NBA-HEAT-WADE
Wade to test free agent market
MIAMI (AP) β Dwyane Wade will become a free agent Wednesday, and his 12-year stay with the Miami Heat could be ending.
The three-time champion and 11-time All-Star could have exercised an option to earn $16.1 million with the Heat next season. Instead he decided to roll the dice and test his worth on the open market.
The Heat say they want Wade back.
He left about $27 million dollars on the table from past deals in 2010 and 2014 and wants to be rewarded. But he’s turning 34 next season and has missed 25 percent of Miami’s regular-season games over the past four years with an array of injuries.
He averaged 21.5 points this past season, 11th-best in the NBA and third-best in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, Luol Deng (LOO’-ul dehng) has elected to use his opt-in clause on a $10.1 million deal to stay with Miami. Deng averaged 14.0 points with the Heat last season.
NBA-WARRIORS-SPEIGHTS
Warriors and Heat retain players
OAKLAND, Calif (AP) β The Golden State Warriors have exercised their $3.8 million team option on reserve big man Marreese Speights (muh-REES’ spaytz) for next season. He averaged a career-high 10.4 points along with 4.3 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game during the regular season. He averaged 3.7 points in just 10 playoff games due to a left hamstring injury and the Warriors’ move to a smaller lineup during the NBA Finals against Cleveland.
WIMBLEDON
Big names do well on Day 1
LONDON (AP) β The top seed got off to a fast start on the first day at Wimbledon. Novak Djokovic (NOH’-vak JOH’-kuh-vich) and Serena Williams each rolled into the second round with straight-sets wins.
The same goes for women’s fourth-seed Maria Sharapova (shah-rah-POH’-vah) and men’s No. 4 and French Open champ Stan Wawrinka (vah-VRINK’-ah). American John Isner (IHZ’-nur), the men’s 17th-seed, also advanced.
Five-time champ Venus Williams had the most impressive start to the tournament. She scored a 6-love, 6-love win over fellow American Madison Brengle.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Good pairing in Houston tonight
UNDATED (AP) β The division leading Royals and Astros start a three-game series this evening in Houston. The Royals start the night with a 5 Β½ game lead over the Twins in the American League Central while the Astros lead the Angels by four in the AL West. Pitching wise, tonight’s game has Joe Blanton on the mound for the visitors. He is 2-0 this season with 1.73 earned run average. The Astros are giving the ball to Lance McCullers who is 3-2 with a 2.33 ERA.
The other first place clubs in action tonight are the Orioles and Dodgers. Baltimore, which leads the AL East by percentage points over Tampa Bay, is home to Texas, while the Dodgers, leaders of the National League West, are at Arizona.
The rest of the schedule tonight has Milwaukee playing the Phillies in Philadelphia, the Blue Jays hosting the Red Sox, Cleveland at Tampa, the Reds home to the Twins, Colorado at Oakland and the Angels entertaining the Yankees.
MLB-RANGERS-HAMILTON
Rangers Hamilton set to return
BALTIMORE (AP) β Josh Hamilton says he expects to be activated from the disabled list by the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.
Hamilton has been on the DL since June 4 with a strained left hamstring. The outfielder was with the Rangers on Monday, but was told he was sitting out the opener of a four-game series against the Orioles.
Hamilton acknowledged that he’s not 100 percent, but is eager to return after spending much of the season on the disabled list. He started the year with the Los Angeles Angels, recovering from shoulder surgery.
Hamilton has played in only seven games this season. He has two homers and five RBIs.
MLB-PHILLIES
MacPhail to lead Phillies
PHILADELPHIA (AP) β The Philadelphia Phillies have hired veteran baseball executive Andy MacPhail to be their team president. MacPhail replaces Pat Gillick, who helped choose his successor. MacPhail will work with Gillick for the rest of the season before taking over.
He won two World Series as general manager of the Minnesota Twins in 1987 and 1991 and later served as president of the Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles.
HOCKEY-HALL FAME
Seven new Hall of Famers
TORONTO (AP) β Stanley Cup winners Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Pronger and Sergei Fedorov and former NHL star Phil Housley are among the seven newcomers in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Joining them in the class of 2015 are Angela Ruggiero, Bill Hay and Peter Karmanos Jr. They also were voted into the shrine.
Lidstrom earned seven Norris Trophies as the NHL’s top defenseman and won four Stanley Cups with Detroit. Fedorov was his longtime teammate. Housley has the most points of any American defenseman.
Pronger hasn’t played since November 2011 because of post-concussion syndrome. He works for the league.
Hay, a former president of Hockey Canada, and Karmanos, the owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, made it in the builder category. Ruggiero was a defenseman on four United States teams in the Olympics and is the fourth woman to be elected to the Hall of Fame.
NHL-TRANSACTONS
Kings terminate Richards’ deal
UNDATED (AP) βThe Los Angeles Kings have terminated Mike Richards’ contract, claiming the forward committed a “material breach” of its terms. The Kings refused to say why they’re terminating Richards’ deal, which carries an annual salary cap hit of $5.75 million through 2020. Los Angeles placed Richards on waivers again over the weekend. The Kings were thought to be attempting a buyout of that deal that would lessen his cap hit by spreading it out through 2025. Richards has under-performed since the Kings acquired him in 2011. He was sent to the minors at the end of last season.
Elsewhere;
βCenter Jay Beagle has re-signed with the Washington Capitals, getting a $5.25 million, three-year contract. The 29-year-old set career highs with 10 goals, 10 assists and 20 points last season. He has 23 goals and 24 assists in 254 career NHL games, all with Washington.
β Former Stanley Cup-winning goalie Antti Niemi (AN’-tee nee-YEH’-mee) has signed a three-year contract with the Dallas Stars. The deal came two days after Dallas acquired Niemi’s contract rights from San Jose for a seventh-round pick during the draft and two days before the goaltender would have become an unrestricted free agent.
β A person familiar with the decision has told the Associated Press that the Sabres have placed Cody Hodgson on unconditional waivers with the intention of buying out his contract. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move has not been announced. Hodgson signed a six-year, $25.5 million contract with the team in 2013 but managed just six goals and 13 points over 78 games last season.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL-WISCONSIN
Ryan to retire
UNDATED (AP) β Longtime Wisconsin men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan says he plans to retire after next season. The 67-year old says he considered retiring after the Badgers lost in the national championship game to Duke, but athletic director Barry Alvarez told him to take some time to think about it.
Ryan has coached the Badgers for 14 years. He led them to the Final Four in each of the past two seasons.
