Pinot rides to stage win and Tour de Suisse lead

SOELDEN, Austria – Thibaut Pinot of France rode solo to a stage win in the Austrian mountains and took the leader’s yellow jersey in the Tour de Suisse on Wednesday.

Pinot went clear with 1.2 miles left of a grueling 147.5-mile fifth stage to Soelden ski resort.

The FDJ rider has a 47-second lead overall from Britain’s Geraint Thomas, who placed fifth Wednesday and is favored by the closing time trial stage Sunday.

Domenico Pozzovivo of Italy was second on the stage, 34 seconds behind Pinot’s time of 6 hours, 22 minutes, 47 seconds.

Simon Spilak of Slovenia was third and is third overall with 50 seconds to make up on Pinot.

MLB

Cardinals hire firm to assist internal hack investigation

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals were not caught off-guard when details of the FBI and Justice Department investigation into computer hacking of the Houston Astros database were revealed.

The team said Wednesday it hired a law firm several months ago to conduct an internal inquiry and to assist in providing information to the federal government.

Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said the team will hold accountable anyone responsible for anything inappropriate. Jim Martin of the Dowd Bennett law firm was hired to assist the team. Martin said in a statement that the inquiry has not been completed.

A person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press that federal authorities are investigating whether members of the Cardinals organization were to blame for the hacking of the Astros’ player database.

NBA

Cavaliers and Warriors prove huge Finals TV draw

NEW YORK – This year’s NBA Finals drew the highest TV rating since the series moved to ABC in 2003.

The Golden State Warriors’ six-game win over the Cleveland Cavaliers averaged an 11.6 rating. ESPN said Wednesday that the more than 19.9 million viewers were up 30 percent from last year’s five-game series between the Spurs and Heat.

Game 6 on Tuesday night drew a 13.4 rating, up 9 percent from the previous Game 6 two years ago between San Antonio and Miami.

NFL

Manziel speaks for first time since entering rehab

BEREA, Ohio – Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel said he got caught up in the hype surrounding his “Johnny Football” persona and hopes to close a regrettable chapter in his life.

Speaking for the first time since spending 10 weeks in rehab, Manziel says he’s trying to move on after a rookie season he called “a disaster.” Manziel would not divulge the reasons behind his stay in a substance-abuse facility. He said he didn’t do enough to suppress the spotlight on him and that everything that happened to him was his fault.

The former Heisman Trophy winner said he’s been trying to get back to his roots and lead a much quieter lifestyle.

Soccer

FIFA prosecutor ready as World Cup probe widens

ZURICH – FIFA ethics prosecutor Cornel Borbely said he is prepared to open more cases against officials as part of the investigations into the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Borbely said “should new evidence come to light” his team “will widen the group of suspects.”

He said his department “has taken the necessary preparatory measures for this and is prepared to increase its staff numbers at any time if needed.”

Associated Press