Reuters U.S. Sports Schedule at 2 PM EDT on Tuesday, May 6
May 6 (Reuters) - Reuters U.S. sports schedule at 2 PM ET on Tuesday: - - - - The duty editor is Steve Ginsburg, 202-898-8427 - - - - NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE Manziel tops quarterback questions heading into NFL Draft NEW YORK - Intrigue surrounds Thursday's NFL Draft, especially with the crop of young quarterbacks as exemplified by former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M, who is projected by some to be among the top five players taken and by others to slip all the way to the second round. (NFL-DRAFT/ (PREVIEW), expect by 2000 GMT/4 PM ET, by Larry Fine, 600 words) -- Draft: Clowney No. 1 in two-round mock NFLDraftScout.com's Dane Brugler offers his final projection of the first 64 picks in the 2014 NFL Draft. (FBN-DRAFT, expect by 4 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, by Dane Brugler, 3,500 words) -- Cooney's picks to click For reasons ranging from simple intense curiosity to believing some will be elite stars or surprise busts in the NFL, NFLDraftScout.com publisher Frank Cooney shares "Cooney's calls" on which prospects will pan out as special. (FBN-DRAFT, expect by 4 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, by Frank Cooney, 1,200 words) -- Draft: Historical look at drafting QBs The first-round in the 2014 NFL Draft could be rich relative to others with as many as five prospects going in the top 32. A glance at all quarterbacks drafted this century might be a telling caution to those ready to anoint this crop a great class. (FBN-DRAFT, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Frank Cooney, 4,000 words) -- 49ers LB Smith: 'Stay positive' San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith spoke out for the first time since his arrested for making a false bomb threat at Los Angeles International Airport. (FBN-49ers-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 245 words) -- Redskins QB Cousins drawing little interest Washington Redskins backup quarterback Kirk Cousins remains on the trade block. But general manager Bruce Allen reports no one is knocking to inquire about the veteran. (FBN-REDSKINS-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 275 words) - - - - NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant named MVP Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder was named on Tuesday as the National Basketball Association's Most Valuable Player for the 2013-14 season. Durant won the MVP award for the first time in his seven-year career, claiming the honor by a landslide. (NBA-MVP/,(UPDATE 1, 240 words, moved) See also: FACTBOX-Profile of NBA Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant (NBA-MVP/ (FACTBOX, 195 words, moved) -- Report: Ollie, Roy Williams are Lakers targets With each passing day, rumblings of the Los Angeles Lakers' expansive search gather steam. On Tuesday, the new name in the rumor mill is North Carolina's Roy Williams. Connections with the front office might make Williams a legitimate candidate. (BKN-LAKERS-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) -- Dirk jabs Kobe, wants to be in Dallas Dirk Nowitzki wants to return to the Dallas Mavericks and will be satisfied with well shy of the $48 million, two-year deal Kobe Bryant signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. (BKN-MAVERICKS-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 330 words) -- Nets at Heat MIAMI - Brooklyn dominated the regular-season series with the Miami Heat, with the Nets going 4-0 against the defending champions. Now old nemesis Paul Pierce and the Nets look to end the Heat title rein as the Eastern Conference semifinals begin in Miami. (BKN-HEAT-NETS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU, PIX, expect ASAP after 7 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, by Walter Villa, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) -- Blazers at Spurs SAN ANTONIO - LaMarcus Aldridge and the Portland Trail Blazers meet his boyhood idol, Tim Duncan, and the 2013 Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the best-of-seven conference semifinal series. (BKN-SPURS-BLAZERS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU, PIX, expect ASAP after 9:30 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, by Mark Rosner, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - - - MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Pirates closer Grilli closing in on return PITTSBURGH - Closer Jason Grilli, on the disabled list due to a strained left oblique muscle, hopes to throw off a mound Wednesday for the first time since landing on the disabled list. (BBO-PIRATES-NEWS, PIX, moved, The Sports Xchange, by John Perrotto, 326 words) -- Braves might be ready to eat Uggla's ugly deal ATLANTA - A slump that dates back to 2012 might finally cause the Atlanta Braves to eat the remainder of second baseman Dan Uggla's contract. (BBO-BRAVES-NEWS, PIX, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Guy Curtright, 300 words) -- Mariners committed to James Jones OAKLAND, Calif. - Newly promoted center fielder James Jones will see plenty of action, according to Seattle Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon. (BBO-MARINERS-NEWS, PIX, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Eric Gilmore, 300 words) -- *The Sports Xchange covers all MLB games. Key matchups highlighted below. Dodgers at Nationals WASHINGTON - Clayton Kershaw is back on the mound for the Dodgers in a game for the first time since March in Australia, with Washington pushing spot-starter Ross Detwiler into the mix after working as a reliever most of the season. (BBO-NATIONALS-DODGERS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU, PIX, expect ASAP after 7:05 p.m. game, The Sports Xchange, by David Driver, 400-word first lede, 700-word write-thru) -- Cardinals at Braves ATLANTA - Gavin Floyd returns from a long recovery from Tommy John surgery hoping to steer the sliding Braves out of a seven-game losing streak. The St. Louis Cardinals (17-16) are fighting inconsistency and hoping for a spark from Tyler Lyons, as the lefty joins the rotation out of the bullpen. (BBO-BRAVES-CARDINALS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU, PIX, expect ASAP after 7:08 p.m. game, The Sports Xchange, by Guy Curtright, 400-word first lede, 700-word write-thru) -- Orioles at Rays ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Right-hander Chris Archer and the Tampa Bay Rays won four of their final five games on a 10-game road trip. Will the turnaround continue against the Baltimore Orioles? (BBO-RAYS-ORIOLES-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU, PIX, expect ASAP after 7:10 p.m. game, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word write-thru) - - - - NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Laviolette named Predators coach Peter Laviolette was named head coach of the Nashville Predators. (HKN-PREDATORS-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 340 words) -- Roy among coach of the year candidates Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings, Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche are finalists for the NHL coach of the year award. (HKN-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 300 words) -- Bruins at Canadiens MONTREAL - Game 3 of the best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff series between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. (HKN-CANADIENS-BRUINS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU, PIX, expect ASAP after 7 p.m. ET game, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) -- Blackhawks at Wild MINNEAPOLIS - Chicago skates into the Twin Cities with a 2-0 series advantage and can take a commanding lead in the Western Conference semifinals series at Xcel Energy Center. (HKN-WILD-BLACKHAWKS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU, PIX, expect ASAP after 9 p.m. ET game, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - - - 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)
