Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Wednesday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EDT:- NEW YORK -- Quarterback Tom Bradys last best chance to avoid serving a four-game Deflategate suspension to start the new season was flatly rejected by an appeals court. SENT: 800 words, photos.- TROON, Scotland -- Jordan Spieth stepped away from a table after defending his decision to skip the Olympics when he said quietly with a grin, Is there a tournament this week? It sure hasnt felt like it even though the British Open begins Thursday. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 3 p.m.- Can Anthony Rizzo and the Chicago Cubs hold on? Will Big Papi finish with a playoff run? Is Aroldis Chapman going to close somewhere else? With the All-Star fun and festivities over, Major League Baseball begins to fire up for October. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 5 p.m.- SHANGHAI -- This summer, Chinese athletes that grew up in the decades-old state sports system are expected to win dozens of medals when the Rio Games open. But at home there are strong efforts to reform the state-led system, which is struggling to recruit the next generation of stars. SENT: 1,600 words, photos, video, graphic.- KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Pat Summitt vowed to make a difference in the fight against Alzheimers disease and continues to play a leading role in that battle even after her death. A ceremony on Thursday is set to celebrate her life. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 5 p.m.- A report on Russian doping due out this week is expected to include details about the countrys sports ministry telling its drug-testing officials which positive tests to report and which to conceal. If those details show up in the report, the leader of the U.S. anti-doping effort says nothing short of removing the Russian flag from this summers Olympics would suffice. SENT: 780 words, photos.- TROON, Scotland -- A month ago, Dustin Johnson was known as golfs most talented athlete who had everything go wrong in the majors. Now hes the U.S. Open champion, a favorite at the British Open who can move to No. 1 in the world. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 2 p.m.- TROON, Scotland -- A look at the 123-yard eighth hole at Royal Troon, the one they call Postage Stamp. SENT: 700 words, photos.- The Las Vegas expansion team is expected to hire George McPhee as its first general manager. McPhee is best known for turning the Capitals into a perennial contender in his 16 years as GM. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. News conference 4 p.m.- HOOVER, Ala. -- Alabama doesnt have a clear starting quarterback and must replace a bounty of talent departed for the NFL. Coach Nick Sabans not getting any sympathy from his peers. By John Zenor. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos by 2 p.m.- WWE star John Cena hosts the ESPY Awards honoring the years top athletes and moments in sports. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Show runs 8-11 p.m. Manu Ginobili Jersey . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. Keldon Johnson Spurs Jersey . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. https://www.spurslockerroom.com/Pau-Gasol-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Sean Elliott Spurs Jersey . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Bruce Bowen Jersey .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. When elite distance runner Sara Slattery clocked an Olympic qualifying time of 1:14:22 at the San Diego Rock n Roll Half Marathon in June 2014 -- two full years before the U.S. Olympic marathon trials -- she figured she had plenty of time to have a baby and get back in shape for Rio. A month later, she got pregnant with her second child, daughter Cali. (Her son, Stevie, was born in 2013.)But a year later, she received some unfortunate news. Her qualifying time had been thrown out because the point-to-point course had not been certified (the start and finish were too far apart). Suddenly her third -- and likely final -- attempt to punch her Olympic ticket was in serious jeopardy. So she set up a new plan: Run another OQT (Olympic qualifying time) at the 2016 Jacksonville Half Marathon on Jan. 3.I was nervous, but I had to start getting in shape for Rio anyway, said the former four-time NCAA champion who lives in Phoenix, where she is the head mens and womens cross country coach at Grand Canyon University. With the Jacksonville race taking place just two weeks before the Jan. 17 cut-off to qualify for the marathon trials, the pressure was on.It was my first race back [since having Cali] and I had forgotten what it felt like to race. I had fallen off the pace a bit and didnt realize it until there was only 800 meters to go. So I missed the qualification time by seven seconds, said Slattery, who ran 13.1 miles in 1:15:07. I was really, really upset that I had missed it by that short of a margin. It was a big goal after having my kids to get back to top-level fitness again.Narrowly missing the mark is unfortunately a familiar feeling for Slattery, who in 2008, at the Olympic trials for Beijing, finished fourth in the 5K. Only the top three made the team.Four years later, an injury right before the 2012 Olympic trials kept her from competing, forcing her to bow out of the bid for London. Thats when she and her husband, Steve, opted to start a family. In March 2013, they welcomed firstborn Stevie, and sooon after, the new mom began training again.ddddddddddddSo even after failing to make the time in Jacksonville in 2016, Slattery was still determined to make that comeback count. I was in really good shape and I didnt want to waste the fitness. I decided to return to the track and see what I could do. In April, my students were racing at the Mount SAC Relays in Norwalk, California, and I jumped in last-minute. I ran the 5K in 15:49, which was pretty good, she said.Two weeks later, she signed up for the Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto, California, and ran the 10K in 32:13 -- achieving the IAAF Olympic A qualifying standard with 12 seconds to spare.I was just shy of my all-time PR [31:57] when I was at my fittest in 2006, she said. Im juggling a lot right now and sometimes I wonder if I should be doing this. It gave me a lot of confidence to come so close to my PR 10 years later. The hard work is paying off. Its good to know that I still have it in me.Slattery has been training up to 25 hours (about 75 to 90 miles) a week and coaches at the university approximately 30 hours a week, so life has become much more of a juggling act than it was in the past. And if she succeeds at claiming an Olympic berth in the 10K at the track and field Olympic team trials on July 2, she may have to bring her whole brood with her to Rio. My family has sacrificed a lot for me to continue training. I would love to be able to show my kids, my family and also the runners on my team not to give up on your goals. My goal is to know that I did everything I could to put myself in the best position, she said.And if that is still not enough, Slattery has made peace with it. Nothing will be as devastating as missing out by one place in the 2008 trials.I feel a lot more calm going into it. I was almost scared to run in 2008 because I didnt want to fail. Now Im more excited to see what I can do. ' ' '