STANLEY CUP
Kings in command
NEW YORK (AP) — The Los Angeles Kings took the longest way possible to reach the Stanley Cup finals, becoming the first NHL team to win three straight Game 7s in the same postseason. However, they are just one win away from a four-game sweep of the finals after Jonathan Quick gave his best performance of the series on Monday night.
Quick made 17 of his 32 saves while the Kings scored twice in the second period of a 3-0 shutout of the Rangers. Quick helped the Kings kill off the Rangers’ six power plays and preserved his second shutout of the postseason and ninth of his playoff career by stopping 11 shots in the third period.
Meanwhile, Rangers netminder Henrik Lundvist looked rather ordinary while making only 12 saves. Jeff Carter put the Kings ahead to stay with just 0.7 seconds left in the first period before Jake Muzzin (MUHZ’-ihn) and Mike Richards added second-period goals. Henrik stopped just six of nine shots from Carter’s game-winner through the end of the second period.
Los Angeles will look to complete a sweep Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
NHL-LIGHTNING
Tampa inks forward
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Ondrej Palat (AWN’-dray PAHL’-at) to a three-year contract. He and teammate Tyler Johnson are finalists for the Calder Trophy, presented each year to the NHL’s top rookie. Palat had 23 goals and 59 points this season, helping the Lightning make the playoffs.
NBA-CLIPPERS SALE
Donald Sterling suit still on
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Donald Sterling’s lawsuit against the NBA is still on.
The attorney for the Los Angeles Clippers owner says Sterling has pulled his support from a deal to sell the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and will pursue his $1 billion federal lawsuit against the league.
The $2 billion sale was negotiated by his wife Shelly Sterling after Donald Sterling’s racist remarks to a girlfriend were publicized and the NBA moved to oust him as owner. Donald Sterling agreed to ink the deal and drop the suit last week, but his attorneys say he decided not to sign the papers agreeing to the sale after learning the NBA won’t revoke its lifetime ban and fine.
NBA-KNICKS
Knicks reportedly pick Fisher
NEW YORK (AP) — The Stanley Cup finals won’t be the only big sports news coming out of Madison Square Garden this week.
A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that Derek Fisher has agreed to become the next coach of the New York Knicks and will be introduced at a news conference Tuesday morning. Several media outlets also cited unnamed sources saying the longtime NBA guard agreed to terms with the Knicks on a deal that was still being finalized.
The 39-year-old Fisher just completed his 18th season, finishing his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played for Knicks president Phil Jackson when Jackson was coaching the Lakers.
Fisher replaces Mike Woodson, who was dismissed after failing to get the Knicks into the NBA playoffs this season.
NCAA-O’BANNON LAWSUIT
Landmark lawsuit begins
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The battle to give top college football and basketball players a cut of the billions of dollars flowing into college athletics began in earnest with former UCLA basketball star Ed O’Bannon taking the stand in federal court.
The lead plaintiff said his goal at UCLA wasn’t to get a degree, but to get two years of college experience before being drafted into the NBA. O’Bannon opened his testimony by saying, “I was an athlete masquerading as a student.”
If successful, the plaintiffs in the class-action case — who are not asking for individual damages — could pave the way for a system that uses some of the huge money flowing into television contracts to pay athletes for their play once they are done with their college careers.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Chisenhall crushes Rangers
UNDATED (AP) — Lonnie Chisenhall doesn’t have enough at-bats to qualify for the American League batting race right now. If he did, he’d be 50 points ahead of current leader Alex Rios of Texas.
Chisenhall is hitting .385 in 161 at-bats after he homered three times and tied a team record with nine RBIs in Cleveland’s 17-7 laugher at Texas. Chisenhall went 5-for-5 and Michael Brantley scored five times in the Indians’ third straight win.
The Indians say Chisenhall is only the fourth major league player since RBIs became a statistic in 1920 to have at least five hits, nine RBIs and three homers in a game, and the first since Boston’s Fred Lynn in 1975.
Chisenhall is hitting .500 with four homers and 16 RBIs in 28 at-bats during a seven-game hitting streak.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— Toronto blew a 4-2 lead in the ninth before Kevin Pillar lined an RBI single in the bottom half to give the Jays a 5-4 win over Minnesota. Edwin Encarnacion (ehn-kahr-nah-see-OHN’) launched a three-run homer and Jose Reyes added a solo shot as Toronto halted a two-game skid and won for the seventh time in 21st time in 27 games. Encarnacion is second in the majors with 20 home runs, one behind Baltimore’s Nelson Cruz.
— Garrett Richards was sharp in the Angels’ 4-1 win against Oakland, allowing a run and four hits in seven innings for his sixth win. Mike Trout drove in a pair of runs and Hank Conger was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored in the Angels’ fourth straight win.
— Jarred Cosart struck out eight and allowed three runs and five hits in six innings of Houston’s 4-3 win at Arizona. Jose Altuve (al-TOO’-vay) and Jason Castro hit RBI doubles to put the Astros ahead 4-0 by the second inning.
— Jose Abreu hit a two-run homer and the White Sox snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-5 victory over Detroit. The Tigers lost for the seventh time in nine games despite homers by Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Eugenio Suarez.
— Baltimore was a 4-0 winner against Boston behind the pitching of Bud Norris, who limited the woeful Red Sox to three hits in eight innings. Adam Jones, Nick Markakis (mahr-KAY’-kihs) and Ryan Flaherty homered as the Orioles dealt the Bosox their sixth loss in seven games.
— Tampa Bay lost for the 13th time in 14 games after Robinson Cano (kuh-NOH’) hit a two-run double and Seattle stretched its scoreless streak to 19 innings by blanking the Rays 3-0. The Mariners have won eight of nine after five pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout.
— Ian Desmond was the hitting star in Washington’s 9-2 pounding of San Francisco, going 3-for-5 with five RBIs. Stephen Strasburg struck out seven and held the Giants to a run and four hits in six innings.
— Scott Van Slyke hit a three-run homer and a solo shot as the Dodgers whipped the Reds 6-2 in Cincinnati. Dan Haren allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings for his sixth win.
— Gavin Floyd was sharp in his first victory since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, allowing a run and just three hits in 6 2/3 innings to lead Atlanta past Colorado 3-1. Chris Johnson had three hits, including a pair RBI singles in the Braves’ 15th victory in their last 18 games versus the Rockies.
— Andrew McCutchen smacked a two-run homer and had three RBIs in Pittsburgh’s 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs. Charlie Morton allowed one run over seven innings to win for the third time in his last four starts after beginning the season 0-6.
— The Yankees’ game in Kansas City was postponed by rain. No makeup date has been announced.
MLB-NEWS
Tampa drops closer
UNDATED (AP) — Grant Balfour is out as the Tampa Bay Rays’ closer. Rays manager Joe Maddon says the team will use a closer by committee instead of the struggling Balfour, who gave up five runs in the ninth inning of Sunday’s 5-0 loss to the Mariners. It was the second time the right-hander has had a five-run inning this season.
Balfour is 0-2 with a 6.46 ERA in 24 games this season, converting nine of his 11 save opportunities.
Also in the majors:
— Kendrys (KEHN’-drihs) Morales went 1-for-3 with a walk in his Minnesota Twins debut Monday in Toronto. Morales signed a one-year contract with the Twins Sunday after hitting .277 with 23 homers and 80 RBIs with Seattle last season.
— The Twins also signed shortstop Nick Gordon, the fifth overall pick in the first-year player draft. The lefty-hitting Gordon hit .494 as a high school senior and possesses a strong arm.
— The Colorado Rockies have placed outfielder Michael Cuddyer (kuh-DY’-ur) and pitcher Eddie Butler on the 15-day disabled list. Cuddyer is out because of a strained left shoulder and Butler has inflammation in his right rotator cuff. The Rockies also recalled pitcher Christian Bergman, who is making his major league debut tonight against Atlanta.
SOCCER-WORLD CUP
U.S. team arrives in Brazil
SAO PAULO (AP) — The U.S. World Cup team has arrived in Brazil. The Americans landed in Sao Paulo on a commercial flight from Miami and arrived at their downtown hotel on a bus with the American flag and the slogan “United by team, driven by passion.” A helicopter hovered overhead as four soldiers in fatigues, about two dozen police in riot gear and what appeared to be several plainclothes security personnel stood outside the hotel.
SOCCER-WORLD CUP
Labor dispute in Brazil continues
SAO PAULO (AP) — The opening match in the World Cup is just days away and striking subway workers threaten to maintain their work stoppage through the Thursday match featuring host Brazil. Brazilian police and striking subway workers clashed in a central commuter station on Monday. Authorities are deeply worried about the strike because the subway is the main means of transportation for World Cup fans scheduled to attend the match with Croatia.
Riot police firing tear gas pushed about 100 striking workers out of the station as the strike threw Sao Paulo’s normally congested traffic into chaos for a fifth day. About half of the city’s subway stations were operating, but with greatly diminished service.
HORSE RACING-CALIFORNIA CHROME
Owner apologizes for post-race tantrum
NEW YORK (AP) — California Chrome co-owner Steve Coburn has apologized for his bitter remarks after his horse failed to win the Triple Crown. On ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday, Coburn says he was “very ashamed” and that he needs to “apologize to a lot of people, including my wife, Carolyn.” Coburn’s wife tried to intervene as Saturday’s interview got out of control. He also apologized to the connections of winning horse Tonalist. On Saturday, he had said that Tonalist took “the coward’s way out” by skipping the first two legs of the Triple Crown.
OLYMPICS
Former U.S. swimmer in serious accident
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Six-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Amy Van Dyken (DY’-kihn) severed her spine in an all-terrain vehicle accident over the weekend, and told emergency workers she could not move her toes or feel anything touching her legs. The 46-year-old was injured Friday and was airlifted to a hospital where she had surgery to stabilize her spine. A hospital spokeswoman says the swimmer was in good condition.
