Reuters U.S. Sports Schedule at 2 PM EST on Tuesday, Feb. 24

Reuters

Feb. 24 (Reuters) - Reuters U.S. sports schedule at 2 PM ET on Tuesday: - - - - The duty editor is Steve Ginsburg, 202-898-8427 - - - - NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE Seahawks FS Thomas out 6-8 months Surgery to repair a torn left labrum (shoulder) will keep All-Pro free safety Earl Thomas on the sideline for 6-8 months, which could mean he's not ready for the start of the season with the Seattle Seahawks. (FBN-SEAHAWKS-NEWS/, expect by 2:15 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 350 words) - - Michael Sam part of 'Dancing With the Stars' cast Michael Sam, the first openly gay player in the NFL, has a new gig. Sam will be joining the cast of "Dancing With The Stars" next season. (FBN-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 250 words) - - Technology assists, NFL Combine finally gets it right After 10 years of practice, the NFL Combine gets it right this time with a multi-media extravaganza that was not only entertaining, but credible. (FBN-DRAFT/, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Frank Cooney, 800 words) - - 25 Takeaways from the NFL Scouting Combine Risers, fallers, prospects who sent us back to the tape and pro days not to be missed. (FBN-ANALYSIS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Rob Rang, 1,025 words) - - Broncos will let TE Thomas test market With NFL free agency approaching, teams like Jacksonville and Atlanta already might have set their sights on Denver's Julius Thomas. (FBN-BRONCOS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 200 words) - - Browns tweak logo The only NFL team without a logo on its helmet is about to undergo a change with how players look on game day. (FBN-BROWNS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 270 words) - - Lynch to trademark 'here so I don't get fined' Silence with purpose? Marshawn Lynch applies for another trademark, looking to capitalize on his Media Day go-to phrase. (FBN-SEAHAWKS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 310 words) - - NFL roundup News and notes from around the league. (FBN-NOTEBOOK/, expect by 7:45 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - - - NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Abdul-Jabbar spreads wide wings as Renaissance Man Kareem Abdul-Jabbar proved to be an ultimate winner during his Hall of Fame career but for the NBA's all-time leading scorer, losing out on a chance to be a head coach may have been a blessing. (NBA-ABDULJABBAR/ (INTERVIEW), expect by 3 PM ET, by Larry Fine, 600 words) - - Garnett welcomed chance to come home MINNEAPOLIS - Kevin Garnett waives a no-trade clause because he is ready and willing to return to the Timberwolves. (BKN-TIMBERWOLVES-NEWS/, expect by 4:30 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, by Dan Myers, 500 words) - - TSX covers all NBA games, highlighted matchup below - - Indiana at Oklahoma City OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The Oklahoma City Thunder (31-25), despite the absence of injured Top Gun Kevin Durant, shoot for their seventh consecutive victory when they host the Indiana Pacers, winners of three straight and, despite a 23-33 record, very much in the hunt for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. (BKN-THUNDER-PACERS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect ASAP after the 8 PM ET scheduled tip-off, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Today's NBA schedule at a glance Golden State at Washington, 7 PM ET (PIX) Cleveland at Detroit, 7:30 PM ET (PIX) Indiana at Oklahoma City, 8 PM ET (PIX) Toronto at Dallas, 8:30 PM ET (PIX) - - NBA Roundup The latest moves and news from the NBA. (BKN-NOTEBOOK/, expect by 6 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 350 words) - - - - COLLEGE BASKETBALL - - TSX covers all Top 25 games. Top matchup highlighted below. - - (5) Wisconsin at (14) Maryland COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Player of the year candidate Frank Kaminsky could nail down a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a road win against top-15 ranked Maryland. (BKC-MARYLAND-WISCONSIN-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect ASAP after 8 PM ET tipoff, The Sports Xchange, by David Driver, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - CBK Takeaways: Louisville in danger zone Losing senior point guard Chris Jones only adds to Louisville's freefall. It might be too late for the Cardinals to recover. With around the nation notes. (BKC-COLUMN/, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Josh Verlin, 1,255 words) - - Kansas State apologizes for fans storming court A day after Kansas State fans storm the Court at Bramlage Coliseum in the aftermath of the Wildcats' 70-63 upset win over eighth-ranked Kansas, the university issues an apology to its fierce rival. (BKC-KANSAS-KANSASSTATE-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 327 words) - - Top 25 roundup Capsule recaps of all Top 25 games on Tuesday's schedule. (BKC-NOTEBOOK/, expect ASAP after 7 PM ET tipoffs end, updates to follow, The Sports Xchange, 350 words) - - Top 25 schedule at a glance - - (5) Wisconsin at (14) Maryland, 7 PM ET (PIX) (25) Providence at (6) Villanova, 7 PM ET (PIX) Texas at (20) West Virginia, & PM ET (PIX) Syracuse at (9) Notre Dame, 8 PM ET (PIX) NC State at (15) North Carolina, 8 PM ET (PIX) Texas A&M at (18) Arkansas, 9 PM ET (PIX) - - - - GOLF Love tipped to be U.S. Ryder Cup captain for 2016 PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - Davis Love III is widely expected to be appointed United States Ryder Cup captain by the PGA of America for the 2016 edition against holders Europe at Hazeltine in Minnesota. (GOLF-RYDER/CAPTAIN (PIX), expect first lead by 4:45 PM ET, by Simon Evans, 400 words) - - Henley plays guitar to help find right beat on the course PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - Golfers prepare for competition in many different ways and for American Russell Henley, defending champion at this week's Honda Classic, playing guitar is his preferred technique. (GOLF-PGA/HENLEY, moved, by Simon Evans, 386 words) - - - - MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Haren rarin' to go for Marlins The biggest question in Miami Marlins camp this spring has already been answered in a positive way for the team. (BBO-MARLINS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - At crossroads, Mariners' Montero locked in At first glance, it looks like Jesus Montero is finally serious about playing baseball for the Seattle Mariners. (BBO-MARINERS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 450 words) - - White Sox takes crash course in chemistry The new-look Chicago White Sox, with 20 new players on the 40-man roster since the start of spring training a year ago, are taking a crash course in chemistry. (BBO-WHITESOX-NEWS/, The Sports Xchange, 418 words) - - Also: Spring training reports from: Slug convention: BBO-DIAMONDBACKS-NEWS/ Arizona Diamondbacks Baltimore Orioles Chicago Cubs Kansas City Royals New York Mets St. Louis Cardinals Oakland Athletics San Diego Padres Washington Nationals (PIX) Houston Astros - - - - NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE - - TSX covers all NHL games, highlighted matchup below - - Detroit at Los Angeles LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Kings, once in a danger of falling out of the playoff picture, shoot for their eighth straight victory when they host the Detroit Red Wings, a club residing in fifth place in the East but just four points behind front-running Montreal. (HKN-REDWINGS-KINGS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect ASAP after 10:30 PM ET scheduled start, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Leddy signs long-term with Isles Nick Leddy agrees to terms on a $38.5 million, seven-year extension that will keep him in an Islanders uniform through the 2021-22 season. (HKN-ISLANDERS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 350 words) - - Today's NHL schedule at a glance Vancouver at Boston, 7 PM ET (PIX) Arizona at New York Islanders, 7 PM ET (PIX) Calgary at New York Rangers, 7 PM ET (PIX) Philadelphia at Carolina, 7 PM ET (PIX) Buffalo at Columbus, 7 PM ET Montreal at St. Louis, 8 PM ET (PIX) Colorado at Nashville, 8 PM ET (PIX) Edmonton at Minnesota, 8 PM ET (PIX) Dallas at Winnipeg, 8 PM ET (PIX) Florida at Chicago, 8:30 PM ET (PIX) Detroit at Los Angeles, 10:30 PM ET (PIX) - - NHL Roundup The latest moves and news from the NHL. (HKN-NOTEBOOK/, expect by 6 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 350 words) - - - - AUTO RACING Talladega responds to Busch crash with SAFER walls Daytona Speedway's sister track, Talladega Speedway, will establish "SAFER" barriers - steel and foam energy reduction - for events there in May and October. (CAR-SPRINT-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 330 words) - - - - SOCCER FIFA Task Force recommends shorter Nov-Dec World Cup for Qatar 2022 DOHA - A FIFA Task Force examining dates for the Qatar World Cup recommends the Gulf state hosts a shorter tournament, staged over the cooler months of November and December 2022. (SOCCER-WORLD/QATAR-WINTER (TV, UPDATE 3), moved, by Amena Bakr, 587 words) See also: Latin America unruffled by World Cup date change (SOCCER-WORLD/QATAR-WINTER) Reaction to recommendation on 2022 World Cup timing (SOCCER-WORLD/QATAR-REACTION (FACTBOX) - - November/December the best World Cup option, even for Europe LONDON - The FIFA Task Force set up to recommend the best time of year to stage the 2022 World Cup in Qatar were always in an impossible position, from the moment they sat down to consider the options. (SOCCER-WORLD/QATAR (ANALYSIS, PIX, TV), moved, by Mike Collett, 730 words) - - - - JURISPRUDENCE Witness: Ex-NFL star's fiancée looked nervous day after alleged slaying FALL RIVER, Mass. - Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez's fiancée was visibly nervous the day after an associate of the ex-NFL star was slain, a woman who cleaned Hernandez's Massachusetts home testifies. (USA-PATRIOTS/HERNANDEZ (PIX), moved; will be led, by Daniel Lovering, 403 words) See also: Dismissed Louisville guard Chris Jones sent a threatening text to a woman, according to a campus police report. (BKC-LOUISVILLE-NEWS/) - - - - OLYMPICS Rio to ask big companies to shut down during Olympics SAO PAULO - The mayor of Rio de Janeiro is to ask some of the city's biggest companies to shut down during next year's Olympic Games to make transportation easier for athletes and officials. (OLYMPICS-BRAZIL/HOLIDAYS, moved, 256 words) - - - - TENNIS Red-hot Lahiri lauds effects of meditation LONDON - A decade spent practicing the art of meditation plays a fundamental role in transforming Anirban Lahiri from an also-ran golfer into a world-class performer. (GOLF-EUROPEAN/LAHIRI (INTERVIEW), moved, by Tony Jimenez, 649 words) - - - - NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS Roundups of off-field developments in the major North American professional sports leagues. (Expect by 8 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words)