Talk » 3.96, while the starters ranked 10th with an ERA

SAN ANTONIO -- In the first NBA Finals game of his reign as the leagues commissioner, Adam Silver had to deal with a sweltering arena. Compared to what hes gone through in recent weeks, that seemed like a breeze. Speaking to The Associated Press on Friday at an NBA Cares event, Silver said hes thrilled that the leagues attention can be on the championship series between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs -- and not, as it was for so much of the post-season, on the off-the-court matters involving the banishment of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and now the looming sale of that franchise. "No question," Silver said. "In fairness to all the players and the teams, they worked so hard to get to this moment and a hot building is part of the competition in essence. And all those other things that weve been talking about the last several weeks are not." Posing for photos with Spurs players, coach Gregg Popovich, general manger R.C. Buford and others, Silver was all smiles when the ceremonial red ribbon was cut at the leagues latest "Learn & Play Center" at a San Antonio elementary school. Its the 897th time that the league has been involved with opening a facility like that, and another similar event will be held in Miami when the series shifts there next week. Silver made no prediction, other than saying he thinks the Heat-Spurs matchup could be a long series. He also said he was satisfied that the air conditioning issues that overshadowed Game 1 have been cleared up and will not affect play when the series resumes in San Antonio on Sunday night. "We learn something new all the time," Silver said. "The league checklist continues to get longer, the things that we need to ensure are functioning properly before games." The Sterling matter was Silvers first true test since taking over for David Stern as commissioner, and many players raved about his response, both in terms of message and swiftness. Silver barred Sterling for life after the longtime owner acknowledged making racist comments on tape, plus fined him $2.5 million. Now, the Sterling matter looks to be essentially over. The Clippers are poised to be sold to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion, and Sterlings attorney said earlier this week that issues between Sterling and the NBA will be resolved without need for a lawsuit -- a decision that basically clears the biggest hurdle that would have precluded a sale. "Im pleased and proud that the attention is on the greatest basketball in the world," Silver said. Bob Probert Red Wings Jersey . Hes still nowhere close to throwing yet. The four-time MVP was in good spirits when he made his first public appearance on the field since having neck surgery Sept. Custom Detroit Red Wings Jerseys . Head coach Corey Chamblin announced on Monday that Avon Cobourne had been hired as the defending Grey Cup champions new running backs coach. http://www.redwingshockeyauthentic.com/danny-dekeyser-jersey/ . Rodgers was ruled out on Friday by Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. Matt Flynn will make his second consecutive start for the Packers. Brett Hull Jersey . Toronto has lost six of its last eight games but is coming off Thursdays 7-3 victory at Kansas City. Juan Francisco and Colby Rasmus both went deep for the Blue Jays, who are second in the American League with 34 home runs on the season. Gordie Howe Red Wings Jersey . In fact, with a few improvements, this could very well be a decent team over the next few seasons. I will go into more detail when digging into the Canucks Off-Season Game Plan, which will be coming earlier this year since they are part of the non-playoff contingent, there are some reasons to think this is a favourable situation for President of Hockey Operations Trevor Linden and whomever he selects to be the new general manager.MIAMI -- Right-hander Bryan Morris was traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Miami Marlins, who gave up the 39th overall pick in Thursdays draft. Miami also placed catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia on the seven-day concussion list Sunday and recalled catcher J.T. Realmuto from Double-A Jacksonville. Saltalamacchia was hurt when he took a foul tip off his face mask in Saturdays game against Atlanta. Morris will join the Marlins on Monday and is expected to give their struggling bullpen a boost. Through Saturday, Miamis relievers ranked 21st in the majors with an ERA of 3.96, while the starters ranked 10th with an ERA of 3.70. "Weve had some issues in the bullpen, and we just wanted to make it deeper," president of baseball operations Mike Hill said. Morris is 4-0 with a 3.80 ERA in 21 ggames this year, and he has a career ERA of 3.dddddddddddd46 in 81 games. He was a first-round draft pick by the Dodgers in 2006. "Weve seen a lot of him," Hill said. "He was a first-round pick out of high school -- a power arm up to 97, and a power curveball behind that." The Marlins traded away their third pick in the draft. They still have six of the first 107 picks. Realmuto, a third-round pick in 2010, batted .301 with five homers and 31 RBIs for Jacksonville. "We want to try to get him in a couple of games," manager Mike Redmond said. "Were hoping that Salty is just a short-term deal, but you never know with concussions." Saltalamacchia batted only .177 in May, dropping his average for the season to .237, and he has committed eight errors. ' ' '