**Plans to build a new basketball arena in downtown Sacramento appear dead after Mayor Kevin Johnson said differences between the Kings and the city are irreconcilable. **Former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley is making an aggressive push to buy the San Diego Padres, and he wants to close the deal by the All-Star break. **If the current BCS bowl games are incorporated into a playoff, the location of the semifinal games could be determined based on conference affiliation.