LOCAL

LOCAL
Swogger delaysenrollment at WSU
PULLMAN, Wash. -- Josh Swogger, Ursuline High High's standout quarterback last season, has delayed enrollment at Washington State University until January, and won't be playing against Purdue in the Sun Bowl New Year's Eve.
"We were recruiting two quarterbacks last year thinking that at least one of them would come in, but both came in," said a spokesman from the WSU sports information office, referring to Swogger and Chris Hurd of Antioch, Calif.
"[Hurd] was the first to commit and so we asked Josh to wait and not to enroll until January, so they [both QBs] would not be part of the same class. So he decided to do that and won't enroll until January.
The spokesman said Swogger is considered to be a "gray shirt," which is someone who elects to wait a year to enroll. But, "They think highly of them both."
WSU (9-2) and Purdue (6-5) will play next Monday in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Tex., at noon.
REGION
Pirates end talkswith Jeff Shaw
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have broken off contract talks with Jeff Shaw.
Shaw, who had 43 saves with Los Angeles last season, is looking to sign with a team close to his home in Washington Court House, Ohio.
Pittsburgh has only three pitchers on its 40-man roster with a major league save: right-handers Mike Fetters and Sean Lowe and left-hander Scott Sauerbeck.
NATION
Vandy hiresFurman's coach
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Bobby Johnson was hired as Vanderbilt's football coach after coaching Furman for the last eight years, including a spot in this season's Division I-AA title game.
He signed a five-year contract and replaces Woody Widenhofer, who resigned after five years with the Commodores.
Johnson inherits the worst football program in the Southeastern Conference. The Commodores have won only four SEC games in five years and finished their 19th consecutive losing season, going 2-9 and winless in league play.
Johnson had a record of 60-36 the past eight seasons as coach of Furman. The Paladins lost 13-6 to Montana on Friday night in the I-AA championship game.
Johnson won his second conference title with the Paladins this season. He had six winning seasons and two league titles as Furman's coach and helped win 10 Southern titles during three different stints at the school over 24 years.
Johnson will get to coach against his former team Sept. 7 when Vanderbilt opens at home against Furman.
O'Leary liedto 'puff' bio
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- George O'Leary says he lied about playing football at New Hampshire to pad his biography in the media guide when he was hired as an assistant coach at Syracuse.
The incorrect information was inserted "really, at that time, to puff my bio," O'Leary told ESPN in an interview aired early Monday.
O'Leary, who attended New Hampshire for two years and never played in a game, said the lie never helped him get a job.
He resigned as Notre Dame's football coach Dec. 14 -- five days after he was hired away from Georgia Tech -- because of revelations he lied about his academic and athletic background.
O'Leary said he's not sure why a false claim that he had a master's degree in education from New York University was printed in the 1987 Georgia Tech media guide. He said it must have been from word of mouth.
Still, he said he should have fixed the lie.
"It's something I should have cleaned up, no question about it," he said. "I'm wrong in not doing that. But in my mind, it had no significance in what I was being hired for."
Inventor of skatesharpener dies
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Arthur Peterson, who invented the E-Z Sharp skate sharpening machine used by pro and college hockey teams, municipal arenas and sporting goods stores, died at 95.
He died Friday after a yearlong battle with prostate cancer.
Peterson began making the sharpeners in his basement to sharpen skates for his children, his son Richard recalled. The business grew as others began asking him to make sharpeners.
After he retired as a machinist in St. Paul at 65, Peterson devoted himself full time to skate sharpening. He worked with his son Glenn, who moved the business to Stacy.
Peterson also invented a depth finder for use in fishing.
In addition to two sons, he is survived by two daughters, 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
WORLD
Japanese catcherwon't play in U.S.
TOKYO -- Japanese catcher Motonobu Tanishige is not headed to the major leagues after all.
Tanishige, who filed for free agency with hopes of signing with a big league team, has accepted an offer from the Chunichi Dragons of Japan's Central League, club officials said Monday.
Tanishige, who previously played for the Yokohama BayStars, traveled to the United States earlier this month to meet with several major league teams.
The Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres were reportedly interested in the 31-year-old catcher.
Vindicator staff/wire reports