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Sale of MLB legend's items halted

LAS VEGAS — A federal judge in Las Vegas has shut down an online auction of memorabilia belonging to Hall of Fame baseball player Reggie Jackson.

U.S. District Judge Kent Dawson issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday against Las Vegas-based American Memorabilia Inc.

The company had been asked by Jackson's stepmother to auction a purported 1977 World Series championship ring and a watch given to Jackson by the New York Yankees.

Jackson says he gave the items to his father with the understanding that they would remain in the family. Jackson says the ring is a replica of his World Series ring.

Jackson's stepmother says the ring is authentic and that it became hers after Jackson's father died in 1994.

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Bin Hammam evidence uncovered

LONDON — FIFA's investigators have gathered further evidence of bribery by suspended executive Mohamed bin Hammam during his campaign to become president of soccer's governing body, a person familiar with the case said Wednesday.

The corruption report — compiled by former FBI agents — was sent to bin Hammam last week, and FIFA has summoned the suspended head of Asian football to a full ethics committee hearing on July 22.

Bin Hammam and two Caribbean soccer officials are accused of involvement in a plot to bribe executives in the Caribbean ahead of the Qatari's challenge to topple FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

Nine of the 24 Caribbean Football Union members who attended a meeting in Trinidad in May have now admitted to ex-FBI director Louis Freeh that they were offered or accepted $40,000 payments from bin Hammam, a person familiar with the case told The Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity as it is a confidential report.

An initial report last month by FIFA's ethics committee concluded there was "compelling" evidence that bin Hammam and then-CONCACAF President Jack Warner conspired to bribe voters.

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Hosts held by Colombia

SANTA, Fe Argentina — Argentina's passage to the knock-out stage of the Copa America is in jeopardy after the hosts were held to a 0-0 draw by Colombia on Wednesday, in another disappointing performance by Lionel Messi and his teammates.

The match was similar to Argentina's 1-1 draw in its opening game against Bolivia, with coach Sergio Batista sticking with nearly the same starters, led by a misfiring Messi and Carlos Tevez.

Argentina's two star forwards were outplayed by Colombia strikers Radamel Falcao and Dayro Moreno, who had more chances and perhaps should have given their team victory.

"We deserved three points," Colombia defender Mario Alberto Yepes said. "We had the chances to win. We had a lot of attacks we didn't finish."

Argentina will need a victory in the final group match against Costa Rica — which is fielding largely an Under-23 team — to guarantee passage to the second round. Even beating a second-string Costa Rica may be tough for Argentina, which has scored one goal in 180 minutes.

Costa Rica and Mexico are using inexperienced Olympic-style squads in this tournament because they are not part of the South American confederation and are playing as guests. Their full-strength teams played in the just-completed Gold Cup for the CONCACAF region, which takes in North and Central America and the Caribbean.

The Argentina players left the pitch to boos and whistles from frustrated fans.

"One does not like to go off that way," Batista said. "People come to see the team win, and that's what we all want."

Batista acknowledged that Colombia defended well against Messi.

"They shut down the open spots, they knew how to play. They knew our game."

Batista will be under pressure to engineer a result for the hosts, who were tipped by many to win the tournament and face Brazil in the final. Batista took over from Diego Maradona after a disappointing World Cup but has failed to produce results for a nation starved for any major titles in 18 years.

Argentina has two points from two games in Group A. Colombia leads the group with four from two games. Bolivia (1 point from 1 game) and Costa Rica (0 points from 1 game) will play Thursday.

The top two teams in the group advance automatically to the quarterfinals, while the best two third-place teams from the three groups also advance.

Colombia outplayed Argentina in the first half with Falcao and Moreno each coming up with several threatening chances. Moreno came close after 20 minutes with two shots sailing just wide.

Argentina again failed to get Messi into the match, although Ezequiel Lavezzi came close to scoring in the 34th, charging in off the right side with a shot that goalkeeper Luis Martinez saved with his right leg.

Falcao forced Argentine keeper Sergio Romero into a diving save in the 42nd on a long shot. Moreno made Romero dive again two minutes later with another threatening attack.

The second half was much the same, and again Colombia looked more dangerous.

Pablo Armero came close on a shot just across the face of goal in the 65th. Two minutes later Romero came up with a big save on Falcao.

Argentina finished with four forwards — Messi, Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero — on the pitch in a desperate search for a goal, but still failed to create any genuine chances.

Messi had a good opportunity with a free kick from the top right corner of the penalty area in the 81st, but his attempt sailed 10 meters high and wide, and the Barcelona star dropped his head onto his chest in disappointment.

He also fell to the ground in first-half stoppage time, twisting his right ankle when his boot caught in the pitch.

Messi has yet to produce his Barcelona form with Argentina, and each failed match adds more pressure on the 24-year-old.

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Stanford extends Dawkins' contract

Stanford, California — Stanford men's basketball coach Johnny Dawkins has signed a two-year contract extension that takes him through the 2015-16 season with the Cardinal.

Athletic director Bob Bowlsby made the announcement Wednesday about the new deal for Dawkins, who owns a 49-48 record in three seasons at Stanford, including last season's 15-16 mark.

The 47-year-old Dawkins was a longtime Duke assistant under Mike Krzyzewski and a former All-America at the school where he had been on the coaching staff since the 1997-98 season.

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Inaba homers as Darvish records 11th victory

CHIBA — Yu Darvish threw eight effective innings as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters avoided a three-game sweep by the Chiba Lotte Marines with a 4-3 win on Thursday.

Fight on: Atsunori Inaba hits a home run in the eighth inning of the Fighters' game against the Marines on Thursday in Chiba. Nippon Ham won 4-3. KYODO PHOTO

Darvish (11-2) allowed three runs, two earned, and six hits in eight innings en route to his baseball-leading 11th win.

The 24-year-old ace struck out five and walked two in a 108-pitch outing at QVC Marine Field.

Lotte took a 1-0 lead in the third on Masato Watanabe's inside-the-park home run, in which left fielder Sho Nakata misfielded what would have been just a single.

The second-place Fighters came right back in the fourth with a two-run homer by Yoshio Itoi.

A run-scoring error by Lotte first baseman Jose Castillo made it 3-1 for Nippon Ham. Atsunori Inaba added a solo home run in the eighth.

"It was nice that my solo shot turned out to be a crucial one for our win," Inaba said. "I wasn't sure if my fly ball would stay fair, but it did with a little help from the wind.

"Darvish was pitching for us, so we just couldn't lose. He was visibly frustrated on the mound at times, but he didn't make things worse. He's really mature now."

Hisashi Takeda closed out the game to pick up his 22nd save.

Lotte rookie Atsushi Kobayashi (0-2) was charged with three runs in seven innings.

Eagles 4, Buffaloes 3

At Osaka's Kyocera Dome, Ryo Hijirisawa hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the fifth inning to make a winner out of Masahiro Tanaka as Tohoku Rakuten beat Orix.

Tanaka (9-2) allowed three runs on nine hits in six innings. Yuki Nishi (5-3) took the loss. Darrell Rasner earned his first career save in Japan.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Tigers 3, Dragons 1 (11)

At Nagoya Dome, Takashi Toritani scored the opening run after doubling in the 11th, when catcher Kohei Oda muffed a relay throw at the plate and another run scored on closer Hitoki Iwase's throwing error in Hanshin's win over Chunichi.

Akihito Fujii added an RBI grounder for insurance.

Kyuji Fujikawa (2-0) got the win in relief and rookie Daiki Enokida got his first career save despite allowing an RBI triple by Tatsuro Iwasaki in the bottom of the 11th.

Swallows 3, Giants 2 (11)

At Jingu Stadium, Norichika Aoki hit a bases-loaded infield RBI single for the game-winning run with two outs in the 11th inning as Tokyo Yakult completed a three-game sweep of Yomiuri.

Saburo Omura had an RBI single to open the scoring in the fourth before Hayato Sakamoto's solo shot in the fifth gave the Giants a 2-0 lead. Yakult rallied in the eighth, which featured Josh Whitesell's game-tying RBI single.

Yomiuri fell 10 games below .500.

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Jeter moves closer in loss

Flexibility: New York's Derek Jeter dives for a ball to make a force play at second base against Cleveland in the fourth inning on Wednesday. The Indians beat the Yankees 5-3. AP PHOTO

CLEVELAND — Justin Masterson blanked New York's vaunted lineup, only allowing Derek Jeter to move one rung closer to 3,000 career hits.

He couldn't have done it without Asdrubal Cabrera.

Masterson pitched eight shutout innings and Cabrera, the Indians' All-Star shortstop, made two stunning defensive plays to help his starter as Cleveland beat the Yankees 5-3 on Wednesday night, taking two of three games in the series between two of the AL's division leaders.

Playing on a sprained ankle, Cabrera still managed to make two plays in the eighth that left almost everyone at Progressive Field breathless.

"Nothing he does surprises me," Masterson said. "It never gets old."

Jeter got his 2,997th hit, lining a double in three at-bats against Masterson (7-6). The righty allowed three hits, struck out six, walked two and got just his second win since April 26.

"His stuff was some of the best we've seen," Jeter said. "He was throwing 95, 96 all night with movement. He pitched outstanding."

Jeter's quest to become the 28th major leaguer — and first purebred pinstriper — to reach 3,000 will resume on Thursday night against Tampa Bay at Yankee Stadium.

Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 4

In Boston, Jacoby Ellsbury and Kevin Youkilis both had three extra-base hits and Tim Wakefield scattered nine hits in seven innings to lead Boston.

Athletics 2, Mariners 0

In Oakland, Guillermo Moscoso allowed two hits over seven innings and Scott Sizemore homered and drove in two runs.

Hideki Matsui was 0-for-3 with a walk for the A's.

Ichiro Suzuki finished hitless in four at-bats for Seattle.

Rays 12, Twins 5

In Minneapolis, Evan Longoria had three hits and four RBIs for Tampa Bay, which avoided being swept.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka finished 3-for-3 with a walk for the Twins.

Tigers 5, Angels 4

In Anaheim, Miguel Cabrera homered during a three-run seventh for Detroit.

Reliever Hisanori Takahashi took the loss for Los Angeles.

Royals 4, White Sox 1

In Chicago, starter Bruce Chen pitched effectively into the seventh and Eric Hosmer homered.

Rangers 13, Orioles 5

In Arlington, Texas, Alexi Ogando allowed four hits over seven innings and Texas completed a three-game sweep.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Reds 9, Cardinals 8 (13)

In St. Louis, pinch hitter Ramon Hernandez doubled in the go-ahead run in the 13th inning as Cincinnati survived blowing an eight-run lead.

Nationals 5, Cubs 4

In Washington, Wilson Ramos' suicide squeeze drove in Michael Morse in the seventh inning to lift the Nationals.

Astros 8, Pirates 2

In Pittsburgh, Hunter Pence had three hits, including an RBI single during a five-run sixth inning, and Houston snapped a five-game losing streak.

Braves 9, Rockies 1

In Atlanta, Chipper Jones hit a two-run homer and Jair Jurrjens earned his NL-leading 12th win for the Braves.

Marlins 7, Phillies 6 (10)

In Miami, Mike Stanton hit a one-out solo homer in the 10th inning and Florida overcame an early four-run deficit to avert a series sweep.

Brewers 3, Diamondbacks 1

In Milwaukee, pinch hitter Casey McGehee hit a three-run homer in the seventh.

Mets 5, Dodgers 3

In Los Angeles, Ruben Tejada, filling in for the injured Jose Reyes, doubled home two runs, Carlos Beltran doubled twice and scored twice, and New York won its fourth straight.

Hiroki Kuroda (6-10) gave up four runs and eight hits over six innings for Los Angeles, dropping to 1-5 with a 5.75 ERA in seven career starts against the Mets.

Giants 6, Padres 5 (14)

In San Francisco, Nate Schierholtz hit his second homer of the game to lead off the bottom of the 14th for the Giants.

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NFL star sues ex-girlfriend over ring

Odessa Texas — Dallas wide receiver Roy Williams has sued his ex-girlfriend for return of an engagement ring he included in a marriage proposal-by-mail spurned by the ex-beauty queen.

In court documents, Williams says he wants 2009 Miss Texas USA Brooke Daniels to return the $76,600 ring he mailed to her in February.

Michael Daniels of Tomball told the Odessa American that Williams told his daughter he didn't want the ring back, saying he expected her to change her mind. She didn't.

Daniels says he'll return the ring to avoid the legal hassle.

Williams, who was a standout at Odessa Permian High and the University of Texas before starring with the Detroit Lions and Cowboys, filed the lawsuit June 30 in state district court in Odessa. He declined to comment to the American.

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Pacers name Vogel head coach; Gilliam dead at 47

INDIANAPOLIS — Frank Vogel played the waiting game to become head coach with the same confidence that made him a favorite of both fans and players during his half a season carrying the interim tag.

Interim no more: Frank Vogel speaks at a news conference in Indianapolis on Wednesday after being introduced as the head coach of the Pacers. AP PHOTO

"They never told me I wasn't going to be the coach, so I just tried to carry myself like I was," the 38-year-old said Wednesday after the Pacers officially made him the head coach.

Vogel took over for Jim O'Brien in the middle of last season, went 20-18 to close the regular season and led the team to its first playoff berth since 2006. He didn't worry about the interim tag until after the season ended.

"Once I took over, I really didn't have time to think about big-picture stuff," he said. "I was just trying to win the next day and make sure I was prepared the next day. Once it all ended, and I realized how close I was, it was just exciting, and I was just hopeful and trying to carry myself the right way."

Vogel takes over a team that has plenty of young talent, playoff experience and significant salary cap space, should the labor situation get sorted out.

Danny Granger, at 28, is the oldest starter. Roy Hibbert just finished his third year, point guard Darren Collison and forward Tyler Hansbrough were second-year players, and Paul George was a rookie. The team added local star George Hill in a draft-night trade.

Pacers president Larry Bird made Vogel the favorite to get the job from the beginning of the search, then took his time making the decision official.

"As I stated after the season, I was in no hurry regarding the coach, mainly because I knew I had a good candidate in Frank," Bird said. "But we wanted to get through the draft, and I wanted to have numerous conversations with Frank about a staff that will cover all areas. I feel strongly he is doing that and this coaching staff, as a whole, will help this franchise continue to move forward."

Early in his tenure as interim coach, Vogel said Eastern Conference powers Boston, Miami and Orlando wouldn't want to play the Pacers when — not if — they made the playoffs.

He introduced "smashmouth" ball, an approach that focused on attacking the basket instead of O'Brien's perimeter-oriented game. He moved Hansbrough and George into the starting lineup and helped restore center Hibbert's confidence.

His team quickly bought into his approach and the changes.

"I really felt it build up right from the beginning," Vogel said. "I started implementing changes right away. I think there was a belief in what we were doing."

As the Pacers started winning, calls to remove Vogel's interim tag grew.

"I'm overwhelmed," he said. "Every person in this building has been supportive of me, and I'm very grateful for that. I'm grateful for the fan support, and I'm grateful for the relationships that I've built this year and continuing to grow them."

PITTSBURGH — Armen Gilliam, who was part of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team that made a run to the Final Four in 1987 and played for several NBA teams, has died. He was 47.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said Wednesday that Gilliam died Tuesday night at the LA Fitness gym in Bridgeville while he was playing basketball.

The office said the cause of death has not yet been determined pending an autopsy which is likely to be completed later Wednesday.

After college, the Phoenix Suns drafted Gilliam as the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of the draft. Besides the Suns, Gilliam also played with the then-Charlotte Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz. He retired in 2000.

"We are deeply saddened to learn about the loss of Armen Gilliam," said Rod Thorn, president of the 76ers. "He was a hard-working, physical player during his distinguished 13 years in the NBA and we are proud of the contributions he made to the Sixers from 1990 to 1993.

"On behalf of the entire Sixers organization, we send our deepest condolences to the Gilliam family during this very difficult time."

Nicknamed "The Hammer," Gilliam was the leading scorer on the 1987 UNLV team coached by Jerry Tarkanian.

In a statement released by UNLV, Tarkanian, who coached basketball there from 1973-1992, called him one of the best players the university ever had.

"In my ratings, I had Larry Johnson No. 1 and Armen No. 2. He was such a great person. Everybody loved him and he loved everybody," Tarkanian said. "He was such a gentle person and such a caring guy. I am all shook up over it. I think the world of him and am just really shocked."

Gilliam's No. 35 UNLV jersey was retired during a halftime ceremony at the Thomas & Mack Center in November 2007.

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Bolt working out hard ahead of worlds in South Korea

PARIS — Usain Bolt blames his laid-back personality for being injured last season and insists he has learned from his mistakes, pledging to eradicate any complacency ahead of the world championships in South Korea.

The Jamaican sprinter said the back and Achilles' tendon problems that hampered him in 2010 came about due to his casualness in failing to stretch properly.

"My coach said that I will never get an easy year again because when I get it easy, I get lazy," Bolt said Wednesday. "I think I got a little bit too laid-back last season because it was an offseason for us and I was trying to take it easy not to pressure my body too much. I backed off doing my back exercises, stuff like that. That's part of the reason I got injured last year.

"For me, the key thing is just to learn from your mistakes. So now I have learned. All I have to do now is work toward just being a better person and just being a better athlete."

Bolt made a belated start to the season because he was exempt from the Jamaican nationals for the worlds, which will be staged Aug. 27-Sept. 4 in Daegu, South Korea. He still has the quickest 200 time of the year after clocking 19.86 in Oslo last month.

The three-time Olympic gold medalist will have a new bulked-up physique when he faces European champion Christophe Lemaitre of France in the 200 meters of the Areva meet on Friday.

"I've been working a lot on my back. I've been strengthening my hamstring. As you can see, I've got a little bit more muscle this year because I've been really putting a lot of emphasis on that," Bolt said. "I've set a standard for myself which is really high. People don't understand that with sport comes injury. When you get injured, it's hard to get back sometimes. You got to really work hard."

The last sprinter to beat Bolt after his victory in the 100 at Stockholm last year, No. 1 rival Tyson Gay pulled out of the U.S. nationals last month with an injured hip and won't even run at the worlds as a relay member.

Despite the absence of Gay, Bolt said he won't underestimate the rest of the field in South Korea.

"This season, I personally think he pushed himself a little bit too much," Bolt said. "When you get injured, you got to make sure you're fully fit before you start going back into 100 percent work. I can't get complacent because Tyson dropped out. I won't get complacent because it's all about business.

"My goal is just to defend my titles. I want to become a legend in the sport."

Those titles he won in 2009 brought world records of 9.58 seconds in the 100 and 19.19 in the 200, breaking the marks he set a year earlier at the Beijing Olympics.

Bolt said former world record holder Asafa Powell is a contender at the worlds after his Jamaican teammate ran the fastest 100 in 2011 with a time of 9.78 last week in Lausanne, Switzerland. The best Bolt has run is 9.91, in Rome and Ostrava, Czech Republic.

"Asafa just posted a wonderful time," Bolt said. "That meant he's back in business."

For now, however, Bolt's sights are set on Lemaitre. They have squared off only once this year, the Jamaican coming out on top in the 100 at the Golden Gala meet in Rome in May.

But Bolt's priority will be refining his technique to improve the fluency of his stride.

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A-Rod's doctor admits wrongdoing

Buffalo New York — A Canadian sports doctor whose high-profile clients have included Tiger Woods and Alex Rodriguez pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to bringing unapproved drugs, including human growth hormone, into the United States to unlawfully treat pro athletes.

Dr. Anthony Galea, a healing specialist from Toronto who was sought out by the biggest names in sports, was indicted by a federal grand jury in October on charges that he smuggled human growth hormone and other substances into the United States and lied to border agents to avoid getting caught. He faces similar charges in Canada.

Some of the U.S. charges were dismissed with his plea.

Galea, who wasn't licensed to work in the United States, was accused of treating 20 professional athletes at their homes, hotels and friends' houses from October 2007 to September 2009.

The indictment did not identify any clients, but prosecutors said they included golfers, professional baseball and football players and others.

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IOC approves slopestyle for Sochi

Durban, South Africa — Slopestyle is coming to the 2014 Winter Olympics. Baseball and softball will get a chance to come back for the 2020 Summer Games.

The International Olympic Committee approved the inclusion Monday of men's and women's slopestyle events in snowboarding and freestyle skiing for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

Also approved for Sochi were snowboard parallel slalom events for men and women.

In slopestyle, snowboarders and skiers do tricks while going down the mountain and maneuver through "features" — rails, big jumps and bumps.

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Miyazato sets sights on U.S. Open

Colorado Springs, Colorado — Ai Miyazato says she is in good form and ready to bounce back from a disappointing showing at the LPGA Championship when the Women's U.S. Open gets under way on Thursday.

Miyazato missed the cut at the LPGA Championship and has not put herself in contention in eight starts this year, despite a superb 2010 season in which she reached the world No. 1 spot for the first time in her career.

"This is a different situation this week. I am in good shape," Miyazato said after the first 18 practice holes on the tricky par-71 Broadmoor East Course in Colorado Springs.

"The greens here are very difficult," said the 26-year-old from Okinawa, who is seeking her first major title.

Miyazato plays the first two rounds of the U.S. Women's Open alongside Karrie Webb and Cristie Kerr.

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Zaccheroni spurns interested suitors

Rome — Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni said he has turned down a handful of offers for his services to steer the Blue Samurai to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, according to an interview Monday in Italian daily Repubblica.

"I had offers from three different national teams and one from a foreign club but turned all of them down," said Zaccheroni, who has one year left on his contract with the Asian champions.

Zaccheroni guided Japan to a record fourth Asian Cup in January and has yet to lose since beginning his reign with a shock 1-0 win over Argentina last October.

Japan kicks off its bid to reach Brazil in September and Zaccheroni has picked out Australia, which Japan beat in the Asian Cup final, among teams to be wary of in Asian qualifying.

"There are 94 national teams in Asia and the qualifiers have already begun. For me, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Australia are the teams we have to watch out for."

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American Farrar takes July 4th stage

Emotional victory: American Tyler Farrar celebrates after winning the third stage of the Tour de France on Monday in Olonne-sur-Mer. AP

REDON, France — Two months ago, Tyler Farrar was demoralized, sleeping 20 hours a day. He had even stopped riding, overcome by sorrow after his best friend died in a crash at the Giro d'Italia.

On Monday, Farrar became the first American to win a stage of the Tour de France on the Fourth of July. It was the first time he had won a stage in cycling's showcase race, and he dedicated the victory to the late Wouter Weylandt of Belgium.

"It's a little bit unbelievable to me at the moment that it actually happened," said Farrar, who pulled out of the Giro after the accident.

After crossing the finish line, Farrar held up his hands to form a "W" with his fingers and thumbs in tribute to Weylandt.

"This has been a horrible last two months with everything that happened in the Giro," Farrar said. "I've had a lot of ups and downs. But in the end, I wanted to be able to come back, and do something special to pay tribute, and this is certainly the biggest stage in the world to do that."

Farrar, a sprint specialist from Wenatchee, Washington, who rides for Garmin-Cervelo, sped ahead in the last few hundred yards of the 198-km course from Olonne-sur-Mer to Redon to win the third stage. He has now won a stage in each of cycling's three-week major tours — France, Italy and Spain.

The previous American to win a Tour de France stage was Levi Leipheimer, who in 2007 was first in the individual time trial in Angouleme.

"I certainly would have taken it on any day," Farrar said. "But as an American, winning on the Fourth of July, it's the icing on the cake. . . . Lucky me."

Norway's Thor Hushovd kept the Tour de France's yellow jersey. Hushovd, however, is a sprint specialist and is not expected to hold his lead through the mountains in the second and third weeks.

It was during the third stage of another race — the Giro in Italy on May 9 — when Weylandt clipped a wall on a steep descent. He fell off his bike and slammed his head on the ground, dying almost instantly. It was the first death of a rider at one of the major tours in 16 years.

In Monday's final sprint, the American nosed ahead of France's Romain Feillu, who was second, and Spain's Jose Joaquin Rojas, who was third. Farrar and a pack all had the same time: 4 hours, 40 minutes, 21 seconds.

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NFL retirees file court complaint

Minneapolis — While NFL owners and players appear to be inching toward a resolution of the league's long lockout, a group of retired players is clamoring to be more involved in the discussions.

The group filed a class-action complaint against the owners and current players in federal court Monday, saying they have been excluded from the mediation sessions taking place in an attempt to end the lockout.

Named plaintiffs, including Hall of Famers Carl Eller, Franco Harris, Marcus Allen and Paul Krause, are asking U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson to put a halt to the mediation she ordered and declare that the current players cannot negotiate on behalf of those who are retired.

The retired players say that NFL owners, the NFL Players' Association and a group of current players, including star quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, are "conspiring to depress the amounts of pension and disability benefits to be paid to former NFL players in order to maximize the salaries and benefits to current NFL players."

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Jeter held hitless in return

Beating the tag: Philadelphia's Domonic Brown slides home safely in front of Florida catcher John Buck in the seventh inning on Monday. The Phillies beat the Marlins 1-0. AP

CLEVELAND — In 10 years, Austin Kearns has just two career hits against A.J. Burnett.

He's made them both count.

Kearns hit his first homer in 105 at-bats this season, a stunning three-run shot in the seventh inning off Burnett, sending the Cleveland Indians to a 6-3 win and spoiling All-Star shortstop Derek Jeter's return to the Yankees' lineup Monday night.

With two on and the Indians trailing 2-1, Kearns, who has been in a slump all season, hit a 1-0 pitch from Burnett (8-7) the opposite way to right for his first homer since Aug. 22, when he wore Yankee pinstripes. Kearns came up batting only .192 with two RBIs in a part-time role.

He was only 1 of 11 against Burnett — a grand slam as a rookie in 2002 for Cincinnati.

"It's a funny game," Kearns said.

Jeter was back in his familiar spot at shortstop and again atop the batting order for the first time since June 13, when he went on the disabled list with a calf injury. New York's captain went 0-for-4 and remained six shy of becoming the first Yankees player to reach 3,000 hits.

"I felt fine, no problems, no issues," Jeter said. "I was nervous at the beginning, almost like it was opening day again. It was just nerves. Three weeks is definitely a long time to be out. I felt better as the game went on."

Twins 7, Rays 0

In Minneapolis, Tsuyoshi Nishioka doubled in a pair of runs and Brian Duensing went the distance, throwing a six-hit shutout as the Twins blanked the Rays.

Minnesota broke out for three runs in the second inning. Danny Valencia, who went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer in the eighth, and Jason Repko singled off David Price and Matt Tolbert walked to load the bases for Nishioka.

Nishioka delivered a two-run double before Ben Revere had an RBI groundout.

"It was a big hit by Nishioka," said Michael Cuddyer, who added a solo homer for the Twins in the third.

"He took that fastball away, and it kind of started us off. Obviously, (it) started the scoring off, but it also told us we could hit this guy (Price) today."

Blue Jays 9, Red Sox 7

In Boston, Travis Snider had three doubles and drove in a pair of runs and Aaron Hill homered as Toronto became the latest team to rough up John Lackey.

Mariners 2, Athletics 1

In Oakland, Michael Pineda and three relievers combined on a three-hitter and Josh Bard hit his first home run of the season for Seattle.

Ichiro Suzuki finished 2-for-4 for the Mariners, while Hideki Matsui went 1-for-4 for the A's with a run scored.

White Sox 5, Royals 4

In Chicago, A.J. Pierzynski scored the winning run on a balk called on Aaron Crow in the ninth.

Rangers 13, Orioles 4

In Arlington, Texas, Endy Chavez had his first four-RBI game in more than eight years with a long home run and a double.

Angels 5, Tigers 1

In Anaheim, Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells homered and Joel Pineiro yielded five hits over seven solid innings.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Pirates 5, Astros 3

In Pittsburgh, rookie Alex Presley had three of the home team's 14 hits and the Pirates moved three games over .500 this late in the season for the first time in 12 years.

Nationals 5, Cubs 4 (10)

In Washington, Jayson Werth turned boos to cheers by scoring the winning run on a wild pitch in the 10th inning, and the Nationals snagged another one-run victory.

Kosuke Fukudome was hitless in four at-bats for the Cubs.

Phillies 1, Marlins 0

In Miami, Vance Worley pitched seven sharp innings and Philadelphia scored the only run on a close play in the seventh.

Cardinals 1, Reds 0

In St. Louis, Chris Carpenter outdueled Cincinnati nemesis Johnny Cueto with eight impressive innings, then watched from the dugout as pinch hitter Mark Hamilton drove in the lone run with an infield hit.

Padres 5, Giants 3

In San Francisco, Will Venable hit his second home run of the season and San Diego pounced on Tim Lincecum.

Diamondbacks 8, Brewers 6

In Milwaukee, Chris Young drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out single in the ninth inning and Arizona overcame a grand slam by pitcher Shaun Marcum.

Braves 4, Rockies 1

In Atlanta, Freddie Freeman homered twice to drive in three runs and Tommy Hanson combined with two relievers on a four-hitter.

Mets 5, Dodgers 2

In Los Angeles, Angel Pagan, Carlos Beltran and Daniel Murphy had RBI doubles in the sixth.

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