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Thursday NBA Finals — Celtics at Lakers, 6 p.m., ABC French Open — Women’s Semifinals, 5 a.m., ESPN2 MLB — Athletics at Red Sox, 10:30 a.m., CSNC MLB — Thursday Night Baseball, 4 p.m., MLBN PGA — The Memorial, Noon, TGC College Softball World Series, 10 a.m., ESPN, 4 p.m.ESPN2 Sports 1B Thursday June 3, 2010 A’s blow lead again in Boston Summer basketball camps BOSTON (AP) — David Ortiz was the AL’s top batter in the month of May, hitting 10 homers and raising his batting average from .143 to .272. And yet the Oak- land Athletics still needed convincing. The A’s pitched to Ortiz with first base open in the fifth inning, and he launched a two-run, go-ahead homer down the right-field line that sent the Boston Red Sox to a 6-4 victory Wednesday night. His next time up, the A’s granted Ortiz his first intentional walk of the season. Big Papi is back. ‘‘It’s been good to see,’’ Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. ‘‘He’s swinging the bat great.’’ Ortiz went 2 for 2 with two extra-base hits and two walks, and Daisuke Matsuzaka settled down after giving up three runs in the first inning as Boston ral- lied for the second straight game. One night after scoring nine straight runs to back John Lack- ey and overcome a 4-0 deficit, the Red Sox scored six in a row after falling behind 3-0. Kevin Youkilis had a two- run single in the first inning, then Ortiz made it 4-3 in the fifth with the drive down the right-field line. ‘‘They’re the type of pitchers that you have to get on them early,’’ A’s catcher Kurt Suzuki said. ‘‘Once they get into a groove, they’re pretty darn good.’’ Matsuzaka (4-2) allowed 10 hits and walked none, striking out seven. He gave up consecutive doubles to Daric Barton and Ryan Sweeney before Suzuki’s two-run homer in the first gave Oakland a 3-0 lead. After his shaky start, though, Mat- suzaka did not allow a runner to reach third base until the seventh. In the seventh, Matsuzaka hit Bar- ton with two outs and Sweeney singled up the middle on a 3-2 pitch. Daniel Bard came in and struck Suzuki out to protect the 4-3 lead, then retired the side in the eighth before Jonathan Papelbon earned his 13th save despite pinch-hitter Kevin Kouzmanoff’s homer that made it 6-4. Ben Sheets (2-4) allowed four runs, seven hits and a walk, striking out one to suffer his first loss in a month and end a string of four no-decisions. Dustin Pedroia singled in a run in the seventh to make it 5-3, and Marco Scutaro had three hits, including an RBI blooper in the eighth. Lakers-Celtics to make history The Angie (Weir) Miller Fundamental Basketball Camps are set to begin in a few weeks at Lassen View School. Separate camps are designed for players from first grade through the high school level. Players should attend the camp for the grade they will be entering in the fall. Camp dates are scheduled: June 14-18, 9 a.m. to noon — first and second grade girls and boys. Cost $50. June 14-18, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. — third and fourth grade girls and boys. Cost $75. June 21-24, 9 a.m. to noon — fifth and sixth grade boys. Cost $75. boys. Cost $75. June 21-24, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. — fifth and sixth grade June 28-July 2, 9 a.m. to noon — seventh and eighth grade boys. Cost $75. June 28-July 2, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. — seventh and eighth grade boys. Cost $75. $100. July 12-16, 9 a.m. to noon — high school girls. Cost July 12-16, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. — high school boys. Cost $100. For more information, call 514-2712. Giroux’s OT winner gives Flyers Game 3 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Claude Giroux scored 5:59 into overtime to give the Philadelphia Flyers a 4- 3 overtime victory over Chicago in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals Wednes- day night, cutting the Blackhawks’ series lead to 2-1. Game 4 is Friday night in Philadelphia. Giroux scored on a deflection off Matt Carle’s pass to beat Antti Niemi and win the third straight one-goal game in the series. The Blackhawks, trying to win their first Stanley Cup title since 1961, snapped a seven-game winning streak and a seven-game road winning streak. Giroux scored moments after Simon Gagne thought he scored the winner, only to have replay officials rule the puck didn’t cross the goal line. The game kept going — but no for long. It was the second time replay was needed to determine a Flyers’ goal. They went 1 for 2 — but, oh, how huge that one was for the Flyers in their first Stanley Cup home game since 1997. Scott Hartnell had a no-goal overturned by replay to spark the Flyers to their first Cup win since 1987. Danny Briere and Ville Leino also scored for the Flyers, helping them win a game they desperately needed to avoid their sec- ond 3-0 hole of the playoffs. Michael Leighton made 24 saves for the Flyers. Giroux’s goal was the only shot in OT for the Flyers. Niemi stopped 28 shots in the third straight thriller in the series. MCT file photo Storied franchises to meet for 12th time in Finals Ken Griffey Jr. retires rpg, 3.1 apg). Boston’s Paul Pierce attempts to protect the ball from the Lakers’Sasha Vujacic and Ron Artest. (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers (57- 25, 12-4) vs. Boston Celtics (50-32, 12-5) The NBA's greatest rivalry gets another chapter as the Lakers and Celtics meet for the second time in three years, and the 12th time overall. Boston leads the series 9-2 after its six-game victory in 2008. Los Ange- les won the title last year and is try- ing to become the league's first repeat champion since it won three in a row from 2000-02. The Celtics have won 17 championships, two more than the Lakers. Starters: Lakers — C Andrew Bynum (9.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.7 bpg), F Pau Gasol (20.0 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 1.9 bpg), F Ron Artest (11.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.5 apg), G Kobe Bryant (29.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 6.2 apg), G Derek Fisher (11.1 ppg, 2.3 Celtics — C Kendrick Perkins (5.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.9 bpg), F Kevin Garnett (14.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.3 apg), F Paul Pierce (19.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.6 apg), G Ray Allen (16.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.0 apg), G Rajon Rondo (16.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 10.0 apg, 2.1 spg). Key Reserves: Lakers — F Lamar Odom (10.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg), G Shannon Brown (5.8 ppg, 1.1 apg), G Jordan Farmar (5.3 ppg, 1.6 apg), G Sasha Vujacic (3.3 ppg). Celtics — F Glen Davis (7.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg), F Rasheed Wallace (6.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg), G/F Tony Allen (5.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg), G Nate Robinson (3.7 ppg), G Michael Finley (0.9 ppg). Season Series: Tied, 1-1. The teams exchanged one-point victories. Kobe Bryant made the go-ahead jumper with 7.3 seconds left in the Lakers' 90-89 victory at Boston on Jan. 31, then missed the rematch with a sprained left ankle and the Celtics pulled out an 87-86 win at Staples Center on Feb. 18. Rajon Rondo averaged 17.5 points, 11.5 assists and 3.5 steals. A position-by-position look at the matchups in the NBA finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics: Center — Andrew Bynum vs. Kendrick Perkins. The Lakers sorely missed Bynum two years ago against the Celtics in the finals, when he was sidelined with a knee injury. He's back now but still has knee problems that have limited him to only about 24 minutes per game in the postsea- See FINALS, page 2B SEATTLE (AP) — In his prime, Ken Griffey Jr. was considered the best player in baseball, on pace to rewrite the record books. Injuries derailed his chance to become the home run king. His spot as one of the game's all-time greats is with- out question. Now relegated to part-time duty and with little pop left in that perfect swing, Griffey unexpectedly decided Wednesday night to retire after 22 mostly brilliant sea- sons. The Kid that once saved baseball in the Pacific North- west with his backward hat, giddy teenage smile and unri- valed talent, had become a shell of the player who domi- nated the 1990s. The 40-year-old Griffey wasn't at Safeco Field on Wednesday. He simply released a statement through the Seattle Mariners — the franchise he helped saved in the 1990s and returned to for the conclusion of his career — that he was done playing. Griffey said goodbye before Seattle played the Min- nesota Twins after 13 All-Star appearances, 630 homers — fifth on the career list — and 1,836 RBIs. He's an almost certain first-ballot Hall of Famer. Williams exits French Open with loss to Stosur PARIS (AP) — Serena Williams is usually the one who saves match points, not wastes them. Who seizes control of an exchange, not cedes it. Who turns up her game at Grand Slam time. Except at the French Open, the lone major tournament she’s won only once and where she’s now gone seven years without even reaching the semifinals. The No. 1-ranked Williams dropped 17 consecutive points during one stretch, climbed all the way back to within a point of vic- tory, then faded late and lost to No. 7 Samantha Stosur of Australia 6- 2, 6-7 (2), 8-6 on Wednesday in the Roland Garros quarterfi- nals. ‘‘Had I played better for two minutes, maybe the result could have been different. But it didn’t work out,’’ said Williams, who missed a forehand by an inch or so when she held a match point at 5-4 in the final set. ‘‘Just wasn’t playing well today. Last year, I choked. I guess it’s a redundant story with me.’’ The upset was Stosur’s second in a row — she eliminated four- time champion Justine Henin in the fourth round — and came a day after men’s No. 1 and defend- ing champion Roger Federer was stunned by Robin Soderling. ‘‘It’s not over yet,’’ said Stosur, a tour-best 19-2 on clay this season and a 2009 French Open semifi- nalist. ‘‘I want to definitely try and keep going.’’ In keeping with the run of sur- prises at this wide-open French Open, No. 22 Jurgen Melzer of Austria came back to beat No. 3 Novak Djokovic 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the last men’s quarterfi- nal. Melzer, at 29 the oldest man left, never before won a match after losing the first two sets — and never made it beyond the third round at any Grand Slam tourna- ment in 31 previous tries. His reward? A semifinal Friday against four-time champion Rafael Nadal, who eliminated No. 19 Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3), 6-4. Nadal, who lost to Soderling in last year’s fourth round, extend- ed his current winning streak on clay to 20 matches. In one women’s semifinal Thursday, Stosur will play No. 4 Jelena Jankovic, who got past unseeded Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 7-5, 6-4. No. 5 Elena Dementieva will face No. 17 Francesca Schiavone in the other. For the first time at any Grand Slam tournament since the 1979 Australian Open, none of the four female semifinalists owns a major title. Williams has 12, with five at the Australian Open — including this year — and three apiece at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon. The one at the French Open came in 2002, and she was a semifinalist in Paris the following year, but not since. ‘‘Maybe she was trying to get over that hump,’’ said Williams’ mother, Oracene Price. ‘‘That might have been on her mind.’’ Williams never hid her frustra- tions against Stosur, who wore her usual white baseball cap and red- rimmed wraparound shades as the sun finally returned after several days of clouds and rain. Williams admonished herself aloud, sometimes muttering, sometimes screaming. She shook her head and put a hand on her hip. She crouched and rolled her eyes. Her own serve was a friend — accumulating 13 aces — and a foe — yielding nine double-faults. The rest of Williams’ strokes were a mixed bag, too: She finished with more winners than Stosur, 39-30, and nearly twice as many unforced errors, 46-24. ‘‘I definitely was nowhere near See FRENCH, page 2B Duncan Keith, Brent Sopel and Patrick Kane scored for the Blackhawks.