Bonds says he's enjoying life away from baseball
baseball
Barry Bonds made a rare public appearance yesterday and said he is enjoying life away from baseball. "I'm happy now that I have more time," Bonds told the crowd at the kickoff event of the Macy's Christmas tree lighting in San Francisco. "I've actually enjoyed myself immensely." Bonds, honorary chair of this year's lighting, did not talk to reporters and left quickly after giving a brief speech during the 30-minute ceremony. Lights adorning the large tree in Union Square are sold to benefit the University of California-San Francisco Children's Hospital palliative care program. Bonds was questioned by a young patient about a comeback. "I had fun," Bonds said. "But I like my freedom."
Mets:: Reliever Ambiorix Burgos, 24, turned himself in a week after police said he was involved in the Sept. 30 hit-and-run accident that killed two women in the Dominican Republic. Authorities were interviewing him, prosecutor Raul Quiroz told the Associated Press. The news comes after the mother of one of the victims accused Burgos of intentionally running her daughter over because she refused to go out with him. Eudosia Ruane, mother of Angely Fana, 29, told the AP she filed a police report alleging homicide.
Et cetera: : Yankees closer Mariano Rivera had surgery to shave a calcified joint on the top of his right shoulder and is expected to resume throwing in three months, a month ahead of spring training. ... Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol suffered minor injuries in a car accident in the Dominican Republic. A Cubs representative said Marmol received seven stitches in his forehead but is otherwise healthy. ... Indians designated hitter Travis Hafner might need right shoulder surgery after a disappointing end-of-the-season physical exam that found strength did not return to his strained right shoulder in the levels the club had hoped after the extended rehabilitation, general manager Mark Shapiro said. ... Hitting coach Alan Cockrell, third base coach Mike Gallego and bench coach Jamie Quirk were not offered contracts by the Rockies. ... Omar Vizquel, the 11-time Gold Glove shortstop who will be looking for work this winter, is recovering from laser surgery on his right eye. "All went well," Vizquel said in an e-mail.
Hall of Famer Baylor out as Clippers executive
nba
Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor is out as vice president of basketball operations with the Los Angeles Clippers, and coach Mike Dunleavy will assume his responsibilities as general manager. Dunleavy said Baylor decided to resign after spending 22 years as an executive with the team. Baylor, 74, became vice president of basketball operations with the Clippers in 1986 after an outstanding 14-year playing career with the Lakers and a brief stint as coach of the New Orleans Jazz. Baylor was named NBA Executive of the Year after the 2005-06 season, but the Clippers have been one of the NBA's least successful franchises over the years. Neil Oshley, the team's director of player personnel, will be elevated to assistant GM.
Wizards: : Forward Antawn Jamison left a 108-82 preseason loss to the host Mavericks with a strained right knee. Jamison, who averaged 21.4 points and 10.2 rebounds last season, will have a magnetic resonance imaging today.
Lakers: : A woman has been charged with stalking forward Luke Walton. Stacy Elizabeth Beshear of El Segundo was arrested Sept. 18 after she pulled up to his car and pretended to fire gunshots at him with her hand, police Sgt. Steve Tobias said. Beshear, 34, has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor count of stalking. A Nov. 6 trial date has been set. She faces up to a year in county jail if convicted. Walton said Beshear has been harassing him since late last year.
Magic: : Orlando picked up the $2.8 million option on former Duke star J.J. Redick for next season.
Breeders' Cup horses will face drug testing
et cetera
Horses pre-entered in the 14 Breeders' Cup races to be run Oct. 24-25 at Santa Anita Park will face drug testing ahead of racing's richest event. Horses will be selected randomly for testing from the pre-entry lists to be released Tuesday, the California Horse Racing Board announced. The testing will specifically target EPO, darbepoetin and other blood-doping agents that are typically administered days or weeks before competition and are not usually detectable in testing traditionally done shortly after the race. Trainers of horses that test positive for anabolic steroids will face a one-year suspension from the event, and three-time violators will be banned for life, according to new rules this year.
Olympics: : International gymnastics officials aren't the only ones who want more information on two members of China's 2000 Olympic team. The Chinese Gymnastics Association is doing its own investigation into the ages of Dong Fangxiao and Yang Yun, spokeswoman Zhou Qiurui said. New information suggests the two could have been as young as 14 at the Sydney Olympics, where China won the bronze medal. Gymnasts have to be 16 during the Olympic year to compete. ... The future of men's road cycling in the Olympics could be threatened unless the sport cleans up its doping record. Thomas Bach, vice president of the International Olympic Committee, said the latest Tour de France doping revelations have further damaged the sport's credibility and called its Olympic status into question.
College football: : Navy's Matt Harmon was named the Lou Groza Placekicker of the Week for the second time this season after tying a school record with four field goals and kicking both of his team's extra points in Saturday's 33-27 win over Air Force. ... Colorado coach Dan Hawkins and the university have agreed to a contract extension that could keep him with the Buffaloes through 2012. ... Virginia Tech wide receiver Ike Whitaker is scheduled to appear in court next month after being charged Friday with public swearing and intoxication.
Budko: : Walt Budko, a former player-coach of the Baltimore Bullets, was inducted into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame on Thursday. The sixth overall pick in the 1948 NBA draft, Budko played professionally for four seasons, including one as player-coach of the Bullets. Budko lives in Timonium.
Tennis: : Eighth-ranked Venus Williams was upset in the opening round at the Kremlin Cup, losing, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, to 18th-ranked Flavia Pennetta in Moscow. Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva won their first-round matches. On the men's side, the winners included two-time defending champion Nikolay Davydenko and Marat Safin.
Auto racing: : Patrick Carpentier was released from Gillett Evernham Motorsports. Mike Wallace and AJ Allmendinger will finish the season in the No. 10 Dodge. ... The Canadian Grand Prix was dropped from Formula One's 2009 calendar, leaving North America without a race on the circuit. The inaugural Abu Dhabi GP was added to the 2009 schedule.
NHL: : Alex Ovechkin left practice early, but the reigning NHL Most Valuable Player is expected to play in the Washington Capitals' season opener Friday at Atlanta. The team said he has a nagging injury. ... Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, who cleared waivers last week, is expected to start the regular season with the Chicago Blackhawks.