BOSTON (AP) — Michael Pineda says he was just trying to get a better grip on the ball.

It's fair to suspect that Michael Pineda isn't the only pitcher trying a few tricks on the mound from time to time.

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — A giddy Michael Phelps qualified fastest for the 100-meter butterfly final Thursday in his first competition since retiring after the 2012 London Olympics.

New York Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda is hardly the first major leaguer to head to the mound hoping to get away with using pine tar to aid his grip.

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Northwestern University's football players will cast ballots Friday on whether to form the nation's first union for college athletes — a potentially landmark vote that will be kept sealed for months and possibly years.

AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Ben Martin treated a tiny gallery to a course-record round, shooting a 10-under 62 on Thursday in the first round of the Zurich Classic.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA's board of directors took the first step toward shifting power to the five largest football conferences on Thursday, endorsing a 57-page plan that calls for giving 65 of the nation's biggest schools more autonomy in how to fund scholarships, handle health care and decide other increasingly hot-button issues involving their athletes.

NEW YORK (AP) — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday he has "no expectation" that players will opt out of the collective bargaining agreement in 2017, potentially leading to another lockout.

MIAMI (AP) — In Miami, it's called the Big Three for a reason.

George Hincapie was the "Loyal Lieutenant" who helped Lance Armstrong to seven Tour de France titles, only to later provide the key testimony that brought his downfall.

New York Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda was slapped with a 10-game suspension Thursday, a day after being ejected from a game against the Boston Red Sox for using pine tar. The ban will likely mean that Pineda will miss two Major League Baseball starts. Pineda, who admitted to putting the tar on his neck so he could discretely transfer it to his glove for better grip, accepted the suspension, which will begin Thursday, when the Yankees and Red Sox continue their series in Boston. I made a big mistake," Pineda, 25, said.

By David DeKok HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Fundraising for a new statue depicting Joe Paterno "as the man he was and not Joe the football coach" is set to begin two years after his image was removed from Penn State University because of a child sex abuse scandal involving a long-time assistant coach. The Kickstarter.com campaign to raise $300,000 for a new sculpture of the late legendary coach that would be placed on private land in downtown State College, Pennsylvania, was set to begin on July 7, organizer Ted Sebastianelli, a Penn State alumnus, said on Thursday. Two years ago, on July 22, 2012, a statue of Paterno outside the football stadium on the State College campus was pulled down by the university after former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky's conviction for sexually abusing boys.

(Reuters) - New York Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda has been suspended 10 games by Major League Baseball on Thursday for having a foreign substance on his body during Wednesday's game against the Boston Red Sox. Pineda was ejected from the game in the second inning for using pine tar, a sticky substance that allows a pitcher to improve his grip on a ball. The substance was slathered on the right side of Pineda's neck, which he would touch with his pitching hand to improve his grip during a chilly night in Boston. Unless appealed, Pineda's suspension is scheduled to begin immediately, and he would be ineligible until April 5 against the Angels in Los Angeles after missing home series against the Angels, Seattle Mariners and Tampa Rays.

At this late stage in Raul Ibanez's career, an All-Star season culminating in a World Series championship may be the only thing that could lure the 19-year major league veteran into retirement. Then again, the affable Los Angeles Angels outfielder is having so much fun he just might stick around another season. "I'm happy where I am with my life and my career," Ibanez told reporters recently in the Angels clubhouse. "Getting an opportunity to play Major League Baseball at 41 years of age on a great team is something that you don't see all the time.

(Reuters) - This year's U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, Northern Carolina has attracted a record total of 10,127 entries, the United States Golf Association (USGA) said on Thursday. The number of applicants for the June 12-15 tournament eclipsed the previous best of 9,860 for last year's U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. "The number of entries, from across the world, affirms both the great appeal of playing in our national championship and the history surrounding Pinehurst No. 2," USGA vice president Daniel Burton said in a statement. The U.S. Open, the second of the year's four majors, will be held for a third time on the classic No. 2 Course at Pinehurst with its notorious upturned-saucer greens.

This year's U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, Northern Carolina has attracted a record total of 10,127 entries, the United States Golf Association (USGA) said on Thursday. The number of applicants for the June 12-15 tournament eclipsed the previous best of 9,860 for last year's U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. "The number of entries, from across the world, affirms both the great appeal of playing in our national championship and the history surrounding Pinehurst No. 2," USGA vice president Daniel Burton said in a statement. The U.S. Open, the second of the year's four majors, will be held for a third time on the classic No. 2 Course at Pinehurst with its notorious upturned-saucer greens.

(Reuters) - Englishman Simon Dyson, who was handed a suspended two-month ban for cheating in December, fired a five-under-par 67 to grab a share of the first round lead at the European Tour's China Open on Thursday. The Englishman fired six birdies and a lone bogey in his round in Shenzhen to end the day tied with big-hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros at the top of a congested leaderboard. "The first nine holes I played was the best I have played for quite some time," Dyson told the European Tour. It was a good start and very pleasing." The 36-year-old has enjoyed previous success in China, winning the event in 2000 as well as the Hong Kong and Macau Opens.

Englishman Simon Dyson, who was handed a suspended two-month ban for cheating in December, fired a five-under-par 67 to grab a share of the first round lead at the European Tour's China Open on Thursday. The Englishman fired six birdies and a lone bogey in his round in Shenzhen to end the day tied with big-hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros at the top of a congested leaderboard. "The first nine holes I played was the best I have played for quite some time," Dyson told the European Tour. It was a good start and very pleasing." The 36-year-old has enjoyed previous success in China, winning the event in 2000 as well as the Hong Kong and Macau Opens.

LeBron James scored 32 points and Chris Bosh tallied 20 points as the host Miami Heat beat the Charlotte Bobcats 101-97 to take a 2-0 lead in their first round playoff series. The Bobcats cut Miami's lead to 10 points at halftime Wednesday after shooting 50 percent from the field in the second quarter. But the Heat led by seven heading into the fourth and then held on for the victory. Miami now takes a comfortable series lead into game three on Saturday in Charlotte.

Monta Ellis tallied 21 points and Shawn Marion scored 20 as the Dallas Mavericks routed the error-prone San Antonio Spurs 113-92 to level their opening round NBA playoff series at 1-1. Dallas took advantage of some sloppy play by the Spurs and could easily be ahead two games to none in the Western Conference series. San Antonio turned the ball over 24 times Wednesday, leading to 33 Dallas points.

(Reuters) - New York Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda was ejected in the second inning against Boston on Wednesday after the umpire found a foreign substance on his neck. Pineda, who missed the last two seasons because of injury but has enjoyed a strong start to the year with an ERA of 1.83, was also at the center of controversy in the Yankees win over the Red Sox on April 10. He was believed to have used a foreign substance during that game but was not checked by the umpire.

New York (AFP) - The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers will kick off the 2014 National Football League's regular season, the league announced.

(Reuters) - The Seattle Seahawks open the defense of their Super Bowl crown and kick off the 2014-15 season at home against the Green Bay Packers, the National Football League (NFL) announced on Wednesday. The September 4 league opener will mark the Packers' first visit back to CenturyLink Field since the infamous 'Fail Mary' game in 2012 when replacement officials bungled a touchdown call in the endzone that led to an unlikely Seattle win. "Kickoff Weekend" will also feature a Monday Night doubleheader with the Detroit Lions hosting the New York Giants and the San Diego Chargers traveling to Arizona to face the Cardinals.

By Steve Ginsburg WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One day after joining baseball's exclusive 500 home run club, Albert Pujols insists he is not concerned with reaching another longball milestone. Let the fans and the media talk about 600 or 700 home runs, Pujols said, adding that he's not even thinking about homer number 501. It's still going to be the same goal that I've had from day one - and that's about winning," the Los Angeles Angels slugger told reporters Wednesday. Pujols clubbed two homers against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, the second enabling the 34-year-old first baseman to become the 26th major leaguer to hit 500 home runs.

Potential free agent Carmelo Anthony will be asked to give the New York Knicks a discount on his next contract in order to help build a title contender, team president Phil Jackson said on Wednesday. Anthony, who finished the 2013-14 NBA season second on the scoring list with an average of 27.4 points a game and was one of the few bright spots in New York's 37-45 campaign, could declare himself a free agent on July 1. "I'd like to appeal to his better nature about winning," Jackson told reporters at the Knicks practice center. "That's the beginning of team play." Jackson, the Hall of Fame coach who won a record 11 NBA titles in charge of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, came out of retirement last month to run the Knicks, the team he broke in with as a player.

By Daniel Trotta HAVANA (Reuters) - Conrado Marrero, at 102 the oldest former Major League Baseball player and a patriarch of Cuban baseball known for his quick wit and goofy pitching delivery, died on Wednesday at his home in Havana. Marrero, who played for the Washington Senators, was two days short of his 103rd birthday. He had been in declining health for weeks and was unresponsive for some time on Wednesday before dying, his grandson Rogelio Marrero said. After an outstanding career in Cuba in the 1930s and 1940s, Marrero debuted in the Major Leagues with Washington in 1950, four days before his 39th birthday.

Cuban baseball legend Conrado Marrero, who played in the US big leagues in the 1950s and was the oldest living MLB veteran, died Wednesday in Havana just two days shy of his 103rd birthday. "Early this afternoon, Conrado Marrero Ramos, one of the best pitchers in Cuban baseball history, passed away," said official news portal Cubadebate. But at 102, the US major league has said he was its oldest living ex-player. Marrero, who hailed from the central province of Villa Clara, played with the now-defunct Washington Senators from 1950-1954, after getting his (late) start in the Cuban league.

(Reuters) - Four-times major winner Ernie Els returns this week to one of his favorite cities, where he shares the alluring nickname of 'The Big Easy,' to make his eighth career start at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. At a PGA Tour event where he has always enjoyed a "good vibe," the smooth-swinging South African lost out to American Jason Dufner in a playoff for the title in 2012, then tied for 15th last year at the TPC Louisiana. "At the forefront of my mind right now is making sure I put all my efforts into trying to produce a better performance at this week's Zurich Classic," Els wrote on his blog. "Pete Dye has always been one of my favorite designers and courses like TPC Louisiana just seem to fit my eye." Els, a 19-times winner on the PGA Tour, will aim to feed off those positive memories in front of supportive fans as he seeks his first victory on the U.S. circuit since the 2012 British Open.

World number two Suzann Pettersen, back after missing three events with a back injury, resumes her chase of top-ranked Park In-Bee when the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic opens Thursday. South Korean star Park has ruled the rankings for the past 54 weeks but is being chased by Norway's Pettersen and American Stacy Lewis, ranked third -- all seeking their first tour win of the season. Pettersen hurt her back after the LPGA Founders Cup and missed the year's first women's major at Rancho Mirage as well as a tuneup event and last week's LPGA stop in Hawaii, where she was defending champion. "I was trying to make it for Hawaii, but at the same time, I can’t rush something that I can’t control."

Phoenix guard Goran Dragic, whose career-high 20.3 points a game helped the Suns win 23 more games this season than last, was named the NBA's Most Improved Player on Wednesday. Indiana's Lance Stephenson was a distant second with 158 points, three more than Anthony Davis of New Orleans. The Slovenian international who averaged only 9.5 points before this season, added 5.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds a game as well as sinking a career-best 50.5 percent of his shots from the floor. His stats included 40.8 percent scoring from 3-point range -- making him the only NBA player with 50 percent overall accuracy and 40-percent success from beyond the arc.

By Curtis Skinner NEW YORK (Reuters) - Five former Buffalo Bills cheerleaders have sued the New York state football team, claiming it violated state wage laws by forcing them to work hundreds of hours without pay, cover their own travel expenses and spend hundreds of dollars on uniforms. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in New York State Supreme Court by the former Buffalo Jills, is the third case this year brought against National Football League teams claiming wage violations. It follows similar suits brought by members of the Oakland Raiderettes and Cincinnati Ben-Gals. The five cheerleaders, who worked between 2010 and 2014, said in the complaint that the team and two companies that managed the cheer squad took unlawful deductions from their wages (including the cost of uniforms), forced them to work up to 840 unpaid hours a year - the equivalent of 21 40-hour weeks - at practices and promotional events and made them pay $650 for their uniforms.

(Reuters) - Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic, whose breakout campaign helped his team to a 23-win improvement, was named the National Basketball Association's most improved player, the league said on Wednesday. Dragic received 408 of a possible 1,134 points, including 65 first-place votes, from a panel of 126 sportswriters and broadcasters in the United States and Canada. Lance Stephenson of the Indiana Pacers (158 points, 13 first-place votes) finished second while Anthony Davis (155 points, 16 first-place votes) of the New Orleans Pelicans was third. Dragic, who entered the 2013-14 campaign with a career scoring average of 9.5 points, averaged a career-best 20.3 points to go with 5.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds.

Bradley Beal scored a game-high 26 points to spark Washington over Chicago 101-99 in overtime, giving the Wizards their best NBA playoff start in 32 years. Brazilian forward Nene scored 17 points Tuesday and John Wall added 16 as the Wizards seized a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series with games three and four Friday and Sunday in Washington. It's the first time in franchise history that Washington won the first two games on the road to open a series and the first time since 1982 they won the first two games in a playoff series. East top seed Indiana and Toronto each won at home Tuesday to level their first-round matchups, with the Pacers beating Atlanta 101-85 and Toronto downing Brooklyn 100-95 to deadlock each series at 1-1.

By Steve Keating TORONTO (Reuters) - The Toronto Raptors have promoted their return to the NBA postseason after a six-year absence as a 'Northern Uprising' and on Tuesday they backed up the marketing campaign with a 100-95 win over the Brooklyn Nets. The victory was the Raptors' first in the post-season since 2008 and sends the best-of-seven Eastern conference first round series back to Brooklyn for Game Three on Friday level at 1-1. "We're going to be the underdog again and we have to do the same thing there." The series is clearly defined, a classic matchup pitting Brooklyn's veteran savvy against the young Raptors enthusiasm. The Nets won Game One when future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett stepped up late in the match but on Tuesday the Raptors' young guard DeMar DeRozan showed the way with 30 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter.

(Reuters) - Albert Pujols belted two homers to reach the 500 home run milestone as he powered the Los Angeles Angels to a 7-2 win over Washington at Nationals Park on Tuesday. Pujols drilled a three-run shot over the fence in the first inning for his 499th then added the landmark blast on a two-run drive in the fifth. He became the 26th player in Major League history to reach the milestone and the Washington crowd saluted the 34-year-old with a standing ovation. After the game, Pujols took to Twitter to thank his fans and followers.

New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka was a winner in his first Major League Baseball game against the archrival Boston Red Sox, striking out seven in 9-3 victory. Tanaka surrendered his only runs on back-to-back home runs by David Ortiz and Mike Napoli in the fourth inning Tuesday and improved to 3-0 in the young season with his first triumph at historic Fenway Park. Jacoby Ellsbury, who helped the Red Sox win two World Series titles in seven years with Boston, went 2-for-5 with a triple and a double and drove in two runs in his first Fenway appearance for the Yankees, who signed the star outfielder to a seven-year deal for $153 million.

By Joseph J. Kolb ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (Reuters) - A University of New Mexico football player has been arrested on suspicion of raping and kidnapping a fellow student, officials said on Tuesday. Crusoe Gongbay, 20, surrendered to university police on Monday and faces two counts of second-degree criminal sexual penetration and one count of kidnapping. He is being held on $50,000 bond, Lieutenant Tim Stump of the university police said. Head Football Coach Bob Davies suspended Gongbay, a 5-feet 11-inch (1.8-meter), 205-lb (93-kg) running back from Rockville, Maryland.

Major League Baseball issued suspensions Tuesday to two players each from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers after their benches-clearing brawl during the third innings of a game last Sunday. Brewers reserve catcher Martin Maldonado was handed the worst penalty, a five-game ban, after knocking Pittsburgh outfielder Travis Snider with a right cross to the face during the melee. Snider was banned for two games for his role in the scrap at the Pirates' home ballpark. Milwaukee outfielder Carlos Gomez, who flipped his bat and stood at home plate to admire the ball he had hit off Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole to thereby spark the major fight, was suspended for three games.

Gregg Popovich, who guided the San Antonio Spurs to the league's best record this season, was named Tuesday as the NBA Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. The Spurs, sparked by big man Tim Duncan and backcourt stars Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, finished with a 62-20 regular-season mark to claim a home-court edge throughout the NBA playoffs. Jeff Hornacek of Phoenix was second with 339 points and 37 first-place nods with Chicago's Tom Thibodeau third on 159 points with 12 first-place votes.

(Reuters) - Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs was voted NBA Coach of the Year, becoming the third three-time winner of the award, the National Basketball Association announced on Tuesday. Popovich's Spurs posted the NBA's best record at 62-20 to secure homecourt advantage through the postseason as he claimed the coaching honor for the second time in three seasons and joined Don Nelson and Pat Riley as a three-time recipient. After steering the Spurs to a 15th successive season with 50 or more wins, Popovich totaled 380 points, including 59 first-place votes, from a panel of 124 sportswriters from the United States and Canada.