Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/11051
2B – Daily News – Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Roddick wins in 5 at French SUPER PARIS (AP) — Andy Roddick’s preparation for this French Open was hardly tradi- tional. Or ideal, from a purely ten- nis perspective, anyway. He skipped a clay-court event in Rome so he could celebrate his one- year wedding anniversary with his wife, Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model Brooklyn Decker. He missed another tuneup tournament in Madrid because of a stomach virus. Scrambling to get set, Roddick played a couple of hastily arranged exhibitions and practiced a bunch at Roland Garros with fellow pro Mardy Fish, a pal since high school. If Rod- dick felt he needed more match time on his least favorite surface, he accu- mulated it in a hurry Tuesday, digging himself out of a hole and coming back to beat Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 6- 2, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in the French Open’s first round. ‘‘It’s kind of like when you miss an assignment in school, and they give you a chance to get extra credit. I’ve been trying real hard to get extra cred- it ... and I definitely wasn’t match- tough,’’ the sixth-seeded Roddick said. ‘‘There was a lot of ugliness out there today. But at the end of it, I get to play again.’’ So does a group of other Ameri- cans: Roddick and Fish are among five U.S. men into the second round, equaling the largest contingent at this Grand Slam tournament since six made it in 1998. Robby Ginepri knocked off 18th-seeded Sam Querrey 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-2 in an all-Ameri- can match Tuesday, while John Isner and Taylor Dent won Monday. Querrey is a 22-year-old from Santa Monica, Calif., who had the best clay-court season of any U.S. man, winning a title at Belgrade, Serbia, this month. But after falling to 0-4 for his career at the French Open, Querrey described feeling what sounded like burnout. He said he’ll fly home imme- diately and pull out of doubles; he was supposed to play with Isner. ‘‘Not into it. Mentally not there. I EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — If a 4-2 loss to the Czech Republic in Tuesday night’s World Cup warmup was tough for the United States to take, now comes an even more diffi- cult spell: Coach Bob Bradley will cut seven play- ers to trim his roster to FIFA’s 23-man limit. ‘‘We’re all nervous,’’ Herculez Gomez said, ‘‘anxiously awaiting Bob’s decision.’’ DaMarcus Beasley was a sharp bundle of energy, Gomez and Maurice Edu got all-important goals, and Edson Buddle was a strong man in front, blood dripping mean, you know what? I don’t know. Just did not enjoy myself out there. It’s been like that on and off for, like, a while,’’ Querrey said. ‘‘I don’t want to be fighting myself out there and also fighting the opponent.’’ Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion, hadn’t competed on clay since last year’s French Open, when he reached the fourth round for the first time — and he hadn’t played on tour anywhere since April 4, when he won the hard-court title at Key Bis- cayne, Fla. ‘‘Spending three days in bed in Madrid wasn’t the way we wrote it up,’’ he said. ‘‘That was bad.’’ Roddick’s was not the only suc- cessful return Monday, when winners included four-time French Open champions Justine Henin and Rafael Nadal, as well as Maria Sharapova, who’s won the other three major tour- naments. Playing at Roland Garros for the first time since 2007, Henin beat Tsve- tana Pironkova of Bulgaria 6-4, 6-3 to run her winning streaks at her favorite event to 22 matches and 37 sets. Henin won titles at Roland Garros in 2003 and 2005-07, before taking a 20-month hiatus from tennis, and while she said before the event that she does not consider herself the defend- ing champion, her skills make her a serious contender for another trophy. Upon returning, Henin said, she was ‘‘very nervous, which was nor- mal. It’s my tournament, and I didn’t know really how I was going to deal with my emotions.’’ When it comes to time away, she’s got nothing on Kimiko Date Krumm, who entered the French Open for the first time since 1996. Yes, you read that correctly: 1996. Date Krumm retired at the end of that season, then resumed playing in 2008 at her husband’s urging, and made quite a stir Tuesday, stunning former No. 1 Dinara Safina 3-6, 6-4, 7- 5 to become, at 39 years, 7 months, the oldest woman to win a match at Roland Garros since Virginia Wade was 2 1/2 months older in 1985. ‘‘If I lost, still, I’m very happy to be here,’’ Date Krumm said. from his lip. Defender Oguchi Onyewu looked shaky in his first game since knee surgery last October. Evaluation time is over. Bradley will hold one-on- one meetings Wednesday morning, then take the remaining 23 players over a few miles to ESPN’s cam- pus in Bristol for the nation- ally televised announcement at about 1:20 p.m. Then, the team will fly to Washington for a White House meeting on Thursday morning with President Barack Obama. ‘‘This was another chance for guys on the edge to prove they belong on that plane to go to South Africa,’’ She won despite a heavily ban- daged right calf and a foot injury that made her wonder if she’d be able to play in the second round. Safina was the runner-up at the French Open each of the past two years, but she was undone by 17 double-faults and the same inability to close out a match she’s displayed in the past. ‘‘I will have to swallow this loss and keep on moving,’’ said Safina, younger sister of two-time major champion Marat Safin. ‘‘After rain, always sun comes.’’ Nadal also sought to look on the bright side after assessing his play as ‘‘really bad’’ while overwhelming the youngest player in the men’s draw, 18- year-old French wild card Gianni Mina, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. A year ago, Nadal’s 31-match French Open winning streak ended with a fourth-round upset against Robin Soderling, but he figures he is on his way to a new run, saying that he remembers having what he considered spotty starts in the first round each of the four years he went on to win the title. ‘‘I know I have to refocus and calm down and move forward,’’ Nadal said. ‘‘I think I will have no problems.’’ Roddick showed some rust, to be sure, but he also hit 19 aces and lost his serve only twice. Three points from defeat while ahead 5-4 in the tiebreak- er, he hit a deft-touch forehand chip for a winner, then smacked a big forehand approach shot to close the set. ‘‘I’ve been saying all week if I can get through the first one or the second one,’’ said Roddick, whose last three Grand Slam tournaments ended with five-set losses, including the epic 16- 14 defeat against Roger Federer at Wimbledon, ‘‘then maybe I will start hitting my stride and playing a little bit better.’’ Two U.S. women won Tuesday, too, to join Serena and Venus Williams in the second round: Jill Craybas and Bethanie Mattek-Sands. ‘‘It’s a challenge for us because a lot of Americans don’t grow up on the clay,’’ said Craybas, who beat Katie O’Brien of Britain 6-0, 4-6, 6-2. ‘‘The men and women are both embracing the challenge.’’ US loses to Czechs 4-2 on last day before cuts said midfielder Stuart Hold- en, the best player on the field of a U.S. lineup that lacked stars Landon Dono- van, Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore. They were given the night off so Bradley could evaluate play- ers on the bubble. While Edu and Gomez each got their first interna- tional goals, Heath Pearce, Clarence Goodson and Steve Cherundolo struggled on defense along with Edu, who started in the midfield and moved back. Before a crowd of 36,218 at Rentschler Field, Edu scored in the 17th minute only to have the Czechs surge ahead on goals by Tomas Sivok in the 44th minute and Jan Polak in the 58th. Making just his third international appearance and first in three years, Gomez entered at the start of the second half and tied it in the 65th when he beat goal- keeper Petr Cech. Martin Fenin broke the tie against backup goalkeep- er Brad Guzan in the 78th after Pearce, Goodson and Cherundolo all failed to clear a ball in front. Tomas Necid got the final goal in the 90th after Edu jumped and failed to clear a pass, giving Necid an open path to the goal. MLB West Division Texas A’s American League WL Pct GB 26 20 .565 — 23 23 .500 3 Angels 21 26 .447 5.5 Seattle 16 28 .364 9 East Division WL Pct GB Tampa Bay 32 14 .696 — New York 26 18 .591 5 Toronto 27 20 .574 5.5 Boston 26 21 .553 6.5 Baltimore 15 31 .326 17 Central Division Minnesota 26 18 .591 — Detroit WL Pct GB 25 19 .568 1 Chicago 19 26 .422 7.5 Kansas City 18 28 .391 9 Cleveland 17 27 .386 9 ——— Tuesday’s results Baltimore 5, Oakland 1 Boston 2, Tampa Bay 0 Cleveland 7, Chicago 3 Texas 8, Kansas City 7 Minnesota 0, New York 0, tie, 6 innings, susp., rain Detroit at Seattle, late Toronto at Los Angeles, late Today’s games Oakland (Cahill 2-2) at Baltimore (Matusz 2-4),4:05 p.m.,CSNCA Chicago (Buehrle 3-5) at Cleveland (Westbrook 2-2), 9:05 a.m. Texas (Feldman 2-4) at Kansas City (Hochevar 4-2), 11:10 a.m. Detroit (Bonderman 2-2) at Seattle (J.Vargas 3-2), 12:40 p.m. Toronto (Morrow 3-4) at Los Angeles (Pineiro 3-5), 4:05 p.m. Boston (Lackey 4-3) at Tampa Bay (Garza 5-2), 4:10 p.m. New York (Pettitte 5-1) at Minnesota (Liriano 4-3), 4:10 p.m. Monday’s late result Toronto 6, Los Angeles 0 West Division National League WL Pct GB Padres 26 18 .591 — Dodgers 25 20 .556 1.5 GIANTS WL Pct GB Philadelphia 26 18 .591 — Florida 24 22 .522 3 Atlanta 23 22 .511 3.5 Washington 23 22 .511 3.5 New York 23 23 .500 4 22 21 .512 3.5 Colorado 23 22 .511 3.5 Arizona 20 26 .435 7 East Division Central Division WL Pct GB St. Louis 26 19 .578 — Cincinnati 26 20 .565 .5 Chicago 22 24 .478 4.5 Pittsburgh 20 26 .435 6.5 Milwaukee 18 27 .400 8 Houston 15 30 .333 11 ——— Tuesday’s results Washington at San Francisco, late Chicago 3, L.os Angeles 0 Colorado 3, Arizona 2 Florida 6, Atlanta 4 Milwaukee 6, Houston 1 New York 8, Philadelphia 0 Pittsburgh 2, Cincinnati 1 St. Louis at San Diego, late Today’s games Washington (Atilano 3-1) at San Fran.(Lincecum 5-0),7:15 p.m.,CSNBA Atlanta (Hanson 3-3) at Florida (N.Robertson 4-4), 4:10 p.m. Philadelphia (Blanton 1-2) at New York (Takahashi 3-1), 4:10 p.m. Pittsburgh (Ohlendorf 0-2) at Cincinnati (Arroyo 4-2), 4:10 p.m. Los Angeles (Billingsley 5-2) at Chicago (Gorzelanny 2-4), 5:05 p.m. Houston (Oswalt 2-6) at Milwaukee (Narveson 4-1), 5:10 p.m. Arizona (R.Lopez 2-2) at Colorado (Jimenez 8-1), 5:40 p.m. St. Louis (J.Garcia 4-2) at San Diego (Correia 4-4), 7:05 p.m. North Division GOLDEN Golden League WL Pct. GB OTLAWS 301.000 — Calgary 4 2 .667 .5 Victoria 2 2 .500 1.5 Edmonton 2 4 .333 2.5 St. George 0 3 .000 3 South Division Orange Co. 3 0 1.000 — Tucson Yuma Maui Tijuana 0 3 .000 3 ——— Tuesday’s results Chico at Tijuana, late Calgary at Tucson, late Edmonton at Yuma, late Maui at Victoria, late Orange County at St. George, late WL Pct. GB 3 3 .500 1.5 3 3 .500 1.5 2 2 .500 1.5 Scoreboard NBA Conference Finals Best-of-7 Tuesday’s result Phoenix 115, L.A. Lakers 106 Series tied 2-2 Today’s game Boston at Orlando, 5:30 p.m., ESPN Boston leads series 3-1 NHL Stanley Cup Finals Philadelphia vs. Chicago Saturday: at Chicago, 5 p.m. Monday: at Chicago, 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 2: at Philadelphia, 5 p.m. Friday, June 4: at Philadelphia, 5 p.m. x-Sunday, June 6: at Chicago, 5 p.m. x-Wednesday, June 9: at Philadelphia, 5 p.m. x-Friday, June 11: at Chicago, 5 p.m. x - if needed FRENCH OPEN Tuesday, at Stade Roland Garros, Paris Purse: $21.1 million (Grand Slam) Surface: Clay-Outdoor Men Singles First Round Teimuraz Gabashvili, Russia, def. Daniel Koellerer, Austria, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. Fernando Verdasco (7), Spain, def.Igor Kunit- syn, Russia, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Grega Zemlja, Slovenia, def. Juan Monaco (26), Argentina, 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Nicolas Mahut, France, def. Mischa Zverev, Germany, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. Robby Ginepri, United States, def.Sam Quer- rey (18), United States, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-2. Jurgen Melzer (22), Austria, def. Dudi Sela, Israel, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4. Potito Starace, Italy, def. Illya Marchenko, Ukraine, 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 6-3. Andy Roddick (6), United States, def. Jarkko Nieminen, Finland, 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3. Blaz Kavcic, Slovenia, def. Eduardo Schwank, Argentina, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 4-0, retired. Florent Serra, France, def. Michael Russell, United States, 6-4, 6-0, 6-1. Juan Carlos Ferrero (16), Spain, def. Pablo Cuevas, Uruguay, 6-4, 6-3, 6-1. Pere Riba, Spain, def.Marc Gicquel, France, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (5). Andreas Seppi, Italy, def. Santiago Ventura, Spain, 7-5, 6-4, 7-5. Philipp Kohlschreiber (30), Germany, def. Karol Beck, Slovakia, 7-6 (7), 6-1, 6-1. David Ferrer (9), Spain, def. David Guez, First Round Daniela Hantuchova (23), Slovakia, def. Tamarine Tanasugarn, Thailand, 6-1, 6-1. Kirsten Flipkens, Belgium, def.Ayumi Morita, Japan, 6-1, 6-4. Shahar Peer (18), Israel, def. Nuria Llagostera Vives, Spain, 6-1, 6-4. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (29), Russia, def. Alize Cornet, France, 6-4, 6-2. Justine Henin (22), Belgium, def. Tsvetana Pironkova, Bulgaria, 6-4, 6-3. Anastasia Rodionova, Australia, def. Ekateri- na Makarova, Russia, 6-3, 6-2. Vera Zvonareva (21), Russia, def. Alberta Bri- anti, Italy, 6-3, 6-1. Jill Craybas, United States, def.Katie O’Brien, Britain, 6-0, 4-6, 6-2. Klara Zakopalova, Czech Republic, def.Kata- rina Srebotnik, Slovenia, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-2. Jarmila Groth, Australia, def. Chan Yung-jan, Taiwan, 6-2, 6-3. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, United States, def. Vania King, United States, 6-2, 6-2. Olga Govortsova, Belarus, def. Carla Suarez Navarro, Spain, 7-6 (9), 6-1. Kimiko Date Krumm, Japan, def. Dinara Safi- na (9), Russia, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. Marion Bartoli (13), France, def. Maria Elena Camerin, Italy, 6-2, 6-3. Anastasia Pivovarova, Russia, def. Ioana Raluca Olaru, Romania, 6-4, 6-3. Zheng Jie (25), China, def.Ekaterina Bychko- va, Russia, 7-5, 6-4. Yanina Wickmayer (16), Belgium, def.Sandra Zahlavova, Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-1. Sybille Bammer, Austria, def.Mariana Duque Marino, Colombia, 6-0, 6-1. Olivia Sanchez, France, def. Shenay Perry, United States, 7-6 (4), 6-0. Maria Sharapova (12), Russia, def. Ksenia Pervak, Russia, 6-3, 6-2. Women Doubles First Round Gisela Dulko, Argentina, and Flavia Pennetta (5), Italy, def. Julie Coin, France, and Marie- Eve Pelletier, Canada, 6-1, 6-3. Maria Kondratieva, Russia, and Vladimira Uhlirova, Czech Republic, def.Ekaterina Dze- halevich, Belarus, and Renata Voracova, Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-2. Regina Kulikova, Russia, and Anastasija Sev- astova, Latvia, def.Klaudia Jans, Poland, and Patty Schnyder, Switzerland, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-3. Lucie Safarova, Czech Republic, and Alek- will work out that well, too. (Continued from page 1B) ‘‘We promise the great- est game in the greatest venue in the greatest city,’’ added another co-owner, Steve Tisch. ‘‘Now we’ve got to deliver.’’ Mother Nature may have a lot to say about that. The coldest kickoff tem- perature in Super Bowl his- tory was 39 degrees, and that would be considered a warm February day in East Rutherford, N.J. Average February temperatures there are 24 to 40 degrees, with several inches of rain, according to the bid docu- ments. Remember, the game kicks off after the sun goes down in the Eastern time zone, so temperatures would be dropping throughout the night. ‘‘Everyone knows it’s risky,’’ said Miami Dol- phins owner Stephen Ross, whose bid was eliminated in the second round. It might end up being another Ice Bowl, Fog Bowl, Freezer Bowl or something else worthy of a frigid nickname. That’s not what the bidders had in mind when they adopted the slogan, ‘‘Make Some History,’’ but for all the inconvenience to those in the stadium, it might look great on TV. The extended version of Bart Starr’s game-winning sneak in the Ice Bowl in 1967 opens with Cowboys defenders scraping their cleats into the ice to try get- ting some traction. Teeth chatter just watching the replay of Tom Brady’s fumble that was ruled an incompletion in the snow- filled Tuck Rule game. In Brett Favre’s final game with the Packers, he ends a chilly playoff game by throwing an interception, then runs off with steam coming out of his mouth; it was against the Giants, too. ‘‘People talk about the weather, but, you know, this is football, not beach volleyball,’’ New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told the NFL Network. The NFL has required an average temperature of 50 degrees or a dome for a team to even bid on hosting the Super Bowl, but the league bent the rule to let New York bid. It’s billed as a one-time exception, but just a few years ago, the NHL experi- mented with an outdoor game on New Year’s Day, and it came off so perfectly that teams now fight to host what’s become the annual Winter Classic. Maybe this ‘‘I think it will turn out to be a great event,’’ NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. The weather worries could even add to the hype. In addition to predicting which teams will make it, fans can guess how nasty it might be. ‘‘We’ve played some (frigid, wet December) games there and I know firsthand that the fans had great experiences even though it was in inclement weather,’’ Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. decision. Players are split on the In the Pittsburgh Steel- ers’ locker room, quarter- back Byron Leftwich said the weather doesn’t matter ‘‘because it’s the Super Bowl ... and you’re not going to let 15 degrees change anything.’’ But line- backer James Farrior coun- tered, ‘‘I play enough games in the cold.’’ Giants and Jets players are thrilled. ‘‘There’s something special about this city, man,’’ Jets cornerback Dar- relle Revis said following a rally in Times Square. ‘‘We should’ve done this years ago,’’ said Giants defensive end Justin Tuck, who also was part of that celebration. The 50-degree rule was created for the comfort and convenience of fans and players. Anyone who has ever planned an outdoor event can appreciate how much of a relief it is to not worry about the weather. Neutral conditions, like those in a dome, also are supposed to help the cal- iber of play. It also makes it more comfy for all the practices, parties and other events during the week leading up to the game. It’s been at least 57 degrees for every Super Bowl since 1975, when it was 46. That’s why Florida and California have been such frequent hosts. ‘‘In the back of every- body’s mind, people want to be in South Florida that time of year,’’ Ross said. Tuesday’s vote had been widely considered a for- mality, but it didn’t play out that way. Even after Miami was eliminated, it took two more rounds of voting for New York to get the nod over Tampa. ‘‘New York knows how to put on an event,’’ Ross said, putting aside his weather warnings. ‘‘It’s not like you lost to some small town that doesn’t know how to put on big events.’’ France, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1. Rafael Nadal (2), Spain, def. Gianni Mina, France, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. Horacio Zeballos, Argentina, def. Martin Fis- cher, Austria, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (8), 1-6, 6-4, 8-6. Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan, def. Benjamin Becker, Germany, 7-5, 7-5, 6-3. Lleyton Hewitt (28), Australia, def. Jeremy Chardy, France, 7-5, 6-0, 6-4. Xavier Malisse, Belgium, leads Simon Greul, Germany, 6-4, 7-6 (7), 1-1 (40-All), susp., rain. Women Singles sandra Wozniak, Canada, def. Sofia Arvids- son, Sweden, and Angelique Kerber, Ger- many, 6-2, 7-5. Maria Kirilenko, Russia, and Agnieszka Rad- wanska (11), Poland, def. Chang Kai-chen, Taiwan, and Magdalena Rybarikova, Slova- kia, 6-1, 6-1. Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic, and Stefanie Voegele, Switzerland, def. Eleni Daniilidou, Greece, and Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwan, 7-5, 7-6 (1). Dominika Cibulkova, Slovakia, and Julia Goerges, Germany, def. Stephanie Cohen- Aloro and Pauline Parmentier, France, 3-6, 6- 2, 6-1. Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, and Vera Zvonareva, Russia, def. Melinda Czink, Hun- gary, and Arantxa Parra Santonja, Spain, 6-1, 6-3. Serena and Venus Williams (1), United States, def. Kirsten Flipkens, Belgium, and Tamarine Tanasugarn, Thailand, 6-0, 6-1. Liezel Huber, United States, and Anabel Medina Garrigues (3), Spain, def. Mariya Koryttseva, Ukraine, and Darya Kustova, Belarus, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4. Alisa Kleybanova, Russia, and Francesca Schiavone (8), Italy, def. Severine Beltrame and Yulia Fedossova, France, 6-0, 6-2. Nadia Petrova, Russia, and Sam Stosur (4), Australia, def. Irena Pavlovic and Laura Thor- pe, France, 6-4, 6-4. Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko, Ukraine, def. Carly Gullickson, United States, and Polona Hercog, Slovenia, 6-3, 6-2. Alize Cornet and Aravane Rezai, France, def. Natalie Grandin, South Africa, and Abigail Spears, United States, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Daniela Hantuchova, Slovakia, and Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark, def.Tatjana Malek and Andrea Petkovic, Germany, 7-5, 7-6 (8). Bethanie Mattek-Sands, United States, and Yan Zi (9), China, def. Timea Bacsinszky, Switzerland, and Tathiana Garbin, Italy, 6-3, 6-3. Olga Govortsova, Belarus, and Alla Kudryavt- seva (15), Russia, def. Sorana Cirstea, Romania, and Virginie Razzano, France, 6-2, 6-2. Cara Black, Zimbabwe, and Elena Vesnina (6), Russia, def. Virginia Ruano Pascual, Spain, and Meghann Shaughnessy, United States, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. DEALS Major League Baseball American League BALTIMORE—Placed RHP Koji Uehara and RHP Alfredo Simon on the 15-day DL. Recalled LHP Alberto Castillo from Norfolk (IL). Purchased the contract of RHP Frank Mata from Norfolk. Transferred LHP Mike Gonzalez to the 60-day DL. BOSTON—Activated OF Mike Cameron from the 15-day DL. Designated RHP Scott Atchison for assignment. KANSAS CITY—Selected the contract of INF Wilson Betemit from Omaha (PCL). Optioned RHP Bryan Bullington to Omaha. LOS ANGELES—Placed 3B Brandon Wood on the 15-day DL, retroactive to May 24.Acti- vated INF Maicer Izturis from the 15-day DL. Optioned RHP Bobby Cassevah to Salt Lake (PCL). Recalled RHP Francisco Rodriguez from Salt Lake. MINNESOTA—Activated SS J.J. Hardy from the 15-day DL.Optioned INF Trevor Plouffe to Rochester (IL). National League ARIZONA—Recalled INF Ryan Roberts from Reno (PCL). Placed INF Tony Abreu on the 15-day DL, retroactive to May 24. ATLANTA—Placed OF Brent Clevlen on the 15-day DL. Recalled OF Gregor Blanco from Gwinnett (IL). COLORADO—Agreed to terms with INF Jazuo Matsui on a minor league contract and assigned him to Colorado Springs (PCL). Recalled C Chris Iannetta from Colorado Springs. Designated C Paul Phillips for assignment. LOS ANGELES—Actiavted SS Rafael Fur- cal from the 15-day DL. Placed LHP George Sherrill on the 15-day DL. NEW YORK—Claimed INF Justin Turner off waivers from Baltimore and optioned him to Buffalo (IL).Transferred OF Carlos Beltran to the 60-day DL. PITTSBURGH—Placed 1B Steve Pearce on the 15-day DL. Recalled INF-OF Neil Walker from Indianapolis (IL). SAN DIEGO—Recalled OF Luis Durango from Portland (PCL). WASHINGTON—Released RHP Brian Bruney. Selected the contract of C Carlos Maldonado from Syracuse (IL). National Hockey League MONTREAL—Assigned C Ben Maxwell and D P.K.Subban to Hamilton (AHL). N.Y.RANGERS—Acquired D Jyri Niemi from the New York Islanders for a 2010 sixth-round draft pick and agreed to terms with Niemi on a contract. TAMPA BAY—Named Steve Yzerman vice president and general manager. National Football League DENVER—Signed LB Jammie Kirlew. MIAMI—Signed OL Cory Procter. NEW ENGLAND—Signed WR Taylor Price. College DUQUESNE—Named Greg Gary men’s assistant basketball coach. IOWA STATE—Announced basketball F LaRon Dendy will transfer and basketball G Antwon Oliver won’t return next season. UCLA—Announced sophomore F David Wear and sophomore F Travis Wear have transferred to the school. WESTERN KENTUCKY—Announced the resignation of men’s basketball strength and conditioning coach Todor Pandov to accept a similar position at the Miami. WOFFORD—Named Shane Nichols men’s assistant basketball coach.