Off the wire

HORSE RACING Rachel Alexandra home

Rachel Alexandra is back at Stonestreet Farm in Lexington, Ky .,returning home to a stall filled with cards from well-wishers six weeks after having abdominal surgery. Veterinarians at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital said Tuesday that the fast recovery by the 2009 Preakness champion and Horse of theYear is “remarkable.” They will continue to monitor her progress during daily visits to the farm. Rachel Alexandra underwent surgery Feb. 13 to remove a section of small colon that was damaged while delivering a 140-pound filly by Bernardini. She was in critical condition for about a week following the surgery, but has impressed veterinarians with a determination. She has regained her appetite and resumed short walks. Owner Barbara Banke says Rachel Alexandra’s return home is a “milestone” in her recovery.

FOOTBALL Vollmer re-signs

The New England Patriots have re-signed offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer. The team announced the move Tuesday but gave no details of the contract for Vollmer, who had been an unrestricted free agent.Vollmer has started 44 of the 51 regular-season games he’s played and five postseason games since the Patriots drafted him in 2009 in the second round out of Houston with the 58th overall pick. He played 15 regular-season and two playoff games at right tackle last season, missed one game with a knee injury and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in February.

Dallas Cowboys nose tackle JoshBrent faces a Sept. 23 trial on an intoxication manslaughter charge in a car wreck that killed a teammate. Prosecutors in Dallas on Monday confirmed the trial date over the Dec. 8 crash in Irving, Texas, that killed practice squad player Jerry Brown Jr. Police have said Brent had a blood-alcohol level twice the legal limit for driving. Brown was a passenger. Brent remains free on $100,000 bond and must wear an electronic ankle bracelet. If convicted he faces up to 20 years in prison. Defense attorney George Milner says a plea bargain remains a possibility.

The Green Bay Packers opted to pay tight end Jermichael Finley a $3 million roster bonus rather than cut him by 3 p.m. Central on Monday afternoon. Finley had 61 receptions for 667 yards and 2 touchdowns last season. The 61 catches were a career high, while he had more yards (767) and touchdowns (8) the previous year. For his five-year career, Finley has 198 receptions for 2,485 yards and 17 touchdowns.

UCLA safety Tevin McDonald has been released from the programfor violating team policy. Bruins Coach Jim Mora announced the decision Tuesday. McDonald was the Bruins’ starting safety the past two seasons. He finished third on the team with 79 tackles last season while starting 13 games, but wasn’t allowed to play in the Holiday Bowl after violating team rules. McDonald is the son of longtime NFL defensive back Tim McDonald and the brother of former Southern California safety T.J. McDonald.

The Chicago Bears agreed to a one-year contract with veteran cornerback Kelvin Hayden on Tuesday. Hayden made two starts and played in 16 games last season for Chicago and led the league with four opponent fumble recoveries. He also recorded 40 tackles and an interception to go with three special-teams stops. The 6-0, 195-pound Hayden has started 49 of 101 games played for Indianapolis (2005-2010), Atlanta(2011) and Chicago (2012). He has 345 tackles, 12 interceptions and three return touchdowns in his career.

SOCCER Americans tie Mexico

Brad Guzan swatted away shot after shot and the Americans hung on for a 0-0 draw with Mexico on Tuesday night, earning only their second point in a World Cup qualifier at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. The tie moves the U.S. into third place in World Cup qualifying for the North and Central American and Caribbean region, one point behind Panama and behind Costa Rica on goal difference. The Americans and Costa Ricans both have four points, but the Ticos are ahead on goal difference.

BASKETBALL Troy hires coach

Troy has hired Phil Cunningham, an assistant at Sun Belt Conference rival Western Kentucky, as its men’s basketball coach. Cunningham was introduced in a news conference Tuesday at Trojan Arena to replace Don Maestri, who retired at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament after 31 seasons and 500 victories. Cunningham spent five years as an assistant under Lefty Driesell at James Madison and Georgia State and worked for 12 seasons at Mississippi State. He spent one season at Western Kentucky.

The Big East conference will have a new name when it plays games on CBS. The conference that plans to rename itself this spring has signed a deal with CBS Sports to televise basketball games through the end of the season in 2020. CBS will have the first selection from conferenceand nonconference games, including those played at neutral sites. The conference did not reveal financial terms of the deal, which provides up to 12 appearances on CBS each season, half of which will be league games. Starting in 2014, the league’sbasketball lineup will include Connecticut, Cincinnati, Temple, South Florida, Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, SMU and Tulane.

The University at Buffalo has hired Bobby Hurley to take over as its men’s basketball coach. Hurley, who was introduced at a news conference Tuesday, completed his first season as an associate coach at Rhode Island this month, working under his brother, Dan Hurley. The former Duke point guard spent the previous two seasons as an assistant at Wagner, also with Dan serving as head coach. At Buffalo, he takes over for Reggie Witherspoon, who was 4-20 this past season.

TENNIS No U.S. men left

As Sam Querrey left the court Tuesday, two youngsters cradling huge stuffed tennis balls leaned over a first-row railing, hoping for an autograph from the highest-ranked American in men’s tennis. Querrey, head down, kept walking. He was gone in a hurry at the Sony Open in Key Biscayne, Fla. Playing his first tournament as the No. 1 Americanon the ATP Tour, Querrey lasted only 50 minutes in the fourth round and lost to Tomas Berdych, 6-1, 6-1. His elimination means that for the first time, the 28-year-old tournament will have no American in the men’s quarterfinals. American results on the women’s side have been better lately, thanks mostly to No. 1-ranked Serena Williams. The five-time Key Biscayne champion advanced to Thursday’s semifinals and tied the women’s record for career victories in the tournament by beating No. 5-seeded Li Na 6-3, 7-6 (5). Williams was the lone U.S. woman to reach the final eight. Querrey will remain No. 1 in the United States next week and stay close to his current ranking of 20th. Last week he overtook fellow American John Isner, who is ranked 23rd and lost in the third round Monday.