In the news

University of Memphis open 3-game baseball series: The University of Memphis baseball team opens a three-game series at 4 p.m. Friday against Illinois State at FedExPark. The teams also will play at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

The Tigers (1-2) played host to Tennessee in a three-game set last weekend at FedExPark and are playing 14 of their first 16 games this season at home.

Freshman righthander Tyler Walker (0-1) will get the start today against Illinois State, while junior lefthander Drew Crosby (1-0) goes Saturday and junior righthander Connor Alexander pitches Sunday.

Memphis travels to Ole Miss on Tuesday for its first road game.

Chinese Basketball Association elects Yao Ming as president: The Chinese Basketball Association has voted unanimously to appoint Hall of Famer Yao Ming as its president.

The CBA’s social media account quoted Yao as saying at a ceremony on Thursday that he hoped to reform the domestic league’s draft system and push more Chinese players into the international arena.

Yao’s appointment is considered as a reform step for an association which until now has typically been led by government sports officials.

Yao, 36, was one of the first Chinese athletes to become an international household name when the Houston Rockets drafted him with the first pick in 2002. The 7-foot-6 center played for eight seasons in the NBA before retiring in 2011, citing chronic injuries.

The Shanghai-born Yao was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2016.

Rose appears on Phillies’ wall of fame ballot: Pete Rose is on the ballot for the Philadelphia Phillies’ wall of fame, his first association with the team since he was banned from baseball in 1989.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the Phillies received permission from Major League Baseball to include Rose, who was inducted last year into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

The career hits leader is among 10 candidates listed on the Phillies’ ballot. Fan voting began Thursday on the team’s website and is open until March 15. An honoree will be chosen by a selection committee from among the top five vote-getters.

Rose played for the Phillies for five seasons, helping them win their first World Series title in 1980. He is under a lifetime ban for betting on the sport.

Cowboys to face Cardinals in hall game: Dallas and Arizona will play in the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 3.

With Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner being inducted into the hall this year, the matchup makes sense.

For the first time, the game will be played on a Thursday night, two days before the induction ceremony.

It will be the sixth appearance in the game for the Cowboys and the fifth for the Cardinals. Dallas beat Miami 24-20 in 2013, while Arizona lost to New Orleans 17-10 in each team’s most recent appearance.

Last year’s game was canceled because the turf was unsuitable, but NFL and Hall of Fame officials have been working since then to bring the field up to standard.

Penguins acquire D Ron Hainsey from Carolina: The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired veteran defenseman Ron Hainsey from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for minor-league forward Danny Kristo and a draft pick.

The move to address the Penguins’ depleted defensive unit was made Thursday. Pittsburgh will lose Trevor Daley for six weeks after he had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Hainsey, 35, has played in 891 regular-season games during his 14-year NHL career but has never played in the playoffs. That figures to change now: He leaves the last-place Hurricanes for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who are five points behind East-leading Washington.

Rooney says he’s staying at Man United: Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney is going nowhere, for the time being at least.

In a statement addressing his future amid interest from Chinese Super League clubs, Rooney said on Thursday he wanted to help United in its fight for trophies this season.

“It’s an exciting time at the club,” the striker said, “and I want to remain a part of it.”

Omaha police: Creighton’s Watson suspect in sexual assault: Police say Creighton basketball player Maurice Watson Jr. is a suspect in an alleged sexual assault in Omaha.

According to an incident report, a 19-year-old woman said Watson had nonconsensual sexual intercourse with her in the bathroom of a midtown residence about 3 a.m. on Feb. 4.

Officer Michael Pecha said Thursday that no arrest has been made and that an investigation continues.

No. 23 Creighton on Wednesday announced that Watson has been suspended from all athletic-related activities since Feb. 13.

Watson sustained a season-ending knee injury last month and recently had surgery in his hometown of Philadelphia.