BASEBALL
NEW YORK (AP) Pete Rose has made his case for reinstatement with Commissioner Rob Manfred, who promised a decision by the end of December.
Major League Baseball said the meeting with the career hits leader and his representatives took place Thursday at baseball’s headquarters in New York.
Then Cincinnati’s manager, Rose agreed in 1989 to a lifetime ban from baseball after an investigation for MLB by lawyer John Dowd concluded Rose bet on games involving the Reds while managing and playing.
Rose applied for reinstatement in September 1997 and met with Commissioner Bud Selig in November 2002, but Selig never ruled on Rose’s application. Manfred succeeded Selig in January, and Rose again applied to end the ban.
CHICAGO (AP) – The Chicago Cubs have clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2008.
The Cubs were assured of at least an NL wild-card slot Friday night when San Francisco lost to Oakland.
First-year manager Joe Maddon and the Cubs missed a chance to seal a playoff berth much earlier in the day when they lost to Pittsburgh 3-2 at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs trail NL Central-leading St. Louis by 7 1/2 games with nine games left. The Cubs are 4 1/2 behind Pittsburgh for the second wild-card spot.
OLYMPICS
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) – In the U.S. Olympic Committee’s version of a perfect world, CEO Scott Blackmun will help the Americans bring the curtain down on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2024.
The USOC board extended Blackmun’s contract by five years, through 2021, with an option to keep him through the 2024 Games.
Chairman Larry Probst said the extension was recognition of the work Blackmun has done since he got the job in 2010, but clearly there’s another factor at play here: The USOC wants to show it is stable as it tries to help Los Angeles land the 2024 Olympics.
SOCCER
ZURICH (AP) – FIFA President Sepp Blatter was placed under criminal investigation by Swiss authorities as a probe into soccer corruption reached the highest levels and left his grip on the top job in peril.
The Swiss attorney general’s office opened proceedings against Blatter for possible criminal mismanagement and misappropriation of FIFA money. Authorities also searched Blatter’s office and seized data.
The announcements came as FIFA wrapped up a two-day executive committee meeting and marked another stunning day of turmoil for the governing body and Blatter, who have been targeted by American and Swiss investigations into corruption. The 79-year-old Blatter is set to step down in February as a result of those probes, but the latest events made an early exit seem inevitable.
GOLF
ATLANTA (AP) – Two years after Henrik Stenson sailed to victory at the Tour Championship, he has another comfortable lead after 36 holes at East Lake and Jordan Spieth is chasing him.
Back then, Spieth was a 20-year-old rookie. Now he’s the Masters and U.S. Open champion, and he found a spark in a steady drizzle Friday.
Stenson overcame a few mistakes off the tee and was solid on the back nine for a 2-under 68, stretching his lead to three shots over Spieth going into the weekend and moving closer to his first win of the year – and a $10 million bonus for claiming the FedEx Cup.
Stenson had his sixth straight round under par at East Lake, a course where the Swede has led after every round he has played. He was at 9-under 131. Spieth has made only one bogey over two rounds, and a pair of par saves on consecutive holes on the front nine felt just as valuable as his four birdies in a round of 66.
Paul Casey (70) was four shots behind, while British Open champion Zach Johnson (70) was another shot back. Jason Day, in his first event as No. 1 in the world, shot a 71 and it left him nine shots behind.
HOCKEY
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – The prosecutor overseeing the sexual assault investigation of Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane says the accuser’s mother lied about finding an evidence bag in her doorway.
Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita said during a news conference he’s not sure yet how the two-day sideshow of how evidence was handled affects the main case. Sedita said all the evidence, including the rape kit used to examine the accuser, was handled properly and is still in custody of authorities.
Sedita said the mother was given the bag at a hospital when her daughter was examined, but it never contained a rape kit. The examining nurse gave the mother the bag after learning the accuser changed her top before going to the hospital, Sedita said. The mother was to put the top in the bag and turn it into authorities, but never did, Sedita said.
NFL
METAIRIE, La. (AP) – Drew Brees will be sidelined for New Orleans’ game at Carolina on Sunday, when the Saints will try to avoid falling to 0-3.
Brees, who is recovering from a bruised rotator cuff in his right (throwing) shoulder, will be replaced in the lineup by 12-year veteran Luke McCown, Saints coach Sean Payton said.
Payton said resting Brees this weekend was not a difficult decision. Payton also declined to forecast whether Brees would return the following week against Dallas.
NEW YORK (AP) – The NFL is asking the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for an expedited hearing in its appeal of a federal judge’s decision to nix New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s ”Deflategate” suspension.
League attorneys said in a filing that the appeal is important to resolve quickly because it deals with how the league and the players’ union work together under the collective bargaining agreement.
Oral arguments would be heard as early as January under the proposed schedule, with earlier deadlines for briefs from the league, the union and Brady.
NFL attorney Daniel Nash says in the filing that Brady and the union agree with the schedule so everyone can properly plan for the 2016 season.
BOXING
BERLIN (AP) – Wladimir Klitschko pulled out of his heavyweight title defense against Tyson Fury because of a torn tendon in his left calf.
The Ukrainian was scheduled to defend his IBF, IBO, WBO and WBA belts against the British fighter in Duesseldorf on Oct. 24. He sustained the injury in training on Thursday and traveled to Munich to be treated by Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt.
The 39-year-old Klitschko, who hasn’t been beaten for more than a decade, expressed regret the fight had to be postponed. The withdrawal came just two days after Klitschko appeared at a news conference with Fury in London to promote the fight. Fury dressed up as Batman and wrestled a man wearing a Joker costume to the ground, knocking Klitschko’s belts to the ground in a staged performance.
