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Local
Golf
Bienkowski shoots ace
Ted Bienkowski, of Nanticoke, had a hole-in-one on the par-3 fourth hole at the Wilkes-Barre Municipal Golf Course on Thursday. Bienkowski used a five wood for his ace and it was witnessed by Stan Greskewicz, Ben Jones and Joe Prushinski.
Duo win tourney prize
Casey Counseller and John Pillar both shot a 69 to win the top prize of $212.50 at the Pocono Professional Golf Series Pro Am Tournament at Irem Country Club on Thursday.
Jim Booros shot a 70 to finish first in the low pro senior division. George Elias shot a 69 to claim first-place in the low amateur division. Jim Booros shot a 62 to win the low gross team division, while Steve Frederick shot a 57 to win the low net team division.
Nation/World
MLB
Cardinals get Branyan
The St. Louis Cardinals, preparing to play the final month without Scott Rolen, acquired Russell Branyan from the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday for a player to be named.
Rolen, troubled much of the season by his surgically repaired left shoulder, was examined Friday in Cincinnati by Reds medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek, who repaired the slugger’s torn labrum in August 2005.
Even before learning results of the exam, manager Tony La Russa feared another operation would be recommended to clean up scar tissue, ending Rolen’s season.
“He was quoted as saying ’end of the wick,”’ La Russa said. “What does that mean? He’s had enough, so I’m not optimistic.
“He’s been dealing with it for a long time.”
Tennis

Djokovic advances
They broke out odd little dances after hitting big shots, swaying their hips and rocking their arms to music only in their heads.
They pushed their beleaguered bodies this way and that for 4 hours, 44 minutes on Friday, swatting balls from impossible angles and somehow rarely missing the mark.
Through repeated visits from trainers, through all manner of momentum shifts, No. 3-seeded Novak Djokovic and former top-10 player Radek Stepanek produced as entertaining and lengthy a U.S. Open match as there’s been in quite some time.
Djokovic has emerged as a potential challenger to No. 1 Roger Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal, and on this day, he emerged victorious, if only barely, beating friend and sometime-doubles-partner Stepanek 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (2).