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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Yankees’ Jeter to retire after 2014 season

Derek Jeter waves to the crowd after passing Lou Gehrig's all-time Yankees hit record. Jeter says he will retire after this season. (Associated Press)
From Staff And Wire Reports

MLB : Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter says he will retire after this season “with absolutely no regrets,” ending one of the greatest careers in the history of baseball’s most storied franchise.

The 39-year-old New York captain posted a long letter on his Facebook page Wednesday saying that 2014 will be his final year.

A 13-time All-Star who has led the Yankees to five World Series championships, Jeter was limited to 17 games last season while trying to recover from a broken left ankle sustained during the 2012 playoffs.

“I know it in my heart. The 2014 season will be my last year playing professional baseball,” he wrote.

“I have gotten the very most out of my life playing baseball, and I have absolutely no regrets,” he said.

Jeter was the last link to the powerful Yankees teams that won three straight World Series crowns from 1998-2000. Longtime teammates Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte retired after last year.

His agent, Casey Close, said Jeter wanted to declare his intentions before the Yankees start spring training later this week so that his future status wouldn’t be a distraction.

Incognito attacks Martin on Twitter

NFL: Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Richie Incognito has lashed out at teammate Jonathan Martin on Twitter, saying “The truth is going to bury you and your entire ‘camp.’ You could have told the truth the entire time.”

Incognito also wrote Martin told him he thought about committing suicide last May because he wasn’t playing well.

Incognito’s series of tweets Wednesday directed at Martin and his representatives come as the NFL is preparing to release a report on the Dolphins’ bullying case which could shed light on their relationship.

Martin previously said he was harassed daily by Incognito and other teammates and alleged their racial, aggressive and sexually charged comments played a role in his departure from the team.

Agency to decide athletes’ status

College football: A federal agency is meeting in Chicago to consider whether college football players qualify as employees and therefore are eligible to form a union.

At the National Labor Relations Board’s initial hearing, lawyers for Northwestern football players said the decisive question is whether the athletes are considered employees. If so, the lawyers argued, they should be allowed to legally unionize.

Players’ attorney John Adam says his clients are employees because they work at football 40 hours a week, are managed by coaches and receive payment in the form of scholarships.

Northwestern attorney Alex Barbour disagreed. He said scholarships are payment for education, not football services.

There will be three days of testimony, starting Tuesday. Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter is the main witness for the players.

Harden layup lifts Rockets over Wizards

NBA: James Harden scored 35 points and his layup with 0.7 seconds remaining lifted the Houston Rockets to a 113-112 win over the Washington Wizards in Houston.

John Wall gave Washington the lead with a pair of free throws with 4 seconds left. Trevor Ariza fouled out when he pushed Harden to the ground on the ensuing inbounds pass. It was ruled a foul away from the play, giving Houston one free throw and possession.

Harden, who was 16 for 16 at the line, made the free throw before grabbing a pass from Chandler Parsons and driving into the lane for the winning shot.

Pacers lose third at home: Monta Ellis had 23 points and nine rebounds, and Dirk Nowitzki added 18 points as the Dallas Mavericks handed the Indiana Pacers their third home loss of the season, 81-73 in Indianapolis.

The Mavericks scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and took a 66-62 lead when Ellis made a free throw with 6:55 remaining.

George Hill had 14 points, and Lance Stephenson and Danny Granger both scored 13 points for the Pacers, who have lost two of three.

Kings down Knicks: Rudy Gay made the tying basket in regulation and a 3-pointer in overtime that gave Sacramento the lead for good, and Jimmer Fredette scored a career-high 24 points to help the Kings beat the New York Knicks 106-101 in New York.

Gay finished with 20 points for the Kings, who shook off a 13-point deficit and the loss of DeMarcus Cousins late in regulation to salvage the finale of a four-game road trip. Cousins had 19 points and 14 rebounds before limping off with about 3 1/2 minutes left.

Carmelo Anthony had 36 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks but flopped at the finish, missing a potential winning shot in regulation before blowing a layup on the first possession of overtime. He was scoreless in the extra session.

Clippers edge Blazers:

Blake Griffin scored 36 points, Chris Paul had 20 points and 12 assists, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 122-117 in Los Angeles in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break.

The Clippers, who set a franchise record for largest victory Sunday in their 45-point thrashing of Philadelphia, converted 16 Portland turnovers into 20 points during a back-and-forth game that included 40 lead changes.

Paul made 10 of 15 shots in his second game back after missing 18 with a separated right shoulder, and Jamal Crawford added 25 points for Los Angeles. The Clippers have won 14 of their last 19 since Jan. 4, when the Spurs handed them their worst loss of the season, 116-92 in San Antonio.

35-foot buzzer beater propels No. 1 Syracuse

College Men’s Basketball: Tyler Ennis made a 35-footer at the buzzer and No. 1 Syracuse remained unbeaten with a 58-56 victory over No. 25 Pitt in Pittsburgh.

Syracuse (24-0, 11-0 ACC) and Wichita State are the lone undefeated teams in Division I.

With the Orange down by one with 4.4 seconds left, Ennis caught the inbounds pass and dribbled up the court before hitting the shot over two defenders.

Talib Zanna, who led Pitt (20-5, 8-4) with 16 points and 14 rebounds, hit two free throws to give Pitt a 56-55 lead before Ennis’ winner.

It was Pitt’s first loss at home to a top five team in the 12-year history of the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers (20-5, 8-4) had been 9-0 against top five teams and 13-1 against teams ranked in the top 10.

C.J. Fair led Syracuse with 14 points.