Chris Long’s marathon victory tour stopped in St. Louis on Sunday, less than 24 hours after the Rams took him with the second pick of the NFL draft.

It’s been a whirlwind for the Virginia defensive end, fast separating himself from his previous life as the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Fox TV analyst Howie Long.

King James lost his crown.

All right, so it was his burgundy headband that went flying when LeBron James took a shot to the noggin from DeShawn Stevenson, their simmering feud nearly boiling over. James kept his cool, allowing the flagrant foul to spark him and his Cleveland Cavaliers.

NEW YORK — Things were going so normally, so predictably at Saturday’s NFL draft. All six players the league invited to the festivities hit the stage in the first half-dozen selections.
Yawn.

NEW YORK — The anxiety, uncertainty and lack of control that go with being a top NFL prospect can be maddening. Jake Long sits back and laughingly scoffs at it. And why not: Long already knows where he’s going, and when.
The Miami Dolphins made the Michigan tackle a very rich young man by signing him to a five-year contract worth $57.75 million, $30 million of it guaranteed. He will be the first name announced at Saturday’s NFL draft.

IRVING, Texas — The Tennessee Titans finally washed their hands of suspended cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones on Wednesday, agreeing in principle to trade him to the Dallas Cowboys.
Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple confirmed the teams had an agreement, but no terms had been filed with the NFL office, which already had closed for the day.

ATLANTA — John Smoltz became the 16th pitcher in major league history to reach 3,000 career strikeouts, but was outpitched by John Lannan in the Washington Nationals’ 6-0 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.
Smoltz fanned Felipe Lopez in the third inning, the veteran hurler’s fourth of the game, to reach the mark. He struck out 10 for the second straight start and for the 45th time in his 20-year career.

MIAMI — Hanley Ramirez hit two home runs Sunday and was happy to be overshadowed by teammate Scott Olsen.
With the Florida Marlins’ rotation struggling, Olsen allowed only three hits in seven innings and won his third start in a row Sunday, beating the Washington Nationals 6-1.

BALTIMORE — Adam Jones singled in the game-winning run in the 10th inning, capping a late comeback that gave the Baltimore Orioles a 6-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night.