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New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - The New Orleans Saints released wide receiver Michael Lewis and defensive lineman Willie Whitehead on Friday.
Lewis is the team's all-time leader in kickoff returns (243 for 5,903 yards) and punt returns (142 for 1,482 yards) and had four touchdown returns with the Saints, three on kickoffs and one on a punt return.
In 2002, Lewis set single-season records for kickoff return yardage (1,807) and punt return yards (625) and was voted to the Pro Bowl. His 2,432 combined return yards that season set an NFL record.
"Michael is part of the fabric of our community and will always have a special place in the history of our club," Saints owner Tom Benson said. "The way he made our team, as a player who worked hard, wasn't drafted, supported his family and followed his dream, is unique and something we're all proud to be a part of."
Whitehead appeared in 105 games with New Orleans and tallied 266 tackles, 24.5 sacks, a pair of forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in his career."
Both Michael and Willie made big contributions to our success last year and we hope they have successful futures in the NFL," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "They are quality people who have proven that hard work and dedication can get you just as far as reputation or pure talent. We have the utmost respect for them as individuals and players."
The Saints have also waived rookie tackle Peter Dyakowski, an undrafted free agent from LSU.
Boston, MA (Sports Network) - After just one season behind the bench, the Boston Bruins fired head coach Dave Lewis on Friday.
The Bruins also relieved associate coach Marc Habscheid of his duties. Both are expected to be reassigned to other positions within the organization.
"Since the season has ended I have completed a thorough review of the team and the coaching staff, and I have determined that Dave Lewis and Marc Habscheid are not the proper fit for the Bruins at this time," said Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli. "I have a short list of candidates in mind, and I hope to have a new head coach in place in the near future."
Lewis became Boston's head coach last June and led the club to a 35-41-6 record this past season. The Bruins missed out on the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica has been ruled out of this Sunday's United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis. Kubica suffered a concussion and sprained ankle in a dramatic crash last Sunday in Montreal.
Doctors for the FIA and the track said he should not drive this weekend. BMW Sauber test driver Sebastien Vettel will behind the wheel on Sunday.
"I'm disappointed because I felt absolutely ready to race, but I respect the decision," said Kubica.
"I am looking forward to my first F1 race but I wish it had come under different circumstances," said the 19-year-old Vettel.
Brooklyn, MI (Sports Network) - J.J. Yeley captured the pole for Sunday's Citizens Bank 400 at the Michigan International Speedway, ending Ryan Newman's three-race pole win streak. The No.18 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet driver circled the fast two-mile oval in 38.399 seconds (187.505 m.p.h.).
The pole victory was the first of Yeley's Nextel Cup career.
"This is awesome," said Yeley. "We needed this."
It was also just 0.001 seconds faster than runner-up 2006 Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. Johnson was also looking for his first pole of the season, but he owns nine career poles.
"That would have been my quota for the year," said Johnson, who has nine career pole wins in six years of "Cup" racing.
Kyle Busch (38.538), the soon-to-be free agent after this week's Hendrick Motorsports signing of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Newman (38.586) will make up row two.
Series points leader Jeff Gordon will start sixth.
Other drivers of note and their starting positions: Denny Hamlin (7th), Martin Truex Jr. (8th), Jeff Burton (9th), Carl Edwards (12th), Mark Martin (15th), Earnhardt Jr. (23rd), Matt Kenseth (26th) and Tony Stewart (41st).
Michael Waltrip will race for the second time in three weeks. The improving No.55 NAPA Toyota team was 18th quickest.
"We're going to get this thing straightened out," said a smiling Waltrip.
With 14 races completed and 12 to go until the "Chase" begins, the race for the final spots in the playoffs couldn't be much closer.
Martin currently holds down the 12th and final position, but he has consistently said he will not change his part-time schedule to make the "Chase." That makes Newman the "de facto" holder of the final spot.
Newman has been on a roll of late, winning three consecutive poles and finishing second at both Dover and Pocono. He is 685 points behind Gordon.
Behind Newman is Earnhardt Jr. (-33) and Jamie McMurray (-77).
Drivers holding the ninth through 11 positions are also not a "lock" and will be points racing over these final dozen races. Kevin Harvick in ninth, is just 117 points ahead of "Junior." Kyle Busch and the suddenly formidable Truex Jr. have even less of a hold on their "Chase" positions.
The race for the "Chase" should be great summer fare. It starts this weekend at MIS.
Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Kara Lawson scored 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting to boost Sacramento to an 82-67 win over Houston.
Nicole Powell tallied 17 points, Rebekkah Brunson 14 and Yolanda Griffith 10 for the Monarchs, who won for the fourth time in five games. Ticha Penicheiro had 10 assists for Sacramento, which shot 54.5 percent from the field and made 10-of-20 three-pointers.
Tina Thompson had 33 points for the Comets, who at 0-7 remained one of two winless teams in the league. Washington is the other. Thompson missed just one of her 18 foul shots and the Comets went 29-of-32 at the foul line, but were undone by going 18-of-41 from the field and committing 27 turnovers.
The Monarchs scored the game's first eight points and never relinquished the lead. Thompson's layup had the Comets within 32-28 in the opening minute of the third quarter, but Sacramento rattled off the next nine points.
Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Carlos Zambrano pitched eight strong innings and aided his cause with a home run, as Chicago edged Houston, 2-1, in a make- up game of a postponed contest from earlier this season at Wrigley Field.
The two clubs were originally set to wrap a three-game series on April 11, but the contest was postponed due to snow and rain.
Zambrano (7-5) gave up an unearned run on three hits for the Cubs, who ended a two-game slide. Zambrano also fanned eight and walked just one while Ryan Dempster pitched a scoreless ninth to record his 13th save of the season.
Mike Fontenot went 2-for-3 with a double and run scored in the victory for Chicago.
Woody Williams started for Houston and was the tough-luck loser, allowing two runs on four in seven innings. Williams (2-9) struck out five and walked two.
Lance Berkman, Luke Scott and Brad Ausmus had the only hits for the Astros, who have dropped two straight.
The Cubs went up 1-0 in the second after Fontenot doubled and scored on Ryan Theriot's base hit to right-center field.
Zambrano helped himself in the third inning, leading off the frame with a home run into the seats in left to make it 2-0.
Zambrano then dominated Houston's hitters, retiring nine straight at one point before Berkman led off the seventh with a single for just the Astros' second hit of the contest.
The Astros got on the board in the eighth as Mike Lamb walked to start the inning and pinch-hitter Scott poked a single to center. A fielder's choice by Ausmus brought Lamb home to make it 2-1 as Fontenot's throw after a force at second got past Derrek Lee at first. Zambrano though battled back and struck out Orlando Palmeiro and got Craig Biggio to fly out to end the inning.
In the ninth, Dempster walked Berkman with one out, but got Carlos Lee to ground into a double play to end the game.
Barcelona, Spain (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Italian Francesca Schiavone and sixth-seeded American Meghann Shaughnessy highlighted Monday's first-round winners at the inaugural $145,000 Barcelona KIA tennis event.
Schiavone was leading fellow Italian Romina Oprandi 6-2 when Oprandi retired due to a right arm bruise at this post-French Open clay-court event. Shaughnessy, meanwhile, handled Spanish crowd favorite Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-3, 6-4.
Third-seeded Emilie Loit of France moved on by beating Swiss Timea Bacsinszky 7-5, 6-3.
In other Day-1 action, German Tatjana Malek was leading Iveta Benesova 5-2 when the Czech retired due to a right lumbar disfunction.
London, England (Sports Network) - Swedish veteran Jonas Bjorkman, 12th-seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu and 15th-seeded American Robby Ginepri were among Monday's first-round winners at The Artois Championships, a grass-court Wimbledon tune-up.
The 11th-seeded Bjorkman, a 2006 Wimbledon semifinalist, held off American Justin Gimelstob 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, while Mathieu snuck past Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 and Ginepri handled Brit Richard Bloomfield 6-4, 6-2 at The Queen's Club.
Fourteenth-seeded Frenchman Arnaud Clement also advanced by besting Spaniard Ivan Navarro Pastor 7-6 (7-2), 6-4.
Mild upsets came when Colombian Alejandro Falla took out 10th-seeded Frenchman Julien Benneteau 7-5, 6-3, Brit Alex Bogdanovic beat 13th-seeded Korean Hyung- Taik Lee 6-4, 6-4 and Belarusian Max Mirnyi erased 16th-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-3.
Argentine Juan Martin del Potro dismissed former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson of Sweden 6-2, 6-4, while Czech Radek Stepanek bested Italian Davide Sanguinetti 6-2, 2-0, retired.
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Suzann Pettersen won the McDonald's LPGA Championship on Sunday and moved up eight places to No. 4 in the latest Rolex Rankings for women's golf.
Karrie Webb finished runner-up for the second year in a row and knocked Annika Sorenstam from the No. 2 position. Sorenstam, the longtime No. 1 before Lorena Ochoa supplanted her earlier this season, is the new No. 3.
Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Juli Inkster, Ai Miyazato and Se- Ri Pak round out the top 10.
Mi Hyun Kim, Brittany Lincicome, Jeong Jang, Shiho Oyama, Stacy Prammanasudh, Jee Young Lee, Yuri Fudoh, Mi-Jeong Jeon, Ji-Yai Shin and Pat Hurst held positions 11-20.
Further down, three surprising top-five finishers from Sunday received huge bumps in the rankings.
Rookie Na On Min finished third and was up 201 places to No. 80; Lindsey Wright was fourth and moved up 31 spots to No. 62; and another rookie, Angela Park, placed fifth to advance 15 spots to No. 41.
New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - The New Orleans Saints released wide receiver Michael Lewis and defensive lineman Willie Whitehead on Friday.
