DERRICK ROSE LAWSUITLOS ANGELES -- Derrick Roses rape trial got underway in a Los Angeles courtroom and the NBA star was halfway across the country saying he planned to win the lawsuit.Rose told reporters in Houston before the Knicks exhibition opener that he didnt settle the case seeking $21 million because he thinks he didnt do anything wrong and he looks forward to telling his side of the story.A lawyer for the ex-girlfriend who claims Rose and two friends gang raped her while she was incapacitated cried foul in court, saying Rose had violated the gag order his own lawyer had sought to silence the parties out of the courtroom.A federal judge said he wouldnt make any decision without knowing what was said and hearing from Roses lawyer.Jury selection resumes Wednesday without a single juror selected. A pool of 50 candidates was asked what they know about the case, what basketball team they root for and whether they can set aside their own sexual moral beliefs and biases.TENNISLONDON -- Maria Sharapova will be eligible to return to competitive tennis in April after her two-year doping ban was reduced to 15 months by a sports court that found the Russian star bore no significant fault for her positive drug test and did not intend to cheat.The Court of Arbitration for Sport cut nine months off the suspension imposed on Sharapova, who tested positive for the banned heart medication meldonium at the Australian Open in January.Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1-ranked player, appealed to CAS in June seeking to overturn or reduce the two-year penalty imposed by the International Tennis Federation.In a 28-page ruling , the CAS panel found that Sharapova bore some degree of fault but less than significant fault in the case that has sidelined one of the worlds most prominent and wealthy female athletes.ARNOLD PALMERLATROBE, Pa. -- A farewell to the King turned somber when Jack Nicklaus, his voice cracking as a large tear formed in his left eye, urged the elite and the everyman to remember how Arnold Palmer touched their lives and please dont forget why.I hurt like you hurt, Nicklaus said. You dont lose a friend of 60 years and dont feel an enormous loss.The service Tuesday at Saint Vincent College in Palmers hometown was filled with just as much laughter and warmth from stories of the most significant figure in modern golf. Nearly 1,000 golf dignitaries from around the world, referred to by former LPGA Commissioner Charlie Mechem as the elite battalion of Arnies Army, crammed into the basilica.Some 4,000 others headed to remote sites across the college to watch. Long lines of traffic formed two hours before the service began.Palmer died Sept. 25 in Pittsburgh at age 87 as he was preparing for heart surgery. His family had a private funeral Thursday and asked that a public service be held after the Ryder Cup so no one would be left out.BASEBALLTORONTO -- A fan threw a can at Baltimore Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim during the seventh inning of the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 win in Tuesdays AL wild card game.With the score tied 2-2, pinch hitter Melvin Upton Jr. flied out to the track in left. Kim made the catch despite the can narrowly missing him as it came out of the stands behind him.Center fielder Adam Jones gestured toward the seats, and manager Buck Showalter came out to register his displeasure with the umpires for several minutes.Blue Jays spokesman Erik Grosman said the fan was not ejected because he took off before police had a chance to get him. Police are investigating.That is about as pathetic as it gets. You dont do that. Yell, cuss or scream, Jones said. I hope they find the guy and press charges. ... Thats not a part of baseball. Throw an octopus, throw hats.NEW YORK -- Major League Baseballs average attendance dropped 1.1 percent this season but still was the sports 11th-highest year.The 30 teams combined to draw 73,159,044 fans and average 30,169, the commissioners office said. That was down from last years total of 73.76 million and average of 30,517. The average was the lowest since 30,138 in 2010.The record total of 79.5 million and average of 32,785 were set in 2007, before the Great Recession.The NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers led in home attendance at 3.7 million, followed in the NL by St. Louis (3.44 million), San Francisco (3.37 million) and the Chicago Cubs (3.23 million).Toronto topped the AL at 3.39 million, followed by the New York Yankees (3.06 million) and Los Angeles Angels (3.02 million).Tampa Bay had the lowest home attendances at 1.29 million, and Oakland was 29th at 1.52 million. Cleveland was 28th at 1.59 million despite winning the AL Central for the first time since 2007.Miami drew an NL-low 1.71 million.NATIONAL ANTHEM PROTESTSA North Carolina radio station is dropping the broadcast of East Carolinas upcoming football game after 19 members of the schools marching band kneeled during the national anthem last weekend to protest racial injustice and police brutality, a station official said.WFAY-AM in Fayetteville, part of the Colonial Radio Group, announced it would not carry the Pirates game at South Florida scheduled for Saturday. It will carry Pirates games in the future, however, said Colonial Radio Group President and CEO Jeff Andrulonis.An official of the Pirate IMG Radio Network didnt immediately return a phone call seeking comment. Wholesale NHL Jerseys Authentic .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. http://www.wholesalenhljerseys.info/ . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. Wholesale NHL Jerseys . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Indians manager Terry Francona sat in the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium, moments after a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals, and knew only that Boston awaited his club in the postseason.He didnt know where the series would begin. That was still to be determined by games elsewhere, as was whether Cleveland would need to make up a rained out game in Detroit on Monday.Well, Francona said with a grin and a shrug, were either going to shower and go home or shower and go to Detroit. Either way, Im showering.Suds up that loofah, Tito. Youre heading home.The Tigers loss to the Braves coupled with Bostons loss to the Blue Jays gave Cleveland (94-67) homefield advantage in the divisional round. The newly minted AL Central champions open against Boston (93-69) on Thursday at Progressive field with Trevor Bauer slated to take the hill.You get to the last weekend of the year, you see a lot of guys kind of tailing off, said Francona, who has yet to win a postseason game in Cleveland. Our guys never did that.Not even in their regular-season finale.Josh Tomlin (13-9) dueled with the Royals Ian Kennedy (11-11) into the eighth before finally pulling ahead. Carlos Santana drew a walk off Kennedy to start the inning, Jason Kipnis followed with a double and Frnacisco Lindor hit a fly ball deep enough to right field for the lead.Tomlin got the first batter in the eighth before Andrew Miller finished it up, and Cody Allen handled the ninth to earn his 32nd save and give the Indians a nice boost heading into the playoffs.Ive never really experienced the postseason, said Tomlin, the expected Game 3 starter, so I know Ill be ready when that time comes. We knew we put ourselves in good position.It was a frustrating finale to an injury plagued season for the Royals, who had been to the past two World Series and were coming off their first championship since 1985. A dismal July nearly buried them, an inspired August got them back into contention, and a stumbling finish left them at 81-81.It was their first non-winning season in four years.We were just one win away from having a winning season. We had four cracks at it at the end of the yeaar and just couldnt get it, Royals manager Ned Yost said.dddddddddddd Offensively, we just couldnt do it.Meanwhile, there were so many playoff permutations riding on the final day of the regular season that Francona was still trying to sort everything out 3 hours before first pitch.The only thing he knew was his club was playing Boston on Thursday -- somewhere.They fell into a 1-0 hole when Jarrod Dyson and Whit Merrifield opened the game with doubles off Tomlin, the expected Game 3 starter in the divisional series, but the lead didnt even last the two innings.The Indians answered in the third when Tyler Naquin was plunked by a pitch from Ian Kennedy, and Yan Gomes went deep to left field on the first big league pitch hed seen since July 17.Kansas City tied it up when Cheslor Cuthbert homered leading off the fifth inning, but the Indians were able to coax across one more run to once more beat a team theyve dominated this season.One mistake, I gave up a home run and it kind of cost me, Kennedy said. Overall, I was really happy how the outing went. At least, I gave our team a real solid chance.TRAINERS ROOMIndians: Gomes, activated from the 60-day DL on Friday, started for the first time since breaking his right hand in a rehab game Sept. 14. Its been a long way back, Gomes said. They said I cant hurt it any more. Youll just have to play through it, play through the pain.Royals: 1B Eric Hosmer missed the finale with a wrist issue hes been battling for weeks. C Sal Perez was the DH to protect an ailing hamstring. ... RHP Dillon Gee is scheduled to have another procedure Oct. 11 for blood clots in his shoulder and lung. The issue popped up during a start in Detroit.UP NEXTIndians: The chase begins for their first playoff victory since 2007, when they lost to the Red Sox -- managed by Francona -- in a seven-game AL championship series.Royals: Time to think about next season. General manager Dayton Moore has some roster decisions to make, including whether to exercise team options on SS Alcides Escobar and RHP Wade Davis. ' ' '