In Brief

Saints put franchise tag
on quarterback Brees

The New Orleans Saints placed the franchise tag on Drew Brees, giving them exclusive negotiating rights with their Pro Bowl quarterback for the next year.

Brees has been involved in lengthy contract talks with the Saints and, without the tag, could have negotiated with other teams as a free agent. Team spokesman Greg Bensel said Saturday that the Saints were officially notifying the NFL of the designation.

In January, Brees said he would be “beyond stunned” if he and the Saints were unable to agree on a contract extension during this offseason.

In 2011, Brees set NFL records with 468 completions, 5,476 yards passing and a completion percentage of 71.2. His prolific passing numbers helped the Saints set an NFL record for total offensive yards in a season with 7,474.

He has been with the Saints for six seasons, leading them to a win in the 2010 Super Bowl.

Also: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw to receivers in a recent workout on Duke’s campus.

Duke athletic department spokesman Art Chase confirmed the veracity of a video posted Friday to YouTube and reported on by Yahoo! Sports.

TENNIS

Federer beats Murray
to claim Dubai crown

Roger Federer edged Andy Murray 7-5, 6-4 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates to win his fifth Dubai Championships title.

The second-seeded Federer didn’t drop a set all week and kept the third-seeded Murray off balance much of the match. It was Federer’s 72nd title overall.

Also: Top-seeded John Isner was bounced from the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, losing to Kevin Anderson 7-5, 7-6 (4) in the semifinals at Delray Beach, Fla.

In the final, Anderson will face qualifier Marinko Matosevic, who beat Dudi Sela, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7).

Top-seeded David Ferrer won the Mexican Open for the second straight year, beating fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 6-2 in the final at Acapulco, Mexico. In the women’s final, Sara Errani beat fellow Italian Flavia Pennetta, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-0.

MISCELLANEOUS

Wranglers’ late rally
overwhelms Steelheads

The Wranglers used a late three-goal flurry to beat the Idaho Steelheads 3-2 in an ECHL game at Boise, Idaho.

Down 2-0, Las Vegas (37-19-5) got on the board with Chris Francis’ power-play goal with 10 minutes left. Thomas Kiriakou tied it two minutes later, and Judd Blackwater got the game winner with five minutes remaining.

The Wranglers won without star goalie Joe Fallon, who was called up to the American Hockey League’s Houston Aeros before the game.

Also: IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard said there has been no talk of a driver boycott at Texas Motor Speedway, and the series will race there as planned this season.

“IndyCar has an agreement to race at Texas Motor Speedway on June 9, and will race there for a 16th consecutive season,” Bernard said in a statement to The Associated Press.

A report two weeks ago indicated the drivers were discussing boycotting the race over concerns about the fencing at Texas. Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon was killed in an October crash when his head hit a post in the fence at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The fence at Texas is constructed the same way as the fence at Las Vegas, with the posts inside the mesh wiring. Texas track president Eddie Gossage said Speedway Motorsports Inc. engineers are confident that is the best construction.