Reuters U.S. Sports Schedule at 2 PM EDT on Thursday, May 8
May x (Reuters) - Reuters U.S. sports schedule at 2 PM ET on xxxday: - - - - The duty editor is Steve Ginsburg, 202-898-8427 - - - - NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2014 NFL Draft Tracking the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, where the Houston Texans will finally reveal the identity of the No. 1 overall pick after more than four months of preparation. The prevailing storyline fans will follow? Johnny Football. (FBN-DRAFT (PIX), bulletin to move at 8:25 p.m. ET will be led multiple times with expected final version delivered by 11:50 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, by Jeff Reynolds, 900 words) -- Where's Johnny? Johnny Manziel, projected as a first-round pick, could learn his pro fate Thursday night in primetime at Radio City Music Hall. (FBN-DRAFT, expect by 10 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, by Frank Cooney, 500 words) -- Clowney Show Pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney gets his NFL threads, and will be expected to make a major - and instant - impact. (FBN-TEXANS-NEWS, expect by 9:15 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, by Jeff Reynolds, 450 words) -- Rams take two? EARTH CITY, Mo. -- With two picks in the top 13, the St. Louis Rams enter Thursday in a position to add difference makers to the NFL's youngest roster. (FBN-RAMS-DRAFT, expect by 11 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, by Howard Balzer, 500 words) -- Matthews: born to be a tackle Better bloodlines for an offensive tackle would be difficult to imagine than those of Jake Matthews, the son of a Hall of Famer (Bruce Matthews) who is projected to be a longtime stalwart on the offensive line. (FBN-NEWS, expect by 10 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, by Frank Cooney, 400 words) -- We're dealing: Thursday's trade activity Working the phones is a big part of the NFL draft. Who made the connection Thursday? (FBN-DRAFT, expect by 11:45 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, by Derek Harper, 450-500 words) -- Best of the leftovers entering Round 2 With 32 picks in the books, who could be the first off the board in the second round? Houston (33rd overall) enters Thursday with the top pick in Round Two. (FBN-DRAFT, expect by 12:15 a.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, by Dane Brugler, 600 words) -- Round 1 reax NFLDraftScout.com analysts share their insight with a review of the best, worst and indifferent after the first round. (FBN-DRAFT, expect by 12 a.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 500 words) - - - - NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Crawford top sixth man Instant offense off the bench, Jamal Crawford will be awarded the NBA Sixth Man Award for the second time. (BKN-CLIPPERS-NEWS, expect by 4:30 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 300 words) -- Nets at Heat MIAMI - LeBron James and the Miami Heat go for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Brooklyn Nets. (BKN-HEAT-NETS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU (PIX), expect ASAP after 7 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) -- Trail Blazers at Spurs SAN ANTONIO - Led by point guard Damian Lillard and forward LaMarcus Aldridge, the Portland Trail Blazers will to recover from a 24-point beatdown in the series opener to even the best-of-seven semifinals matchup with the San Antonio Spurs. (BKN-SPURS-TRAILBLAZERS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU (PIX), expect ASAP after 9:30 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, by Mark Rosner, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - - - GOLF Scott, Stenson and Watson head elite field at TPC Sawgrass PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida - Australian world number two Adam Scott is one of four players, along with Swede Henrik Stenson and Masters champion Bubba Watson, who could dislodge Tiger Woods from the top of the rankings after the PGA Tour's flagship event this week at the TPC Sawgrass. Reigning champion Woods is a notable absentee as he continues his recovery from back surgery. (GOLF-PGA/ (PIX), expect first lead by 1800 GMT/2 PM ET, by Mark Lamport-Stokes, 450 words) - - - - MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Surprising Giants power up Numbers? The Giants might not want to talk about them, but San Francisco's power surge and all-for-one approach to offense makes them a contender. (BBO-GIANTS-COLUMN, moved, The Sports Xchange, by John Perrotto, 926 words) -- Yankees retiring Torre's No. 6 Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre will have his No. 6 jersey retired by the New York Yankees. (BBO-YANKEES-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) -- *The Sports Xchange covers all MLB games. Key matchups highlighted below. Orioles at Rays ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - David Price (Rays) and Ubaldo Jimenez (Orioles) go toe-to-toe in the series finale between American League East rivals Tampa Bay and Baltimore. (BBO-NATIONALS-DODGERS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU (PIX), expect ASAP after 1:05 p.m. ET game, The Sports Xchange, by David Driver, 400-word first lede, 700-word write-thru) -- Giants at Dodgers LOS ANGELES - The opener of a four-game series between longtime rivals at Dodger Stadium. (BBO-DODGERS-GIANTS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU (PIX), expect ASAP after 10:10 p.m. game, The Sports Xchange, by Forrest Lee, 400-word first lede, 700-word write-thru) Phillies' Burnett takes mound versus former team A.J. Burnett faces his former team when he takes the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies against the host Toronto Blue Jays and pitching counterpart R.A. Dickey in one of nine games on the Major League Baseball schedule. (BASEBALL-HIGHLIGHTS/ (PIX), expect by 0330 GMT/11:30 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 975 words) - - - - NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Bruins at Canadiens MONTREAL - Leading the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals series 2-1, the Montreal Canadiens can maintain home-ice advantage and grab control of the Stanley Cup playoff matchup with the Boston Bruins. (HKN-CANADIENS-BRUINS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU (PIX), expect ASAP after 7:30 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) -- Ducks at Kings LOS ANGELES - The Kings bring a six-game postseason winning streak and 2-0 advantage home for Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals series against the Anaheim Ducks. (HKN-KINGS-DUCKS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU, expect ASAP after 10:00 p.m. ET game, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - - - AUTO RACING Kansas invites even playing field Five two-time winners at Kansas Speedway, including Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, cruise into the favorite role. (CAR-SPRINT, moved, NASCAR Wire Service special to The Sports Xchange, 414 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)
