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Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Thursday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EDT:- LONDON -- Russia loses its appeal of the Olympic ban on its track and field athletes, a decision that could intensify pressure on the IOC to bar the country entirely from next months Rio de Janeiro Games.- LONDON -- Usain Bolt says the ban on Russias track and field team sends a powerful message that should scare drug cheats.- Missy Franklin and Ryan Lochte will not be as busy as they would have liked at the Olympics. The two U.S. swimmers have just three individual events between them in Rio.- WASHINGTON -- Stephen Strasburg (13-0) is on the mound for the first-place Nationals, facing the Los Angeles Dodgers and 19-year-old pitcher Julio Urias. Game starts 12:05 p.m.- NEW YORK -- CC Sabathia and the Yankees go for a four-game sweep of Baltimore. Chris Tillman (13-2) starts for the Orioles, who have lost four in a row and their AL East lead. Game starts 1:05 p.m.- Separate training camp previews and capsules on all NFL teams.- OAKVILLE, Ontario -- Top-ranked Jason Day opens his Canadian Open title defense in a field featuring U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson. Also playing are Jim Furyk, Ernie Els and Matt Kuchar.- GURNEE, Ill. -- The UL International Crown begins outside Chicago with eight four-ball matches. Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis and Cristie Kerr play for the U.S. South Korea is favored in the eight-country event.- NEW YORK -- Social activism is coming at a cost for WNBA players. The league fines the Liberty, Mercury and Fever and their players for wearing black warmup shirts in response to recent shootings.- MEGEVE, France -- Chris Froome extends his overall lead by winning the 18th stage of the Tour de France. The 10.5-mile mountain time trial features majestic views of Mont Blanc.- CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The ACC and ESPN appear set to introduce the conferences long-awaited television network. Commissioner John Swofford is to give his state of the league speech.- CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- Prosecutors intend to appeal a shockingly lenient six-year jail sentence for Oscar Pistorius. They say such a decision could bring the countrys justice system into disrepute.- SEOUL, South Korea -- Two baseball players in South Korea are indicted, accused of manipulating games in a gambling case that deals another blow to pro sports in the country.James Rodriguez Jersey . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. Carlos Sanchez Moreno Jersey . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. http://www.nationalcolombiafootball.com/roger-martinez-colombia-jersey/ . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. Jeison Murillo Jersey .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does. Stefan Medina Colombia Jersey . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Reggie McKenzie took a methodical approach to rebuilding the Oakland Raiders when he was hired as general manager in 2012.He spent most of his first two seasons dismantling the roster to get the salary cap in order after years of mismanagement by late owner Al Davis before building the team back up again starting with the 2014 draft that netted franchise quarterback Derek Carr, elite pass rusher Khalil Mack and other key pieces.The process has paid off handsomely. McKenzies Raiders are off to a 9-2 start this season and stand in first place in the AFC West and tied for the top record in the conference with New England. Oakland is assured of its first winning record since 2002 and is closing in on clinching a playoff berth for the first time since that season, when the team went to the Super Bowl.We feel good about where we are, McKenzie said Thursday. We think we built this thing to last.But the speed of the turnaround from an 0-10 start in 2014 to possible Super Bowl contender two years later is somewhat staggering and a credit to the job McKenzie did building a roster and hiring Jack Del Rio as coach in 2015.All but three of the teams starters were added since 2014 with McKenzie using successful high draft picks like Carr, Mack and Amari Cooper, key free agents like Michael Crabtree, Donald Penn, Rodney Hudson, Kelechi Osemele, Bruce Irvin and Sean Smith, and numerous finds late in the draft and off the street like David Amerson, Seth Roberts, Jalen Richard and Perry Riley Jr., to build a team able to compete with just about anybody.We knew we had some pieces to develop and if we could just add on that, we felt like wed win some ballgames, McKenzie said. We had those guys in 2014, they were young, being 0-10 is no fun, but we were 3-3 at the end of that stretch and we were moving in the right direction.It has all paid off this season as a franchise that seemed to always find a way to lose is pulling out close games. Carr has led five fourth-quarter comebacks already this season as the players and management are confident each week that they will find a way to win.McKenzie said that started when Del Rio decided to go for a 2-point conversion and a win instead of playing for overtime in a season-opening 35-34 win at New Orleanns.dddddddddddd.As many heart attacks as Ive had, absolutely, McKenzie said. It goes without saying, the players, you can feel it. They have an air about them that they know theyre going to win and its good to be around.The next step for McKenzie will be figuring out a way to keep all his young stars. He has structured most of his free-agent contracts with a pay-as-you-go philosophy meaning that the salary cap shouldnt hinder the teams chances of retaining Carr, Mack and Cooper. Carr can negotiate an extension this offseason and become a free agent in 2018, while Mack wont hit free agency until the following year and Cooper in 2020.The premiere players will get paid and we try to keep everything intact as much as we can, McKenzie said. But thats what happens when youre talented players, play well and their contract comes up a certain time to where they can benefit from it, thats what free agency is all about.In other topics, McKenzie said defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr. resumed workouts on the field Thursday for the first time since injuring his hip in the preseason opener on Aug. 12.Edwards was placed on injured reserve with hopes that he would be able to come back after about eight weeks but the injury has taken longer to heal than originally thought. The next step will be to see how Edwards responds to the workout before deciding whether to allow him back to practice.Its a day to day thing for him now, McKenzie said. See how he comes in in the morning after he did some work today. Hes been working out. Hes had a good week.McKenzie also had no update on the status of suspended pass rusher Aldon Smith, who is waiting to be reinstated by the league after serving a one-year suspension for violating the substance-abuse policy.Theyll let us know in due time, McKenzie said. Im sure theyre in communication with each other with that. But they dont fill us in on anything in that process.McKenzie still believes Smith could contribute this season despite being out so long as long as he is in good shape physically and in a good state of mind.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '