sports news update

NFL Films' Steve Sabol, 69, dies of brain cancer : NFL Films president Steve Sabol has died from brain cancer. He was 69.

Replacement officials starting to raise risks but NFL remains unmoved : Replacement officials have become a problem, well beyond simple conflicts of interest issues. Mike Freeman cites a growing list of woes but says the NFL seems more driven by the desire to break the union.

Ex-receiver Hurd close to guilty plea in drug case : Former NFL wide receiver Sam Hurd is moving closer to a deal to plead guilty in the federal drug-distribution case against him, his attorney said Tuesday.

Eagles surviving erratic offense because defense off to flying start : The Eagles have an NFL-leading nine turnovers but have battled to 2-0. Clark Judge says that's because the defense is delivering what it must to get Philly deep into the playoffs and Andy Reid and Juan Castillo off the hot seat.

Planned AEG sale muddies Los Angeles sports future, NFL stadium plans : A for-sale sign for the owner of the Staples Center arena, the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, Major League Soccer's LA Galaxy and a stake in the L.A. Lakers would be a major shock to the city's sports, entertainment and business establishment at any time.

Redskins' Morgan unfazed by Twitter death threats : Washington Redskins receiver Joshua Morgan says he's not concerned about the death threats on Twitter that followed his fourth-quarter blunder in the loss to the St. Louis Rams.

First Cup: Friday : Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: "To be the two remaining Western Conference teams, the Suns and Lakers had to excel at what they do best and those superlatives are unscathed. Something has to give now. When the conference finals start Monday, either the Suns' league-best 3-point shooting is going to be taken down a notch - or the Lakers' league-leading 3-point defense will snap. Phoenix can stake a claim to the best-ever 3-point shooting team with a 41.2 percent season that is second only to the 1996-97 Charlotte Hornets, who recorded a 42.8 percent record during a 3-year experiment that shortened the distance to 22 feet. The Lakers gave up a league-low 32.8 percent on 3-point shooting this season. Neither gave ground in getting to this point. Phoenix shot 41.7 percent on 3s in the first two rounds, making 10 per game. The Lakers surrendered 32.3 percent 3-point shooting, allowing six per game. 'We've won games where we didn't have to m...