NHL:
In the NHL playoffs, Washington takes a 3-1 series lead against the Rangers after downing them 2-1 last night, and Tampa Bay beat Montreal 2-1 bringing the Lightning to a 3-0 series lead.
NBA:
In the NBA playoffs, Cleveland beat Chicago 106-91 evening the series at 1 game apiece, and it was Houston over the Clippers 115-109 tying the series at 1 game apiece.
MLB:
In baseball, in the American League, Toronto bested the Yankees 5-1, Tampa Bay busted Boston 5-3, Cleveland topped Kansas City 10-3, the White Sox beat Detroit 7-6, Minnesota shut out Oakland 13-0, Texas crumpled Houston 11-3, and it was the Angels over Seattle 4-3.
In interleague play, the Mets beat Balitmore 5-1.
In the National League, Cincinnati blanked Pittsburgh 3-0, Atlanta slid past Philadelphia 7-5, Washington beat Miami 7-5, Milwaukee won against the Dodgers 6-3, San Diego crushed San Francisco 9-1, and it was the Cubs over St. Louis 6-5. In a double header Arizona beat Colorado 13-7 in the first, and then again 5-1 in the second.
NFL:
An NFL investigation has found that New England Patriots employees likely deflated footballs, and that quarterback Tom Brady was "at least generally aware" of the rules violations. The NFL began the investigation after the Patriots won the AFC Championship game in January, when the Indianapolis Colts complained that several footballs were underinflated.
The New York Jets have signed offensive lineman Jarvis Harrison, their fifth-round draft pick out of Texas A&M. The team announced the signing Wednesday night. All draft picks sign four-year deals, according to the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, and Harrison's is worth about $2.5 million total.
The 6-foot-4, 330-pound Harrison is a versatile lineman who played guard and tackle during his four seasons at Texas A&M, but said his preferred position is left guard. He missed the first two games of last season while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, but played the final 11 games, including starting the final eight. Harrison, from Navasota, Texas, is the first of the Jets' six draft picks to sign. New York opens its rookie minicamp Friday.
Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan has no intention of putting "a muzzle" on his players. And that includes running back LeSean McCoy for questioning the motivations of his former coach, Chip Kelly. Ryan responded Wednesday after McCoy created a stir for telling ESPN The Magazine that "there's a reason (Kelly) got rid of all the black players" in Philadelphia. McCoy's comments were included in a question-and-answer portion of an article published online earlier in the day. McCoy did not explain what he believed to be Kelly's reasoning behind certain moves, though it was unclear whether he was asked. The Bills did not make McCoy available for comment to reporters following the team's voluntary workout session. McCoy spent six seasons with the Eagles before being traded to Buffalo in March.
Horse Racing:
Jockey Vincent Powers and gelding Billy Kelly have been elected to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame.
Powers and Billy Kelly were selected by the museum's Historic Review Committee and will be inducted Aug. 7 with contemporary selections Chris Antley, King Leatherbury, Lava Man and Xtra Heat.
Born in 1891 in Westfield, New York, Powers was North America's champion flat jockey in 1908 (324 wins) and 1909 (173 wins), champion steeplechase rider in 1917 (15 wins) and champion steeplechase trainer in 1927 (19 wins). He remains the only rider in North American history to top the national standings as both a flat and steeplechase jockey.
A bay gelding by Dick Welles out of the Free Knight mare Glena, Billy Kelly was purchased as a 2-year-old in 1918 for $25,000 by J. K. L. Ross and trained for the majority of his career by H. Guy Bedwell. He finished with a record of 39-14-7, including 19 stakes wins.
Matterhorn rallied from last in the four-horse field to win the $77,000 allowance feature Wednesday at Aqueduct. The 3-5 favorite beat Between the Lines by 1 1/2 lengths for his second win in nine starts. Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Javier Castellano, the 4-year-old ran seven furlongs in 1:22.82 on the fast track. Matterhorn paid $3.20 and $2.10. Between the Lines returned $2.80. Culprit was third, followed by Ship Disturber. There was no show betting.
NASCAR:
NASCAR's final appeals officer has upheld penalties levied against Richard Childress Racing for intentionally manipulating Ryan Newman's tires in March.
Final Appeals Officer Bryan Moss could have reduced, thrown out or even increased the penalties NASCAR initially levied after confiscating tires from several teams following a race at California. NASCAR says that RCR had intentionally altered the tires to let air leak out during a run to give Newman an advantage.
PENN STATE-ABUSE:
Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is arguing that pretrial publicity, leaks and unprepared defense lawyers are among the reasons a judge should throw out his 45-count conviction for child sexual abuse.
Sandusky's lawyer filed an appeal today that says his constitutional rights were violated and his attorneys weren't effective.
The petition says Sandusky's right to a fair trial was "crushed under a stampede of vitriol, rage and prejudice" that warrants a new trial and ultimately the dismissal of charges.
Sandusky is serving a sentence of 30 to 60 years in prison.
