LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has ruled against Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and cleared the way for the $2 billion sale of the team to ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
Judge Michael Levanas sided Monday with Sterling’s estranged wife in the case that arose after the 80-year-old billionaire was banned by the NBA for making offensive remarks about blacks.
Shelly Sterling sought the court’s approval for the deal she negotiated after taking control of a family trust and removing her husband as a trustee after two doctors found he had Alzheimer’s disease and couldn’t manage his affairs.
Donald Sterling claimed his wife deceived him about the medical exams.
Sterling has vowed to fight the NBA until his death and is expected to continue to wage court battles to stop the sale.
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions are postponing contract talks with All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh until after the season.
Suh is entering the final season of his contract, and team president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew said before practice Monday that negotiations are being tabled. Lewand and Mayhew both expressed optimism that a deal can eventually be reached.
“He’s told me he wants to be here. I have a good relationship with him,” Mayhew said. “I know I want him to be here. I don’t know what else to tell you.”
Suh talked to reporters after practice, but he didn’t want to discuss his contract situation.
“It won’t be a distraction to me,” Suh said. “I’m just out here playing football and having fun.”
Lewand said Detroit’s salary-cap situation isn’t the reason for the delay in an agreement.
If the two sides can’t reach a deal after the season, the Lions could still keep Suh by using their franchise tag on him.
“I wouldn’t close the door on that,” Mayhew said. “Every year, we have people concerned about our ability to function under the salary cap, and thus far we’ve been able to go out in free agency every year and add to our team, make our team better. … I think the cap is going to go up next year, and probably the year after that too.”
The Lions selected Suh with the second overall pick in 2010, and he has 27 1/2 sacks in his four pro seasons.
“We have a high degree of confidence that we can work out something that’ll be mutually satisfactory at the right time, and the goal hasn’t changed in the least. But the timing is such that we think the focus needs to be on the field, starting today,” Lewand said. “There’s no adversarial nature to this decision. … I think this is what’s right for everybody.”
Coach Jim Caldwell, in his first season with the Lions, said he’s optimistic a deal will be reached.
“I’ve been around too many times where I’ve seen them all get done,” Caldwell said. “I think in this particular case, it won’t be any different.”
Suh did say he hopes teammates won’t have to keep answering questions about his future.
“I’m not going to talk about my contract. We’re going to continue to talk about football,” Suh said. “I would ask you guys not to bother my teammates about something that they have nothing involved in. For sure, definitely don’t want them to have to answer any questions about it.”
Mayhew said contract negotiations during the season can make it harder for a player to stay focused, so it’s important to put off any further discussions. He admitted these talks haven’t progressed as quickly as he expected.
“At the combine, I probably thought around the start of free agency, possibly,” Mayhew said. “After the draft, I thought probably by now. And now I think probably next year.”
The Lions sound prepared to wait until then for a resolution.
“It’s been my experience from doing this that when you can get a deal done in five minutes, the player’s not very good,” Mayhew said. “It takes a little bit of time to get good players signed, and it’s a little bit more complicated.”
BOSTON (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays have traded right-hander Liam Hendriks and catcher Erik Kratz to the Kansas City Royals for infielder Danny Valencia.
The deal between playoff contenders was announced as the Blue Jays were starting their game in Boston on Monday night.
The 29-year-old Valencia hit .282 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 36 games for Kansas City. He also has played for Minnesota, Boston and Baltimore.
Kratz will join the Royals for Tuesday night’s game against Minnesota and Hendriks will be assigned to Triple-A Omaha. Infielder Christian Colon will be called from Omaha and catcher Brett Hayes has been designated for assignment.
The 34-year-old Kratz hit .198 with three homers and 10 RBIs in 34 games for Toronto.
The 25-year-old Hendriks was 1-0 with a 6.08 ERA in three starts for Toronto. He was a Triple-A All-Star this year at Buffalo, going 8-1 with a 2.33 ERA.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter remembers the playoff games in Texas — the good and the bad.
Before starting his final series against the Rangers on Monday, Jeter says those playoff games are what stand out for him against Texas.
Jeter’s rookie season in 1996 ended with the Yankees winning the World Series after clinching their opening playoff series in Texas, just like they did in 1998 and 1999. Then, in 2010, the Rangers got their first AL pennant with a home win over New York in Game 6 of the AL championship series.
The Rangers will honor Jeter in a pregame ceremony before the series finale Wednesday night.
Jeter got a standing ovation in the first inning Monday night, then singled on the first pitch Yu Darvish threw him.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — A jury has acquitted a man in the robbery-slaying of Eastern Michigan University football player Demarius Reed.
The Washtenaw County Circuit Court jury reached the not guilty verdict Monday evening in the trial of 21-year-old Ed Thomas. He was one of two men charged in the killing of the 20-year-old wide receiver from Chicago.
Twenty-year-old Kristopher Pratt accepted a deal and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, testifying that he shot Reed and Thomas participated in the Oct. 18 robbery.
The jury acquitted Thomas on open murder, armed robber and conspiracy charges.
In closing arguments Monday, Assistant Prosecutor Nimish Ganatra said Thomas is just as guilty as Pratt.
Defense lawyer Lorne Brown says the case hangs on false testimony by Pratt. Brown says Pratt lied to get a better deal.
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — LeBron James’ Ohio hometown says fans quickly claimed the thousands of tickets available for the homecoming event expected to be his first public appearance in the state since announcing his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The free tickets for the Aug. 8 show at InfoCision Stadium in Akron were released Monday and were gone within hours.
Akron spokeswoman Stephanie York won’t divulge how many tickets were offered but says demand was overwhelming. She says organizers hope to make more available.
York says the event is more of a show than a party or rally. The stadium holds more than 27,000 people, but it’s unclear how much space will be used for the event.
James has created big buzz by returning to Cleveland four years after leaving for the Miami Heat.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 19-year-old man has died after being shot in west Omaha.
Police say officers sent to check a report about a shooting a little before 9 p.m. Sunday found Joseph Morolla, who had been wounded. Police spokesman Michael Pecha (PEH’-kuh) says Morolla died overnight.
Pecha says it’s too early in the investigation to know whether Morolla’s death was a homicide.
Patricia Louise Kemp, 85, of Tryon passed away July 27, 2014 at the Kearney Nursing Home in Kearney, NE. Louise was born on April 3, 1929 in Tryon, NE to Gilson and Nettie (Booze) James. She grew up in Tryon. On March 31, 1951 Louise married Huck Kemp.
Louise is survived by five children, Deena (Bob) Rodewald of Sheridan, MT, Shirla McCully of North Platte, NE, Jim (Rochelle) Kemp of Tryon, NE, Sandi Kemp of Kearney, NE, and Polly Boyle of Sutherland, NE; 10 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; and a sister, Beluah Robinson.
Memorials may be made in her name and online condolences may be shared at www.adamsswanson.com.
Services will be 10:00 a.m. Thursday, July 31, 2014 at Adams & Swanson Funeral Home with the Reverend Brent Montgomery officiating. Burial will follow at the Miller Cemetery near Tryon. Visitation will be 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 29, 2014 at Adams & Swanson Funeral Home which is in charge of arrangements.
SCOTTBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — Scottsbluff police have been joined by a Philadelphia-based crime-solving organization to find out who killed a 40-year-old Nebraska man nearly 6½ years ago.
Chief Kevin Spencer presented the cold case of Jason Vesper to The Vidocq (vee-DAWK’) Society. Vesper was found mortally stabbed on Jan. 2, 2008, a few houses away from his home. There have been no arrests in the case.
The society meets each month to discuss crimes, focusing on unsolved deaths and disappearances. It’s been credited with helping solve crimes or reinvigorating old, cold cases. Members include a profiler, FBI agents, experts in forensics and other experts.
Spencer says members gave him some “sage advice,” and his investigators have been following up on it. He says he believes the case is solvable.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Three people have been taken into custody after a car chase that began with gunshots from a deputy.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says the three were arrested after their vehicle was stopped early Monday morning on U.S. Highway 275 just inside Dodge County.
The Sheriff’s Office says in a news release that a deputy responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle northwest of Omaha spotted a car and stopped it just after 1:30 a.m. The office says that as the deputy approached the car, the driver turned it around and accelerated toward the deputy, who opened fire.
State troopers and other officers joined the chase, which continued up U.S. Highway 275 before ending southeast of Fremont.
No one in the car was injured. Neither was the deputy.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has ruled against Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and cleared the way for the $2 billion sale of the team to ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
