Off the wire

Manny Pacquiao, left.
Manny Pacquiao, left.

BOXING

Attorney: Suit 'frivolous'

photo

AP

Floyd Mayweather Jr., celebrates his unanimous decision victory over Manny Pacquiao, from the Philippines, at the finish of their welterweight title fight on Saturday, May 2, 2015 in Las Vegas.

Manny Pacquiao's attorney said Tuesday he intends to move to dismiss what he describes as a "frivolous" class-action lawsuit filed against the boxer and his primary handlers in Nevada by two Las Vegas residents. The lawsuit seeks in excess of $5 million from Pacquiao, his manager Michael Koncz and his promoter, Top Rank Inc., for allegedly fraudulently covering up Pacquiao's right shoulder injury before his Saturday night loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. The lawsuit alleges that the parties failed to disclose the injury to the Nevada State Athletic Commission and worked to keep it secret from fans who paid a minimum of $2,500 to attend the fight in person and $99.95 to watch a high-definition broadcast of Saturday's pay-per-view bout. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants "had full knowledge and information that defendant Pacquiao had been seriously injured and was suffering from a torn rotator cuff," and they knew "that such injury would severely affect his performance." In a document obtained by The Los Angeles Times on Monday, Pacquiaio and Koncz signed a Nevada State Athletic Commission medical form at Friday's weigh-in that had "no" checked next to a question asking if the boxer had suffered a shoulder injury. On Monday, Koncz reported that Pacquiao will undergo shoulder surgery in Los Angeles this week and will be sidelined an estimated four to six months, with a more thorough diagnosis coming from doctors following the surgery. Pacquiao attorney Daniel Petrocelli told The Times on Tuesday that he expects the lawsuit "will be dismissed" because it makes claims that are not true. "It claims Pacquiao was injured (immediately) before the bout and that's not true -- he was injured (nearly a month) before the bout, was examined by doctors and cleared to fight," Petrocelli said. "And he was examined by the commission right before he fought. We haven't been served yet, but when we are, we'll file a motion to dismiss or a summary judgment motion."

BASEBALL

Saltalamacchia a free agent

The Miami Marlins have released catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, making him a free agent. The move Tuesday came eight days after Saltalamacchia was designated for assignment. The Marlins parted ways with the veteran even though he has nearly two seasons left on the $21 million, three-year contract he signed before the 2014 season. He played poorly last year and lost his starting job early this season to top prospect J.T. Realmuto. Saltalamacchia batted .222 last year with a slugging percentage of .357, worst among regular catchers. He also committed 15 errors, the most by a catcher since 2003. This year he is 2 for 29 (.069) with 12 strikeouts.

Cards recall Lyons

The St. Louis Cardinals recalled left-hander Tyler Lyons from Class AAA Memphis to start Tuesday night against the Chicago Cubs and optioned rookie right-hander Sam Tuivailala to Memphis. The 27-year-old Lyons was 2-1 with a 2.91 ERA in four starts for Memphis with 26 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings. He threw eight shutout innings against Rock Round his last start on April 28. Lyons is 2-8 with a 4.62 ERA in 23 career major league appearances, including 12 starts. He worked 4 2/3 innings scoreless innings in relief with a career-high eight strikeouts in the first game of a double-header against the Cubs on Aug. 30, 2014. Tuivailala appeared in one game with St. Louis, allowing one run in two innings Sunday against the Pirates.

• The Texas Rangers have received left-hander Mike Kickham on a waiver claim from Seattle and assigned him to Class AAA Round Rock. To make room on their 40-man roster, the Rangers on Tuesday transferred outfielder Ryan Rua from the 15-day to 60-day disabled list. Kickham was 0-3 in 14 games (three starts) in 2013-14 with San Francisco before being waived after last season. Seattle got the lefty in a trade from the Chicago Cubs in January, and designated him for assignment Monday after he was 0-2 with a 7.29 ERA in five starts for Class AAA Tacoma. Rua fractured his right heel April 10 after colliding with an outfield wall. He is eligible to come off the DL on June 10. Texas has nine players on the 60-day DL.

• The Atlanta Braves have designated left-handed reliever Donnie Veal for assignment and recalled right-hander Brandon Cunniff from Class AAA Gwinnett. The move leaves Luis Avilan as the only left-hander in Atlanta's bullpen. Veal gave up one run in 1 1/3 innings in Monday night's 5-2 loss to the Phillies. He allowed four runs in 3 1/3 innings for a 10.80 ERA this season. Cunniff opened the season with Atlanta, appearing in 10 games, and was optioned to April 21. He allowed 2 runs, 1 hit and 6 walks in 9 innings.

• Outfielder Cody Ross has cleared waivers and been released after his short stint with the Oakland Athletics. The move came Tuesday, three days after Ross was designated for assignment. The A's signed Ross on April 8 following his release by Arizona four days earlier. It was a cost-efficient move for Oakland, which was only responsible for $499,180, a pro-rated portion of the $507,500 league minimum. Ross was guaranteed $8.5 million this year as part of his contract with the Diamondbacks. Ross batted .091 with no home runs and three RBI in nine games with the A's.

HORSE RACING

Pharoah jogs Thursday

American Pharoah is set to return to the track Thursday for his first jog since winning the Kentucky Derby. The colt remained in Bob Baffert's barn at Churchill Downs after Saturday's race, while the four-time Derby winning trainer returned to his home base at Santa Anita in California. Derby runner-up Firing Line and Baffert's third-place finisher, Dortmund, also remained in Kentucky. Firing Line jogs Wednesday, and Dortmund on Thursday. All three are scheduled to be shipped to Pimlico Race Course next Wednesday for final preparations before the Preakness on May 16. Other contenders include Lexington Stakes winner Divining Rod and Tesio Stakes winner Bodhisattva. Neither ran in the Derby. Possible Derby runners for the 1 3/16-mile Preakness include Danzig Moon (fifth), Materiality (sixth), Carpe Diem (10th) and Mr. Z (13th). Also possible is Competitive Edge, winner of the Pat Day Mile on Derby Day.

FOOTBALL

Chiefs waive four

The Kansas City Chiefs placed four players on waivers Tuesday, including former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who had been signed in the offseason and was trying to earn a backup job. The Chiefs did not choose a quarterback in last week's draft, but they already have Alex Smith, Chase Daniel, Tyler Bray and Aaron Murray on the roster. They are also expected to add a couple of undrafted quarterbacks as free agents in the coming days. Pryor was 3-7 as a starter over three seasons in Oakland. He has not played since 2013. The Chiefs also waived linebacker JoJo Dickson, wide receiver Corbin Louks and long snapper Jorgen Hus on Tuesday.

• The New England Patriots have released former starting cornerback Alfonzo Dennard after using him in just six games last season. Dennard started seven games as a rookie in 2012 and nine in his second season. He started four of the first seven games last season but played in only two more and went on injured reserve with a hamstring injury before the last game of the regular season. In 29 games with the Patriots, he had five interceptions. Dennard was drafted in the seventh round out of Nebraska after being arrested for assaulting a police officer. He was found guilty in February 2013. The Patriots also cut long snapper Tyler Ott and linebacker Deontae Skinner.

BASKETBALL

Kennedy contract extended

Mississippi has agreed to a contract extension with men's basketball Coach Andy Kennedy that will keep him at the school until 2019. The four-year deal, which was announced by the school on Tuesday, is the longest allowed by state law. The school says it includes a base salary of $1.925 million per season, as well as possible performance incentives. Kennedy, a Louisville, Miss., native, has led the Rebels to the NCAA Tournament in two of the past three seasons. He just finished his ninth season with the program and his 192 career victories are the most in school history. Ole Miss is in the midst of building a new on-campus basketball arena that is expected to be ready next year.

Sports on 05/06/2015

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