In last LPGA event, Sorenstam trails by 6

November 21, 2008

Annika Sorenstam shot a 2-over-par 74 in the opening round of the LPGA ADT Championship in West Palm Beach, Fla., good for a tie for 23rd in the 32-woman event, her final LPGA Tour appearance before "stepping away" from competitive golf. The field gets trimmed to 16 after play today, meaning Sorenstam has some work remaining just to reach the weekend. Otherwise, her tour career will come to an unceremonious end. She finished six shots behind leader Katherine Hull (68). "I was a little nervous. I feel like I'm playing good. I'm excited about the week," said Sorenstam, a four-time ADT winner. "But I'm telling you, nothing went my way today."

Recent columns

• Crew's Schelotto named MLS MVP; Donovan 2nd

  November 21, 2008

  The Columbus Crew's Guillermo Barros Schelotto, a midfield wizard who was a longtime star in his native Argentina, won Major League Soccer's Most Valuable Player award. Schelotto, 35, had 19 assists and seven goals for Columbus as the Crew bounced back from a 9-11-10 record the previous year to finish with an MLS-best 17-7-6 mark. Schelotto outpolled runner-up Landon Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy. Donovan led the league with 20 goals.

• Blaze at Kentucky barn kills 27 horses

  November 21, 2008

  A pre-dawn blaze raced through a barn at a former racetrack in western Kentucky, killing 27 horses and wiping out the dreams of at least one owner. It was the second deadly fire in less than a year at Riverside Downs outside Henderson, Ky., near the Indiana border. Investigators did not know the cause. Among the horses killed were Kept Lady, a winner at Churchill Downs on Sunday, and another 3-year-old filly owned by Kenny Miller. The horses killed included one that survived the blaze but had to be euthanized. Four others in the barn at the time survived. About 70 horses remain at Riverside, a former quarter horse and harness track now used to stable and exercise horses, co-owner Mark Bowling said.

• Arenas: If Wizards finish last, that's not so bad

  November 21, 2008

  Gilbert Arenas is already thinking about the possibility of a last-place finish for his Washington Wizards - and finding the silver lining. With Arenas still working his way back from a third knee operation in 1 1/2 years, the Wizards are off to a 1-8 start heading into their game tonight against the Houston Rockets. "I don't want to see them struggle," Arenas said yesterday at Madame Tussauds, where his wax figure was unveiled, "but if this is one of those years where we don't make the playoffs or we finish in last place ... that's what happened to San Antonio and that's how they got Tim Duncan and look at them now ... and that's for the better." The Wizards haven't given a timetable for when their All-Star point guard might begin practicing or playing this season. Arenas, who signed a six-year, $111 million contract in the offseason, is targeting the start of 2009.

• Cowboys owner: A. Jones reinstated by league

  November 20, 2008

  The NFL is giving Adam Jones another chance. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said yesterday that the suspended cornerback has been reinstated by league commissioner Roger Goodell, but he must miss two more games - Sunday and the next game on Thanksgiving. He will be back Dec.7 at Pittsburgh. "He much appreciates the Cowboys and Jerry Jones for standing behind him and encouraging him, and he's grateful to the commissioner," said Worrick Robinson, Adam Jones' Nashville-based attorney. Jerry Jones would not reveal any conditions the commissioner might have imposed, and the league office said it would not have any immediate comment. Jerry Jones, though, said, "He's a long way, a long way from having clear sailing." Adam Jones was suspended for the 2007 season because of multiple legal incidents while with the Tennessee Titans. During the offseason, he was traded to Dallas and then given another chance by Goodell. The Cowboys gave him a security team to help keep him in line, but Oct.7, Jones got into an alcohol-related scuffle with one of the bodyguards during a private party. Jones spent part of his time away undergoing alcohol rehabilitation.

• No. 14 Ball State prevails, stays perfect

  November 20, 2008

  Nate Davis threw four touchdown passes and No.14 Ball State survived a scare from host Central Michigan in a 31-24 victory that gave the Cardinals a school record for wins in a season. The victory also clinched a share of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference for Ball State (11-0, 7-0), which has never played in the league title game. The Cardinals can win the division outright with a win over Western Michigan on Tuesday. Davis hit Briggs Orsbon in the corner of the end zone from 11 yards out with 7:29 left to give Ball State a 31-24 lead. Central Michigan dropped to 8-3, 6-1.

• Fewer LPGA events planned for 2009

  November 20, 2008

  Even while insisting next year will be "solidly profitable," the LPGA Tour announced that it will offer three fewer tournaments in 2009 than this year, all because of sponsorship loss. Prize money also will dip by about $5 million.

• Armstrong concerned about safety at Tour

  November 19, 2008

  Lance Armstrong fears he could be attacked by spectators if he returns to the Tour de France next year. The seven-time Tour champion, who is making a comeback after three years in retirement, said in an interview in The Guardian that he is worried about his safety. "I don't want to enter an unsafe situation, but you see this stuff coming out of France," said the American rider, who has many critics in France. "There are some aggressive, angry emotions." It's unclear why Armstrong is worried about his safety now, given that attacks on riders are extremely rare. Armstrong, 37, plans to meet with Tour officials before deciding whether to compete in the 2009 Tour.

• Laurel Park resumes taking outside entries

  November 19, 2008

  Horses from outside Laurel Park and the Bowie Training Center are being allowed to run at Laurel Park under certain conditions. The restrictions forbidding off-site horses to run at the racetrack are being eased after test results for neurologic equine herpesvirus for more than 50 horses came back negative the past several days. Restrictions have been in place at Laurel since Friday after a 2-year-old filly became ill and tested positive for the condition. The filly was euthanized Saturday, but no other horses have shown symptoms of the disease and tests results on all other horses have been negative. Since Friday, only horses stabled at Laurel or at the Bowie Training Center have been allowed to race at the track. Now, off-site runners will be allowed to race, but horses who enter the track will have to be stabled at Laurel until the Maryland Department of Agriculture lifts a hold on the barn where the affected filly was stabled. That hold, which limits movement of the approximately two dozen horses in the barn, could be in place until Dec.6, which is 21 days after the last clinical evidence of virus in the barn (the day the filly was euthanized). The Agriculture Department said "an aggressive testing protocol along with no positive tests or signs of disease may allow the hold order to be released" earlier than Dec.6. BILL ORDINE

• BCS, ESPN reach deal for 2011-2014 games

  November 19, 2008

  Bowl Championship Series games are moving to ESPN, becoming the latest high-profile sporting event to migrate from over-the-air television to cable. BCS coordinator John Swofford, the Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner, said he is confident that fewer and fewer viewers make a distinction between the traditional broadcast networks, such as Fox, the current home of the BCS, and cable channels, such as ESPN, which will start airing the games in January 2011. Playoff games in the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball are already broadcast on cable, as is Monday Night Football. ESPN announced last week that the British Open will be televised live exclusively on cable beginning in 2010. This marks the first time, though, that the decisive game in a major U.S. pro sports league or NCAA college football or men's basketball will air on cable. The BCS and ESPN announced a new four-year contract. ESPN outbid Fox, which is paying $80 million annually to broadcast the games from 2007 to 2010. ESPN's offer was for $125 million a year, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

• Cards' Pujols captures second NL MVP award

  November 18, 2008

  St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols won his second National League Most Valuable Player award, powering past Philadelphia Phillies star Ryan Howard by a comfortable margin yesterday. Pujols hit .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs while playing with a sore right elbow. He was rewarded despite the Cardinals' fourth-place finish in the NL Central. "I wasn't surprised at all," Pujols said. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez and Milwaukee Brewers pitcher CCSabathia also drew strong support after being traded by American League teams in July. Pujols got 18 of the 32 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America and had 369points. The first baseman added to the MVP award he won in 2005. Howard, who led the majors with 48homers and 146RBIs for the World Series champion Phillies, drew 12 first-place votes and 308points.

• Newell, renowned coach, instructor of big men, dies

  November 18, 2008

  Pete Newell, the Hall of Fame basketball coach who became the first to guide teams to an NCAA championship, a National Invitation Tournament title and an Olympic gold medal, died yesterday in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. He was 93. His death was confirmed by California, the school Newell coached to the national title in 1959. Newell had a serious lung operation in 2005. He coached for 14years at San Francisco, Michigan State and Cal. He led San Francisco to the then-glamorous NIT title in 1949. His final coaching job came in the 1960 Olympics, when he took a U.S. team led by Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Jerry Lucas to a gold medal in Rome. Dean Smith and Bob Knight are the only others to coach teams to NCAA, NIT and Olympic championships. Newell later returned to prominence with his famous "big men" camps. He instructed some of the game's greatest stars, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton and Shaquille O'Neal.

• Fox won't match ESPN's offer for BCS games

  November 18, 2008

  Fox Sports announced yesterday that it will not match an offer by ESPN to televise Bowl Championship Series games from 2011 to 2014. ESPN reportedly has offered $125million a year to televise the Orange, Fiesta and Sugar bowls and the BCS national championship game. The Rose Bowl and ABC have a separate contract that runs through the 2014 game. Now, beginning in 2011, all BCS bowl games will be under the Walt Disney Co. broadcasting umbrella.

• Terps beat Devils, 8-5, to reach national semis

  November 17, 2008

  Katie O'Donnell scored a goal and added four assists as host Maryland defeated Duke, 8-5, to advance to the NCAA semifinals for the eighth time in 10 years. The top-seeded Terps (20-2) rolled out to a 5-1 halftime lead and cruised from there over the eighth-seeded Blue Devils (15-6). The Terps will face either Michigan State or Iowa on Friday in Louisville, Ky. The Michigan State-Iowa game was suspended yesterday with a tie score because of snow and will resume today in the second half.

• Hall, winner of 10 medals at Olympics, has retired

  November 17, 2008

  Ten-time Olympic medalist Gary Hall Jr. has officially retired from swimming and turned his attention to a new challenge: helping those with diabetes lead long, productive lives. Hall, who suffers from the disease, was expected to leave the sport after just missing out on making his fourth Olympic team this summer. Hall, 34, made it official in conjunction with World Diabetes Day, which was recognized on Friday. Like his father, Hall was a three-time Olympian who won two golds, two silver and one bronze in individual competition. He also captured three golds, one silver and one bronze as part of relay teams.

• Report: Armstrong plans to meet with Tour officials

  November 17, 2008

  Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong plans to meet with Tour officials before deciding to compete in the 2009 race. The Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Johan Bruyneel, Armstrong's team director at Astana, said the pair had asked for a meeting. "The decision will be made down the road, after having talked with the organizers. We have asked for a meeting," Bruyneel told the Italian newspaper. Armstrong announced his comeback from a three-year retirement in September and joined the Astana team. Bruyneel teamed with Armstrong for all seven Tour de France wins from 1999 to 2005. Armstrong has feuded for years with Tour officials over drug-testing issues, but Tour director Christian Prudhomme has said the Astana team will be allowed to race next year. Astana was banned from this year's Tour because of doping issues.

• UM men defeat UVa., 1-0, to earn ACC tourney title

  November 17, 2008

  Midfielder Jeremy Hall scored less than three minutes into the final of the Atlantic Coast Conference men's soccer tournament, and that goal was all that second-seeded Maryland needed to defeat fourth-seeded Virginia, 1-0, yesterday in Cary, N.C., and secure an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Terps (18-3) pulled off their first title since 2002 and third overall by recording their third shutout of the tournament. They also extended their winning streak to 11. Casey Townsend drove down the near sideline and floated a pass leading Hall into the middle of the field for the close-range score 2:38 into the game. It was the 13th goal of the season and the second in the tournament for Hall, who was named the ACC tournament Most Valuable Player. Three other Maryland players were named to the all-tournament team: junior Omar Gonzalez and freshmen Zac MacMath and Townsend. Virginia, which also lost to Maryland in the 2002 ACC tournament final, fell to 11-8-1. The seedings for the NCAA tournament will be announced today.

• Owner says Curlin won't race next year

  November 16, 2008

  Curlin, the 2007 Horse of the Year and the first North American-based horse to earn more than $10 million, will not race next year, his majority owner, Jess Jackson, announced yesterday. Jackson bucked an industry trend when he decided to race Curlin this year as a 4-year-old rather than retire him to stud. He considered racing Curlin another year but decided against it, in part, because he felt there was little left for the horse to prove. Jackson has yet to form plans for the horse's stud career. Should he not race again, Curlin's career will have ended with a fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Curlin, unraced as a 2-year-old, won his first three starts before finishing third in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. Trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Robby Albarado, he rebounded to win the Preakness and concluded his year with victories in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic. He won the Jockey Club Gold Cup this year to became the first North American-based horse to break the $10million mark in career earnings. He has won 11 of 16 career starts, earning $10,501,800.

• Dan Rooney likely to buy majority of Steelers

  November 16, 2008

  Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney and his son will likely buy a controlling interest in the team from Rooney's four brothers. "It's not really [that] a deal has been reached, but we're coming along very well," Art Rooney Jr., one of the brothers, said. "...There's still things that have to be worked out, but it's headed that way." Dan Rooney was the only person interested in buying the team, which the brothers want to remain in the family, according to Art Rooney Jr. Art Rooney Jr. would not confirm that he and brothers Patrick, Timothy and John Rooney would get about $750 million after business debt is subtracted. That was the figure the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported on its Web site Friday night in a story about the probable deal. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported a price of $800 million. The team has been estimated to be worth as much as $1.2 billion. Each brother owns 16 percent of the team, adding up to 80 percent, with another Pittsburgh family, the McGinleys, owning 20 percent. Those shares are not being sold.

• Davydenko, Djokovic advance to final

  November 16, 2008

  Nikolay reached the Masters Cup final in Shanghai, China, with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Andy Murray, who seemed exhausted from his upset of Roger Federer a day earlier. "Murray was very tired," Davydenko said, adding that the Scotsman looked as if he were ready "to die." Davydenko will play for the title today against Novak Djokovic, who earlier rallied to oust France's Gilles Simon, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Now, Davydenko gets another opponent who is less than fresh - Djokovic needed nearly three hours to defeat Simon. Murray went all out against Federer even though he already had clinched a spot in the semifinals. He added that he gave 100 percent against Davydenko, but getting to bed at 2:30 a.m. after defeating Federer didn't leave much left in his tank. The final will be a rematch of a round-robin match this week, when Djokovic edged Davydenko in a 7-5 third set.

• Bowyer captures Nationwide title

  November 16, 2008

  Carl Edwards won the season-ending Ford 300 in Homestead, Fla., but came up 21 points short in his attempt to overtake Clint Bowyer for the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship. All Bowyer had to do to keep Edwards from winning a second straight title was finish in the top eight, and he did that easily. He grabbed fifth to stay on top of the standings, right where he has been most of the year despite winning only one of 35 races.

• Safety Lynch to retire; Portis misses practice

  November 15, 2008

  John Lynch, a nine-time Pro Bowl player with the Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will announce his retirement Monday. The hard-hitting safety had 1,277 tackles and 26 interceptions in 224 regular-season games. Lynch played 11 seasons with Tampa Bay, winning a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers during the 2002 season. He signed with the Broncos in 2004 and left in July after being bumped from his starting role. He signed with the New England Patriots in August but was cut two weeks later.

• Lightning fires Melrose after 16 games

  November 15, 2008

  Barry Melrose's return to the NHL as coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning lasted 16games. The former television analyst was fired yesterday, less than five months after he left the booth to coach a team that finished with the league's worst record last season. Assistant Rick Tocchet was promoted to interim head coach. Tocchet was sentenced to two years' probation in August 2007 after pleading guilty in a gambling investigation into a sports betting ring. He said he never bet on NHL games. The Lightning has lost three straight games, dropping to fourth in the Southeast Division with 14 points. Despite the presence of Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay ranks last in goals in the NHL.

• Edwards qualifies fourth; Johnson to start 30th

  November 15, 2008

  Carl Edwards got the jump on Jimmie Johnson in qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Edwards, facing a daunting 141-point deficit heading into tomorrow's Ford 400, qualified fourth, trailing only first-time pole winner David Reutimann, rookie Scott Speed and Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth. Johnson, who needs to finish only 36th or better tomorrow to wrap up his third straight Cup title, will start a disappointing 30th. It's only the seventh time in 36 races this season Johnson has started 20th or lower. Johnson's worst finish in any of those races was 33rd.

• Bowden suspends five Seminoles receivers

  November 15, 2008

  Coach Bobby Bowden suspended five Florida State wide receivers for tonight's homecoming game against Boston College for their roles in a midweek campus fight. Taiwan Easterling, Bert Reed, Corey Surrency, Cameron Wade and Richard Goodman will sit the crucial Atlantic Coast Conference contest. No charges have been announced by campus police, who are trying to find out who threw a chair that injured a female bystander during Wednesday's altercation. Easterling is the team's leading receiver with 26catches. Easterling, Reed and Surrency have combined for 51 catches for 722yards and eight touchdowns.

• Report: Yankees to make Sabathia record offer

  November 15, 2008

  The free-agent season opened yesterday with the New York Yankees planning to give CC Sabathia a record offer for a pitcher. The Yankees formulated a proposal to the left-hander that would exceed Johan Santana's six-year, $137.5 million contract with the New York Mets in total and average, a baseball official familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press. Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner confirmed last night at the team's spring training complex in Tampa, Fla., that an offer was made to Sabathia and that proposals will be forthcoming for pitchers A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe. Steinbrenner declined to give details about the Sabathia offer.

• Holyfield, 46, to fight for WBA title next month

  November 14, 2008

  Evander Holyfield is getting another chance at a heavyweight title. The former champion, 46, will challenge 7-foot Russian giant Nikolai Valuev for the World Boxing Association crown Dec.20 at Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland, arena management said. Holyfield (42-9-2, 27 KOs) hasn't fought since losing a one-sided decision to then-WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov more than a year ago. Holyfield is winless in his past four title fights since beating John Ruiz for the vacant WBA belt in October 2000. Valuev is 49-1, with 34 KOs. Holyfield has insisted that he wants to keep fighting until he regains the heavyweight title, but he has also been having financial problems. Last summer, he failed to make three straight $3,000 monthly child-support payments and later faced the threat of possible jail time and an auction on his home.

• Indians' Lee, 22-3 in '08, captures AL Cy Young

  November 14, 2008

  Cliff Lee won the American League Cy Young Award in a runaway yesterday, capping a dominant comeback season that made him the second consecutive Cleveland Indians left-hander to earn the honor. Demoted to the minors last year, Lee went a major league-best 22-3 this season with a 2.54 ERA. Lee, 30, received 24 of 28 first-place votes and 132points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay was a distant runner-up with four first-place votes and 71 points. Record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez of the Los Angeles Angels finished third with 32 points. Lee became the third Cleveland pitcher to win a Cy Young, following Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry in 1972 and CC Sabathia last year.

• Attorneys: Vick to return to NFL after prison term

  November 14, 2008

  Michael Vick's bankruptcy attorneys say the imprisoned NFL quarterback expects to return to football. Attorneys wrote in a disclosure statement that Vick "has every reason to believe" he will be reinstated by the NFL once he completes a 23-month sentence for a federal dogfighting conviction last summer. The attorneys filed the statement before a hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Virginia. Vick still has a contract with the Atlanta Falcons. But NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would have final say on his return. ... Oakland Raiders wide receiver Javon Walker said he's scheduled to undergo ankle surgery and will likely miss the rest of the season. ... Clinton Portis' sprained knee showed no improvement, and the Washington Redskins running back appears unlikely to play in Sunday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys. Ladell Betts appears set to start in his place.

• Maddon, Piniella earn managerial honors

  November 13, 2008

  Joe Maddon easily won the American League Manager of the Year award yesterday after guiding the Tampa Bay Rays from baseball's basement to the World Series. Lou Piniella of the Chicago Cubs took the National League honor. Maddon, who succeeded Piniella as Tampa Bay manager in 2006, was a runaway winner in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He received all but one of the 28 first-place votes - the other went to the Minnesota Twins' Ron Gardenhire. There has not been a unanimous winner for Manager of the Year. Tampa Bay had not won more than 70 games in a season before Maddon, 54, led a young team that finished in last place a year ago to a 97-65 record and the AL East title. Piniella, 65, led the NL Central champion Cubs to the league's best record and beat out Charlie Manuel of the World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies to earn his third Manager of the Year award and first in the NL. The fiery Piniella also won in 1995 and 2001 with the Seattle Mariners. He became the fourth manager to win in both leagues, joining Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland.

• State restricts horses at Laurel Park barn

  November 13, 2008

  State officials are performing lab tests to determine the status of a horse that was having difficulty standing in its Laurel Park stall. The Maryland Department of Agriculture placed an "investigational animal hold order" yesterday on Barn1 at Laurel Park pending lab results, the Maryland Jockey Club said. The order restricts movement of horses in the barn, and test results could be known as soon as today. The horse's condition is not being described as equine herpes Type1 virus (EHV-1), jockey club officials said. In January, a horse stabled at the Bowie training center exhibited similar symptoms. In that case, tests for EHV-1 were negative, MJC spokesman Mike Gathagan said. With lab results pending, jockey club officials said they wanted to keep the horse community informed. In January 2006, an equine herpes outbreak that started at Pimlico Race Course and spread to Laurel Park resulted in four horses being euthanized and in Pimlico being closed for training for 17 days. The virus causes upper-respiratory infection and can lead to neurological problems. BILL ORDINE

• Group: Top football teams still lack black coaches

  November 13, 2008

  Minorities are getting more interviews but still aren't getting enough college football jobs, according to the Black Coaches and Administrators. Almost one-third of the candidates interviewed last year were minorities, said a study released yesterday by the group, but only four were hired for 31 head coach openings in NCAA Division I football. The recent firings of Ty Willingham at Washington and Ron Prince at Kansas State - both effective at the end of the season - left the Bowl Subdivision, the NCAA's top division, with four black head coaches, plus one Latino and one Pacific Islander (Navy's Ken Niumatalolo).

• Senior Players event coming back to Timonium

  November 13, 2008

  The Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship will return to Baltimore Country Club for the third straight year in 2009, the Champions Tour announced. The tour's fifth major will be played Oct. 1-4 at the Timonium course. The Champions Tour schedule features 26 official Charles Schwab Cup events and $51.4million in official prize money.

• Ex-pitcher Score, known for tragic injury, dies

  November 12, 2008

  Herb Score, the Indians pitcher and former broadcaster whose promise on the mound was shattered by a line drive, died yesterday. He was 75. Score died at his home in Rocky River, Ohio, the team said in a statement. He had been in a wheelchair since suffering a stroke in 2002, four years after he was seriously injured in a car accident. A hard-throwing left-hander, Score pitched for the Indians from 1955 to 1959. He was named the AL Rookie of the Year in 1955 after going 16-10. He went 20-9 in 1956 and was twice named to the All-Star team. However, Score's career took a sad turn May7, 1957, when Gil McDougald of the New York Yankees lined a ball off Score's right eye, breaking his nose and a number of bones in his face. Fearful of being hit again, Score changed his pitching motion, with less than favorable results. He retired in 1962 with a 55-46 record and 837strikeouts in 858-plus innings.

• Notre Dame coach Weis to call plays against Navy

  November 12, 2008

  Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis will call the plays on offense for the Irish (5-4) against Navy (6-3) on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium. Weis said he is taking over the play-calling for at least one game because offensive coordinator Mike Haywood will miss some practices this week to attend the funeral of a family member in Houston. The Irish lost, 17-0, to Boston College on Saturday.

• Donovan captures fifth U.S. soccer award

  November 12, 2008

  Landon Donovan wants another chance to succeed in Europe. A bust with Bayer Leverkusen during two previous stints in Germany, he began training with Bayern Munich - the same day he was voted U.S. Player of the Year for a record fifth time. Donovan, 26, led Major League Soccer this year with 20 goals for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

• Giants' Lincecum wins NL Cy Young Award

  November 12, 2008

  Tim Lincecum won the National League Cy Young Award by a comfortable margin yesterday, taking home pitching's highest honor in his second majorleague season. The slender kid with the whirling windup joined Mike McCormick (1967) as the only San Francisco Giants pitchers to win a Cy Young Award. The right-hander, 24, received 23 of 32 first-place votes and 137 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Brandon Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks got four first-place votes and finished second with 73 points. Listed at 5feet11 and 160 pounds, Lincecum was 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA and a major league-best 265strikeouts for a fourth-place team that finished 72-90. New York Mets ace Johan Santana also garnered four first-place votes and came in third. The other first-place vote went to Milwaukee Brewers left-hander CC Sabathia, last year's American League winner who was traded by the Cleveland Indians into the NL on July7.

• Longoria, Soto named top rookies

  November 11, 2008

  Evan Longoria won the American League Rookie of the Year award by unanimous vote, and Geovany Soto ran away with the NL honor. After a season of breakthroughs for the AL champion Rays, Longoria became the first Tampa Bay player to win a national award from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The power-hitting third baseman received all 28 first-place votes, becoming the AL's first unanimous rookie winner since Nomar Garciaparra in 1997. Soto, the steady catcher who helped the Chicago Cubs win the NL Central title, got 31 of 32 first-place votes. The other went to the Cincinnati Reds' Joey Votto. Called up from the minors in April, Longoria batted .272 with 27 homers and 85RBIs despite missing five weeks after breaking his right wrist Aug. 7. Soto hit .285 with 23 homers, 35 doubles and 86 RBIs. He became the first catcher to win Rookie of the Year in either league since Mike Piazza of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1993.

• Report: A's to get Holliday; Olsen, Willingham to Nats

  November 11, 2008

  Star outfielder Matt Holliday appears headed to the Oakland Athletics in a surprising move for a franchise known more for shedding stars than adding them. Two people familiar with the proposed deal told the Associated Press yesterday that the A's and the Colorado Rockies have reached a tentative agreement. It was unclear whom Colorado would get for the two-time All-Star. One of the people said left-handed starter Greg Smith and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez - among the six players Oakland acquired last winter when it traded ace Dan Haren to the Arizona Diamondbacks - and reliever Huston Street, the 2005 Rookie of the Year, were among those who had been discussed in recent days. Gonzalez confirmed his involvement in the trade to USA Today. Holliday will make $13.5million next season and then be eligible to become a free agent. He was scheduled to have a physical today, one of the sources said. "Talks are continuing. ... Everything's speculation," Rockies spokesman Jay Alves said, speaking on behalf of general manager Dan O'Dowd. Oakland owner Lew Wolff wouldn't confirm or deny a trade. Holliday, 28, has 128 homers and 483 RBIs in five seasons.

• No. 8 Duke rolls, 80-49, in men's season opener

  November 11, 2008

  Kyle Singler scored 12 of his 19 points during the decisive first half, and No. 8 Duke opened its season by routing visiting Presbyterian, 80-49, in the first round of the 2K Sports Classic. Singler added 10 rebounds and Nolan Smith scored 15 points for the Blue Devils (1-0), who used two dominating spurts to overwhelm the cold-shooting Blue Hose, win their 60th straight nonconference game at Cameron Indoor Stadium and improve to 27-2 in home openers under coach Mike Krzyzewski. Lance Thomas and Jon Scheyer added 12 points apiece for Duke, which faces Georgia Southern tonight with a semifinal berth at Madison Square Garden in New York on the line.

• Love captures season's final tourney

  November 10, 2008

  Davis Love III won the Children's Miracle Network Classic at Disney in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., closing with an 8-under-par 64 for a one-shot victory over Tommy Gainey in the final PGA Tour event of the year. Love scrambled for pars on the final two holes, including a tough bunker shot to 3 feet on the 18th, to hold off a late charge from Gainey, who shot 30 on the back nine of the Magnolia Course and closed with a 64. It was the 20th career victory for Love, giving him a lifetime exemption on the PGA Tour. Among active players, only Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson have won more than 20 tour events. Love, who finished at 25-under 263, won for the first time in more than two years and earned $828,000. It was his first tour win since the 2006 Chrysler Classic.

• V. Williams wins Sony Ericsson title

  November 10, 2008

  Venus Williams rallied to win the WTA's Sony Ericsson Championships for the first time, defeating Vera Zvonareva, 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-2, at the season-ending event in Doha, Qatar. The Wimbledon champion took command in the last two sets with powerful serving, smashes and aggressive groundstrokes against her Russian opponent. "I'm so excited," Williams said. "That was a hard-fought match, every point, right down to the end." Williams won $1.34 million at the event, which for the first time offered the same prize money as the men at the ATP's season-ending Masters Cup. Williams' ranking will improve to No. 6 from No. 8, while the ninth-ranked Zvonareva also will move up two spots. The two were the lowest-ranked players at the event, which featured the top eight players in the world.

• Pettitte files for free agency

  November 10, 2008

  New York Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte filed for free agency yesterday after repeatedly saying he hopes to return to the club next year. Pettitte went 14-14 last season with a 4.54 ERA - his highest ERA since 1999. General manager Brian Cashman said last week that he wants Pettitte to return next season, but the 36-year-old veteran said Friday night that he hadn't heard from the team. Pettitte likely would have to agree to a cut from his $16 million salary last season, when he was 2-7 with a 6.23 ERA in his final 11 starts, and missed his last turn because of a sore pitching shoulder. End-of-season tests failed to reveal significant issues. Pettitte is the 169th free agent, and seven more could be eligible to file before Thursday's deadline. The Yankees expect Mike Mussina, a former Oriole, to announce soon whether he will retire. Cashman said he could envision having both Mussina and Pettitte in the rotation again, but bringing Pettitte back would become more important if Mussina retires.

• NASCAR's France speaks on automakers' troubles

  November 10, 2008

  NASCAR chairman Brian France said he's not certain the Big Three automakers will be able to continue their involvement in NASCAR as they battle to stay viable during the current economic crisis. Should funding of race teams suffer because of the nation's credit crunch, France is confident NASCAR will remain a viable, healthy sport. "We're also not going to live or die if one manufacturer or another has a pullback or pullout," France said before yesterday's Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. "I hope it doesn't happen. We're working like mad to make sure it doesn't happen, but the sport is on very solid ground that transcends one manufacturer or another." U.S. auto sales have plummeted this year, and Chrylser, Ford and General Motors are crumbling amid the crisis. The three Detroit manufacturers - along with recent addition Toyota - are the cornerstones of NASCAR and France acknowledged they "play a very important role in lots of ways with supporting teams, the branding and heritage." France said he and president Mike Helton have visited the CEOs or high-ranking executives with all four of NASCAR's manufacturers and all were in unison that NASCAR continues to be an effective marketing tool.

• Brewers hire Randolph as bench coach

  November 9, 2008

  The Milwaukee Brewers hired former New York Mets manager Willie Randolph as bench coach. "I'm excited, looking forward to this next challenge and getting to work," Randolph said in a conference call. "I love teaching and I'm passionate about being in the game." Randolph, 54, was fired by the Mets on June 17. After being hired for the 2005 season, Randolph led the Mets to within one win of the 2006 World Series. The Mets went 302-253 under his watch, and his .544 winning percentage ranks second to Davey Johnson (.588) in Mets history. Ken Macha was hired Oct. 30 as the Brewers' manager, taking over from Dale Sveum after the team's first postseason appearance since 1982. Randolph was one of three finalists for the job, along with Bob Brenly. Randolph, who is in contention for the manager's job in Seattle, said that he has an agreement with the Brewers that if he gets another managerial offer, he can take it.

• V. Williams tops Jankovic, advances to final

  November 9, 2008

  No. 8 Venus Williams advanced to the final of the Sony Ericsson Championships with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win over top-ranked Jelena Jankovic in Doha, Qatar. Williams will face Vera Zvonareva, who defeated Olympic champion Elena Dementieva, 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-3, in the other semifinal at the WTA Tour's season-ending event. Williams saved five break points before winning a grueling service game in the third set to go up 4-2. That game also featured a 26-stroke rally, the longest of the match. She clinched the victory with a backhand crosscourt winner on her first match point.

• Calzaghe defeats Jones by unanimous decision

  November 9, 2008

  Joe Calzaghe overcame a first-round knockdown to beat Roy Jones Jr. in a bloody unanimous decision last night, delighting a raucous crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York in what Calzaghe (46-0) says will be his final bout. There is little left for the undefeated Welshman to prove after reigning as super middleweight champion for more than a decade, unifying the division, defeating Bernard Hopkins and felling Jones - possibly pounding him right into retirement, as well. "I loved his style, loved the way he fights," Calzaghe said, "but I knew I could deal with his speed and combinations."

• November 9, 2008

• NFL rescinds Tuck's $7,500 fine

  November 9, 2008

  The NFL has rescinded a $7,500 fine against New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck for a hit on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Brooks Bollinger last weekend. Ray Anderson, the NFL's vice president of operations, called Tuck on Friday night to inform him of the change, the Giants said in an e-mail yesterday. Tuck had insisted the hit was legal and Giants coach Tom Coughlin agreed with his player Monday. Tuck hit Bollinger in the midsection as the quarterback released a pass and his momentum carried both to the ground on the third-down play in the fourth quarter. Tuck was penalized for roughing the passer. The league originally determined that Tuck had unnecessarily driven Bollinger to the ground and issued the fine Friday.

• IAAF president critical of Rogge

  November 8, 2008

  In a highly unusual show of discord between Olympic leaders, IAAF chief Lamine Diack sharply criticized IOC president Jacques Rogge for displaying "a lack of respect" for the sport of athletics. Diack, president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, issued a strongly worded statement vowing to fight for the "rightful place of athletics at the summer Olympic Games." He assailed the International Olympic Committee president for criticizing Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt's celebrations in Beijing and for suggesting that the Olympic track in London could be ripped up after the 2012 Games.

• Vasquez suspended for preseason game

  November 8, 2008

  Maryland coach Gary Williams said team captain Greivis Vasquez would miss today's preseason game against Northwood University for a violation of team rules. Williams declined to say what Vasquez did to earn the suspension but said it was a nonbasketball issue. "It's a good time [for the suspension]," Williams said, adding that Vasquez would be back at practice Monday. "Better than being in the penalty box during the season." DON MARKUS

• Orioles won't change season-ticket prices

  November 8, 2008

  The price of Orioles season tickets at Camden Yards will remain the same for 2009. Orioles director of communications Greg Bader confirmed yesterday that season-ticket invoices have been mailed and there are no price increases. Individual tickets go on sale in January. The Orioles raised ticket prices for select seats before last season, marking the first hike in several seasons. Attendance at Camden Yards in 2008 fell below the 2 million mark for the first time in the stadium's 17-year history. The Orioles suffered through an 11th straight losing season and finished in last place for the first time in 20 years. JEFF ZREBIEC

• Johnson takes pole for Phoenix race

  November 8, 2008

  Jimmie Johnson moved a step closer to a third consecutive Sprint Cup title by winning the pole for the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Speedway. Johnson, the defending race winner, turned a lap of 134.725 mph in his Chevrolet to earn the top starting spot tomorrow. If he gains 57 more points than Carl Edwards, Johnson would need only to start the season finale to become the first driver since Cale Yarborough (1976-78) to win three straight titles. Edwards qualified 15th. Winner of the past two races, he trails Johnson by 106 points with two events to go. Jamie McMurray qualified second and was followed by Kurt Busch.

• Magna's third quarter similar to that in 2007

  November 7, 2008

  Magna Entertainment Corp., the Canadian-based owner of Pimlico Race Course, Laurel Park and other racetracks in North America, reported third-quarter revenues and net losses similar to the corresponding quarter a year ago. In the most recent quarter ending Sept.30, Magna Entertainment had revenues of $81.58million, a slight increase of about $100,000 over the same quarter a year ago. Net losses for the third quarter decreased slightly to about $48.4million from about $49.8million a year ago. The nine-month comparisons show a revenue decline of about $24.3million to about $478.8million and net losses increasing about $45.3million to $116million. Magna chairman and CEO Frank Stronach said in a statement that the company continues to carry large debt, and efforts to reduce that debt by selling non-core assets, such as real estate, have been "negatively affected by the weak real estate and credit markets." Stronach went on to say the company is reviewing its core operations "with a view to possibly selling or joint venturing one or more of MEC's core racetracks." A Magna official could not be reached for comment on the quarterly report. Officials of the Maryland Jockey Club, a Magna subsidiary that oversees the company's Maryland tracks, declined comment on whether Pimlico and Laurel might be affected. This week, company officials characterized Tuesday's voter approval of the Maryland slots referendum as a positive development that could lead to improvements at Laurel and Pimlico and preserve the Preakness Stakes in the state. BILL ORDINE

• No. 10 Utah comes back, beats No. 11 TCU, 13-10

  November 7, 2008

  Brian Johnson threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Brown with 47 seconds left to cap an 80-yard drive that kept alive No.10 Utah's Bowl Championship Series hopes with a 13-10 victory over No.11 Texas Christian in Salt Lake City. Johnson threw for 230 yards for the Utes (10-0, 6-0 Mountain West). The Horned Frogs fell to 9-2, 6-1.

• Rays' Pena headlines AL Gold Glove winners

  November 7, 2008

  Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Carlos Pena became the first player in franchise history to win the Gold Glove for fielding excellence. Pena, Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young, Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia and Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer were first-time winners. New York Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina, a former Oriole coming off his first 20-win season, added his seventh Gold Glove. (For a complete list of winners, see "For the record" below.)

• Semin's two late goals lift Caps over Hurricanes

  November 7, 2008

  Alexander Semin scored twice in the final three minutes, getting the game-winning goal with 10.9 seconds left, to rally the host Washington Capitals past the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2. The Capitals trailed 2-1 before Semin scored from close range with 2:43 to go. Then, with time running out, he ended a rush toward the net by beating Cam Ward with a wrist shot. The Capitals' Alex Ovechkin was held without a goal for a career-high eighth consecutive game. He had assists on all three goals.

• No. 16 Ball State remains perfect, in BCS hunt

  November 6, 2008

  Nate Davis threw for four touchdowns and ran for one as No. 16 Ball State routed visiting Northern Illinois, 45-14, to remain undefeated and alive in the chase for a Bowl Championship Series game. MiQuale Lewis topped 100 rushing yards for the ninth straight game for Ball State (9-0, 5-0 Mid-American). Davis finished 18-for-22 for 300 yards against Northern Illinois (5-4, 4-2). ... Kansas State coach Ron Prince will not return next season, pushed out after failing to rebuild the Wildcats into a Big 12 contender. He went 16-18 in 2 1/2 seasons, including 4-5 this year. ... Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf was placed on administrative leave from West Texas A&M, where he is quarterbacks coach and men's golf coach for the Division II school. A source who was familiar with the situation told ESPN.com that Leaf acknowledged he had asked a player for a pill to reduce wrist pain he has felt since his NFL days. ... Boston College receiver Clarence Megwa had to postpone surgery on his right leg because of complications arising from the two broken bones he suffered last weekend.

• Dodgers make first pitch to keep slugger Ramirez

  November 6, 2008

  The Los Angeles Dodgers have offered Manny Ramirez the second-highest average salary in baseball behind Alex Rodriguez in an effort to keep the free-agent slugger, general manager Ned Colletti said yesterday. Colletti did not disclose details, but