SYDNEY, Australia -- The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Josh Beckett and outfielder Matt Kemp on the 15-day disabled list Friday in paring their active roster to 25 players for the season opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Australia. Chad Billingsley, still recovering from right elbow surgery, also was put on the DL. Beckett has a bruised thumb and Kemp is rehabbing from ankle surgery. The moves are retroactive to March 19, so all three players are ineligible to return until April 3. That means theyll miss at least a three-game series in San Diego from March 30 to April 2. Left fielder Carl Crawford also was inactive. He is on paternity leave. Arizona optioned pitchers Charles Brewer and Zeke Spruill to the minors. The Dodgers and Diamondbacks open the Major League Baseball season Saturday (4 a.m. EDT) at Sydney Cricket Ground. In addition, the Dodgers optioned backup catcher Tim Federowicz and reassigned outfielder Joc Pederson, pitcher Zach Lee and infielder Miguel Rojas to the minors. The moves left the Dodgers payroll -- including cash transactions in trades -- at a record $239.8 million for 34 players. But that probably wont be their opening day payroll, which will be calculated as of the March 30 game against San Diego, when all teams have to be down to 25 active players. The Diamondbacks were at $112.7 million for 30 players. Both teams came to Australia with 30 players for the two-game series, which ends Sunday. Beckett, Kemp and Billingsley did not make the trip. Fake NBA Jerseys . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. Clearance NBA Jerseys .ca. Hi Mr. Fraser, When I was watching the Heritage Classic in Vancouver there was a play midway through the third where Ottawa crashed the Canucks net and it came off its moorings. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/. -- Joe Thornton scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:39 left in regulation to help the San Jose Sharks overcome a two-goal deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 on Thursday night. Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys . - Olympic champion Marielle Thompson accomplished her mission of defending her skicross World Cup title at Nakiska Ski Area on Saturday. NBA Jerseys Outlet .200. His solution to his hitting woes was business in the front and a party in the back."That would be a mullet," Norris says.ARLINGTON, Texas -- Connecticut and Kentucky couldnt have met in last years championship game and few people gave them a chance to be in this years. Seventh-seeded Connecticut and eighth-seeded Kentucky meet Monday night in one of the unlikeliest NCAA championship games ever. Watch the game live on TSN at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt. Neither was around in last years post-season -- Connecticut because of a tournament ban over academic issues; Kentucky because it didnt make the field. And neither looked like national title contenders at times this season. Kentucky (29-10) and its outstanding freshmen went from preseason No. 1 to out of the rankings after some bad losses. And Connecticut (31-8) was not a popular post-season pick after finishing tied for third in the American Athletic Conference with multiple losses to Louisville and SMU. In the tournament, the Huskies have stopped some of the countrys top guards and put themselves in position for their fourth national championship, the previous three under Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun. "Hopefully we have an opportunity to fall back on our defence," second-year coach Kevin Ollie said. "We have been doing that the whole year." If Kentucky has a chance to win in the final minute, that defence better pay attention to guard Aaron Harrison, one of five freshmen starters. He has hit huge 3-pointers in the Wildcats last three games. Harrison rattled in a 26-footer with 5.7 seconds to go in the 74-73 win over Wisconsin in the semifinals. He made almost the exact same shot with 2.3 seconds left against Michigan for a 75-72 win that sent the Wildcats to the Final Four. Against Louisville, he hit a 3 with 39 seconds left to give Kentucky the lead for good in a 74-69. "The biggest thing is hes not afraid to miss," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "Hes OK with it. Hes comfortable in his own skin. ... If youre going to make those kind of shots, you absolutely cannot be afraid to miss them." These two programs have combined to win six of the last 18 NCAA titles. "Playing against Connectiicut, I mean, Im just happy were still playing," Calipari said.dddddddddddd Neither program could say that last year. Connecticut was banned from the post-season after failing to meet NCAA academic standard. It had practice limitations and lost a scholarship. The players could have transferred but didnt. The Huskies finished 20-10 in Ollies first year. They took the hit and made it back to the biggest stage. "Its actually very impressive," NCAA president Mark Emmert said Sunday. "To see that team hold together. I think its a commitment to those young men on that team that hung together." The leader of the group is All-American Shabazz Napier who leads the team in almost every statistical category. Hes the guy who makes the big shot or big pass. Fellow guard Ryan Boatright has taken some of the spotlight recently for his defensive performances against the likes of Keith Appling of Michigan State and Scottie Wilbekin of Florida. "Defence is the biggest thing for me. The points will come," Boatright said. "I want to make him uncomfortable, dont let him get in a rhythm or flow. Their guards, God blessed them with height and they will try to take advantage of smaller guys like us but Ive been the smaller guy my whole life and Ive never backed down." Kentucky is playing its best basketball lately, led by big man Julius Randle and the Harrison twins. "We just had too much talent and we saw in spurts how good we could be," Randle said, "so it just felt like it was a matter of time before it clicked." This is Caliparis fourth Final Four, but the first two -- Massachusetts in 1996 and Memphis in 2008 -- were vacated over NCAA rules violations. Now the Wildcats are on an 11-game winning streak in the NCAA tournament and they are one win from a ninth national championship for Kentucky. "We all play the game of basketball to compete against the best," Napier said. "This is one of them games. ... They worked hard to get to this point and we did too. Were going to do our best to get this W." ' ' '