Sports Digest

July 24, 2008

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Recent columns

• Sports Digest

  July 23, 2008

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• Sports Digest

  July 22, 2008

  M. Jones wants prison sentence commuted

• Sports Digest

  July 21, 2008

  When a red-eyed Michelle Wie left the clubhouse at Panther Creek Country Club on Saturday in Springfield, Ill., it looked as if she took all the drama the State Farm Classic had to offer with her.

• L. Hamilton takes pole in Germany

  July 20, 2008

  McLaren's Lewis Hamilton edged Felipe Massa on the final lap to take the pole position for the Formula One German Grand Prix in Hockenheim. Hamilton went around in 1 minute, 15.666 seconds on his last lap to beat the Ferrari driver by 0.193 seconds and start first on the grid for the third time this season. Hamilton dominated Friday's practice and is coming off a 68-second victory at the British GP that gave him the advantage in a three-way tie atop the Formula One standings. The Briton has the tiebreaker against Ferrari drivers Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, who also have 48 points. McLaren has improved its car since last month's French GP, with Heikki Kovalainen leading the second row for today's 67-lap race. The 26-year-old Finn posted the third-fastest time on his final chance.

• Ravens sign two draft picks

  July 20, 2008

  The Ravens signed fourth-round draft choices wide receiver Marcus Smith and offensive tackle David Hale to three-year contracts. Smith, selected 106th overall out of New Mexico, earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors his senior season. His $1.5 million deal includes a $369,000 signing bonus. Hale, from Weber State and the 133rd overall pick, agreed to a $1.4 million contract with a $294,000 signing bonus. The Ravens also placed tight ends Scott Kuhn and Quinn Sypniewski on injured reserve.

• S. Williams hurts knee at tournament

  July 20, 2008

  Top-seeded Serena Williams injured her left knee and pulled out of the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, Calif., becoming the third singles player on the U.S. Olympic women's tennis team with a knee injury. She retired while trailing during the second set of her semifinal match against qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak. Williams' sister Venus and Lindsay Davenport, the other U.S. Olympic singles players, have already pulled out of next week's East West Bank Classic in Carson, Calif., because of right knee injuries. Serena Williams struggled from the start against the 85th-ranked Wozniak and first called for the trainer when trailing 5-2 in the first set. Williams appeared to injure the knee further while stretching for a backhand in the fifth game of the set. Wozniak will play in today's final against sixth seed Marion Bartoli, who beat Ai Sugiyama, 6-3, 6-3.

• Calif. horse racing moves to ban steroids

  July 20, 2008

  The California Horse Racing Board has unanimously adopted a regulation that effectively bans anabolic steroids in horses running in the state, paving the way for the Breeders' Cup to be run steroid-free in the fall at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia. The board moved the anabolic steroids testosterone, boldenone, nandrolone, and stanozolol into a higher classification, so that, without exception, any steroid violation will result in the disqualification of the horse. Under new penalties, violations could result in a minimum 30-day suspension.

• C. Kim leads Wie, three others by a stroke

  July 19, 2008

  Christina Kim remained in the lead at the LPGA State Farm Classic after shooting a second-round 4-under-par 68 in Springfield, Ill., yesterday

• Sports Digest

  July 18, 2008

  With the competition reduced to an afterthought, the Tour de France was rocked by another drug bust yesterday that left cycling's showpiece event all but synonymous with doping.

• Toney stops Rahman after three rounds

  July 17, 2008

  James Toney stopped Baltimore native Hasim Rahman last night in Temecula, Calif., mostly because of a big cut over Rahman's left eye. Toney (71-6-3) and Rahman (45-7-2) butted heads in the third round, and the collision opened a cut over Rahman's left eye. The fight was stopped just before the fourth round was set to begin. With the win, Toney claimed the North American Boxing Organization heavyweight title.

• Graham hit with lifetime track ban

  July 16, 2008

  Track coach Trevor Graham received a lifetime ban from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency yesterday for his role in helping his athletes obtain performance-enhancing drugs.

• Newman to leave Penske at end of season

  July 15, 2008

  Ryan Newman, projected as a possible teammate for Tony Stewart on the two-time NASCAR champion's new team, will leave Penske Racing at the end of this season.

• Sports Digest

  July 14, 2008

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• W. Klitschko stops Thompson in 11

  July 13, 2008

  Wladimir Klitschko stopped former sparring partner Tony Thompson with a right hand in the 11th round yesterday in Berlin to defend his heavyweight titles. Klitschko (51-3, 45 knockouts) turned boos to cheers as the American went to the canvas 1:38 into the round. Klitschko, who holds the International Boxing Federation and minor World Boxing Organization and International Boxing Organization titles, won his ninth straight bout, surviving a second-round head butt that left both fighters bloody. Thompson (31-2, 19 knockouts) saw his unbeaten streak dating to 2000 stopped.

• Curlin finishes 2nd in debut on turf

  July 13, 2008

  Curlin finished second in his first test of the turf. Red Rocks took the lead in the stretch and held off the reigning Horse of the Year by two lengths in winning the Man o' War Stakes yesterday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Better Talk Now, the 2004 Breeders' Cup Turf champ who trains at Fair Hill Training Center, finished third. Curlin dominated on dirt, winning nine times in 12 starts. The winning time was 2:12.60.

• Dixon captures shortened race

  July 13, 2008

  Scott Dixon grabbed the lead on Lap 149 and had enough fuel to stay there until rain ended the Firestone Indy 200 with 29 laps left, giving him his third consecutive victory at the Nashville Superspeedway and his fourth this season. IRL officials hoped to squeeze in at least 101 laps to make the race official with rain on the radar. The third caution of the night came on Lap 139 when the rain finally hit. The cars kept rolling even as fans were asked to evacuate the grandstand. They went back to green before the fourth and final caution came on Lap 167.

• Mets' Wright takes A. Soriano's All-Star spot

  July 12, 2008

  Third baseman David Wright of the New York Mets will replace injured Alfonso Soriano of the Chicago Cubs on the National League All-Star roster.

• Jaguars receiver Jones facing drug charge

  July 11, 2008

  Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Matt Jones faces a felony drug charge in Fayetteville, Ark., his former college town, after police say he was inside a car cutting up cocaine with a credit card.

• Rodriguez, Michigan agree to pay $4M buyout

  July 10, 2008

  Former West Virginia University football coach Rich Rodriguez and the University of Michigan have agreed to pay a $4 million buyout clause and settle a lawsuit that WVU filed after he broke his contract in December.

• Reports: Brand to 76ers, Stewart leaving JGR

  July 9, 2008

  The Philadelphia 76ers have apparently won the Elton Brand free-agent sweepstakes.

• Ex-lightweight champion Ramos dies at 59

  July 8, 2008

  Mando Ramos, a two-time lightweight boxing champion who battled drug and alcohol abuse, died at 59.

• Sports Digest

  July 7, 2008

  With villagers calling out to him as he sped through the countryside, Alejandro Valverde hung on to his lead in the Tour de France yesterday and basked in the honor of wearing the yellow jersey.

• Sports Digest

  July 6, 2008

• Menard claims pole at Daytona

  July 5, 2008

  Dale Earnhardt Inc. swept the front row in qualifying yesterday for tonight's Coke Zero 400 in Daytona Beach, Fla., and ended up with three drivers in the top eight spots.

• Montgomery pleads guilty to drug charges

  July 4, 2008

  Former track star Tim Montgomery, once dubbed "the world's fastest man," pleaded guilty yesterday to distributing heroin, averting a trial set for next week.

• 'Brown' has first workout since Belmont

  July 3, 2008

  In his first workout since running last in the Belmont Stakes last month, Big Brown went five-eighths of a mile in a slow 1 minute, 6.71 seconds at Aqueduct in New York.

• Sports Digest

  July 2, 2008

  Baron Davis shocked the Golden State Warriors by opting out of his contract Monday. Imagine their surprise now.

• Ravens say Martin was detained at airport

  July 1, 2008

  A Ravens spokesman told The Sun yesterday that cornerback Derrick Martin told team officials he was detained at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport over the weekend on charges of possessing marijuana.

• United tops Galaxy, Beckham to remain hot

  June 30, 2008

  The Los Angeles Galaxy wilted in the heat during David Beckham's annual visit to the nation's capital - hardly the best scenario against a D.C. United team that is scoring goals in bunches.

• Sports Digest

  June 29, 2008

• Trainer Dutrow tired of 'negative stuff'

  June 28, 2008

  Hagerstown native Rick Dutrow is still wondering what went wrong with Big Brown in the Belmont Stakes. He's also wondering why everyone seems to be ganging up on him.

• Nets trade Jefferson to Bucks

  June 27, 2008

  The Milwaukee Bucks traded forwards Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons to the New Jersey Nets for forward Richard Jefferson yesterday.

• Study: Test won't spot athletes' drug use

  June 26, 2008

  Athletes who want to cheat by injecting themselves with a performance-enhancing drug that boosts their blood cell count can do so with little risk of getting caught, a new study indicates, possibly exposing another flaw in what is regarded as the world's toughest anti-doping program.

• Doctor: Woods' surgery goes well

  June 25, 2008

  Tiger Woods had reconstructive surgery on his left knee yesterday in Utah to repair a torn ligament, and doctors said it was "highly unlikely" there would be any long-term effects.

• Imus' thoughts on Dallas' A. Jones create stir

  June 24, 2008

  Don Imus has again injected race into his radio show.

• Johnson, Liukin off to Games

  June 23, 2008

  Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin earned guaranteed spots on the U.S. women's gymnastics team last night in Philadelphia after finishing 1-2 at the Olympic trials - the same places they had at the national championships two weeks ago.

• Big Brown to race in Haskell in August

  June 20, 2008

  Big Brown is going back to the races, his next start set for the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 3.

• Mount Pleasant GC ranked 12th

  June 18, 2008

  Mount Pleasant Golf Course in Baltimore has been ranked the 12th-best municipal facility in the country by Golfweek magazine.

• Miami, Gutierrez hang on in CWS

  June 17, 2008

  Carlos Gutierrez got the job done this time.

• G. Gilchrist chooses to play at South Florida

  June 16, 2008

  Gus Gilchrist, who left the Maryland men's basketball team this month after never playing a game for the Terps, has selected South Florida.

• Broadcaster C. Jones dies at 77

  June 14, 2008

  Charlie Jones, the deep-voiced sportscaster whose career as a play-by-play announcer spanned 38 years for ABC and NBC, has died. He was 77.

• Disgruntled receiver Johnson shows up for Bengals minicamp

  June 13, 2008

  Chad Johnson showed up for the start of the Cincinnati Bengals' mandatory minicamp yesterday. Beyond that, nothing was clear.

• Prado to ride Casino Drive in Belmont

  May 29, 2008

  Edgar Prado was selected to ride Casino Drive, adding another element of intrigue to the Belmont Stakes.

• Sports Digest

  May 28, 2008

  The New York Jets signed free-agent running back Musa Smith yesterday.

• Danowski wins Player of the Year

  May 27, 2008

  Duke senior attackman Matt Danowski has been named the recipient of the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award as the National Player of the Year, the organization announced yesterday.

• Hamilton wins Formula One race in Monaco

  May 26, 2008

  Lewis Hamilton never doubted that he would win the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. The McLaren driver just didn't envision having to survive so many accidents to do it.

• 'Pacman' Jones pays debt

  May 24, 2008

  Suspended Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones paid $20,000 to a Las Vegas casino yesterday to settle a criminal bad check case.

• Hamm hurt at gym nationals

  May 23, 2008

  Defending Olympic champion Paul Hamm said he might not compete tomorrow after injuring a hand on the parallel bars, his final event of last night at the U.S. gymnastics championships in Houston.

• NASCAR's Wheeler retires

  May 22, 2008

  Humpy Wheeler announced his retirement as president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., yesterday, ending a 33-year career as one of NASCAR's top promoters.

• Davenport out of French Open

  May 21, 2008

  Former No. 1 Lindsay Davenport has pulled out of the French Open, the only Grand Slam singles event she hasn't won.

• Two Salisbury lacrosse players suspended

  May 20, 2008

  Zach Krissoff and Riley Clark, the starting and backup goalkeepers for the Salisbury men's lacrosse team, were suspended for the rest of the season after being arrested Saturday and charged with vandalism.

• Phelps tops Peirsol in 100 back, caps big meet

  May 19, 2008

  Michael Phelps of Rodgers Forge ended his drought against Aaron Peirsol and is ready to start turning his attention toward the U.S. Olympic trials.

• Sports Digest

  May 16, 2008

  One of five suspects charged in the slaying of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor has pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree murder and burglary.

• NCAA has 'new' Mayo info

  May 14, 2008

  Saying the NCAA has "new information," president Myles Brand promised to investigate former Southern California basketball star O.J. Mayo, who allegedly received thousands of dollars in gifts from money given to an event promoter by a sports agency.

• Sports Digest

  May 13, 2008

  Tiger Woods is chipping and putting again, and he hopes to play in the Memorial in two weeks.

• Federer loses in Rome Masters quarters

  May 10, 2008

  What was once almost unthinkable in tennis now happens more and more often: Roger Federer loses.

• Safina shocks Henin at German Open

  May 9, 2008

  Top-ranked Justine Henin was upset by Dinara Safina, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1, yesterday in the third round of the German Open in Berlin.

• Sports Digest

  May 8, 2008

  Paul Maurice was fired as coach of the Maple Leafs yesterday after Toronto failed to make the playoffs during his two years. The dismissal was the first big move in what is expected to be an active offseason for the team.

• Sports Digest

  May 7, 2008

  Jacksonville State coach Jack Crowe has spoken to the family of former LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux about a possible transfer to a Football Championship Subdivision team with no scholarship quarterbacks on the roster.

• Sports Digest

  May 6, 2008

  Sean Schimmel has been selected as coach of the Maryland men's and women's swimming and diving program, athletic director Deborah Yow said yesterday.

• Tennessee kicks 2 off men's basketball team

  May 3, 2008

  Tennessee men's basketball sophomore forward Duke Crews and sophomore guard Ramar Smith were dismissed from the team.

• Alleged shooter says 'Pacman' framed him

  May 2, 2008

  A man charged with shooting three people outside a Las Vegas strip club last year has denied he was involved and accused Adam "Pacman" Jones of ordering the shooting and framing him to avoid identifying the real shooter.

• Sports Digest

  April 30, 2008

  The Buffalo Bills will receive $78 million -- more than double their calculated 2006 operating income -- to play eight games in Toronto over the next five years.

• Vasquez to remain with Terps

  April 29, 2008

  The Maryland basketball team has retained a key player but lost another who decided to transfer.

• Sports Digest

  April 28, 2008

  Rafael Nadal won his first championship of the season yesterday, defeating Roger Federer yet again on clay to claim his fourth consecutive Monte Carlo Masters title in Monaco.

• Hansbrough returning to North Carolina

  April 26, 2008

  Forward Tyler Hansbrough, the Associated Press National Player of the Year, said yesterday that he will return for his senior year at North Carolina.

• Okla. gets '05 wins back

  February 23, 2008

  The NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee released a ruling yesterday reinstating Oklahoma's eight wins from its 2005 Holiday Bowl season.

• Churchill Downs to observe Barbaro anniversary

  January 29, 2008

  Barbaro's owners will return to Churchill Downs today to honor the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner on the first anniversary of his death.

• Vick goes to Kan. prison to serve sentence

  January 8, 2008

  Michael Vick left Richmond, Va., yesterday, being transferred to a Kansas prison to serve the rest of his 23-month sentence on a federal dogfighting charge.

• Sports Digest

  December 8, 2007

  • Swimming // Katie Hoff of Towson set two American records at last night's North Baltimore Aquatic Club Christmas Meet at the Naval Academy. She finished the 1,000-yard freestyle in 9:10.77, beating the old record by 11 seconds. She had a time of 1:53.77 in the 200 IM.

• No federal probe of Nifong

  December 6, 2007

  The Department of Justice will not investigate former Duke lacrosse prosecutor Mike Nifong for his handling of the case, a spokesman for the federal agency said yesterday.

• Sports Digest

  September 2, 2007

• Sports Digest

  August 29, 2007

• Sports Digest

  August 28, 2007

• Sports Digest

  August 26, 2007

• Sports Digest

  August 26, 2007

• Sports Digest

  April 13, 2007

• Sports Digest

  November 21, 2006

• Sports Digest

  October 13, 2006

• Sports Digest

  May 21, 2006

• Sports Digest

  February 5, 2006

• Sports Digest

  February 4, 2006

• Sports Digest

  December 3, 2005

• Sports Digest

  June 27, 2005

  Phelps finishes third in 100-meter freestyle