Reuters U.S. Sports Schedule at 2 PM EDT on Friday, April 18
April 18 (Reuters) - Reuters U.S. sports schedule at 2 PM ET on Friday: - - - - The duty editor is Steve Ginsburg, 202-898-8427 - - - - NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE 49ers table contract talks with Kaepernick San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick could eventually be in line for a $20 million annual salary, but his next contract will wait while the team sorts through the details of a recent incident in Miami. (FBN-49ERS-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 300 words) - - Draft: Bengals could go corner route again Previewing the 2014 NFL Draft for the Cincinnati Bengals, who seek additional depth at cornerback but could also be after reinforcements on the offensive and defensive line after defections in free agency. (FBN-BENGALS-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Dane Brugler, 1,000 words) - - - - NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Kerr could coach Knicks TNT basketball analyst Steve Kerr is expected to be hired as head coach of the New York Knicks by team president Phil Jackson, Kerr's former coach with the Chicago Bulls. (BKN-BULLS-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 200 words) - - Pacers C Bynum out for opening series Coach Frank Vogel said the Indiana Pacers will not have Andrew Bynum in the first-round series against Atlanta. (BKN-PACERS-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 100 words) - - There are no NBA games scheduled. The playoffs begin tomorrow. - - - - GOLF PGA Tour: RBC Heritage (to 20) Hilton Head Island, South Carolina American trio take two-shot lead into second round American co-leaders Matt Kuchar, Scott Langley and William McGirt take a two-shot lead into the second round at Harbour Town where Masters runner-up Jordan Spieth is three shots off the pace. (GOLF-PGA, expect first copy by 1930 GMT/3:30 PM ET, 400 words) - - Westwood surges clear as Larrazabal dives for cover Lee Westwood surges four shots clear at the halfway stage of the European Tour's Malaysian Open after an eventful second round where Spain's Pablo Larrazabal is forced to dive into a lake to avoid a swarm of hornets. (GOLF-EUROPEAN/, moved, 525 words) - - LPGA Lotte Championship KAPOLEI, Oahu, Hawaii - Angela Stanford took the lead in the second round with a 64 and returns for the third round of the LPGA Lotte Championship with Michelle Wie one shot behind. (GLF-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU, expect ASAP after end of the third round, The Sports Xchange, by Kyle Galdeira, 300-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - - - MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL *The Sports Xchange covers all MLB games. Key matchups highlighted below. - - White Sox 1B Abreu battles first serious slump CHICAGO -- Slugger Jose Abreu looked very much like the real deal in his first 10 games, but he is currently working through a 1-for-20 slump. (BBO-WHITESOX-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Meghan Montemurro, 300 words) - - Dodgers OF Puig showcasing good, bad Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig showcased his good and bad against the San Francisco Giants. (BBO-DODGERS-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 200 words) - - Rays OF Myers facing sophomore slump ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- "Sophomore slump" is a cliche, but it applies to the mighty struggles of Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Wil Myers. (BBO-RAYS-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 300 words) - - Blue Jays RHP Dickey buckling as No. 1 starter MINNEAPOLIS -- Toronto RHP R.A. Dickey is only two years removed from a Cy Young Award, but those days are fading further into the rear-view mirror. (BBO-BLUEJAYS-NEWS, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Dan Myers, 300 words) - - Reds at Cubs CHICAGO - Afternoon baseball at Wrigley Field matches struggling NL Central foes Chicago and Cincinnati with Cubs No. 1 starter Jeff Samardzija on the mound. (BBO-CUBS-REDS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU (PIX), expect ASAP after 2:20 p.m. ET start, The Sports Xchange, by Jack McCarthy, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Cardinals at Nationals WASHINGTON - Understudy Michael Wacha follows St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright, who two-hit Washington Thursday, to the mound in the second game of a four-game series with the Nationals. (BBO-NATIONALS-CARDINALS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU (PIX), expect ASAP after 7:05 p.m. ET start, The Sports Xchange, by David Driver, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Angels at Tigers DETROIT - Leading MVP candidates from the past two seasons, Mike Trout of the Angels and Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera, square off Friday in the opener of a three-game set at Comerica Park. (BBO-TIGERS-ANGELS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU (PIX), expect ASAP after 7:08 p.m. ET start, The Sports Xchange, by Rich Shoook, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - MLB Wrap: Cards visit Nats with hopes of keeping pace in NL Central The St. Louis Cardinals, last year's World Series runner-up, look to close in on the Central Division-leading Milwaukee Brewers when they visit the Washington Nationals in one of 15 games on the MLB schedule. (BASEBALL-HIGHLIGHTS/ (PIX), expect by 0330 GMT/11:30 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 975 words) - - The full MLB schedule: American League Toronto at Cleveland, 7:05 PM ET Los Angeles Angels at Detroit, 7:08 PM ET Baltimore at Boston, 7:10 PM ET New York Yankees at Tampa Bay, 7:10 PM ET Chicago White Sox at Texas, 8:05 PM ET Minnesota at Kansas City, 8:10 PM ET Houston at Oakland, 10:05 PM ET - - National League Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 PM ET Milwaukee at Pittsburgh, 7:05 PM ET St. Louis at Washington, 7:05 PM ET Atlanta at New York Mets, 7:10 PM ET Philadelphia at Colorado, 8:40 PM ET Arizona at Los Angeles Dodgers, 10:10 PM ET San Francisco at San Diego, 10:10 PM ET - - Interleague Seattle at Miami, 7:10 PM ET - - - - NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE *The Sports Xchange covers all Stanley Cup Playoff games. Key matchups highlighted below. - - Red Wings at Bruins BOSTON - For the first time since 1957, the Detroit Red Wings meet the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup playoffs as the series opens Friday night at TD Garden. (HKN-BRUINS-REDWINGS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU (PIX), expect ASAP after 7:30 p.m. ET game ends, The Sports Xchange, by Mike Shalin, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Canadiens at Lightning TAMPA, Fla. - Montreal strives to swipe Game 2 and leave Florida with a 2-0 series lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning. (HKN-LIGHTNING-CANADIENS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU (PIX), expect ASAP after 7 p.m. ET game, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Stars at Ducks ANAHEIM, Calif. - Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf is expected to skate after taking a puck to the face in the opening game of the series, a 4-3 win by Anaheim, which has won five straight games. (HKN-DUCKS-STARS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU (PIX), expect ASAP after 10 p.m. ET game, The Sports Xchange, by Forrest Lee, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - NHL Wrap: Top-seeded Bruins open Stanley Cup bid vs Red Wings The top-seeded Boston Bruins open their playoff campaign versus the Detroit Red Wings while the Montreal Canadiens and Anaheim Ducks look to take 2-0 leads in their best-of-seven series against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars, respectively, in the three games on the schedule. (NHL-HIGHLIGHTS/ (PIX), expect by 0330 GMT/11:30 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 475 words) - - The full NHL schedule at a glance: Montreal at Tampa Bay, 7 PM ET Detroit at Boston, 7:30 PM ET Dallas at Anaheim, 10 PM ET - - - - SOCCER WORLD CUP PACKAGE ADVISORY LONDON - Reuters will be publishing our soccer World Cup preview package over three days from April 28, times to be confirmed. The extensive package, produced by our correspondents around the globe, will comprise the following items for each of the 32 competing teams: Prospects - 500/700 word overview of each team's form, chances, relevant history etc in the June 12-July 13 tournament in Brazil. Coach profile - 400/600 word profile on each national team coach. Star player - 300/800 word profile of the key player in each team - longer stories for world superstars, shorter for lesser-known players from long-shot nations. Penpix - Two/three paragraph items on the 23 players likely to make up each country's squad. Results - Tabulated list of each country's results since August 2012 (the start of 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign) Odds pack. We will also provide short history of the World Cup, a list of previous finals and a statbox with the key betting odds for 2014. The package will be published over three days. Day One - Groups A, B and C Day Two - Groups D, E and F Day Three Groups G and H, history, results and betting statbox. The package will be repeated, with relevant updates and with updated penpix following the official squad announcement deadline of June 2. - - - - AUTO RACING SHANGHAI - Lewis Hamilton overcomes problems with his car's handling to return Mercedes to the top of the timesheets in the second practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix. (MOTOR RACING/PRIX-PRACTICE (UPDATE 2, PIX), moved, by Abhishek Takle, 600 words) - - - - TENNIS ATP: Monte Carlo Masters, Monaco (to 20) Nadal out before Federer and Djokovic play at Monte Carlo Top seed Rafa Nadal was knocked out in the Monte Carlo quarter-finals by Spanish compatriot David Ferrer with Roger Federer due to play later on Friday against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga while holder Novak Djokovic meets unheralded Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. (TENNIS-MEN/MASTERS (UPDATE 1, PIX), moved with updates to follow, 400 words) - - - - NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS Roundups of off-field developments in the major North American professional sports leagues. (Expect by 0000 GMT/8 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words)
