IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa athletic director Gary Barta says the Big Ten’s move to a nine-game league schedule starting in 2017 shouldn’t affect the Hawkeyes’ annual matchup with Iowa State.  The Big Ten announced the move to nine conference games on Thursday. That will leave Big Ten teams with three open slots in a typical 12-game regular season.  Barta says the Big Ten worked with Iowa regarding its series with Iowa State. Barta says that at this point the rivalry “will go forward without interruption.”  Iowa and Iowa State have met every year since 1977.  The Hawkeyes and Cyclones will face off in Ames on Sept. 10.  You can hear that game live on KJAN!

MIAMI (AP) – Albert Pujols hit his 25th home run and finished a triple shy of the cycle, and six relievers combined to pitch six innings and help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Florida Marlins 7-4 on Thursday night.  Pujols came into the game only 1 for 14 on the Cardinals’ trip.  He walked and scored in the first inning, singled and scored in the
third, homered in the fourth and doubled in the sixth. The first baseman also made a lunging backhanded stop to start a 3-6-3 double play.  The Cardinals’ David Freese earned a tough go-ahead RBI when he was hit in the helmet by a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded in the third inning. That put the Cardinals ahead to stay, 4-3.  Freese left the game with a mild concussion and a bruise.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) – Starting cornerback Brandon Carr has signed his restricted free agent tender with the Kansas City Chiefs, making him the last significant player to arrive at training camp.  The former fifth-round draft pick has started all 48 games in three seasons with the Chiefs, making 207 tackles and four picks while pairing with Brandon Flowers to create a shutdown defensive backfield.  The Chiefs had placed a first-round tender on Carr.  The team also announced the signing of free agent safety Sabby Piscitelli on Thursday.  Piscitelli made 20 starts and appeared in 50 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns over the past four seasons, making 115 tackles and five interceptions.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) – A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that third-round draft pick Justin Houston has agreed to a $2.78 million, four-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.  The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the team had not made an official announcement. The deal includes a $671,000 signing bonus.  Houston was the 70th overall pick out of Georgia and among the last rookies to sign. The 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive end is expected to bolster the Chiefs’ pass rush along with outside linebacker Tamba Hali, who agreed to a five-year deal worth $60 million on Wednesday.  Starting cornerback Brandon Carr also signed his free agent tender on Thursday and joined Hali and most of the rest of the Chiefs in training camp.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) – Tamba Hali jogged down the long, grassy hillside to the practice field at Missouri Western State University, the modest crowd on hand for the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice bursting into applause.  Yes, the veterans have finally arrived at training camp.  One day after agreeing to a five-year, $60 million contract, Hali and the Chiefs enjoyed their first full-squad practice since arriving last week. Veteran free agents had been unable to participate until Thursday, when the new collective bargaining agreement was ratified and league year officially began.  Hali joined newcomers such as wide receiver Steve Breaston, defensive tackle Kelly Gregg and fullback Le’Ron McClain on the practice fields. The Chiefs still wore only shoulder pads and helmets as the coaching staff takes a cautious approach to getting everybody up to speed.