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OLYMPICSAn international anti-doping leader called nonsense the suggestion that the release of draft letters urging Russias total ban from the Olympics have compromised the investigation into Russian doping.The Institute of National Anti-Doping Agencies is one of several anti-doping and athletes groups to draft letters calling for the ban. They plan to send the letters to the International Olympic Committee only if the investigation, due out Monday, reveals evidence of state-sponsored doping throughout Russian sports.A group of Olympic leaders, including IOC members and swimmings international federation, have released statements suggesting the draft letters have undermined the credibility of investigator Richard McLarens report.But iNADO CEO Joseph dePencier said his organization has neither communicated with McLaren nor tried to influence his investigation. He said he had no knowledge of any iNADO members contacting McLaren, either.RIO DE JANEIRO -- A leading Rio de Janeiro Olympics official doubts the worlds top four male golfers are staying away from the games because of the Zika virus.Carlos Nuzman, head of the Rio organizing committee, said the golfers tried to blame Zika, but the media have shown that they are not coming because theres no prize money.Jordan Spieth withdrew this week from the Olympics, citing Zika. He joined Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, and Rory McIlroy in also saying Zika was the main reason for making themselves unavailable for the first Olympic golf tournament in 112 years.Their absence could be a setback for golfs future in the Olympics. IOC President Thomas Bach has said that golfs future may rest on its ability to get top players to show up.BASEBALLSAN DIEGO -- Major League Baseball is telling managers to cool it on arguing balls and strikes, and warning them not to rely on replay help to bolster their beefs.MLB executive Joe Torre sent a memo to managers, general managers and assistant general managers that said: This highly inappropriate conduct is detrimental to the game and must stop immediately.The memo was obtained by The Associated Press.Although disagreements over ball and strike calls are natural, the prevalence of manager ejections simply cannot continue, Torre wrote. This conduct not only delays the game, but it also has the propensity to undermine the integrity of the umpires on the field.COLLEGE FOOTBALLTUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama offensive lineman Alphonse Taylor has been arrested on a drunken driving charge, according to the Tuscaloosa County Sheriffs Office.Taylor remained in the Tuscaloosa County jail early Sunday afternoon on $1,000 bond. A jail official didnt have any details on his arrest. Calls to the Tuscaloosa Police Department were referred to a spokesperson, who did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press.The 6-foot-5, 345-pound Taylor started all 15 games for the Crimson Tide during the 2015 national championship season. The guard is a preseason second-team All-Southeastern Conference pick by reporters covering the league.AUTO RACINGLOUDON, N.H. -- Team owner Rick Hendrick says he does not think the concussion symptoms that sidelined Dale Earnhardt Jr. are career threatening. Hendrick hopes to have NASCARs most popular driver back in the car next week at the Brickyard.Earnhardt sat out Sundays race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway because he was not cleared to race. Alex Bowman drove the No. 88 Chevrolet on Sunday.Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon will come out of retirement and drive the 88 next week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway if Earnhardt does not return. Hendrick says Gordon will likely remain in the car should Earnhardt need an extended absence.Earnhardt will have more tests early this week. Hendrick Motorsports will likely make a decision on Earnhardts availability on Wednesday.Hendrick says Gordon thought he was kidding when he made the offer to potentially replace Earnhardt.PRO BASKETBALLMIAMI -- Pat Riley says he wishes he would have done more to keep Dwyane Wade in Miami.The Heat president spoke on the state of the franchise and for the first time publicly since Wade decided to leave the Heat after 13 seasons and sign with the Chicago Bulls.Riley says he regrets not going to New York to woo Wade personally, and that the three-time NBA champions decision to leave Miami floored me.Riley says it was his responsibility to keep Wade and he blamed himself for not getting it done, saying he had great regrets about how the process played out earlier this month.Riley says from my standpoint and from the team standpoint, weve had a tough summer -- period.Elgin Baylor Jersey . 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Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night.Two weeks after noting that Big 12 expansion is not a sure thing, Oklahoma president David Boren said Tuesday that the Sooners have not yet reached an institutional opinion on expansion.SI.com and The Dallas Morning News both reported Tuesday that Boren had come full circle and is now opposed to Big 12 expansion.I do not know where the speculation came from, Boren said in a statement to ESPN, but Oklahoma has not yet taken a position on expansion.Oklahoma State mega-booster T. Boone Pickens said Tuesday on the Austin American-Statesmans On Second Thought podcast that expansion is probably unlikely. Pickens also took aim at Boren, suggesting its time for him to retire and addressing his oscillation on the issue of expansion.Ive known David forever. He likes to talk. He gets a little bit confused sometimes, Pickens said, according to the Austin American-Statesman.After a university regents meeting Sept. 14 at OU-Tulsa, Boren noted that expansion shouldnt be automatically assumed.I would just caution you and say I would not take eexpansion as a given, he said.ddddddddddddSince last year, Boren had been one of the biggest drivers behind the Big 12 expansion movement. He said he believed the Big 12 to be psychologically disadvantaged because it was smaller than the other Power 5 conferences.However, sources have told ESPN that one of Borens biggest motivations to expand was to drive the creation of a conference network. With only 10 schools and limited markets, expansion was viewed as a prerequisite for getting a network off the ground.My hunch is that a Big 12 network might be very advantageous to the entire conference, Boren said in May.But after the league met with TV officials in June, Boren acknowledged that the boat had sailed on the formation of a traditional conference network.The Big 12 presidents and chancellors are scheduled to meet again Oct. 17 in Irving, Texas, where expansion is expected to be the primary topic. ' ' '