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Albany, NY – Well the NFL is no longer the only major sport in the midst of a work stoppage...
As of midnight eastern, the NBA officially locked out players following Thursday's three-hour meeting with the union. Players and owners failed to move closer to a new collective bargaining agreement, and the sides remain far apart on just about every issue. The only previous lockout reduced the 1998-99 NBA season to just a 50-game schedule.
In NFL news, Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith have resumed talks aimed at ending their lockout. It's the fifth set of "secret" meetings between the two sides this month as the clock ticks on the 2011 season. Training camps are scheduled to open in just over three weeks, with the Hall of Fame game on August 7th.
At Wimbledon, Maria Sharapova has reached Saturday's championship match after knocking off Sabine Lisicki in straight sets. Sharapova will face Petra Kvitova, who took out Victoria Azarenka in three sets.
Men's semifinal action gets underway at 8 this morning... Defending champ Rafael Nadal faces Andy Murray, and Novak Djokovic takes on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
To baseball... In Philadelphia, Jon Lester allowed just two hits over seven shutout innings, and Jason Varitek smacked a pair of solo homers, as the Red Sox avoided a three-game sweep by beating the Phillies 5-2.
In New York, C.C. Sabathia scattered six hits while fanning 13 over 7 and 2/3's scoreless innings, as the Yankees wrapped up a series sweep of Milwaukee 5-0.
In Detroit, Justin Verlander allowed one run over seven innings, as the Tigers cooled off the Mets bats in their 5-2 win. New York had scored 52 runs in its previous four games, including 30 in the first two of this series.
Elsewhere, the Cubs topped San Francisco 5-2, the White Sox edged Colorado 6-4, St. Louis outlasted Baltimore 9-6, Pittsburgh dumped Toronto 6-2, Houston hammered Texas 7-0, and Florida downed Oakland 5-4.
I'm Tristan O'Neill, WAMC News.