NFL extra-point tries pushed back
The NFL will move back extra-point kicks this season and also allow defenses to score on failed conversion attempts.
The league owners, meeting Tuesday in San Francisco, approved the competition committee’s proposal to snap the ball on extra-point kicks from the 15-yard line. The ball previously was placed on the 2 and conversions rarely failed.
On two-point conversion attempts starting in the 2015 season, the ball will still be placed at the 2, but the defense will now be allowed to return an interception or a fumble to the other end zone for two points. A blocked PAT also can be returned for a score. A similar rule is in place in college football.
The extra-point change passed in a 30-2 vote, with the Oakland Raiders and the Washington Redskins the only teams voting against it.
Dodgers complete deals with Cubans
The Los Angeles Dodgers finalized the contracts of Cuban infielder Hector Olivera and right-hander Pablo Fernandez on Tuesday.
The deals had been reported in late March but not made official while paperwork was completed and a work visa was obtained.
The Dodgers confirmed that Olivera signed a six-year contract but did not disclose financial terms. Multiple reports in March placed the value of the deal at $62.5 million, which includes a $28 million signing bonus.
Fernandez signed a minor league contract worth a reported $8 million.
Union wants NFL held in contempt in Peterson case
The NFL Players Association asked a federal judge to hold the league in contempt for its disciplinary action in the case of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.
The NFLPA filed a motion in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday in a 24-page document that included the request for a hearing with U.S. District Court Judge David Doty.
The union cited the April suspension of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy for domestic violence as the reason behind its contempt filing. It accused the league of defying Doty’s order earlier this year that the NFL’s retroactive application of a new disciplinary policy in Peterson’s case violated the collective bargaining agreement.
The league disciplined Peterson last year after he was convicted of injuring his 4-year-old son by hitting him with a switch. The standout running back missed nearly all of the 2014 season.
Cavs’ Irving to start Game 1
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving went through the team’s light workout Tuesday and expects to play Wednesday.
Irving limped to the bench in the deciding game of the Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Chicago Bulls and has been bothered by left knee tendinitis and a sore foot.
“I’m good to go,” said Irving.
Pelicans invite China’s He to Summer League
BEIJING — The New Orleans Pelicans have invited Chinese forward He Tianju to attend the NBA Summer League in July with an eye on drafting him.
He’s Chinese club Liaoning published the invite letter from Pelicans’s director of player personnel David Booth on Tuesday, asking the 24-year-old to train from July 3 and play in games in Las Vegas on July 11 and 21.
The 6-foot-9-inch He was voted the starting forward in the China Basketball Association All-Star games this year after helping Liaoning to the runners-up position in the league.
Cubs ship Castillo to Mariners
Catcher Wellington Castillo was traded to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, relieving a surplus at the position on the Chicago Cubs’ roster.
The Cubs acquired right-hander Yoervis Medina, who will report to Triple-A Iowa.
Medina, 26, posted a 2.82 ERA in 141 appearances out of the Mariners bullpen the last three seasons. He was 10-9 with 43 holds and two saves.
Castillo, 28, was batting .163 with two home runs and five RBIs in 24 games.