Associated Press
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. ó Brandon Meriweather, Tommie Harris and Larry Johnson are former Pro Bowl players now looking for jobs.
The three were among hundreds of players cut Saturday as NFL teams got down to the mandatory 53-man roster maximum just five days before New Orleans and Green Bay kick off the regular season.
Cancer survivor Mark Herzlich made the New York Giants’ roster after being signed as a free agent out of Boston College. The linebacker, who beat a rare form of bone cancer in college, was on the bubble ó and still may be as teams search the waiver wire ó but he’s on the Giants’ roster for now.
“Herzlich didn’t bat an eye the whole camp,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “Physically, he did everything you asked and more. I saw him improve literally week by week.”
WASHINGTON ó The Redskins are going with John Beck and Rex Grossman ó and no one else.
Coach Mike Shanahan opted to keep just two quarterbacks Saturday as the Redskins cut 24 players to set the 53-man roster going into the first week of the regular season.
Quarterbacks Kellen Clemens and Matt Gutierrez were sent packing, leaving room for eight receivers.
NBA
The agent for DeJuan Blair says the San Antonio Spurs forward has signed to play in Russia during the lockout.
WAKE HOOPS
WINSTON-SALEM ó Wake Forest center Ty Walker can’t play in any basketball games during the fall semester after the school said he violated its student code of conduct.
Team officials said in a statement Friday that Walker will be permitted to practice with the team but can’t play until the Demon Deacons’ game Dec. 10 at Seton Hall.
Walker was suspended indefinitely from the team July 11 for violating unspecified team rules.
BASEBALL
WASHINGTON ó A federal judge ruled that Roger Clemens must face another trial on charges of lying about drug use, although the judge criticized prosecutors’ mishandling of evidence during a July mistrial and questioned the fairness of making the former star pitcher pay to defend himself twice.
CHICAGO ó Chicago Cubs’ right-hander Carlos Zambrano will sit out the rest of the season after his 30-day suspension ends after games of Sept. 11.
TRESSELíS NEW JOB
INDIANAPOLIS ó The Indianapolis Colts hired former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel as a game-day consultant. Coach Jim Caldwell said Tressel will serve primarily as a consultant on replays.
Tressel resigned at Ohio State on May 30 amid an NCAA rules scandal.
U.S. OPEN
NEW YORK ó If anyone still harbored any doubts about whether Serena Williams is back at her best, she put on a pretty persuasive performance during the first 17 minutes of her third-round match Saturday at the U.S. Open.
That’s how long Williams needed to build a 5-0 lead en route to a 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory at Flushing Meadows over one of the best players the women’s field had to offer: fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka, a Wimbledon semifinalist two months ago.
The woman who’s seeded No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki, eliminated Vania King of the United States 6-2, 6-4, and will continue her bid for a first Grand Slam title against 15th-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, owner of two major trophies.
Roger Federer reached the fourth round at a 30th consecutive a Grand Slam tournament by beating 27th-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
GOLF
ORTON, Mass. ó Masters champion Charl Schwartzel navigated the TPC Boston course for a string of birdies Saturday ó five in a six-hole stretch on the front nine ó that carried the South African to another 5-under 66 and a share of the lead with Adam Scott and Bubba Watson in the Deutsche Bank Championship.