The Early Lead

Vinny Del Negro out as Los Angeles Clippers coach

Cindy Boren — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:35:53 GMT

Vinny Del Negro will not be returning for another season as coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. The team chose to let Del Negro’s contract expire after the Clippers were ushered out in the first round of the NBA playoffs … Continue reading →

Super Bowl L awarded to San Francisco

Cindy Boren — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:07:44 GMT

Super Bowl L — or Super Bowl 50, if you prefer — has a home. It’ll be played in Santa Clara, in Levi’s Stadium, the future home of the San Francisco 49ers. In voting by NFL owners at the spring … Continue reading →

Oklahoma high school coach tells of close brush with tornado

Cindy Boren — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:30:56 GMT

On Monday afternoon, high school football players in the Moore, Okla., area were about to do what athletes do in the football-mad state: take to the field for a spring practice. But the skies and forecast turned threatening, so at … Continue reading →

Kevin Durant donates $1 million to Red Cross for Oklahoma tornado relief

Cindy Boren — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:36:40 GMT

Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder star, has donated $1 million to the Red Cross fund for tornado and disaster relief in the aftermath of the deadly storm that devastated Oklahoma on Monday. @kdtrey5 steps forward and gives $1mil matching … Continue reading →

Patrick Roy to be named Colorado Avalanche coach, report says

Cindy Boren — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:26:01 GMT

Patrick Roy, the goalie from the Colorado Avalanche’s golden seasons, is expected to be named the team’s new head coach, according to his brother. “They’re discussing the final details of an arrangement,” Roy’s brother, Stephane, told the Denver Post. “Colorado … Continue reading →

Matt Kemp to donate $1,000 for every home run to Oklahoma tornado victims

Cindy Boren — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:44:47 GMT

In a perfect world, Matt Kemp would go off on a home-run hitting tear starting today. Kemp, a native of Midwest City, Okla., promised Monday night to make a donation for every home run he hits until the July 16 … Continue reading →

Michael Jordan to change Bobcats to Hornets, report says

Cindy Boren — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:56:06 GMT

Maybe this will change their luck. Michael Jordan, owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, is expected to announce today that the Bobcats will become the Hornets, according to the Associated Press. The Bobcats name became available when the team, which had moved … Continue reading →

Tiger Woods vs. Sergio Garcia: The sniping continues

Cindy Boren — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:15:16 GMT

When asked about Sergio Garcia on Monday, Tiger Woods took a monosyllabic approach shot. Asked about Woods, Garcia used far more words to arrive at the same diss-tination. The two golfers don’t like each other. Never have. Probably never will … Continue reading →

Tony Romo out of OTAs after surgery to remove back cyst

Cindy Boren — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:10:18 GMT

Missing from the Dallas Cowboys’ team drills during organized team activities over the next three weeks will be one Tony Romo. The quarterback, the focus of great expectations by owner Jerry Jones, underwent minor surgery last month in which a … Continue reading →

NFL, NFLPA close to moving draft to May, report says

Cindy Boren — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:44:51 GMT

The NFL calendar may be on the verge of a major change, one that would move the big post-Super Bowl events like the scouting combine and the draft and extend the league’s dominance over a longer stretch. Get ready for … Continue reading →

Tim Tebow turned up on ‘All-Star Celebrity Apprentice’ finale

Cindy Boren — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:25:05 GMT

While NFL players are showing up for the first organized team activities of the 2013 season, one aspiring pro quarterback materialized Sunday night in a rather unlikely place: on the “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice” season finale. That QB would be Tim … Continue reading →

Tiger Woods isn’t about to make up with Sergio Garcia (video)

Cindy Boren — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:59:32 GMT

Think that whole catfight that erupted between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia at the Players Championship on May 11 is over? Think again. Woods was asked in an AT&T National press conference in Bethesda, Md., if he’d considered calling Garcia … Continue reading →

Chad Johnson arrested for probation violation

Cindy Boren — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:33:12 GMT

Former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson has been arrested in South Florida on a charge of violating his probation. After a hearing Monday, Johnson, 35, was placed in the custody of the Broward County sheriff’s office until he posts $1,000 … Continue reading →

Wife throws beer in husband’s face, the Cubs edition (video)

Cindy Boren — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:50:04 GMT

It was such a nice gesture. When Travis Wood’s home-run missile headed toward a couple Sunday at Wrigley Field, a Chicago Cubs fan tried to shield his wife and, in the process, spilled some of his beer on her. That … Continue reading →

Kobe Bryant denies retirement talk, saying ‘soon, but not yet’

Cindy Boren — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:44:30 GMT

Kobe Bryant may have hinted at the impending end of his career during his trying 17th season with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he put the kibosh on such talk early Monday morning. Really?? Me. Retire?? Soon, but not yet … Continue reading →

Preakness 2013: Viewer’s guide

Cindy Boren — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:04:20 GMT

View Photo Gallery —After taking the Kentucky Derby, Orb readies for the 138th Preakness Stakes, which will be held at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course on Saturday. On Saturday, Orb will try to take the second step toward winning horse racing’s … Continue reading →

Dick Trickle dies of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound

Cindy Boren — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:59:30 GMT

Dick Trickle, a legendary race-car driver who died Thursday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, was mourned with affectionate humor, which no doubt would have pleased him. The body of Trickle, 71, was found near his pick-up truck in a … Continue reading →

Chad Johnson arrest warrant issued in South Florida

Cindy Boren — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:41:06 GMT

A warrant was issued Thursday for the arrest of Chad Johnson, the former NFL wide receiver, for violating the terms of his probation in connection with a domestic-violence incident involving his ex-wife last year. Officials at the Broward County District … Continue reading →

Boston Marathon invites stopped runners back for 2014 race

Cindy Boren — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:10:31 GMT

Runners who were unable to complete the Boston Marathon because of the bombings near the finish line last month have been invited to run in the 2014 race. “The opportunity to run down Boylston Street and to cross the finish … Continue reading →

David Beckham to retire at the end of the season

Cindy Boren — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:21:14 GMT

David Beckham, one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet, will retire when his French team’s season ends May 26. Beckham, 38, has two games remaining with Paris Saint-Germain, which had offered him a contract extension. However, he chose … Continue reading →

Tennis player’s meltdown at Italian Open is a classic (video)

Cindy Boren — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:38:51 GMT

This takes “you cannot be serious” to a whole new level. Viktor Troicki took issue with the decision of a chair umpire to overrule a call in his Italian Open match against Ernests Gulbis on Wednesday and released his inner McEnroe … Continue reading →

Mark Sanchez looks like Jets’ starter, with David Garrard retiring

Cindy Boren — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:35:21 GMT

Mark Sanchez is more likely than ever to be the New York Jets’ starting quarterback when the season opens, what with David Garrard retiring Wednesday afternoon. Somehow, you just knew that the Jets’ QB competition — the subject of so … Continue reading →

Tiger Woods vs. Sergio Garcia: Two more marshals say there was no lie

Cindy Boren — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:48:30 GMT

The flap between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia just refuses to go away. Two marshals who were part of the walking group accompanying Woods on the second round of the Players Championship have told the Florida Times-Union that he received … Continue reading →

Zack Greinke to return tonight against Nationals

Cindy Boren — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:56:43 GMT

About three weeks ahead of schedule, Zack Greinke will return to the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight against the Washington Nationals. Greinke, the team’s $147-million free agent addition, was expected to need two months to recover from the … Continue reading →

James Harrison spends up to $600,000 on ‘body work’

Cindy Boren — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:42:50 GMT

An NFL job may pay a lot, but it costs a lot, too. Just listen to James Harrison, who drops about a half-million dollars a year to keep his body primed to play. Harrison, who joined the Cincinnati Bengals in … Continue reading →