Off the wire

FOOTBALL

Cowboys re-sign McCray

IRVING, Texas - The Dallas Cowboys have re-signed safety Danny McCray after the best season of his career.

McCray, a restricted free agent, was second on the team with a career-high 87 tackles as the Cowboys battled multiple injuries in the middle of their secondary.

The fourth-year pro has always been a special teams standout, and was second with 18 tackles on punts and kickoffs.

The Cowboys expect Barry Church to return as a starter at strong safety after he missed most of last season with a torn Achilles tendon.

Dallas needs depth after waiving Gerald Sensabaugh this off season. The Cowboys added Will Allen, a nine-year veteran, and have high hopes for Matt Johnson, who missed all of his rookie season with a hamstring injury.

The Bengals have reached agreement on a two-year deal with former Steelers linebacker James Harrison, his agent said on Friday night. The Bengals didn’t confirm the deal because it hadn’t been signed. Agent Bill Parise said Harrison has taken a physical and all of the contract details have been worked out. Parise said the linebacker expects to be in Cincinnati the second week in May. Harrison, who turns 35 in May, was released by the Steelers last month in a salary cap move. By moving to another AFC North team, he’ll get to face the Steelers twice a season. The Bengals’ first home game is on Sept. 16 against the Steelers.

The Chicago Bears agreed to a three-year contract with kicker Austin Signor on Friday. Signor spent his final two seasons at Illinois after playing his first two at Iowa, hitting 14 of 22 field goal attempts and all 34 extra points as a senior in 2009. He participated in the Bears’ voluntary mini-camp this week, with Robbie Gould recovering from a season-ending calf injury.

Kicker Steven Hauschka has re-signed with the Seattle Seahawks. Hauschka’s signing was announced by the club on Friday. Hauschka was an unrestricted free agent. Hauschka has been the Seahawks kicker after being claimed off waivers from Denver before the start of the 2011 season. He’s made 49 of 57 field goals during the two seasons with a long of 52 yards. Last season he scored a career-high 118 points. For his career, Hauschka has converted 82 percent of his field goal attempts.

New Orleans Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis says restricted free agent running back Chris Ivory has signed his tender offer. The 6-foot, 222-pound Ivory joined the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Tiffin (Ohio) in 2010 and has run the ball 256 times for 1,307 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Last season, he played in only six games with two starts, carrying 40 times for 217 yards and two touchdowns, including a 56-yard scoring run. Ivory’s one-year tender is worth about $2 million.

TENNIS

Nadal, Tsonga in semifinal

Rafael Nadal edged Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 Friday to win his 45th straight match at the Monte Carlo Masters and reach the semifinals. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic had less trouble with Jarkko Nieminen, beating the Finnish veteran 6-4, 6-3. Djokovic won despite a balky right ankle, which the Serb twisted two weeks ago during a Davis Cup match against the United States.“I didn’t feel the ankle was bothering me today,” Djokovic said. “We played a lot of long rallies. I’m really glad things are going in the right direction.” In the semifinal, he’ll face unseeded Fabio Fognini, who defeated Richard Gasquet 7-6 (0), 6-2. Nadal will meet Jo-Wilfried Tsonga , who beat Stanislas Wawrinka 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Nadal dropped only his third set in his past five tournaments here, the previous times against Andy Murray in the 2011 semifinals and Djokovic in the 2009 final. He was under pressure at 30-30 in the eighth game of the final set before hitting a crucial serve.

American Sloane Stephens will open the Fed Cup World Group Playoff tie between the U.S. and Sweden against 54th-ranked Sophia Arvidsson at the Delray Beach Tennis Center today. The match will be the 16th-ranked Stephens’ singles debut in Fed Cup. She won the one Fed Cup doubles match she’s played in the past. The second match today features world No. 1 Serena Williams of the U.S. against 66th-ranked Johanna Larsson of Sweden.

HORSE RACING

HOF trainer Kelly dies at 93

Hall of Fame trainer T.J. “Tommy” Kelly has died after a 54-year career in which he won 65 stakes races. He was 93. Son Timothy D. Kelly said his father died Friday at a rehabilitation center after a brief illness. Among Kelly’s standouts was Plugged Nickel, the 1980 champion sprinter. Plugged Nickel was a top 3-year-old in 1980, winning the Florida Derby and the Wood Memorial before finishing seventh in the Kentucky Derby. Kelly was elected to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 1993. He retired in 1998 after spending much of his time at tracks in New York and Florida.

BASKETBALL Recommendation for Kings’ sale expected soon

NEW YORK - A recommendation on the Kings’ sale and possible move to Seattle could be issued as soon as next week and a final decision made early next month, ending a process NBA Commissioner David Stern called the most “wrenching” of his career.

The committee reviewing the bids by a Seattle group that has an agreement to buy the franchise and a Sacramento contingent that wants to keep it in California’s capital city is expected to meet late next week and make its recommendation. A vote by the full NBA Board of Governors could then take place as soon as the week of May 6, with Stern indicating the owners will first decide on whether they would be willing to approve relocation.

Stern also said the Sacramento bid is “in the ballpark” financially with the deal from a Seattle group headed by Chris Hansen, though the Maloof family disputed that in a letter to the advisory and finance committee.

Obtained by The Associated Press, the Maloofs’ letter dated April 17 said the Sacramento group originally matched the $525 million valuation for the franchise agreed to by Hansen, whose group includes Microsoft Chairman Steve Ballmer. Then last week, Hansen increased the valuation offer to $550 million.

The Maloofs said the Sacramento group has asked not to enter into a binding agreement until the Seattle deal is terminated. The Maloofs said that would be a breach of contract and cost them the “leverage to aggressively renegotiate terms in the event the existing agreement is terminated.”

“Based on these factors … we and our advisers see no reason to continue any dialogue with the Sacramento group or to give any further consideration to negotiating backup offers based on its latest non-binding proposal,” the letter said.

Stern said a decision will need to be made in time so that the team’s placard can say either Seattle - which lost the Super Sonics to Oklahoma City in 2008 - or Sacramento when it reports to New York for the May 21 draft lottery.