PRO FOOTBALL
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) - Peyton Manning’s never-ending quest to hone his game and Nick Saban’s desire to decipher fast-paced offenses led to a recent meeting that the Crimson Tide coach called mutually beneficial.
It also might have violated NFL rules because, according to Saban, Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase also was in attendance.
The league doesn’t allow players and their coaches to meet before the start of offseason workouts, which for the Broncos begin Monday. On-field instruction won’t start until mid-May.
The Associated Press left messages with the team and the NFL on Friday seeking comment.
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PRO BASKETBALL
Memphis Grizzlies point guard Nick Calathes was suspended for 20 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
The league said Friday night in a release that Calathes tested positive for tamoxifen. The suspension begins Saturday night when the Grizzlies take on Oklahoma City in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.
Yahoo Sports was the first to report the suspension.
NEW YORK (AP) - Even as the NBA prepares for a draft that could be headlined by freshmen, Commissioner Adam Silver remains committed to keeping them in college.
So much so that NCAA President Mark Emmert was invited to discuss his involvement with owners.
Silver is moving cautiously on potential changes to areas such as the lottery format and playoff structure, but is making it clear that raising the draft age limit to abolish the so-called “one and done” is one of his priorities.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) - How long Mike D’Antoni remains the Los Angeles Lakers’ coach won’t be decided at least until next week.
General manager Mitch Kupchak praised his embattled coach while the Lakers finished their final exit interviews and headed to an unusually early summer following a franchise-worst 55-loss season.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson said Jermaine O’Neal will start in place of injured center Andrew Bogut for Game 1 of their opening-round playoff series at the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
ATLANTA (AP) - TNT analyst Craig Sager will miss the NBA playoffs while undergoing treatment for leukemia.
In a statement released by Turner Sports, Sager joked about the often-terse in-game interviews with San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich: “Too bad, I had some probing questions for Pop.”
NEW YORK (AP) - The Utah Jazz have won a tiebreaker with the Boston Celtics, giving them a chance for a better pick in the NBA draft.
Both teams finished with 25-57 records. The Jazz will be slotted fourth in the lottery, with a 10.4 percent chance at the No. 1 pick, while the Celtics will have a 10.3 percent chance. If they or no teams behind them move up, Utah will pick No. 4 and Boston at No. 5.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Owner Joshua Harris called the 76ers’ 19-win season a success.
Harris said the Sixers successfully completed the first step of their painful rebuilding process and that they need at least two to four elite players to become a contender again in the NBA.
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BASEBALL:
NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Mets traded slumping first baseman Ike Davis to the Pittsburgh Pirates, parting ways with a power hitter who proved to be too inconsistent at the plate.
Pittsburgh sent minor league right-hander Zack Thornton and a player to be named to New York for the 27-year-old Davis.
BOSTON (AP) - David Ortiz wants to visit the Boston Marathon finish line Monday after the Red Sox are done with their Patriots’ Day game against Baltimore.
Just more than a year ago, two bombs went off near the finish line, less than a mile from Fenway Park, about an hour after the Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured.
“After the game, we used to stick around and go down Boylston (Street),” Ortiz said Friday. “I’m going to pick out a spot where I can see things, or whatever, because I love to go down there.”
Boston plays the Orioles on Monday in its traditional 11 a.m. Patriots’ Day start.
CHICAGO (AP) - Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman has been cleared to throw batting practice for the first time since he was hit in the face by a line drive during an exhibition game on March 19.
Chapman sustained fractures of his nose and a bone above his left eye when hit by the drive off the bat of Kansas City’s Salvador Perez.
CLEVELAND (AP) - The Toronto Blue Jays plan to activate shortstop Jose Reyes from the disabled list Saturday.
Reyes hasn’t played since straining his left hamstring during his first at-bat of the season on March 31 against Tampa Bay. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Reyes will come off the DL before Saturday’s game against the Indians and will play every day once he returns.
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COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Tulsa hired Frank Haith of Missouri as its men’s basketball coach, landing a major-conference coach to lead the Golden Hurricanes’ transition from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference this summer.
The 48-year-old Haith said the move came quickly: He was contacted Thursday and was particularly interested by Tulsa’s upcoming move to the home of national champion UConn and teams like Memphis and Cincinnati.
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Duke sophomore Rodney Hood is entering the NBA draft.
Hood said in a statement that playing for Mike Krzyzewski “helped me grow and develop as a player and a person” to prepare him for the NBA.
Hood averaged 16.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists after sitting out last year following his transfer from Mississippi State.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Freshman guard Elijah Brown is transferring out of Butler’s basketball program.
The son of Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown was one of the prized recruits in Butler’s freshman recruiting class. The 6-foot-4 guard is the fourth Butler player to transfer since mid-February, following freshmen Nolan Berry and Rene Castro, and sophomore Devontae Morgan.
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GOLF
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) - K.J. Choi’s early tee time and quick start moved him to the top of the rain-delayed RBC Heritage.
Choi shot a 67 to get to 5-under 137, one stroke ahead of Robert Allenby and two in front of a group led by former world No. 1 Luke Donald as the second round was suspended because of heavy storms.
KAPOLEI, Hawaii (AP) - Angela Stanford shot a 5-under 67 to open a four-stroke lead after three rounds of the LPGA LOTTE Championship in breezy Hawaii.
Stanford was 13 under going into Saturday’s final round. Hyo Joo Kim and Michelle Wie were at 9 under.
DULUTH, Ga. (AP) - Miguel Angel Jimenez set a tournament record in his Champions Tour debut, firing a first-round 65 at the soggy Greater Gwinnett Championship.
Jimenez, coming off a fourth-place finish in the Masters, overcame constant rain and chilly temperatures at TPC Sugarloaf. He shot a 6-under 30 on his first nine holes, including an eagle on No. 18. He reached 7 under with a birdie on No. 2 and closed with seven straight pars.
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TENNIS
PARIS (AP) - Rafael Nadal lost to fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 7-6 (1), 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters, his earliest exit since 2003 at a tournament that helped build his reputation as perhaps the greatest clay-court player of all time. Nadal won eight consecutive titles here from 2005-12, before losing to Novak Djokovic in last year’s final.
This was Nadal’s first loss on clay to Ferrer since 2004, and the 13-time Grand Slam champion said he is still trying to find his top form after a disappointing loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the Australian Open final.
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SWIMMING
MESA, Ariz. (AP) - Michael Phelps is entered in three events at his first swim meet since he retired after the 2012 London Olympics.
The 22-time Olympic medalist is set to swim the 50- and 100-meter freestyles and the 100 butterfly at the Arena Grand Prix in Mesa, Ariz., starting Thursday.
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MOUNTAINEERING
KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Rescuers were digging through piles of snow and ice Saturday for four Sherpa guides buried on Mount Everest when an avalanche swept down the slopes and killed 12 other Nepalese guides in the deadliest disaster on the world’s highest peak.
Seven of the 12 bodies pulled out and brought down Friday have been handed over to their families in the Everest region, while the other five were taken to Katmandu.
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GYMNASTICS
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Four Southeastern Conference teams advanced to the Super Six of the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships.
Defending champion Florida and Alabama, which won in 2011 and 2012, led the way in the second semifinal session to join the SEC’s Georgia and LSU. Oklahoma and Nebraska also will compete for their first national title.
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