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From The Associated Press

Packers GM, coach say no to Favre’s release

GREEN BAY, Wis.—The Green Bay Packers’ general manager and coach don’t plan to grant Brett Favre’s request for his release. If he does rejoin the team, they told The Associated Press, it won’t be as the starting quarterback.

And Favre is unlikely to accept a backup role, GM Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged Saturday in their first public comments since the 38-year-old Favre demanded his release this week.

A trade may be the best resolution, but Thompson and McCarthy declined to discuss that possibility. Thompson said he had not received any inquiries from other teams as of Saturday morning.

“We’ve communicated that to Brett, that we have since moved forward,” Thompson said. “At the same time, we’ve never said that there couldn’t be some role that he might play here. But I would understand his point that he would want to play.”

When asked whether that role might be as a backup or coach, Thompson said: “not a coach.”

Added McCarthy: “He did ask about that, though.”

Favre, who led the Packers to a Super Bowl title after the 1996 season, held a tearful news conference to announce his retirement March 6. The Packers planned to begin the season with Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback.

Arizona’s Johnson gets big hit to back 290th win

PHILADELPHIA—Randy Johnson helped secure his 290th victory with a two-run double to start an eight-run fourth inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Philadelphia Phillies 10-4 Saturday.

Johnson (6-7) struck out three in six innings, but left while warming up in the seventh because of cramping in his calf that began after running the bases in the fourth.

The 45-year-old Johnson allowed four runs, five hits and walked one.

A career .125 hitter, Johnson laced a double to the left-field wall in the fourth inning to give Arizona a 4-2 lead. The Diamondbacks went on to match a club record for runs in an inning.

Mark Reynolds’ three-run homer to left-center capped the inning that saw eight Diamondbacks score and every batter reach base. Arizona scored all eight runs with two outs.

Alex Rodriguez passes Mantle with 537th homer

TORONTO—Alex Rodriguez hit his 537th career home run Saturday, moving New York’s third baseman past former Yankee great Mickey Mantle into sole possession of 13th place on the career list.

Rodriguez drove a 3-2 pitch off the left field foul pole leading off the fourth inning against Blue Jays left-hander Brian Tallet. His 19th homer of the season gave the Yankees a 9-4 lead.

The home run was Rodriguez’s 192nd as a Yankee, tying him with Tino Martinez for 15th place on the team’s career list.

Rodriguez tied Mantle last Sunday with a solo home run in New York’s 5-4, 10-inning victory over Boston.

Rodriguez has 47 career home runs against Toronto, his second highest total against any opponent. He has hit 58 homers against the Los Angeles Angels.

Kyle Busch wins again

JOLIET, Ill.—Take a bow, Kyle Busch. He did exactly that after winning again Friday night.

Busch added another Nationwide Series victory to his column Friday night, winning the Dollar General 300 at the Chicagoland Speedway.

The points leader with six victories in the Sprint Cup Series, Busch won for the fifth time in the Nationwide Series.

Busch did his customary bow to the crowd, which is becoming a weekly tradition as he has dominated this season. He has won 13 races, spanning all three of NASCAR’s top series.

Britain’s Cavendish wins Tour de France stage

TOULOUSE, France—Mark Cavendish of Britain won another Tour de France stage Saturday, cutting through the field in a rain-soaked sprint to the finish.

His Team Columbia showed its strength, with Gerald Ciolek of Germany holding on for second ahead of Jimmy Casper of France. Team leader Kim Kirchen of Luxembourg kept the yellow jersey in a race shaken a day earlier by the positive doping test by Manuel Beltran.

The Liquigas team raced without Beltran, who returned to Spain after being questioned and released by police. The squad started amid debate about whether it should have withdrawn, as the Cofidis team did a year ago when Cristian Moreni failed a drug test.

Liquigas team director Roberto Amadio said the team knew nothing about Bletran’s doping, and the rider denied he had taken EPO. A second test is being done on Beltran’s urine sample from after the first stage.

Harden strikes out 10 in debut, Cubs win in 11

CHICAGO—Rich Harden struck out 10 in an impressive debut for the Chicago Cubs, who blew a five-run lead in the ninth inning before beating the San Francisco Giants 8-7 Saturday on Reed Johnson’s single in the 11th.

Jim Edmonds homered and drove in four runs early for the Cubs, who led 7-0 after four innings and held on to win for the fifth time in six games. The Giants have lost six straight.

Cubs pitcher Sean Marshall singled off Brian Wilson (0-2) to start the bottom of the 11th. Mark DeRosa then walked, and Marshall was forced out on Mike Fontenot’s bunt attempt. Johnson then laced a hit to right and DeRosa slid into home just ahead of Emmanuel Burriss’ throw.

Marshall (2-2) pitched two innings for the win.

Olympic swimmer Shanteau has testicular cancer

ATLANTA—When Eric Shanteau touched the wall second at the U.S. Olympic trials, he was overcome by the joy of reaching a lifelong goal.

The celebration didn’t last long.

Shanteau had barely locked up his trip to Beijing when he was forced to deal with a gut-wrenching choice: Should he have surgery for the testicular cancer hardly anyone knew about? Or, should he put it off for another month so he could swim at his first Olympics?

Shanteau chose the Olympics. Surgery will have to wait.

In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Shanteau said he learned just a week before leaving for the U.S. Olympic trials that he has cancer.

His doctors cleared him to compete at the trials in Omaha, Neb., determining he wouldn’t be at great risk to delay treatment. Then, Shanteau surprisingly made the team in the 200-meter breaststroke, finishing second ahead of former world-record holder and heavy favorite Brendan Hansen.

Creamer still on top by four shots

SYLVANIA, Ohio—Paula Creamer needed 10 more shots than in the first round yet still holds a 4-stroke lead after the third round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.

Creamer, who set the course record with a 60 in the first round, shot a 1-under 70 on Saturday and now stands at 18-under 195 through 54 holes at Highland Meadows. The 21-year-old Californian had a second-round 65.

South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji (YOON JEE) remains in second, as she has after all three rounds. She shot a 68 to cut two strokes off of Creamer’s lead heading into the day.

Rachel Hetherington had a 67 and was alone in third at 11-under 202.