Associated Press
CHARLOTTE ó Peng Wu again got the best of Michael Phelps.
Wu, the club Wolverine swimmer who spoiled Phelpsí near decade-long streak in the 200 fly last month, repeated the feat on Saturday, overcoming Phelps on the final 50 meters at the Charlotte UltraSwim at Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center.
Phelps, who hadnít lost in this event in 60 attempts covering nearly nine years, has two straight losses, both to Wu.
Phelps looked impressive for the first three laps, but couldnít get the win.
ěIt literally felt like a piano fell on my back,î said Phelps, who finished in 1:58.22, behind Pengís 1:56.83. ěI knew at 150 that I was in trouble.î
Josh Schneider, two days after losing a 50-meter free swim-off to Cullen Jones for a spot in the U.S. World Championship team, edged Jones in the same event. Schneider finished in 22.51, .01 seconds ahead of Jones. Nick Brunelli placed third for a SwimMAC sweep on the podium.
ěItís revenge, and a huge confidence booster,î Schneider said. ěI was mopey after that loss (in the swim-off). Itís really the first hard defeat Iíve had in the sport of swimming. I was climbing high and far, and that knocked the wind out of me.î
NHL
BOSTON ó Sean Bergenheim began a stretch of three Tampa Bay goals in 1:25 in the first period and the Lightning beat the Boston Bruins 5-2 in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday night.
Bergenheim, who scored just 14 goals in the regular season, got his NHL-high eighth of the playoffs at 11:15. Brett Clark connected at 11:34 and Teddy Purcell wrapped up the onslaught, both with unassisted goals.
The two goals in 19 seconds and three in 1:25 are club records.
Tyler Seguin, the No. 2 overall draft pick last year, scored for Boston with 4:01 left in the first period.
The Bruins, in the conference finals for the first time since 1992, lost for just the second time in 10 games.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night in Boston.
RANGER DEAD
NEW YORK ó New York Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment.
The team announced the 28-year-old Boogaard’s death but gave no details.
NBA
LAS VEGAS ó Charles Oakley, one of the NBA’s all-time tough guys and now a Charlotte Bobcats assistant, has sued a Las Vegas resort over what he calls a May 2010 “gang-style beat down” by security guards who injured him.
DETROIT ó Former Michigan basketball star Jalen Rose says Grant Hill has agreed to help support the new charter school in Detroit bearing Rose’s name.
The Jalen Rose Leadership Academy is expected to open in September. Rose says Hill has promised to lend his support and that things are fine between them after Hill criticized Rose in March for comments he made in an ESPN documentary about Michigan’s famous Fab Five.
GOLF
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. ó Players spent more time in the clubhouse than the golf course Saturday at The Players Championship, a rain-shortened day that left enough time for some high entertainment.
Martin Kaymer made four straight birdie putts that traveled a combined 71 inches.
The tournament staff had to move the cup on the 16th hole a few feet after the four-hour storm delay because of damage around the hole that it couldn’t repair.
As for the top of the leaderboard?
U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell and Doral winner Nick Watney were at 11-under par. David Toms and Steve Stricker were another shot behind, followed by Wells Fargo winner Lucas Glover and K.J. Choi. Kaymer and Luke Donald, both of whom can go to No. 1 in the world, were only three shots behind.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
ANN ARBOR, Mich. ó Lloyd Carr’s legacy is about to get larger.
The Al Glick family made a $3 million gift to name the seventh floor “The Coach Carr Pediatric Cancer Unit,” in Mott Children’s Hospital when it opens in November.
DAYTON, Ohio ó Out of concern for NCAA rules, two Ohio football players are declining to attend a “graduation party” thrown by a nightclub to celebrate their new college sports careers.
Wayne High School players Braxton Miller and Tre Moore graduated in the winter, with Miller heading to Ohio State and Moore to Northern Illinois. The Dayton Daily News reports Friday that an advertisement from the Heat nightclub in Huber Heights popped up on Moore’s Facebook page announcing the May 26 event, with $10 admission for men and $7 for women.
The NCAA bans players from allowing a business to use their names for profit.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
COLLEGE STATION, Texas ó Northern Iowa basketball coach Ben Jacobson has been granted permission to speak to Texas A&M about its coaching vacancy.
Jacobson led the Panthers to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament two seasons ago. They went 20-14 this past season.
Other candidates that Texas A&M is expected to pursue include Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall, Murray State’s Billy Kennedy and Aggies assistant Scott Spinelli.
TENNIS
ROME ó No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Novak Djokovic will resume their rivalry in the Italian Open final today. Nadal, who has won this tournament five of the last six years, overcame a tough first set against Richard Gasquet on Saturday before rolling to a 7-5, 6-1 semifinal victory. Djokovic was pushed to the limit in extending his unbeaten streak to 38 matches, defeating fourth-ranked Andy Murray 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (2).
KILLEBREW UPDATE
MINNEAPOLIS ó Harmon Killebrew announced he no longer plans to fight his esophageal cancer and has settled in for the final days of his life, saddening friends and fans of the 74-year-old Hall of Fame slugger.
In a statement released jointly by the Minnesota Twins and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Killebrew said “it is with profound sadness” that he will no longer receive treatment for the “awful disease.”