PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers released starting inside linebacker Larry Foote Monday, a move expected since Foote asked to be traded or cut.

Foote has started every Steelers game for five seasons, including their Super Bowl victories last season and after the 2005 season. But he was unhappy with coming off the field on passing downs for Lawrence Timmons, a 2007 first-round draft pick.

The Steelers cut him after failing to find a team willing to deal a draft pick for him.

"Larry has been a big part of our success but, unfortunately, the realities of the salary cap made this decision inevitable," Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert said in a statement. "We wish Larry and his family nothing but the best as he moves forward with his career."

WILLIAMSPORT — The Pittsburgh 3-Rivers Volleyball Club 18-Fort Duquesne, featuring four players from Butler and Seneca Valley, placed second at the Keystone Region 18-Open Bid Tournament over the weekend.In doing so, the team earned a second straight bid to the USA Girls Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships July 1 to 4 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Florida.Team members include Rebecca Smith and Stephanie Mock from Butler, Meghan Franz and Alex Karika from Seneca Valley.

Butler senior outfielder Dustin Uhlman was selected to play in the WPIAL All-Star Baseball Game June 14 at Burkett Field in Robinson Township.

DENVER — Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin was fined $25,000 Monday by the NBA for knocking Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki to the court in the opener of their second-round playoff series.Martin was also assessed a flagrant foul 1 for the contact, which occurred with about 6 minutes left in the first quarter of Sunday's game, after Nowitzki had scored Dallas' first 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting.

CONCORD, N.C. — Speedway Motorsports Inc. officials said Monday they have asked NASCAR to add Kentucky to the 2010 Sprint Cup Series schedule.Any chance SMI has is contingent on the former owners of Kentucky Motor Speedway dropping an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and International Speedway Corp., its sister company.SMI chairman Bruton Smith is willing to give up a race date at one of his seven other facilities to get Kentucky on the schedule. He would not reveal which track he is considering, and SMI president Marcus Smith said no decision has been made on which track would lose a date if NASCAR adds Kentucky to its 36-race schedule.

NEW YORK — Markus Naslund wrapped up a 15-year NHL career Monday when he retired after just one season with the New York Rangers.Naslund, who left the Vancouver Canucks last summer as a free agent, signed a two-year deal worth $8 million with the Rangers but decided to skip the final season, when he will be 36.In 1,117 regular-season NHL games, Naslund had 395 goals and 869 points. He reached the 40-goal mark three times and scored at least 30 in six seasons.