Jim O’Brien, fired by Ohio State and essentially banned from coaching by the NCAA for paying a recruit, can return to the college sidelines after an appeal changed his punishment. An NCAA ruling on March 10, 2006, all but prevented any colleges from hiring O’Brien until May 2009. But in a decision released Thursday, an appeals committee changed the start date of the sanctions against the coach,…
Free agent outfielder Luis Gonzalez and the Florida Marlins have reached a preliminary agreement on a $2 million, one-year contract. Gonzalez must pass a physical for the deal to be finalized, a person familiar with the negotiations said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team had not yet announced the deal.
Jesse Jackson criticized Major League Baseball on Thursday for sending investigators to the hometowns of umpires to ask neighbors questions that include whether the ump belongs to the Ku Klux Klan. “Major League Baseball has done a disservice to its progressive social history by equating southern whites with white supremacists,” Jackson said in a statement.
David Beckham will have to wait for his 100th international appearance. The Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder was omitted Thursday when Fabio Capello picked his first roster as England’s coach. While bypassing the former captain for next Wednesday’s exhibition game against Switzerland, Capello said he will consider picking Beckham in the future if the 32-year-old shows good form after the Major League…
A Tennessee judge dismissed misdemeanor charges against suspended NFL player Adam “Pacman” Jones on Thursday, agreeing with a prosecutor that the Titans cornerback has been punished enough with his legal trouble over the past year. Jones knows his behavior outside a Murfreesboro nightclub on the night of his August 2006 arrest was inappropriate, District Attorney General William Whitesell said at…
Tiger Woods picked up right where he left off last week — at the top of the leaderboard. Woods, who won the Buick Invitational on Sunday by eight strokes, shot a 7-under 65 Thursday to take a two-shot lead after the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic. “I played well today, just a bunch of good golf shots,” Woods said after his bogey-free round at the Emirates Golf Club.
Motivation or much ado about nothing? For the Giants, Plaxico Burress’ guarantee that New York will beat the New England Patriots 23-17 in the Super Bowl Sunday is nothing more than an outspoken player showing confidence. For the Patriots and MVP Tom Brady, it’s a Super-sized diss, and bulletin board material.
Kansas State fans had come to call it The Streak, 24 years of home-court futility against Kansas. All they had to do was wait for one of the greatest players in school history to be born and come to their rescue. Michael Beasley, who wasn’t even alive when the Jayhawks began their 24-game winning streak in the Little Apple, scored 25 points Wednesday night and led the No.
Baron Davis heard boos every time he touched the ball, right up until he sent the crowd to the exits with a game-sealing 3-pointer. Stephen Jackson scored 26 points, Davis added 23, and the Golden State Warriors beat New Orleans 116-103 Wednesday night to snap the Hornets’ nine-game winning streak. “Nobody likes to get booed,” Davis said.
Coach John Calipari shrugged when he learned Kansas lost on Wednesday night, leaving his top-ranked Memphis Tigers as the last undefeated team in the country. Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 30 points and Joey Dorsey grabbed 22 rebounds, matching a career high, as Memphis equaled the best start in school history with an 89-77 win over Houston.