Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — BOXING Chavez could lose fight purse

Middleweight fighter Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. could be stripped of his $3 million purse, depending on the explanation he offers to Nevada boxing regulators about a positive test for marijuana after his first professional loss last weekend in Las Vegas, officials said Wednesday. Top Rank Inc. spokesman Lee Samuels said promoter Bob Arum was aware the 26-year-old Chavez tested positive for the banned substance. “Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will havethe opportunity to explain the situation to the Nevada State Athletic Commission,” Samuels said in a statement he read to a reporter. Samuels declined further comment. Commission executive Keith Kizer wouldn’t immediately provide the name, but said only one of 32 fighters who took part in bouts at two Las Vegas venues last Saturday tested positive for a banned substance, marijuana. Kizer said the commission was awaiting results of pre-fight tests for banned steroids, diuretics and masking agents before releasing all pre-fight and post-fight test results for all 32 fighters. The commission can ban a fighter for one year and penalize him for up to 100 percent of his purse for a failed test, Kizer said. Chavez was guaranteed $3 million for the WBC title fight against Sergio Martinez. Martinez ran his record to 50-2-2. Chavez fell to 46-1-1 with 32 knockouts.

BASEBALL

MLB nears 8-year TV deals

Major League Baseball is nearing agreements with Fox and Turner Sports on eight-year contracts through 2021, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. Under the deals, which are likely to be announced before the postseason, Fox will retain rights to the World Series and to a leaguechampionship series every year, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity Wednesday because no announcement has been made. The amount baseball receives from the two networks is likely to double to an average of about $800 million annually, with Fox’s share averaging about $500 million. ESPN and MLB last month announced a new deal covering 2014-2021 that will increase ESPN’s average yearly payment from about $360 million to approximately $700 million.

Major League Baseball appears unlikely to interfere if Melky Cabrera wins the NL batting title while serving his 50-game suspension for a positive drug test. The San Francisco Giants outfielder began Wednesday with a league-leading .346 average, seven points ahead of Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen. Cabrera has 501 plate appearances, one fewer than the required amount if the Giants play 162 games. Undersection 10.22(a) of the Official Baseball Rules, he would win the batting title if an extra hitless at-bat is added to his average and it remains higher than that of any other qualifying player. Cabrera, the All-Star game MVP, was suspended Aug. 15 for a positive test for testosterone and is missing the final 45 games of the regular season.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have recalled outfielder A.J. Pollock and selected the contract of infielder Mike Jacobs from Triple-A Reno. The moves came one day after Reno defeated Pawtucket for the Triple-A championship. Pollock batted .318 with 52 RBI and 21 stolen bases for Reno. He appeared in 22 games in stints with the Diamondbacks earlier this season, batting .250 with a home run and 5 RBI. Jacobs hit .279 with 18 home runs and 60 RBI for Reno and led the club with four postseason home runs.

Travis Hafner is back as theCleveland Indians’ designated hitter. Cleveland activated Hafner from the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday, and Manager Manny Acta put him in the No. 6 slot in the starting lineup against the Minnesota Twins. Hafner had been sidelined since Aug. 6 with lower black inflammation, the latest in a series of ailments that have plagued the 35-year-old the past five years. Hafner has a .239 average with 11 home runs and 32 RBI in 60 games.

FOOTBALL Jaguars sign TE Stovall

The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed veteran tight end Maurice Stovall and released tight end Stephen Spach. Stovall has played in 71 games with 11 starts after being selected in the third round of the 2006 draft by Tampa Bay. He has 52 receptions for 668 yards and three touchdowns. He spent five seasons with the Buccaneers before joining Detroit in 2011.

Cornerback Darrelle Revis was limited at practice Wednesday while recovering from a concussion suffered in the New York Jets’ season opener. Revis was cleared for practice and took part in some position and individual drills, but still can’t be involved in any contact. Revis missed the Jets’ game at Pittsburgh on Sunday after suffering what the team called a “minor concussion.”

Atlanta Falcons cornerback Christopher Owens did not practice Wednesday because of a concussion. Owens was injured in the first quarter of Atlanta’s 27-21 victory over Denver on Monday night, further depleting a secondary that already lost cornerback Brent Grimes with a season-ending injury in Week 1. Dominique Franks has moved up to take the nickel back spot.

The Detroit Lions bolstered their depleted secondary Wednesday, claiming cornerback Jerome Murphy off waivers from the New Orleans Saints. The two-year veteran played the first two games of the season for New Orleans before being waived Monday.

HOCKEY NHL cancels September preseason schedule

NEW YORK - The NHL canceled its entire September preseason game schedule Wednesday, the first on-ice casualty of the four-day lockout.

The league is wiping out all games through Sept. 30, a move it deems “necessary because of the absence of a collective bargaining agreement” with the players’ association.

The NHL also said the 2012 Kraft Hockeyville preseason game, scheduled for Oct. 3 in Belleville, Ontario, has been postponed until 2013, bringing the total to 60 games called off Wednesday.

The regular season is scheduled to begin Oct. 11.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the league has “no set policy on cancellations” of other games.

Also Wednesday, a person familiar with the plan said NHLemployees at the league offices will switch to a four-day work week Oct. 1 because of the lockout. The move will effectively cut salaries by 20 percent. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the NHL hadn’t made the plan public.

The Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators have let staff go because of the lockout, while several other teams have said they don’t have any plans to do so as of now.

The league locked out its players at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, its fourth shutdown since 1992.

The preseason cancellations included a Washington Capitals game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sept. 26 in Baltimore.

Last year, in the inaugural Baltimore Hockey Classic, the Capitals hosted the Nashville Predators and drew a sold-out crowd.