KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Iowa State coach Gene Chezik has seen

the Big 12 from a Southern school and a Northern school.

     He was a coach on Mack Brown's Texas staff and now he's head

coach of the Cyclones. He was asked whether the South surpassed the

North in on-field power?

     Chezik says -- quote -- "there's just great parity in our

league, period." He says the Big 12 overall has upped it's game.

     And, he says it doesn't matter who you're playing, a North team

or a South team, they're both going to be good.

     Chezik spoke yesterday as the conference wound up its three-day

media session in Kansas City with head coaches.

 

     ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - Linebacker Alvin Bowen, Buffalo's

fifth-round draft pick, has signed with the team just hours before

Bills players report for the start of training camp.

     Selected 147th overall out of Iowa State, Bowen was a three-year

starter and an All-Big 12 Conference first-team selection in both

his junior and senior seasons. He led the nation with 155 tackles

in 2006 and finished with nine sacks in 46 career games.

     Bowen is expected to compete for a backup spot and fill a

special teams role.

     He is the sixth of Buffalo's 10 draft picks to sign as the team

prepares to open camp in suburban Rochester tomorrow (Friday)

morning.

     Bowen signed with the team yesterday (Wednesday).

 

     DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Des Moines native Lolo Jones is

considering another race after she competes in the 100-meter

hurdles next month at the Beijing Olympics.

     This time, she'd go up against a horse.

     Jones and officials at Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in

Altoona have discussed the idea but won't make plans until after

the Olympics.

     The racetrack already has paid Jones $4,000 for appearances to

help send her family to Beijing. A lawyer for Jones says more money

could come if the horse race is finalized.

     She wouldn't be the first star athlete to run against a horse.

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson raced a horse last year.

And track and field legend Jesse Owens raced horses and dogs after

winning four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics.

 

UNDATED (AP) - The Milwaukee Brewers received another great

outing from their newly-acquired ace Wednesday while staying with a

game of the Chicago Cubs for the National League Central lead.

     CC Sabathia (suh-BATH'-ee-uh) tossed his third consecutive

complete game, allowing just three singles in the Brewers' 3-0

shutout at St. Louis. Sabathia has given up just 15 hits while

becoming the first Brewers pitcher in 14 years to throw three

straight complete games. He's also 4-0 since Milwaukee acquired him

from Cleveland last month.

     Ryan Braun had four hits and J.J. Hardy homered as the Brewers

won their seventh in a row to move two games ahead of the Cardinals

for the NL wild card lead.

 

     The Cubs kept their one-game lead by blasting Arizona 10-6. Reed

Johnson went 3-for-4, including a grand slam that gave the Cubbies

a 10-3 lead in the eighth.

     Tony Clark belted a two-run homer, and Conor Jackson added a

3-run blast that got the Diamondbacks within 10-6 before Arizona

fell a game under .500.

     The D-Backs still own a one-game lead over Los Angeles in the NL

West after Matt Holliday provided two RBIs in Colorado's 5-3 win

over the Dodgers.

 

     The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are back in a

first-place tie in the NL East, one game ahead of the Florida

Marlins.

     Jose Reyes belted a tiebreaking three-run homer in the sixth

inning of the Mets' 6-3 win over the Phillies. John Maine allowed

three runs and six hits in seven innings as the Mets bounced back

from Tuesday's ninth-inning meltdown. Billy Wagner worked a perfect

ninth for his 25th save while showing no effects from the shoulder

problem that caused him to miss Tuesday's game.

 

     Meanwhile, the Marlins absorbed a 9-4 loss to Atlanta. Gregor

Blanco and Yunel Escobar drove in three runs apiece for the Braves,

who finished the game without Chipper Jones and Tim Hudson. Jones

strained his left hamstring in the fourth inning, and Hudson left

after six innings due to tightness in his throwing elbow.

 

     Adam Dunn's grand slam paced Cincinnati to a 9-5 victory over

San Diego. Padres pitcher Greg Maddux continues to suffer through

the longest winless streak of his outstanding career. The

42-year-old right-hander got his ninth no decision to go along with

five losses since his last victory on May 10th.

     Pittsburgh has its first road sweep of the season after an 8-7

win at Houston. Jason Bay socked a two-run homer for the Bucs, who

have won three straight road games for the first time this year.

     San Francisco blew a 3-1 lead before Rich Aurilia delivered a

go-ahead, two-run double in the eighth inning of the Giants' 6-4

win over Washington. Bengie Molina hit a pair of RBI doubles for

the Giants.

 

     Over to the American League, where the Tampa Bay Rays continue

to own first place in the East after taking the rubber match of a

three-game set with Oakland.

     James Shields pitched into the ninth inning as the Rays held off

the Athletics 4-3. Ben Zobrist hit a solo homer and had two RBI to

help Shields win for the fifth time in his last six decisions.

Zobrist was rewarded by being demoted to the minors after helping

the Rays stay a half-game ahead of the second-place Boston Red Sox.

    

     Mike Lowell provided a tiebreaking 2-run single in a three-run

12th that sent the Red Sox to a 6-3 victory and a three-game sweep

of the Mariners in Seattle. Mariners designated hitter Jose Vidro

extended the game with a game-tying two-run homer in the sixth.

    

     Mike Mussina is 13-and-6 after scattering six hits over eight

shutout innings of the New York Yankees' sixth straight win, a 5-1

decision over Minnesota. Alex Rodriguez supplied a two-run double

and Justin Christian drove in a pair of runs for the Yankees, who

remain three-and-a-half games behind the Rays.

     The outcome also dropped the Twins two-and-a-half games behind

the first-place Chicago White Sox in the AL Central. Carlos Quentin

had two homers, including a three-run blast that capped a five-run

in the White Sox's 10-8 win over Texas.

 

     Jeff Mathis had a career-high six RBIs, including his first

grand slam in the majors to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 14-11

win over Cleveland. Mathis and Howie Kendrick has four hits each

and Casey Kotchman had a career-best five, marking the first time

in Angels history three players had four or more hits in the same

game.

 

     Orlando Cabrera drove in three runs as Detroit completed a

three-game sweep at Kansas City, 7-1. Winning pitcher Armando

Galarraga had a perfect game broken up in the seventh inning.

 

     And the Blue Jays and Orioles had their game suspended by rain

in Baltimore with Toronto leading the game 2-1 in the top of the

sixth. Lyle Overbay's RBI single put the Jays ahead just before

play was halted. The game will resume tomorrow, followed by the

regularly scheduled contest.

 

     NEW YORK (AP) - Jorge Posada (HOR'-hay poh-SAH'-dah) wants to

put off surgery on his right shoulder even if it means sacrificing

the start of next season. The New York Yankees catcher says he has

15 days to make a decision and he'll try rehab until that time

comes. Posada missed more than a month earlier this season with

right rotator cuff tendinitis. Even if he were to return this year

it would not be behind the plate.

 

     MILWAUKEE (AP) - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (guh-DEHL') is

keeping an eye on the ongoing rift between the Green Bay Packers

and Brett Favre (fahrv).

     A person with direct knowledge of the situation says Goodell has

spoken with Packers management several times recently as tensions

continue to mount between the three-time MVP and his team.

     ESPN.com first reported Goodell's interest in the Favre

predicament. The Web site indicated that the commissioner

encouraged Packers general manager Ted Thompson to survey teams

around the league to try to find a trade partner in hopes of

resolving it quickly.

     The Packers are committed to moving forward with Aaron Rodgers

as their starter. With Favre apparently still intent on reversing

his decision to retire in March, the best outcome for both parties

could be a trade.

 

    

     BOURBONNAIS, Ill. (AP) - Kick return Devin Hester did not report

to the first day of the Chicago Bears training camp in a contract

dispute.

     The electifying returner has two years remaining on his deal but

wants to renegotiate his contract. Hester has 11 punt and kickoff

returns for touchdowns in his first two seasons. He also had 20

receptions last season including one for an 81-yard touchdown.

     Hester says he's due to make $445,000 this season.

     The Bears have given new deals this offseason to Lance Briggs,

Tommie Harris, Brian Urlacher, Desmond Clark and Alex Brown. And on

Wednesday they signed first-round pick, tackle Chris Williams to a

five-year deal reportedly worth 16 million dollars.

 

     - Denver receiver Rod Smith is planning a news conference

Thursday amid published reports he's ready to retire.

     - New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston has agreed to

a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2011. Colston

has amassed 2,241 receiving yards in two seasons with the Saints.

     - St. Louis Rams defensive end Claude Wroten has been suspended

without pay for the season for violating the NFL's substance abuse

policy. Wroten was suspended four games last season, and he also

failed a drug test at the NFL Combine before being drafted in 2006.

     - The Chargers have released Eric Parker after failing to work

out a trade for the wide receiver. Parker grabbed 187 passes for

2,586 yards and 11 touchdowns in parts of five seasons with the

Chargers, but he became expendable after Chris Chambers was

acquired in a midseason trade with Miami last October.

     - A change in military policy is forcing Lions draft pick Caleb

Campbell into active duty. Detroit used a seventh-round pick on the

defensive back last April and at the time, Army policy would have

allowed the West Point grad to serve as a recruiter if he made the

team. But a subsequent Department of Defense policy has superseded

the 2005 Army policy.

     - The Cleveland Browns opened training camp without wide

receiver Joe Jurevicius (joor-ih-VIH'-shuhs) and offensive lineman

Ryan Tucker as both have been placed on the active physically

unable to perform list.

     - Tackle Gosder Cherilus has worked out a five-year deal with

the Lions, three months after being taken with the 17th overall

pick in the draft. Cherilus is expected to play right tackle for

the Lions after being a left tackle at Boston College.

 

     LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jessica Hardy's first trip to the Olympics

could be over before it begins.

     The 21-year-old American swimmer was expected to be a medal

threat in the 100 meter breaststroke, and to play an important part

on the 400 meter free relay, and possibly the 400 medley relay.

     But a person familiar with drug test results tells The

Associated Press that Hardy's "A" sample from the U.S. Olympic

trials tested positive for a banned stimulant. That would leave her

just two weeks to pursue any appeals.

     A USA Swimming spokeswoman isn't commenting, but Hardy's agent

says she denies taking anything. He says he's heard conflicting

reports and calls the test results confusing.

     If Hardy does appeal and loses, the U.S. would not be allowed to

replace her on the roster.