (Walters 2-4), 8:10 p.m. Tampa Bay (Ro.Hernandez 4-9) at Houston (B.Norris 5-7), 8:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Garza 3-1) at Oakland (Colon 11-2), 10:05 p.m. St. Louis (S.Miller 8-6) at L.A. Angels (Williams 5-3), 10:05 p.m. NATIONAL LEAGUE All Times EDT East Division W L Pct GB Atlanta 48 34 .585 — Washington 42 40 .512 6 Philadelphia 39 44 .470 9 1/2 New York 34 45 .430 12 1/2 Miami 30 51 .370 17 1/2 Central Division W L Pct GB Pittsburgh 51 30 .630 — St. Louis 49 32 .605 2 Cincinnati 47 36 .566 5 Chicago 35 45 .438 15 1/2 Milwaukee 32 49 .395 19 West Division W L Pct GB Arizona 42 40 .512 — Colorado 41 42 .494 1 1/2 San Diego 40 43 .482 2 1/2 Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford, is involved in an incident during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway Sunday. (Photos by Andy Lyons and Todd Warshaw/Getty Images) considering the No. 2 team has been docked 31 points this year in a pair of NASCAR penalties. If Keselowski still had those points he’d be ranked eighth. But he doesn’t have those points and has two months to make up the difference. “We have struggled before as a team and we have worked through that and put ourselves in position to be champions,” Wolfe said. “I think in the past we have not been shy of doing some different strategies to make things happen and over the next few weeks if we are not getting the finishes where we need to be then we will need to look at that over the last month closing into the Chase.” • Busch: The 2004 champion is in the second year of trying to resurrect a career that fell apart when his anger issues cost him his job at Penske Racing. He’s doing it now with Furniture Row Racing, a single-car team that’s not supposed to challenge for a Chase berth. But Busch is in decent shape at 14th in the standings and only 16 points out of 10th. He’s gotten there behind four finishes of seventh or better in the last six races, including Sunday, when he managed to come back from the early incident on the apron to finish sixth. All told, Busch has seven top-10 finishes this season and has climbed from six spots in the standings in three races. “We came through when we needed to and had another good points day,” said Busch. “We’re creeping up in the points and need to avoid major slips in the next nine races.” • Stewart: The three-time champion won at Dover last month and that victory is enough to make him eligible for a wild-car. But his situation is shaky because he’s tied with Aric Almirola for 16th in the standings and he could find himself locked out. It’s a real possibility considering Martin Truex Jr. and Greg Biffle, who have one win each, aren’t securely inside the top 10 and Kasey Kahne is 11th with just one victory. Working against Stewart is that he San Francisco 39 43 .476 3 Los Angeles 38 43 .469 3 1/2 Sunday’s Games Miami 6, San Diego 2 Washington 13, N.Y. Mets 2 Atlanta 6, Arizona 2 Pittsburgh 2, Milwaukee 1, 14 innings Texas 3, Cincinnati 2 Oakland 7, St. Louis 5 Chicago Cubs 7, Seattle 6 L.A. Dodgers 6, Philadelphia 1 San Francisco 5, Colorado 2 Monday’s Games Washington 10, Milwaukee 5 N.Y. Mets 5, Arizona 4, 13 innings Miami 4, San Diego 0 Cincinnati 8, San Francisco 1, 6 innings Tuesday’s Games Milwaukee (W.Peralta 5-9) at Washington (Strasburg 4-6), 7:05 p.m. Philadelphia (Pettibone 3-3) at Pittsburgh (Locke 7-1), 7:05 p.m. Arizona (Corbin 9-0) at N.Y. Mets (Hefner 2-6), 7:10 p.m. Miami (Koehler 1-5) at Atlanta (Medlen 5-7), 7:10 p.m. San Diego (Erlin 1-0) at Boston (Lackey 5-5), 7:10 p.m. San Francisco (Lincecum 4-8) at Cincinnati (H.Bailey 4-6), 7:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw 6-5) at Colorado (Oswalt 0-2), 8:40 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Feldman 7-6) at Oakland (Griffin 6-6), 10:05 p.m. St. Louis (Lynn 10-2) at L.A. Angels (Weaver 1-4), 10:05 p.m. Wednesday’s Games Milwaukee (Lohse 3-6) at Washington (Detwiler 2-6), 6:05 p.m. Philadelphia (Lannan 1-2) at Pittsburgh (J.Gomez 2-0), 7:05 p.m. Arizona (Delgado 0-2) at N.Y. Mets (Harvey 7-1), 7:10 p.m. Miami (Nolasco 4-8) at Atlanta (Minor 8-3), 7:10 p.m. San Diego (Volquez 6-6) at Boston (Lester 8-4), 7:10 p.m. San Francisco (Zito 4-6) at Cincinnati (Cingrani 3-0), 7:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Greinke 5-2) at Colorado (Chatwood 4-1), 8:10 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Garza 3-1) at Oakland (Colon 11-2), 10:05 p.m. St. Louis (S.Miller 8-6) at L.A. Angels (Williams 5-3), 10:05 p.m. MIDWEST LEAGUE Eastern Division W L Pct. GB Great Lakes (Dodgers) 10 2 .833 — Bowling Green (Rays) 8 4 .667 2 Lake County (Indians) 7 5 .583 3 x-S.Bend (Dbacks) 7 5 .583 3 Dayton (Reds) 5 7 .417 5 West Michigan (Tigers) 5 7 .417 5 Fort Wayne (Padres) 3 8 .273 6 1/2 Lansing (Blue Jays) 2 9 .182 7 1/2 Western Division W L Pct. GB Cedar Rapids (Twins) 11 0 1.000 — x-Beloit (Athletics) 9 2 .818 2 Quad Cities (Astros) 8 3 .727 3 Clinton (Mariners) 6 5 .545 5 Peoria (Cardinals) 4 7 .364 7 Wisconsin (Brewers) 3 8 .273 8 Kane County (Cubs) 2 9 .182 9 Burlington (Angels) 110 .091 10 x-clinched first half Monday’s Games Bowling Green 6, West Michigan 1 Lake County 6, Fort Wayne 3 South Bend 5, Dayton 4, 12 innings Great Lakes 5, Lansing 4, 10 innings Cedar Rapids 6, Peoria 3 Beloit 8, Burlington 3 Quad Cities 9, Clinton 8 Wisconsin 4, Kane County 3 Tuesday’s Games Kane County at Wisconsin, 1:05 p.m. Lansing at Lake County, 7 p.m. West Michigan at Great Lakes, 7:05 p.m. Peoria at Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Fort Wayne at South Bend, 7:35 p.m. Cedar Rapids at Beloit, 8 p.m. Clinton at Quad Cities, 8 p.m. Dayton at Bowling Green, 8:05 p.m. Wednesday’s Games Lansing at Lake County, 7 p.m. Clinton at Quad Cities, 7 p.m. West Michigan at Great Lakes, 7:05 p.m. News-Banner Scoreboard Peoria at Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Fort Wayne at South Bend, 7:35 p.m. Cedar Rapids at Beloit, 8 p.m. Kane County at Wisconsin, 8:05 p.m. Dayton at Bowling Green, 8:05 p.m. BASKETBALL WNBA All Times EDT EASTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB Atlanta 10 1 .909 — Chicago 7 3 .700 2 1/2 New York 5 4 .556 4 Washington 5 6 .455 5 Indiana 3 7 .300 6 1/2 Connecticut 2 7 .222 7 WESTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB Minnesota 7 2 .778 — Phoenix 7 4 .636 1 Los Angeles 5 4 .556 2 Seattle 4 6 .400 3 1/2 San Antonio 3 7 .300 4 1/2 Tulsa 3 10 .231 6 Saturday’s Games Phoenix 89, Connecticut 70 Chicago 94, Los Angeles 82 Sunday’s Games Atlanta 93, San Antonio 67 Washington 84, Tulsa 61 Indiana 71, Seattle 63 Monday’s Games No games scheduled Tuesday’s Games Tulsa at Connecticut, 7 p.m. Seattle at Chicago, 8 p.m. New York at Phoenix, 10 p.m. Minnesota at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. SOCCER MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER All Times EDT EASTERN CONFERENCE W L T Pts GF GA Montreal 9 4 2 29 27 21 New York 8 6 4 28 25 22 Philadelphia 7 5 5 26 27 26 Kansas City 7 5 5 26 23 17 Houston 6 6 5 23 19 18 New England 5 5 6 21 19 14 Columbus 5 7 5 20 21 21 Chicago 5 7 3 18 15 21 Toronto FC 2 8 6 12 14 21 D.C. 2 12 3 9 8 27 WESTERN CONFERENCE W L T Pts GF GA Real Salt Lake 10 5 3 33 27 16 really hasn’t been running all that well this season. The No. 14 team had only one top-10 finish before Memorial Day. He was seventh at Charlotte and won at Dover for his first back-to-back top-10s all year. He carried the momentum into Pocono and Michigan with a pair of topfives and he’d suddenly climbed from 21st in the standings to 10th. But the last two weeks have been two steps back, with a 28th at Sonoma and a 20th-place finish Sunday. “Not the greatest showing, but we did what we could with it,” he shrugged. • Denny Hamlin: He’s never missed the Chase since his 2006 rookie season, but time is running out on Hamlin’s comeback story this year. In fairness, a compression fracture in a vertebra in his lower back sidelined him for four races and likely cost him any chance at the Chase, anyway. But he returned determined to grab a wild-card. He finished second at Darlington in his first full race back, then won the pole at Charlotte and finished fourth to go from 31st in points to 24th. He won the pole the next week at Dover, but a crash ended his streak of top-five finishes. He was also wrecked at Sonoma and had a hard hit Sunday at Kentucky. Now he’s 25th in points and must win over the next nine weeks to keep his Chase hopes going. At this stage, it will likely take him at least two wins to make it happen. Team owner Joe Gibbs dismissed talk of Hamlin getting out of the car anytime soon to fully heal, insisting the goal is to salvage the season. “I think Denny wants to stay after it and we have a chance to get some wins,” Gibbs said. “Who knows what’s going to happen? We could get hot. I know he’ll be the favorite at several of these race tracks we have down the stretch over these next nine weeks. Who knows? Maybe a miracle in there. You can’t have a great comeback unless you’re behind, so we’ll just go after it and do the best we can. He’s got a good attitude and we’ll keep swinging.” Portland 7 1 9 30 28 16 FC Dallas 8 3 6 30 27 22 Vancouver 7 5 4 25 26 24 Los Angeles 7 7 3 24 25 21 Colorado 6 7 5 23 21 22 Seattle 6 5 3 21 19 17 San Jose 5 7 6 21 18 27 Chivas USA 3 10 3 12 15 31 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. Saturday’s Games Real Salt Lake 1, Toronto FC 0 Philadelphia 2, FC Dallas 2, tie Vancouver 1, D.C. United 0 Colorado 4, Montreal 3 Sporting Kansas City 3, Columbus 2 Chivas USA 1, New England 1, tie San Jose 3, Los Angeles 2 Sunday’s Game New York 2, Houston 0 Wednesday, July 3 Montreal at Toronto FC, 7 p.m. San Jose at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Vancouver at Sporting Kansas City, 9 p.m. D.C. United at Seattle FC, 10 p.m. Philadelphia at Real Salt Lake, 10 p.m. Thursday, July 4 Chivas USA at FC Dallas, 9 p.m. New York at Colorado, 9:30 p.m. Columbus at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. TRANSACTIONS Monday BASEBALL American League BALTIMORE ORIOLES—Optioned RHP Jair Jurrjens to Norfolk (IL). CLEVELAND INDIANS—Sent RHP Blake Wood to Lake County (MWL) for a rehab assignment. KANSAS CITY ROYALS—Designated OF Jeff Francoeur for assignment. Recalled 2B Johnny Giavotella from Omaha (PCL). MINNESOTA TWINS—Sent RHP Mike Pelfrey to Cedar Rapids (MWL) for a rehab assignment. National League ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS—Placed RHP Trevor Cahill on the 15-day DL. Selected the contract of RHP Chaz Roe from Reno (PCL). ATLANTA BRAVES—Agreed to terms with INF Dylan Manwaring and RHPs Carlos Salazar and Alec Grosser on minor league contracts. LOS ANGELES DODGERS—Sent OF Carl Crawford and LHP Ted Lilly to Rancho Cucamonga (Cal) for rehab Brickyard test results By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya like what they’ve seen from the new Cup cars at Indianapolis. On Monday, the two former Indianapolis winners joined a growing list of test participants who have raved about everything from handling to quicker speeds to tire wear on the 2.5-mile oval that has often caused so much consternation for NASCAR drivers. “Our car has been quick at a lot of tracks where it has not been really fast in the past, and the testing has been pretty good today,” said McMurray, who won the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in 2010. “It’s our first time here with this car and it seems like some of the setup stuff is a little different from what we’ve been doing here the last couple of years.” McMurray and Montoya are part of a small contingent — five cars from the Cup Series and four from the Nationwide Series — that is testing at Indy through Tuesday. Also testing was Denny Hamlin, who was cleared to drive Monday morning after a hard crash Sunday at Kentucky. After the race, Hamlin complained of headaches, but Indy’s medical team found nothing that would prevent Hamlin from climbing into the No. 11 car and turning laps in excess of 200 mph. Neither Hamlin or his team took questions. With cool temperatures, overcast skies and light winds, the weather was ideal for top speeds, though rain postponed most of the scheduled afternoon session. But the common theme coming out of all the tests at Indy is this: The new car is outperforming the old one. On a warmer, sunny day in April, Jeff Gordon and Trevor Bayne walked off the track and said they were impressed with the way the cars handled in those conditions, too, and both noted that even the tire wear was better than usual. That’s become a recurring question since the 2008 race turned into a series of short sprints when tire problems brought out so many cautions. Goodyear, the series’ tire manufacturer, has since softened the tire compound, which produced far better results. That part hasn’t changed. “They’ve figured it out,” said Montoya, who won the 2000 Indianapolis 500. “The grip level is really good today.” Will that be the case in hotter conditions? The Brickyard 400 has traditionally been one of the hottest races in the series. One possible solution to the heat is adding lights at the speedway, either permanent or temporary. Speedway officials believe running in the cooler nighttime temperatures could make the race better and perhaps boost attendance, which has been dwindling since the 2008 tire fiasco. Most Cup drivers who have come through Indy, including McMurray, seem to embrace the thought of running Indy’s first night race. “I think if they do that, it would be for the fans. I’m not sure from a driver’s perspective that it would be that much different,” McMurray said. “But if they do that, I think it would be great.” assignments. PITTSBURGH PIRATES—Agreed to terms with RHP JaCoby Jones on a minor league contract. WASHINGTON NATIONALS—Reinstated OF Bryce Harper from the 15-day DL. Optioned RHP Erik Davis to Syracuse (IL). Sent C Wilson Ramos to Potomac (Carolina) for a rehab assignment. American Association GRAND PRAIRIE AIR HOGS—Signed OF Branon Kendricks. LAREDO LEMURS—Signed RHP Jake Cowan and RHP Michael Suk. BASKETBALL National Basketball Association LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS—Agreed to terms with G Chris Paul. FOOTBALL Canadian Football League MONTREAL ALOUETTES—Traded FB Dahrran Diedrick to Hamilton for a 2014 fourth-round draft pick. WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS—Added DL Marquis Frazier to the practice roster. HOCKEY National Hockey League COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS—Signed G Sergei Bobrovsky to a two-year contract extension. Announced director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright is leaving the team. NEW YORK RANGERS—Acquired D Danny Syvret from Philadelphia for F Kris Newbury. PHOENIX COYOTES—Re-signed G Mike Smith to a six-year contract. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING—Re-Signed F Pierre-Cedric Labrie to a one-year contract. SOCCER National Women’s Soccer League CHIVAS USA—Signed C Carlos Bocanegra. SEATTLE REIGN—Traded F Lindsay Taylor and conditional 2014 fourthround draft pick to Washington for a 2014 second-round draft pick. P090125.1 MAJOR LEAGUE SERVICE. WASHINGTON SPIRIT—Fired coach Mike Jorden. Named Mark Parsons coach. COLLEGE AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFER- ENCE—Promoted Tom Odjakjian to senior associate commissioner for broadcasting and digital content, Mark Hodgkin to senior director of digital media, Michael Costa to director of football and video administration and Lois DeBlois to executive assistant for administration. Named John Larson chief financial officer, Michael Coyne assistant director of broadcast scheduling, Catherine Carmignani branding and event coordinator and Jamie Corun digital communications coordinator. CALDWELL—Named Sally Ryan women’s assistant lacrosse coach. DUKE—Named Kathryn Hagglund women’s rowing recruiting coordinator. EASTERN MICHIGAN—Named Heather Lyke athletic director. FURMAN—Named Richie Meade men’s assistant lacrosse coach. GEORGE MASON—Named Eric Skeeters men’s assistant basketball coach. GRU AUGUSTA—Named Jason Eller baseball coach. HIGH POINT—Named Jenna Burkett women’s assistant basketball coach. HOBART—Announced it has accepted an invitation to join the Northeast Conference in men’s lacrosse, effective for the 2014 season. LOCK HAVEN—Named Scott Moore wrestling coach. MICHIGAN STATE—Named Amaka Agugua women’s assistant basketball coach. NEW MEXICO—Named Mike Iuzzolino director of men’s basketball operations. SOUTH CAROLINA—Named Ryan Young men’s assistant tennis coach. SIU-EDWARDSVILLE—Named Jordann Plummer women’s assistant basketball coach. WENTWORTH TECH—Named Jackie Clark trainer. From backyards to big leagues, count on me to be there. I can help you get the coverage you need and the discounts you deserve. Kevin Beaty Ins Agcy Inc Kevin Beaty, Agent 1796 S Main Street Bluffton, IN 46714 Bus: 260-824-1928 State Farm, Home Office, Bloomington, IL
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