Erik Bedard held Boston to one run through five innings, bu

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LOS ANGELES -- Veteran UFC light heavyweight Chael Sonnen has failed a drug test, forcing him out of his bout with Vitor Belfort at UFC 175 in Las Vegas next month. Sonnen said he tested positive for two banned substances in a random test last month. The three-time UFC title contender is likely to face a suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Sonnen attempted to defend himself Tuesday, claiming he took anastrozole and clomiphene as part of his move off testosterone replacement therapy, which was outlawed by Nevada regulators earlier this year. Sonnen had an exemption allowing his steroid use, but gave up TRT after it was banned. "They changed the rules, and Ive got to comply with the rules," Sonnen told Fox Sports, the UFCs television partner. "However, there is a transition period (after dropping TRT), and I couldnt have been more open or more transparent." The 37-year-old Sonnen (28-14-1) said he plans to appeal the commissions decision next week, even though he acknowledged knowing the two substances were on the Nevada commissions banned list. Sonnen said his doctor put him on the banned substances to bolster his natural testosterone production, which can be stunted by taking synthetic testosterone. He also believes he should be allowed to take the substances out of competition, even though theyre banned precisely to prevent athletes from using them to gain an unfair advantage in preparation for an event. "An athlete does not have to remain off of medication 365 days a year," Sonnen said. "If theyre asking me to choose between my health and my sport, thats not a choice I can make. Ive got to choose health." UFC President Dana White blamed both the Nevada commission and Sonnen while addressing the failed test on Fox Sports. White spoke out against TRT earlier this year, shortly before the Nevada commission banned it and many other commissions followed suit. "This thing has been bad since Day 1," White said. "I wish that the commission had never let anybody use TRT, and when it went away, they didnt do a very good job of figuring out how to get these guys off it. When you get off it, you dont just go cold turkey. "And its Chaels fault, too, because Chael should have called the athletic commission and said, This is what my doctor told me I need to do to come down off this stuff, so heres what Ive been taking." Sonnen had lost three of his past four fights heading into his July 5 bout with Belfort, another former TRT user. While never a champion, Sonnen is among the UFCs most prominent figures, serving as a studio analyst, commentator and reality show coach for the UFCs broadcast platforms while also continuing his fighting career. Sonnen also had high levels of testosterone in his system after his thrilling loss to middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 117 in Oakland, California, in 2010. He received a suspension for failing to get an exemption for TRT in California. Sonnens latest drug mishap is another bizarre turn for UFC 175, which has endured numerous changes and strange circumstances. Belfort only got a spot on the pay-per-view card at the Mandalay Bay Events Center when Wanderlei Silva skipped a drug test last month and dropped out of his scheduled bout with Sonnen, who harshly criticized Silva on television for missing the test. Belfort used TRT for at least his last three fights, all won by spectacular knockout in his native Brazil. He dropped out of a scheduled fight with UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman in late February on the same day the Nevada commission banned TRT. Belfort says he has since stopped using steroids. He is scheduled to appear at a licensing hearing with the Nevada commission next week. UFC 175 is headlined by Weidmans title defence against Lyoto Machida and bantamweight champion Ronda Rouseys fourth title defence against Alexis Davis. Keyshawn Johnson Jets Jersey . New York City FC introduced Frank Lampard in Brooklyn on Thursday after signing the 36-year-old former Chelsea midfielder to a two-year contract. Dee Milliner Jets Jersey .S. Olympic hockey management team have been making what he called "ghost rosters" since August. http://www.authenticjetsfanatic.com/c-2 ... .-Portugal game on June 22 in the Amazonian jungle city of Manaus. FIFPro, the international soccer players union, had pressed FIFA to avoid the earliest kickoffs in the hottest and most humid weather. Nick Mangold Jets Jersey . Stepanek gave the Czech Republic its second straight Davis Cup title Sunday, sweeping past Dusan Lajovic in straight sets in the fifth and decisive match to secure a 3-2 win over Serbia in the final. Mark Gastineau Jersey . JOHNS, N. BOSTON -- Never one to take a lot of time between pitches, John Lackey had extra motivation to throw quickly and get out of the biting chill at Fenway Park. Lackey pitched eight solid innings with temperatures in the low 40s as the Boston Red Sox beat the slumping Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 on Tuesday night. "I try to work fast," Lackey said. "Especially when its cold, Im trying to get guys in the dugout. It wasnt a whole lot of fun out there on the field today." Lackeys teammates showed their appreciation with a five-run rally in the sixth as the Red Sox opened a three-game series with a win over their AL East rivals. Shane Victorino drove in his first two runs of the season while going 4 for 4, hiking his batting average from .133 to .316. Victorino was playing in his fourth game after missing the first 22 with a hamstring injury. He singled in his first two at-bats, hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth and added an RBI double in the sixth. "We knew it was going to take a couple of games for him to get his feet on the ground," Boston manager John Farrell said. "He does give us a completely different dynamic in that 2-hole. When we can set the table for that middle of the order, weve got a chance to score some runs." Lackey (4-2) scattered six hits and allowed two runs, striking out five and walking one. After the Rays scored twice in the ninth, Koji Uehara came in and struck out Ben Zobrist on three pitches for his sixth save. Jackie Bradley Jr. had a pair of doubles and two RBIs as the Red Sox got 13 hits and won for the third time in four games. Xander Bogaerts was the only Boston starter without a hit. "It was good to see the evenness throughout the at-bats 1 through 9," Farrell said. The Rays lost for the seventh time in eight road games and are 4-9 away from home. Wil Myers had two hits and scored a run for the Rays. James Loney hit two doubles and joined Myers as the only Tampa Bay players with more than one hit. Both scored in the ninth on a throwing error by Bogaerts at shortstop. The Rays began the second leg of a 10-game road trip, which they started 1-3 in Chicago. Erik Bedard held Boston to one run through five innings, but the bullpen could not stop the Red Sox in the sixth. Tampa Bay manaager Joe Maddon said both starters had good command, but it was a tough night for relievers to sit through the frigid conditions and then have to pitch.dddddddddddd "Bedard was good. I thought Lackeys command was good tonight," Maddon said. "Its hard. Its hard for both sides. The game was not meant to be played in this kind of weather. But youve got to fight through it." Brandon Gomes (1-1) started the sixth inning and immediately walked Mike Napoli and Jonny Gomes. Juan Carlos Oviedo took over with one out and fared no better. A.J. Pierzynski hit an RBI single, then Will Middlebrooks and Bradley hit back-to-back doubles. Bradleys shot to centre bounced off the wall in one of the deepest parts of Fenway Park, scoring Pierzynski and Middlebrooks easily. Bradley went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Victorinos ground-rule double. The Red Sox scored three more on three hits off Oviedo. Boston scored five times in the inning and sent nine batters to the plate. "Thats something that we normally dont do," Maddon said. "Were normally pretty good at minimizing damage. Weve got to do a better job of that." Bedard got his third no-decision in four starts. He allowed four hits, striking out four and walking three. Middlebrooks walked to start the fifth and went to third when Bradley doubled to centre. The Rays nearly got out of it when Dustin Pedroia lined out to third baseman Evan Longoria, who made a dive for the bag. Middlebrooks was diving in the other direction and barely beat the tag, then scored on Victorinos fly to centre to put Boston up 1-0. The Rays got the run back in the sixth when Desmond Jennings doubled with one out and scored on a sacrifice fly by Longoria. Ryan Hanigans single in the seventh drove in Myers, who led off the inning with a double that was just a few feet left of being a homer to centre. NOTES: Napoli has reached base in 24 of 25 games this season. ... It was the 28th anniversary of Roger Clemens first 20-strikeout game for Boston, when he broke the major league record for a nine-inning game against Seattle. ... Red Sox DH David Ortiz played in his 1,994th game. ... Tampa Bay played its 1,000th game since shortening the teams name to Rays in 2008. China Jerseys ' ' '