Mid-Missouri and National Sports-

More than just the game on the line for Heat, Spurs

Game 7s do more than settle championships. They define legacies. No matter what happens tonight, LeBron James and the Miami Heat, and Tim Duncan’s San Antonio Spurs have already won NBA titles and secured a place in history. Now is their opportunity to elevate it.

NASCAR drivers among 800 at Leffler funeral

The funeral service for NASCAR driver Jason Leffler drew Sprint Cup stars Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle and Brad Keselowski among the more than 800 people who filled Grace Covenant Church on Wednesday.

Edwards upset with Biffle following Sunday’s race

Greg Biffle was thrilled after his victory last weekend in Michigan. Teammate Carl Edwards was a little bit miffed.

Blackhawks beat Bruins 6-5 in OT, tie series 2-2

Brent Seabrook’s goal 9:51 into overtime lifted the Chicago Blackhawks to a wild 6-5 victory over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night and tied the Stanley Cup Finals through four games.

Molina, Westbrook lead Cardinals over Cubs, 4-1

Yadier Molina hit his fifth home run and Jake Westbrook pitched seven innings of two-hit ball in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 4-1 victory Wednesday night against the Chicago Cubs.

Royals end trip with 6-3 loss to Indians

Luis Mendoza didn’t allow a hit for four innings, but was knocked out of the game during a three-run sixth as the Royals lost 6-3 on Wednesday night to the Cleveland Indians, who snapped Kansas City’s series-winning streak at four.

Polowy commits to Missouri State

LeeAnn Polowy was hoping to commit to a college before the rush of the fall and high-school ball started back up. She did just that Wednesday as the Blair Oaks senior committed to play basketball at Missouri State.

Wednesday's National League Capsules

Games played June 19, 2013

NATIONAL LEAGUE ROUNDUP: Gregor Blanco had a pinch hit, two-run triple in the seventh inning, leading the San Francisco Giants to a 4-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.

Wednesday's American League Capsules

Games played June 19, 2013

AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP: Chris Davis cleared the fences twice, giving him a major league leading 26 homers, to help the Baltimore Orioles beat the Detroit Tigers 13-3 Wednesday.

Crane helps club team to state title

Jefferson City’s Aaron Crane is a state champion. Just not in Missouri. The Jefferson City Jay starred for his club team, Sporting Blue Valley NPL, helping it to win the Kansas State Cup for the U-17 age group June 2.

Neuenswander to compete in pole vault nationals

By vaulting a personal-record 14-71⁄4 during the Vault in the Ville competition June 8 in Louisville, Ky., the former Jefferson City Lady Jay cleared an automatic qualifying height that sends her to the USA National Championships at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in Des Moines, Iowa.

Justin Smith signs two-year extension with 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers signed defensive end Justin Smith to a two-year contract extension Wednesday to keep one of their most important defensive players off the free-agent market next offseason.

Car won’t start, but Johnson still wows school kids

Ready to thrill a few hundred school kids, Jimmie Johnson hopped into a replica of his No. 48 car to fire up the engine. The battery was dead. He and some members of his group tried to bump start the car. That just bashed in the show car’s bumper, led to some odd grinding noises and the car started leaking oil. Undaunted, the NASCAR star jogged through the parking lot to the grass plot where the kids were gathered, chanting his name.

UCLA advances at College World Series

Nick Vander Tuig allowed four hits over seven-plus innings and UCLA produced just enough offense to defeat North Carolina State 2-1 in the College World Series on Tuesday night.

Altidore scores as U.S. beats Honduras 1-0

Jozy Altidore scored a goal in his fourth consecutive international match, enough for the United States to edge Honduras 1-0 in a World Cup qualifying game Tuesday night.

James helps Heat stave off elimination in Game 6

LeBron James shrugged off a poor start to get 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, Ray Allen hit a 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds to play to force overtime and the Miami Heat staved off elimination with a 103-100 victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night.

Venus Williams pulls out of Wimbledon, citing back injury

After 16 consecutive years of always showing up at Wimbledon, winning five titles along the way, Venus Williams pulled out of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament Tuesday, citing a lower back injury.

Surprise Hossa scratch part of NHL injury culture

Marian Hossa is one of the Chicago Blackhawks’ top scorers, with three game-winning goals already this postseason. And then, suddenly, he wasn’t in the lineup for a team that needed all the scoring it can get. Hossa’s surprise scratch from Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals — and the one-word explanation, “upper,” for the part of his body that was injured — is part of a long-running cat-and-mouse game NHL teams play on the theory any information about injuries is a competitive disadvantage.

Lolo Jones’ attempt at humor backfires

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lolo Jones’ attempt at humor in a video that’s gone viral received a chilly reception from some members of the bobsledding community.

MGM, AEG to build Vegas arena that could host NBA and NHL

Years of talk about building a Las Vegas Strip arena capable of hosting professional sports yielded an announcement Tuesday casino giant MGM Resorts International and entertainment company AEG will build a privately financed 20,000-seat indoor venue on the Las Vegas Strip.

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