SLIPPERY ROCK — The Slippery Rock University volleyball team and SRU chapter of Active Minds will team up Saturday to host the first ever Spike Against Stigma match, in conjunction with national Mental Illness Awareness Week.

SRU hosts Edinboro at Morrow Field House at 2 p.m.

Rock junior volleyball player Sarah Cadwallader has been the primary organizer of this fundraiser. Her brother suffered from mental illness and committed suicide two years ago.

Members from SRU’s Active Mind clubs will be at the match to raise awareness, educate people about mental health issues and promote help-seeking. Donations will also be accepted.

SLIPPERY ROCK — For the second time in the past three seasons, the Slippery Rock University men's basketball team will play an exhibition game at Penn State University.The teams will square off at 4 p.m. Nov. 4 at Bryce Jordan Center.SRU had dropped a 81-52 decision in 2009 against the then-defending NIT champion Nittany Lions.Last season, Penn State reached the NCAA Tournament while SRU went 21-11.

CANTON, Ohio — Retired coaches Bill Cowher, Bill Parcells and Marty Schottenheimer are among the modern-era candidates for the 2012 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Cowher is eligible for the first time, as are players Keyshawn Johnson, Tiki Barber, Drew Bledsoe, Stephen Davis, Rod Smith, Will Shields, Troy Vincent and Mike Vanderjagt.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — According to a new book, Chicago Bears star Walter Payton abused painkillers in retirement and became suicidal.In “Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton,” author Jeff Pearlman says the Hall of Fame running back used a cocktail of Tylenol and Vicodin in retirement, kept tanks of nitrous oxide in his garage and even obtained Ritalin from a friend whose son prescribed pills.The book goes on sale Oct. 4. An excerpt appears in this week's Sports Illustrated.

NEW YORK — The Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics will open next season in Japan with a two-game series at the Tokyo Dome on March 28 and 29.The series could feature a pair of Japanese stars, the Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki and Oakland's Hideki Matsui, who is eligible for free agency.This will be the fourth Japan opener, following the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs (2000), the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay (2004), and Boston and Oakland (2008).Major League Baseball and the players' association said the series will be dedicated to assisting rebuilding in Japan following this year's earthquake and tsunami.