Off the wire

BASKETBALL

Snyder new Jazz coach

Quin Snyder knows he has his work cut out for him with the Utah Jazz, but also feels he has the support of ownership to build the team back to a perennial playoff contender. “For a coach to have the loyalty of the ownership group, you feel you don’t need to skip steps,” Snyder said Saturday as he was introduced as the team’s eighth head coach, and the first since 1979 hired from outside the organization. “It’s a process, and sometimes there is pressure to accelerate that process, but we want to build something that will last.” Snyder, who just completed his first season as an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks, takes over a team with a talented core of players 24 years old or younger. The Jazz also have two first-round picks, including No. 5 overall, in the upcoming NBA draft. Utah also was reportedly considering Chicago assistant Adrian Griffin, NBA coaching veteran Alvin Gentry and Jazz assistant Brad Jones. However, Synder’s reputation for player development played a primary role in landing the job.

m A person familiar with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ search said the team has contacted Maccabi Tel Aviv Coach David Blatt about their coaching job. The highly regarded Blatt coached Russia to a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. He is one of several candidates to speak with the Cavs, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. Blatt has not had a formal interview, the person said. The Cavs are being thorough as they look to replace Mike Brown, who was fired May 12, ending his second stint with the team. Cleveland went 33-49 under Brown. Blatt also has drawn interested for an assistant’s job with Golden State and Minnesota. He recently led Maccabi to the European championship, upsetting Real Madrid. The Cavs are not commenting during their search.

BASEBALL

Rose to manage a game

All-time hits king Pete Rose is going to manage one game this month for the Bridgeport Bluefish in the independent Atlantic League. Rose, 73, will run the Connecticut team June 16. The Bluefish host the Lancaster Barnstormers that night. Rose was managing the Cincinnati Reds in 1989 when he agreed to a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball. He later admitted that he bet on Reds games while managing them. Rose is able to take this one-game job because the Bluefish are not affiliated with any team in Major League Baseball.

m Tigers catcher Alex Avila was taken out of the starting lineup for Detroit’s game against Boston on Saturday night, but the team said he is progressing well after being hit in the head by the follow-through of David Ortiz’s swing. Avila was injured in the eighth inning Friday night and left the game. Trainer Kevin Rand said Avila initially had some concussion symptoms, such as a headache, but those symptoms were gone Saturday. Rand said any time Avila is hit — regardless of whether there are any concussion signs — the team has him wear a CryoHelmet, which cools the head and carotid artery. Avila wears that after the game if he’s hit in the head. Rand said Avila had it on for about 30 minutes after Friday’s game.

m Philadelphia Manager Ryne Sandberg earned his first career ejection Saturday after arguing the replay confirmation of a play at the plate that kept the Phillies from adding a run in their game against the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds were leading 6-3 with two outs in the sixth inning when Marlon Byrd was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first on Domonic Brown’s double to right-center field. The play prompted crew chief Tom Hallion to ask for a review to make sure Major League Baseball’s new rules governing plays at the plate weren’t violated. When the replay confirmed the initial ruling, Sandberg came out of the dugout to argue, which is automatic grounds for ejection. The umpires tried to wave him back into the dugout, and Hallion ejected Sandberg when he persisted. The review took 2 minutes, 21 seconds.

m Just call him Johnny Baseball. Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 28th round of the Major League Baseball draft Saturday. He was the 837th player taken. Manziel was listed as a shortstop for Texas A&M, although he never played for the Aggies as he focused on football. Manziel, the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy in 2012, was taken by the Browns with the 22nd overall pick in the NFL draft last month. “Big thank you to the Padres and padresmikedee for selecting me in the MLB draft,” Manziel wrote on his Twitter page. “What a great day!” Manziel played baseball and football at Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas, and asked Texas A&M coaches about being part of the baseball team before winning the Aggies’ starting quarterback job as a redshirt freshman.

HOCKEY

Judgement upheld

A federal judge in Michigan has upheld a $1.6 million judgment against former Detroit Red Wings forward Kevin Miller for a hit from behind during a 2000 Swiss league game that ended another player’s career. U.S. District Judge Gordon Quist in Grand Rapids ruled in favor of a Swiss insurance company. The insurer had asked the court to recognize a Swiss court’s $1.1 million judgment, which increased to $1.6 million with interest and costs. Quist said in Thursday’s ruling that his court was following the Uniform Foreign-Country Judgments Recognition Act. Miller’s hit on Canadian national Andrew McKim caused McKim to fall forward and strike his head on the ice. He was hospitalized for weeks with a concussion and other injuries. Miller previously refused to pay the Swiss court’s judgment.

MOTOR SPORTS

Rosberg takes GP pole

Nico Rosberg has earned the pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix. The Formula One points leader had the fastest lap in qualifying on Friday, completing the 4.361-kilometer (2.71-mile) Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in his Mercedes in 1 minute, 14.874 seconds. Teammate Lewis Hamilton was second, just 0.079 seconds slower. Defending Formula One champion and last year’s winner in Montreal, Sebastian Vettel, was third. The Mercedes teammates continued their Formula One domination. They have won all six races so far this year, and taken the pole position in all six events. Rosberg holds a four-point lead in the championship standings, 122-118, over 2008 world champion Hamilton.

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