NHL:
In the NHL playoffs, the Rangers topped Pittsburgh in overtime 2-1 to improve to a 3-1 series lead, Ottawa blanked Montreal 1-0 to hold off elimination trailing 3-1 in the series, St. Louis routed Minnesota 6-1 tying the series at 2 games apiece, and Anaheim swept Winnipeg 5-2 to advance to the second round.
Should the Buffalo Sabres draft Jack Eichel in June, he won't be the only Boston University product on their roster. The Sabres signed BU forward and assistant captain Evan Rodrigues to a two-year contract yesterday. Rodrigues was an undrafted free agent who completed his senior season with the Terriers. The Sabres, who finished last, have the No. 2 pick. That puts Buffalo in a position to select Eichel, who is projected to go second behind Erie Otters center Connor McDavid.
NBA:
In the NBA playoffs, Atlanta topped Brooklyn 96-91 for a 2-0 series lead, Memphis grabs a 2-0 series lead after downing Portland 97-82, and San Antonio bested the Clippers 111-107 evening the series at 1 game apiece.
Rajon Rondo has played his last game for the Dallas Mavericks.
After saying that Rondo was out indefinitely with a back injury sustained before he was benched in a Game 2 loss to Houston Tuesday, coach Rick Carlisle has acknowledged that Rondo will not play another game for Dallas.
The four-time All-Star sat all but 34 seconds after halftime Tuesday night's loss that gave the Rockets a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.
The Mavericks have also lost Chandler Parsons for the rest of the playoffs with a right knee injury that will require surgery.
Scott Brooks has been fired by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He led the team for seven seasons and had three trips to the Western Conference finals in four years including an appearance in the NBA Finals in 2012. The Thunder failed to make the playoffs this season, as injuries limited them to a 45-37 finish.
The Hawks made news off the court as well with a group headed by billionaire Antony Ressler saying it is buying the team for $850 million. The Hawks went on the market after the discovery of an inflammatory email written by co-owner Bruce Levenson in 2012, complaining about the racial makeup of the team's fans.
MLB:
In baseball, in interleague play, Arizona beat Texas 8-5.
In the American League, the Yankees clobbered Detroit 13-4, Tampa Bay defeated Boston 7-5, Toronto doubled up Baltimore 4-2, the White Sox blanked Cleveland 6-0, Minnesota shut out Kansas City 3-0, Oakland routed the Angels 9-2, and it was Seattle over Houston 3-2.
In National League, the Mets have 10 straight victories after beating Atlanta 3-2, Pittsburgh edged the Cubs 4-3, Miami topped Philadelphia 6-1, St. Louis won against Washington 7-5, Cincinnati slid past Milwaukee 2-1, Colorado defeated San Diego 5-4, and it was San Francisco over the Dodgers 3-2.\
A five-time All-Star with the Yankees Bernie Williams will sign a minor league contract with the team on Friday and then retire, nine years after playing his last game. Williams became a free agent after the 2006 season, declined the Yankees' offer to attend spring training in 2007 on a minor league contract and didn't play again. New York announced in February it will retire Williams' No. 51 on May 24. Williams finished with a career batting average of.297 with 287 homers and 1,257 RBIs. He earned four World Series rings and won the 1998 AL batting title.
Barry Bonds' obstruction of justice conviction has been reversed by a federal appeals court. It ruled 10-1 that his meandering answer before a grand jury in 2003 was not material to the government's investigation into illegal steroids distribution. Baseball's career home run leader was indicted in 2007 for his testimony before the grand jury investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative. The government could ask the 11-judge panel to reconsider Wednesday's decision or could request that all 29 judges on the 9th Circuit rehear the case. Prosecutors also could petition the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision.
NFL
A federal judge has approved a potential $1 billion plan to resolve thousands of NFL concussion lawsuits filed by retired players. The NFL expects 6,000 of nearly 20,000 retired players to suffer from Alzheimer's disease or moderate dementia someday. The settlement approved by a federal judge would pay them an average $190,000.
The awards could reach $1 million to $5 million for younger men diagnosed with Parkinson's or Lou Gehrig's disease, or for chronic brain trauma-related deaths. The lawsuits accuse the league of hiding what it knew about concussion risks. The NFL denies the claims.
The NFL has suspended Dallas defensive end Greg Hardy for 10 games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league. The NFL concluded there was "credible evidence" Hardy roughed up his ex-girlfriend nearly a year ago when he was a member of the Carolina Panthers.
Hardy plans to appeal.
His assault case had been dismissed in a North Carolina court because his accuser refused to cooperate with prosecutors, but an NFL investigation concluded that Hardy used physical force against his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Holder, in at least four instances.
Boston Olympics:
Larry Bird and David Ortiz are members of the board that will try to bring the 2024 Olympics to Boston. The Boston basketball and baseball stars will be joined by two dozen other athletes and business leaders on the committee. Boston was selected as the U.S. bid city. Since its selection, it has been dogged by questions from residents about the potential cost of hosting the Summer Games. The bid committee has committed to a statewide referendum to determine whether there is support.
NCAA:
Illinois says its basketball team will travel to Providence to take on the Friars as part of a first-ever series between the Big Ten and Big East. The Illini will face Providence November 18th in the inaugural Gavitt Tipoff Games. Illinois finished last season 19-14 and lost in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament. Providence finished 22-12 and lost its first game in the NCAA Tournament.
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