Reuters U.S. Sports Schedule at 2 PM ET on Thursday, May 19

May 19 (Reuters) - Reuters U.S. sports schedule at 2 PM ET on Thursday: - - - - For any coverage questions, please contact us.general-news@thomsonreuters.com - - - - NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Eastern Conference Finals: Game 2, Cavaliers vs. Raptors CLEVELAND - Undefeated in the playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers attempt to capture a 2-0 lead over the Toronto Raptors after a blowout win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. (BKN-CAVALIERS-RAPTORS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU, expect ASAP after 9 p.m. ET start, The Sports Xchange, by Jason B. Lloyd, 400 words, will be led) Heat make Whiteside top priority Team president Pat Riley wants a big man at the center of the Miami Heat for years to come. That's why he's prioritized re-signing free agent Hassan Whiteside over all else when the offseason spending begins in July. (BKN-HEAT-NEWS-WHITESIDE, moved, The Sports Xchange, 511 words) NBA notebook News and notes from around the league. (BKN-NOTEBOOK, expect by 6 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - - - MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Girardi remains bullish on Yankees PHOENIX - On a day when New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner used his quarter-pole, "State of the Team" address to back his manager but single out players such as Chase Headley, Michael Pineda, Luis Severino and Mark Teixeira for their poor play, skipper Joe Girardi said he still has confidence his last-place team has what it will take to rebound. (BBO-YANKEES-NEWS-GIRARDI, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Jerry Brown, 459 words) Royals gear up for 10-day test, White Sox KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Royals will learn in the next 10 games just how good the White Sox are and maybe a thing or two about themselves. (BBO-ROYALS-NEWS, The Sports Xchange, by Alan Eskew, 511 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) Seattle at Baltimore 12:35 p.m. Chi. Cubs at Milwaukee 1:40 p.m. Atlanta at Pittsburgh 7:05 p.m. Cleveland at Cincinnati 7:10 p.m. Washington at N.Y. Mets 7:10 p.m. Colorado at St. Louis 7:15 p.m. Toronto at Minnesota 8:10 p.m. Houston at Chi. White Sox 8:10 p.m. San Francisco at San Diego 9:10 p.m. N.Y. Yankees at Oakland 10:05 p.m. L.A. Dodgers at L.A. Angels 10:05 p.m. - - - - NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE Miller: No. 2 QBs a No. 1 concern league-wide No one gets more attention around an NFL team than the starting quarterback, and that's as it should be. But too often we miss a point that is almost equally important, that the second most important player on an NFL roster, by far, is the backup quarterback. (FBN-COLUMN-BACKUPQBS, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Ira Miller, 850 words) Former NFL RB trying to qualify for Olympic track team Jahvid Best, a first-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, played 22 games with the Detroit Lions but had his career cut short due to concussions. Now 27, the former Cal star is attempting to make the St. Lucia track & field team as a sprinter. (FBN-LIONS-NEWS-BEST, moved, The Sports Xchange, 345 words) Browns need a healthy, productive Haden BEREA, Ohio - The Cleveland Browns have many problems to solve before they can win more games than they lose in a season, and one of them is getting Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden ready to play in 2016. (FBN-BROWNS-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 433 words) Broncos QB Sanchez pushing to be on field for OTAs Likely starting quarterback Mark Sanchez is pushing to return from surgery on his left thumb for the start of organized team activities with the Denver Broncos next week. Sanchez was projected to miss all of OTAs after a procedure May 14 to repair a ligament in his non-throwing thumb but said Wednesday he thinks he can be on the field with the team when sessions kick off Tuesday. (FBN-BRONCOS-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 300 words) NFL Notebook News and notes from around the league. (FBN-ROUNDUP, expect by 7 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 350 words) - - - - GOLF PGA Tour: AT&T Byron Nelson, Irving, Texas (to 22) Spieth set for title bid in his hometown U.S. Open champion, hometown favourite and world number two Jordan Spieth launches his bid for an eighth PGA Tour victory in the company of fellow Americans Jason Dufner and Jimmy Walker in the opening round at the TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas. (GOLF-PGA/, expect by 8.30 p.m., 400 words) Kuchar, Els start strong at Byron Nelson Classic Pro golfer Phil Mickelson is named in an official complaint filed by the Securities and Exchage Commission, which claims he was involved in insider trading. The SEC claims Mickelson spun a nearly $1 million profit on Dean Foods stock he held for only a week on a tip from professional gambler William "Billy" Walters. Mickelson's attorney said Thursday that an agreement was in place with the SEC to return all profits. (GLF-PGA-MICKELSON, moved, The Sports Xchange, 415 words) Kuchar, Els start strong at Byron Nelson Classic Midway through the first round Thursday at the Byron Nelson Classic in Irving, Texas, Matt Kuchar and Ernie Els were helping set the pace. (GLF-PGA-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU, expect by 8 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, by Steve Habel, 400 words, will be led) Muirfield votes down women, out of Open rotation Muirfield, host of the Open Championship 16 times, lost the right to be in the rotation for the the major championship after voting to remain a mens-only club. The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, Muirfield's governing body, voted to remain a men-only club despite the majority of members supporting the inclusion of women. (GLF-PGA-OPENCHAMPIONSHIP-MUIRFIELD, moved, The Sports Xchange, 405 words) Lincicome in mid-60s again to lead early at Kingsmill Brittany Lincicome paced early groups with a first-round 65 at the Kingsmill Championship in Williamsburg, Va. (GLF-LPGA-RECAP, expect by 8 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 450 words) - - - - NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Western Conference Finals: Game 3, Blues at Sharks SAN JOSE - Game 3 of the NHL Stanley Cup Western Conference finals shift to California with the best-of-seven series tied at 1-1. (HKN-SHARKS-BLUES-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU, expect ASAP after 8 p.m. ET game, The Sports Xchange, 400 words, by Greg Auman, will be led) NHL notebook News and notes from around the league. (HKN-NOTEBOOK, expect by 7 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - - - AUTO RACING 2016 All-Star race adds luster This year's non-points race has a point. NASCAR officials will use the exhibition race to experiment with aerodynamic rules for the 2017 season. Beyond that, five additional drivers will be added to the field through preliminary races and a new final segment format has been added. (AUTO-SPRINT-ALL-STARS-COLUMN, expect by 6 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, by Jonathan Ingram, 1,050 words) Harvick signs to stay at SHR Kevin Harvick, the 2014 Sprint Cup Series champion, has signed a long-term extension to remain with Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick, 40, has 32 career Sprint Cup victories. Nine of those championships have occurred since he joined SHR in 2014. (AUTO-SPRINT-HARVICK-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 330 words) - - - - ATHLETICS No quick fix to sport's troubles, American Johnson says Athletics could have its greatest show ever at the Rio Olympics and still not resolve the many problems facing the scandal-plagued sport, according to world 400-metre record holder Michael Johnson. (ATHLETICS-CREDIBILITY/JOHNSON (INTERVIEW), expect by 2:30 p.m., by Gene Cherry, 650 words) - - - - TENNIS Murray the form player but Djokovic the man to beat in Paris LONDON - Andy Murray has been the standout performer on clay for the past 12 months but world number one Novak Djokovic will be favourite to complete his set of grand slams at this year's French Open. (TENNIS-OPEN/MEN (PREVIEW), moved, by Martyn Herman, 550 words) Serena the figurehead as rivals struggle LONDON - Challengers to Serena Williams' throne have proved as fickle as a Paris spring and as the year's second grand slam starts the veteran American is again seemingly in a league of her own. (TENNIS-OPEN/WOMEN (PREVIEW), moved, by Martyn Herman, 475 words) - - - - WRESTLING Top U.S. wrestlers grapple with Iranians NEW YORK - Top U.S. wrestlers including Olympic gold medal winner Jordan Burroughs and three-time world champion Adeline Gray take on Olympic hopefuls from Iran, Canada and South Korea on a mat erected in Times Square to raise wrestling awareness and money to support the "Beat the Streets" initiative aimed at encouraging city area kids to take up the sport. (WRESTLING-NEW YORK/ (TV, PIX), expect by 10 p.m., by Larry Fine, 350 words)