NEW YORK (AP) Arinze Onuaku crashed to the floor and clutched his right knee, writhing in pain at Madison Square Garden.

Suddenly, top-seeded Syracuse had more to worry about than a loss in its Big East tournament opener. (MORE)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen, who helped form one of the NFL's greatest defensive lines before embarking on a successful career in television, died Thursday after a battle with cancer. He was 69.

Olsen was a member of the Los Angeles Rams' "Fearsome Foursome" along with Deacon Jones, Lamar Lundy and Rosey Grier in the 1960s. He later starred on NFL broadcasts, commercials, and as Jonathan Garvey on the TV series "Little House on the Prairie." (MORE)

NEW YORK (AP) All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes has been told to rest and refrain from athletic activity for 2-to-8 weeks until his thyroid levels normalize, another blow to the New York Mets before opening day.

Center fielder Carlos Beltran already is expected to miss the first month of the season following right knee surgery Jan. 13. Reyes appears likely to also start the season on the disabled list. (MORE)

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) The Minnesota Vikings wined and dined LaDainian Tomlinson on Wednesday night, then spent much of Thursday meeting with the star running back in hopes of pairing him with Adrian Peterson in what would be a big-name backfield.

Tomlinson emerged from Vikings headquarters on Thursday evening with a purple Vikings jersey in hand, but pulled away in a black limousine without a deal in place. (MORE)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) First baseman Todd Helton and the Colorado Rockies agreed Thursday to a $9.9 million. two-year contract extension through the 2013 season.

The first baseman is earning $16.6 million this year, and he agreed to defer $13 million of his $19.1 million salary in 2011 over a 10-year period beginning in 2014. (MORE)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) Arizona manager A.J. Hinch says there's an increasing chance that Brandon Webb will start the season on the disabled list.

Webb reached what Hinch called a "plateau" in his comeback from surgery on his right shoulder. He has not thrown a bullpen session for a week after saying he felt "stagnant" and was not making the progress he expected. (MORE)

CLEVELAND (AP) The Cleveland Browns spent another day looking for a new quarterback by meeting with an older one.

Free agent Jake Delhomme, released last week after seven seasons with the Carolina Panthers, visited Thursday with the perpetually rebuilding Browns, who have been busy this week trying to improve their unstable situation at QB. (MORE)

NEW YORK (AP) Major League Soccer players voted to strike if a new labor contract isn't agreed to before the first season opener on March 25.

The league's first collective bargaining agreement, a five-year deal, originally was set to run out Jan. 31 but was extended twice while negotiations continued. It expired Feb. 25 after the MLS Players Union refused another extension. (MORE)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Kansas reached a major milestone, one just two other programs can claim.

A nice accomplishment, worthy of the trophy case. (MORE)