May 24 (Reuters) - Reuters U.S. sports schedule at 2 PM ET on Friday:
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The duty editor is Steve Ginsburg, 202-898-8427
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National Football League
LB Woodley putting down year behind him
LaMarr Woodley wasn't himself last season. He's determined to prove 2012 was an aberration, not the start of a downward trend, even without booked James Harrison. (FBN-STEELERS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 500 words)
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Sam Tough
EARTH CITY, Mo - The St. Louis Rams fortified their offensive line with QB Sam Bradford in mind, but the lockerroom lost face-of-the-franchise running back Steven Jackson, meaning there's more focus on Bradford stepping up as a leader. (FBN-RAMS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 500 words)
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Cowboys Brent back in court
Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent is scheduled for a court appearance today to address a possible violation of his bond after a monitoring device detected alcohol. (FBN-COWBOYS-NEWS/, moved; will be led, The Sports Xchange, 300 words)
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Bears to retire Ditka's No. 89
The Chicago Bears say they will retire Mike Ditka's No. 89 jersey. His number will be retired during a halftime ceremony on Dec. 9 when the Bears take on the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field. (FBN-BEARS-NEWS/, moved, 450 words)
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NFL notebook
The latest news and notes from around the league. (FBN-NOTEBOOK/, expect by 2300 GMT/7 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 600 words)
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College Football
Louisville QB Bridgewater wants no Heisman hype
Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is asking the school not to promote him as a Heisman Trophy candidate. (FBC-LOUISVILLE-NEWS/, moved, 350 words)
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National Basketball Association
Eastern Conference finals
Game 2: Pacers at Heat
MIAMI - The Miami Heat escaped upset in Game 1, when LeBron James shook free for two layups in 10.8 seconds to hold off the Indiana Pacers. Paul George, David West and Company take another shot at American Airlines Arena. (BKN-PACERS-HEAT-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect by 0230 GMT/11:30 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, by Walter Villa, 700 words)
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Mavericks plan to pursue Howard
The Dallas Mavericks believe they have a better shot of landing center Dwight Howard in free agency this summer than point guard Chris Paul, according to the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. (BKN-MAVERICKS-NEWS/, moved, 300 words)
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NBA notebook
The latest news and notes from around the league. (BKN-NOTEBOOK/, expect by 2300 GMT/7 PM ET, 500 words)
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Golf
PGA Tour: Crowne Plaza Invitational; Fort Worth, Texas
Local favorite Palmer in early command at Colonial
Club member Ryan Palmer will take a one-shot lead over fellow American John Rollins into today's second round at Colonial Country Club after matching the tournament record low for the first round with a flawless eight-under-par 62 yesterday. (GOLF-PGA/, expect first lead by 2200 GMT/6 PM ET, 400 words)
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Champions Tour: Senior PGA Championship; St. Louis
Haas and Waldorf take route 66 at Bellerive
Two-time former winner Jay Haas and fellow American Duffy Waldorf take a one-shot lead into today's second round at Bellerive Country Club after opening with five-under-par 66s in the first of the season's five senior majors. (GOLF-SENIOR/, expect end-of-day lead by 0130 GMT/9:30 PM ET, 400 words)
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Molinari flourishes while four Ryder Cup teammates falter
VIRGINIA WATER, England - Francesco Molinari flourishes while several of his European Ryder Cup teammates fall flat on their faces as the Italian grabs the lead after the second round of the PGA Championship. (GOLF-EUROPEAN/, moved; may be led, by Tony Jimenez, 700 words)
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Cool dude Colsaerts looking to kickstart season
VIRGINIA WATER, England - Nicolas Colsaerts has experienced something of a letdown since helping Europe win the Ryder Cup in September and the big-hitting Belgian is looking for his game to ignite some time soon. (GOLF-EUROPEAN/COLSAERTS (INTERVIEW), moved, by Tony Jimenez, 600 words)
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Donald bemoans `terrible' display as he heads for PGA exit
VIRGINIA WATER, England - Luke Donald, the PGA Championship winner in 2011 and 2012, is almost certain to miss the cut after returning a even-par 72 for a six-over total of 150 at Wentworth. (GOLF-EUROPEAN/DONALD, moved, by Tony Jimenez, 400 words)
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Adidas boss signals backing for 'good guy' Garcia
LONDON - Golfer Sergio Garcia is a "really good guy", the head of his sponsor Adidas says, indicating the sportswear company will not drop the Spaniard over a jibe directed at Tiger Woods. (GOLF-GARCIA/ADIDAS, moved, 250 words)
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Major League Baseball
The Sports Xchange covers all MLB games, top matchups highlighted below
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Indians at Red Sox
BOSTON - Justin Masterson (7-2, 2.83 ERA) returns to Boston as the pronounced ace of the Cleveland Indians, who began the four-game series with a win in manager Terry Francona's return to Fenway Park. (BBO-REDSOX-INDIANS-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect by 0210 GMT/10:10 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 700 words)
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Cardinals at Dodgers
LOS ANGELES - Lance Lynn (6-1, 3.27) powers the St. Louis Cardinals into Chavez Ravine to take on left-hander Chris Capuano and the sagging Los Angeles Dodgers. (BBO-DODGERS-CARDINALS-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect by 0510 GMT/1:10 AM ET, The Sports Xchange, 700 words)
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MLB notebook
The latest news and notes from around the league. (BBO-NOTEBOOK/, expect by 2300 GMT/7 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 500 words)
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National Hockey League
Eastern Conference semifinals
Game 5: Senators at Penguins
PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Penguins can close out the Ottawa Senators and the series back on home ice. (HKN-SENATORS-PENGUINS-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect by 0230 GMT/10:30 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, by John Perrotto, 700 words)
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Auto Racing
Franchitti, Castroneves bid to leave mark at the Brickyard
INDIANAPOLIS - Briton Dario Franchitti and Brazil's Helio Castroneves bid to join the Indy 500's most exclusive club and become the first international driver to win four times at the fame Brickyard. (MOTOR RACING-INDY/ (PREVIEW, PIX)), expect by 2200 GMT/6 PM ET, by Steve Keating, 600 words)
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Zanardi hopes to make Indy 500 dreams a reality
INDIANAPOLIS - Alex Zanardi's dream of racing in the Indianapolis 500 continues to burn and team owner Chip Ganassi says he has a car for his former champion whenever he is ready. (MOTOR RACING-INDY/ZANARDI (PIX), expect by 1845 GMT/2:45 PM ET, by Steve Keating, 850 words)
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Tennis
Nadal, Djokovic on semi-final collision course in Paris
PARIS - Defending French Open champion Rafael Nadal is drawn in the same half as world No. 1 Novak Djokovic as the Spanish claycourt machine chases a record eighth title at Roland Garros. (TENNIS-OPEN/DRAW (UPDATE 1, PIX), moved, by Julien Pretot, 500 words)
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Damp Paris a danger for claycourt ace Nadal
PARIS - Making his comeback after missing the last two grand slams, Rafa Nadal probably expects a warm reception next week when he returns to Roland Garros - an event which is supposed to be one of the summer highlights of the French sporting calendar. (TENNIS-OPEN/NADAL (PIX), moved, by Gregory Blachier, 600 words)
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Djokovic adopts head in sand approach for French Open
PARIS - Despite the popularity of social media and the widespread presence of traditional media, Novak Djokovic appears to believe he could be spared the unbearable truth of discovering who his second-round opponent at the French Open might be. (TENNIS-OPEN/DJOKOVIC (PIX), moved, by Julien Pretot, 400 words)
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Olympics
Rowing body chief Oswald runs for IOC top job
LONDON - World rowing federation boss Denis Oswald becomes the fifth candidate for the International Olympic Committee presidency, with the Swiss sports administrator citing his long experience as an asset. (OLYMPICS-PRESIDENCY/OSWALD (UPDATE 1), moved, by Karolos Grohmann, 300 words)
