By ERIC OLSON
AP Sports Writer
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An LSU team that came to the College World Series as one of the top offensive clubs in the nation left town wondering how it could have scored only three runs in two losses.
Cody Glenn gave up a first-inning home run to Brian Holberton and the Tigers left 13 runners on base in a 4-2 loss to No. 1 national seed North Carolina on Tuesday.
Published in The Messenger 6.19.13

By TERESA WALKER
AP Sports Writer
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tired of being pushed around and run over last season, the Tennessee Titans want to make sure that doesn’t happen in 2013.
So they got bigger up front.
And wider.

Published in The Messenger 6.19.13

Following six highly-competitive training camp workouts at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball announced its final 12-man roster for the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship in Prague, Czech Republic. Tennessee’s Jarnell Stokes made the final cut and will represent the United States in international play for the second consecutive summer.

Published in The Messenger 6.18.13

By STEVEN WINE
AP Sports Writer
MIAMI (AP) — Maybe the St. Louis Cardinals were looking ahead to the Chicago Cubs.
In a matchup of worst versus first, NL Central leader St. Louis mustered only five hits Sunday and lost to the woeful Miami Marlins. 7-2.

Published in The Messenger 6.17.13

By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — LeBron James wanted the responsibility on his powerful shoulders.

Published in The Messenger 6.14.13

By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
NASHVILLE (AP) — Chris Johnson is often asked how many yards he thinks he can rush for any season, and the player nicknamed CJ2K always responds with the same answer: 2,000.

Published in The Messenger 6.14.13

By RONALD BLUM
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Adam Wainwright used to be a creature of routine leading up to each start.

Published in The Messenger 6.14.13

By JOSEPH WHITE
AP Sports Writer
ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — Ball in the rough. Swing. Grimace. Shake left arm. Repeat.

Published in The Messenger 6.14.13

By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Alex Bregman had already made up his mind to turn down the Boston Red Sox and instead enroll at LSU as he watched upstart Stony Brook celebrate a College World Series berth following their upset of the Tigers in Baton Rouge last year.

Published in The Messenger 6.13.13

By JAY COHEN
AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks know all about Andrew Shaw’s reputation around the league.

Published in The Messenger 6.13.13

By HOWIE RUMBERG
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Shelby Miller can do without the first inning.

Published in The Messenger 6.13.13

By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Even after winning 27 in a row during the regular season, the Miami Heat don’t want to rely on a three-game winning streak now.

Published in The Messenger 6.13.13

By JOSEPH WHITE
AP Sports Writer
ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — Under cloudy skies and with weather prospects dicey for the rest of the day, the U.S. Open returned to the Merion for the first time in 32 years.

Published in The Messenger 6.13.13

By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Gary Neal may have dreamed it, though it was nothing Danny Green ever could have imagined.

Published in The Messenger 6.12.13

By MIKE FITZPATRICK
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Wacha had combed his hair and dressed in a button-down shirt, all ready at his locker not long after a beer shower to celebrate his first major league win.

Published in The Messenger 6.12.13

By STEVE MEGARGEE
AP Sports Writer
ATHENS (AP) — Alabama football coach Nick Saban wants to make sure the defending national champions take nothing for granted.

Published in The Messenger 6.12.13

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee football ranks last in the Southeastern Conference in how the NCAA measures academic progress, and the Vols are at risk of being punished if they don’t improve quickly.

Published in The Messenger 6.12.13

By HOWARD ULMAN
AP Sports Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tim Tebow and Tom Brady took turns, zipping passes over the middle and lofting tosses toward the corner of the end zone.

Published in The Messenger 6.12.13

By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have tried to do everything possible to make sure Jake Locker has plenty of options when he drops back to pass.

Published in The Messenger 6.12.13

By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer
Tom Thibodeau and Monty Williams are joining the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team, adding two respected defensive coaches to Mike Krzyzewski’s staff.

Published in The Messenger 6.11.13

By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer
ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — Give it up, Ernie.
No, not the belly putter. At least, not yet.

Publishd in The Messenger 6.11.13

CINCINNATI (AP) — Court documents show Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has been arrested and jailed on an assault charge after police said he tried to hurt a woman.

Published in The Messenger 6.11.13

By CURT ANDERSON
AP Legal Affairs Writer
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Former NFL star Chad Johnson was sentenced Monday to 30 days in jail for a probation violation in a domestic violence case by a judge who angrily rejected a no-jail plea deal after Johnson playfully slapped his attorney on the backside in court.

Published in The Messenger 6.11.13

By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — On a day of rest at the NBA Finals, Tim Duncan had work to do.

Published in The Messenger 6.11.13

By The Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — Brandon Phillips hit a grand slam and matched his career high with six RBIs, and the Cincinnati Reds extended their dominance over the Chicago Cubs with a 6-2 win Monday night at foggy Wrigley Field.

Published in The Messenger 6.11.13

By HOWARD ULMAN
AP Sports Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — A flop on Broadway, Tim Tebow is getting an audition in Beantown.

Published in The Messenger 6.11.13

By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Titans are working with a brand new attitude, talking about being aggressive and attacking.

Published in The Messenger 6.11.13

By STEVE MEGARGEE
AP Sports Writer
Alabama coach Nick Saban’s planned appearance at a benefit event tonight in Tennessee shows the Crimson Tide-Volunteers rivalry is alive and well, even if it’s been one-sided lately.

Published in The Messenger 6.11.13

NEW YORK (AP) — A pair of Hall of Fame jockeys were just about nose to nose as their horses hit the middle of the final turn of the Belmont Stakes.

Published in The Messenger 6.10.13

By STEVEN WINE
AP Sports Writer
PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadal harbored plenty of doubts when he returned to tennis in February after a seven-month layoff because of a left knee injury.

Published in The Messenger 6.10.13

By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Jimmie Johnson walked into the media center holding his daughter’s hand, his pregnant wife right behind them. Their second child is due in September, right around the time of the final race before the Chase field is set.

Published in The Messenger 6.10.13

NASHVILLE (AP) — Louisville’s phenomenal year in sports will end with its baseball team making a trip to the College World Series.

Published in The Messenger 6.10.13

By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer
MIAMI (AP) — For two days, the thought was that LeBron James needed to do more for his teammates.
Turns out, it was Mario Chalmers and mates who did something for James.

Published in The Messenger 6.10.13

By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
MEMPHIS (AP) — A trip to the Masters is more than enough consolation for Harris English that his first PGA Tour victory couldn’t get him into the U.S. Open too.

Published in The Messenger 6.10.13

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
AP Basketball Writer
MIAMI (AP) — One by one, Tony Parker was confronted by Miami’s Big Three, surrounded even as the shot clock ticked toward zero and his San Antonio Spurs clung to a two-point lead.

Published in The Messenger 6.7.13

By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
NASHVILLE (AP) — Michael Roos remains Tennessee’s left tackle, and Jake Locker doesn’t have to compete just to keep his starting job at quarterback. Chris Johnson also is safe along with a handful of veterans, especially those free agents the Titans brought in earlier this year.

Published in The Messenger 6.7.13

By TERRY McCORMICK
Associated Press
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Titans receiver Kenny Britt knows that 2013 is crucial season for his career, and that’s why he’s worked himself into the best shape of his NFL career.

Published in The Messenger 6.7.13

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Tommy Rees is Notre Dame’s starting quarterback again.

Published in The Messenger 6.7.13

By RONALD BLUM
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s lawyers issued subpoenas to Federal Express, AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile USA in an attempt to gain records for its investigation of players suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs.

Puublished in The Messenger 6.7.13

By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
MEMPHIS (AP) — Phil Mickelson has spent so much time honing his swing for the U.S. Open that he’s finding he needs to tweak his short game, too.

Published in The Messenger 6.7.13

ATLANTA (AP) — Julio Teheran held Pittsburgh without a hit for 72⁄3 innings before settling for a combined one-hit shutout, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Pirates 5-0 on Wednesday.
Tehran (4-2) gave up one hit with two walks and set a career high with 11 strikeouts in eight innings in the Braves’ fifth straight win, including a sweep of the three-game series.

Published in The Messenger 6.6.13

By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Alabama and Louisville are performing almost as well in the classroom as they do on the playing field.

Published in The Messenger 6.6.13

By STEVE MEGARGEE
AP Sports Writer
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee remains confident that it’s only a matter of time before the Lady Vols win the softball national title that continues to elude them.
Published in The Messenger 6.6.13

By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
MEMPHIS (AP) — Phil Mickelson is playing the week before the U.S. Open to make sure his game is sharp as possible, particularly after not playing very well at the Masters after taking off before that major.
“I know that for me to be sharp mentally especially into a tournament where the penalty for missing is so great like the U.S. Open, it’s important that I’m sharp and I’m ready to play,” Mickelson said Wednesday after finishing a practice round.

Published in The Messenger 6.6.13

By BEN WALKER
AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — The founder of a Miami anti-aging clinic has agreed to talk to Major League Baseball about players linked to performance-enhancing drugs, a person familiar with the case told The Associated Press on Tuesday night.

Published in The Messenger 6.5.13

By JEFF LATZKE
AP Sports Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — With a loaded lineup and the returning national player of the year, Oklahoma breezed through its softball season in dominant fashion.

Published in The Messenger 6.5.13

BRENTWOOD (AP) — Schools wanting to join the Ohio Valley Conference will have to pay new entrance fees, while members wanting to leave face new exit fees.

Published in The Messenger 6.5.13

KNOXVILLE — Several legendary Tennessee football players and coaches will gather to host a reception benefiting the Camp 76 Scholarship Fund in memory of Tennessee and NFL great Harry Galbreath on June 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the West Club at Neyland Stadium.

Published in The Messenger 6.5.13

KNOXVILLE — Three Tennessee football players have been named 2013 Preseason All-Americans by Phil Steele.

Published in The Messenger 6.5.13

NASHVILLE (AP) — Philip Pfeifer won more games than any high school pitcher in the state of Tennessee.
Now he can add a pivotal win in college to his resume.
The left-hander scattered four hits in five scoreless innings to lead No. 2 overall seed Vanderbilt to a 7-1 win over Georgia Tech in an NCAA regional championship game Monday night.

Published in The Messenger 6.4.13

By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Tony Stewart made a late outside pass on Juan Pablo Montoya and held on Sunday at Dover International Speedway to snap a 30-race winless streak.

Published in The Messenger 6.3.13

By STEVE OVERBEY
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Chad Gaudin found himself in an unfamiliar position Sunday afternoon.

Published in The Messenger 6.3.13

By The Associated Press
North Carolina and Vanderbilt were cruising along in the NCAA baseball tournament, looking every bit like the top two national seeds.

Published in The Messenger 6.3.13

By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
NASHVILLE (AP) — Titans coach Mike Munchak is back in his personal sweet spot.

Published in The Messenger 6.3.13

By JEFF LATZKE
AP Sports Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — With one Renfroe sister starting to struggle, Tennessee turned to another to earn a shot at the NCAA softball title.

Published in The Messenger 6.3.13

By RUSTY MILLER
AP Sports Writer
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Charl Schwartzel changed his putting grip and squeezed about as much as he could have out of his round.

Published in The Messenger 5.31.13

NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak and his staff will host the 12th annual Titans High School Coaching Clinic June 11 at Baptist Sports Park.
Attendees will have the opportunity to get a close-up view of Titans position coaches working with their players during one of the 10 offseason training activities (OTA) to kick off the morning.

Published in The WCP 5.30.13

By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer
MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James said a few words at halftime to try and coax something more out of the Miami Heat. Turns out, whatever he said was unnecessary.

Published in The Messenger 5.31.13

By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Anticipation was the toughest part of the game-day experience for Michael Wacha.
Before making his major league debut, the St. Louis Cardinals pitcher had to wait out an hour-long rain delay.

Published in The Messenger 5.31.13

By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS
AP Legal Affairs Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Verbal gaffes by Ohio State president Gordon Gee have long been a source of amusement and headaches at the school, whether he was calling the state governor a “dummy” two decades ago or more recently likening the challenges of holding together university divisions to “the Polish Army.”

Published in The Messenger 5.31.13

By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Vanderbilt Commodores finally have what they worked so hard all season for hosting an NCAA regional on their own field, and they are eager to take full advantage of being at home.

Published in The Messenger 5.31.13

By BOBBY ANDERSON
Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Melissa Brown had a two-run double in Tennessee’s three-run first inning, and Ellen Renfroe limited Florida to four hits and struck out nine to help the Lady Vols beat the Gators 9-2 on Thursday in the second game of the Women’s College World Series.

Published in The Messenger 5.31.13

By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer
DESTIN, Fla. (AP) — South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier fondly recalled one of his best jabs.
“Citrus and UT, now that’s original,” the head ball coach said Wednesday.
The former Florida coach was referring to his late-1990s joke about rival Tennessee, which played in the Citrus Bowl three times over a four-year span.

Published in The Messenger 5.30.13

By CHRIS LOW
ESPN.com
DESTIN, Fla. — The short-term answer for the SEC is to keep the number of conference games at eight, but coaches and athletic directors agreed Wednesday that a move to nine is probably inevitable.
The head coaches voted 13-1 to stay at eight conference games. The only coach voting for nine conference games was Alabama’s Nick Saban.

Published in The Messenger 5.30.13

By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals ran out of reasons not to promote their top pitching prospect.

Published in The Messenger 5.29.13

By TOM CANAVAN
AP Sports Writer
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Rutgers is standing by its incoming athletic director despite allegations she humiliated and verbally abused players during her coaching days, with the embattled president of the prominent university saying he is looking forward to her first day on the job.
It’s the latest in a series of difficulties for the school, which lost its previous men’s basketball coach and chief athletic executive to an abuse scandal, and then had to acknowledge its new men’s coach had not graduated from Rutgers after it previously said he did.

Published in The Messenger 5.28.13

By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
MEMPHIS (AP) — It may seem as if the San Antonio Spurs are playing for an NBA title every year. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker know only too well how very long it’s been since their last chance.
Now they’re back in the Finals with their first chance at a championship since 2007, a really long time for a Spurs team that knows a thing or two — or three — about hoisting trophies.

Published in The Messenger 5.28.13

NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak and his staff will host the 12th annual Titans High School Coaching Clinic June 11 at Baptist Sports Park.
Attendees will have the opportunity to get a close-up view of Titans position coaches working with their players during one of the 10 offseason training activities (OTA) to kick off the morning.

Published in The Messenger 5.28.13

By ERIC OLSON
AP Sports Writer
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A heartbreaking loss to end the 2012 season was all North Carolina’s baseball team needed for motivation.
The Tar Heels (52-8) turned last year’s disappointment into the best regular season in program history and a sweep through the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Now they’re the No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament.

Published in The Messenger 5.28.13

By ALAN ESKEW
Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Yadier Molina looked perfectly comfortable in the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
Batting second for only the third time in his career, Molina homered and drove in four runs to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the slumping Kansas City Royals 6-3 on Monday.
Molina hit a two-run homer in the first inning and doubled home a run in the third before his sacrifice fly in the fourth scored Pete Kozma.

Published in The Messenger 5.28.13

By TOM COYNE
Associated Press
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Tommy Rees has been Notre Dame’s go-to guy when the Fighting Irish get in a jam. And they’re certainly in one now.

Published in The Messenger 5.27.13

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee and Alabama put on a quite a show in a nationally-televised matchup on Saturday as the Lady Vols rallied from a three-run deficit to punch their sixth ticket the Women’s College World Series with a 5-3 triumph over the Crimson Tide in front of a sold-out crowd.

Published in The Messenger 5.27.13

By JOE RESNICK
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals didn’t exactly sting the ball against Clayton Kershaw. They just went to the plate with the purpose of putting it in play.

Published in The Messenger 5.27.13

By CLAY BAILEY
Associated Press
MEMPHIS (AP) — The Memphis Grizzlies have made a habit of falling behind in series this postseason.
This time, they may be down too far to survive.

Published in The Messenger 5.27.13

By STEVE MEGARGEE
AP Sports Writer
Antonio Barton is transferring from Memphis to Tennessee.

Published in The Messenger 5.27.13

By STEVE REED
AP Sports Writer
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Harvick thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Published in The Messenger 5.27.13

By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tony Kanaan had the car. He had the nerves. And he finally had the luck.
Now he has the trophy, too.

Published in The Messenger 5.27.13

By STEVE MEGARGEE
AP Sports Writer
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Tennessee has announced that Tim Rogers is stepping down as the university’s vice chancellor for student life, less than three weeks after he cited an “intolerable situation” in an email that he sent to chancellor Jimmy Cheek.

Published in The Messenger 5.24.13

By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer
MIAMI (AP) — It could have been the perfect matchup to cap an unforgettable game. LeBron James driving to the rim to face Roy Hibbert, one play to decide Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Alas, Hibbert was on the bench for the deciding moment.

Published in The Messenger 5.23.13

By ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO (AP) — Brian Urlacher wasn’t sure how dominant he could be any longer, so he’s calling it a career after 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears.
And what a career it was:

Published in The Messenger 5.23.13

NASHVILLE — Belmont director of athletics Mike Strickland announced Monday the hiring of Cameron Newbauer as the fourth head women’s basketball coach in program history.

Published in The WCP 5.21.13

By JIMMY GOLEN
AP Sports Writer
BOSTON (AP) — Build a new stadium, host the Super Bowl to show it off.

Published in The Messenger 5.22.13

By RAUL DOMINGUEZ
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Memphis Grizzlies called their woeful performance against San Antonio in the opener of the Western Conference finals an aberration. It wasn’t their brand of basketball, they said. Things would change, they insisted.

Published in The Messenger 5.22.13

By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
NASHVILLE (AP) — Jake Locker believes the best way to be a leader is by doing, not talking. It’s why the Titans quarterback worked so hard on his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery to be ready for the team’s offseason program.

Published in The Messenger 5.22.13

By JEFF LATZKE
AP Sports Writer
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Zach Randolph’s miserable Western Conference finals debut led to a sleepless night and a long film session.

Published in The Messenger 5.21.13

By JEFF LATZKE
AP Sports Writer
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Mike Conley wouldn’t let Zach Randolph take the blame for the Memphis Grizzlies’ blowout loss in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

Published in The Messenger 5.20.13

KNOXVILLE — Madi-son Shipman had a two-run homer and drove in three and Ivy Renfroe fanned five over seven shutout innings as Tennessee punched its sixth trip to the NCAA Super Regionals with a 7-0 win over NC State on Sunday in Game 6 of the Knoxville Regional.

Published in The Messenger 5.20.13