FOOTBALL
Cowboys release DT Woods
The Dallas Cowboys released defensive tackle Antwaun Woods on Wednesday, less than a week after drafting two potential replacements for a starter from each of the past three seasons. Woods had signed a non-guaranteed $2.1 million contract as a restricted free agent last month, so his release won't cost anything against the salary cap. After giving up a franchise-record 473 points and having the second-worst run defense in the NFL, the Cowboys used eight of their 11 draft picks on defensive players last week, the most since the draft was reduced to seven rounds in 1994. The Cowboys released five other players as well: cornerbacks Saivion Smith and Kemon Hall, defensive linemen Walter Palmore and Ladarius Hamilton, and center Adam Redmond.
Lions sign TE Fells
The Detroit Lions have signed tight end Darren Fells. Detroit made the move Wednesday, giving the team a veteran at the position it can put on the field with Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson. The 35-year-old Fells has 123 career catches with 1,483 yards receiving and 21 touchdowns. The previous two years in Houston, he had a combined 55 catches for 653 yards and 11 touchdowns. Fells has started 76 games -- including 13 with the Lions in 2017 -- and played in 102 games with Arizona, Detroit, Cleveland and the Texans.
BASEBALL
Former AL manager dies
Ray Miller, the former Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles manager who spent 42 years in professional baseball and served as the pitching coach for three Cy Young award winners, has died. He was 76. The Twins said Miller died Tuesday night. No cause was announced. Miller's record as a major league manager was 266-297, with the Twins from 1985-86 and the Orioles from 1998-99. Miller mentored Cy Young winners Mike Flanagan (1979) and Steve Stone (1980) and even won a World Series with the Orioles (1983). Jim Palmer, Scott McGregor and Mike Boddicker were 20-game winners under his watch, too.
Indians catcher goes on IL
The Cleveland Indians could be without starting catcher Roberto Perez for an extended period due to a fractured finger. The team placed the two-time Gold Glove winner on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a fractured right ring finger. Perez had been playing with the injury since hurting on April 14, when he got crossed up catching a pitch from reliever James Karinchak in Chicago. Manager Terry Francona said Perez had been "feeling it" when he played. Francona said recent X-rays showed the injury "looked like it was starting to get a little bit worse, so we needed to stop that."
Yanks' Odor heads to IL
Second baseman Rougned Odor was put on the 10-day injured list by the New York Yankees with a sprained left knee on Wednesday. Odor was hurt Tuesday night when his knee slammed into Houston catcher Martin Maldonado's head as he reached the plate and scored in the sixth inning of New York's 7-3 win. Odor appeared to be trying to avoid DJ LeMahieu's bat, which was lying in the right-handed batter's box after he hit a soft grounder to third for an infield single. Odor came around when third baseman Alex Bregman overthrew first for an error.
TENNIS
Nadal advances in Madrid
In a much-anticipated battle of generations, Rafael Nadal showed he is still clearly the man to beat in Spanish tennis, cruising to a 6-1, 6-2 win over teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday. Nadal, seeking his sixth title in Madrid and looking to regain top form ahead of the French Open, was never threatened by Alcaraz, who turned 18 on Wednesday. The 120th-ranked Alcaraz was coming off his first match win at a Masters 1000 event and has been touted by many as the successor to the 34-year-old Nadal. Nadal will next face Australian qualifier Alexei Popyrin, who defeated Jannik Sinner 7-6 (5), 6-2. Fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas, who lost to Nadal in the Barcelona final, advanced to the third round by beating Benoit Paire 6-1, 6-2.
HOCKEY
Rangers fire president, GM
The New York Rangers abruptly fired president John Davidson and General Manager Jeff Gorton on Wednesday with three games left in the season, a shocking move in the aftermath of the latest controversy for the storied NHL organization. Chris Drury was named president and GM. He previously served as associate GM under Davidson and Gorton. The stunning news came less than 24 hours after the team ripped the league for fining but not suspending Washington's Tom Wilson for his role in a scrum Monday night that injured Rangers star Artemi Panarin. A team statement called the decision a dereliction of duty and that George Parros was "unfit" to remain in his job as head of player safety. It was not immediately clear if the front office shakeup had any connection to the criticism of the league.
