Time Warner Cable, Bright House to add NFL Network Time Warner Cable, Bright House to add NFL Network ADVERTISING NEW YORK — Time Warner Cable agreed to carry NFL Network on Friday, the last major holdout in the channel’s long-running
Time Warner Cable, Bright House to add NFL Network
NEW YORK — Time Warner Cable agreed to carry NFL Network on Friday, the last major holdout in the channel’s long-running push into more homes.
NFL Network and the NFL RedZone channel will be available to customers of Time Warner and Bright House Networks starting Sunday.
Time Warner is the country’s second-largest cable provider with about 12 million homes. Bright House, with about 2 million, is the sixth biggest.
AP source: ‘serious’ gaps divide
NFL, officials
NEW YORK —The NFL and its locked-out officials met the last two days, but a person familiar with the negotiations said Friday the sides remain far apart and no further talks are scheduled.
The person said in an email to The Associated Press that there are “significant and serious economic gaps.” The person requested anonymity in characterizing the negotiations because they are intended to remain private.
Michael Arnold, counsel and lead negotiator for NFL Referees Association, acknowledged the discussions, saying his group reached out to the league last week and the NFL agreed to meet. He said there may be additional talks, but it is “not appropriate” to comment on specific issues.
Bears’ Forte out
for Rams game
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte will sit out the Chicago Bears’ game against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday because of a sprained right ankle.
Coach Lovie Smith said Friday that Forte “is making a lot of progress,” but isn’t ready to play. Forte went to the locker room midway through the third quarter of last week’s loss at Green Bay after he appeared to twist his right ankle while being tackled by Charles Woodson. That leaves Chicago without one of its top offensive players.
He also missed the final four games last season because of a sprained collateral ligament in his right knee.
LB Harrison, safety Polamalu will not play against Oakland
PITTSBURGH — Linebacker James Harrison and safety Troy Polamalu did not take part in the Steelers’ final practice of the week and will not play Sunday at Oakland.
The defensive standouts — named to a combined 12 Pro Bowls — will not dress for the second consecutive game. Harrison, who had surgery on his left knee Aug. 15, has not played yet this season. Polamalu missed last week’s win over the New York Jets due to a calf injury.
The Steelers (1-1) have a bye week after playing the Raiders (0-2), but they play twice in five days beginning Oct. 7.
Ryan Mundy will start in place of Polamalu and Chris Carter will replace Harrison.
Jets LB Scott, reporter get into argument
in locker room
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott and a reporter needed to be separated by a media relations staffer after the two got into an argument when the reporter tried to take a picture of Scott.
Scott, who has refused to do interviews since Week 1 of the season, was on his way out of the locker room and speaking to a female reporter Friday off the record when Dan Leberfeld of Jets Confidential magazine approached the linebacker to snap a picture with his phone to use on his website.
Scott asked Leberfeld why he was taking another picture of him — after Leberfeld did the same thing Wednesday, upsetting another female reporter who was talking to the linebacker off the record.
Leberfeld added that he wanted the pictures because he’s writing a story on writers talking to him in an attempt to negotiate with him to end his media boycott.
Orange Bowl deal
helps spur playoff rotation tweak
A pending deal to restrict access to the Orange Bowl is one of the key reasons conference commissioners are leaning toward adding another game to the new college football postseason system.
The original plan for the four-team playoff that will replace the Bowl Championship Series in 2014 called for the national semifinals rotating among six marquee bowl games.
Now it looks as if the rotation will consist of seven games.
The Orange Bowl is working on an agreement that would match Notre Dame or a Big Ten or Southeastern Conference team against an Atlantic Coast Conference team during seasons the game doesn’t host a national semifinal.
That would mean three of the six games — the Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl (Pac-12 and Big Ten) and the bowl that will eventually become the so-called Champions Bowl between the Big 12 and SEC — wouldn’t be accessible to teams outside the five power conferences in years in which they do not host a semifinal.
Defending champion Tsonga in Moselle semis
METZ, France — Defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France overcame a slow start to advance to the Moselle Open semifinals, beating American Jesse Levine 6-3, 6-4 on Friday.
Tsonga will face eighth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko of Russia. Davydenko beat Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-0.
In the other quarterfinals, fifth-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy beat fourth-seeded Florian Mayer of Germany 7-5, 6-2, and seventh-seeded Gael Monfils of France topped second-seeded. Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4.
Youzny, Fognini advance at St. Petersburg Open
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Top-seeded Mikhail Youzhny of Russia reached the semifinals of the St. Petersburg Open, beating seventh-seeded Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-4, 0-6, 6-3 on Friday.
Also advancing to the last four were third-seeded Martin Klizan of Slovakia, fourth-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy and Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain.
Robson to play in Guangzhou Open final
GUANGZHOU, China — Laura Robson became the first British woman in 22 years to reach a WTA final when she defeated third-seeded Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-4, 6-2 at the Guangzhou Open.
The 74th-ranked Robson will play Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan in the final today. The last British woman to reach a WTA final was Jo Durie in 1990, four years before Robson was born.
Wozniacki reaches semifinals at Korea
SEOUL, South Korea — Caroline Wozniacki reached the semifinals of the Korea Open by defeating Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-3 Friday.
The Dane will next play Ekaterina Makarova of Russia, who beat Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain 6-1, 6-1.
Also, Varvara Lepchenko of the United States beat Tamira Paszek of Austria 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4, and Kaia Kanepi of Estonia defeated Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 6-4, 6-4.
By wire sources
