Armstrong giving up
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Lance Armstrong says it’s over – and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency agrees.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency says it will strip Armstrong of his unprecedented seven Tour de France titles after he declared he was finished fighting the drug charges that threaten his legacy as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.
USADA’s chief executive, Travis Tygart, says Armstrong will also be hit with a lifetime ban.
Armstrong calls the USADA investigation an “unconstitutional witch hunt.”
The International Cycling Union has backed Armstrong’s legal challenge to USADA’s authority. Today in a statement, the UCI says only that it will wait for USADA’s explanation before commenting on the current situation.
Angels win a wild one at Fenway…Here come the Rays…Giants pad lead
UNDATED (AP) – In a game featuring 27 runs and 38 hits, the L.A. Angels outlasted the Boston Red Sox 14-13 in a wild one that took four and a-half hours at Fenway Park. The Angels trailed 6-0 early but got back in it by scoring eight runs in the third inning.
But closer Alfredo Aceves struggled after Boston was one out away from victory in the ninth. Aceves gave up five runs and six hits in one inning, and the Red Sox lost for the 11th time in 15 games. The Red Sox are 2-7 in extra-inning games.
Kendrys Morales led off the 10th with a homer to help the Angels finish the three-game sweep.
In the rest of the AL:
– Alex Cobb pitched a four-hitter for his first major league shutout and the surging Tampa Bay Rays beat the Oakland Athletics 5-0 to pull within 2 1/2 games of the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East. The Rays have won 14 of their last 17.
– Josh Hamilton had five RBIs and Mitch Moreland doubled in the go-ahead run during a six-run eighth inning that carried the Texas Rangers to a 10-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Adrian Beltre (BEHL’-tray) swatted his 23rd homer.
– Alex Avila’s RBI single with two outs in the 11th gave the Detroit Tigers a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The walkoff hit came one inning after center fielder Austin Jackson kept the game tied with a spectacular catch. Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera left in the second inning because of right ankle soreness and is day to day. The Tigers pulled within 1 1/2 games of the first-place Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.
Over in the NL:
– The San Francisco Giants ran their lead to three games over the Dodgers in the NL West after beating Atlanta 5-2. Barry Zito didn’t allow a run in eight innings before the Braves scored two in the ninth. Atlanta fell six and a-half games back of Washington in the NL East. The Braves went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
– David Freese’s three-run homer snapped the Cardinals’ seven-game long-ball drought and St. Louis beat the Houston Astros 13-5 to complete a three-game sweep. Freese and Matt Holliday each had four RBIs and Allen Craig had three hits and three RBIs. The Cardinals shrugged aside a 4-0, fourth-inning deficit and sent Houston to its seventh straight loss.
– John Mayberry Jr. hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds
– The best matchup of the night has the Giants leading the Atlanta Braves 5-0 midway through the game at AT&T Park. San Francisco is fresh off a three-game sweep of the arch rival Dodgers, while the Braves just dropped two of three to the Nationals in Washington. The Giants currently lead the NL West by 2 1/2 games over the Dodgers, while the Braves are 6 back of the Nats in the East.
Commissioner weighs in on replacement refs…Titans special teamer breaks leg
UNDATED (AP) – NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (guh-DEHL’) says he’s considering using replacement referees for regular-season games to ensure long-term improvements to officiating. The league and the NFL Referees Association have yet to reach an agreement. Goodell says that time is running out to strike a deal that would make the regular officials available for the openers.
Of replacement refs, Goodell says: “They’ll do a very credible job.”
In other NFL news:
– Tennessee returner Marc Mariani broke his left leg at the end of a punt return in a 32-27 exhibition win over the Arizona Cardinals. He was a Pro Bowl returner in 2010. Titans QB Jake Locker threw for 134 yards and two TDs.
– Titans cornerback Jason McCourty has signed a contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 2017 season.
– The Pittsburgh Steelers fired special teams coordinator Al Everest and replaced him with former assistant special teams coach Amos Jones. Everest was preparing to start his 16th season as an NFL special teams coach and had held his Steelers post since 2010.
– The Chicago Bears have waived backup running back Kahlil Bell. Bell played 20 games for the Bears the last three seasons and made three starts.
Miss. State, NCAA examine recruiting “irregularity”…Irish tab Golson as QB
UNDATED (AP) – Mississippi State says it is working with the NCAA because of a “potential recruiting irregularity” in the football program.
The school says the examination has lasted several months and that it is close to finished. NCAA spokesperson Stacey Osburn confirmed the NCAA and Mississippi State were “working cooperatively,” but did not have any further comment.
In other college football news:
– Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said sophomore Everett Golson will start at quarterback in the opener Sept. 1 against Navy in Dublin. Golson edged junior Andrew Hendrix for the position.
–South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw missed most of practice Thursday because of back spasms, a week before the ninth-ranked Gamecocks open the season at Vanderbilt.
– Ohio State linebacker Storm Klein, kicked off the team when he was charged with domestic violence, has been reinstated by coach Urban Meyer after pleading guilty to a lesser charge earlier this week. He won’t be allowed to play until the third game of the season.
– Michigan offensive lineman Chris Bryant will miss the season because of a fractured leg, and linebacker Kaleb Ringer will redshirt following knee surgery. The eighth-ranked Wolverines open the season against second-ranked Alabama on Sept. 1 at the Dallas Cowboys’ home stadium.
– Penn State players will have a blue ribbon on the back of their helmets to show support for child abuse victims. Players’ names are also being added to football jerseys – what amounts to a drastic change at Penn State, where the team has long been associated with plain, blue-and-white, no-name jerseys.
Men’s draw
NEW YORK (AP) – Roger Federer and Andy Murray could meet in a U.S. Open semifinal that would be a rematch of their recent finals at Wimbledon and the London Olympics.
The top-seeded Federer and No. 3 Murray were placed in the same section of the field during the draw at Flushing Meadows. Federer beat Murray at the All England Club; Murray beat Federer for the gold medal.
Defending champion and second-seed Novak Djokovic could face No. 4 David Ferrer in the semifinals.
Harrington with slim lead
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) – The second round of the Barclays is under way.
Padraig Harrington began the day with a one-stroke lead over Nick Watney and Brian Harman after carding a 7-under-par 64 his first trip around Bethpage Black.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson shot opening round 68’s, while Rory McIlroy shot a 2-under-69.
Harrington is trying to capture the attention of European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal, who says the only way for the Irishman to make his is to win this week and become one of his captain’s picks.
The top 100 after The Barclays will be eligible for the Deutsche Bank next week in Norton, Mass.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 3, Toronto 2, 11 innings
L.A. Angels 14, Boston 13, 10 innings
Tampa Bay 5, Oakland 0
Texas 10, Minnesota 6
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Colorado 1, N.Y. Mets 0
St. Louis 13, Houston 5
Philadelphia 4, Cincinnati 3, 11 innings
San Francisco 5, Atlanta 2
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Green Bay 27, Cincinnati 13
Baltimore 48, Jacksonville 17
Tennessee 32, Arizona 27
