KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that high school outfielder Bubba Starling and the Kansas City Royals agreed late Monday night to a minor league contract with a $7.5 million signing bonus.  The person spoke on condition of anonymity because terms of the deal were not disclosed.
     The signing bonus is payable over three years because Starling is a two-sport athlete. There was some question whether he would sign with the Royals before the deadline or play quarterback for Nebraska, where he had received a scholarship offer.  Starling was the fifth overall pick out of Gardner, Kan., a short drive south of Kansas City. The 18-year-old was widely considered the best high school prospect in the June draft.

     HOUSTON (AP) – The Chicago Cubs recalled left-hander Scott Maine from Triple-A Iowa on Monday to fill the empty roster spot after starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano was placed on the disqualified list.  Maine is 0-0 with a 10.29 ERA in seven games this season. He last pitched for the Cubs on May 30 against Houston, allowing three
runs in an inning. For his career, Maine is 0-0 with a 4.95 ERA in 20 games.  The Cubs were left with an open roster spot when they placed Zambrano on the disqualified list Saturday. He cleaned out his locker and left the team after giving up five home runs and being ejected Friday in Atlanta. He did not return to the team Saturday.
     The Cubs said Zambrano would not receive pay or be allowed to participate in team activities during the 30-day suspension.

     CHICAGO (AP) – Embattled Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano says he’d like to pitch again for Chicago and was simply frustrated when he told club personnel he wanted to retire after his most recent start.  In his first public comments since the team banished him following another meltdown, Zambrano told Comcast SportsNet Chicago
in a phone interview Monday that he wants “to keep pitching for the Cubs.”  Zambrano cleaned out his locker and talked about retiring after giving up five homers and being ejected from Friday night’s 10-4 loss to Atlanta following two inside pitches to Chipper Jones. He says he intended to be at the ballpark the next day, but his agent
Barry Praver told him not to “because we were in the middle of discussions with the union and the Cubs.”  The Cubs placed Zambrano on the disqualified list Saturday and
said the right-hander would receive no pay and have no part in team activities for 30 days after the latest in a long line of incidents.

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State volleyball team is ranked No. 18 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll. The Cyclones are one of three Big 12 teams ranked in the top-20 of the poll, coming in behind No. 4 Texas and No. 16 Oklahoma.
Iowa State will play seven matches against teams ranked in the top-25. The Cyclones’ first test against a ranked opponent will be on Sept. 5 when the team travels to Gainesville, Fla. to play the No. 9 Florida Gators.
On Tuesday Sept. 13, Iowa State will face in-state rival No. 14 Northern Iowa, whom the Cyclones defeated in straight sets in 2010. The non-conference schedule ends with a trip to No. 5 Nebraska on Saturday Sept. 21. The Cyclones will play two matches apiece against Texas and Oklahoma during the Big 12 conference season.
The Cyclones return five starters from last year’s NCAA tournament team, including AVCA All-American honorable mention Jamie Straube.
Redshirt freshman Hannah Willms was named the preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and Straube and Alison Landwehr were selected to the preseason All-Big 12 team.
Iowa State also welcomes the nation’s 25th-ranked recruiting class.
AVCA Division I Coaches Top-25 Preseason Poll
1. Penn State (54)
2. Southern California (5)
3. California (1)
4. Texas
5. Nebraska
6. Stanford
7. Washington
8. Illinois
9. Florida
10. Hawai’i
11. UCLA
12. Minnesota
13. Purdue
14. Northern Iowa
15. Colorado State
16. Oklahoma
17. Duke
18. Iowa State
19. Dayton
20. San Diego
21. Ohio State
22. Long Beach State
23. Tulsa
24. Michigan
Tennessee
Others receiving votes and appearing on two or more ballots: Pepperdine, LSU, Oregon, Missouri, Florida State, Indiana, St. Mary’(Calif.), Louisville, Arizona, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Miami (Fla.), Clemson, Wichita State, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Cal Poly, Michigan State, Northwestern, Western Kentucky

AMES, Iowa – Home games against Iowa and Northern Iowa, along with contests against Big Ten foes Michigan and Penn State highlight the Iowa State women’s basketball non-conference schedule. The Cyclones will face three NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago before opening Big 12 play.
“This is without question the toughest schedule we have faced in my 17 years at Iowa State,” Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly said. “The non-conference portion, as always, has the three instate games, which are always very tough. We also return the game to Michigan and add Penn State to the mix at the Nugget Classic. It will be a challenge, but we are looking forward to the competition.”
The Cyclones, who will play two exhibition contests and 11 regular-season non-conference games, open the season at home on Tuesday, Nov. 1 in an exhibition against Coe College. The Cyclones host Rockhurst (Mo.) in their final exhibition tune-up on Sunday, Nov. 6.
Iowa State kicks off the regular season and its 36th season in Hilton Coliseum on Friday, Nov. 11 against Houston Baptist.
The Cyclones will play the first part of a women’s and men’s doubleheader at Drake on Tuesday, Nov. 15 to open the road portion of the schedule.
Following a home showdown with Northern Arizona on Nov. 20, Iowa State heads west to the Nugget Classic in Reno, Nev. during the Thanksgiving holiday. Iowa State faces Penn State on Friday, Nov. 25 before playing either Butler or Nevada the following day.
Iowa State opens December with two more Big Ten foes. The Cyclones travel to Michigan on Sunday, Dec. 4 for a Big 12/Big Ten Challenge game. Then, on Wednesday, Dec. 7, Iowa State plays host to the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series matchup against Iowa at Hilton Coliseum.
Among the other games on the non-conference schedule are a home game against Northern Iowa (Dec. 20). Iowa State also hosts Buffalo, New Hampshire and New Jersey Institute of Technology in the Cyclone Challenge (Dec. 29-30). The Cyclones face New Hampshire in the first game of the tournament.
Please note that game times and dates are still subject to change. A complete schedule with tip-off times and television rights feeds will be available at a later date.
2011-12 Iowa State women’s basketball season tickets are on sale now starting at just $99. They can be ordered through the Iowa State Athletics Ticket Office by visiting cyclones.com or calling 1-888-478-2925. Single game tickets will go on sale at a later date.

2011-12 Iowa State Women’s Basketball Schedule
Nov. 1                   Exhibition (Coe College)
Nov. 6                   Exhibition (Rockhurst (Mo.)
Nov. 11                 Houston Baptist
Nov. 15                 at Drake
Nov. 20                 Northern Arizona
Nov. 25-26          Nugget Classic (Reno, Nev.)
Nov. 25                 vs. Penn State
Nov. 26                 vs. Butler or Nevada
Dec. 4                    at Michigan
Dec. 7                    Iowa (Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series)
Dec. 11                 Mississippi Valley State
Dec. 20                 Northern Iowa
Dec. 29-30           Cyclone Challenge (Ames, Iowa)
Dec. 29                 New Hampshire
Dec. 30                 New Jersey Institute of Technology or Buffalo
Jan. 4                     at Oklahoma
Jan. 7                     Baylor
Jan. 11                  at Kansas
Jan. 14                  Texas A&M
Jan. 18                  at Texas
Jan. 21                  Texas Tech
Jan. 25                  at Kansas State
Jan. 29                  at Texas A&M
Feb. 1                    Oklahoma State
Feb. 4                    Texas
Feb. 8                    at Missouri
Feb. 12                 at Texas Tech
Feb. 15                 Kansas
Feb. 18                 Oklahoma
Feb. 21                 Missouri
Feb. 25                 at Oklahoma State
Feb. 29                 Kansas State
March 3                at Baylor
March 7-10         Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships (Kansas City, Mo.)

Baseball:

• Chad Miller (Creston)
• Matt Schulz (Glenwood)
• Taylor Kaufman (Glenwood)
• Kyle Wheeler (Glenwood)
• Alex Brown (Harlan)
• Zach Kurth (Harlan)
• Derek Schwartz (Harlan)
• Bryce Berg (Kuemper Catholic)
• Jacob Schultes (Kuemper Catholic)
• Nate Connealy (Lewis Central)
• Eric Toole (Lewis Central)
• Brett Vanderpool (Lewis Central)

Softball:

• Elizabeth Metheny (Atlantic)
• Kristan Clement (Clarinda)
• Brooke Larsen (Clarinda)
• Andrea Nelson (Clarinda)
• Shelby Kramer (Creston)
• Paige Kinzer (Denison)
• Kristen Alesch (Denison)
• Brooke Peckham (Glenwood)
• Ana VanScoy (Glenwood)
• Brooke Schaben (Harlan)
• Jessica Schultes (Kuemper Catholic)
• Paityn Korner (Lewis Central)
• Madison Massey (Lewis Central)
• Becca Leininger (Red Oak)
• Caitlin Smith (Red Oak)
• Ellaine Walker (Red Oak)
• Kristin Comstock (Shenandoah)
• Ashley McGinnis (Shenandoah)

273 total finishers (walk – 56, 2 mile run – 144, 5 mile run – 73)

2 Mile Walk:

• 1st Female:  Jane Challie (Griswold) 23:54
• 2nd Female:  Annie Potter (Griswold) 25:15
• 1st Male:  Aybren Moore (Atlantic) 23:54
• 2nd Male:  Ken Weber (Avoca) 27:28

5 Mile Run:

• Women:
• 1st Overall:  Lisa Preeg (Austin, TX) 34:05
• 16 & Under:  1st – Libby Gifford (Atlantic) 52:11, 2nd – Monica Witzman & Siena Smith (Atlantic) 61:26
• 17-19:  1st – Ali Krogman (Atlantic) 35:21, 2nd – Sam Peterson (Atlantic) 39:06
• 20-28:  1st – Alyssa Tuel (Shelby) 40:56, 2nd – Jodie Hogue (Atlantic) 41:27
• 29-34:  1st – Jill Robinson (Chicago) 36:34, 2nd – Ali Payne (Minneapolis) 39:27
• 35-39:  1st – Nancy Reynolds (Atlantic) 38:33, 2nd – Kelsi Huseman (Clarinda) 39:57
• 40-44:  1st – Denise King (Atlantic) 40:47, 2nd – Michelle Silliman (Atlantic) 51:28
• 45-51:  1st – Kathie Madron (Oakland) 38:31, 2nd – Sandy Cooper (Atlantic) 41:14
• 52 & Over:  1st – Paula Odefey (Red Oak) 49:05

• Men:
• 1st Overall:  Nathan White (Adel) 25:25
• 14 & Under:  1st – Zach Denning (Neola) 34:49, 2nd – Ryan Hawkins (Atlantic) 39:28
• 15-16:  1st – Hunter Hilsabeck (Winterset) 32:22, 2nd – Josiah Williams (Atlantic) 32:34
• 17-18:  1st – Conor Wells (Des Moines) 25:40, 2nd – Tian Siggins (Atlantic) 33:42
• 19-27:  1st – Cory Logsdon (Omaha) 26:27, 2nd – Kevin Brown (Omaha) 29:45
• 28-37:  1st – Ryan Kramer (Des Moines) 28:17, 2nd – Mark Bierbaum (Omaha) 31:51
• 38-44:  1st – Brian Kelly (Omaha) 30:40, 2nd – Hiroyuki Murakosh (Clarinda) 34:00
• 45-50:  1st – Dennis Jarrett (Minden) 36:52
• 51-58:  1st – Mark Jones (Omaha) 32:50, 2nd – Steve Hansen (Atlantic) 42:26
• 59 & Over:  1st – Stephan Ruggles (Anita) 35:36, 2nd – Larry Ruggles (New Mexico) 35:51

2 Mile Run:

• Women:
• 1st Overall – Rebekah Topham (Griswold) 10:53
• 10 & Under:  1st – Makayla Forde (Atlantic) 16:57, 2nd – Anna Marie Lowary (Atlantic) 17:50
• 11-12:  1st – Aspen Jorgens (Emerson) 15:35, 2nd – Anna Young (Elliott) 16:39
• 13-14:  1st – Alyx Flippen (Elliott) 13:37, 2nd – Tiffany Williams (Wiota) 14:02
• 15:  1st – Kaylee Grote (Neola) 14:04, 2nd – Liz Siggins (Atlantic) 14:17
• 16:  1st – Jordyn Sindt (Griswold) 13:03, 2nd – Allison Young (Elliott) 14:00
• 17-19:  1st – Ashtyn Alfers (Minden) 13:08, 2nd – Alex Hartwig (Atlantic) 13:39
• 20-29:  1st – Courtney Miller (Corning) 15:08, 2nd – Kaylee Juhl (Lewis) 16:48
• 30-39:  1st – Teresa Middents (Atlantic) 17:27, 2nd – Missy Buntrock (Red Oak) 17:58
• 40-49:  1st – Becky Jones (Harlan) 16:58, 2nd – Barbara Petersen (Elk Horn) 19:09
• 50 & Over:  1st – Barb Olsen (Atlantic) 16:59, 2nd – Faith Johnson (Ida Grove) 19:31

• Men:
• 1st Overall – Aaron Roberts (Audubon) 10:53
• 10 & Under:  1st – Jordan Jorgensen (Emerson) 14:34, 2nd – Ethan Williams (Atlantic) 16:40
• 11-12:  1st – William Nelson (Exira) 15:33, 2nd – Kaleb Williams (Atlantic) 15:38
• 13-14:  1st – Chris Jarrett (Minden) 12:33, 2nd – Tyree Peters (Griswold) 12:59
• 15-16:  1st – Chris Jorgensen (Emerson) 11:14, 2nd – Alex Jorgensen (Emerson) 12:11
• 17-18:  1st – Jake Auerbach (Atlantic) 12:18, 2nd – Rob Young (Elliott) 12:51
• 19-29:  1st – Austin Coder (Atlantic) 13:54, 2nd – Bennett Blake (Atlantic) 14:40
• 30-39:  1st – J.T. Reisdorph (Atlantic) 13:27, 2nd – John Challie (Griswold) 17:13
• 40-49:  1st – Floyd Devereaux (Ft. Riley, KS) 14:20, 2nd – Dave Erickson (Wiota) 20:43
• 50 & Over:  1st – Kirk Petersen (Atlantic) 13:09, 2nd – John Roberts (Audubon) 13:34

w/ Jim Field

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     ST. LOUIS (AP) – Albert Pujols hit the longest home run at six-year-old Busch Stadium and the St. Louis Cardinals overcame an injury to starter Edwin Jackson with stellar bullpen work in a 6-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday night.  Yadier Molina had three hits, a walk and two RBIs for St. Louis, which took two of three from Colorado. The Cardinals remained five games behind NL Central-leading Milwaukee with 42 games to go, six of them against the Brewers.  Mark Ellis homered in the first for the Rockies, who have lost four of five. Esmil Rogers (6-2) issued a career-high seven walks, one intentional, in five innings. Colorado has lost six of its last seven in St. Louis and trails the all-time series 82-81.  Pujols’ two-run drive in the first was estimated at 465 feet.

     ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) – Give credit to Chiefs coach Todd Haley: He’s sticking with his plan.    It was hard to give anybody else in camp much credit after Friday night.  The team was back to work at its preseason headquarters on the campus of Missouri Western State University on Sunday, still smarting from a 25-0 thumping at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was the kind of home rout that might typically cause coaches indigestion, but this season has been anything but typical.  “You have to, as a head coach, look at the big picture all the time,” Haley said in a measured tone. “It’s a different set of circumstances, and the goal is to be ready for Sept. 11, and that’s all that I’m focused on.”