In Brief
BASEBALL
Rays' Longoria hurts hamstring,
could miss four to eight weeks
Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria was put on the 15-day disabled list with a partially torn left hamstring that's expected to sideline him four to eight weeks.
The Rays received the test results before Tuesday night's game against the Seattle Mariners. Longoria is hitting .329 with four homers and 19 RBIs.
The three-time All-Star was injured Monday night while running to second base on an attempted steal. He remained on the ground for a moment before climbing to his feet and walking to the dugout without assistance. He left the game following the third inning.
On a full day of Rays news, Hideki Matsui, the former Japan Central League star who has played nine seasons in the major leagues with the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics, signed a minor league contract with the team.
He will report to extended spring training today, and the Rays reiterated that there's not a definitive timetable for getting him ready to play.
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay prospect Tim Beckham, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft, was suspended 50 games after a second violation of the minor league drug program.
The 22-year-old Beckham was hitting .204 in 13 games for Triple-A Durham this season. The shortstop had been on the disabled list because of a sprained left wrist.
Also: The $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers was finalized, ending the tumultuous era under former owner Frank McCourt, who took the team into bankruptcy and had his private life made public through a nasty divorce battle with his ex-wife.
The closure of the deal was announced in a terse statement. The Dodgers were sold to Guggenheim Baseball Management, a group that includes former Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson.
Johnny Damon joined the Cleveland Indians, and manager Manny Acta plans to put his new outfielder in the starting lineup today against the White Sox. The team purchased Damon's minor league contract and made room on the roster by designating infielder Jose Lopez for assignment.
The 38-year-old Damon, in his 18th major league season, needs 277 hits to reach 3,000. He signed a minor league deal with the Indians on April 17 and has spent the last few weeks getting ready at the club's facility in Goodyear, Ariz.
San Francisco Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt landed on the 15-day disabled list with a nonbaseball injury for the second time in less than eight months.
The left-hander sprained his right knee Saturday night when he reached out to catch his 4-year-old son, Walker, as the 60-pound boy jumped off the couch to hug his arriving father.
Last Sept. 8, Affeldt sliced his nonthrowing hand nearly to the bone while separating frozen hamburgers.
Nolan Reimold was taken out of the Baltimore Orioles' series against the New York Yankees because of a bulging disk in his back. The outfielder went 0-for-4 in Monday night's series opener as the Orioles lost 2-1.
He then called head trainer Rich Bancells after the game and reported tingling in his fingers.
Reimold returned to Baltimore on Tuesday for tests.
The Philadelphia Phillies placed right-hander David Herndon on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation. Herndon, 0-1 with a 4.70 ERA in five games, is having tests on the elbow.
COLLEGES
UNLV baseball team rumbles
to victory over UC Riverside
The UNLV baseball team routed UC Riverside 10-1 in a nonconference game at Wilson Stadium.
Leading 3-1, the Rebels (21-24) put it away with a seven-run fifth inning, including a T.J. White two-run single.
Brandon Bayardi, Trent Cook and Danny Higa each had two hits for the Rebels, and Higa had two RBIs.
UNLV starter Mark Shannon allowed one run on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings, with no walks and four strikeouts.
Also: James Johnson, a career assistant who spent the past five years on the Virginia Tech basketball staff, was introduced as Seth Greenberg's replacement. It's the 40-year-old Johnson's first head coaching job after 19 years as an assistant.
Athletic director Jim Weaver cited the integral role Johnson played in bringing many of the current Hokies to Blacksburg, and his ability to maintain recruiting continuity in the program. Johnson had left Greenberg's staff April 19 to take an assistant's job at Clemson.
Illinois basketball coach John Groce said sophomore guard Rayvonte Rice will transfer to Illinois from Drake at the end of the semester. Rice led Drake in scoring last season at 16.8 points per game and averaged 5.8 rebounds.
MISCELLANEOUS
UFC featherweight Pearson
arrested, charged with DUI
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight Ross Pearson was arrested early Sunday in Las Vegas on a DUI charge, according to a Metro spokesperson.
Pearson, the Season 9 winner of "The Ultimate Fighter," was observed swerving in his vehicle and pulled over near the intersection of Sahara and Torrey Pines. After a field sobriety test, the 27-year-old England native was arrested at 5:12 a.m. and transported to Clark County Detention Center.
Pearson is in Las Vegas serving as one of Dominick Cruz's assistant coaches on the current season of "The Ultimate Fighter."
Also: England's national soccer team is back in the hands of an Englishman - albeit one who spent the biggest part of his coaching career abroad.
Roy Hodgson was hired to coach England and end its 46-year title draught, with the Football Association hoping his international experience and homegrown heritage will be a perfect mix.
Hodgson is one of the best-traveled coaches England has produced, having spent the bulk of his career in obscurity honing the technical expertise that earned him a four-year deal.
The 64-year-old Londoner is the oldest manager to be handed the pressure-packed role, often dubbed "the Impossible Job," with expectations that usually exceed reality.
Alexander Dale Oen, a world champion swimmer who was one of Norway's top medal hopes for the London Olympics, died from cardiac arrest after collapsing in his bathroom during a training camp in Flagstaff, Ariz. He was 26.
The president of the Norwegian swimming federation, Per Rune Eknes, confirmed the death to The Associated Press in a phone interview. He said it was still unclear what led to the cardiac arrest.
In a statement, the federation said the 100-meter breaststroke world champion was found collapsed on the floor of his bathroom late Monday. He was taken to the Flagstaff Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
