USHL releases 2014-15 regular season dates

July 9, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

The United States Hockey League released the regular season schedule for the upcoming 2014-15 season on Tuesday.

The league added two new franchises — Madison Capitols and Bloomington Thunder — that will make their debut this fall and compete in the Eastern Conference. For the first time in its 13-year history, the USHL will have 17 member clubs, each playing a 60-game schedule.

The Phantoms season begins Sept. 27, with two games in Ann Arbor against the national team, one in Bloomington, and another back in Michigan. Their first game in the Covelli Centre is Saturday, October 11 against Bloomington.

Sterling testifies in Los Angeles Clippers trial

LOS ANGELES

Donald Sterling has taken the witness stand as he challenges his wife’s $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Sterling was testy during his 90-minute appearance Tuesday afternoon, denouncing doctors who declared him to have Alzheimer’s disease as “hired guns,” pleading a faulty memory about some of his most controversial remarks and repeatedly drawing laughter from spectators during the non-jury trial.

Sterling is due back on the stand Wednesday afternoon. The 80-year-old billionaire contends that his wife, Shelly, had no authority to singlehandedly arrange a team sale to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

Sterling says he believes he can get billions more by selling Clippers TV rights to Fox and if he wins an antitrust suit against the NBA.

Bautista, Tulo add to HR Derby lineups

NEW YORK

Jose Bautista and Troy Tulowitzki have announced three members of their respective teams for Monday night’s Home Run Derby at Target Field.

Joining Bautista on the American League team are Oakland’s Yoenis Cespedes, who was last year’s Derby winner, Baltimore’s Adam Jones and Brian Dozier of the host Twins.

Tulowitzki will have Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton, who entered Tuesday leading the National League in homers, the Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig and Cincinnati’s Todd Frazier on his side.

The final competitor in each league will be announced on Thursday.

Jackets re-sign Sean Collins to 2-way deal

COLUMBUS

The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed center Sean Collins to a one-year, two-way (NHL/AHL) contract for the 2014-15 season.

The 25-year-old Collins appeared in six games with the Blue Jackets last season, with one assist. In 67 games with the American Hockey League’s Springfield Falcons, he added 16 goals and 25 assists. Collins, a native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, was Columbus’ ninth pick, 187th overall, at the 2008 NHL draft.

Blogger hired to defend Redskins name resigns

ASHBURN, Va.

A blogger hired by the Washington Redskins to defend the team’s name has quit after two weeks.

Ben Tribbett announced his resignation on Twitter late Monday, saying he didn’t want to be a distraction because of personal attacks directed toward him.

Tribbett is well-known in Virginia politics as an advocate for liberal issues. He is perhaps best known for leading the attacks on Sen. George Allen for using the word “macaca” to describe an American of Indian descent during Allen’s ill-fated re-election campaign in 2006.

Tribbett tweeted that he supports the Redskins name but doesn’t “see eye to eye with some friends” over the issue.

Kittel wins 4th stage as Tour enters France

LILLE, France

Marcel Kittel of Germany has won the fourth stage of the Tour de France — his third of the race — in a sprint as the tour returned home from England, with crashes ensnaring some big names.

Vincenzo Nibali of Italy retained the yellow jersey.

Staff/wire reports