BASEBALL
Harper vows '22 return
Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper said Tuesday that he'll be back at some point to play this season but won't put a timetable on when he can return from his broken left thumb. Harper was injured last month when he was hit by a 97 mph pitch from San Diego Padres left-hander Blake Snell. The 2021 NL MVP had three pins put in his thumb during surgery that will be there for three weeks. He is in a cast and unable to throw. Harper, 29, is hitting .318 with 15 home runs, 48 RBI and a .985 OPS. "I don't want to give anybody a timetable because I don't know," Harper said before the Phillies played Washington on Tuesday night. "If I knew a specific date that I'd be back, I'd tell you. I just don't think it's fair to anybody. I'll be back when I'm ready to go." Harper checked his swing as the pitch rode inside and high toward his shoulder before hitting him on the outside of the left hand in the fourth inning. He fell to the ground and was in pain as he held his hand while on his knees for several minutes.
Archer placed on IL
The Minnesota Twins placed veteran right-hander Chris Archer on the 15-day injured list Tuesday because of left hip tightness. Archer had been scheduled to start against the Chicago White Sox. Minnesota recalled right-hander Josh Winder from Class AAA St. Paul to pitch in his place. Archer, 33, is 2-3 with a 3.08 ERA over 15 starts in his first season with the Twins. He agreed to a $3.5 million, one-year contract in March after missing most of last season with Tampa Bay because of tightness in his right forearm. A two-time All-Star, Archer is 63-84 with a 3.84 ERA over 10 seasons with Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and Minnesota. Winder was 3-2 with a 3.06 ERA in 4 starts and 8 appearances prior to Tuesday's game.
BASKETBALL
Suns re-sign Biyombo
Bismack Biyombo is staying in the desert. The Phoenix Suns re-signed Biyombo on Tuesday after the veteran center gave them a lift off the bench last season. Terms of the deal were not announced. Biyombo signed with the Suns on Jan. 1 and he averaged 5.8 points on 59% shooting while grabbing 4.6 rebounds in 36 games. The Congo native has played 11 NBA seasons with Charlotte, Toronto, Orlando and Phoenix. The 29-year-old has averaged 5.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots since being selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2011 draft by Sacramento. He played two years professionally in Spain before joining the NBA.
FOOTBALL
Kentucky RB accepts plea
Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez accepted a guilty plea from the prosecution during his pre-trial conference on Tuesday. Rodriguez was arrested May 8 and charged with no tail lamps, careless driving and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. The first two counts were merged Tuesday into the third count of operating a motor vehicle under the influence with Rodriguez's guilty plea requiring him to pay a $200 fine plus over $500 in court costs by Dec. 13. Rodriguez's driver's license will be suspended for four to six months in Kentucky with no hardship exception. Judge Lindsay Thurston said details must be worked out since Rodriguez has a Georgia driver's license. She also anticipated that Rodriguez will have to participate in an alcohol driver program. Kentucky sports information director Tony Neely said on Tuesday the school had no additional comment. The McDonough, Ga., native rushed for 1,379 yards and nine touchdowns last season as a junior. He rushed for 100 or more yards in nine of UK's 13 games, including the final five. He also caught 13 passes, including three for touchdowns.
Emporia State player dies
Brexten Green, a wide receiver on the Emporia State football team, died over the weekend in a cliff-diving accident at Grand Lake in Oklahoma, the university announced Tuesday. The Grand River Dam Authority received an emergency around 6:30 p.m. Saturday about a man who jumped into Grand Lake around Dripping Springs and didn't resurface, KFOR-TV reported. Rescue crews found his body in 31 feet of water. Green came to Emporia State from Cashion High School in Cashion, Okla. He was set to start his second year after redshirting last season and was seeking a business administration degree, University President Ken Hush wrote in a campus-wide email. Hush said Emporia State's counseling service was available to help anyone who needed it. "It's a terrible day for Emporia State football and just a devastating loss for the Green family," football Coach Garin Higgins said in a news release. "Brexten was a great teammate who cared so much about this football program. It showed in his competitive spirit, his work ethic and his willingness to be there for his teammates. He will always be a part of our Hornet football family." Green was an All-State selection by the Oklahoma Coaches Association for the 2020 Oklahoma Class A State Champion Wildcats. He was the District A-3 Player of the Year as a senior after gaining 1,720 receiving yards, 409 rushing yards and scoring 27 total touchdowns.
TRACK AND FIELD
Felix headed to Worlds
Allyson Felix was named to her 10th world championship team, where she will have a chance to run in the mixed relay event and add to her record medal collection. Felix, whose 18 medals are the most in world-championship history, has announced that this will be her final season in track. At last month's U.S. championships, she finished sixth in the 400 meters and did not qualify for any individual events. But the 36-year-old was named to the mixed-relay pool Tuesday when USA Track and Field released its 151-person roster for worlds. The world championships run July 15-24 in Eugene, Ore. Missing from the roster was Sha'Carri Richardson, who failed to qualify for the finals of either the 100 or 200 meters at nationals. Richardson won the women's 100 at Olympic trials last year but was banned from the games after testing positive for a substance found in marijuana. Among those named to the women's 400 relay pool was Gabby Thomas, the 200-meter champion in 2021 who has been dealing with a hamstring injury this season. Thomas finished eighth at nationals last month.
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS
Owner: Teams not for sale
The NFL's Seattle Seahawks and NBA's Portland Trail Blazers are not currently for sale, the chairwoman of both franchises said Tuesday. Jody Allen's statement came amid growing speculation about the future ownership of the teams due to stipulations in Paul Allen's will that called for both teams to eventually be sold and the proceeds given to philanthropic endeavors. Most of the speculation has centered on the future of the Trail Blazers. "As chair of both the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Seahawks, my long-term focus is building championship teams that our communities are proud of," Jody Allen said in her statement. "Like my brother Paul, I trust and expect our leaders and coaches to build winning teams that deliver results on and off the court and field. As we've stated before, neither of the teams is for sale and there are no sales discussions happening." Allen has overseen both teams since her brother died in 2018 and is the trustee for his estate. She acknowledged the teams will eventually be put up for sale but said there is no set timeline. "A time will come when that changes given Paul's plans to dedicate the vast majority of his wealth to philanthropy, but estates of this size and complexity can take 10 to 20 years to wind down. There is no pre-ordained timeline but which the teams must be sold," Allen said.