A close game got ugly in a hurry when the Colorado Rockies new pitching staff experiment blew up in their faces in an 12-5 loss to the Washington Nationals last night at Coors Field. The Rockies trailed 4-3 when starting pitcher Christian Friedrich left the game with one out in the fifth inning, having come close to the team’s 75-pitch limit for their starters. Reliever Guillermo Moscoso promptly gave up five runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to put the game beyond reach. Dexter Fowler and Jonathan Herrera each popped solo homers for the Rockies in a losing effort. The Rockies and Nationals play game three of their four-game series tonight. The Rockies will send left-hander Edwar Cabrera to the mound for his first major league start. ESPN Radio 1410 has all the action, with pregame coverage at 7:05 and first pitch at 7:40.

Six former Husker players and one former coach are a part of this year’s class of inductees into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame. Most notable among the former players inducted is running back Ahman Green, who was twice an all-conference honoree while at Nebraska. Other former Huskers to receive the honor are defensive back DeJuan Groce, center Josh Heskew, kicker Dave Klein, and defensive ends Steve Manstedt and Bill Weber, and former assistant and head coach Frank Solich. Two former players at the University of Nebraska-Kearney are also set to be enshrined, end Dick Erwin and defensive back Mitch Johnson. The winners of the Clarence E. Swanson Meritorious Service Award and the Lyell Bremser Special Merit Award will also be honored. One of the Swanson Award winners is Dan Whitney, better known by his stage name, ‘Larry the Cable Guy’.

The longest-serving pitching coach in Colorado Rockies history ended his tenure yesterday. Bob Apodaca requested a re-assignment within the organization prior to last night’s game, saying he needed a break. Apodaca had been in charge of the Rockies pitching staff over the last ten seasons. The last six seasons prior to 2012 had seen his staffs post the lowest single-season team ERAs in the franchise’s history. But the pitching has gone off the rails for the Rockies this season, as they rank at or near the bottom of all of Major League Baseball in every major statistical category. His role will be performed by two men for the remainder of this season: Jim Wright, the Rockies’ current bullpen coach, and Bo McLaughlin, who had been the pitching coach for the club’s AAA minor league affiliate in Colorado Springs.

(Hilary Winter, Nebraska Sports Information) Lincoln, Neb. – Former Husker distance runner Amber (Parkinson) Neben was named to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Cycling Team. The team includes 10 male and 11 female athletes across the disciplines of road cycling, track cycling, mountain biking and bicycle motocross (BMX).

Neben will compete in the road race for the United States. She earned a gold medal at the Pan American Continental Championships earlier this season.

Neben competed for the Huskers from 1993-1995, when a stress fracture forced her out of competitive running and into cycling. The Anaheim, Calif., native is a two-time Olympian as she also represented the United States in Beijing in 2008.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Star is reporting that Larry Bird is leaving the Indiana Pacers.

The newspaper reported the move Tuesday, citing an unidentified person with direct knowledge of the situation, and said Bird was meeting with team owner Herb Simon. The Pacers and Simon declined comment on the report. The NBA draft is Thursday.

The 55-year-old Bird was Pacers coach from 1997-2000, returning to the front office in 2003. He took over from Donnie Walsh in 2008 as president of basketball operations and was this season’s NBA’s Executive of the Year after building a tough, young team that lost to eventual champion Miami.

The former Indiana State star won three MVP awards and three NBA titles during his Hall of Fame career with Boston.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Rafael Nadal lost the first four games of his first-round match at Wimbledon before turning things around against Thomaz Bellucci, beating the Brazilian 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-3.

Nadal had a shaky start Tuesday on Centre Court. He was two points away from going down 5-0 in the first set, but Bellucci netted an overhead backhand at 30-15 and Nadal went on to break for 4-1 to start the comeback. He won the next three games to make it 4-4 and Bellucci then self-destructed in the tiebreaker, making several unforced errors.

The two-time champion was hardly troubled after that and served out the match with an ace.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Second-ranked Victoria Azarenka overcame a late slip-up to beat American Irina Falconi 6-1, 6-4 Tuesday in the first round at Wimbledon.

The Australian Open champion looked to be cruising when leading 4-1 in the second set but allowed Falconi to break twice and keep her chances alive. Azarenka wouldn’t allow a comeback, however, converting her second match point when Falconi netted a forehand return.

Azarenka reached the semifinals at Wimbledon last year before losing to eventual champion Petra Kvitova, while Falconi lost in the first round for the second year in a row.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Adam Oates is the new coach of the Washington Capitals.

The team announced Tuesday that the 49-year-old Oates will be the replacement for Dale Hunter, who resigned at the end of the season.

Oates played 19 seasons in the NHL, including parts of six seasons with the Capitals. Ironically, he replaced Hunter as captain after Hunter was traded during the 1998-99 season.

Oates’ last year as a player in the NHL was 2004. He has spent the last three seasons in the league as an assistant coach, first with the Tampa Bay Lightning and then the last two seasons with the New Jersey Devils.

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

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia 6:05 p.m.
Arizona at Atlanta 6:10 p.m.
Milwaukee at Cincinnati 6:10 p.m.
St. Louis at Miami 6:10 p.m.
N-Y Mets at Chi Cubs 7:05 p.m.
San Diego at Houston 7:05 p.m.
Washington at Colorado 7:40 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE TONIGHT on ESPN Radio 1410)
L.A. Dodgers at San Francisco 9:15 p.m.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) – Second seeds Rafael Nadal (nah-DAHL’) and Victoria Azarenka (as-ah-REHN’-kah) highlight the Day 2 schedule at Wimbledon. No. 1 seeds Novak Djokovic (JOH’-koh-vihk) and Maria Sharapova won their first-round matches yesterday, as did Agnieszka Radwanska (ag-NEHS’-kee-ah rad-WAHN’-skah), Sam Stosur, and Roger Federer. But five-time champ Venus Williams fell to Elena Vesnina 6-1, 6-3 and men’s sixth seed Thomas Berdych was beaten by Ernests Gulbis.

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) – A lawyer for Jerry Sandusky says the retired Penn State assistant football coach wants “people to know that he’s not guilty.” The 68-year-old former Penn State assistant football coach has been in jail since Friday, following his conviction on 45 counts of child sex abuse. Karl Rominger says Sandusky is being kept away from other inmates and has not been able to see his family pending a psychological evaluation.

ATLANTA (AP) – Danny Ferry is the Atlanta Hawks’ new president of basketball operations and general manager. Hawks co-owner Bruce Levenson says Ferry has the right character and experience the team needs to create “enduring and successful organizations.” Ferry comes to the Hawks after two years as vice president of basketball operations for the San Antonio Spurs.

NEW YORK (AP) – Outfielder Marlon Byrd has been suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Byrd started the season with the Cubs and was dealt to the Red Sox on April 21. He was designated for assignment by Boston on June 9 and released four days later.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
N.Y. Yankees 7, Cleveland 1
Toronto 9, Boston 6
Detroit 8, Texas 2
Minnesota 4, Chicago White Sox 1
Kansas City 8, Tampa Bay 0
Oakland 1, Seattle 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia 8, Pittsburgh 3
Cincinnati 3, Milwaukee 1
St. Louis 8, Miami 7, 10 innings
Chicago Cubs 6, N.Y. Mets 1
San Diego 8, Houston 7, 10 innings
Colorado 4, Washington 2
San Francisco 8, L.A. Dodgers 0

The North Platte First Nationals have 16 victories this season, but few were as sweet as their 1-0 shutout win over Kearney at Bill Wood Field back on June 5. Tonight they’ll aim to complete a season series sweep of their rivals at Kearney’s Memorial Field. It’s part of a junior-senior doubleheader tonight, with the juniors playing at 5:30 and the seniors to follow at 8. The First Nationals juniors and seniors also had a scheduling change. Instead of hosting Overton tomorrow in a doubleheader, they’ll each take on Hershey instead.

The Colorado Rockies team effort on the mound was better than the effort of Washington Nationals ace Steven Strasburg in a 4-2 Rockies win last night at Coors Field. Jeff Francis started for the Rockies and worked five innings. Josh Roenicke followed for two innings, and Matt Belisle and Rafael Betancourt worked one inning apiece. They combined to limit the Nationals to eight hits and strike out ten. The Rockies offense got to Strasburg for a pair of runs in the sixth inning. Carlos Gonzalez had an RBI single and Todd Helton hit a sacrifice fly to put the Rockies ahead 3-2. Chris Nelson’s RBI knock in the seventh gave the team insurance. Nationals teenage phenom Bryce Harper was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on the night. The Rockies and Nationals play game two of their four game set tonight in Denver. ESPN Radio 1410 has the action, with pregame coverage at 7:05 and first pitch at 7:40.

A three-run ninth inning lifted the Arizona Wildcats to the fourth College World Series championship. The Cats lifted the Walnut and Bronze for the first time since 1986 after dethroning the two-time defending champs South Carolina with a 4-1 win in Game Two of the championship series. Brandon Dixon’s RBI double in the ninth snapped a 1-1 tie, and Trent Gilbert’s two-run single provided breathing room. The Gamecocks loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning, but Arizona closer Mathew Troupe got Greyson Greiner to fly out to end South Carolina’s reign. Wildcats head coach Andy Lopez became only the second coach in NCAA history to win a College World Series at two different schools. He’d previously coached Pepperdine to the crown in 1992. Arizona outfielder Robert Refsnyder was named the Series’ Most Outstanding Player.

Former Husker men’s basketball player Aleks Maric will have the honor of representing his country at the London Olympics next month. Maric will suit up for Australia, one of twelve nations that will compete for the gold medal. After a career at Nebraska that saw him named an All-Big 12 player twice, Maric has played professionally overseas, spending the last two seasons in Greece. He is the first former Husker to participate in an Olympic Games.