(AP) — Russia's track and field athletes will be banned from competing for their country at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics after a landmark decision Friday that punished the sports powerhouse for a systematic doping system that operated "from the top down" and tainted the entire team.

In an unprecedented ruling loaded with geopolitical ramifications, the IAAF upheld its ban on Russia's track and field federation, saying the country had made some progress in cleaning up but failed to meet the requirements for reinstatement and would be barred from sending its athletes to the Rio Games that begin in 50 days.

"Russian athletes could not credibly return to international competition without undermining the confidence of their competitors and the public," IAAF President Sebastian Coe said.

President Vladimir Putin condemned the decision as "unfair," telling a meeting of leaders of major international news agencies in St. Petersburg that athletes who compete without doping "shouldn't suffer."

Russia does not accept "collective punishment" for all athletes, he said, comparing the ban for the entire team to a prison sentence that "an entire family" could get if one of its relatives has committed a crime.

"I hope we will find some solution here, but it does not mean that we will get offended and stop battling doping. On the contrary, we will intensify our fight on doping," Putin added.

(AP) — What's in a name? When it comes to a pro sports team, quite a bit.

With an NHL expansion franchise expected to begin play in Las Vegas during the 2017-18 season, speculation is already beginning to swirl about what the team will be called.

Black Knights keeps coming up because the Vegas expansion bid is run by a company called Black Knight Sports and Entertainment, the same name as prospective owner Bill Foley's financial services company. Foley graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, which calls its sports teams the Black Knights.

With that in mind, here is a rundown of some recent nicknaming decisions and some of the factors that were at play.

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS (NBA): The Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans for the 2002-03 season but switched their name to the Pelicans in 2013. The brown pelican is Louisiana's state bird. At the time of the switch, team owner Tom Benson noted that the Hornets nickname "didn't mean anything to the community" and added that "the pelican represents New Orleans, just like the Saints."

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (NBA): When the Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008, they abandoned the Sonics nickname and decided to call themselves the Thunder. The 45th Infantry Division that is based in Oklahoma City has a Thunderbirds nickname. Oklahoma also is part of Tornado Alley, making the Thunder nickname appropriate.

CHARLOTTE HORNETS (NBA): When the New Orleans Hornets switched their name to the Pelicans, it cleared the way for Charlotte's expansion team to start calling itself the Hornets. The expansion franchise originated as the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004, but team owner Michael Jordan said season ticket holders and fans "overwhelmingly" wanted the Hornets name back. The change didn't come cheap. Costs included changing the name and logo on everything from uniforms to letterhead to office signs. Pete Guelli, the team's executive vice president and chief sales marketing officer, said changing the name would cost about $3 million.

TAMPA BAY RAYS (MLB): Tampa Bay's expansion franchise began play in 1998 as the Devil Rays, which was chosen from among 7,000 suggestions offered by fans. They announced late in the 2007 season that they would switch their nickname and chose the Rays over candidates that included Cannons, Stars, Wave and Dukes. While the Devil Ray was a type of fish, the Rays nickname was more of a reference to the sun and weather. Stuart Sternberg, the team's principal owner, said the switch would give the franchise a new identity and added that "we were tied to the past, and the past wasn't necessarily something we wanted to be known for." Sure enough, in the first year with the Rays nickname, Tampa Bay posted its first winning season and reached the 2008 World Series.

HOUSTON TEXANS (NFL): The three nickname finalists for Houston's NFL expansion franchise were Stallions, Apollos and Texans. The Texans nickname previously had been used by the AFL's Dallas Texans before they moved out of state and became the Kansas City Chiefs. Although the Texans didn't begin play until 2002, they decided on their nickname in 2000.

On Monday night, the Punxsy Major League (11/12) All-Stars hosted DuBois to kick off the All-Stars season. Chloe Presloid (pictured here sliding into home) had two doubles and a single to power Punxsy's offense, but DuBois picked up a 7-5 victory to advance, sending Punxsy to the knockout round. For more from the game, see Tuesday's print edition of The Spirit.

In this photo, Coy Martino rounds third for Punxsy's Minor League Baseball All-Stars on Tuesday night on his way to a run. Punxsy saw 20 base runners do just that en route to a big win over Bradford to stay alive in the knockout round. Punxsy will now face Brookville on Thursday night in Punxsutawney.

(AP) — Dwyane Wade is going home, making what he called "an extremely emotional and tough decision" on Wednesday night to leave the Miami Heat after 13 seasons and sign with the Chicago Bulls.

Wade will sign a two-year deal with the Bulls, one that will pay him about $47 million. Miami offered $40 million over two years for Wade to stay in the uniform that he's worn his entire career, the one in which he was an All-Star 12 times, a champion three times and the NBA Finals MVP in 2006 when his rise to superstardom was just truly beginning.

And he's taken that uniform off now for the final time.

"This was not an easy decision, but I feel I have made the right choice for myself and my family," Wade wrote in a letter to Miami, released to The Associated Press.

It ends a second consecutive summer of will-he-or-won't-he talk and worry in Miami, which was able to keep him last summer after contentious negotiations led to a $20 million, one-year deal. The Heat spoke with him on Wednesday in New York in an effort to keep him, the same day that Wade also took meetings with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets.

Whether Chicago ever got into the same room with Wade was unclear on Wednesday night. What was clear was that whatever the Bulls said, and however they said it, was enough to get him out of Miami this time, after they missed on him twice before.

And even more clear was that the lure of home — just as it was for Wade's close friend LeBron James two years ago, when he left Miami to go back to northeast Ohio and rejoin the Cleveland Cavaliers — was too strong this time to ignore.

"Watching the Bulls growing up inspired me at an early age to pursue my dream of becoming a basketball player," Wade wrote in the letter. "My most treasured memories were watching my dad play basketball on the courts of Fermi Elementary School and developing my game at the Blue Island Recreation Center. I have never forgotten where I came from and I am thankful to have an opportunity to play for the team that first fueled my love of the game."

The 34-year-old Wade joins a Bulls team that has a new point guard in Rajon Rondo — who Wade has had some on-court heated moments with in the past — and All-Star shooting guard Jimmy Butler. The Bulls have plenty of time to figure out how to make it work, and were going through some logistics on Wednesday night to clear the cap space that will be necessary to sign Wade when the NBA's offseason moratorium on player movement ends Thursday.

The Heat surely had a Plan B in case Wade left, but clearly won't be the same team.

Chris Bosh still faces a most uncertain future because of the blood clots that ended his season at the All-Star break in each of the past two years. Udonis Haslem, Wade's teammate and co-captain in Miami for all 13 of their pro seasons, may move elsewhere as well. Of the 14 players who appeared in the 2014 NBA Finals for Miami, only Bosh is under contract with the Heat for next season.

It's a new day for Wade, which he obviously wanted.

It's a new era for the Heat, one they surely weren't ready to see start quite yet.

"Never thought I'd see the day DWade wasn't in Miami. Crazy," Brooklyn Nets guard Shane Larkin, who played his college basketball at the University of Miami, wrote on Twitter.

Wade is Miami's career leader in games, minutes, field goals, field goal attempts, free throws, free throw attempts, assists, steals and points. He's even second in blocked shots, perhaps the most impressive stat of all considering Wade is listed at 6-foot-4 — which is generous.

"I started my NBA career with the Miami Heat in 2003 and it has been an honor to have played with them and help build a winning franchise with three NBA championships," Wade wrote. "I look back with pride and amazement at all we have accomplished together. I want to express my gratitude to the Arison family, Pat Riley, Coach Erik Spoelstra, the coaching staff, and the entire Miami Heat organization.

"From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the Miami community."

Jude Lander (pictured, left) had a pair of solo home runs, and Adam Fox had a three-run shot to power the Sykesville Senators past the Rossiter Miners in Federation League action on Friday in Reynoldsville. For more from the game, see Saturday's edition of The Spirit.

(AP) — Serena Williams insisted she was not focused on No. 22. Said she wouldn't discuss it. Kept coming close without quite getting it. Now she finally has it. And so she can flaunt it.

Williams lifted both arms overhead and raised two fingers on each hand right there on Centre Court to show off the magic number after winning her record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title by beating Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3 in the Wimbledon final on Saturday.

"Definitely had some sleepless nights, if I'm just honest, with a lot of stuff," Williams said. "My goal is to win always at least a Slam a year. It was getting down to the pressure."

She pulled even with Steffi Graf for the most major championships in the Open era, which began in 1968. Now Williams stands behind only Margaret Court's all-time mark of 24.

This was Williams' seventh singles trophy at the All England Club — only Martina Navratilova, with nine, has more in the Open era — and second in a row. The victory at Wimbledon a year ago raised her Grand Slam count to 21, where it remained until Saturday.

"It's been incredibly difficult not to think about it. I had a couple of tries this year," Williams said during the trophy ceremony. "But it makes the victory even sweeter to know how hard I worked for it."

On Sunday afternoon, Punxsy's Senior Legion team played host to Kovacik Insurance for the right to play in the winners' final. They defeated Kovacik 11-1 in five innings, then went to Young Township for a night cap, which they also won, 10-5. Pictured here is Jacob Weaver sliding safely into second for a stolen base in the afternoon game. (Photo by Zak Lantz of The Spirit)

Tim Duncan spent nearly two decades as the quiet storm in the middle of the San Antonio Spurs franchise, putting the team on his broad shoulders and carrying it to heights unseen in modern American sports.

With Duncan as the focal point, the Spurs won five championships, made the playoffs in all 19 of his seasons and cemented themselves as one of the most successful sports franchises in history. And now, the tireless and reluctant superstar is finally calling it a career.

The 40-year-old Duncan announced his retirement on Monday, marking the end of an era for the Spurs and the NBA.

"The greatest power forward ever," the Los Angeles Clippers' Jamal Crawford said Monday, as the tributes to Duncan's career began coming.

Few would dare argue.

Duncan was the No. 1 overall pick in 1997 and teamed with coach Gregg Popovich, point guard Tony Parker and shooting guard Manu Ginobili to turn the Spurs from a solid franchise that could never quite get over the hump into one of the league's superpowers.

"The constant staple of their franchise," Cleveland's LeBron James said earlier this year.

The unassuming Duncan won two MVP awards and was one of just four players to be named NBA Finals MVP at least three times. Nicknamed "The Big Fundamental" for his clinical approach that favored bank shots over dunks, he was a 15-time All-Star, a member of the All-NBA first team 10 times and is one of only three players — joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Parrish — to win at least 1,000 games in his career. He is fifth on the NBA's career list in blocks, sixth in rebounds and 14th in scoring.

"Even tho I knew it was coming, I'm still moved by the news," Ginobili tweeted. "What a HUGE honor to have played with him for 14 seasons! #ThankYouTD."

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called Duncan "one of the most dominant players in NBA history" and lauded him for an "understated selflessness (that) made him the ultimate teammate."

"For two decades Tim represented the Spurs, the city of San Antonio and the league with passion and class," Silver said. "All of us in the NBA family thank him for his profound impact on the game."

Punxsy's 10/11-year-old Baseball All-Stars opened their best-of-three format tournament with a win at DuBois on Monday night. Carter Savage (pictured here) pitched a solid outing, and Josh Tyger also worked from the mound. Punxsy will now host DuBois on Thursday with a chance to win the banner on its home turf. (Photo by Zak Lantz of The Spirit)

Good defense was played by both sides — including this nice run-saving tag by Punxsy's Emily Dobbins. But in the end, St. Marys earned a 4-3 victory over Punxsy's Minor League Softball All-Stars to to earn the District 10 title and a trip to Sectionals. The two teams played three times in the past few weeks, with all three games coming down to the wire. For more from Wednesday's contest, including plenty of photos, grab a print edition of The Spirit.

On Thursday night, the Punxsy 11-year-old baseball All-Stars poured it on for a 12-0, four-inning victory over DuBois to earn themselves the title of District 10 Champions. Punxsy will now advance to Sectionals, which will be hosted by Saegertown. The first game will next Thursday at 6 p.m.

DARVISH RETURNS: Yu Darvish makes his second return from injury this season when the slumping Rangers face the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Darvish has been sidelined since June 8 because of right shoulder pain, but is coming off two minor league rehab appearances. He's 2-0 with a 2.87 ERA in three outings after a late start to his season following 2015 Tommy John surgery. The Japanese right-hander is expected to throw 85-90 pitches for AL West-leading Texas, which has dropped eight of 10.

BUC IS BACK: Pirates ace Gerrit Cole (5-4) comes off the disabled list to start in Washington. The 25-year-old righty hasn't pitched since June 10 because of a strained right triceps. Cole, fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting last year, didn't know if there would be any limitations on him in his first start back. "I'm just excited to not sit on the sidelines all of the time," he said. "I'm sure they'll take it inning by inning, see how the game is unfolding." To open a spot in the rotation, Pittsburgh moved struggling lefty Jonathon Niese to the bullpen Friday.

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A WINNER?: The Houston Astros scheduled a news conference for Saturday amid reports the club has signed Cuban free agent infielder Yulieski Gurriel. The team had no official comment Friday night about the move, which was first reported by MLB.com. Gurriel defected from Cuba in February and has been one of the most sought-after international free agents. "Until things are official, I'm not going to comment on it," Houston manager A.J. Hinch said in Seattle. "I will say that we worked him out, we had interest in him. We've been all over the background check and things like that. We'll have to wait for the official announcement."

STAY RIGHT HERE: Johnny Cueto (13-1, 2.47 ERA) makes his second consecutive start in San Diego, hoping for a better result this time when he pitches for the Giants against the Padres. Cueto was the starter and loser for the National League in Tuesday's All-Star Game at Petco Park, where he gave up three runs and five hits — including two homers — over 1 2/3 innings against the AL.

BIG MAC: Brandon McCarthy tries to win his third straight start since returning from Tommy John surgery when the Los Angeles Dodgers visit Archie Bradley (3-5) and Arizona. McCarthy has a 2.70 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 10 innings. He has permitted only five hits.

Rossiter Miners pitcher Dylan Kachmar allowed just one run over seven innings of work to limit the Pulaski Generals in Rossiter's 6-1 victory to open the Federation League playoffs on Tuesday in Rossiter. Full details are available in the print edition of The Spirit. Game 2 of the series will be played on Wednesday in DuBois.

On Thursday evening in Rossiter, the Miners completed a three-game sweep of the Pulaski Generals to move into the Final Four of the Federation League playoffs. Rossiter will face DuBois in the second round, which is slated to begin on Tuesday. Pictured here is Dakotah Byers sliding around a Braden Paulinellie tag at home plate on Thursday. (Photo by Zak Lantz of The Spirit)

Carter Savage (pictured here high-fiving Manager Brian Henretta after the game) pitched a one-hit shutout of Harborcreek on Friday to give Punxsy the winners' bracket championship and the king seed in the Section 1 tournament, being held in Saegertown. Punxsy's 11s will now have a bye on Saturday before playing in the championship game on Sunday at 2 p.m. (Photo by Zak Lantz of The Punxsy Spirit)

A look at what's happening all around the majors Thursday:

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SALE RETURNS TO CHISOX

White Sox ace Chris Sale (14-3, 3.18) returns from a five-day suspension for cutting up Chicago's throwback uniforms prior to a scheduled start last Saturday. He'll try to become the majors' first 15-game winner in the finale of the crosstown series with the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The lefty will face John Lackey (7-7, 3.79), who has lost five straight decisions — in his last six starts, Lackey has a 6.38 ERA.

DEE DAY

Dee Gordon, the 2015 NL batting and stolen base champion, returns to the Marlins after serving an 80-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. Gordon signed a $50 million, five-year contract extension in January but was suspended 21 games into this season. Last year, he hit .333 with 58 stolen bases and was awarded the NL Gold Glove Award at second base. Miami will pitch Jose Fernandez (12-4, 2.54) against the Cardinals' Michael Wacha (5-7, 4.37).

GETTING FAMILIAR

Washington slugger Bryce Harper is stuck in an 0-for-17 rut going into a matchup against Giants ace Johnny Cueto (13-2, 2.53). The NL division leaders open a four-game set in San Francisco and will play each other seven times in 11 days.

TOUGH ROAD

Coming off a 4-5 stay at Fenway Park, the Red Sox begin an 11-game road trip to the West Coast, visiting the Angels, Seattle and Dodger Stadium. Boston lefty David Price (9-7, 4.51) hopes to rebound from two straight mediocre starts when he pitches at Angel Stadium.

ICHIRO UPDATE

Ichiro Suzuki is three hits shy of 3,000 as the Marlins open a four-game series vs. St. Louis. He has started just one of six games on Miami's homestand and is batting .332 this season.

A look at what's happening all around the majors Saturday:

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BOUNCING BACK?

Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta is 0-2 with a 5.55 ERA in four July starts. He has allowed 20 earned runs in his last five outings after giving up 19 over his first 15 starts. Arrieta (12-4, 2.76 ERA) faces the Mariners at Wrigley Field.

TRY AGAIN

Drew Pomeranz makes another bid for his first win with Boston. The All-Star lefty is 0-1 in two starts since being acquired from San Diego, pitching a total of nine innings and giving up seven runs on 12 hits and four walks. He'll start for the Red Sox on the road vs. the Angels.

HAPPY TIMES

Blue Jays lefty J.A. Happ (13-3, 3.27) has won seven straight decisions going into this start vs. visiting Baltimore.

LAST CHANCE

Royals righty Ian Kennedy and Rangers lefty Martin Perez have one more chance to get a win in July. The opposing pitchers in Texas are both 0-3 in five starts this month. Perez has allowed 29 runs (22 earned) over his last four starts after going 4-0 in five starts in June. Along with his winless month, Kennedy is 0-2 in three career starts against the Rangers.

A look at what's happening all around the majors Tuesday:

SHIPPED OUT: Yasiel Puig is not with the Dodgers for their series in Colorado, and his agent told The Associated Press that Puig expects to be sent to the minor leagues. Adam Katz said Puig was told Monday he'd either be traded before the 4 p.m. trade deadline or sent down. Puig was an All-Star in 2014 after a meteoric rise with the Dodgers, but he has struggled this season with hamstring injuries and inconsistent play. He is batting .260 with seven homers in 81 games.

DEGROM VS NEW-LOOK YANKS: Jacob deGrom (6-5, 2.56) leads the Mets into the second game of a four-game Subway Series against the new-look Yankees. DeGrom pitched seven scoreless innings in his last start but got a no decision in a 2-1 loss to Colorado. The Yankees traded Carlos Beltran and Ivan Nova on Monday, joining Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller in an exodus of veterans from the Bronx. Masahiro Tanaka (7-3, 3.16) is up for the Yanks.

REINFORCED RANGERS: Help is en route as the AL West-leading Rangers begin a three-game series at AL East-leading Baltimore. Texas acquired outfielder Carlos Beltran, catcher Jonathan Lucroy and reliever Jeremy Jeffress on Monday, bolstering a club that already has the AL's best record and has won four straight games. Yu Darvish (2-2, 3.09) pitches for the Rangers against youngster Dylan Bundy (3-3, 3.46).

WASTING BUMGARNER: Madison Bumgarner (10-6, 2.09) leads the Giants into a series at Philadelphia. The Giants wasted a gem from Bumgarner in his last start, when he pitched eight innings of two-run ball in a 2-1 loss to the Reds. San Francisco has scored four runs total over Bumgarner's last three starts. Zach Eflin (3-4, 4.23) is up for the Phils.

REBOUND AT WRIGLEY?: Marlins ace Jose Fernandez (12-5, 2.79) tries to get back on track against the Cubs after allowing five runs in five innings in a 5-4 loss to St. Louis on July 28. It was the second time in five starts that Fernandez allowed five or more runs — he gave up nine in a 9-1 loss to the Braves on July 2. Jason Hammel (10-5, 3.23) pitches for NL Central-leading Chicago at Wrigley Field.

On Wednesday evening, the DuBois Rockets and Rossiter Miners lined up to shake hands one last time, as the Rockets won Game 5 of the best-of-seven semi-final series to earn a spot in the Federation League finals. For more from the game, see Thursday's print edition.