Reuters Sports News Summary

NFL didn't push Patriots not to fight 'Deflategate' penalty: Goodell

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft's decision not to appeal the team's "Deflategate" penalty was made without pressure from the National Football League, Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Wednesday. "The decision that Robert made was his decision," Goodell said during a 25-minute news conference at the end of the NFL owners' meeting in San Francisco.

Texan Spieth set for a 'crazy' week at Colonial

Masters champion and local favorite Jordan Spieth is preparing for a "crazy" time in front of massive crowds when he competes in this week's Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. The Dallas native is the first Texan to win one of golf's four coveted majors since Justin Leonard triumphed at the 1997 British Open and he will be a huge drawcard at Colonial, and also at next week's Byron Nelson Championship in his hometown.

Hawks lose Game One, Carroll to knee injury

The Atlanta Hawks suffered a double blow on Wednesday when they were beaten 97-89 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game One of the Eastern Conference finals and lost DeMarre Carroll to what looked like a serious knee injury. J.R. Smith caught fire off the bench with 28 points, including eight three-pointers, and LeBron James tallied 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Cavaliers grabbed the lead in the best-of-seven series. Adding injury to the insult of dropping Game One on their home floor, the Hawks lost leading playoff scorer Carroll in the fourth quarter when he planted his foot and fell on a non-contact play.

Maple Leafs hire Babcock as new head coach

The Toronto Maple Leafs won the Mike Babcock sweepstakes on Wednesday by beating out a handful of teams that tried to land the highly-coveted head coach who spent the last 10 NHL seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. Terms of the deal were not disclosed in a statement by the Maple Leafs but the team reportedly offered Babcock a mammoth eight-year contract worth $50 million that would make him the National Hockey League's highest-paid coach.

Dodgers' Ryu to have surgery; likely out for season

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin will have arthroscopic surgery on his troublesome left shoulder this week, likely ending his season, the Major League Baseball team said on Wednesday. The South Korean left-hander, who signed a six-year, $36 million contract with the Dodgers in 2012, has been sidelined since late March after suffering from a sore shoulder during spring training.

Japan name Barker captain for America's Cup challenge

Former Team New Zealand skipper Dan Barker has taken over as the new chief executive and captain of Japan's challenge for the next America's Cup, organizers said on Thursday. The 43-year-old skippered New Zealand's last three America's Cup challenges but left the team earlier this year after they asked him to take on a land-based role rather than leading the team on the water.

Oliver flies past rivals to set alight Bird's Nest

Justin Gatlin may have flown home but at least the Bird's Nest Stadium could thrill instead to another 33-year-old American speedster, David Oliver, running the fastest 110 meters hurdles this year at Beijing's World Challenge meeting on Wednesday. Gatlin's fall-out with the organizers had led to him departing on the eve of the meeting in a huff but the smiling world champion Oliver proved a popular top of the bill with his second win in China in four days.

Forty-five minutes that could change soccer's world

When Sepp Blatter is not comparing FIFA to a boat in calm or choppy waters he often uses football analogies to illustrate his point so it might amuse him to think he faces a tricky 45 minutes at this month's Congress. That is when he will have to sit back and listen to the three men challenging his right to remain FIFA president, with each being allowed 15 minutes to score, as it were, a goal that would send him crashing to defeat.

Beijing organizers say they did not 'kick out' Gatlin

Organizers of Wednesday's Beijing World Challenge have denied that they kicked out Justin Gatlin from their meeting and said they were "perplexed" by the controversial sprinter's claim. The meeting went ahead without its star attraction Gatlin, who had stormed out of Beijing on Tuesday, claiming that he was ready to run the 100 meters but had been told by organizers he was not wanted.

Kucherov clincher gives Bolts 2-1 series lead over Rangers

Nikita Kucherov skated through the New York defense and slapped home the game-winning goal as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Rangers 6-5 in overtime on Wednesday to move ahead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final series. Kucherov got the puck in his own zone, took it up the ice and fired in the decisive score at 3:33 in the extra session, giving the Lightning a 2-1 advantage in the series.