Sports in 2 Minutes

From The Associated Press

Gators end Sun Devils’ season in NIT

TEMPE—Walter Hodge scored 18 points and Chandler Parsons added 15, and Florida defeated Arizona State 70-57 on Tuesday night in the NIT quarterfinals.

The Gators, two-time defending NCAA champions, watched an early 17-3 lead evaporate, falling behind on Jerren Shipp's 3-pointer with 13:30 to go. But Florida (24-11) responded with a 15-6 run and put the game away on Parsons' 3-pointer with 2:32 to play.

Nick Calathes had 11 points and 9 assists for Florida. The Gators shot a season-high 60.5 percent from the floor and picked apart Arizona State's zone defense with 26 baskets on 23 assists.

James Harden scored 18 points for ASU (21-13).

Dice-K wild, but Ramirez’s gives Boston win

TOKYO—Boston, Japan, it doesn’t matter: Manny Ramirez strikes a winning pose for the Boston Red Sox.

In the earliest major league opener, the Red Sox started their World Series title defense with a signature Manny moment.

Ramirez stood frozen in the batter’s box, admiring his 10th-inning drive to center field off Huston Street, thinking it would be a three-run homer. Instead, the ball bounced off the wall for his second two-run double, good enough to lift the Red Sox over the Oakland Athletics 6-5 on Tuesday night.

Daisuke Matsuzaka excited fans at the start, and Ramirez at the finish.

A crowd of 44,628, including fans from Boston, cheered at the Tokyo Dome, which hosted baseball’s opener for the third time in nine years. It was 6:10 a.m. back in Boston when the season began, and organizers tried to make it feel like Fenway Park by playing “Sweet Caroline” after the last out.

Webber ends comeback attempt, set to retire

OAKLAND, Calif.—Chris Webber is ending his comeback attempt with the Golden State Warriors and will retire after 15 seasons in the NBA.

Warriors spokesman Raymond Ridder said Webber will make the announcement at a news conference Wednesday. The news was first reported Tuesday by ESPN.com.

Webber played only nine games with the Warriors before being sidelined by a bum left knee that’s hampered him in recent years.

Webber was the most prominent member of the Fab Five at Michigan and played for Golden State, Washington, Sacramento, Philadelphia and Detroit in his NBA career.

Webber and the Warriors hoped that a return to the spot he started his NBA career would help both parties. But he ended up having little impact on the Warriors after signing with the team Jan. 29.

Slowed by the knee injuries, Webber struggled to keep up with the fast-pace Warriors and averaged only 3.9 points per game in his brief stint with the team.

Pacers say Donnie Walsh hasn’t agreed to run Knicks

INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana Pacers insist Donnie Walsh has not agreed to oversee basketball operations for the New York Knicks after the season.

“Donnie said this morning there’s nothing clear about his future,” Pacers spokesman David Benner said Tuesday.

Walsh, the Pacers’ chief executive and president since 1988, said Monday he would step aside after this season, but he would not comment on his future. The Pacers have turned over operation of the troubled franchise to Hall of Famer Larry Bird.

The Associated Press left a message with Walsh’s office, but his secretary said he would not respond to the inquiries.

On Monday night, ESPN.com reported that Walsh will go to the Knicks. The Web site, citing an unidentified source, said he was expected to sign a three-year, $15 million contract with the Knicks at the end of this season.