Reuters U.S. Sports Schedule at 2 PM EDT on Tuesday, April 22

April 22 (Reuters) - Reuters U.S. sports schedule at 2 PM ET on Tuesday: - - - - The duty editor is Steve Ginsburg, 202-898-8427 - - - - NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION *The Sports Xchange covers all NBA games. Key matchups highlighted below. - - Knicks, Kerr not a fit? Steve Kerr might have a literal safety net with Phil Jackson as team president, but he shared some reservations about the job. (BKN-KNICKS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 375 words) - - Popovich named NBA Coach of the Year Gregg Popovich is named NBA Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. (BKN-SPURS-NEWS/ (PIX), moved, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) See also: Kentucky freshman Julius Randle announces he will leave after one season to enter the NBA Draft. (BKC-KENTUCKY-NEWS/) - - Hawks at Pacers INDIANAPOLIS - Eastern Conference power Indiana attempts to shake a Game 1 setback and avoid heading to Atlanta facing a 2-0 deficit in the second game of the first-round series at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. (BKN-PACERS-HAWKS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect ASAP after the 2300 GMT/7 PM ET game, The Sports Xchange, by Paul Bowker, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Wizards at Bulls CHICAGO - Uncharacteristically sluggish in the opener of their first-round series Sunday night, the Chicago Bulls and defensive player of the year Joakim Noah are out to even the series with the Washington Wizards at United Center. (BKN-BULLS-WIZARDS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect ASAP after the 0130 GMT/9:30 PM ET game, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - NBA Wrap: Top-seed Pacers look to avoid two-game hole The East's top-seeded Indiana Pacers look to avoid falling behind 2-0 in their best-of-seven series against the visiting Atlanta Hawks. The Chicago Bulls host the Washington Wizards while the Brooklyn Nets visit the Toronto Raptors in the night's other games. (NBA-HIGHLIGHTS/ (PIX), expect by 0330 GMT/11:30 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 450 words) - - The NBA playoff schedule at a glance Atlanta at Indiana, 7 PM ET Brooklyn at Toronto, 7:30 PM ET Washington at Chicago, 9:30 PM ET - - - - GOLF Dawson to retire next year as R&A chief executive LONDON - Peter Dawson will retire next year as chief executive of the Royal and Ancient (R&A), the body which governs golf outside the United States says. (GOLF-DAWSON/, moved, 150 words) - - - - MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL *The Sports Xchange covers all MLB games. Key matchups highlighted below. - - Yankees at Red Sox BOSTON - Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury could receive turncoat treatment in his first game at Fenway Park as a member of the New York Yankees, with Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka also debuting in baseball's storied rivalry. (BBO-REDSOX-YANKEES-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect ASAP after the 2310 GMT/7:10 PM ET game, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) See also: Closer Robertson activated (BBO-YANKEES-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 200 words) - - White Sox at Tigers DETROIT - Replacing staff ace Chris Sale in the Chicago White Sox rotation is only part of the challenge for Charlie Leesman. He makes his second MLB start at Comerica Park against Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers. (BBO-TIGERS-WHITESOX-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect ASAP after the 2308 GMT/7:08 PM ET game, The Sports Xchange, by Dana Gauruder, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Cardinals at Mets NEW YORK - St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright nearly tossed a no-hitter in his last start and is tasked with ending his team's modest two-game losing streak against Dillon Gee and the New York Mets at Citi Field. (BBO-METS-CARDINALS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect ASAP after the 2310 GMT/7:10 PM ET game, The Sports Xchange, by Jerry Beach, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Phillies at Dodgers LOS ANGELES - A.J. Burnett, pitching with a hernia he says causes him more distraction than pain, and the Philadelphia Phillies take on Hyun-Jin Ryu and the Los Angeles Dodgers. In four of his five starts, Ryu has held the opposition scoreless. (BBO-DODGERS-PHILLIES-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect ASAP after the 0210 GMT/10:10 PM ET game, The Sports Xchange, by Forrest Lee, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - MLB Wrap: Yanks' Tanaka makes Fenway Park debut New York Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, who struck out 10 batters in his last outing, looks to improve his record to 3-0 when he takes the mound at Fenway Park versus the host Boston Red Sox in one of 15 games on the Major League Baseball schedule. (BASEBALL-HIGHLIGHTS/ (PIX), expect by 0330 GMT/11:30 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 975 words) - - The full MLB schedule: American League Kansas city at Cleveland, 7:05 PM ET Baltimore at Toronto, 7:07 PM ET Chicago White Sox at Detroit, 7:08 PM ET Minnesota at Tampa Bay, 7:10 PM ET New York Yankees at Boston, 7:10 PM ET Texas at Oakland, 10:05 PM ET Houston at Seattle, 10:10 PM ET - - National League Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 7:05 PM ET Miami at Atlanta, 7:10 PM ET St. Louis at New York Mets, 7:10 PM ET Arizona at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 PM ET San Diego at Milwaukee, 8:10 PM ET San Francisco at Colorado, 8:40 PM ET Philadelphia at Los Angeles Dodgers, 10:10 PM ET - - Interleague Los Angeles Angels at Washington, 7:05 PM ET - - - - NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE *The Sports Xchange covers all Stanley Cup Playoff games. Key matchups highlighted below. - - Robidas fractures right leg again DALLAS - Anaheim Ducks defenseman Stephane Robidas fractures his right leg in the second period of the third game in the first-round playoff series with the Dallas Stars and is out for the postseason. (HKN-DUCKS-NEWS/, The Sports Xchange, 325 words) - - St. Louis leads Lady Byng finalists Finalists for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy are announced and three forwards - Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks, Ryan O'Reilly of the Colorado Avalanche and Martin St. Louis of the New York Rangers - are vying for the NHL honor. (HKN-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - Bruins at Red Wings DETROIT - Tied at 1-1, the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings joust for the series advantage in a first-round playoff meeting. Boston has a four-game losing streak at Joe Louis Arena. (HKN-BRUINS-REDWINGS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect ASAP after the 2330 GMT/7:30 PM ET game ends, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Rangers at Flyers PHILADELPHIA - With Ray Emery in the net, the Philadelphia Flyers attempt to go up 2-1 in the best-of-seven series with the New York Rangers, who have lost three straight in Philly. (HKN-FLYERS-RANGERS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect ASAP after the 0000 GMT/8 PM ET game ends, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - NHL Wrap: Habs look to push Lightning to the brink The Montreal Canadiens and San Jose Sharks look to push the Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles Kings, respectively, to the brink of playoff elimination. Top-seeded Boston visits Detroit while Philadelphia hosts the rival New York Rangers in the night's other first-round game. (NHL-HIGHLIGHTS/ (PIX), expect by 0330 GMT/11:30 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 475 words) - - The NHL playoff schedule at a glance Tampa Bay at Montreal, 7 PM ET Boston at Detroit, 7:30 PM ET New York Rangers at Philadelphia, 8 PM ET San Jose at Los Angeles, 10 PM ET - - - - NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE Offseason updates from all NFC West, AFC West teams - - Seahawks attack offseason with championship mentality SEATTLE - Checking in with the reigning Super Bowl champions, who plan to operate with a championship mentality. (FBN-SEAHAWKS-NEWS/, expect by 0300 GMT/11 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 600 words) See also: Seahawks, Sherman nearing megadeal? (FBN-SEAHAWKS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 350 words) - - Chiefs, Reid put bitter end behind them KANSAS CITY, Mo. - When the Kansas City Chiefs gathered for the first day of the 2014 offseason program, they started the new season by addressing what happened at the end of 2013 - a 45-44 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the AFC playoffs. (FBN-CHIEFS-NEWS/, expect by 2000 GMT/4 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 600 words) - - 49ers fighting through tumultuous offseason SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Headlines are following the San Francisco 49ers for all the wrong reasons in the offseason. (FBN-49ERS-NEWS/, expect by 0300 GMT/11 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 600 words) - - Broncos back on horse behind Manning ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Quarterback Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos are setting out to become the first Super Bowl losers since 1993 to get back to the NFL championship game. (FBN-BRONCOS-NEWS/, expect by 0100 GMT/9 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 600 words) - - Chargers eye draft SAN DIEGO - After returning to the postseason in January, the San Diego Chargers are mining for reinforcements. (FBN-CHARGERS-NEWS/, expect by 0300 GMT/11 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 600 words) - - New-look Raiders stay patient ALAMEDA, Calif. - Another year, another quarterback. Matt Schaub in, Terrelle Pryor out. Do the Oakland Raiders finally have a winning recipe? (FBN-RAIDERS-NEWS/, expect by 0300 GMT/11 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 600 words) - - Rams enter critical draft with ample ammunition ST. LOUIS - If the St. Louis Rams are going to make a move in the ultra-competitive NFC West, their best course of action is to land instant impact players in the 2014 NFL Draft. (FBN-RAMS-NEWS/, expect by 2300 GMT/7 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, by Howard Balzer, 600 words) - - DRAFT: OL rich in talent NFLDraftScout.com publisher Frank Cooney analyzes the top offensive line prospects in the 2014 NFL Draft and finds that any team seeking to rebuild its offensive front to better protect that precious franchise quarterback or to sustain silently successful drives will find help in this group. (FBN-DRAFT/, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Frank Cooney, 1,600 words) - - Jaguars' Allen suffered career-ending, on-field stroke It was more than a mild surprise when the Jacksonville Jaguars quietly released starting linebacker Russell Allen after five seasons. It turns out Allen's health will not allow him to continue his career. (FBN-JAGUARS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 350 words) - - Giants' Hill facing another NFL ban The New York Giants are preparing for life without safety Will Hill, who is reportedly facing his third suspension for a violation of the NFL's drug policies. (FBN-GIANTS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 300 words) - - Playoff payoff: NFL postseason hits cable NBC will televise an NFL Divisional Playoff game for each of the next eight seasons as part of a nine-year extension with the NFL which begins this season and ESPN, which signed an eight-year extension through 2021, will televise its first wild-card playoff game in January. (FBN-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 250 words) - - - - SOCCER Moyes axed by Man Utd after season of failure LONDON - Manchester United's succession planning for life after Alex Ferguson is left in tatters as manager David Moyes is fired after 10 troubled months that brought failure and frustration to a club grown used to seamless success. (SOCCER-ENGLAND/UNITED (WRAPUP 1), moved, by Mitch Phillips, 975 words) See also: FACTBOX-Soccer-Moyes's failure at United highlighted by the numbers (SOCCER-ENGLAND/MANCHESTER UNITED) - - Moyes pays price for self-inflicted blunders More than a decade of perceived over-achievement at Everton helped propel David Moyes into the Manchester United hot-seat but in a far more complex and unforgiving environment his shortcomings were ruthlessly exposed. (SOCCER-UNITED/MOYES (ANALYSIS), moved, by Zoran Milosavljevic, 750 words) See also: Reaction to Man U's sacking of manager Moyes (SOCCER-ENGLAND/MOYES-REACTION (UPDATE 1) - - LONDON - Reuters will be publishing our soccer World Cup preview package over three days from April 28, times to be confirmed. The extensive package, produced by our correspondents around the globe, will comprise the following items for each of the 32 competing teams: Prospects - 500/700 word overview of each team's form, chances, relevant history etc in the June 12-July 13 tournament in Brazil. Coach profile - 400/600 word profile on each national team coach. Star player - 300/800 word profile of the key player in each team - longer stories for world superstars, shorter for lesser-known players from long-shot nations. Penpix - Two/three paragraph items on the 23 players likely to make up each country's squad. Results - Tabulated list of each country's results since August 2012 (the start of 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign) Odds pack. We will also provide short history of the World Cup, a list of previous finals and a statbox with the key betting odds for 2014. The package will be published over three days. Day One - Groups A, B and C Day Two - Groups D, E and F Day Three Groups G and H, history, results and betting statbox. The package will be repeated, with relevant updates and with updated penpix following the official squad announcement deadline of June 2. - - - - SWIMMING Phelps facing toughest challenge yet Michael Phelps, almost two years after retiring from swimming and two months shy of his 29th birthday, is plunging into uncharted waters by attempting a comeback where the risk-reward ratio is heavily stacked against him. (SWIMMING-PHELPS/, moved, by Julian Linden, 675 words) - - - - AUTO RACING Suarez downshifts in 'dream season' With his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut just days away, the self-described 'dream season' continues for Daniel Suarez. (CAR-NEWS/, expect by 2200 GMT/6 PM ET, NASCAR wire service special to The Sports Xchange, 475 words) - - - - JURISPRUDENCE Friend of accused marathon bomber seeks venue change BOSTON - A friend of the accused Boston Marathon bomber is asking a judge to move his trial, arguing that pretrial publicity has made it impossible for him to get a fair hearing in Massachusetts. (USA-EXPLOSIONS/BOSTON-FRIENDS, moved, 350 words) - - - - NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS Roundups of off-field developments in the major North American professional sports leagues. (Expect by 0000 GMT/8 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words)