NBA:
In the NBA, Charlotte beat Boston 114-100, Washington bested Brooklyn 120-111, Chicago defeated New Orleans 121-116, Houston topped Minnesota 129-105, Oklahoma City bested the Lakers 112-79, Dallas won against Utah 101-92, Sacramento squeaked by Phoenix 105-101.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference playoffs following another strong performance by LeBron James. The Cavs' forward delivered 34 points, six rebounds and six assists before sitting out the fourth quarter of a 109-94 rout of Atlanta.
MLB:
In baseball, in the American League, Baltimore beat Boston 9-7, the Orioles are now 6-0, the only undefeated team in the major leagues. Elsewhere the White Sox won against Minnesota 4-1, Houston blasted Kansas City 8-2, the Angels defeated Oakland 4-1, and Texas topped Seattle 7-3.
In the National League, Miami crushed the Mets 10-3, San Diego beat Philadelphia 4-3, St. Louis blasted Milwaukee 10-1, and Washington beat Atlanta 6-4.
In interleague play, Pittsburgh beat Detroit 7-4.
The New York Yankees have agreed to extend the lease for their spring training home at Steinbrenner Field through 2046 as part of an agreement that calls for a renovation. The team moved their spring training camp to Tampa, Florida, from Fort Lauderdale in 1996. The proposed renovation is expected to cost more than $40 million.
Major League Baseball's average game time has slowed during the first week of the season and was back over 3 hours. The average time of a nine-inning game was 3:04 through the first 79 games of this season, according to STATS. That is up 8 minutes from a 2:56 average for the first 79 games last year.
The Chicago Cubs have transferred slugger Kyle Schwarber to the 60-day disabled list from the 15-day DL because of a season-ending knee injury. They also acquired left-handed pitcher Giovanni Soto (SOH'-toh) from the Cleveland Indians for cash.
Fans can now take Vin Scully Avenue into the main gate of Dodger Stadium. The city of Los Angeles has renamed a section of roadway running from Sunset Boulevard to Stadium Way in honor of the 88-year-old Hall of Fame announcer. Scully is set to broadcast the final home opener of his 67-year career on Tuesday. He's retiring at the end of the season.
Oakland left-hander Felix Doubront will undergo Tommy John surgery as early as today. Doubront was projected to be the Athletics' No. 5 starter until he was injured during his final spring training appearance. He went 3-3 with a 5.50 ERA in 16 games with Oakland and Toronto last year.
Fans attending the Boston Red Sox home opener yesterday were met by a protest designed to call attention to the victims of sexual abuse by a former team employee. A man handed out one-page leaflets in Kenmore Square alleging abuse by former Red Sox clubhouse manager Donald Fitzpatrick, who died in 2005. Fitzpatrick had pleaded guilty to attempted sexual battery of a child. The team fired him in 1991.
One of the most famous season-ticket holders of the Boston Red Sox is grumbling about new safety netting at Fenway Park meant to protect fans from foul balls and flying bats. Horror novelist Stephen King says in an opinion piece published yesterday in The Boston Globe that the netting is "one more step toward taking the taste and texture out of the game I care for above all others."
NFL:
New Orleans Police say they plan to add a new charge against Cardell Hayes, the man accused of killing former Saints player Will Smith following a car accident over the weekend. A police spokesman said Hayes will be charged with attempted murder or aggravated battery after Smith's wife, Racquel, was shot in the leg. The spokesman couldn't comment on a statement from Hayes' attorney that said his client called 911 shortly before a car crash that police say touched off the deadly shooting.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has signed a one-year contract extension through the 2017 season, the third straight year he's gotten extra time on his deal after losing in the playoffs. Lewis has coached the Bengals a team-record 13 years, going 112-94-2 in the regular season. But he's also the only NFL coach to lose his first seven playoff games.
The New York Giants have kicked off their offseason conditioning program by adding free agent running back Bobby Rainey, linebacker Kelvin Sheppard and offensive tackle Byron Stingily to their roster. The veteran signings are designed to add depth and competition.
Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon has raised a red flag following a recent NFL-administered drug test. A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that while Gordon didn't have a positive substance abuse test, a sample collected last month showed Gordon had traces of marijuana and a diluting substance in his system. The level of marijuana was less than the minimum required by the NFL for a positive test.
In other NFL news:
— Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Mike DeVito is retiring after nine NFL seasons. The 31-year-old DeVito had a career-high three sacks last season as the Chiefs rallied from 1-5 to make the playoffs.
NHL:
Don Maloney is out after nine years as vice president and general manager of the Arizona Coyotes. Maloney's dismissal comes after the Coyotes finished 35-39-8 this season to miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. The team said an interim general manager wouldn't be named at this time, and that the search will begin immediately.
New York Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh is unlikely to start the first-round playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. McDonagh injured his right hand at Columbus a week ago. He did not practice yesterday. McDonagh status isn't the only uncertainty because of injury. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist left the ice early because he was not feeling well.
OBIT:
Philadelphia Flyers co-founder Ed Snider has died at 83 following a two-year battle with cancer. Snider and Jerry Wolman were awarded the NHL franchise in 1966, one year before Snider took over control of the team. His "Broad Street Bullies" became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup when they defeated Boston in 1974. Snider was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.
NCAA:
Freshman center Diamond Stone will enter the NBA draft and sign with an agent after averaging 12.5 points a game last season. He led the Terrapins with 56 blocked shots and earned the Big Ten's newcomer of the year award. The school also announced that sophomore point guard Melo Trimble will declare for the draft but not hire an agent.
Steve Pikiell has gone back to his ties at Stony Brook and hired long-time assistant Jay Young as an assistant coach at Rutgers. Young spent 11 seasons working as an assistant on Pikiell's Stony Brook staff, including the last seven as associate head coach.
FIFA:
A former vice president of soccer's international governing body has pleaded guilty to four conspiracy counts in the sweeping FIFA bribery scandal over lucrative broadcast rights. Prosecutors in New York said Alfredo Hawit accepted bribes totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars linked to the sale of marketing rights to tournaments in Latin America.
Monday's plea is part of a case involving more than 40 people from around the world. Prosecutors have said soccer officials have taken hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal payments in the last 25 years. The Honduras native also served as interim president of the North and Central American and Caribbean soccer governing body, CONCACAF, from June until his Dec. 3 arrest. Hawit was extradited from Switzerland earlier this year.
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