NCAA president Brand has pancreatic cancer
colleges
NCAA president Myles Brand said yesterday that he has pancreatic cancer and his long-term prognosis is "not good." Brand, 66, has led the governing body of college sports since 2003. He disclosed his condition in a written statement to colleagues on the final day of the NCAA convention in Oxon Hill, which he was unable to attend. He said he learned of the diagnosis "very recently." "I have pancreatic cancer," the statement said. "The long-term prognosis is not good. I am currently undergoing chemotherapy, and I am receiving excellent care. I will know in the next several months the success of this treatment." NCAA vice president Wally Renfro delivered the state-of-the-NCAA speech in Brand's place Thursday, although Renfro insisted Brand would remain in charge of the organization with no change in duties.
NCAA convention: : The NCAA will be keeping score on how seriously a coach takes graduation. The organization said it will move ahead with plans to create an Academic Progress Report for coaches, one that could be posted on the Internet for all to see by summer 2010. The NCAA already has an APR for schools, and the same formula would be used for the coaches' APR.
Football: : Marlon Lucky rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown, and the East defense stopped the West three times inside the 10-yard line to secure a 24-19 win in the East-West Shrine Game in Houston. ... Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin hired former St. Louis Rams offensive line coach Jim Chaney as his offensive coordinator.
Baseball: : Texas suspended coach Augie Garrido indefinitely with pay after he was arrested early yesterday in Austin on suspicion of drunken driving. Garrido is the NCAA's career leader with 1,668 victories.
Report: Hamels, Phillies agree on three-year deal
baseball
Cole Hamels has agreed to a three-year, $20.5 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, three people familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press. Hamels and the Phillies avoid a potentially messy arbitration hearing with the deal. Hamels was the Most Valuable Player of Philadelphia's World Series victory over the Tampa Bay Rays and the National League Championship Series. Hamels went 14-10 with a 3.09 ERA during the regular season.
Nowitzki scores 39; Dallas ends 4-game skid
nba
Dirk Nowitzki scored 39 points to help the host Dallas Mavericks (23-17) end a four-game skid with a 115-108 victory over the Utah Jazz (24-17). Jason Terry added 22 points, and Jason Kidd had 11 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds to keep the Mavericks from matching their longest losing skid of the season.
Hornets 91, Pistons 85:: Chris Paul had 23 points and 14 assists to help New Orleans (24-13) hand host Detroit (22-17) its fifth straight loss.
76ers 107, Knicks 97: : Andre Iguodala had 28 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and visiting Philadelphia (20-20) returned to .500 with its seventh straight victory, over New York (15-24).
Celtics: 105, Nets 85: : Ray Allen scored 25 points to lead visiting Boston (33-9) to a win over New Jersey (19-22). Brook Lopez had 28 points for the Nets.
Rockets 93, Heat 86: : Yao Ming set a Rockets record by going 12-for-12 from the field and finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds as host Houston (25-16) defeated Miami (21-18). Dwyane Wade scored 29 points for the Heat.
Magic 106, Nuggets 88: : Hedo Turkoglu scored 31 points, Dwight Howard has 14 points and 20 rebounds, and Orlando (33-8) completed a perfect four-game West Coast trip with a victory over Denver (27-14).
Spurs 92, Bulls 87: : Tony Parker had 20 points and eight assists to carry San Antonio (26-13) past host Chicago (18-23).
Bobcats 102, Trail Blazers 97, OT: : Gerald Wallace had 31 points and 16 rebounds, Emeka Okafor hit the clinching free throws with 2.7 seconds left in overtime and host Charlotte (16-24) beat Portland (24-16) for its third straight win. Before the game, Portland learned that starting point guard Steve Blake (Maryland) could be sidelined up to a month with a right shoulder injury.
Semin's 3rd-period goal ends Capitals' home skid
et cetera
Alexander Semin's goal with 11:48 left in the third period gave the Washington Capitals a 2-1 win over the visiting Boston Bruins. It was his 18th goal of the season and fourth in four games. The unassisted goal broke a tie at 1 and ended the Bruins' seven-game road winning streak. The Capitals, who had lost their previous two home games after going 18-1-1 in their first 20, dominated play in the third period before Semin broke through. Jose Theodore stopped 23 shots for his second straight win. Marc Savard gave Boston a 1-0 lead at 1:49 of the second period. Just 1:10 later, Mike Green tied it with his 12th goal.
Golf: : Tadd Fujikawa made birdies on half of his holes for an 8-under-par 62 that left him two shots out of the lead in sixth place at the Sony Open in Honolulu. Zach Johnson (10-under 200) played bogey-free for a 66 and finished atop a leader board so crowded that a dozen players were separated by three shots. A victory would make Fujikawa, an 18-year-old senior in high school, the youngest winner in PGA Tour history by nearly two years.
Horse racing: : Last in a field of six and pinned down on the rail, Suave Jazz powered through a narrow opening at the furlong pole and drew off to win the $50,000 Fire Plug Stakes at Laurel Park. Ridden by Jeremy Rose, Suave Jazz posted a two-length victory in 1 minute, 10.96 seconds for the six-furlong distance. Yes It's the Truth edged Springs Road for second.
Tennis: : David Nalbandian overcame an inconsistent serve and a string of unforced errors to defeat Jarkko Nieminen, 6-3, 6-7 (9), 6-2, in the Sydney International final. ... Nicolas Kiefer withdrew from the Australian Open because of an injury to his left ankle.
Winter sports: : Lindsey Vonn of the United States won a World Cup super-combined race in 2:40.53 after nearly crashing during a jump in the downhill leg in Zauchensee, Austria. ... Shani Davis of the United States won the 1,000 meters in 1:08.86 at the world sprint speedskating championship in Moscow.