Daily sport news

Oklahoma's Griffin tops list of 103 early entries for NBA draftUSA TodayOklahoma product Blake Griffin, the men's college basketball player of the year, is among the 103 players listed as early entry candidates for the 2009 NBA draft.
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AP - Josh Hamilton expects to remain out of the Texas Rangers lineup until at least next week even though the slugger's strained left rib cage muscle is feeling better after medication and treatment.

AP - Actor Josh Duhamel has a new role for himself in May: pace car driver for the Indianapolis 500.

AP - Heisman Trophy winners Tim Brown and Gino Torretta, along with two-time All-American Chris Spielman, are among the 16 players to be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

AP - Detroit Red Wings forward Kris Draper says he will miss Games 1 and 2 against the Anaheim Ducks.

AFP - Roger Federer made short work of Czech Radek Stepanek on Thursday to book his place in the quarter-finals of the ATP Rome Masters claycourt event.

AFP - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero inaugurated Thursday the new "Magic Box" tennis venue which will host the 1000 Madrid Masters ATP tournament which gets underway on May 8.

AFP - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero inaugurated Thursday the new "Magic Box" tennis venue which will host the 1000 Madrid Masters ATP tournament which gets underway on May 8.

AP - Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton says he is feeling better after medication and treatment on his strained rib cage muscle.

AP - Formula One's governing body raised a voluntary budget cap to $59 million Thursday, banned refueling during races and opened the starting grid to an additional three teams from 2010.

AP - New York Rangers coach John Tortorella says he embarrassed the organization by throwing a water bottle into the crowd at Washington and being suspended by the NHL during the first-round playoff series.

AP - New York Rangers coach John Tortorella says he embarrassed the organization by throwing a water bottle into the crowd at Washington and being suspended by the NHL during the first-round playoff series.

AP - The New Orleans Saints and the state of Louisiana have announced a new partnership that will continue the club's commitment to the state through 2025 and also create a new Sports Development District.

AFP - Reigning champion Novak Djokovic needed just over an hour to thrash 13th seed Tommy Robredo in the ATP Rome clycourt Masters here on Thursday.

AFP - Reigning champion Novak Djokovic needed just over an hour to thrash 13th seed Tommy Robredo in the ATP Rome clycourt Masters here on Thursday.

AP - Alex Rodriguez may have been using steroids when he was a highly touted high school player and was suspected of using performance-enhancers while playing for the New York Yankees, according to a soon-to-be-released book.

AP - Newly elected College Football Hall of Famer Gino Torretta is presiding over the opening bell at the Nasdaq stock market.

AP - Newly elected College Football Hall of Famer Gino Torretta is presiding over the opening bell at the Nasdaq stock market.

AP - The Denver Nuggets ended a long postseason drought last night while the Atlanta Hawks moved closer to ending theirs. The Nuggets have won a playoff series for the first time since 1994, advancing to the NBA's Western Conference semifinals by beating New Orleans 107-86 in Game 5. The game was tied at 62 until the Nuggets closed the third quarter on an 18-4 run.

AP - Turns out a few more fans might be able to buy those empty front-row seats at Yankee Stadium. The New York Yankees slashed prices on more than 40 percent of their front-row seats by up to 50 percent Tuesday and announced many of those who bought tickets closest to the field for $325-$2,500 will be eligible for additional free seats.