Off the wire

Bobby Wood (9) is congratulated by teammates after his goal in the second half of Tuesday’s World Cup qualifying match against Honduras in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Bobby Wood (9) is congratulated by teammates after his goal in the second half of Tuesday’s World Cup qualifying match against Honduras in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

BASKETBALL

Rockets sold for $2.2B

The Houston Rockets will be sold for $2.2 billion, the highest price ever paid for an NBA team, said a person with knowledge of the deal who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the sale was not yet completed. The team and the buyer, Tilman J. Fertitta, announced the sale Tuesday, but did not disclose the price. The man who will be getting the big check is Leslie Alexander, who bought the team in 1993 for $85 million. The deal requires the approval of the NBA's board of governors. The big price came in part because the Rockets are a stable and successful franchise, which won 55 games last season, led by a superstar, James Harden. It is also based in the country's fourth-largest city. But the value of every NBA team is rising thanks to the explosion of television money. The league has a nine-year, $24 billion deal with ESPN and Turner Sports. The deal nearly tripled the annual revenue from the previous deal. The previous record for an NBA team was the $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers to Steve Ballmer in 2014.

FOOTBALL

Opener moving

The Miami Dolphins' season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will not be played in Miami this week, but may be moved to a neutral site because of Hurricane Irma, the NFL said Tuesday. If the game is not relocated, it will be postponed until November, when the teams share the same bye week. Kickoff had been scheduled for Sunday at noon Central, but Irma is forecast to threaten South Florida this weekend. The NFL decided against switching the game to Thursday night in Miami. A decision on when and where to play is expected by today.

Jets sign Kerley

The Jets have turned to a familiar face to add depth to their receiving corps, as they signed Jeremy Kerley to a one-year contract. Kerley, 28, who was released by the Jets in 2015 after playing five seasons with the team, played last year for the 49ers. Kerley had initially signed with the Lions after being released by the Jets, but was traded to the 49ers before the start of the season. He had 64 catches for 667 yards and three touchdowns in San Francisco last year. The 49ers released Kerley on Saturday. Kerley, the Jets' third-round pick in 2011, had 182 catches for 2,225 yards and 9 touchdowns with the Jets. The Jets also made quarterback Christian Hackenberg their third-string quarterback when the team released its first depth chart in advance of Sunday's regular season opener in Buffalo. Bryce Petty is listed as the primary backup to starter Josh McCown. Hackenberg started the Jets' second and third preseason game so coaches could get a look at him with the first-team offense. But he had two poor outings against the Lions and Giants.

Bills' QB on IR

The Buffalo Bills have placed third-string quarterback T.J. Yates on the injured reserve list in making a series of moves before their season opener against the New York Jets on Sunday. Yates sustained a concussion in a 13-9 loss at Baltimore on Aug. 26, and also lost the backup job to rookie Nathan Peterman. He became expendable after Buffalo signed Joe Webb on Monday. Buffalo also cut defensive tackle Deandre Coleman on Tuesday. The moves freed up space for Buffalo to sign safety Colt Anderson, who was released a day earlier, and defensive tackle Cedric Thornton. Thornton (Star City) spent last season appearing in 13 games for the Dallas Cowboys. He played his first four years in Philadelphia, where he had four sacks in 45 starts in 61 games.

COLLEGE BASEBALL

Wireless tech coming

A coach in the dugout using a wireless device will be able to speak directly to his catcher to call pitches in SEC conference baseball games and in the postseason tournament in 2018, a move that is expected to significantly reduce the length of games. The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel last month approved a request from the SEC to allow the technology on an experimental basis. It won't be used in nonconference games or NCAA postseason games. The conference will share with the NCAA its findings about the trial's effect on pace of play. The NCAA did not have complete regular-season game length data for 2017. College World Series games averaged 3 hours, 15 minutes this year, and the average has been 3 hours or longer all but one of the last 13 years. SEC associate commissioner Herb Vincent said he's been told the technology could trim as much as 5 seconds from the time it takes to deliver each pitch. If there are 240 pitches in a game, that would add up to 20 minutes. The dugout-to-catcher communication will be one-way. Catchers will wear an earpiece to hear the type of pitch the coach wants thrown and then relay a sign to the pitcher.

SOCCER

NASL future on line

The U.S. Soccer Federation denied the North American Soccer League Division 2 status for 2018, a move that threatens the league's future. The current NASL started play in 2011 with second-tier status. The USSF raised the United Soccer League from the third tier to the second in January, when both the NASL and USL were given provisional Division 2 status. At the time, the USSF said neither league met all its standards. The NASL has eight teams this year, down from 12 in its 2016 fall season. The league said in a statement Tuesday it "does not believe that the federation acted in the best interest of the sport," contending the decision harms many stakeholders in soccer -- fans, players, coaches, referees, business partners and the "NASL club owners who have invested tens of millions of dollars promoting the sport. The decision also jeopardizes the thousands of jobs created by the NASL and its member clubs." Aaron Davidson was NASL board chairman and president of Traffic Sports USA, an NASL investor, before he was indicted in May 2015 as part of the U.S. Justice Department's investigation into soccer corruption. He pleaded guilty last year to federal racketeering conspiracy and wire-fraud conspiracy charges.

SOCCER

U.S. forges tie against Honduras with late goal

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras -- Bobby Wood scored off a scramble in the 85th minute, and the United States escaped from Honduras with a 1-1 tie and important point Tuesday after nearly falling into a deep hole in World Cup qualifying.

"I was thinking we might have an early vacation at the end of this year," Coach Bruce Arena said afterward.

Romell Quioto scored in the 27th minute after defender Omar Gonzalez failed to clear the ball with a slide tackle. Quioto was left with an open 11-yard shot that beat goalkeeper Brad Guzan to the far post, causing exuberant fans to stomp and shake Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano.

Christian Pulisic was fouled about 30 yards from the goal and Kellyn Acosta took the free kick. Goalkeeper Luis Lopez batted the ball with his left hand, and Matt Besler hooked it to Jordan Morris. He sent a backward header to Wood, a 73rd-minute substitute. Wood chested the ball to score his ninth international goal.

The U.S. remained third in the North and Central American and Caribbean region with nine points, ahead of Honduras on goal difference with two qualifiers remaining. Panama had seven points and was in position to overtake the Americans later Tuesday when it hosted last-place Trinidad and Tobago.

The top three nations in the six-team group qualify for next year's tournament in Russia, and the fourth-place country meets Australia or Syria in a playoff for another berth. The U.S. hosts Panama on Oct. 6 in Orlando, Fla., and finishes four days later at Trinidad, so Arena's team has control of its fate.

Still, the Americans may need victories in both games. They will head into their finale uncertain of qualifying for the first time since 1989, when Paul Caligiuri's goal gave them a 1-0 victory at Trinidad and their first World Cup berth since 1950.

Sports on 09/06/2017

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