MLB-BRAVES
Santana to the Braves
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) β The Atlanta Braves have signed free agent pitcher Ervin Santana to a one-year contract. The move comes a day after the Braves announced that Kris Medlen, who had already been named the club’s opening-day pitcher, left spring training with an elbow injury.
Santana is 33 and is coming off a 9-10 season with Kansas City in which he had a 3.24 earned run average in 32 starts.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Western teams vie of playoff positions
UNDATED (AP) β The Spurs can improve on their lead over the Thunder in the Western Conference standings tonight with a home-court win over Portland. As a new day of play dawns the Spurs top the idle Thunder by a half game in the West with Portland 5 1/2 games back. The Spurs are 47-16 on the season while the Blazers are 42-22.
L.A.’s Clippers continue to lead the Pacific Division and are three games back of the Spurs in the West. Tonight the Clips of coach Doc Rivers are home to Golden State, which is seven off the pace being set by the Spurs.
In the Eastern standings the Miami Heat can pick up ground on first-place Indiana with a home win over the Nets. The Heat are 44-17, 1 1/2 games back of the Pacers, who have the night off.
Eighth place in the Western Conference is up for grabs tonight. The Grizzlies start the day in seventh place with a winning percentage of .587 while the eighth-place Mavericks are winning at a .585 clip. Right behind is Phoenix at .571.
On the schedule, Memphis is at New Orleans while Dallas is at Utah and Phoenix is home to Cleveland.
A check of the remaining games shows Denver at Orlando, Philadelphia home to Sacramento, the Bobcats at Washington, Toronto hosting Detroit and the Knicks in Boston.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Brief on-ice schedule tonight
UNDATED (AP) β There are just four games on the NHL schedule this evening with Anaheim in a position to tie St. Louis for the Western Conference lead. The Blues, who have the night off, top the West with 95 points while the Ducks, who are in Calgary for a game tonight, have 93. With a win the Ducks would also pad their two-game lead over the idle Sharks in the Pacific Division. Anaheim needs a win as the Ducks have dropped three in a row.
Boston’s Bruins can close in on the front-running Penguins in the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh, which has the night off, leads the way with 92 points while the Bruins, who are at Montreal tonight, have 89. The Canadiens have had their way with the Bruins of late, having won the last five encounters
Defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago is on the road tonight for a Central Division game in Denver against the Avalanche. Chicago starts the night five points behind the first-place Blues while the Avs are six back. This is the fifth and final game between the two clubs this season. The Avs have won three of the first four.
The final game is meaningless as Vancouver is skating at Winnipeg.
FORMULA 1-SCHUMACHER
Small signs of progress
PARIS (AP) β The agent for retired Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher says there have been some signs of improvement in the former seven-time World Champion. Schumacher has been in a medically induced coma since suffering a head injury in a skiing accident last December.
Agent Sabine Kehm says there are “small, encouraging signs.”
PENN STATE
Sandusky’s wife believes he is innocent
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) β The wife of former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky has told NBC’s “Today” show that she definitely believes her husband is innocent of abusing 10 boys.
Dottie Sandusky said in an interview that she is convinced that nothing went on in their home. She explained her husband taking showers with children by saying, “that’s the generation Jerry grew up in.”
Jerry Sandusky is serving a 30-to-60-year sentence.
