Off the wire

FOOTBALL NFL to talk expanded playoffs

Expanded playoffs is on the agenda at the NFL owners meetings next month in Atlanta. Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday that a vote is uncertain on the proposal to add two teams to the postseason. Should owners vote on the increase in May, Goodell said the 14-team playoffs could be implemented for the 2014 season or for 2015. If no vote is taken, then 2015 would be the target for expanded playoffs, with a vote possible in October or next March. The league also would need to consult with the players union on the matter, but it seems clear more playoff teams are on the way. The NFL also will experiment with snapping the ball from the 15 on extra points in the first two weeks of the preseason to make them more challenging. A kick from that distance would wind up being about 33 yards.

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has referred the airport arrest of San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith to the Los Angeles city attorney’s office for misdemeanor consideration. The referral by county prosecutors was announced Thursday without elaboration. Smith was arrested April 13 at Los Angeles International Airport. Airport police say Smith, 24, was randomly selected for a secondary screening and became uncooperative with the process, telling a TSA agent that he had a bomb.

The Dallas Cowboys added quarterback Caleb Hanie on Thursday. The signing gives the Cowboys three quarterbacks behind Tony Romo. Kyle Orton was Romo’s backup last year, and Dallas signed Brandon Weeden last month. Hanie, who didn’t play last year, spent four seasons with Chicago after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He started four games for the Bears, throwing for 679 yards with 3 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Hanie spent the 2012 season as Denver’s third QB. Baltimore released Hanie at the end of training camp last year.

BASEBALL Nova’s season over

New York Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova has decided to have season-ending ulnar collateral ligament surgery for a partially torn elbow ligament. The operation is scheduled for Tuesday by Dr. James Andrews. Nova left last Saturday’s 16-1 loss at Tampa Bay in the fifth inning after allowing 8 runs and 8 hits, including 4 home runs. An MRI then revealed the injury and he was placed on the 15-day disabled list. He was transferred Thursday to the 60-day disabled list.

SWIMMING

Phelps second to Lochte

Michael Phelps lost in the first final of his comeback after a 20-month retirement Thursday night in Mesa, Ariz. Ryan Lochte beat Phelps in the 100-meter butterfly final at the Arena Grand Prix. Lochte touched in 51.93 seconds; Phelps was second in 52.13. Phelps is the three-time Olympic champion and current world record-holder in the event. He was competing for the first time since the 2012 London Olympics.

TENNIS

Nadal advances in Spain

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal looked more like his confident self on the clay in passing Ivan Dodig of Croatia 6-3, 6-3, to reach the Barcelona Open quarterfinals on Thursday. Nadal was struggling with his game coming into the event and an unconvincing opening victory Wednesday did little to calm the nerves. But Nadal looked more assured as he ousted the 37thranked Dodig in 83 minutes. Nadal moves on to face fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro in an early rematch of last season’s final, which Nadal won for his eighth title at the tournament in the Catalan capital.

Defending champion Maria Sharapova defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday in Stuttgart, Germany, to set up a Porsche Grand Prix quarterfinal with top seed Agnieszka Radwanska. The sixth-seeded Sharapova needed a little more than an hour and a half to defeat her fellow Russian, keeping alive her dream of winning the tournament for the third year in a row. Polish world No. 3 Radwanska was rarely troubled in wrapping up a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Italy’s Roberta Vinci. Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia rallied from a 5-2 first-set deficit to edge second seed Simona Halep of Romania 7-5, 7-6 (4) in the late match. The 2009 champion will next play former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, who lost her first set against German wild card Julia Goerges, but recovered to prevail1-6, 6-2, 6-3.

BASKETBALL Silver: Too early to talk deal

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday he has “no expectation” that players will opt out of the collective bargaining agreement in 2017, potentially leading to another lockout. The 10-year deal that the league and players agreed to that ended the 2011 lockout gave either side the right to opt out after six years. With the league projecting financial growth, there has been speculation that players will take that option in three years, especially since a new national TV contract will be in place by then. But Silver said Thursday there have been no discussions about that and it’s “premature” for either side to determine how well the deal has or hasn’t worked, especially since the Players Association is still without an executive director.

SWIMMING AND DIVING

Ex-Hogs coach killed in Florida

University of Florida diving coach Donnie Craine died Thursday morning in a boating accident off the coast of Bokeelia, the school announced.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is investigating the accident, said two vessels turned in the same direction near Pine Island in southwest Florida and collided. Two people were aboard one boat, and four in the other. The others in the crash suffered only minor injuries and did not require treatment.

Craine, 61, joined the Gators in 1976 after graduating from Michigan. He left after five years, coached at Schroeder YMCA in Wisconsin, Arkansas and LSU and returned to Gainesville in 1989.

While at Arkansas, Craine was named the NCAA Diving Coach of the Year in 1985, and during his career at LSU (1987-89) he was named SEC Women’s Diving Coach of the Year in 1987, 1988 and 1989, as well as the 1988 SEC Men’s Diving Coach of the Year.

“You’ll never meet a nicer guy than Donnie Craine,” said Gregg Troy, Florida’s swimming coach. “He was caring for not just the athletes he worked with, but for everyone he came in touch with. He was a tremendous family man. This is a great loss to everyone.”

He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Mindy, and three children: Keith, 31, Christopher, 30, and Stephanie, 26.

“Our thoughts are with Mindy, their family and all who had a chance to know and be coached by him,” Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley said. “This is such sad news about Donnie Craine. Donnie loved being a Gator and spent his career here coaching our men’s and women’s diving athletes. He will be missed.”

Sports, Pages 20 on 04/25/2014

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