OHIO

OHIO
Cinergy Fieldcomes down Sunday
CINCINNATI -- Explosives experts who will bring down Cinergy Field on Sunday wouldn't mind a little rain to help keep the dust from tons of debris in check.
"That's what we're keeping our fingers crossed for, light rain and no wind," said Jeff Sizemore, project manager for O'Rourke Wrecking Co.
Only a real quirk in the weather -- an 18-inch snow or a thunderstorm with lightning that might set off the charges prematurely -- would pose a problem, Sizemore said.
"If we have a five-minute opening, it doesn't take long -- 37 seconds," he said.
Cinergy Field -- known as Riverfront Stadium when it was built in 1970 -- is scheduled to be brought down at 8 a.m. Sunday, imploding into what was the playing field for the Cincinnati Reds and Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals moved into nearby Paul Brown Stadium in 2000, and the Reds move next door into Great American Ball Park in March.
Protective fabric has been hung around the $280 million Great American Ball Park, and officials say there should be no flying debris or shocks sufficient to damage the new ballpark, the 140-year-old Roebling Suspension Bridge or any nearby buildings.
NATION
Gordon to hostNBC's 'SNL'
HARRISBURG, N.C. -- Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon will host "Saturday Night Live" on Jan. 11.
Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet on the Winston Cup circuit, is excited by the prospect.
"What an honor to be given the chance to host the show," he said Friday. "It should be a great experience, but I don't know what to expect."
But the 31-year-old driver will be ready for just about anything, figuring the night could be as wild as NASCAR's annual all-star race.
"It will probably be a lot like The Winston, 90 minutes of controlled chaos," Gordon said.
Big Ten to ruleon Davis penalty
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Big Ten Conference will decide in the next few days how severely to punish Indiana basketball coach Mike Davis for his outburst at the end of last Saturday's game against Kentucky.
The conference asked Indiana to suspend Davis, and the school delivered its recommended penalty to the league office in Chicago on Friday.
Pack's Sharperis questionable
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers may have to make their final push at securing a first-round bye in the playoffs without Darren Sharper.
The Pro Bowl free safety didn't practice Friday and remains questionable with a sprained ligament in his right knee for Green Bay's regular-season finale Sunday against the New York Jets.
Sharper hasn't practiced all week and did only some light rehabilitation work Friday.
He's expected to test the knee again today, and his status will likely be a game-day decision. If Sharper plays, he will do so with a knee brace.
Rodriguezrebounds
KEARNS, Utah -- Jennifer Rodriguez, who battled post-Olympic burnout by skating professionally in Holland, made a strong bid Friday to earn a berth on the team that will represent the United States at the World Sprint Championships next month.
Rodriguez, the bronze medalist in both the 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters at the 2002 Olympics, won the first of two 1,000-meter sprints this weekend at the U.S. Speedskating Long Distance Championships. She also finished second in the first of two 500-meter races.
In the men's races, Joey Cheek won the 500-meter race in 35.30 seconds, with Nick Pearson second in 35.72 and Chris Callis in third in 36.08 seconds.
In the 1,000, Cheek was first in 1 minute, 8.60 seconds, followed by Callis (1:09.34) and Pearson (1:10.00).
Donnan outfor Kentucky job
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Former Georgia coach Jim Donnan and Central Florida coach Mike Kruczek both withdrew from consideration for the Kentucky job Friday.
Kentucky is seeking a successor to Guy Morriss, who resigned on Dec. 9 to become the coach at Baylor.
The 57-year-old Donnan, who works for ESPN, met with Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart this week but pulled out of the running, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on its Web site Friday.
Wire reports