UNDATED (AP) — More and more it looks like any suspensions in the Biogenisis baseball scandal will be handed down by Monday. Under pressure from the clubs to get the matter taken care of, Major League Baseball hopes to have deals worked out with any players caught cheating. The reason is simple: those who are given suspensions that would end before the start of the playoffs would be eligible to play in the postseason.

That brings up the case of Alex Rodriguez, who has started a second minor league injury rehabilitation assignment in Trenton, N.J. The Yankees third baseman is trying to get back in the line-up after suffering a quad injury on July 21.

Rodriguez could be in position to return to the major leagues this weekend at San Diego or during a series against the White Sox that starts Monday. But it appears Major League Baseball will suspend the three-time MVP in coming days for his ties to Biogenesis of America, a closed Florida anti-aging clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs.

Monday appears to be the deadline for Alex Rodriguez and 13 others to accept suspensions for their ties to the scandal.

A person familiar with the process tells The Associated Press that Major League Baseball is prepared to issue two simultaneous announcements no later than Monday. One would list players who accept suspensions; the other would name those disciplined without deals, but who could challenge penalties before an arbitrator.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jhoulys Chacin allowed one run on six hits over eight innings and the Colorado Rockies snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

Chacin (10-5), who has won seven of his past nine decisions, stayed in the game after taking a sharp line drive off the bat of Starling Marte in the fifth inning.

Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki had a solo homer and an RBI single, and Todd Helton had a two-run single 17 years to the day after making his major-league debut in the same city.

Pirates rookie Gerrit Cole (5-5) needed 102 pitches to make it through 5 1-3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Montee Ball was star struck. Terrell Davis was awe struck.

The Denver Broncos Ring of Famer and current NFL Network analyst visited his old team Friday to interview the rookie running back.

Ball said he caught himself looking at Davis throughout practice and called the former Broncos running back his idol.

Davis said he was touched, especially when Ball told him he emulated not just his running style but how he conducted himself in interviews.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Peyton Manning is about to enter a season of Super Bowl expectations behind an offensive line that’s full of questions, surgical scars, fresh faces and, yes, promise.

Three centers with a combined 18 career starts at the position are vying for the starting job now that J.D. Walton and Dan Koppen are out, and the leading candidate, Manny Ramirez, has none of those starts, although he was Denver’s starting right guard for most of last season.

Ryan Lilja and Steve Vallos have a little more experience in the middle but are also guards by trade and provide depth and flexibility more than anything.

Lilja played guard for six seasons with Manning in Indianapolis and then converted to center in Kansas City last year, then retired after the Chiefs went 2-14.

Lincoln – The Nebraska men’s basketball team will be battle-tested for the start of Big Ten play, as the Huskers released their 2013-14 non-conference schedule Friday.

The slate, which includes matchups with Sweet 16 teams Florida Gulf Coast and Miami, will feature a minimum of six teams that won last 20 games in 2012-13. One year after having a schedule that was one of the toughest in the nation, Nebraska Coach Tim Miles has raised the bar for the Huskers in year two.

“It’s a phenomenal schedule, both home and away,” Nebraska Coach Miles said. “I can’t imagine it won’t be one of the top 25 schedules in the country.”

Nebraska will play five of its 12 non-conference games away from Lincoln, highlighted by three games at the Charleston Classic, an eight-team field that includes first-round opponent UMass along with NCAA qualifiers New Mexico, Temple and Davidson, and road games at NCAA Tournament qualifiers Creighton and Cincinnati.

Nebraska’s lone exhibition will be on Monday, Nov. 4, when the Huskers welcome Nebraska-Kearney to Pinnacle Bank Arena. It will be the third time NU and UNK have played an exhibition contest and the first since 2006-07. NU and UNK also squared off in exhibition games in 2001 and 2004.

The regular-season opener at Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for Friday, Nov. 8, when the Huskers play host to Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles bring back four starters from a team that made the NCAA Sweet 16 and finished with a 26-11 record. On Tuesday, Nov. 12, NU continues a three-game homestand against a Western Illinois squad that won the Summit League regular season title and went 22-8 on the season. WIU, which will face the Huskers for the first time since 2001-02, ranked second nationally in scoring defense last year, allowing 52.7 points per game for Coach Jim Molinari. NU concludes the stretch on Sunday, Nov. 18 against South Carolina State, which returns four starters. The Huskers won their only previous matchup with South Carolina State in 2008-09.

As previously announced, the Huskers will take on UMass in the opener of the Charleston Classic on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 11:30 a.m. (CT) on ESPN3.  It will be the first-ever meeting on the court between the two programs, The Minutemen went 21-12 last year and reached the NIT. UMass returns three starters, including All-Atlantic 10 point guard Chaz Williams, who ranked third nationally in assists per game (7.3 apg) while also averaging a team-high 15.5 points per game.

Nebraska will take on either UAB or New Mexico on Friday, Nov. 22, with the semifinal taking place at 1:30 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2 or ESPNU, and the consolation game taking place at 11 a.m. on ESPNU or ESPN3.  New Mexico returns four starters from a team that went 29-6 and was a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, while UAB returns four starters for second-year coach Jerod Haase, paced by All-CUSA forward Rod Rucker, who averaged 14.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Nebraska will meet one of the remaining four teams – Clemson, Davidson Georgia or Temple – on the final day of competition on Sunday, Nov. 24.

Nebraska returns home for a matchup with Northern Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 30, the first matchup between the two programs since 1991, before embarking on a challenging December slate, which includes three NCAA Tournament teams.

The Huskers open the month against defending ACC champion Miami, as the Hurricanes visits Pinnacle Bank Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 4, for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Hurricanes went 29-7 last season, winning both the regular-season and tournament titles for the first time in program history, before falling to Marquette in the Sweet 16.

On Sunday, Dec. 8, the Huskers will renew their annual series with Creighton. The Bluejays have moved to the new Big East Conference, bit return four starters, including two-time All-American Doug McDermott. The Huskers look to extend their series lead, which is 25-21 entering the 2013-14 season.

The Huskers return home for a pair of games sandwiched around final exams. On Saturday, Dec. 14, the Huskers welcome Arkansas State to Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Red Wolves went 19-12 last season and won the Sun Belt Western Division. On Saturday, Dec. 21, the Huskers play host to The Citadel in the first meeting between the programs since 1992.

The Huskers wrap up non-conference action on the road, traveling to Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 28, in the first game of a home-and-home series. The Bearcats are coming off three straight NCAA Tournament appearances and welcome back leading scorer Sean Kilpatrick, who averaged 17.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

The start times and television information for the remainder of Nebraska’s home games will be announced later this summer.

Nebraska Basketball 2013-14 Non-Conference Schedule

 

Day                   Date              Opponent                                                             Location                                           TV                    Time

Monday              Nov. 4            Nebraska-Kearney                                                 Pinnacle Bank Arena                                                 TBA

Friday                Nov. 8            Florida Gulf Coast                                                 Pinnacle Bank Arena                         BTN                  TBA

Tuesday              Nov. 12          Western Illinois                                                    Pinnacle Bank Arena                                                 TBA

Sunday               Nov. 17          South Carolina State                                              Pinnacle Bank Arena                                                 TBA

Thurs.-Sun.          Nov. 21-24       at Charleston Classic                                               Charleston, S.C. (TD Arena)                                           TBA

Thursday           Nov. 21           vs. UMass                                                             Charleston, S.C. (TD Arena)                   ESPN3               11:30 a.m.

Friday               Nov. 22           vs. New Mexico or UAB                                            Charleston, S.C. (TD Arena)                                           TBA

Sunday             Nov. 24           vs. TBA (Clemson, Davidson, Georgia, Temple)                 Charleston, S.C. (TD Arena)                                           TBA

Saturday             Nov. 30          Northern Illinois                                                   Pinnacle Bank Arena                                                 TBA

Wednesday         Dec. 4            Miami                                                                 Pinnacle Bank Arena                         ESPN/2/U          TBA

Sunday               Dec. 8             at Creighton                                                          Omaha, Neb. (CenturyLink Center)                                  TBA

Saturday             Dec. 14          Arkansas State                                                      Pinnacle Bank Arena                                                 TBA

Saturday             Dec. 21          The Citadel                                                          Pinnacle Bank Arena                                                 TBA

Saturday             Dec. 28           at Cincinnati                                                          Cincinnati, Ohio (Fifth Third Arena)                                 TBA

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska football fans can meet and greet the 2013 Cornhuskers on Friday afternoon.

The annual Fan Day runs from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. inside Memorial Stadium. Coaches and players who will be part of fall camp will be in attendance.

Fans can enter through Gates 3 and 24 on the southeast and southwest corners of the stadium. Fans are asked to limit their autograph requests to one item per player or coach.

Free parking is available in the 14th and Avery Parking Garage, the Champions Club parking lot west of the stadium, Lot 8 at the north end of Osborne Athletic Complex and Lot 5 northeast of the stadium. The Stadium Drive garage will be open, but there’s a charge for parking there.