KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)
-- The Kansas City Royals lost yet again Tuesday, a 4-1 setback in Detroit. With the worst record in the majors, who could fault a fan for taking a nose dive from the bandwagon -- much less selling his allegiance?
Chad Carroll auctioned off 25 years of loyalty to the Royals on eBay on Tuesday, along with jerseys, hats, baseballs and other memorabilia.
And in a spate of irony, faithfulness to a club with one of the smallest payrolls in Major League Baseball sold for a paltry $278.47.
"It really does feel like a big weight has been lifted," Carroll, 34, who lives in Maryland but grew up listening to Kansas City games from his home in Iowa, told The Kansas City Star. "I really can't tell you how good it feels. I really can't."
A group of nine friends bid for Carroll's freedom, splitting the cost and earning the right to select his new favorite team.
They outbid the T-Bones, a minor league team, and saved Carroll from being held hostage by yet another Kansas City franchise. They also outbid Yahoo Sports baseball columnist Jeff Passan, who planned to ask readers to choose the new focus of Carroll's admiration.
"We didn't think it would be right if somebody else got to name his new team," said Dan Young, Carroll's best friend. "We don't know who it's going to be. We just know it's not going to be the Royals anymore."
His friends say they saw it coming.
Year after year, Carroll would adhere to the baseball cliche of "wait 'til next year." He would draft promising young players -- this year it was relief pitcher Ambiorix Burgos -- for his fantasy team. He promised his buddies the Royals would finish third in the division, at the very least.
"Year after year he'd say, 'Next year's going to be our year,"' Young said. "After a while, you could see it. He wouldn't talk about the new guys, and he'd talk more and more about the George Brett era."
After this season's 2-13 start and an 11-game slide, Carroll cut Burgos and his ties to the entire organization. Relics from the Royals' 1985 World Series championship came down, balls signed by Bob Hamelin and Angel Berroa went out the door, and a breath of fresh air wafted in.
Carroll's last game will be May 12, when Kansas City plays Baltimore, and after that his brother will remove the last traces of the Royals from his den.
Team officials claim no knowledge of the sale.
"It started off as a joke," said Carroll, who has taken a shine to the Cleveland Indians. "But now I'm completely serious. Now I can concentrate on other teams in other sports that have caused me pain and misery."

PHOENIX (AP) -- The NBA suspended Phoenix guard Raja Bell for one game on Wednesday for throwing Kobe Bryant to the floor in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night's playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
That means the Suns will be without Bell, the principal defender against Bryant, for Game 6 Thursday night in Los Angeles.
Phoenix beat the Lakers 114-97 in Game 5 but Los Angeles still leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 and can eliminate the Suns with a victory. In a brief news release, the NBA said Bell was suspended for "excessive and unnecessary contact."
After the team landed in Los Angeles, Suns coach and general manager Mike D'Antoni called the suspension "consistent with what the league has been doing with other fouls of this sort.
"We'll accept it and try to suck it up and get the win, and try to get him back for Game 7," D'Antoni said in a telephone interview.
The suspension had yet to be announced when the Suns practiced earlier Wednesday before leaving for Los Angeles. After the workout, Bell repeated that throwing Bryant down was wrong but explained what led to the foul and made clear his dislike for the Lakers' star.
"I have no respect for him," Bell said. "I think he's a pompous, arrogant individual."
Bell said he had been repeatedly hit in the face by Bryant during the game.
"I got a bruised cheek here and I can barely open my jaw on this side," he said, indicating the left side of his face, "and that didn't come from nowhere, and I felt like I'd had enough of that."
Bell said it went from a game to a personal insult.
"When I get hit in the face multiple times, you've stepped across the line with me," he said. "It's not basketball anymore. It was basketball for four games, then when he hit me in the face, that was the last straw last night. It still doesn't excuse me, but that's just the way I felt about it."
At the other end of the court just before Bell threw Bryant down, the Suns guard said he complained to referee Greg Willard about getting hit in the face, and Lakers coach Phil Jackson hollered out that Bell "deserved it," adding a profanity to emphasize the point.
That's why Bell pointed to the Lakers' bench yelling "That's your foul!" after he threw Bryant down.
Bell and Bryant received a double-technical in the second quarter. A few minutes after Bell was tossed, Bryant was thrown out of the game for his second technical for complaining about James Jones' hard foul on Kwame Brown.
The latest incident is part of a season-long series of expressions of mutual contempt between Bell and Bryant.
After Tuesday night's game, Bryant said he hoped Bell wouldn't be suspended but added that players can't afford to lose their temper in games.
"I'm not trying to go out there and elbow somebody, that's not the way I play," Bryant said. "If you get elbowed, you still have to keep your cool. I get elbowed all the time."
Bell called Bryant's comments "hypocritical."
Bell's teammate Steve Nash said the Lakers have gotten the best of the officiating in the series.
"We're playing a very heated battle and people on the outside are constantly telling guys that we've got to be more physical," Nash said. "It's tough, and he's faced a lot this series. He's done a great job on Kobe, and Kobe gets away with whatever he wants. That's kind of frustrating."

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)
-- New Kansas City Chiefs coach Herman Edwards is counting Priest Holmes in for next season, despite counting him out for minicamp.
Edwards told The Kansas City Star on Wednesday that the Chiefs' three-time Pro Bowl running back will not be with the team when it begins offseason practices in two weeks because he has not been medically cleared.
Holmes, 32, has been recovering from a helmet-to-helmet collision with the Chargers' Shawne Merriman during a midseason game in San Diego. He has been seeing a spinal specialist, Robert Watkins, and has been working out at his home in San Antonio during the offseason.
"I told him, 'Hey, when you get cleared, when you get ready in your mind to get back here, you need to be back here,"' Edwards said. "So there's no pressure on him by our people, by us, at all."
Holmes has remained mum about his chances to return next season. He was put on injured reserve in November and has been undergoing a battery of neurological tests and evaluations since.
General manager Carl Peterson said before the NFL draft that if Kansas City had to play a game, Holmes would not be cleared. "But we don't have to start today," he said, adding that doctors will evaluate Holmes again soon.
"I haven't really called (Priest) in a while, since he hasn't been cleared," Edwards said. "I would assume he'll probably show up sometime.
"People can interpret what they want. Until you hear it from Priest Holmes that he's not going to play, in my mind, he's playing."
If Holmes does return, it will be as a backup to emerging star Larry Johnson.
After toiling behind Holmes for two years, Johnson rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his nine starts last season, racking up 1,750 yards and scoring 20 touchdowns. It was enough that one of Edwards' first moves with the Chiefs was to name Johnson the starting running back entering fall camp.
Both running backs will have a veteran offensive line to run behind. Right guard Will Shields and left tackle Willie Roaf, both 12-time Pro Bowlers who each toyed with retirement, have decided to return for one more run.
"I thought about (retiring)," Roaf said. "I talked to Will and some of the guys. Then last year we finished so strong at the end of the year. It was great seeing Will come back. That helped."
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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- His role as the Kentucky Derby favorite confirmed, Brother Derek now needs only to figure out how to win from the far, far outside. The front-running colt was installed as the 3-1 favorite Wednesday after drawing the No. 18 post position. Only one horse has ever won the Derby from that spot -- Gato Del Sol in 1982. "How can I complain about my post?" trainer Dan Hendricks said. "We're here. This is the greatest race in the world. And the 18 hole is not too bad the way the speed is set up in the race." Unbeaten this year and winner of the Santa Anita Derby, Brother Derek will be ridden by Alex Solis in a crowded field of 20 3-year-olds. In California, Brother Derek won easily while racing on the lead against small fields. In his only race with a large field, the bay colt finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile leaving from the No. 13 post. But with expected speed horses Sinister Minister and Sharp Humor starting inside Brother Derek, Hendricks says his colt will simply follow 4-1 co-second favorite Lawyer Ron, who drew the No. 17 post. "We should be able to follow Lawyer Ron," Hendricks, paralyzed from the waist down because of a motocross accident in 2004, said. "With his high cruising speed, Alex should be able to set him up where ever he wants to be. If it rains, the outside post will benefit us even more." Undefeated Barbaro, who drew the No. 8 post, was also 4-1. Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia made up his mind Brother Derek would be the favorite following the Santa Anita Derby. "I think the California horses were very strong this year," Battaglia said. "He won impressively." Lawyer Ron comes into the Derby with a six-race winning streak. Trainer Bob Holthus was happy his colt will start from the outside. "Fifteen would have been ideal, but it was already taken," Holthus said. "I didn't want to get trapped on the inside -- there's a lot of speed on the inside. If we can follow somebody, we'll be in good shape." Illinois Derby winner Sweetnorthernsaint, ridden by two-time Derby winning jockey Kent Desormeaux, was the fourth choice at 10-1. Trainer Bob Baffert will seek his fourth Derby win with three entries: Wood Memorial winner Bob and John, Blue Grass winner Sinister Minister and Santa Anita Derby runner-up Point Determined. All were listed at 12-1. A.P. Warrior, at 15-1, gives John Shirreffs a chance to repeat after sending out Giacomo to victory last year at 50-1 odds. Shirreffs went with post No. 10, the same spot Giacomo won from. "It was so lucky for us last year," Shirreffs said. "It's a good spot." A third Derby winning trainer has a horse in the field: Barclay Tagg, who won in 2003 with Funny Cide, will try again with unbeaten Showing Up, the Lexington Stakes winner and 20-1 choice, leaving from the No. 6 post. Three trainers have two horses in the field -- Todd Pletcher with Bluegrass Cat and Keyed Entry; Steve Asmussen has Private Vow and Storm Treasure; and Kiaran McLaughlin has Jazil and Flashy Bull. For the first time, an owner will send out two unbeaten horses in the same Derby -- Gretchen and Roy Jackson's Lael Farm owns Showing Up, who is 3-for-3, and Barbaro, who is 5-for-5. Absent from this year's Derby will be Hall of Fame trainers D. Wayne Lukas, a four-time winner, and Nick Zito, a two-time winner who sent out five horses in last year's race. Also out of this year's race are recently retired Hall of Fame riders -- Gary Stevens, Jerry Bailey and Pat Day, who combined to win six Derbies. Since the 20-horse rule began in 1984, the race went off with the maximum field only last year. There have been 19 starters five times under the rule, most recently in 2000. With 23 horses entered, only the top 20 graded-stakes earners made the field. Sunriver was ranked 21st on the graded stakes earnings list, while others left out were Lewis Michael and Hemingway's Key.

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) -- Charles Barkley estimated that he's lost about $10 million gambling over the years in an interview Wednesday.
"My agent has really worked with me to try to get it where I can go and gamble and have fun," Barkley told ESPN. "That's easier said than done. Do I have a gambling problem? Yeah, I do have a gambling problem. But I don't consider it a problem because I can afford to gamble."
Barkley, who is an NBA analyst for TNT, later had a different assessment of his gambling habits.
"It's not a problem," Barkley said on TNT during halftime of the Pistons-Bucks game. "If you're a drug addict or an alcoholic, those are problems. I gamble for too much money. As long as I can continue to do it I don't think it's a problem. Do I think it's a bad habit? Yes, I think it's a bad habit. Am I going to continue to do it? Yes, I'm going to continue to do it."
He also added that he never bet on basketball, he only bet in casinos.
Barkley said in the ESPN interview he's not concerned about his habit because he has enough money to cover his losses, though he did say he hoped to wager less money.
"When I gamble I should be playing $1,000 a hand instead of $20,000 a hand, because if I played for $1,000 a hand I probably could lose $50,000 to $100,000 a hand instead of millions of dollars," Barkley said. "And I've got to reach a happy medium because I've told all of the people in my life that first and foremost it's my money."
Barkley said the thrill of competition has a lot to do with his urge to wager. "I like to gamble and I'm not going to quit," he said. "I've just got to get it under control."
Barkley, elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame last month, averaged 22.1 points and nearly 12 rebounds in a 16-year career that included stops in Philadelphia, Phoenix and Houston. He was the league's MVP in 1993, and he won gold at the '92 Barcelona Olympics as part of the original U.S. Dream Team.
Recently, golfer John Daly said in his upcoming autobiography that he has lost between $50 million and $60 million during 12 years of heavy gambling, and that it has become a problem that could "flat-out ruin me" if he doesn't bring it under control.

CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James now has his signature shot. Until further notice, "The Layup" defines his growing greatness.
James tiptoed along the baseline and muscled through traffic for the layup with 0.9 seconds left in overtime, giving the Cleveland Cavaliers a 121-120 victory over the Washington Wizards and a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series on Wednesday night.
With the Cavs down by one, James, who finished with 45 points, grabbed an inbounds pass from Larry Hughes with 3 seconds to go. Nearly trapped in the corner, he delicately slid past Antawn Jamison and knifed inside.
As Michael Ruffin, Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood collapsed around him, James rose in the lane and softly dropped in his game-winning layup, sending a sellout crowd of 20,562 into a frenzy.
"I had enough room on the baseline," said James, who added seven rebounds and six assists. "If I wore an 18 or 19 size shoe, I wouldn't have made it. But I wear a 16 and was able to tightrope that baseline to get a layup."
Arenas, who matched James bucket for bucket and had 44 points, was way off with a desperation heave at the buzzer. The Wizards still had two timeouts left, but failed to call one after James' basket.
The best-of-seven series, which has been bogged down by whining from both teams and some questionable officiating, returns to Washington for Game 6 on Friday night.
"If we can go to Washington and close it out, it will be one of my biggest basketball thrills," James said.
Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said the plan was not to put James on the line. If he was going to win it, he would have to earn it.
"He made something out of nothing which is what great players do," Jordan said. "A lot of normal guys miss that."
Larry Hughes scored 24 points, Eric Snow had 18, including six in overtime, and Flip Murray added 12 for the Cavaliers, who blew a seven-point lead late in regulation and nearly gave up their home-court advantage for the second time in the series.
Jamison had 32 points, Caron Butler 20 and Antonio Daniels 13 for the Wizards, who stole a Game 5 at Chicago in the first round last year in the playoffs and nearly did it again.
James, who fouled out Jared Jeffries late in regulation, gave Butler his sixth personal foul with 25 seconds left. James made both free throws -- he went 17-for-18 from the line -- to give the Cavaliers a 119-118 lead.
But Arenas, who scored eight points in the overtime, was fouled on a drive to the hoop by Murray and made two free throws with 3.6 seconds left, setting up James' final shot.
Cleveland's star, who won Game 3 with a last-second drive, had missed a jumper at the end of regulation that would have won it, but he made sure he was closer to the basket for this attempt, a layup that moves to the top of his already superlative-laden resume.
"We thought we did a great job cutting off that baseline," Arenas said. "He made an athletic move. He hit his first game-winner in the playoffs."
Arenas paused, then corrected himself.
"Second," he said.
It was the kind of play Michael Jordan used to make, and the kind James has been delivering for most of his basketball life.
"The last play," Cavs coach Mike Brown said, shaking his head. "What an aggressive drive. He knew we needed the basket. They ran three guys at him and he found a way to get to the rim and score the basket."
The Cavaliers seemed to have Game 5 wrapped up, leading 107-100 when James, who scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, made two free throws with 1:18 left.
LeBron James found clear sailing against the Wizards during his 45-point effort.David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images
But Daniels completed a three-point play and Butler forced a turnover before scoring twice underneath as Washington fought back to tie it 107-all on Butler's layup with 7.5 seconds remaining.
James spent the final 6:53 of the third quarter sitting angrily on the bench after picking up his fourth foul. Referee Joe Forte called a block on James, who tried to slide in front of Arenas on a drive.
James bounced off the floor to argue and then walked to the Cavs bench palming the ball and looking as if he might take it home with him. He stood during his first minute of his seclusion cheering for the Cavs, who were down 64-63 when he left but outscored the Wizards 22-17 to take an 85-81 lead into the fourth.
The Cavaliers shot 61 percent from the field in the first half but only led 52-51.
Arenas scored 20 points in the first 16 minutes. However, the Cavaliers adjusted and held him without a field goal over the final 8:22 after they began running a second defender at the guard as soon as he touched the ball.
James divulged part of Cleveland's game plan before tipoff, saying he was going to get the ball early to Hughes, who came in averaging just 10.3 points in the playoffs. James made good on the promise as Hughes scored 11 points in the opening quarte