Chargers GM diagnosed with lung cancer
SAN DIEGO, July 30 (UPI) -- San Diego Chargers General Manager John Butler has been diagnosed with lung cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
"During his treatments, he is tending to business as usual and wants everyone in the Chargers family to do the same," said Chargers President Alex Spanos in a prepared statement. "While he is grateful for the kind thoughts and interest, he wants the entire organization to remain focused on bringing a world championship to San Diego."
Butler, 55, has been unavailable for comment. Coach Marty Schottenheimer informed the players of his condition during a meeting.
Butler is known to have been a long-time smoker before joining the Chargers last year after 14 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. A team official made it clear Tuesday that Butler he gave up cigarettes shortly after arriving in San Diego.
Butler will undergo chemotherapy for an unspecified period, after which he will receive radiation treatments. The cancer has not stopped Butler from attending every practice since the team opened training camp, although he had been spending less time in the office before that.
Cavs send Miller to L.A.. in 4-man swap
LOS ANGELES, July 30 (UPI) -- The Cleveland Cavaliers traded Andre Miller to the Los Angeles Clippers Tuesday along with forward Bryant Stith for forwards Darius Miles and Harold Jamison.
Miller, a Los Angeles native who played at Verbum Dei High School, nearly was traded to the Clippers on draft night in June but the plans fell through. That left the Clippers with an abundance of forwards and a glaring need for a point guard.
Miller, the NBA's assist leader with 10.9 per game last season, can become a restricted free agent after the upcoming season. His desire for a maximum contract caused the Cavaliers to shop the former University of Utah product rather than try to foot the bill.
Keyon Dooling and Marko Jaric are the two point guards on the Clippers' roster. Dooling was limited to 14 games last season due to injury. Jaric had been playing in Italy and signed a contract three weeks ago.
Miles, considered one of the league's best young talents, averaged 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds a year ago for Los Angeles.
The 20-year-old was the third overall pick in 2000 and should immediately have an impact on Cleveland's thin frontcourt.
Jamison averaged 1.9 points in 25 games for Los Angeles and Stith contributed 4.2 points in 50 games last season.
Seles withdraws from Acura Classic
SAN DIEGO, July 30 (UPI) -- American Monica Seles, a former world No. 1, pulled out of the $775,000 Acura Classic Tuesday due to an inflammation of the arch in her right foot.
Seles, 28, returned home to rest and recover after being upset by compatriot Lisa Raymond in the quarterfinals at last week's Stanford hardcourt event.
The leader among active WTA players with 53 career titles, Seles has never won this tournament, finishing as the runner-up in 1991, 1997, 2000 and 2001.
Seles is expected to compete in next week's $585,000 J.P. Morgan Chase Open at Los Angeles.
Football Giants sign top draft pick
ALBANY, N.Y., July 30 (UPI) -- Rookie tight end Jeremy Shockey ended a brief holdout Tuesday and signed with the New York Giants.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but Newsday reported that Shockey, the Giants' top draft pick, will receive a minimum of $8.53 million over five years. The newspaper added that the contract includes a voidable sixth year and that incentives could push the total value to over $13 million.
Shockey, a star at the University of Miami, was taken with the 14th overall choice in the April draft. He missed the first six days of camp. The 6-4, 255-pound Shockey was a finalist for the John Mackey Award, given to the nation's top tight end. Shockey, who left school a year early, finished with a career-high 40 receptions for 519 yards and seven touchdowns and was one of the main targets of Hurricanes quarterback Ken Dorsey.
Redskins seek to shore up defensive line
CARLISLE, Pa., July 30 (UPI) -- The Washington Redskins, looking for help on a depleted defensive line, Tuesday signed tackle Daryl Gardener.
The Redskins have been in the market for defensive linemen after Bruce Smith and Santana Dotson were placed on the physically unable to perform list last week.
Gardener spent his first seven NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins after being selected in the first round of the 1996 draft out of Baylor. He appeared in eight games last season, posting 36 tackles and four sacks. The 29-year-old Gardener has 322 tackles and 15 sacks in his NFL career.
NBA to try instant replay
NEW YORK, July 30 (UPI) -- The NBA will be trying out instant replay to review certain last-second plays at the end of each quarter and overtime periods beginning next season.
"As we saw last season, last-second plays sometimes occur in which it is impossible for a human being to determine whether the play took place before time expired," said Stu Jackson, NBA Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations. "In those circumstances, the game officials will now have the use of instant replay to assist them in making the correct call."
Instant replay reviews, approved by the Board of Governors Monday, will be conducted and processed in two minutes or less by the game officials. The call made during play will only be reversed when the replay provides the officials with a "clear and conclusive" basis to do so.
Instant replay review will be triggered automatically -- and not at the discretion of the officials or teams -- in the case of a field goal or foul that could affect the outcome of the game occurring with no time remaining on the clock at the end of any of the four quarters or in overtime.
Baseball talks continue, no strike date
NEW YORK, July 30 (UPI) -- Collective bargaining continued for the fifth consecutive business day Tuesday as the players association reiterated that no strike date has been set yet, despite a number of speculative published reports.
"It's safe to say all kinds of dates have been discussed--the pros and cons--but none has been been decided--not Aug. 16, not Sept. 16, not Oct. 16," said Michael Weiner, associate general counsel for the union.
"No executive board meeting has been set to even determine the issue. It may be, though, that Don (Fehr) will decide to set up a conference call for the board in the next couple of days."
Fehr, the union's executive director, is in the midst of meeting with representatives of each team to gauge the mood for setting a strike date. He met Tueday with Houston.
He sat in on a portion of the split 2 ½-hour sessions Monday during which the union made a proposal on improving the benefit package for the players--health care, pension and disability coverage--and the sides had continued discussions on revenue sharing.
No. 2 Safin, No. 3 Haas advance
TORONTO, July 30 (UPI) -- Russian Marat Safin, the second seed, dispensed with Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina, 6-4, 6-3, in the opening round of the $2.95 million Tennis Masters Series Toronto.
Third-seeded German Tommy Haas had a slightly easier time against Canadian wild card Frederic Niemeyer, posting a 6-3, 6-3 win.
Top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt stumbled out of the tournament Monday, losing to Felix Mantilla of Spain. Hewitt was undefeated in his previous 14 matches, dating to a fourth-round setback to Guillermo Canas at the French Open.
Safin, who won this event the last time it was held in Toronto in 2000, faces a tough second-round encounter as he awaits the winner of the clash between former world No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil and reigning champion Andrei Pavel of Romania, who captured the title in Montreal a year ago.
Haas meets Sjeng Schalken of The Netherlands in the next round.
