CLEVELAND - Manager Eric Wedge received a three-year contract extension from the Cleveland Indians, an early reward for having his ballclub near the top in the AL Central. Wedge, whose Indians didn't reach the playoffs in his first four seasons, was signed through the 2007 season with the club holding a club option for 2008 and 2009.

But with Cleveland (54-37) trailing the first-place Detroit Tigers by just one-half game entering the week and leading the wild-card chase, the Indians decided the time was right to extend Wedge's deal through the 2010 season. Financial terms were not immediately available.

PRO BASKETBALL

Nuggets sign Atkins

DENVER - The Denver Nuggets signed free-agent guard Chucky Atkins, three days after point guard Steve Blake returned to Portland.

Atkins averaged 13.2 points and 4.6 assists last year with the Memphis Grizzlies, second best in his eight-year career.

Atkins spent a season and a half in Memphis after stints with Orlando, Detroit, Boston, the L.A. Lakers and Washington. He has averaged 10.8 points, 3.7 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 599 games.

PRO FOOTBALL

NFL suspends Jared Allen

NEW YORK - Kansas City defensive end Jared Allen has been suspended by the NFL for the first two games of the 2007 season and fined an additional game check following two DUI arrests

Allen told the Kansas City Star last April that he had been suspended for four games. At that time, the NFL declined comment because the case was under appeal.

HOCKEY

Pens' coach gets extension

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Penguins gave coach Michel Therrien a one-year contract extension through the 2008-09 season after guiding the team to the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Therrien, whose current deal was to expire after the upcoming season, led the team to a 47-24-11 record last season. The 47-point improvement was one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in NHL history.

Therrien was hired by Pittsburgh in 2005 after several successful seasons coaching the Montreal Canadiens and the Penguins' AHL affiliate.

Pittsburgh also announced the signings of defensemen Mark Ardelan and Deryk Engelland.

TENNIS

Third-seeded Mirza rallies for win

MASON, Ohio - Third-seeded Sania Mirza shook off a slow start and rallied for a 6-4, 6-3 win over Abigail Spears in the first round of the Cincinnati Women's Open.

Mirza, who has reached the quarterfinals of the tournament the last two years, lost the first three games of the opening-round match against the 140th-ranked Spears.

In the first of the night matches, Lilia Osterloh jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first set and rolled to a 6-2, 6-3 win over Viktoriya Kutuzova. The win was Osterloh's first in four matches against Kutuzova - the first two on clay and the third on Wimbledon's grass.

In the other main draw match, seventh-seeded Akiko Morigami outlasted Camille Pin 4-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (2).

BOXING

Klitschko returning to ring

MUNICH, Germany - Former WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko will fight Jameel McCline on Sept. 22 in Munich in Klitschko's first bout in nearly three years.

Klitschko hasn't fought since an eighth-round win over Danny Williams on Dec. 11, 2004.

Back and knee problems forced Klitschko to take a year off and eventually retire with a 35-2 record with 34 knockouts. He announced a comeback earlier this year.

McCline, 37, has a 38-7-3 record with 23 knockouts. He lost a WBA title shot to then-champion Nikolai Valuev in January when he injured his knee in the third round.

SKIING

Austrian Ski Federation bans two

VIENNA, Austria - The Austrian Ski Federation gave lifetime bans to two biathletes and two coaches who engaged in blood doping at the 2006 Turin Olympics.

Retired biathletes Wolfgang Perner and Wolfgang Rottmann, and former coaches Emil Hoch and Walter Mayer will lose their federation membership and cannot participate in any federation events.

The decision came four days after the federation's disciplinary commission confirmed in its final report that Perner and Rottmann engaged in blood doping in Turin, and Mayer and Hoch also were involved.