Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Hall of Fame pitcher Seaver has dementia

The family of Tom Seaver announced Thursday that the Hall of Fame pitcher was recently diagnosed with dementia and is retiring from public life. According to the statement, released through the Baseball Hall of Fame, Seaver will continue work in his vineyard in Calistoga in California's wine country. Spring training roundup: O'Neill helps Cardinals beat Yankees

Tyler O'Neill belted his fourth homer of the spring, and Paul DeJong went deep for the first time as the St. Louis Cardinals notched a 9-5 victory over the New York Yankees on Wednesday at Tampa, Fla. O'Neill hit a solo shot to right in the second inning and added a run-scoring double in the third as part of St. Louis' 14-hit attack. DeJong also delivered a run-scoring double in the third and hit a two-run shot in the seventh inning over the fence in left-center. NBA roundup: Lakers lose as LeBron passes Jordan for career points

LeBron James passed Michael Jordan to move into fourth place on the NBA career scoring list, but the host Los Angeles Lakers lost their fourth straight in a 115-99 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. James, who finished with 31 points, entered the night 12 behind Jordan's career total of 32,292 points. Next on the list is Kobe Bryant, who finished his career with 33,643 points. James tied Jordan on a 19-foot jumper in the second quarter, passing the Hall of Famer when he drove for a left-handed layup. Rocket man Harden makes his point as all-time offensive weapon

James Harden is dribbling his way to one of the most prolific offensive seasons in NBA history but it's probably fair to say that no one saw it coming. Not the league's helpless defenders who flail and foul him each night, not his Houston Rockets team mates, not even the coach who helped mold Harden as a player from his beard-less teenage years. NHL roundup: Fleury, Knights stop Flames

Defenseman Deryk Engelland scored the game-winning goal midway through the third period, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 33 saves to pick up his league-leading 33rd victory as the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Calgary Flames 2-1 on Wednesday night in Las Vegas. The Golden Knights earned their fifth consecutive win. Fleury posted his 437th career victory to move into a tie for eighth place on the Jacques Plante on the NHL's all-time goalie wins list. he has allowed just two goals total in his past four games. Golf: Cabrera Bello sets pace with 65 at Bay Hill

Rafa Cabrera Bello almost aced the second hole en route to the early lead in the first round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida on Thursday. After a bogey at the first, Cabrera Bello bounced back with a perfectly-judged three-iron at the 215-yard second hole, where his ball landed on the front of the green and curled deliciously with the slope before to settle barely a foot away. Tennis: Venus overcomes illness to advance at Indian Wells

Venus Williams played through illness to win a seesaw opening round match against German Andrea Petkovic 6-4 0-6 6-3 at the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday. Williams, who said she was not feeling 100 percent, saved her best tennis for the biggest moments, breaking Petkovic for a sixth time in the final game to make up for a dismal second set. NFL notebook: Agent, Riley refute criticism of Murray

Oklahoma football coach Lincoln Riley refuted comments that his former quarterback, potential top draft pick Kyler Murray, interviewed poorly at the recently completed NFL Scouting Combine. "I know Kyler met with a lot of different teams at the combine, and I have personally spoken with the majority of the teams he met with," Riley said Wednesday on "The Dan Patrick Show." "And every one of them were glowing in their reports about Kyler, basically the complete opposite of what Charley threw out there." LeBron gets emotional after passing MJ in career points

LeBron James reflected emotionally on his life and career after passing Michael Jordan to move into fourth place on the NBA career scoring list on Wednesday night. His teammates congratulated him, a tribute video played, and at the next timeout, James sat alone on the bench with his face buried in a towel. Tennis: Kermode to step down as ATP president at end of year

Chris Kermode will leave his position as ATP executive chairman and president at the end of 2019, ending a tenure which brought record prize money but also growing complaints from lower-ranked players about their pay and travel schedules. Kermode's contract was scheduled to expire at the end of the season and some players, including 17-times Grand Slam champion Rafa Nadal, believed the 54-year-old Briton should have continued in the job.