AREA

AREA

No Curbstone

YOUNGSTOWN — There will be no Curbstone Coaches meeting Monday because of the Thanksgiving holiday,

Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams will be the guest speaker at the Curbstone Coaches meeting at Blue Wolf Catering Center Dec. 3 at noon.

NATION

Couples increases
Skins Games bankroll

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Fred Couples rolled in a 35-yard, curling shot from a bunker Saturday to win $75,000 and top the earnings on the first day of the LG Skins Game.

His eagle on the par-5, 501-yard fourth hole was worth three skins and the money grew when the previous two holes were tied. Defending champion Stephen Ames was the only other player to win a skin over the first nine holes of the two-day, 18-hole event. He picked up $25,000 by making a 6-footer for birdie on the first hole.

Skins Game rookies Zach Johnson, this year’s Masters Champion, and Brett Wetterich were shut out on opening day.

The made-for-TV event is in its 25th year, and Couples is playing for the 14th time. He’s the five-time tournament champion and has won 89 skins and more than $3.9 million, all topping the Skins Game list. Most of the prize money remained up for grabs since the other five holes were tied on the first day. When the foursome tees off on No. 10 today, that hole alone will be worth $270,000, and $900,000 of the $1 million purse will be at stake.

Couples’ shot out of the sand was the highlight on a day when none of the four played especially well, at times making the relatively short, new course at Indian Wells Golf Resort resemble a grueling U.S. Open layout.

Couples made his money-winning shot after a rough trip from the tee. His drive strayed left and struck a spectator’s bag, but the ball bounced into the fairway. He then hit a 3-iron into the bunker behind the green before holing out to take the skins.

When the ball dropped on what seemed almost its final turn, Couples raised his arms in celebration, then added a brief end zone-type hip wiggle in the sand.

As Couples walked onto the green, some fresh bounce in his step, Johnson bowed to him a couple of times, honoring the player known as “King of the Skins.”

The first six holes are worth $25,000, and Nos. 7-12 $50,000 apiece. The 13th through 17th carry a prize of $70,000 and No. 18 is worth $200,000.

A player takes a skin by winning a hole. If the hole is tied by any of the players, the money carries over and all four remain in the hunt. If there is a tie on the 18th, the players who tied enter a playoff.

Along with the $75,000 he won on No. 4, Couples got a bonus. Title sponsor LG had offered $50,000 in products for an eagle on either of the two par 5s on the course.

Dennis Rodman
accused of assault

LAS VEGAS — A former beverage manager at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas has sued Dennis Rodman, claiming the former NBA star assaulted her in March 2006 by rubbing up against her body and slapping her on the buttocks.

In her federal lawsuit filed this week, Sara Robinson also accused her former employer of retaliating against her after she complained about Rodman’s behavior.

Rodman spokeswoman Shannon Barr declined to comment Saturday.

In her complaint, Robinson said she was working in the resort’s Cuba Libre bar when Rodman, a hotel guest, began “making a scene” by trying to climb atop the bar after failing to gain her full attention.

“As Robinson stepped around the bar, Rodman grabbed her, pulled her towards him and rubbed his body against hers,” the lawsuit alleges. “Robinson tried to get free from Rodman’s grasp at which time he assaulted her by reaching down and slapping her open-handed on the bottom.”

The complaint, which seeks unspecified damages, claims Robinson was fired after she filled out a voluntary statement detailing Rodman’s actions in a subsequent incident at the same bar the next month. The document accuses Rodman of assault and battery, and the Hard Rock Hotel of negligence by failing to protect her from Rodman’s “harassing conduct,” the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

The 46-year-old Rodman is no stranger to lawsuits in Las Vegas. Four women earlier sued him, accusing him of grabbing their breasts at the Las Vegas Hilton in 1998.

In 2001, a district court jury awarded former Mirage craps dealer James Brasich $80,000 in another case against Rodman.

Brasich said Rodman humiliated him by rubbing dice on his head, chest, stomach and genitals during an October 1997 craps game.

Benny the Bull
wins DeFrancis Dash

LAUREL, Md. — Benny the Bull won the Grade I $250,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash on Saturday, beating Talent Search by 11⁄2 lengths at Laurel Park.

Benny the Bull, ridden by Edgar Prado, ran 6 furlongs in 1:9.86 seconds, and paid $4.60, $2.40 and $2.10. Talent Search returned $3 and $2.10, and Miraculous Miss paid $2.20 to show. Prado won 10 riding titles at Laurel between 1989 and 1999 before moving on to become one of the leading riders in the country. Benny the Bull earned $150,000 for owner IEAH Stables, a racing syndicate based in New York, and part owner James Pegasus Holding. The 4-year-old has won five of 13 lifetime starts and earned $468,550.

WORLD

Liverpool manager
doubts owner’s savvy

NEWCASTLE, England — Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez said the club’s American owners need a better understanding of the European soccer transfer market.

Benitez reportedly is feuding with George Gillett Jr. and Tom Hicks over how much money the coach can spend on new signings during January’s transfer window.

“They don’t understand what the transfer window means in Europe,” Benitez said after Liverpool won 3-0 at Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday. “They need to understand how difficult it is to sign players.

“I was trying to explain, now we try to keep focus and win games. If they understand what the market means they will understand we are trying to do the best for the club.”

European soccer teams can trade players only during transfer periods in January and the offseason in July and August.

Gillett, owner of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens, and Hicks, owner of baseball’s Texas Rangers, bought Liverpool in March.

Vindicator staff/wire reports