News sports 2008-05-16 Andanh.com

Dreary delay for Tops Fri, 16 May 2008 10:49:25 -0500
More than three hours worth of rain delays forced the Western Kentucky baseball team and Middle Tennessee to play deep into the night in the opening game of their three-game Sun Belt Conference series Thursday at Nick Denes Field. In a game that ended after midnight, the Blue Raiders held on to pick up a 7-5 victory. The loss dropped WKU to 27-24 overall and 14-14 in the Sun Belt, while MTSU improved to 27-25-1 and 13-14 in the league. Mother Nature controlled the early stages of the game as the start was delayed one hour and 46 minutes by rain. Once things got underway, WKU starter Matt Ridings blanked the Blue Raiders on three hits through four innings of work. The Toppers were able to plate the first run of the game when Wade Gaynor picked up the team’s first hit of the night with a second-inning single, and came around to score on a two-out base hit by Matt Rice. Ridings also picked up for strikeouts - including two in the top of the fourth inning - before his start was cut short by another one-hour, 32-minute rain delay in the middle of the fourth. Once play resumed, the Raiders were able to take a lead in the top of the fifth when a two-run double by Taylor Dennis brought home a pair to make it a 2-1 game. However, the Hilltoppers took advantage of a MTSU error to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, Scott Kaskie reached on a throwing error, and moved into scoring position with his 19th stolen base of the season. He then came around to score on a Matt Hightower double to pull WKU even. Topper reliever Adam Balcom ran into trouble again in the sixth as he gave up back-to-back singles before Rawley Bishop reached on an error to load the bases with one out. Bryce Brentz then hit an opposite-field grand slam to right center to give the Blue Raiders a 6-2 lead. WKU was able to load the bases in the bottom of the sixth, but only got one run when a J.B. Paxson sacrifice fly drove in Gaynor to cut the Blue Raider lead in half. After MTSU reliever Brad Robinson threw a perfect seventh inning, the Toppers got to him in the eighth as Jake Wells singled and Rice followed with his fourth home run of the year into the right-field bullpen to cut the Raider lead to 6-5. Middle Tennessee added an insurance run in the top of the ninth when Tyler Burnette led off the inning with a double and came home to score on a sacrifice fly by Zach Hudson to make it a 7-5 game. The teams will continue their weekend series at 6 p.m. today.

Grant allows for Cowles themed children’s book Fri, 16 May 2008 10:49:26 -0500
As both a player and head coach, Mary Taylor Cowles has made quite a name for herself at Western Kentucky University. Now Cowles’ story will be immortalized in a children’s book as part of a new NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Grant Program. WKU was one of 17 schools to receive a $36,000 grant that was designed to foster the growth of women’s basketball on NCAA campuses and within NCAA conferences. “You are always looking for ways to define your program at the highest level,” WKU athletic director Wood Selig said. “Being only one of 17 schools and conferences to be selected to receive a grant and promote the game of women’s basketball to me shows a couple of things: One, we have a rich and proud tradition and history here, and two, we have a creative and sound concept that will be useful and worthwhile to help literacy in our local community.” The book entitled “Follow Your Dreams!” will tell the story of Cowles’ encouragement of a young girl’s lifelong dream to be a Lady Topper and will be part of a new literacy program in coordination with the Bowling Green City and Warren County School Systems that will begin in August. The program includes an essay and art contest for all students in first through fourth grades in which winners will receive a $2,250 partial scholarship to WKU, a replica Lady Topper jersey and will appear as characters in the book’s final version, which will be published in October by Playground Marketing in Cincinnati. “I think this a great opportunity for us to use our student athletes and my coaching staff to really get behind the cause of literacy and help make a difference,” Cowles said. “For our athletic department to be this creative and come up with an idea, and us be able to join in with the cause like literacy, really excites us to no end. It’s going to be an unbelievable opportunity.” The first version of the book will be distributed in every classroom from grades one through four in August. Each book will contain a single game ticket, giving local children the option to attend a women’s game on selected dates during the 2008-09 season. Every child who participates in the contest, which involves writing an essay of no more than 200 words or submitting a painting, drawing or collage, will receive a season pass. While entry in the contest will not be mandatory, all children will be encouraged to participate. “It’s such an exciting opportunity for our program to be a part of something like this,” Cowles said. “I was told at a very young age by my high school basketball coach, Howard Beth, that nobody really stands in the way of achieving your dreams but yourself. That’s part of what we are trying to do here, help these young people understand, ‘If I believe and if I work at it, I can achieve it.’ ” With an estimated 6,000 books set to be printed and distributed to the local schools, the Lady Toppers will face a unique problem when it comes to attendance next season. The addition of 6,000 season tickets to a fan base that averaged 2,746 per home game last season would put WKU well above the 7,326 capacity for E.A. Diddle Arena. “We think that is a good problem,” Selig said. “The whole concept is to grow the base of support for women’s basketball. If all of a sudden we have three or four sellouts ... that is what the whole project is designed to do. We will have accomplished that in a general fashion.” Cowles agrees that it is a good problem to have. “I look forward to dealing with that problem,” Cowles said. “I think our fan base has been tremendous and we saw a tremendous improvement in our numbers this year. I think the excitement is going to continue and I hope finding a seat in Diddle Arena for Lady Topper basketball truly becomes a problem.” Selig went on to say he doesn’t anticipate that the bump in season tickets, which will be general admission tickets, will be a problem for every game and added the financial upside is worth any problems that might arise from the increase in season tickets. “This program has probably generated an economic impact on our women’s basketball program of about $150 to $200,000 in self promotion and advertising and initiative to promote Lady Topper basketball,” Selig said.

Bowling Green’s Randolph inks with Covenant College in Georgia Fri, 16 May 2008 10:49:27 -0500
To say that softball is a big part of Megan Randolph’s life is an understatement - the Bowling Green senior has been playing the game since the tender age of 2. And thanks to her hard work on the diamond over the years, the next chapter of Randolph’s life will also feature the game she loves. Randolph signed a letter-of-intent to play softball at Covenant College, a Christian liberal arts school in Lookout Mountain, Ga. “I’ve been playing softball since I was 2, and I definitely wanted to be able to do this and get the opportunity,” said Randolph, who will pursue a degree in sports medicine to someday become an athletic trainer. “It’s very exciting (to keep playing), hopefully I can keep playing and then maybe teach and give thanks for what my coaches have done for me.” The Covenant program is in its first year as a varsity sport, and Randolph said she hoped that as the program itself expands and matures, she hopes to do the same. “The 2008 season was their first season as a varsity sport, and I’m very excited, they’re a new program and I’ll be helping them start off,” Randolph said. “And I’ll grow as an athlete as they grow as a program. “And it’s just very exciting.” Randolph said she was both excited and a bit nervous to enter into a program in its infancy, but said the challenge of helping turn the program from an unknown into a credible team is one she’s looking forward to. “They’re definitely going to be building it, and hopefully they’ll also be building me and putting me in there wherever they need me,” she said. “I just want to be able to go in and help out.” As far as college choices, Randolph said one of the bigger questions she had to mull over was whether or not she wanted to continue playing. But once she did, she made a visit to the school and was sold almost instantly. “I was just looking if I wanted to keep playing softball and where I wanted to go,” Randolph said. “And it was a great school. I visited it actually in eighth grade and when it came up to the softball, I think we had just a real connection.” A senior on this year’s Lady Purple softball squad, Randolph has been key in the team’s success this season - as Bowling Green currently sits with the second best overall record in Region 4 at 20-7, as well as 9-4 in the region itself and 3-3 in District 14. The Lady Scots are an NAIA school that competes in the Appalachian Athletic Conference, and finished their inaugural season at 12-27 and while Randolph hasn’t been told exactly where or how much she will play next season, she said her immediate goals are to just go in and compete as hard as she can to help make the team better. “I plan on just going in there and giving it my all,” she said.

Perry survives wet day, shares lead at AT&T Fri, 16 May 2008 10:49:27 -0500
DULUTH, Ga. — Coming off a final-round meltdown at the Players Championship, Kenny Perry had every reason to blow up during the water-logged opening round of the AT&T Classic. How about having to play all 18 holes in a steady rain? Or standing around for a half-hour delay when the showers really got heavy? Or arriving at his final hole, still getting pelted from above, to find a major backup that forced him to linger for another 30 minutes with nothing to do? Through it all, Perry persevered. He shot a 6-under 66 Thursday to claim a share of the lead at soggy TPC Sugarloaf in suburban Atlanta, though no one played a more impressive round. “I hit some good shots and made some nice saves coming in,” Perry said. “The last few holes were brutal.” The other leaders - Jonathan Kaye, Ryan Palmer, Jonathan Byrd and Parker McLachlin - all teed off in the morning, before a huge weather system drenched the course. They were the lucky ones. Byrd was likely watching from his nice, dry hotel room by the time Perry rolled in a 14-footer to save par at the treacherous ninth, his final hole. “I don’t like playing in the rain. I can’t think of anybody who does,” Byrd said. “It’s just not a whole lot of fun.” Perry can attest to that. His bogey-free round took some 6 1/2 hours to play, including a 31-minute delay when the rain turned so heavy that play had to be halted. When he got to his last hole, surely looking forward to calling it a day, he came upon a backlog of five groups waiting to tee off - all of them held up by an earlier ruling on Glen Day that took nearly a half-hour to sort out. “There’s five groups here?” Rich Beem asked incredulously when his threesome arrived. “Yep, you’re the fifth,” replied Greg Norman, making a rare appearance on the PGA Tour at the course he drew up. “I guess it’s your fault,” Beem quipped. “You’re the one who designed the place.” When Perry finally got to play, he flubbed a chip off the mushy ground, slamming his club in disgust. But he rolled in the par-saving putt to close the round with a better feeling. It was quite a comeback from his previous round. Perry went to the final day of the Players one stroke off the lead, only to shoot 81 and plummet to a tie for 15th. “I was hitting knuckleballs off the driver,” said Perry, who ducked under an umbrella every chance he got. “I have never seen balls do that. But I was able to recover.” The remaining leaders got to play on an inviting course before the showers moved in and turned Sugarloaf into a water park. Byrd overcame a double bogey at No. 7 with eight birdies, the result of soft greens and not even the hint of a breeze. “I don’t care how hard a course is — if the greens are soft, guys are going to shoot low,” Byrd said. “You can get to the flags pretty easy. You know your shots don’t have to be as precise because they’re hitting and they’re stopping.” Byrd and the others also took advantage of the weak field. Only six of the top 50 players in the world rankings are in Atlanta this week. Stewart Cink was the only top-15 player in the FedEx Cup standings to show up, and he lives in the neighborhood. “When a lot of the top 20 or 30 guys in the world aren’t here, yeah, it gives the other guys more of a chance,” Byrd said. “But to win a tournament on the PGA Tour, you’ve have to play some great golf. I don’t care who’s in the field.” The 53-year-old Norman, who has largely given up tournament golf to focus on his various business interests and personal life (he’s engaged to former tennis champion Chris Evert), played the familiar layout to warm up for the senior majors this summer. Even though he knows the course well, it didn’t help. Norman shot an 80. David Duval, the former No. 1-ranked player who’s trying to fight his way back from a seven-year slump, is likely to make it 9-for-9 — nine tournaments, nine missed cuts this year — after opening with a 78. But both Norman and Duval had it better than Franklin Langham, who started out with a 13. Yep, a 13! Langham, playing on a sponsor’s exemption, hit his first four tee shots out of play to the left. He finally struck one sideways after taking a drop from the native brush, leaving him 340 yards from the pin while lying 9 on the par-5 hole. Before the day was done, he had written down a triple bogey and three double bogeys, his score standing at 22 over when play was mercifully called with one hole to play. Assuming he returns to finish his round Friday morning, Langham will post the highest score since the tournament moved to TPC Sugarloaf in 1997. A year ago, Michael Boyd opened with an 86. Langham has already taken 90 strokes. Divots: Langham was among 35 players still on the course when play was called with darkness approaching. ... The five-way tie for the lead is the most in tournament history. The previous record was four after the opening round of the inaugural tournament in 1967. ... Ryan Armour was disqualified.

Long tied for 106th at NCAA regional Fri, 16 May 2008 10:49:28 -0500
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Western Kentucky men’s golfer Brent Long finished first-round action tied for 106th place at the NCAA Central Regional held at the Scarlet Course - the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Long started the afternoon teeing-off on the 10th hole, recording a par. On 11, Long triple-bogeyed but regain two strokes on 12 and 13 with two birdies. He concluded his first nine-holes four-over-par. On the front nine, the senior from Carthage, Tenn., bogeyed four holes to post an eight-over-par for the round. He ended the round with two birdies and eight pars. The No. 67 player in the nation, Brendan Gielow of Wake Forrest, leads the field after firing a two-under-par, 69 for the first 18-holes of the regional. The field will return to the course Saturday for second-round action.

Report: Eight Belles had no prior injuries Fri, 16 May 2008 02:33:00 EST
A necropsy of second-place Kentucky Derby finisher Eight Belles uncovered no signs of a pre-existing break or other physical problems that would have caused the filly to break down as she pulled up almost a quarter-mile past the Churchill Downs finish line.

The good, the bad, the Preakness Fri, 16 May 2008 03:12:00 EST
When Leslie Passano found out that the public could see Preakness horses train at Pimlico Race Course, she took her 8-year-old daughter Molly out of school and made the 11/2-hour trip from their home in Trappe, Md.

Big Brown, we'll hardly know you Fri, 16 May 2008 03:12:00 EST
Big Brown has not even reached the gate for tomorrow's Preakness Stakes, and already they're working on his retirement package.

Red-letter day for Scarlet Love at Churchill Fri, 16 May 2008 02:33:00 EST
Scarlet Love, ridden by Jesus Castanon, rallied to a 3½-length victory over 8-5 favorite Pathologist in yesterday's $36,400 allowance feature at Churchill Downs.

Braun gets $45 million Brewers deal Fri, 16 May 2008 02:34:00 EST
Ryan Braun agreed yesterday to the largest contract in Milwaukee Brewers' history: $45 million over eight years.

Stadium expansion cut back Fri, 16 May 2008 02:35:00 EST
In hopes of saving a few million dollars, University of Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich says he'll hold some toppings on the expansion of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

First 2,000 club seats on sale for new arena Fri, 16 May 2008 01:44:00 EST
University of Louisville basketball fans finally can order seats in the new downtown arena. The athletic department announced yesterday it will begin selling 2,000 premium club seats for the arena, which is scheduled to open in November 2010 and will be the home for the U of L men's and women's basketball teams.

Cards face tough start to NCAA tourney Fri, 16 May 2008 02:36:00 EST
After losing in the semifinals of the Big East Conference Tournament, the University of Louisville softball team nervously waited to see if it would make the NCAA Tournament.

2-minute drill: University of Kentucky tailback derrick locke Fri, 16 May 2008 02:37:00 EST
Derrick Locke is a tailback on the University of Kentucky football team, but he's also a jump/sprint athlete on the track team who will compete in the long jump at this weekend's Southeastern Conference Track and Field Championships in Auburn, Ala. He took time out of that full schedule for a quick Q&A.

Slow start for local golf in NCAAs Fri, 16 May 2008 02:37:00 EST
The Indiana University men's golf team is in 11th place, the University of Louisville is tied for 12th and Eastern Kentucky is tied for 15th after yesterday's first round of the NCAA Central Regional in Columbus, Ohio.

Churchill Downs Results Fri, 16 May 2008 02:43:00 EST

PREP BASEBALL: Elizabethtown upends Central Hardin Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:08 -0500
ELIZABETHTOWN What a difference two weeks can make.

PREP BASEBALL: John Hardin sweeps North Hardin Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:06 -0500
RADCLIFF It’s been said that hitting is contagious and the John Hardin Bulldogs certainly had a bad case of it spread through the team Thursday night.

PREP SOFTBALL: Krupinski, Central Hardin shut out John Hardin Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:06 -0500
CECILIA Having been shut out in their previous two games, the Central Hardin Lady Bruins were in a little bit of a funk.

PREP SOFTBALL/BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Lady Panthers fall; Mayfield moves to 7-1 Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:07 -0500
The slumping Elizabethtown Lady Panthers lost for the 10th time in 13 games, falling to visiting Warren Central on Thursday, 3-1.

BOYS'/GIRLS' PREP TENNIS RESULTS: Thursday's Matches Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:07 -0500
Results from Thursday's area high school tennis matches:

Behindatthebar out of Preakness Fri, 16 May 2008 12:01 EDT
The Preakness Stakes has lost Behindatthebar due to a bruised foot. The son of Forest Wildcat was scratched Friday morning, leaving 12 in the race Saturday.

The announcement was made from Belmont Park, where Behindatthebar has been training.

The Lexington Stakes winner had drawn post position No. 5. With him out of that starting spot, all horses to the outside of him will move in by one stall, including 1-2 favorite Big Brown who now will start from post No. 6.

THE PREAKNESS . SATURDAY, 6:15 P.M. (NBC) . PIMLICO RACE COURSE

Stripling kicked off UofL football team Fri, 16 May 2008 15:56 EDT
University of Louisville senior running back George Stripling has been dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules, U of L head coach Steve Kragthorpe announced on Friday.

Stripling played in 34 career games for the Cardinals, recording 1,338 yards and 13 touchdowns. His best season came in 2005 when he rushed for 621 yards and seven touchdowns.

Cats move closer to playoffs Fri, 16 May 2008 02:05 EDT
With post-season hopes at stake, Kentucky opened its final three-game series of the regular season like, well, Wildcats.

Sawyer Carroll homered, doubled twice and singled, driving in six as UK downed Mississippi 12-4 Thursday at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

Fellow senior Ryan Wilkes had three of UK's 15 hits, driving in two and scoring four.

Left-handers Chris Rusin (6-2) and Andrew Albers kept Ole Miss in check. Rusin, a junior, gave up three runs, two earned, over 62/3 innings. Albers, a senior, yielded one run the rest of the way.

"It was a big win," Coach John Cohen said after the Cats' sixth consecutive victory. "Forty wins for our seniors two of the last three years; (40 wins has) only been done four times in the history of the program and these seniors have done it twice. That's a remarkable effort on their part, and we're not done yet."

Big Brown looks good testing out Pimlico Fri, 16 May 2008 07:03 EDT
All is right in Big Brown's world.

The Kentucky Derby winner emerged from his new digs at Pimlico Thursday morning after arriving from Churchill Downs Wednesday night.

He galloped around the track to test the course and check out his surroundings before the Preakness Stakes Saturday, second leg in the Triple Crown series.

"He was comfortable, cool, relaxed, galloped good, so we're as happy as we can be right now," said his trainer, Rick Dutrow.

The buzz at Pimlico was all Big Brown. Cameras followed every move the Derby winner made to the track and back under exercise rider Michelle Nevin. Big Brown appeared unflappable in the face of so much attention.

Eight Belles' necropsy shows no pre-existing problems Fri, 16 May 2008 06:35 EDT
A necropsy performed on Eight Belles concluded there were no pre-existing bone abnormalities or disease that contributed to her breakdown, according to a report released by the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority Thursday.

The filly broke down following her runner-up finish in the Kentucky Derby May 3.

The necropsy stated Eight Belles suffered compound fractures of both front legs at the fetlock joints and also found no disease or condition affecting the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems or other major organs, according to Dr. Lafe Nichols, chief state veterinarian.

A 3 by 5 centimeter area of hemorrhage was observed around the left thyroid gland but the pathologist's case summary stated the hemorrhage "was likely the result of falling."

Bruising around the top of her head was also interpreted as being secondary to falling.

Henry Clay boys repeat at doubles Fri, 16 May 2008 02:05 EDT
Team titles were decided before the final day of the 11th Region tennis tournament, but that didn't lessen the tension of several championship matches on Thursday.

The Henry Clay boys clinched their third consecutive title on Tuesday, and their doubles team of Elliott Farmer and Will Palmer won their second crown in straight sets Thursday.

The Lexington Catholic girls clinched on Wednesday, and freshman Samantha Maddox followed that up with the singles' title in straight sets Thursday at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex.

But the other two finals were more competitive as players jockeyed for seeding in the state tournament May 22-24.

Tates Creek's Grant Roberts, after being away from high school tennis for two years, won the singles' title with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Henry Clay's Dean Tsamas.

Mississippian leads Hooters Tour event Fri, 16 May 2008 07:19 EDT
Mississippi pro Casey Crain grabbed the first-round lead Thursday in the ADI Classic at Georgetown with a 5-under-par 67.

Crain's round on the 6,842-yard, par-72 Cherry Blossom Golf and Country Club course gave him a one-shot lead over Matthew Harmon in the NGA Hooters Tour event that was interrupted by rain.

Brandon Brown, a fourth-year pro from Shelbyville who played at Eastern Kentucky University, is another stroke behind in third place after a 3-under 69.

Josh Teater of Lexington and Clay Ballard of Winchester both shot 1-over 73 and trail by six shots.

Eighty-three players failed to finish because of a rainy, soggy day that finally forced golfers off the course at about 5 p.m. The wet conditions on a course with deep rough made scoring conditions difficult.

Rain postpones Reds-Marlins Fri, 16 May 2008 02:05 EDT
After a postponement Thursday night, the Cincinnati Reds kept their pitching plans intact for this weekend against Cleveland. And that means a marquee matchup: Edinson Volquez vs. Cliff Lee.

The game between the Florida Marlins and Reds was postponed because of poor weather, called two hours before it was supposed to start because of steady showers.

No makeup date was set for the finale of the scheduled four-game series. The last-place Reds had won the first three against the NL East-leading Marlins.

"There's nothing you can do about it," Reds Manager Dusty Baker said.

Baker announced that Matt Belisle, who had been scheduled to start, would be skipped until Tuesday against the Dodgers. Johnny Cueto will start Friday night against the visiting Indians.

Barkley says he'll pay huge gambling debt Fri, 16 May 2008 07:19 EDT
Charles Barkley acknowledged he owes a $400,000 gambling debt to a Las Vegas Strip casino and promised Thursday to repay it after a prosecutor said the retired NBA star faced criminal charges. "My mistake," Barkley said in an interview at a pro-am golf tournament in Hoover, Ala. "I'm not broke, and I'm going to take care of it."

Barkley was responding to comments by Clark County District Attorney David Roger, who said prosecutors would file a criminal complaint if he did not pay the debt cited by the Wynn Las Vegas resort.

"He'll have an opportunity like anybody else to make restitution to the hotel," Roger said.

The casino alleged in a civil complaint filed Wednesday in a Nevada state court and first reported by the Las Vegas Sun that Barkley failed to repay four $100,000 casino markers, or loans, received last Oct. 18 and 19.

"To date, and despite repeated demands, Barkley has refused to repay the $400,000," the complaint said.

Ginobili, Duncan help Spurs force Game 7 Fri, 16 May 2008 15:40 EDT
The San Antonio Spurs' Big Three came through. Now they have to win one on the road to keep their title defense alive. Manu Ginobili scored 25 points, Tim Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Tony Parker added 15 points in the Spurs' 99-80 victory over the New Orleans Hornets in Game 6 on Thursday night.

The win forced a seventh game in the Western Conference semifinals on Monday in New Orleans. Home teams are 20-1 in the second round.

Chris Paul led the Hornets with 21 points and Tyson Chandler scored 14. David West had 10 points before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter after apparently aggravating a back injury.

The aging defending champions and the injured Hornets now get three days of rest before playing Game 7.

"I have confidence," Parker said. "We've won a lot of big games on the road."

Pats' Belichick lashes out at ex-video assistant Fri, 16 May 2008 19:19 EDT
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick lashed out at the team's former video assistant Friday, saying in a televised interview that Matt Walsh was a low-level staffer who was fired for "poor job performance." "There's not a lot of credibility," Belichick said in an interview broadcast on "CBS Evening News."

"You know, he's tried to make it seem like we're buddies, and belong to the same book club and all. That's really a long, long stretch."

Belichick acknowledged that he was wrong about NFL rules prohibiting filming opponents signals but insisted there was no intent to hide what he was doing.

"I made a mistake," he said in the interview. "I was wrong. I was wrong."

That rationale has already been rejected by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who fined the coach $500,000 and docked the Patriots $250,000 and its first-round draft pick.

Rachel Hetherington tied for lead at Sybase Fri, 16 May 2008 19:15 EDT
Despite being under par for the round and having a share of the lead, Rachel Hetherington wasn't overly disappointed Friday when the LPGA Tour took the rare step of washing out play in the Sybase Classic.

Steady rain had saturated three greens, flooded a couple of bunkers and created conditions that would have forced players to compete on two very different courses if the round at the Upper Montclair Country Club had been suspended until Saturday.

Instead, tournament officials wiped out play, rescheduled the second round to Saturday and reduced the $2 million tournament from 72 holes to 54.

"You never want to wash out a round," said Sue Witters, the tour's director of tournament competitions. "That's the last thing we want to do. But the flip side of that is you don't want to play in completely different conditions."

Hetherington understood that after the first washout on tour since the 2005 Michelob Ultra Open.

Amputee runner wins right to try for Olympic spot Fri, 16 May 2008 19:15 EDT
Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius won his appeal Friday and can compete for a place in the Beijing Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the 21-year-old South African is eligible to race against able-bodied athletes, overturning a ban imposed by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

CAS said the unanimous ruling goes into effect immediately.

"I am ecstatic," Pistorius told reporters in Milan, Italy. "When I found out, I cried. It is a battle that has been going on for far too long. It's a great day for sport. I think this day is going to go down in history for the equality of disabled people."

Pistorius still must reach a qualifying time to run in the individual 400 meters at the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Games. However, he can be picked for the South African relay squad without qualifying. That relay squad has not yet qualified for the Olympics.

Serena Williams pulls out of Italian Open, Venus loses Fri, 16 May 2008 19:15 EDT
Serena Williams withdrew from her quarterfinal match at the Italian Open on Friday due to a back problem, and older sister Venus Williams was beaten by defending champion Jelena Jankovic. Serena Williams' back froze suddenly while she was warming up on a practice court for her match with French qualifier Alize Cornet.

"It just happened all of a sudden in practice," Williams said before heading to a hospital for tests. "I just went for a shot and then my back got a little stuck."

Williams did not appear in much pain, carrying a large pocketbook over her left shoulder as she entered a news conference immediately after her withdrawal.

"I didn't feel anything the last match, and I don't expect this to cause any problems with my preparation for the French," she said. "It just happened all of a sudden. I feel like I'm going to be good going into Roland Garros."

This tournament is an important clay-court tuneup for the French Open, which begins May 25.

NFL owners may opt out of labor deal next week Fri, 16 May 2008 19:15 EDT
NFL owners could opt out of their agreement with the players union next week, leaving open the possibility of a 2010 season without a salary cap. The labor agreement is on the agenda for the league meetings in Atlanta on Tuesday.

"If they don't do it next week then it will be soon after that," Gene Upshaw, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, said Friday. "They want to opt out and we don't."

In the agreement signed in March of 2006, both sides were given the right to get out of the deal by Nov. 8, 2008. League officials noted that doesn't mean that a decision could not be made earlier.

That contract was due to expire at the end of the 2013 season. If the owners nullify it, a move that has seemed inevitable for a while, it would end after the 2011 season with 2010 being uncapped.

The end of the agreement does not necessarily mean that there will be a work stoppage, although Upshaw has predicted that the owners could lock out the players in 2011. But the early opt out also could lead to earlier talks on a new deal, which the owners feel has leaned too far toward the players - Upshaw already has had several preliminary meetings, including one recently with Jerry Richardson of Carolina and Pat Bowlen of Denver, two of the owners expected to be involved in the negotiations.

Magowan to step down as managing partner of Giants Fri, 16 May 2008 19:15 EDT
Peter Magowan, the owner who brought Barry Bonds to San Francisco, built a new ballpark and kept major league baseball in the city, is stepping down as managing partner of the Giants. The 66-year-old Magowan will retire from his duties at the end of the season on Oct. 1 but maintain an ownership stake, the team said Friday.

American Bar Association president William Neukom, a current partner in the Giants group, will take over for Magowan. Also, executive vice president Larry Baer will become team president effective Oct. 1.

These changes are subject to the approval of Major League Baseball. The Giants expect that to happen when the owners next meet, Aug. 13-14 in Washington.

Magowan informed the ownership group of his decision during a meeting Friday morning. He plans to spend more time with his family once he's through, including seeing more of his 10 grandchildren.

"It has been an honor to represent the Giants the last 16 years," Magowan said in a news release. "The decision to retire was not an easy one. But it is the right one for my family and me. I have spent the last 29 years as head of two incredible organizations - Safeway and the Giants. I put everything I had in terms of time, energy and commitment into my work and inevitably made some sacrifices."

Andretti watching weather as he prepares for Indy qualifying Fri, 16 May 2008 18:15 EDT
John Andretti has been around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway long enough to know that the weather can fool you.

After scrambling the previous day, along with everyone else, to get track time in gloomy, cold and windy conditions, Friday's sunshine and warmer temperatures weren't going to con Andretti, who will try Saturday to qualify for his ninth Indianapolis 500 start dating to 1988.

"The weather obviously is nice today, compared with what we've been fighting," said Andretti, who came up with a last-minute Indy ride from owner-driver Marty Roth last weekend. "It's not going to be like that tomorrow.

"I think we're going to get a couple of little changes in (today), do some different things. But we also know that tomorrow is going to be a big, different day and we don't want to get so far down one way and trick ourselves into thinking that we've done something good when the track is just giving us more today than it will tomorrow.

"This place is hard because you can run yourself in circles. We're going to try not to do that today."

Report: NFL investigators meet with steroids dealer Fri, 16 May 2008 19:15 EDT
NFL investigators have met with a convicted steroids dealer, who has said he provided performance-enhancing drugs to professional football players, according to a newspaper report.

David Jacobs pleaded guilty last year in federal court to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute anabolic steroids and was sentenced to probation on May 1. He has said he sold steroids and human growth hormone to NFL offensive lineman Matt Lehr and another NFL player. He also said the players he provided performance-enhancing drugs supplied them to other NFL players.

The New York Times reported in Friday's edition that Jacobs said NFL investigators visited him the day after he was sentenced.

"They wanted to know what information I had and what other documentary evidence I could provide them with," Jacobs told the Times. "I told them I was not going to talk specifics without my lawyer present. They wanted to know a list of players I dealt with and knew, and I told them I didn't feel comfortable doing that."

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed to the Times that the league's investigators met with Jacobs and said future meetings were scheduled.

Federer, Djokovic ease into Hamburg semis Fri, 16 May 2008 13:39 EDT
Reigning champion Roger Federer and Australian Open titlist Novak Djokovic were easy quarterfinal winners Friday at the $2.955 million Masters Series Hamburg, a clay-court French Open tuneup.

The top-seeded Federer blew past Spanish lefthander Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-3, while the third-seeded Djokovic stayed hot by dousing Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-2, 6-3 on Day 6 at Rothenbaum. The high-flying Djokovic was last week's clay-court champion in Rome.

Federer is now a stellar 28-3 lifetime at this event.

The reigning Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion Federer beat clay-court king Rafael Nadal in last year's Hamburg finale to capture his fourth title here in six years (2002, 2004-05, 2007). Nadal bested Federer in a clay-court finale in Monte Carlo last month.

The three-time French Open champion Nadal has to beat Carlos Moya on Friday and then Djokovic on Saturday in order to retain his world No. 2 ranking.

Boston Herald reporter expresses regret over Spygate story Fri, 16 May 2008 11:40 EDT
The Boston Herald sports writer who reported the New England Patriots taped a pre-Super Bowl walkthrough by the St. Louis Rams in 2002 said he will regret the erroneous story for the rest of his life.

"First and foremost, this is about a writer breaking one of the cardinal rules of journalism. I failed to keep challenging what I had been told," wrote John Tomase in Friday's editions of the newspaper.

Tomase explained what led up to the publication of the Feb. 2 story, which appeared one day before the Patriots' 17-14 Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants. The Herald on Wednesday apologized for the story, after former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh told NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that he did not tape the walkthrough and did not know of anyone who had.

Tomase wrote that he first heard rumors that the walkthrough had been taped during the 2006 season. Those rumors strengthened after the Patriots were caught illegally taping signals by New York Jets' coaches during the opening game of the 2007 season. Goodell fined coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and the team $250,000 for that incident, and stripped New England of a first-round draft choice.

"I had repeatedly heard that this walkthrough had been taped, and from people I trusted. Eventually I accepted it as fact and stopped questioning the assertion," Tomase said.

Kazmir, Rays beat last-place Yankees 5-2 Fri, 16 May 2008 07:19 EDT
Scott Kazmir sparkled in his first start since agreeing to a $28.5 million contract extension, and the surprising Tampa Bay Rays dropped the New York Yankees into last place with a 5-2 victory Thursday.

Kazmir (2-1) allowed three singles in six scoreless innings, and Akinori Iwamura and Shawn Riggans homered off Ian Kennedy for the AL East-leading Rays.

Tampa Bay (24-17), which started play in 1998, has been alone atop the division standings for three consecutive days for the first time. The Rays won three of four from New York and have captured six of seven series in building the best record in the AL.

The Yankees have lost six of nine and got another a poor pitching performance from Kennedy (0-3), who was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre for his sixth start of the season.

New York (20-22), struggling with Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada on the disabled list, was shut out until seventh-inning RBI singles by Derek Jeter and Melky Cabrera off Gary Glover. The struggling Yankees scored six runs in the series, only two off Rays starters.

Penn St.'s Paterno treated, released from hospital Fri, 16 May 2008 07:19 EDT
Penn State coach Joe Paterno spent several hours at a hospital being treated for dehydration before returning home late Thursday.

The 81-year-old coach had been working at home late in the morning when he began feeling nauseated and was taken by ambulance to Mount Nittany Medical Center, team spokesman Guido D'Elia said. Paterno had tests at the hospital but was not admitted.

Paterno was released and back home Thursday evening, and doctors determined he suffered from dehydration, team officials said.

The Hall of Fame coach was still expected to travel to Austin, Texas, on Friday, where he was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at a dinner honoring Longhorns coach Mack Brown, the university said in a statement.

JoePa has kept a busy schedule lately, attending an alumni function in Philadelphia last weekend before traveling to Chicago for meetings with Big Ten coaches earlier this week. He was on the phone with two recruits Thursday morning before feeling ill, D'Elia said.

Indians' scoreless streak ends, but sweep A's Fri, 16 May 2008 07:19 EDT
An unearned run against Aaron Laffey caused by his own throwing error ended the scoreless streak by Cleveland Indians' starters at 44 1-3 innings but didn't interrupt their string of dominant outings.

Laffey pitched the Indians to a 4-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday, completing a three-game sweep and giving the surging Indians eight victories in 10 games.

In the rotation because of an injury to Jake Westbrook, Laffey (2-2) allowed just the unearned run and five hits in seven innings, struck out six and walked one. He lowered his ERA to 1.35 and has gone seven innings in each of his last three starts without giving up an earned run.

Cleveland's scoreless streak, which began last Friday, ended in the second when Laffey charged Rob Bowen's weak grounder and threw it into right field, allowing Bobby Crosby to score from second.

The streak was the longest by Cleveland's starters since Bob Lemon, Gene Bearden, Sam Zoldak and Satchel Paige strung together 47 scoreless innings in August 1948 - all threw complete game shutouts.

Eight Belles had no diseases, bone abnormalities Fri, 16 May 2008 07:14 EDT
Eight Belles had no diseases or pre-existing bone abnormalities that caused the filly to break down after finishing second in the Kentucky Derby.

Autopsy results reviewed by The Associated Press on Thursday confirm compound fractures of both front legs at the fetlock joints. They also describe lacerated skin on both legs, an absence of joint fluid in the damaged areas and congested lungs.

The filly also experienced a bruised head and hemorrhaging in the left thyroid gland, which the report blamed on her fall after the initial injuries.

"No pathology was found to indicate the occurrence of any other catastrophic event beside the fractured legs," wrote Kentucky chief veterinarian Lafe Nichols, who performed the tests at the University of Kentucky's Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center.

Eight Belles was euthanized on the track at Churchill Downs after collapsing while jogging about a quarter-mile past the finish line. Stewards found no evidence she was injured during the race.

Brewers give Braun record $45 million contract Fri, 16 May 2008 07:14 EDT
Ryan Braun grinned. He had just agreed to the largest contract in Milwaukee Brewers' history.

"I really believe in the direction this franchise is headed," the NL Rookie of the Year said Thursday after his $45 million, eight-year deal was announced. "I'm extremely excited in our future."

Braun's contract, which runs through 2015, replaces the $455,000, one-year renewal the Brewers gave him in spring training. It includes a $2.3 million bonus this season and could increase to $51 million through escalators.

"How unreal is this?" said Braun's mother, Diane, who was looking on from the front row.

Braun hit .324 with 34 homers and 97 RBIs last season in 113 games after his May 25 debut. He hit his 10th homer in a 7-2 loss to the Dodgers on Thursday and has 30 RBIs and a .286 average this season.

Drew, Webb lead D'backs to 8-5 win over Rockies Fri, 16 May 2008 07:14 EDT
Backed by Stephen Drew's career-high four hits, Brandon Webb became the major leagues' first nine-game winner when the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Colorado Rockies 8-5 on Thursday night.

Webb (9-0) has won his first nine starts, the most since San Diego's Andy Hawkins won his first 10 in 1985, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Webb has won 11 straight starts dating to last September.

Drew had two doubles, a triple, a single and an RBI as the Diamondbacks improved to a major league-best 26-15, including 20-5 against the weak NL West.

Arizona overcame four errors to complete a three-game sweep. The Diamondbacks are 8-1 against the defending NL champions, with Webb winning three times.

Brandon Lyon pitched out of a base-loaded, no-out jam in the ninth for his 12th save in 14 chances, and his 11th in a row.

Former Patriots assistant can't recall Walsh talk Fri, 16 May 2008 19:15 EDT
Former New England assistant coach Brian Daboll told the NFL he doesn't remember speaking with Matt Walsh about the St. Louis Rams' walkthrough Walsh attended the day before the 2002 Super Bowl.

Even if Daboll and New England's former video assistant did speak about it, "it would not be a violation of NFL rules," the league said Thursday.

Walsh met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday about videotaping procedures used by the Patriots. Walsh said during the meeting that he had no knowledge of that walkthrough being videotaped as had been reported by the Boston Herald the day before this year's Super Bowl, Goodell said.

On Wednesday, the Herald apologized for a story that said the Patriots videotaped the walkthrough before the 2002 Super Bowl. In the apology, the Herald said, "We now know that this report was false, and that no tape of the walkthrough ever existed."

Walsh told Goodell that Daboll, now the quarterbacks coach with the New York Jets, approached him later, NFL attorney Gregg Levy said Tuesday. Walsh said he told Daboll that running back Marshall Faulk was returning kicks and described the Rams' use of tight ends in their formations. Daboll did not mention such a conversation when he was first interviewed by NFL officials about the walkthrough, Levy said.

Flyers hold off Penguins 4-2, force Game 5 Fri, 16 May 2008 15:40 EDT
The Pittsburgh Penguins' road to the Stanley Cup finals along the Pennsylvania Turnpike took an unexpected detour.

The smooth ride through 12 playoff games got a bit bumpier when the Philadelphia Flyers staved off elimination from the Eastern Conference finals with a 4-2 victory Thursday night, forcing a Game 5 in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Just as they did after taking a 3-0 lead over the New York Rangers in the second round, the Penguins were beaten on the road in Game 4. Pittsburgh wrapped up that series at home in its next chance, shaking off its only other loss in the playoffs (11-2).

The Flyers followed the lead set Wednesday by the Dallas Stars, who stayed alive in the Western Conference finals by avoiding a sweep at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings.

This is all new for Philadelphia, which had been swept the five other times it trailed 3-0.

Horsemen have sights set on first Fri, 16 May 2008 07:50 EDT
The eighth-ranked Lexington Horsemen will try to take over first place when they visit Midwest Division leader Green Bay at 8:30 p.m. Friday night.

The Blizzard are 5-2 in their arenafootball2 division, while Lexington is 4-2.

"This is a huge game for us," Horsemen Coach Mike Harmon said. "I've watched Green Bay on film a couple of times. They are a good team and very well-coached."

Harmon said the Horsemen need to continue scoring more after a 56-point effort in their last game.

"This game is about offense," he said. "I knew if we didn't start scoring points soon, we couldn't keep winning close games just because of defense."

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