By The Associated Press

Published: Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Updated: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 10:30 AM CDT

Here's a look at Tuesday's sports in brief around the world.

BASEBALL

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama plans to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the All-Star game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on July 14.

The White House said that Major League Baseball’s focus on community service matches with Obama’s service initiative this summer, known as United We Serve.

Obama, a White Sox fan, will be the fourth president to throw out the first pitch at an All-Star game, following John F. Kennedy (1962 in Washington), Richard Nixon (1970 in Cincinnati) and Gerald Ford (1976 in Philadelphia).

BASKETBALL

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Spurs acquired scoring swingman Richard Jefferson from Milwaukee in a four-player deal, giving San Antonio the extra offensive punch the aging former champions sorely needed.

The Spurs sent veterans Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto to the Bucks in exchange for the 29-year-old Jefferson, who averaged 19.6 points in his one season with the Bucks.

Milwaukee then dealt Oberto to the Pistons for forward Amir Johnson. The trades give the Bucks more financial flexibility, the Spurs a proven scorer and the Pistons a veteran big man at a lower cost than Johnson.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to trade guards Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards for the fifth overall draft pick and three players, leaving Minnesota with four first-round choices in Thursday’s NBA draft.

Two NBA officials with knowledge of the deal confirmed that the trade had been agreed upon. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been completed.

The deal would give Minnesota the fifth and sixth overall selections, as well as forwards Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov.

Yahoo! Sports first reported the trade.

TENNIS

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — While the rest of Britain — and much of the world — grapples with the global financial downturn, Wimbledon sold more tickets than ever on its opening day.

Monday’s attendance reached 42,811, an increase of nearly 3,500 from the previous opening day record from 2001. More than 14,000 lined up in the ticket queue Monday — up by about 1,600 from last year.

Organizers will not release figures for pre-tournament ticket requests, but say they received about 20 percent more than last year.

HOCKEY

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — A German national hockey player was banned for two years after refusing to take a doping test for several hours because he was relaxing at home with his girlfriend.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport banned Florian Busch because he declined to immediately give a sample when German anti-doping officials arrived unannounced in March 2008.

Despite testing negative, he can’t suit up for the Polar Bears Berlin again until February 2011.

FOOTBALL

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Cowboys linemen Leonard Davis, Marc Colombo and Cory Procter have signed a recording contract as part of a heavy metal band called Free Reign. Their debut album for Australia’s Riot Entertainment will be released this fall.

Considering all three players weigh over 300 pounds, it only makes sense they are being referred to as “heavier than metal.”

Guitarist Justin Chapman is the fourth member of the group. Their final gig of the offseason is Saturday at the House of Blues in Dallas.

Riot also has signed the group Fozzy, which includes professional wrestler Chris Jericho.

OLYMPICS

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Gymnastics Federation’s disciplinary commission is looking into whether two members of China’s 2000 Olympic squad were underage when they competed.

The federation is pursuing the case after determining it is the proper authority to investigate and that the statute of limitations has not run out. The disciplinary commission, established Friday, will give the FIG’s executive committee a decision by September, at the latest.

Questions about the ages of Dong Fangxiao and Yang Yun arose during the FIG’s investigation into the eligibility of members of China’s team that won the gold medal at the Beijing Games. The 2008 gymnasts were cleared, but the FIG says it’s not satisfied with evidence provided for Dong and Yang.

CYCLING

PARIS (AP) — Top-ranked cyclist Alejandro Valverde’s team says the Spanish rider will not compete in the Tour de France because of a doping ban in Italy.

The Caisse d’Epargne team said that Valverde met with his lawyers and was told he would have no recourse against the ban before the three-week Tour starts in Monaco on July 4. The race dips into Italy on July 21.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has agreed to hear Valverde’s appeal to overturn the Italian ban. Any decision won’t come early enough for him to start the Tour, the team said in a statement.

Valverde is challenging a two-year ban imposed last month by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) that prevents him from riding in Italy.