Reuters U.S. Sports Schedule at 2:30 PM ET on Thursday, June 2
June 2 (Reuters) - Reuters U.S. sports schedule at 2:30 PM ET on Thursday: - - - - For any coverage questions, please contact us.general-news@thomsonreuters.com - - - - COLLEGE FOOTBALL Briles breaks silence, bristles at 'independent report' Suspended Baylor coach Art Briles issued a statement on Thursday criticizing the university board of regents and admitting he could have done "certain things differently." (FBC-BAYLOR-BRILES-STATEMENT, moved, Sports Xchange, 489 words) Error frees Baylor WR recruit to bolt Devin Duvernay and other top recruits were informed they would not be released from National Letter of Intent papers that became official in February despite the ongoing sexual assault and violence scandal at Baylor that prompted the firing of coach Art Briles. But Duvernay, a high school All-American, does have a way out, the Big 12 confirmed Thursday. (FBC-BAYLOR-NEWS-DUVERNAY-NLI, moved, Sports Xchange, 388 words) - - - - NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Warriors and Cavaliers begin championship series OAKLAND, California - The Golden State Warriors are at home for Game One of the best-of-seven NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers as last year's two finalists square off again, giving LeBron James and his teammates another chance to bring the championship to Cleveland for what would be the first time. (NBA-FINALS/WARRIORS, expect by 1 a.m. ET, by Rory Carroll, 500 words) Kobe chimes in on Durant, free agency Kobe Bryant re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers every time he was presented the opportunity, but he's encouraging Kevin Durant to test free agency when his contract is up in July. (BKN-THUNDER-NEWS-DURANT-KOBE, moved, The Sports Xchange, 350 words) Knicks hire Hornacek as head coach Jeff Hornacek received an official welcome from the New York Knicks on Thursday. Hornacek, 53, was the surprise selection to be head coach of the Knicks after interviewing with Phil Jackson, who has hired four head coaches in two years as the team's vice president. (BKN-KNICKS-NEWS-HORNACEK-OFFICIAL, moved, The Sports Xchange, 512 words) Raptors reward Casey with three-year extension Coach Dwane Casey agreed to a three-year, $16 million extension with the Toronto Raptors. (BKN-RAPTORS-NEWS-CASEY-CONTRACT, moved, The Sports Xchange, 350 words) NBA notebook News and notes from around the league. (BKN-NOTEBOOK, expect by 6 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - - - GOLF PGA Tour: Memorial tournament, Dublin, Ohio (to 5) Day, Spieth head strong field at Muirfield Village World number one Jason Day and U.S. Open champion Jordan Spieth, both winners in their last starts, head a strong field going into the opening round at Muirfield Village Golf Club where seven of the game's top-10 players are competing in the high-profile event hosted by Jack Nicklaus. (GOLF-PGA/, expect by 2330 GMT/7:30 PM ET, 400 words) Dustin Johnson sizzles to start Memorial DUBLIN, Ohio - Dustin Johnson stole the show from Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy in the first round of the Memorial Tournament on Thursday. (GLF-PGA-MEMORIAL-FIRSTLEDE, expect by 2 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 300 words, will be led) - - - - MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Byrd suspension further muddles Indians outfield CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Indians' already depleted outfield corps took another hit on Wednesday. Veteran Marlon Byrd was suspended for 162 games by Major League Baseball for testing positive for PED. The suspension effectively ends the career of the 38-year-old Byrd, who told his teammates exactly that in a team meeting Wednesday. (BBO-INDIANS-NEWS-BYRD, moved, The Sports Xchange, 500 words) Surging Nationals hopeful Harper returns Friday PHILADELPHIA - The Washington Nationals are showing signs that their offense is beginning to awaken. Now they are hoping for a return by their most dangerous hitter. (BBO-NATIONALS-ANALYSIS, The Sports Xchange, by Gordie Jones, 350 words) Royals OF Gordon could be back next week KANSAS CITY, Mo. - On May 22, Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas and left fielder Alex Gordon collided while chasing a foul fly at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. Since the lineup changes, the team is thriving. Gordon is expected to be cleared to play catch this week. (BBO-ROYALS-NEWS-HOTSTREAK, The Sports Xchange, by Alan Eskew, 388 words) MLB notebook News and notes from spring training. (BBO-NOTEBOOK, expect by 8 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) MLB roundup Capsule recaps of all games on today's schedule. Will move as updated throughout the evening. (BBO-ROUNDUP, expect first version by 7 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) The Sports Xchange covers all MLB games (all times ET) San Francisco at Atlanta 12:10 p.m. Arizona at Houston 2:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers at Chi. Cubs 2:20 p.m. Milwaukee at Philadelphia 7:05 p.m. Boston at Baltimore 7:05 p.m. Kansas City at Cleveland 7:10 p.m. Pittsburgh at Miami 7:10 p.m. N.Y. Yankees at Detroit 7:40 p.m. Tampa Bay at Minnesota 8:10 p.m. Cincinnati at Colorado 8:40 p.m. Seattle at San Diego 9:10 p.m. - - - - NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE Goodell, NFL creating own funnel cloud Considering how well it is doing and how much money it makes, it seems difficult to believe that the NFL has a problem, but it does. The league is suffering a crisis of leadership and is racing toward some sort of implosion down the road. (FBN-COLUMN-GOODELL, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Ira Miller, 844 words) Browns TE Barnidge (hernia surgery) out until camp Tight end Gary Barnidge will be sidelined until training camp due to hernia surgery. Barnidge was excused from the Cleveland Browns on-field workouts Wednesday, but head coach Hue Jackson disclosed Thursday during a Browns Foundation Golf outing that the Pro Bowl tight end underwent hernia surgery. (FBN-BROWNS-NEWS-BARNIDGE-HERNIA, The Sports Xchange, 394 words) Titans looking for production from receiver spot NASHVILLE - For years, the wide receiver position has been an Achilles heel for the Tennessee Titans. And so it is again in 2016 where there isn't one receiver on the roster who can be counted upon as a sure thing for the upcoming season. (FBN-TITANS-NEWS, The Sports Xchange, 433 words) Cowboys' defense set back by Collins injury IRVING, Texas - One of the ways the Dallas Cowboys hoped for an improved pass rusher early in the season took a huge setback when rookie defensive tackle Maliek Collins broke his right foot last week. Collins underwent surgery and already has begun his rehab. He should return in 10-12 weeks. (FBN-COWBOYS-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 455 words) NFL Notebook News and notes from around the league. (FBN-ROUNDUP, expect by 7 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 350 words) - - - - NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Penguins and Sharks prepare for Game Three We continue our coverage of the Stanley Cup Finals as the series shifts to California for Friday's Game Three between the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins. (NHL-STANLEYCUP/SHARKS, expect by 3 PM ET, 400 words) NHL notebook News and notes from around the league. (HKN-NOTEBOOK, expect by 7 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - - - TENNIS World number one Novak Djokovic beats Tomas Berdych to earn a place in the semi-finals. Top seed and defending champion Serena Williams will be favourite to reach the semis for the third time in four years when she faces Kazakh Yulia Putintseva as long as the rain holds off. (TENNIS-OPEN/ (PIX), play starts at 7 AM ET, by Pritha Sarkar, Julien Pretot and John Stonestreet, 600 words) French Open: Serena drops first set, but advances to semis Serena Williams ran into a temporary roadblock at the French Open but found her way into the semifinals. (TENNIS-ROUNDUP-FRENCHOPEN, expect by 4 p.m. ET game, The Sports Xchange, 600 words) - - - - AUTO RACING Pressure climbing for Jr., Ives to jell There's good news and bad news for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his No. 88 team at Hendrick Motorsports. The driver is still as popular as ever, but that creates a lot of fan backlash when the team, directed by crew chief Greg Ives, hits the skids. (CAR-SPRINT-COLUMN-EARNHARDT-IVES, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Jonathan Ingram, 1,233 words) Rossi rolls into Detroit after personal fuel test DETROIT - No stranger to moving fast, Alexander Rossi's existence has been a whirlwind since winning the Indianapolis 500. Rossi captured the 100th Indy 500 Sunday and tested his stamina on media excursions to New York and Dallas before flying to Detroit for the next two races on the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. Now it's time to get back to business. (CAR-IRL-PREVIEW-ROSSI-DETROIT, moved, The Sports Xchange, 615 words) - - - - SOCCER Lionel Messi testifies in tax fraud trial BARCELONA - Soccer's five-times World Player of the Year Lionel Messi arrives at a court in Barcelona to testify against charges of tax evasion. (SOCCER-SPAIN/MESSI (PIX, TV), moved, by Richard Martin, 425 words)
