Basketball
Sacramento plan expected in two weeks — NBA Commissioner David Stern expects a concrete financing plan from Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson within the next two weeks, with the aim of settling the Kings’ future by mid-April. Stern said that Johnson will attend an April 17-18 owners meeting in New York to deliver his proposal, but the league expects to have heard it by then. Johnson is trying to line up investors to buy the Kings and keep them in his city with a new arena, rather than watch them move to Seattle.
Baseball
Red Sox sellout streak likely to end — Red Sox president Larry Lucchino says he thinks the team’s sellout streak at Fenway Park will end in April, a month shy of 10 years of a packed ballpark. Lucchino said Thursday at Red Sox spring training that the 793-game streak which began May 15, 2003, could be snapped possibly as early as the second game of the season — April 10 against the Orioles. The Red Sox finished last in the AL East last year with a record of 69-93 and have not made the playoffs since 2009.
Dodgers name closer — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly looks at closer Brandon League and sees power and unpredictability. “He’s kind of the effectively wild guy," Mattingly said. League was acquired from Seattle last July and decided to stay in Los Angeles, agreeing in October to a $22.5 million, three-year contract. League was 6 for 6 in save chances with the Dodgers, going 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 48 games after the trade. He walked 14 in 27 1⁄3 innings for Los Angeles and 33 in 72 innings overall.
motor sports
Bernstein leads NHRA event — Brandon Bernstein led Top Fuel qualifying Thursday in the NHRA’s season-opening Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., with a run of 3.761 seconds at a top speed of 325.22 mph. Bernstein won the season finale last year at the track. Tony Schumacher was second at 3.777 and 326.08, and defending series champion Antron Brown was sixth at 3.834 and 322.19.
Hockey
No decision on NHL players in Olympics — A decision on whether NHL players will head to the 2014 Sochi Olympics isn’t likely this week, but a first day of discussions went well. Talks between the NHL, the NHL players’ association, and officials from the International Ice Hockey Federation and the International Olympic Committee stretched into Thursday night as the parties worked toward getting NHL players back to the Olympics for a fifth straight time. There are obstacles in the process, but the sides will get back together today to talk some more. While the NHL and the players might want to participate in the Olympics again, they have to figure out if it makes sense for them to interrupt another season to make it possible.
Cycling
Froome leads Tour of Oman — Tour de France runner-up Christopher Froome has taken the overall lead in the Tour of Oman in Muscat, Oman, after finishing second in the fourth stage on Thursday. Froome, a Team Sky rider who was 13th overall after the third day, finished 4 seconds behind stage winner Oliver Joaquim Rodriguez of Katusha who won the 90-mile ride from Samail to Jabal Al Akhdhar in 3 1⁄2 hours. Two Tour de France winners followed; Cadel Evans of BMC finished 22 seconds back in third while Alberto Contador of Team Saxo came in 27 seconds back in fourth. With two stages remaining, Froome leads Evans by 24 seconds for the overall lead with Contador another second back.
— From wire reports
