NBA commissioner David Stern will not collect on his eight-figure salary during the ongoing lockout, according to sources with knowledge of Stern's pay status. Amid growing tensions on both sides of a labor impasse that has lasted 33 days, with owners proposing sharp cuts in salary and contract lengths, and with no end in sight to the stalemate, Philadelphia 76ers center Spencer Hawes this week publicly questioned via Twitter why there have been "no rumblings about a pay cut for (Stern) while he asks every single player to do so."Stern has given no indication that he will agree to lower his salary when the sides ultimately do hammer out a new labor agreement that is expected to be far more restrictive for players. [Read the full article]

After 11 NFL seasons, including two in which he was selected to the Pro Bowl, former St. Louis Rams and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Marc Bulger said he is retiring.What Could've BeenMarc Bulger was good enough to take over the Greatest Show on Turf from Kurt Warner without missing a beat. But too much punishment absorbed behind depleted offensive lines cut his career short, writes Mike Sando. BlogThe 34-year-old Bulger could have continued playing this season and had opportunities to do so. There was interest in him from several teams, including Arizona, before the Cardinals traded for Kevin Kolb. But after mulling over his options, Bulger felt the best scenario was to retire. [Read the full article]

Two Georgia high school football players have died, one of them after he collapsed while leaving the field after practice.The Henry County schools superintendent's office confirmed Wednesday that 16-year-old Forrest Jones, a student at Locust Grove High School, died Tuesday night at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.Jones had been hospitalized since Monday when he collapsed while leaving the field. His father, Glenn Jones, says doctors told him the collapse was heat-related.In Lake City, Fla. a Georgia teen attending football camp died following practice Tuesday morning.Columbia County authorities say 16-year-old Don'terio J. Searcy of Fitzgerald High School was found unresponsive in his cabin. He was transported to a hospital, where attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. [Read the full article]

Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg is expected to throw Sunday in the minor leagues, a significant step in his recovery from elbow surgery.Nationals manager Davey Johnson said Wednesday that Strasburg will throw an inning or two for Class A Hagerstown, which will be hosting Greensboro. It will be the right-hander's first appearance in a game since he underwent reconstructive elbow surgery last September.Johnson says Strasburg's appearance Sunday is contingent upon him emerging from a side session Thursday without problems. He hopes to have Strasburg back with the Nationals by September.The first overall pick in the 2009 amateur draft, Strasburg went 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA last season. He had 92 strikeouts in 68 innings before hurting his arm in an Aug. [Read the full article]