Chicago, Ill. – The Nebraska volleyball team was selected as the favorite to win the Big Ten Conference title in the coaches’ preseason volleyball poll released Thursday afternoon by the conference office. The defending Big Ten Champion Huskers were voted to finish first, while Penn State was voted to finish second and Purdue third. Minnesota, Illinois and Ohio State rounded out the rest of the top six.

The conference office also announced its Preseason All-Big Ten Team on Thursday, with three Huskers being honored, including unanimous selections seniors Lauren Cook and Hannah Werth. Cook and Werth were joined by senior Gina Mancuso, as the Huskers were one of four schools with more than two honorees.

Cook will lead the Husker offense in 2012 after she was a first-team All-Big Ten and AVCA honorable mention All-America selection in 2011. She took over at setter as a junior after sharing the position with two-time All-American Sydney Anderson in NU’s 6-2 rotation in 2010. Cook helped the Huskers hit .300 or better in 10 matches in 2011, including two matches over .400. She also led NU with 18 double-doubles on the year.

Werth will guide the Husker defense as a senior after earning AVCA honorable mention All-America and first-team All-Big Ten honors as a junior. She recorded 10 double-doubles in 2011, while averaging 2.80 kills per set and 3.11 digs per set on the season. Werth notched at least 10 kills in 18 matches, while recording at least 10 digs in 19 matches in 2011. She also posted a streak of eight matches where she recorded at least 10 digs.

Mancuso produced a stellar junior campaign and closed the season with an AVCA first-team All-America honor. Elevating her play in her third year with the Huskers, she led the team in kills and points in 2011 and was also a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection. She averaged 3.60 kills per set, 2.66 digs per set and was continually ranked in the top 10 in the Big Ten Conference for total kills during the season. She totaled 406 kills in 2011 and notched at least 10 kills in 27 matches.

— Hilary Winter, Nebraska Sports Information

Lincoln – Nebraska basketball coach Tim Miles announced Thursday that the Huskers have signed an agreement with ESPN to participate in a trio of in-season exempt tournaments over the next three years, beginning in the 2013-14 season.

The three-year agreement begins in November of 2013, when the Huskers will travel to Charleston, S.C., to participate in the Charleston Classic, which takes place from Nov. 21-24 at the TD Arena. The following year, the Huskers will spend the holidays in paradise, as Nebraska will take part in the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. The tournament is slated for the week of Dec. 20 at the Stan Sheriff Center on the University of Hawaii campus. In 2015, the Huskers will head to California to participate in the Anaheim Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center from Nov. 26 to Nov. 29.

All three events will give the Huskers national exposure, as the games are carried on the ESPN family of networks, as well as providing high-level non-conference opponents prior to the start of Big Ten play. This is in addition to the ACC/Big Ten Challenge which the Huskers annually participate in. Nebraska’s most recent in-season tournament was the 2010 Puerto Rico Tipoff, while Nebraska has not played in Hawaii since the 2006-07 season.  The Huskers will host the Joe Cipriano Nebraska Classic this November.

“I’m excited about our agreement with ESPN to play in the Charleston Classic, the Diamond Head Classic and the Anaheim Classic in the coming years,” Miles said. “They will provide excellent competition and exposure for our program.  We have been successful in these types of events when I was at Colorado State, winning the Cancun Governor’s Cup in 2010, and hope we can be highly competitive in these tournaments.

“These are also great events because you have three games in three or four days, and you will see contrasting styles. One day, you may face a zone team and then you may see a pressing team. That is good for your team to make those adjustments in a tournament format.”

“This is just one way of Coach Miles working on increasing the brand of Nebraska basketball,” Marc Boehm, Nebraska’s Executive Associate Athletic Director, said. “He didn’t have to schedule us in these tournaments, but he understands the importance of positioning a team for postseason play and also getting the program more exposure on a national level. It also shows the belief that other people have in Coach Miles to turn Nebraska basketball into a winner.”

— Shamus McKnight, Nebraska Sports Information

Linebacker D.J. Williams was absent from the Denver Broncos’ practice Thursday morning, a day after being convicted on two charges in a Denver court. Williams was found guilty of driving while ability-impaired and driving without his headlights, the offense that prompted police to stop him near downtown Denver about 3 a.m. on Nov. 12, 2010. Already facing a six-game drug suspension to start the season, Williams is subject to further punishment from the NFL because of his conviction on the impaired driving charge. The league said it will review the matter. Williams hasn’t been working with the starters during camp, and he missed a practice earlier this month for personal reasons. The Broncos are gearing up for their preseason home debut Saturday night against the Seattle Seahawks. ESPN Radio 1410 will have the action, with the pregame show at 6:05 and kickoff at 8:00.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Football is king in Nebraska, though a squad of 13 boys is threatening to unseat the Cornhuskers as the state’s most popular team.

The mashers from the Midwest made their historic debut Thursday night at the Little League World Series as Kearney, Neb. lost to Goodlettsville, Tenn. 12-1.

The Kearney kids are the first team from Nebraska to ever play in the tournament. Catcher Cole Staab said his team is getting emails and text messages from family, friends and new-found baseball fans from all over Nebraska.

Some players have been wearing red Nebraska Cornhusker T-shirts in practice. Coach Monte Dakan said that while Huskers football is a “religion” back home, the Kearney boys are becoming household names, too.

Japan, Chinese Taipei and California won the other games on the opening day of the tournament.

DENVER (AP) – A person familiar with the negotiations says Major League Baseball owners have approved the sale of the San Diego Padres to a group that includes the O’Malley family and pro golfer Phil Mickelson.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on the condition of anonymity because Commissioner Bud Selig has yet to make an announcement. The owners were still in meetings.

Under the deal, the group will buy the franchise from John Moores for around $800 million.

The new ownership group includes Kevin and Brian O’Malley, the sons of former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley. Ron Fowler, chief executive of Liquid Investments, is set to become controlling owner.

The agreement comes months after Jeff Moorad’s attempt to buy the team on a layaway plan collapsed.

NEW YORK (AP) – Full-time on-field officials and adding new crews are at the center of the dispute between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association.

The officials have been locked out by the league, and replacements are being used for exhibition games.

The NFLRA says Thursday that the NFL wants to add three crews totaling 21 officials without increasing “aggregate compensation.” Instead, that would cause a reduction in pay.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello says the proposal would allow each official to work fewer games, reduce travel, and allow the league to do more intensive training.

As for full-time officials, the NFLRA says the league has not made salary offers, but it isn’t opposed to full-time officials if they are fairly compensated. The league’ says the proposal “also focuses on improving the quality of officiating long term.”

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Texas at N-Y Yankees 12:05 p.m.
Boston at Baltimore 6:05 p.m.
Chi White Sox at Toronto 6:07 p.m.
Oakland at Kansas City 7:10 p.m.
Tampa Bay at L.A. Angels 9:05 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
L.A. Dodgers at Pittsburgh 3:05 p.m.
N-Y Mets at Cincinnati 6:10 p.m.
San Diego at Atlanta 6:10 p.m.
Philadelphia at Milwaukee 7:10 p.m.
Arizona at St. Louis 7:15 p.m.
Miami at Colorado 7:40 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Cincinnati at Atlanta 7:00 p.m.
Cleveland at Green Bay 7:00 p.m.

Hernandez joins growing list

SEATTLE (AP) – Make it a record three perfect games in the major leagues this season.

Seattle’s Felix Hernandez faced the minimum 27 batters, striking out 12 of them, in the Mariners’ 1-0 victory over Tampa Bay. It’s the 23rd perfecto in major league history, with 12 of them, coming in the last 25 years.

Chicago’s Philip Humber threw a perfect game against the Mariners in April and San Francisco’s Matt Cain twirled one against Houston in June.

This also was the sixth no-hitter in the majors this season, three of them at Safeco Field. There have been seven no-hitters in a season twice since 1900. It happened in 1990 and again in 1991, with Nolan Ryan throwing one in each of those years.

For the Rays, it was an all-too-familiar feeling. This was the third time in four seasons they had a perfect game pitched against them.

In other AL action:

– The New York Yankees nipped Texas 3-2 despite two home runs by the Rangers’ Josh Hamilton. He is tied for the major league lead with 34 homers. The Yanks have taken the first three games of this series and go for the sweep this afternoon in the Bronx.

– Adam Dunn cracked his 34th home run and the Chicago White Sox worked over Toronto 9-5. Dayan Viciedo and DeWayne Wise also connected for the Sox, who won back-to-back games in Toronto for the first time in six years.

– Held hitless by Aaron Cook through five innings, the Baltimore Orioles sent 10 batters to the plate during a five-run sixth and beat the Boston Red Sox 5-3. Cook’s throwing error on a potential double play grounder led to three unearned runs.

– Miguel Cabrera became the first player in Tigers history to reach 30 home runs in five straight seasons as Detroit beat Minnesota 5-1. Cabrera also singled in the fifth to push his majors-leading total to 103 RBIs. Max Scherzer worked seven scoreless innings to pick up the win.

– Will Smith pitched seven strong innings, Chris Getz doubled home the go-ahead run and the Kansas City Royals defeated the Oakland Athletics 3-2.

– The L.A. Angels doubled up Cleveland 8-4. Angels rookie sensation Mike Trout connected for his 22nd home run.

Over in the NL:

– Clayton Kershaw won his fourth consecutive start, Matt Kemp drove in three runs and the Los Angeles Dodgers moved into first place in the NL West with a 9-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Kershaw is 11-6.

– Stephen Strasburg outpitched two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum (LINZ’-ih-kuhm) in the Washington Nationals beat San Francisco 6-4. Strasburg is 14-5. He struck out seven in his six innings. Lincecum was routed for four runs on eight hits in four innings, his ERA rising to 5.45. Lincecum failed to reach five innings for the sixth time in his 25 starts this year.

– Atlanta remained four and a-half games back of Washington in the NL East by beating San Diego 6-1. Dan Uggla’s three-run homer in the third was the big hit.

– The Cincinnati Reds won their fifth in a row by beating R.A. Dickey and the New York Mets 6-1 on a Mike Leake four-hitter. Scott Rolen and Todd Frazier hit back-to-back homers and Jay Bruce also went deep for the Reds, who are 21-8 since the All-Star break.

– Greg Dobbs drove in the Marlins’ first run in 31 innings then hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth help Miami beat Philadelphia 9-2.

– David DeJesus hit two home runs to help the Cubs beat Houston 7-2. Starlin Castro also homered among his three hits for Chicago, which won for just the third time in 15 games.

– The St. Louis Cardinals got home runs from David Freese and Allen Craig in a 5-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Adam Wainwright improved to 11-10.

Cabrera suspended

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera has been suspended for 50 games without pay after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance.

The commissioner’s office says the suspension is effective immediately.

Cabrera was the MVP of last month’s All-Star game. He’s batting .346 with 11 home runs and 60 RBIs in his first season with San Francisco.

Henry refutes Yahoo! Sports report

UNDATED (AP) – Red Sox owner John Henry says no one at a meeting with players last month called for manager Bobby Valentine to be replaced.

Henry sent an email one day after Yahoo! Sports reported that several players met with Henry and team president Larry Lucchino (loo-KEE’-noh) on July 27 in New York to complain about the manager’s handling of the team.

Owner Tom Werner also was at the meeting, according to Henry, who says that no one who attended took the position that Valentine should be or needed to be replaced. The Red Sox are a disappointing 57-60 in Valentine’s first season.

There is some bad news for Red Sox fans. Slugger David Ortiz has been shut down as he strives to return from a strained right Achilles tendon. Ortiz had already been told not to take batting practice, and now he’s been ordered to also stop running. Ortiz has been on the DL since July 18.

Witten out of action

UNDATED (AP) – Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten sustained a “slightly lacerated” spleen in the preseason opener Monday night against Oakland. He’s expected to miss the rest of the preseason. Witten will rest for the rest of the week then be reassessed to see if surgery is needed.

Bynum happy to be in Philly

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – With hundreds of fans cheering him on, Andrew Bynum made his first appearance as a member of the 76ers after coming over from the L.A. Lakers in a four-team trade last week. The veteran center says he’s leaning toward making Philadelphia his home, bringing even louder cheers from an event that was more pep rally than press conference.

Bynum’s contract is up after this season, but the Sixers can offer him a max deal worth more than $100 million over five seasons.

US earns historic win in Mexico

MEXICO CITY (AP) – Michael Orozco Fiscal scored in the 80th minute, giving the United States its first-ever win at Mexico with a 1-0 victory in an exhibition match.

The U.S. had been 0-23-1 in 75 years of games at Mexico, including 0-19-1 in the thin air at altitude in Mexico City – where they have been outscored 81-14.

Nadal out

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) – The U.S. Open says that Rafael Nadal (rah-fay-ehl nah-DAHL’) has withdrawn from the last Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year because of tendinitis in his left knee. The third-ranked Spaniard hasn’t played a match since June 28, when he was upset in the second round of Wimbledon by the 100th ranked player in the world.

It’s the same problem that forced Nadal to pull out of the London Olympics and a U.S. Open hard-court tuneup tournament in Cincinnati.

The year’s final Grand Slam starts Aug. 27.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 5 Minnesota 1
Seattle 1 Tampa Bay 0
Baltimore 5 Boston 3
N-Y Yankees 3 Texas 2
Chi White Sox 9 Toronto 5
Kansas City 3 Oakland 2
L.A. Angels 8 Cleveland 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Miami 9 Philadelphia 2
Chi Cubs 7 Houston 2
Colorado 7 Milwaukee 6
Washington 6 San Francisco 4
L.A. Dodgers 9 Pittsburgh 3
Cincinnati 6 N-Y Mets 1
Atlanta 6 San Diego 1
St. Louis 5 Arizona 2

The Colorado Rockies finished off their first three-game series sweep of the season with style. Tyler Colvin’s two-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the Rockies a walk-off 7-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field. The Rockies had jumped out to another early lead, scoring three times in the first inning and once more in the second on Eric Young Jr.’s second home run in as many games. Starting pitcher Guillermo Moscoso began with four shutout innings, but he and reliever Carlos Torres combined to give up five runs and the lead in the fifth frame. The Rockies trailed 6-5 in the ninth and were two outs away from defeat, but Wilin Rosario and Young singled, setting the stage for Colvin’s heroics. Tonight the Rockies open a four-game series with the Miami Marlins in Denver. ESPN Radio 1410 has the action, with pregame coverage at 7:05 and first pitch at 7:40.

DENVER (AP) — Jurors have started deliberating in the drunken driving case against Denver Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams.

A jury was seated Wednesday, and testimony and closing arguments wrapped up by the afternoon.

The weakside linebacker is already facing a six-game suspension for failing an offseason drug test. A conviction for driving under the influence and traffic charges could result in an even longer suspension.

Williams’ trial was delayed several times, including last fall after he suffered a dislocated right elbow during a game. In May, just as opening statements were about to begin, his lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, won a mistrial after objecting to how jurors were selected.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Denver Broncos defensive end Jason Hunter had surgery on his torn triceps Wednesday and is out for four months.

Coach John Fox also said that right guard Chris Kuper had surgery on his broken left forearm and is out four to six weeks.

Hunter is the team’s third defensive lineman to suffer a serious injury at training camp in the last two years. Elvis Dumervil missed the 2010 season with a torn chest muscle and Ty Warren missed last season with a torn triceps.

Hunter had supplanted Robert Ayers as the starter at left end two weeks ago. He was replaced in the base defense by rookie Derek Wolfe, the team’s top draft choice who had two sacks at Chicago last week.

Manny Ramirez took Kuper’s spot in the lineup.