NFL:
Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. But he's nowhere near done with his legal troubles. The Bristol native still faces double murder charges in Boston, as well as civil lawsuits over the killings and a lawsuit in Florida from a former friend who said he was shot in the face and left for dead after arguing with Hernandez.
GIANTS ROSTER:
The New York Giants have signed former Indianapolis Colts defensive back Josh Gordy. The Giants announced the signing yesterday in a move that might offer them some help at their depleted safety position. New York lost safety Antrel Rolle to free agency. Stevie Brown and Quintin Demps are still free agents, leaving Nat Berhe and Cooper Taylor as the only safeties on the roster.
NHL:
Over on the ice in the NHL playoffs, the Islanders beat Washington 4-1, Montreal edged Ottawa 4-3, Chicago skate by Nashville in double overtime 4-3, and it was Calgary over Vancouver 2-1.
The Bruins have fired general manager Peter Chiarelli. The move comes after the team missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years. It's just four seasons since the Bruins won the Stanley Cup; they returned to the NHL Finals two years ago. The statement from the team today said coach Claude Julien and the rest of his staff "will remain in place at this time." No interim was named, and Bruins president Cam Neely said the team will conduct an "exhaustive" search for a permanent replacement.
NCAA champion goaltender Jon Gillies has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames. Gillies made 49 saves for Providence in a 4-3 win over Boston University on Saturday to end his college career with an NCAA championship. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound goalie from South Portland, Maine, was the Most Outstanding Player of the Frozen Four tournament. Calgary drafted Gillies 75th overall in the third round of the 2012 draft.
NBA:
In the NBA, Detroit topped New York 112-90, Boston beat Milwaukee 105-100, Brooklyn trumped Orlando 101-88, Chicago won against Atlanta 91-85, Toronto bested Charlotte 92-87, Miami topped Philadelphia 105-101, Oklahoma City defeated Minnesota 138-113, Dallas beat Portland 114-98, New Orleans routed San Antonio 108-103, Houston bested Utah 117-91, Cleveland won against Washington in overtime 113-108, Memphis beat Indiana 95-83, Golden State defeated Denver 133-126, and it was Sacramento over the Lakers 122-99.
The Houston Rockets have wrapped up the Southwest Division title and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The New Orleans Pelicans helped the Rockets' cause while claiming the eighth seed in the West. And the Brooklyn Nets earned a victory and got some help to capture the final Eastern Conference playoff slot.
Houston ripped Utah 117-92 behind James Harden's 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in just three quarters. Terrence Jones had 15 points for the Rockets, who built a 30-point halftime lead to allow coach Kevin McHale to rest his starters.
The Pelicans squandered most of a 23-point lead before holding off the Spurs 108-103, putting New Orleans in the playoffs and costing San Antonio a division title. Anthony Davis provided a pair of clutch jumpers, two blocks and two rebounds in the waning minutes to finish with 31 points and 13 rebounds. Tyreke Evans chipped in 19 points and 11 assists for New Orleans, which took the eighth spot from Oklahoma City based on the tiebreaker.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored a career-high 28 points and the Nets avoided elimination by beating Orlando 101-88. The game was tied heading into the fourth quarter before Joe Johnson scored seven points during a 10-0 run.
The Nets needed help to reach the playoffs, and they got it when Memphis beat the Indiana Pacers 95-83. Marc Gasol delivered 33 points and 13 rebounds as the Grizzlies took the fifth seed in the West and avoided the Los Angeles Clippers.
Atlanta is the top seed in the East and will take on Brooklyn in the conference quarterfinals. Second seed Cleveland will face Boston, No. 3 Chicago will battle Milwaukee and fourth seed Toronto has a matchup with Washington.
The Western Conference quarters will have top seed Golden State against New Orleans, second seed Houston versus Dallas, the third-seeded Los Angeles Clippers taking on San Antonio and No. 4 Portland facing Memphis.
MLB:
In Major League Baseball, in interleague play, Washington doubled up Boston 10-5, Detroit blanked Pittsburgh 1-0, and it was the Dodgers over Seattle 5-2.
In the American League, Baltimore beat the Yankees 7-5, Toronto topped Tampa Bay 12-7, the Angels bested Texas 10-2, Cleveland doubled up the White Sox 4-2, Minnesota won against Kansas City 3-1, and it was Houston over Oakland 6-1.
In the National League, the Mets bested Philadelphia 6-1, the Cubs blanked Cincinnati 5-0, Miami tripled up Atlanta 6-2, St. Louis doubled up Milwaukee 4-2, San Diego edged Arizona 3-2, and it was Colorado over San Francisco 4-2.
The new owners of the Pawtucket Red Sox say a multi-use ballpark in downtown Providence would generate $12.3 million annually in spending for the city and Rhode Island. Team president James Skeffington and a group of consultants unveiled their vision for a new waterfront stadium yesterday.
Horse Racing:
Blacktype beat Barrel of Love by a nose Wednesday in the $75,000 allowance feature, the first turf race of the year at Aqueduct.
The 4-year-old French-bred gelding trained by Christophe Clement prevailed for his third win in 12 starts.
Irad Ortiz, Jr. was aboard for the 1 1-16 miles in 1:46.29 over the course labeled good.
Blacktype, the even-money favorite, paid $4.20, $3 and $2.20.
Barrel of Love returned $3.70 and $2.50, and Smooth Daddy paid $2.30 to show.
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