NFL
Patriots offer straight trade for Aaron Hernandez jerseys
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots are offering a new jersey to all fans who want to get rid of the one they bought with Aaron Hernandez’s name on it.
Hernandez is being held in jail on charges of first-degree murder. He has pleaded innocent. The team has released him and taken all Hernandez jerseys off the shelf at its souvenir store at Gillette Stadium.
The team says fans can come to their store at the stadium on the weekend of July 6-7 for a free jersey of comparable value.
NHL
Work? Nah. Chicago parties with the Blackhawks instead
CHICAGO – Showered with confetti and cheered by screaming fans, the Blackhawks wound their way through downtown Chicago on open-topped buses Friday to celebrate the team’s stunning Stanley Cup victory.
Thousands of fans who ditched work and painted their faces red and black roared I appreciation as the buses paraded past carrying waving players in red jerseys. Captain Jonathan Toews hoisted the silver trophy over his head.
Auto Racing
Keselowski hangs on for rain-shortened Nationwide win
SPARTA, Ky. – Brad Keselowski took his final lead on the 156th lap and went on to a rain-shortened victory Friday night in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway.
Showers halted the race at lap 170 in the scheduled 200-lap event, but drivers were expecting it to resume before another pocket of rain forced officials to call it off. Keselowski settled for doing victory spinouts, being careful to avoid sliding into the wall on a night mostly spent on firm footing.
A night after finishing second in the Truck Series race, the Sprint Cup champion led four times for 59 laps en route to his second series victory here in three years. Elliott Sadler was second, followed by Truck Series points leader Matt Crafton, Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. answers the record-breaking question
SPARTA, Ky. – The questions during NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying Friday were how many drivers would raise Kentucky Speedway’s record and by how much.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. provided the answer of the eight that broke it, clocking 183.636 mph to wrest the mark from Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson and the pole for Saturday night’s race.
Earnhardt’s speed was nearly 2 mph faster than Johnson’s 181.818 mph last June, which he needed to keep Johnson from keeping the record.
Golf
Spieth spies a AT&T title with 29-hole bogey-less streak
BETHESDA, Md. – Jordan Spieth, playing with nothing to lose, gave himself another chance to win going into the weekend at the AT&T National.
Spieth hit every green in regulation Friday and extended his streak to 29 holes without a bogey on a tough Congressional course, giving him a 5-under 66 and a share of the lead with Roberto Castro (69) before storms halted the second round.
They were at 7-under 135, with the round to be completed Saturday morning.
Inbee Park has clear shot at the record, despite the fog
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – Inbee Park leads the U.S. Women’s Open with the second round suspended by fog.
The top-ranked Park shot a 4-under 68 on Friday for a 9-under total to lead fellow South Korean I.K. Kim by two strokes. The horn sounded with Park’s group on the 18th fairway, and they finished the hole. She calmly sank a birdie putt from about 12 feet to move closer to history.
Park is seeking to win the year’s first three majors; no one has accomplished that feat in a season with at least four.
Associated Press
