NBA suspends Mbenga for six games
NEW YORK, June 2 (UPI) -- The NBA has suspended Dallas center D.J. Mbenga for six games for going into the stands in Tuesday's playoff game against Phoenix.
Mbenga, who was inactive for Game Four and was on the Mavericks' bench in street clothes, went into the stands to defend Cassandra Johnson, the wife of Dallas Coach Avery Johnson, who was involved in a heated verbal exchange with several Suns' fans in the first quarter.
He violated a league rule prohibiting players, active or not, from going into the stands for any reason.
"Family business," Armstrong said when asked about the conversation by the Dallas Morning News.
The suspension started with Game Five Thursday night.
The report said Mbenga, who has not played in the series, will lose $48,000 of his $880,000 yearly salary.
NBA Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson said the league will not take action against Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban for his involvement in the incident.
Escobar gets new contract from Angels
ANAHEIM, Calif., June 2 (UPI) -- Right-handed pitcher Kelvim Escobar of the Los Angeles Angels has signed a three-year contract extension.
The Los Angeles Daily News reported that Escobar signed the deal -- which will pay him $28.5 million -- on Thursday.
He turned down an extension in spring training, saying he would pitch his way into a bigger deal.
"It was done really quickly and that's the way both parties wanted it," Angels General Manager Bill Stoneman told the newspaper. "It keeps the public out of it and keeps the rest of the players focused on baseball instead of reading about contracts and stuff in the papers. It keeps their focus where it ought to be, and that's on the field playing baseball."
The 30-year-old Escobar is 5-5 with a 3.96 ERA, 12 walks and 47 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings this season.
For his career, he is 74-59 with an ERA of 3.35 in 1,178 1/3 innings.
Eischen done for the year
WASHINGTON, June 2 (UPI) -- The Washington Nationals have placed left-handed reliever Joey Eischen on the 60-day disabled list with a rotator cuff injury to his pitching shoulder.
A Wednesday morning MRI revealed the damage.
Eischen, 36, will miss the rest of the 2006 season and the damage could be career-threatening. He had been pitching in pain all season.
In his latest outing Monday night at Philadelphia, he threw to only two batters in the seventh inning before leaving with shoulder pain.
"It didn't make any sense that I couldn't throw strikes," Eischen told MLB.com. "I realized that I was hurting the team."
"I figure something like this would take at least a year to a year and a half to come back," said Manager Frank Robinson. "I knew it was hurting him pretty good."
Eischen, a lifetime middle reliever, was 0-1 this season with an ERA of 8.59 in 14 2/3 innings over 22 relief appearances.
Nadal extends clay-court winning streak
PARIS, June 2 (UPI) -- World No. 2 Rafael Nadal of Spain Friday beat American Kevin Kim, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4, in a second-round match at the French Open Tennis Tournament in Paris.
With his win, the 19-year-old Nadal, a clay-court specialist, ran his winning streak in clay matches to 55.
"I am happy for the record," Nadal said. "But for me the most important thing is Roland Garros. I was not hitting the ball well, then I improved in the final (game) of the first set."
Nadal's match was completed from Thursday, when it was interrupted by rain.
Other second-round winners were No. 8 James Blake -- the only U.S. player left in the men's draw -- 15th-seeded David Ferrer of Spain and No. 28 Fernando Verdasco of Spain.
Third-round winners included top-seed and world No. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland, No. 3 David Nalbandian of Argentina and 12th-seeded Mario Ancic of Croatia.
Karlsson has edge, and record, in Wales
NEWPORT, Wales, June 2 (UPI) -- Sweden's Robert Karlsson shot a 6-under 63 Friday and has a four-shot lead after 36 holes of the Wales Open at Newport, Wales.
At 14-under 124, he leads a trio from England -- Phillip Archer, Simon Dyson and Paul Broadhurst -- who are tied for second place at 10-under 128.
"I realize there are lower scores to par than mine, but it's always nice to have that number under my belt," said Karlsson, who shot 61 in the first round.
Alessandro Tadini of Monaco set the previous 36-hole record for this event, 127, last year.
Karlsson's 124 is a European Tour record for lowest opening 36-hole mark -- eclipsing Tiger Woods' 125 in the 2000 WGC-NEC Invitational, which Frankie Minoza matched in 2001 at the Singapore Masters.
Archer shot 9-under 60 in Thursday's opening round, one-shot short of the European Tour single-round record of 59.
Colo. U. to lend athletic program $8M
DURANGO, Colo., June 2 (UPI) -- The University of Colorado has agreed to bail out its athletic department with an $8 million loan.
The department, hit by a recent football recruiting scandal, has been struggling with low season ticket sales to its football games and a drop in alumni donations, the Boulder Daily Camera reported. Insurance costs also have gone up because of lawsuits stemming from the scandal, and a change in football coaches cost about $4 million.
Mike Bohn, who spent his first year as athletic director struggling with the financial crisis, reported on the department's finances Thursday at a meeting of the board of regents.
"I just think it's obvious there need to be some experienced accountants in athletics," Regent Mike Carrigan said after listening to the dismal numbers.
Carrigan also blamed former Athletic Director Dick Tharp for setting optimistic fundraising goals.
The board agreed to forgive $2 million in debts the athletic department is expected to owe in 2007.
North America's biggest sailing regatta
DETROIT, June 2 (UPI) -- North America's largest and oldest sailing regatta is expected to draw more than 30,000 competitors and spectators to Detroit this month.
More than 200 competitive sailors are participating in the Lands' End National Offshore One Design Regatta, which began Friday and lasts through Sunday, organizers said.
Each event in the nine-event series features sailboat racing for one-design models from 20 feet to 70 feet in length.
Officials will select an overall winner for each of the races in the regatta as well as give one crew the overall prize.
The regatta is hosted by Bayview Yacht Club.
