Associated Press
PHOENIX ó Baseballís All-Star game has drawn a record-low rating for the second straight year.
The National Leagueís 5-1 win Tuesday on Fox earned a 6.9 rating and 12 share. Thatís down 8 percent from the 7.5/13 in 2010.
Before last year, the previous low was an 8.1/14 in 2005.
Ratings represent the percentage of all households with televisions tuned into a program, and shares represent the percentage of all homes with TVs in use at the time.
WASHINGTON ó An overwhelmingly female jury with little interest in baseball will decide whether former pitching star Roger Clemens lied to Congress when he said he never used performance-enhancing drugs.
The jury took shape after four days of questioning by U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton and lawyers for both sides. Clemensí defense team said the seven-time Cy Young Award winner will begin his defense by questioning the propriety of lawmakersí investigation into whether Clemens used performance-enhancing drugs.
Opening arguments are scheduled for Wednesday.
TORONTO ó The Toronto Blue Jays traded outfielder Juan Rivera to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a player to be named or cash considerations.
FOOTBALL
NEW YORK ó Lawyers representing the NFL and the playersí association met once again to clarify the language in a potential collective bargaining agreement.
Owners and players were set to meet Wednesday, with several deadlines looming.
Both sides have been ordered to a meeting in Minneapolis next Tuesday with mediator and U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan. The owners have a special meeting set for July 21 in Atlanta, where they could vote to ratify a new deal if one is reached. Talks bogged down Friday over the rookie wage scale, guidelines for free agency and how benefits for retired players will be funded.
HOBOKEN, N.J. ó Tennessee Titans receiver Kenny Britt pleaded not guilty to three disorderly person charges stemming from a June arrest in New Jersey.
Hoboken police had suspected Britt was carrying a marijuana cigar.
OKLAHOMA CITY ó Oklahoma linebacker Austin Box had five prescription painkillers and an anti-anxiety drug in his system when he died, according to a preliminary toxicology report released by the state medical examinerís office. The death of the 22-year-old Box two months ago was ruled accidental.
BASKETBALL
NEW YORK ó Locked-out NBA players will have their escrow money returned to them for the first time because salaries fell below 57 percent of league revenues last season, two people with knowledge of the situation said.
The players will get about $160 million back when a final audit is completed later this month. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the auditing process is ongoing.
Eight percent of player salaries have been withheld each season since the 1999 collective bargaining agreement to ensure that players donít exceed their guarantee of 57 percent of league revenues. They had surpassed that limit each season since, so the money was kept. But with revenues up during a successful 2010-11 season, salary costs will fall short of that mark for the first time, though it isnít known yet by how far.
MINNEAPOLIS ó The Minnesota Timberwolves fired Kurt Rambis, ending more than three months of uncertainty surrounding the head coach of the worst team in the NBA last season.
NHL
RALEIGH ó The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to a three-year, $6.2 million contract with center Brandon Sutter.
The deal keeps the 22-year-old forward with the franchise that grabbed him in the first round of the 2007 draft. Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford called Sutter ěone of the cornerstones of our franchise moving forward.î
Sutter had 14 goals and 15 assists in 82 games last season, his third with the Hurricanes. He will earn $1.5 million next season, $2 million in 2012-13, and $2.7 million in 2013-14.
CYCLING
CARMAUX, France ó German sprinter Andre Greipel won the 10th stage of the Tour de France, beating former teammate Mark Cavendish by a wheelís length in a dash.
Franceís Thomas Voeckler kept the overall lead after nestling safely in the main pack for most of the 98-mile route from Aurillac to Carmaux.
Defending champion Alberto Contador of Spain and his main rivals ó Luxembourgís Andy Schleck and Australiaís Cadel Evans ó all finished without losing any time to one another.
GYMNASTICS
NEW YORK (AP) ó Sang Lan, the champion Chinese gymnast paralyzed in an accident at the 1998 Goodwill Games, has reached a deal with insurance companies to provide her with medical care and rehabilitation in China, along with financial help, her lawyer said.
The lawyer, Ming Hai, said he could not divulge details of the deal. Still, he said it will provide up to $10 million in cash and health care for the 30-year-old gymnast. Hai filed a lawsuit this year in U.S. District Court in Manhattan seeking $1.8 billion on Sangís behalf.
HIGH SCHOOL
LOS ANGELES (AP) ó Pitcher Dylan Bundy of Oklahoma and soccer player Morgan Brian from Georgia were honored as the national prep athletes of the year.
Bundy, selected fourth overall by Baltimore in June in the major league draft, went 11-0 with a 0.20 ERA and 158 strikeouts in 71 innings for Owasso High and also hit .467 with 11 home runs. He has signed a letter of intent with the University of Texas but heís deciding whether to sign with Baltimore.
Brian had 71 goals for Frederica Academy in St. Simons, Ga.
TENNIS
PALERMO, Sicily (AP) ó Second-seeded Roberta Vinci beat qualifier Sesil Karatantcheva 6-2, 7-5 in the first round of the Palermo Open. Vinci won Sunday in Budapest to become the first Italian player to win three WTA Tour titles in one year.
BASTAD, Sweden (AP) ó Potito Starace advanced to the second round of the Swedish Open, beating Julian Reister 7-6 (6), 6-3.
BAD GASTEIN, Austria (AP) ó Johanna Larsson beat second-seeded Jarmila Gajdosova 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the Gastein Ladies.
STUTTGART, Germany (AP) ó Santiago Giraldo upset second-seeded Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 7-5 in the first round of the Mercedes Cup.
HOCKEY
LOS ANGELES ó The Los Angeles Kings agreed to terms with forward Brad Richardson on a two-year, $2.35 million contract, avoiding arbitration.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) ó The Edmonton Oilers traded center Andrew Cogliano to the Anaheim Ducks for a second-round draft pick in 2013.
The Associated Press
07/13/11 03:38