New York — NEW YORK (AP) — An end to the NFL lockout might not be imminent, but it does appears much closer than at any point in the last three months.Recent progress in labor talks between the league and players has sparked a new sense of optimism, and team owners have been told to be ready to extend their one-day meetings in Chicago next week.

The two sides made progress in labor negotiations held Tuesday at an undisclosed location in Maryland. Those talks will go through at least Wednesday and quite possibly to the end of the week.

A person with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press that finalizing an agreement by next week's owners' meetings is unlikely. But a framework for a new collective bargaining deal could be presented in Chicago, with further tweaking extending the work stoppage until the end of the month.

A new CBA could be in place before the July 4th weekend, the person added, speaking on condition of anonymity because details of the meeting are not being made public.

BASKETBALL

NEW YORK (AP) — NBA Commissioner David Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver met with players' association executive director Billy Hunter and members of their staffs Tuesday, and there are more discussions planned for later this week.

An NBA spokesman would not disclose what was discussed Tuesday. A full round of negotiations is scheduled for Friday, and will include the league's labor relations committee and the union's executive committee.

The owners and players are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the deal that expires June 30.

BASEBALL

NEW YORK (AP) — Derek Jeter's final push for 3,000 hits is on hold.

The New York Yankees put their star shortstop on the 15-day disabled list for the first time since 2003 because of a strained right calf, making the move before Tuesday night's game against the AL champion Texas Rangers.

Jeter limped off the field Monday night against Cleveland, four innings after he got his 2,994th hit.

New York manager Joe Girardi said after the Yankees beat the Rangers 12-4 on Tuesday night the reason they decided put Jeter on the disabled list was because the team doctors and trainers thought his injury would take about 10 days to heal, rather than the typical seven days for the severity of his strain.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche will have season-ending surgery Thursday on a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

LaRoche has been on the disabled list since May 22, hoping to recover without surgery and return to the team, but his shoulder had not improved. Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said he met with LaRoche and team doctors Tuesday and decided to schedule the operation.

HOUSTON (AP) — The Astros fired pitching coach Brad Arnsberg on Tuesday and replaced him on an interim basis with former Houston pitcher Doug Brocail.

The Astros, who have the worst record in baseball at 25-42, cited philosophical differences in announcing the change. Houston general manager Ed Wade wouldn't go into details.

TORONTO (AP) — Baltimore Orioles pitching coach Mark Connor resigned for personal reasons Tuesday and was replaced by bullpen coach Rick Adair.

The 61-year-old Connor was in his first season as the team's pitching coach. He spent the previous two years as a special assistant with the Texas Rangers.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said his longtime friend had been thinking about making such a move for some time.

CYCLING

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The FBI has contacted a Colorado restaurant to get surveillance tapes of a conversation between seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and former teammate Tyler Hamilton over the weekend.

Armstrong and Hamilton ran into each other at a restaurant in Aspen on Saturday night, a few weeks after Hamilton went on "60 Minutes" and accused Armstrong of doping and encouraging his teammates to use performance-enhancing drugs as well.

Hamilton attorney Chris Manderson said his client was rattled by some of Armstrong's comments. "It was aggressive and intimidating and we thought it should be reported to federal investigators," Manderson told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Armstrong and one of his lawyers said the conversation was uneventful.

Jodi Larner, co-owner of the restaurant called Cache Cache, said the FBI was coming Wednesday to take the restaurant's surveillance tapes. However, the tapes only capture the kitchen area and not the front of the restaurant where the incident occurred.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Terrelle Pryor ended his silence Tuesday — for exactly 97 seconds.

Speaking out, albeit briefly, for the first time since his college career at Ohio State ended embroiled in scandal, Pryor appeared with agent Drew Rosenhaus and gave a brief statement. He apologized to the Buckeyes, to his former teammates and to now-departed coach Jim Tressel for his role in the mess that may take down one of America's proudest programs.

Pryor had already been suspended by Ohio State and the NCAA for the first five games of what would have been his senior season this fall for accepting improper benefits, such as cash and discounted tattoos. The scandal led to Tressel's forced resignation.

Pryor is Ohio State's career leading rusher among quarterbacks, with 2,164 yards. He also threw 57 touchdown passes, tying a school record, and is now aiming to be selected in the NFL's supplemental draft this summer.

AUTO RACING

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The wait is over for Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip. On the third try, the championship-winning drivers are headed to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Yarborough and Waltrip headline the third five-member class announced Tuesday. They're joined by eight-time series champion crew chief Dale Inman, nine-time Modified champion Richie Evans and pioneering driver Glen Wood.

Yarborough won 83 races and three consecutive titles from 1976 to 1978. Only Jimmie Johnson's current streak of five titles is longer.

Waltrip won 84 races, tied for third on the career list. He was the series champion in 1981, '82 and '85. A tearful Waltrip ran to the stage and kissed NASCAR chairman Brian France upon learning he made the Hall.

TENNIS

EASTBOURNE, England (AP) — Playing tennis again after recovering from blood clots in her lungs and two foot operations, Serena Williams returned after nearly a year off the WTA Tour, regrouped after a slow start, and beat Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 Tuesday in the first round of a Wimbledon warmup.

Williams hadn't played since July after cutting her foot on glass at a restaurant in Germany. She had surgery twice and later was diagnosed with pulmonary embolisms.

By the time she served out the match after two hours on court, the 29-year-old American was breathing heavily. She drew a warning for too much time between points.

Next up is a repeat of the 2010 Wimbledon final against top-seeded Vera Zvonareva, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over British wild card Heather Watson.

In other matches, Ana Ivanovic advanced to a second-round match against Venus Williams with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Julia Goerges of Germany.

Defending champion Ekaterina Makarova labored to a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 win over Croatian qualifier Mirjana Lucic. French Open runner-up Francesca Schiavone advanced with a 7-6 (7), 6-1 win over Kaia Kanepi.

On the men's side, top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his first round-match against Denis Istomin 6-2, 7-5, a day after losing the delayed Queen's final to Andy Murray.

A foot injury forced former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt to quit his match against Olivier Rochus while trailing 6-2, 3-0. Fourth-seeded Guillermo Garcia-Lopez lost 6-3, 6-4 to Somdev Devvarman of India.

Sixth-seeded Kevin Anderson defeated Alexander Slabinsky of Britain, and American qualifier Donald Young beat Daniel Cox 6-1, 7-5.

HOCKEY

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canucks forward Mason Raymond will be out three to four months with a fractured vertebrae after being checked into the boards during Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals.

The team said in a statement Tuesday that Raymond sustained a "vertebrae compression fracture" on Monday night. Defenseman Johnny Boychuk rode him into the boards 20 seconds into Boston's 5-2 victory that forced a decisive Game 7 Wednesday night in Vancouver.

Raymond lay on the ice for several minutes before being helped off and taken to the hospital on a stretcher. No penalty was called on the play.

OTTAWA (AP) — Paul MacLean has left his job as a Detroit Red Wings assistant to coach the Ottawa Senators.

The Senators fired Cory Clouston and two assistants in April after the team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

MacLean spent 11 seasons in the NHL and has worked the past five years as an assistant in Detroit, helping the team win the title in 2008. He will be the fourth coach to serve under Senators general manager Bryan Murray.

SOCCER

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Jozy Altidore scored in the ninth minute off an assist from Michael Bradley, and the United States hung on to beat Guadeloupe 1-0 on Tuesday night to reach the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup.

The U.S. finished second in Group C with six points, and will face Group B winner Jamaica in the quarterfinals in Washington, D.C., on Sunday.

The second-place finish broke a string of 10 straight first-place finishes in group play.

The United States needed only a draw to advance after Panama and Canada drew 1-1 in Tuesday night's early game. Altidore made that a moot point with his go-ahead drive from 25 yards, his second goal of the tournament.

Guadeloupe, a surprise semifinalist four years ago, went winless in three games.