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2B – Daily News – Saturday, June 5, 2010 Nadal faces Soderling for 5th French title PARIS (AP) — All Rafael Nadal cares about is winning a fifth French Open championship. Doesn’t matter how he’s played until now. Doesn’t matter that he can regain the No. 1 ranking with one more victo- ry. And, the Spaniard insists, it certain- ly doesn’t matter to him one bit that in Sunday’s final, he gets a chance to face the only man he’s lost to at Roland Garros, Sweden’s Robin Soderling. The tantalizing prospect of a Nadal- Soderling rematch with a Grand Slam title on the line is something for others to ponder. ‘‘I never believe (in) revenge,’’ Nadal said after he and Soderling won their semifinals Friday. ‘‘I will be as happy or as disappointed if I lose to Robin or to any other player. I don’t think this is going to change the way I’ll approach the match.’’ Perhaps that’s true. Still, there’s one key stat that won’t go away: Nadal boasts a 37-1 career record at the French Open, with Soderling responsi- ble for the lone setback, upsetting the four-time champion in the fourth round a year ago en route to a runner-up fin- ish. ‘‘It’s always good to have beaten a player before. I know that I can beat him. I showed it,’’ said Soderling, who knocked off defending champion Roger Federer in the quarterfinals Tuesday. ‘‘But, again, every match is a new match, and every match is differ- ent.’’ Friday’s two semifinals hardly could have contrasted more. First came the No. 5-seeded Soder- ling’s grueling, serve-it-and-slug-it vic- tory over No. 15 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, a 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6- 3 test that required 3 1/2 hours. Then came the No. 2-seeded Nadal’s far- less-competitive 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (6) win over No. 22 Jurgen Melzer of Austria. With the sun shining, and the tem- perature climbing above 80 degrees, the 6-foot-4 Soderling and the 6-foot-5 Berdych traded big, quick shots. They have similar games, relying mainly on powerful serves — Berdych pounded 21 aces, Soderling 18 — and forehands that zip through the air. Both were troubled by double-faults at important moments, including Berdych’s on a break point that put Soderling ahead 4-2. It was only the sixth game of a match that would con- tain 48, yet Berdych called that the closest thing to a turning point. That assessment seems a tad odd, given that Berdych came back to win the next two sets, when Soderling’s strokes went awry and he made nearly half his 63 unforced errors. ‘‘Today was really tough to really play my own game because he didn’t give me any time at all,’’ Soderling said. ‘‘The conditions were much quicker, and he was hitting the ball really hard and really flat.’’ But Soderling came through. He pounded his right fist on his chest after taking advantage of another double- fault, plus two backhands into the net, by Berdych to lead 4-2 in the fourth set. And in the fifth, with Berdych tiring, Soderling earned a key break point at 3-all with a backhand passing winner. Soderling swept the last four games, and in the last, he showed he was still fresh, ripping a forehand passing shot down the line while on the run, part of a 33-12 edge in groundstroke winners from the baseline. When Berdych sailed a backhand wide to close a 15-stroke exchange on match point, Soderling looked on the verge of tears, and he pulled his shirt over his face. Then he sat in his green changeover bench and bowed his head, aware that he’d earned a trip to his sec- ond major final. This is a guy who never had won so much as a third-round match at a Grand Slam tournament until his sur- prising 2009 showing at Roland Gar- ros, which ended with a straight-set loss to Federer in the final. ‘‘Hopefully,’’ Soderling said, ‘‘I won’t be as nervous as I was last year.’’ Nadal would love to forget last year — and not just because of his loss to Soderling. In addition to failing to regain the French Open title, Nadal went through tendinitis in his knees, a problem that limited his movement against Soderling in Paris. ‘‘I was very happy with the win and my run here last year. I still am,’’ Soderling said. ‘‘It doesn’t matter who I played or who I beat — or if he was injured or not.’’ Nevertheless, those knees forced Nadal to withdraw from Wimbledon instead of defending his championship there. And then he ceded the No. 1 ranking to Federer, who will give it back if Nadal wins Sunday. Most bothersome of all was what happened off the court in 2009: Nadal’s parents separated. ‘‘Last year,’’ said Toni Nadal, Rafael’s uncle and coach, ‘‘was very difficult for us.’’ And these days? ‘‘Different guy,’’ Toni Nadal said. ‘‘Rafael now is so much better.’’ The younger Nadal has won all 21 clay-court matches he’s played this season, and all 18 sets he’s played at this French Open. If can win again Sunday, he will join Bjorn Borg as the only men with at least five titles at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament. Borg won a record six. Nadal was asked Friday how his game now stacks up against that of 12 months ago, and he had a ready response. ‘‘Impossible to compare,’’ he said, ‘‘because last year I was in the swim- ming pool in Mallorca.’’ Against Melzer, Nadal was pretty close to perfect for long stretches. ‘‘It took me awhile to get used to the way he played,’’ said Melzer, who upset No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals and No. 9 David Ferrer in the third round. ‘‘For two sets, I think, he was way better. But then, I mean, I kept fighting. I kept my head in there. I tried whatever I could try just to get him a little worried — and I did.’’ Indeed, only at the very end — or what seemed to be the very end — did Nadal have trouble. Serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set, he missed three consecutive groundstrokes to fall behind love-40. Then Nadal capped what might very well be the worst game you’ll ever see him play by dou- ble-faulting, hitting a second serve so awkwardly that the ball bounced before it reached the net. Broken to 5- all, Nadal grinned sheepishly. He later acknowledged he was dis- tracted, figuring the match was all but over. Yes, Nadal was thinking ahead to the final. But not necessarily thinking ahead to Soderling. Actually, Nadal would have preferred to take on Berdych next. Why? ‘‘Because,’’ Nadal explained, ‘‘I won against him the last six times.’’ He’s lost his last two matches against Soderling. But Nadal won their first three meetings, including a con- tentious encounter at Wimbledon in 2007. Nadal complained that Soderling didn’t say, ‘‘Hi’’ in the locker room. Soderling made fun of the way Nadal tugs at the back of his shorts. Since then, though, Nadal said Friday, ‘‘I did- n’t have not one problem with him.’’ Away from the tennis court, any- way. Asked if there’s something special about his nephew getting another crack at Soderling at the French Open, Toni Nadal replied: ‘‘No, no, no, no. Not special. It is especially difficult, but not special for us. Because to win Roland Garros is very special, but not the (opponent). It’s about winning.’’ Scoreboard MLB West Division Texas A’s American League WL Pct GB 29 25 .537 — 29 27 .518 1 Angels 29 28 .509 1.5 Seattle 22 32 .407 7 East Division WL Pct GB Tampa Bay 36 19 .655 — New York 34 21 .618 2 Boston 32 24 .571 4.5 Toronto 32 24 .571 4.5 Baltimore 15 40 .273 21 Central Division Minnesota 32 23 .582 — Detroit WL Pct GB 28 26 .519 3.5 Chicago 23 31 .426 8.5 Kansas City 23 33 .411 9.5 Cleveland 20 33 .377 11 ——— Thursday’s late result Seattle 4, Minnesota 1 Friday’s results Minnesota 5, Oakland 4, 11 innings Boston 11, Baltimore 0 Cleveland 10, Chicago 1 Kansas City 7, Detroit 3 Los Angeles 7, Seattle 1 Texas 9, Tampa Bay 6 Toronto 6, New York 1 Saturday’s games Minnesota (Liriano 5-3) at Oakland (Cahill 4-2), 6:05 p.m.,CSNC New York (Pettitte 7-1) at Toronto (R.Romero 5-2), 10:07 a.m. Los Angeles (E.Santana 5-3) at Seattle (Rowland-Smith 0-4), 1:10 p.m., FOX Tampa Bay (J.Shields 5-3) at Texas (Hunter 0-0), 1:10 p.m. Boston (Lester 6-2) at Baltimore (Guthrie 3-5), 4:05 p.m. Cleveland (Talbot 6-4) at Chicago (Peavy 4-4), 4:05 p.m., WGN Detroit (Verlander 5-4) at Kansas City (Hochevar 5-3), 4:10 p.m. Sunday’s games Minnesota at Oakland, 1:05 p.m.,CSNC New York at Toronto, 10:07 a.m., TBS Boston at Baltimore, 10:35 a.m. Cleveland at Chicago, 11:05 a.m. Detroit at Kansas City, 11:10 a.m. Tampa Bay at Texas, 12:05 p.m. Los Angeles at Seattle, 1:10 p.m. West Division National League WL Pct GB Padres 32 22 .593 — Dodgers 32 23 .582 .5 GIANTS Colorado 28 26 .519 4 Arizona 21 34 .382 11.5 East Division WL Pct GB Atlanta 32 23 .582 — Philadelphia 29 24 .547 2 New York 28 27 .509 4 Florida 28 28 .500 4.5 Washington 27 29 .482 5.5 Central Division WL Pct GB St. Louis 32 23 .582 — Cincinnati 31 24 .564 1 Chicago 24 30 .444 7.5 Pittsburgh 22 32 .407 9.5 Milwaukee 22 33 .400 10 Houston 21 34 .382 11 ——— Thursday’s late result Atlanta 4, Los Angeles 3 Friday’s results San Francisco 6, Pittsburgh 4 Arizona 7, Colorado 6 Houston 3, Chicago 1 29 24 .547 2.5 Los Angeles 5, Atlanta 4 New York 4, Florida 3 Philadelphia 3, San Diego 2 St. Louis 8, Milwaukee 0 Washington 4, Cincinnati 2 Saturday’s games San Francisco (Wellemeyer 3-4) at Pittsburgh (Maholm 3-4),4:05 p.m.,CSNB Florida (N.Robertson 4-4) at New York (Niese 1-2), 1:10 p.m., FOX Milwaukee (Narveson 4-3) at St. Louis (Ottavino 0-1), 1:10 p.m., FOX Chicago (Dempster 3-5) at Houston (Oswalt 3-7), 4:05 p.m., MLBN Cincinnati (Leake 4-0) at Washington (Atilano 5-1), 4:05 p.m. San Diego (Garland 6-2) at Philadelphia (Moyer 5-5), 4:05 p.m., MLBN Colorado (J.Chacin 3-3) at Arizona (Willis 0-0), 5:10 p.m. Atlanta (Hanson 5-3) at Los Angeles (Billingsley 6-2), 7:10 p.m. Sunday’s games San Fran.at Pittsburgh,10:35 a.m.,CSNB Florida at New York, 10:10 a.m. Cincinnati at Washington, 10:35 a.m. San Diego at Philadelphia, 10:35 a.m. Chicago at Houston, 11:05 a.m., WGN Atlanta at Los Angeles, 1:10 p.m. Colorado at Arizona, 1:10 p.m. Milwaukee at St. Louis, 5:05 p.m., ESPN North Division GOLDEN Golden League WL Pct. GB OUTLAWS 93 .750 — Calgary 8 4 .667 1 Victoria 6 6 .500 3 Edmonton 6 8 .429 4 St. George 4 7 .364 4.5 South Division Yuma WL Pct. GB 10 3 .769 — Orange Co. 6 5 .545 3 Tucson Maui 6 8 .429 4.5 4 7 .364 5 Tijuana 2 10 .167 7.5 ——— Thursday’s late results Chico 2, St. George 1, 10 innings Maui 6, Edmonton 2, 8 innings Tucson 4, Victoria 3, 11 innings Yuma 13, Tijuana 12 Friday’s results Chico at Tijuana, late Calgary 3, Orange County 2 Edmonton 12, Maui 6 St. George 12, Tucson 7 Victoria at Yuma, late Saturday’s games Chico at Tijuana, 7 p.m. Tucson at St. George, 3:05 p.m., 1st game Tucson at St. George, 6:05 p.m., 2nd game Orange County at Calgary, 4:05 p.m. Maui at Edmonton, 6 p.m. Victoria at Yuma, 7 p.m. Sunday’s games Chico at Tijuana, 7 p.m. Orange County at Calgary, 12:35 p.m. Victoria at Yuma, 6:30 p.m. SOFTBALL Softball World Series At ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, Oklahoma City Double Elimination x-if necessary Thursday’s results Hawaii 3, Missouri 2 UCLA 16, Florida 3, 6 innings Tennessee 9, Arizona 0, 5 innings Georgia 6, Washington 3 Friday’s results UCLA 5, Hawaii 2 Tennessee 7, Georgia 5 Saturday’s games Game 7 — Missouri vs.Florida, 9 a.m., ESPN2 Game 8 — Arizona vs.Washington, 11 a.m., ESPN2 Game 9 — Hawaii vs.Game 7 winner, 4 p.m., ESPN Game 10 — Georgia vs.Game 8 winner, 6 p.m., ESPN Sunday’s games Game 11 — UCLA vs.Game 9 winner, 10 a.m., ESPN Game 12 — Tennessee vs. Game 10 winner, Noon, ESPN x-Game 13 — Game 11 winner vs. Game 11 loser, 4 p.m., ESPN2 x-Game 14 — Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser, 6 p.m., ESPN2 NOTE: If only one game is necessary, it will be played at 4 p.m. Championship Series (Best-of-3) Monday:Game 1, 5 p.m. Tuesday:Game 2, 5 p.m. x-Wednesday:Game 3, 5 p.m. NBAFINALS L.A. Lakers 1, Boston 0 Game 1:L.A. Lakers 102, Boston 89 Sunday: at L.A. Lakers, 5 p.m., ABC Tuesday: at Boston, 6 p.m. Thursday: at Boston, 6 p.m. x-Sunday, June 13: at Boston, 5 p.m. x-Tuesday, June 15: at L.A. Lakers, 6 p.m. x-Thursday, June 17: at L.A. Lakers, 6 p.m. x - if needed WNBA WESTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB Seattle Phoenix 3 3 .500 2.5 Tulsa 6 1 .857 — 3 3 .500 2.5 San Antonio 2 4 .333 3.5 Minnesota 2 6 .250 4.5 Los Angeles 1 5 .167 4.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB Atlanta 6 2 .750 — Connecticut 4 2 .667 1 Washington 4 3 .5711 1/2 Indiana 3 3 .500 2 Chicago 3 4 .4292 1/2 New York 2 3 .4002 1/2 ——— Friday’s results Chicago 80, Atlanta 70 Connecticut 75, New York 68 Phoenix 90, Los Angeles 89 Tulsa 92, Minnesota 79 Saturday’s games Atlanta at Washington, 4 p.m. New York at Indiana, 4 p.m. Tulsa at Chicago, 5 p.m. Seattle at Los Angeles, 8 p.m., NBATV Sunday’s games San Antonio at Connecticut, Noon Indiana at Minnesota, 4 p.m. Phoenix at Seattle, 6 p.m. STANLEY CUP Chicago 2, Philadelphia 2 Game 1:Chicago 6, Philadelphia 5 Game 2:Chicago 2, Philadelphia 1 Game 3:Philadelphia 4, Chicago 3, OT Game 4:Philadelphia 5, Chicago 3 Sunday: at Chicago, 5 p.m., NBC Wednesday: at Philadelphia, 5 p.m. x-Friday, June 11: at Chicago, 5 p.m. x - if needed NASCAR Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 Sunday, at Pocono Raceway, 10 a.m., TNT Long Pond, Pa. Lap length: 2.5 miles (Car number in parentheses) Lineup 1. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 169.485. 2. (33) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 169.138. 3.(88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 169.097. 4. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 168.963. 5. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 168.868. 6. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 168.84. 7.(42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 168.805. 8. (9) Kasey Kahne, Ford, 168.713. 9. (39) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 168.669. 10. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 168.612. 11. (12) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 168.3. 12. (20) Joey Logano, Toyota, 168.24. 13. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 168.205. 14. (5) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 168.124. 15. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 168.036. 16. (47) Marcos Ambrose, Toyota, 167.973. 17. (43) AJ Allmendinger, Ford, 167.863. 18. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 167.823. 19.(77) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 167.785. 20.(13) Max Papis, Toyota, 167.679. 21. (19) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 167.538. 22. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 167.529. 23. (83) Casey Mears, Toyota, 167.51. 24. (78) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 167.476. 25.(48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 167.392. 26. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 167.392. 27. (56) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 167.212. 28. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 167.177. 29. (00) David Reutimann, Toyota, 167.115. 30. (87) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 167.047. 31. (82) Scott Speed, Toyota, 166.982. 32. (55) Michael McDowell, Toyota, 166.976. 33. (98) Paul Menard, Ford, 166.821. 34. (66) Dave Blaney, Toyota, 166.738. 35. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 166.098. 36. (46) J.J.Yeley, Dodge, 165.972. 37. (37) David Gilliland, Ford, 165.929. 38. (38) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 165.865. 39.(64) Chad McCumbee, Toyota, 165.688. 40. (36) Geoff Bodine, Chevrolet, 165.411. 41. (71) Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet, 165.116. 42. (34) Kevin Conway, Ford, Owner Points. 43. (26) David Stremme, Ford, 165.277. MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Galaxy 9 0 2 29 18 2 Salt Lake 6 3 1 19 21 11 QUAKES 53 2 17 15 12 Colorado 5 3 1 16 10 7 Houston 5 6 1 16 17 15 FC Dallas 2 2 6 12 11 11 Seattle 3 5 3 12 9 14 Chivas USA 3 7 1 10 13 17 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Columbus 6 1 3 21 16 10 New York 6 5 0 18 13 16 Toronto FC 5 4 1 16 15 14 New England 3 6 2 11 13 17 Chicago 2 3 4 10 12 13 Kansas City 2 5 2 8 9 13 Philadelphia 2 5 1 7 10 17 D.C. ——— Saturday’s games San Jose at FC Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Kansas City at Toronto FC, 1 p.m. Chivas USA at New York, 4:30 p.m. Real Salt Lake at D.C. United, 4:30 p.m. Houston at Los Angeles, 5 p.m. Philadelphia at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Columbus at Colorado, 6 p.m. New England at Seattle FC, 7:30 p.m. PGA Memorial Tournament At Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, Ohio Saturday, Noon, CBS Sunday, 10:30 a.m., CBS Purse: $6 million Yardage: 7,366;Par 72 (36-36) Second Round Leaders Rickie Fowler Justin Rose Tim Petrovic Jim Furyk Jason Day 65-66 — 131 -13 65-69 — 134 -10 69-66 — 135 -9 68-67 — 135 -9 67-69 — 136 -8 Spencer Levin 68-68 — 136 -8 Stewart Cink Phil Mickelson 67-71 — 138 -6 Alex Cejka Tom Pernice, Jr. 72-67 — 139 -5 Matt Kuchar Steve Stricker Kenny Perry Ryan Moore 70-67 — 137 -7 71-67 — 138 -6 71-68 — 139 -5 69-70 — 139 -5 71-68 — 139 -5 70-69 — 139 -5 Carl Pettersson 69-70 — 139 -5 Jeff Overton Steve Marino Bo Van Pelt Sean O’Hair Friday, at Stade Roland Garros, Paris Purse: $21.1 million (Grand Slam) Surface: Clay-Outdoor Men Singles Semifinals Robin Soderling (5), Sweden, def. Tomas Berdych (15), Czech Republic, 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. Rafael Nadal (2), Spain, def. Jurgen Melzer (22), Austria, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (6). Women Doubles Championship Serena and Venus Williams (1), United States, def. Kveta Peschke, Czech Republic, and Katarina Srebotnik (12), Slovenia, 6-2, 6- 3. BELMONT 142nd Belmont Stakes Saturday, 2:30 p.m., ABC 1.Dave in Dixie Borel 20-1 2. Spangled Star Gomez 30-1 3. Uptowncharlybrown Maragh 10-1 4.Make Music for Me Rosario 10-1 5. Fly Down 6. Ice Box 7. Drosselmeyer Velazquez 9-2 Lezcano Smith 8.Game On Dude Garcia 9. Stately Victor 10. Stay Put 11. First Dude 12. Interactif Garcia Theriot ARENA NATIONALCONFERENCE Midwest Division WL T Pct PF PA 2 8 0 6 7 20 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. Milwaukee 6 2 0 .750 522 445 Chicago 6 3 0 .667 502 479 Cleveland 4 5 0 .444 540 499 Iowa West Division 3 4 0 .429 357 378 WL T Pct PF PA Spokane 6 2 0 .750 551 454 Arizona 4 3 0 .571 446 433 Utah 1 7 0 .125 373 531 AMERICAN CONFERENCE Tulsa Southwest Division WL T Pct PF PA 5 3 0 .625 504 469 Okla. City 3 5 0 .375 452 480 Bossier-Shrev. 2 6 0 .250 433 502 Dallas South Division Jacksonville 7 2 0 .778 505 451 1 6 0 .143 357 417 WL T Pct PF PA National Thoroughbred Racing Association NTRA—Announced Craig Fravel was appointed to the board of directors. College MANHATTAN—Announced senior basket- ball G Rico Pickett has left the school. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA—Named Laura Beeman and Michael Cooper III women’s assistant basketball coaches. 3-1 12-1 10-1 15-1 20-1 Dominguez 7-2 Castellano 12-1 69-70 — 139 -5 68-71 — 139 -5 70-69 — 139 -5 68-71 — 139 -5 FRENCH OPEN Tampa Bay 4 3 0 .571 388 383 Alabama 4 4 0 .500 431 418 Orlando 3 4 0 .429 364 386 ——— Friday’s results Cleveland 75, Utah 39 Jacksonville 64, Chicago 56 Saturday’s games Oklahoma City at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m. Orlando at Tulsa, 5 p.m. Alabama at Iowa, 5:05 p.m. Bossier-Shreveport at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Milwaukee at Arizona, 7:30 p.m. DEALS Major League Baseball American League OAKLAND—Placed LHP Brett Anderson on the 15-day DL. Optioned C Landon Powell to Sacramento (PCL). Recalled LHP Cedrick Bowers and RHP Henry Rodriguez from Sacramento. BALTIMORE—Fired manager Dave Tremb- ley.Named Juan Samuel interim manager. CLEVELAND—Purchased the contract of RHP Frank Herrmann from Columbus (IL). Designated RHP Jamey Wright for assign- ment. NEW YORK—Announced pitching coach Dave Eiland is taking a personal leave of absence. Announced bullpen coach Mike Harkey will serve as pitching coach and bat- ting practice pitcher Charlie Wonsowicz will serve as bullpen coach. TAMPA BAY—Activated C Kelly Shoppach from the 15-day DL.Placed SS Jason Bartlett on the 15-day DL. National League SAN FRANCISCO—Purchased the contract of OF Pat Burrell from Fresno (PCL). ATLANTA—Placed RHP Takashi Saito on the 15-day DL. Recalled RHP Craig Kimbrel from Gwinnett (IL). MILWAUKEE—Placed RHP Marco Estrada on 15-day DL retroactive to June 1. Activated 3B Matt Gamel from 60-day DL and optioned him to Nashville (PCL). Released RHP Clau- dio Vargas. NEW YORK—Placed INF Luis Castillo on the 15-day DL, retroactive to June 2. Recalled INF Ruben Tejada from Buffalo (IL). Desig- nated OF Gary Matthews, Jr. for assignment. Recalled C Omir Santos from Binghamton (EL). PITTSBURGH—Optioned LHP Brian Burres to Indianapolis (IL). SAN DIEGO—Reinstated C Yorvit Torrealba from the restricted list. Optioned C Dusty Ryan to Portland (PCL). National Basketball Association CLEVELAND—Announced the resignation of general manager Danny Ferry. Named Chris Grant general manager. National Hockey League BOSTON—Re-signed F Shawn Thornton to a two-year contract extension. DETROIT—Agreed to terms with F Tomas Holmstrom on a two-year contract. National Football League DENVER—Released QB Tom Brandstater. NEW ENGLAND—Signed OL Thomas Welch. N.Y. JETS—Signed FB John Conner to a four-year contract. SEATTLE—Released WR Mike Jones. TAMPA BAY—Signed WR Mike Williams to a four-year contract. Released G Michael Shu- mard. Big 12 breakup? League meetings settle nothing KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Commissioner Dan Beebe had hoped to douse speculation about a Big 12 breakup by making sure ‘‘we’re all on the same plane when it takes off.’’ Instead, everybody went home in 12 separate taxis. After four days of meetings, the future of the 14-year-old league seemed perhaps less secure than ever. Beebe and many of his colleagues hoped the spring meetings would end with a declaration of unbreakable solidarity. That didn’t hap- pen. All Beebe could do Friday was say he’s an optimistic fel- low by nature and that a ‘‘process’’ had been put in place by Big 12 presidents to ensure the long-term viability of a con- ference that has greatly increased revenue for its members, but still not kept pace in television dollars with the other big boys. ‘‘I am comfortable,’’ Beebe said. ‘‘There’s still a process we’re going through but based on the conversations we had I think we’re in a very good position.’’ He would not discuss how the process will keep the Big 12 intact. Out of the East is a threat from the Big Ten, perhaps interested in luring away Nebraska, Missouri and Texas. In the West, the Pac-10 may be eyeing Colorado and a group of Texas schools. And would the Southeastern Conference sit still while the Big Ten and Pac-10 start feeding on the Big 12 like hyenas at a kill? Nebraska and Missouri triggered talk of a Big 12 breakup by indicating they would be interested in talking to the expansion-minded Big Ten. Then on Thursday, a blog report went through these meetings like a lightning bolt with word that the Pac-10 planned to invite six Big 12 schools and create two eight-team divisions. Colorado athlet- ic director Mike Bohn later said he thought the report was valid, and Beebe and Texas president Bill Powers decided to cancel their scheduled news conference. In addition, The Associated Press confirmed on Friday that the Big Ten is interested in pursuing Texas, the richest, most influential Big 12 school and acknowledged lynchpin of the entire league. Ohio State president Gordon Gee told Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany in an April 20 e-mail that Gee had spoken with Powers. Gee said Powers would welcome a call. Powers was also scheduled to be at Friday’s news con- ference with Beebe, but was not. The driving issue of all the expansion talk is money, and the possibility of schools greatly boosting revenue by adding to their inventory of television homes. The drop-dead date may be October, the next time the Big 12 presidents meet. It could hardly be longer away than February, when they meet just before Beebe begins negotiations on a new cable deal with Fox. As a sales pitch to keep the league together, Beebe spent the week explaining that he expected huge increases in rights fees from both Fox and ESPN. Unfortunately for those want- ing to keep the Big 12 intact, its more lucrative contract with ESPN runs through the 2015-16 academic year. The greatly staggered contract dates are not working in the Big 12’s favor as it seeks to keep up with other leagues. Under their present television deals, Big 12 members received between $7 million and $10 million each last year. The Big Ten distributed some $22 million to each member. An expanded Pac-10 could launch its own TV network and command huge money. Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado were said to be on the Pac-10’s shopping list. If they take that deal and Nebras- ka and Missouri go to the Big Ten, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State would be in danger of not belong- ing to a BCS league — a crisis for those institutions.