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Former Masters stardies of Alzheimers
COPLEY -- Herman Keiser, who won the 1946 Masters Tournament after leading from the third hole of the first round, has died from complications of Alzheimer's Disease, his daughter said Thursday. He was 89.
Keiser died Wednesday at an assisted living home in suburban Akron, his daughter, Diane Parker, said.
Keiser won the Masters by one stroke over heavily favored Ben Hogan. It was his third Masters and the first after World War II, where he served nearly three years in the Navy, Parker said. He won five PGA events in his career, playing his last Masters in 1974.
He closed his victory with a final-round 74 and held off Hogan, who missed a two-foot putt on the final green.
Keiser earned $2,500 for winning and said he made about $1,000 on side bets. His daughter said he felt bitter about the way he was treated. He wasn't paired in the final group even though he had led the tournament since the opening round.
However, he enjoyed the annual Champions Dinner, going every year until last year, Parker said. His second-best Masters finish was a tie for 10th in 1948.
Keiser, a Springfield, Mo., native moved to northeast Ohio in 1940, becoming an assistant pro at Portage Country Club and later was the head pro at Firestone Country Club in Akron.
He never finished high school, but learned golf as a longtime caddie and teacher, Parker said. Among his students was Jack Stewart, the father of the late U.S. Open champion Payne Stewart.
Keiser also played in the 1947 Ryder Cup in Portland, Ore., a team captained by Hogan. While the United States won 11-1, Keiser's 4 and 3 loss to Sam King in singles prevented a clean sweep.
He also played on a northern Ohio pro tour and took part in senior events in Florida, Parker said.
Survivors include his daughter, sons Herman Jr., Greg and Dean, and three grandsons.
Kobe Bryant admitshe's sometimes scared
Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant said in a televised interview Thursday night that he sometimes becomes distracted or scared as he fights a felony sexual assault charge.
"You're just ... living in a nightmare and just can't really wake up out of it," Bryant said in the interview broadcast on ABC at halftime of the Lakers' 99-87 loss to Houston.
Bryant is charged with attacking a 19-year-old employee at a Colorado resort in June. He has said the two had consensual sex.
Asked if he has trouble keeping his mind on basketball during games, Bryant said: "Sometimes it wanders and I have to try to bring myself back to center. It's human nature, I guess."
He said he is sometimes "a little bit" scared.
"If you can't control, you just kind of have to let it go. And at times that can be extremely difficult but, you know, you do it," he said.
Bryant is scheduled to return to Eagle, Colo., for another hearing Jan. 23. He faces four years to life in prison or 20 years to life on probation if convicted.
Two Texans finedfor Horn imitation
HOUSTON -- The NFL has fined Houston Texans quarterback David Carr and center Steve McKinney for spoofing New Orleans receiver Joe Horn's cell-phone call in the end zone.
The amount of the fines was not immediately known.
Horn was fined $30,000 by the NFL on Dec. 16 for his choreographed celebration during New Orleans' victory over the New York Giants on Dec. 14. Horn made an end-zone call after teammate Michael Lewis handed him a phone that had been stashed under the padding used to protect the goal post.
On Sunday, Carr and McKinney acted as if a cell phone was stashed underneath the goal post padding after Carr's 20-yard touchdown pass to Corey Bradford against Tennessee.
"Whatever. The league's being the league and we'll appeal it and probably get our money back," McKinney said. "I don't care. It was fun. If we do have to pay it, I think David should have to pay for it. I was kind of an innocent bystander really."
Not exactly. McKinney knelt to playfully search for the nonexistent phone under the padding while Carr, standing behind him, signaled to the home fans that there would be no repeat of Horn's antics.
McKinney said he and Carr crafted their performance in the huddle just before the TD throw.
"We were just having some fun. We weren't trying to hurt anyone's feelings," Carr said. "We were trying to be character guys and standup guys for the NFL, and it didn't work out that way. What are you going to do?
"Thanks NFL. I appreciate it. I really do."
The league has been cracking down on a rash of prop-oriented jubilation in the last two years. It started last season when San Francisco receiver Terrell Owens whipped out a Sharpie pen and signed a ball after a TD.
The prop wars escalated two weeks ago with Horn's stunt and a similar one by Cincinnati receiver Chad Johnson, who scored and held up a handmade sign that read: "Dear NFL: Please don't fine me again." No such luck. He was hit for $10,000.
Pacers activate guard
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers activated guard Jamaal Tinsley, who expects to play for the first time in nearly two months today at Milwaukee.
Tinsley came off the bench in the season's first two games before being placed on the injured list in November with a sore back. A severe case of the flu slowed his return.
He has played in only four games this season, averaging 1.8 points. He will back up Anthony Johnson, who is expected to start at point guard.
Tinsley replaces Kenny Anderson, expected to miss at least five games with a strained right calf muscle. Anderson is averaging 6.5 points and 3.1 assists for the Pacers.
Vindicator staff/wire reports