Auto Racing
Stenhouse Jr. claims his first Sprint Cup pole position
HAMPTON, Ga. – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has won the first Sprint Cup pole of his career at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Stenhouse turned a lap of 189.688 mph Friday night on the 1.54 tri-oval. The rookie’s previous best qualifying run was third at Kansas this season.
Stenhouse, who is dating Danica Patrick, won the Nationwide Series championship last season.
Carl Edwards, a teammate of Stenhouse at Roush Fenway Racing, was second-fastest at 189.021, giving him a starting spot on the outside of the front row for Sunday night’s race.
Juan Pablo Montoya (188.539) and Denny Hamlin (188.533) will start on the second row.
The rest of the top 10 is Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson.
Cycling
Stybar wins Stage 7, while Nibali protects his lead
MAIRENA DEL ALIJARAFE, Spain – Czech rider Zdenek Stybar won the seventh stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Friday, and Vincenzo Nibali of Italy maintained his overall lead.
Stybar broke away with Philippe Gilbert in the final kilometers of the 128-mile stage from Almendralejo to Mairena del Alijarafe and edged the world road race champion at the finish line.
Nibali, the Giro d’Italia champion, kept his 3-second lead over American cyclist Christopher Horner.
MLB
Cardinals acquire Axford; Indians, Orioles make moves
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals acquired right-handed reliever John Axford from the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday for a player to be named.
The 30-year-old Axford is expected to join the Cardinals on Friday night when they begin a seven-game road trip at second-place Pittsburgh.
CLEVELAND – After scoring just three runs in three games while being swept in Atlanta, the Indians acquired outfielder Jason Kubel and cash Friday from Arizona to help their playoff push.
In exchange for Kubel, the Diamondbacks will receive a player to be named later or cash.
HOUSTON – Seattle outfielder Michael Morse was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for minor league outfielder Xavier Avery.
Baltimore claimed the 31-year-old Morse off waivers earlier this week before completing the deal Friday.
NBA
NBA and South Africa sign a multiyear media deal
JOHANNESBURG – The NBA and South African sports network SuperSport said they agreed to a “multiyear” deal to show live games in 47 territories in sub-Saharan Africa starting this season.
SuperSport’s satellite television channels are available across much of the continent, and the agreement also covers digital content through the SuperSport website. The parties initially gave no details of how much the contract was worth or for exactly how long it would run.
NHL
Selanne returns to Anaheim for 21st and final season
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Teemu Selanne is returning to the Anaheim Ducks for his 21st and final NHL season.
After spending most of the summer contemplating his future, he announced his decision Friday in a humorous video posted on YouTube by the Ducks. The 43-year-old forward agreed to a one-year deal worth $2 million with the Ducks.
Selanne is the 15th-leading scorer in NHL history with 1,430 points, and his 675 career goals are 11th-most in league history. With 675 goals, Selanne is six goals behind 41-year-old New Jersey forward Jaromir Jagr for 10th place in NHL history. With strong seasons, both veterans could catch Mark Messier (694), Steve Yzerman (692) or Mario Lemieux (690) on the career goals list.
Associated Press
