provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball titl

CHICAGO -- Cubs infielder Tommy La Stella has refused to report to Triple-A Iowa after being optioned to the minors nearly two weeks ago, and Chicago placed him on the temporary inactive list Tuesday.La Stella started at third base for the Cubs in last years wild-card victory over Pittsburgh. He was optioned to the minors on July 29 when Chicago activated outfielder Chris Coghlan off the disabled list.The left-handed hitting La Stella is batting .295 with a .388 on-base percentage in 105 at-bats with the Cubs and didnt take the demotion well.Hes a 27-year-old kid working through some stuff and were trying to give him time to work through those things, Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said. Weve had a lot of contact with him and well continue to do that.Manager Joe Maddon said hes communicated by text message with La Stella, who was back home in New Jersey working out.Hes not angry. Hes not upset, Maddon said. Hes just at that point where he doesnt know exactly what he wants to do. Thats it.La Stella will continue to get paid while hes on the inactive list.Depth has been a good problem for the major league-leading Cubs this season. La Stella was vulnerable to being sent down despite his impressive numbers because he still has minor league options.This guy can flat out hit, Hoyer said.Some Cubs players declined comment about La Stella, saying they didnt know enough about the situation. Others defended him.I dont know if anybody would say they saw that coming by any means, outfielder Jason Heyward said. But at the same time, somebody has got to be at peace with what theyre doing.Outfielder Matt Szczur said he was sure La Stella will eventually report to Iowa.Im really close to Tommy and weve been talking back and forth, Szczur said. Hes trying to get in a good place. I can only support him.Hoyer said La Stellas absence will make the Cubs look for left-handed hitting elsewhere. He said when La Stella returns, it wont be with the Cubs.Theres no doubt hes going to have to get at-bats and play in Triple-A before he can help the major league team, Hoyer said. Hes going to get at-bats in Iowa, for sure. Los Angeles Rams Jerseys . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. Todd Gurley II Rams Jersey . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. http://www.ramsrookiestore.com/Rams-Greg-Gaines-Jersey/ . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. Darrell Henderson Womens Jersey . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. Custom Los Angeles Rams Jerseys . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. TAMPA, Fla. -- Jahmal McMurray scored 20 points, including a pair of free throws that put the game out of reach with five seconds left, and South Florida slipped past Bethune-Cookman for a 79-73 overtime win Monday night.Midway through the extra period, South Florida (5-3) got a jumper from McMurray that sparked a 7-0 spurt and gave the Bulls their first lead since late in regulation, 75-70. Bethune-Cookman (3-8) cut the deficit to 75-73 with 33 seconds left on a 3-point play from Diamante Lewis,, but it was all USF from there.ddddddddddddGeno Thorpe, whose free throws at the end of regulation forced overtime, went 2 for 2 from the line to pad the OT lead with 16 seconds left, then McMurray hit both of his free throws to stretch the advantage to six.Quinton Forrest and Brandon Tabb led Bethune-Cookman with 21 points each, and Reggie Baker and Lewis each had 10. ' ' '