My Sports News Digest

The Orioles would have had far-and-away the best shortstop available in trade talks this month if they didn’t sign J.J. Hardy to a three-year, .5 million extension two weeks ago.  The 28-year-old Hardy has had a terrific season in his first year in Baltimore, hitting .275/.325/.510 with 18 homers in 298 at-bats. And extending Hardy was a defensible decision.  The Orioles have a top shortstop prospect in 2010 first-round pick Manny Machado, but he’s probably two years away from the majors.  Hardy was a better choice to bridge that gap than anyone who would have been available in free agency [...]

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Getty Images Despite multiple, consistent reports from Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Steelers aren’t interested in running back Tiki Barber, talk persists that the Steelers will take a run at the man who hasn’t played football in more than four-and-one-half years. Given the news that Mewelde Moore has been re-signed by the Steelers, Tiki’s torch for the Steelers could finally be extinguished. Of course, Barber has said he wants to come back as something more than a third-down option, which is Moore’s specialty.  Still, having Rashard Mendenhall and Mewelde Moore on the roster makes it less likely [...]

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Yikes. What has been an otherwise relatively quiet weekend is that no more, with a report surfacing that a starting member of the Syracuse football program is facing some fairly serious and significant legal issues. According to the Syracuse Post-Standard, wide receiver Marcus Sales is facing a slew of drug-related charges following a traffic stop Friday night.  Sales, along with his brother, were charged with fifth- and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia and unlawful possession of marijuana. Sales was the driver of a vehicle which police observed running a red light, leading to [...]

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Updated Jul 31, 2011 1:23 AM ET STANFORD, CALIF. (AP) Serena Williams, who needed nearly a year to recover from surgery, is putting her best foot forward again and playing like a champion. Williams moved into the final of the Bank of the West Classic with an impressive 6-1, 6-2 victory over Germany’s Sabine Lisicki on Saturday night. It’s her first appearance in a final since winning the title at Wimbledon last year and her first final on American soil since losing to Victoria Azarenka in Miami in March of 2009. The unseeded and 169th-ranked Williams will meet third-seeded and ninth-ranked [...]

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The Stanley Cup has seen some exotic (and wet) places since we last took a look at its tour among the Boston Bruins. Let’s go in chronological order, beginning with the last leg of its European tour. Tuukka Rask’s day (July 24): It must be strange to be Rask. He was the expected starter going into the 2010-11 season only to see Tim Thomas return to his Vezina Trophy form from 2008-09 and steal back the job. Instead of being the Bruins’ starter, he was relegated to solid backup duty. A lot has been made of the trade value of [...]

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It all came down to the final hole of the Irish Open on Sunday at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club. The final group of Simon Dyson and Richard Green approached the 72nd hole at level on 15-under par. Both players hit the green in regulation, but Dyson had a clear two-putt par. The Aussie Green did not. In the end, Green could not save par on the final green and his 3-putt bogey gave the championship to the Englishman. “You always feel sorry for somebody when that happens,” Dyson said afterward. “I’d much prefer to win it with a birdie. [...]

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Clearly Shawn Marion is concerned he could not live up to the dancing standard set by Mavs owner Mark Cuban. Okay, maybe not. But Marion has decided not to go where Cuban had gone before — Marion turned down a stint on Dancing with the Stars, according to TMZ.com. Sources close to Shawn tell TMZ, “Dancing” sent him an official offer to appear on the show, but the NBA champ wants to make sure he’s 100% available in case the lockout ends early … so it’s a no go. Dancing with the Stars runs through November. Usually an NBA player [...]

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Both ESPN’s Buster Olney and FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal are hearing that the Diamondbacks are making a run at Oakland reliever Brad Ziegler.  SI.com’s Jon Heyman reports that a deal is likely. The A’s haven’t ruled out trading any of their veteran relievers, but Ziegler would probably be the second most expensive to acquire, behind only closer Andrew Bailey.  Ziegler has a 2.39 ERA in 37 2/3 innings this season, and right-handers have hit just .198 against him. Ziegler is strictly a matchup guy: with his sidearm delivery, left-handers have torched him for a .398 average.  However, he’s yet to give up a [...]

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