BASKETBALL
CEO: Rivers will quit
Los Angeles Clippers interim CEO Richard Parsons testified Tuesday that coach Doc Rivers told him he'll quit if Donald Sterling remains the owner of the team. Parsons made the statement in a trial to determine whether Sterling's wife Shelly Sterling can sell the team for $2 billion to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. "Doc is troubled by this maybe moreso than anybody else," Parsons said. "If Mr. Sterling continues as owner, he does not want to continue as coach." The NBA has sought to force out Sterling since soon after racist statements emerged on recordings in April. Rivers, who is black, has said he had heard from other Clippers business employees that they didn't think they would be able to work for Sterling under the circumstances. Sterling has denied he is a racist from the witness stand and vowed he'll never sell the team, claiming he is the victim of illegally recorded conversations that invaded his privacy. Parsons took over leadership of the Clippers in May during the media blitz surrounding the banishment of Sterling, who seemed to accept the idea of a sale until he rescinded his agreement for his wife to make a deal. By then, she had the offer from Ballmer.
HORSE RACING
Queen's horse doped
A racehorse owned by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II that won the prestigious Gold Cup at Royal Ascot last year has tested positive for morphine, a banned painkiller. The British Horseracing Authority announced last week that tests on five horses under the care of various trainers showed the presence of morphine in their "A" samples. On Tuesday, the queen's bloodstock and racing adviser, John Warren, said that the monarch's five-year-old filly Estimate was one of the five. Buckingham Palace said that early indications suggest that Estimate consumed the substance as a result of contaminated feed. Warren said in a statement that Estimate's trainer Michael Stoute "is working closely with the feed company involved to discover how the product may have become contaminated prior to delivery to his stables." Estimate finished second in this year's Gold Cup behind Leading Light. Warren added: "Her Majesty has been informed of the situation." Previously, Britain's most publicized case of a horse testing positive for morphine was Be My Royal after he had won the 2002 Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury. The horse was subsequently disqualified.
FOOTBALL
7 challenge settlement
Seven former professional football players are challenging a tentative class action settlement of NFL concussion claims. Their appeal echoes their previous complaints some players won't be fairly compensated under the settlement, which would cover nearly 20,000 retired players for 65 years. Senior U.S. District Judge Anita Brody has granted preliminary approval pending a November fairness hearing. Her approval came after the NFL agreed to remove the $765 million cap to ensure the fund doesn't run out. The group appealing the judge's decision includes 2008 Pro Bowl player Sean Morey, now Princeton University's sprint football coach. Lawyers who negotiated the deal say Monday's appeal to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court is premature. They say they fear it will delay final approval and leave families in need waiting longer for their awards.
BASEBALL
Yanks pick up Headley
The New York Yankees have acquired Padres third baseman Chase Headley for infielder Yangervis Solarte and pitching prospect Rafael De Paula, the team announced Tuesday afternoon. The Padres also will pay $1 million toward the remainder of Headley's $10.25 million salary this season. Headley is batting .229 with a .296 on-base percentage and seven home runs in a down season. Headley is eligible for free agency following the season. The Yankees are likely to plug in Headley, 30, at third base, his typical position. Headley also has significant experience in left field and has played two games at first base. With the health of Mark Teixeira an ongoing concern, that versatility could make Headley a valuable fit. Headley has spent his entire eight-year career with the Padres and finished fifth in National League MVP voting in 2012 after he hit .286 with a .376 OBP, 31 home runs and a league-leading 115 RBI. But he slumped to a .250 average and .347 OBP in 2013 before bottoming out this season.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers held injured outfielder Yasiel Puig and shortstop Hanley Ramirez out of the starting lineup for Tuesday night's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but manager Don Mattingly doesn't believe either player needs to go on the disabled list. Puig hasn't played since his left wrist was hit by a pitch from St. Louis' Joe Kelly on Saturday. Ramirez took a 98 mph fastball off his left wrist on Sunday from St. Louis closer Trevor Rosenthal. Mattingly said he's optimistic both players will be available to pinch hit on Tuesday night and called them "day to day." Matt Kemp was to start in place of Puig in right field. Justin Turner was to start for Ramirez.
• Major league batting leader Troy Tulowitzki has been placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Colorado Rockies because of a left hip flexor strain. The 29-year-old All-Star shortstop was hurt while running out a grounder at Pittsburgh on Saturday night. He was held out of the next two games before being placed on the disabled list, retroactive to Sunday. This is Tulowitzki's first trip to the disabled list this season. He is hitting .340 and is third in the NL with 21 home runs. Left-hander Yohan Flande was recalled from Class AAA Colorado Springs and was to start Tuesday night's game against Washington. Flande was 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA in three starts, then was optioned to Colorado Springs on July 7.
TENNIS
Bellucci, Haase advance
Two-time champion Thomaz Bellucci won his first-round match at the Swiss Open on Tuesday, beating Gerald Melzer of Austria 6-3, 6-4. The 93rd-ranked Brazilian, who next plays fifth-seeded Federico Delbonis of Argentina, won two of his three career titles on clay in the Swiss mountains at Gstaad in 2009 and 2012. Last year's runner-up, seventh-seeded Robin Haase of the Netherlands, also won his opener, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3 against Aleksandr Nedovyesov of Kazakhstan. Top-seeded Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, the defending champion, begins against Kenny De Schepper after the Frenchman beat Filippo Volandri of Italy 6-3, 7-6 (3). Sixth-seeded Gilles Simon was unable to complete his first-round match due to a back injury. The Frenchman retired when trailing 6-2, 3-2 against Pablo Andujar of Spain. Swiss wild card Yann Marti beat Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain in a match held over from Monday evening, when darkness forced play to be suspended. Resuming at 5-5 in the deciding set, the 212th-ranked Marti beat Gimeno-Traver 5-7, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5). Also Tuesday, Blaz Rola of Slovenia beat Brazil's Fabiano De Paula 6-4, 6-4 and Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany advanced due to another injury retirement. Struff led Andreas Haider-Maurer 6-2, 1-0 when the Austrian could not continue.
• Fifth-seeded Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic needed a late rally to beat 100th-ranked Diego Sebastian Schwartzman 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (2) in the first round of the Croatia Open on Tuesday. Schwartzman was serving at 4-3 in the third set and the Argentine even had game point to increase his lead. However, Rosol broke back to level and then comfortably won the tiebreaker. Spaniard Albert Montanes, who has twice reached the quarterfinals in Umag, cruised to a 6-4, 6-4 victory over teenager Alexander Zverev. The 17-year-old German rose to a career-high 161 on Monday after the reaching semifinals in Hamburg last week. Another Argentine, eighth-seeded Carlos Berlocq, beat Slovakia's Andrej Martin 7-6 (4), 6-3. Though there were no service breaks in the opening set, Berlocq took a commanding 4-1 lead in the second set on his way to a place in the second round. Sixth-seeded Andreas Seppi, a three-time semifinalist at Umag, also advanced after beating fellow Italian Marco Cecchinato 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-1.
Sports on 07/23/2014