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LeBron James named

CLEVELAND — Cleveland’s All-Star forward LeBron James again has been named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

James averaged an NBA-high 33.7 points, 8.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds in three wins with the Cavaliers last week.

He has won the player of the week award 15 times in his career, including twice this month for leading the Cavaliers (8-2) to seven consecutive wins.

James scored 41 points for the third time this season against Milwaukee last Tuesday and became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1991 to reach the 40-point mark at least three times in the first eight games of a season.

Denver Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups was named the Western Conference’s player of the Week.

Correction

Ursuline sophomore Zach Conlan, not Jeff Podolsky, was pictured in the background of a photo in Sunday’s paper.

nation

New Yankee Stadium

NEW YORK — The Chicago Cubs will play the first exhibition games at the new Yankee Stadium, meeting New York on Friday night April 3 and again the following afternoon.

The $1.3 billion ballpark, scheduled for substantial completion by Feb. 17, will host its first regular-season game when the Yankees play Cleveland on April 16.

The Cubs are led by manager Lou Piniella, who won World Series titles with the Yankees in 1977 and 1978.

These will be the Yankees’ first preseason exhibitions at home since a two-game, two-stadium series against the Mets in 1993, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Ticket prices will be announced later.

Fox out of bidding

NEW YORK — Fox Sports says it has decided not to match ESPN’s offer to air the Bowl Championship Series from 2011-14, leaving the door open for the cable network to acquire the rights.

The network released a statement Monday saying it made a “very competitive bid” even with “today’s vast economic uncertainties” but that BCS officials weren’t satisfied.

Fox had a four-year, $320 million deal to broadcast the BCS games from 2007-10.

ESPN is now in prime position to get the bowl games, and has previously met with BCS officials.

The cable network’s broadcast partner ABC already has the rights to the Rose Bowl.

Before Fox snagged the current deal ABC held the rights since 1998, when college football’s major conferences implemented the system to crown a national champion.

Curlin worth $20M

FRANKFORT, Ky. — A thoroughbred appraiser set Curlin’s market value at $20 million Monday and recommended shares of the richest North American racehorse in history be consolidated under primary owner Jess Jackson.

The complicated ownership dispute focuses on a 20 percent interest of the reigning Horse of the Year controlled by William Gallion and Shirley Cunningham Jr. The two disbarred lawyers have been ordered to sell their interest in Curlin to satisfy a $42 million civil judgment won against them by clients they were accused of bilking in a settlement over the diet drug fen-phen.

Circuit judge Roger Crittenden is trying to sort out whether their share of the horse should be sold back to Jackson, who owns the other 80 percent, and for how much. He could rule as early as Dec. 1, when the parties will next appear in court.

Keeneland receipts down 45%

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Receipts for this year’s November Breeding Stock Sale at Keeneland have dropped more than 45 percent from last year.

The sale ended Monday, and officials say 3,019 horses sold for $185,552,300, down 45.6 percent from last year’s record $340,877,200 for 3,381 horses. The average of $61,462 was a decline of 39 percent from $100,821 in 2007.

Keeneland sales director Geoffrey Russell says the lower prices were expected due to overproduction, a situation made worse by the worldwide financial crisis. He says considering the current economic climate, the Keeneland sale was actually solid.

Pete Newell dies at 93

BERKELEY, Calif. — Pete Newell, the Hall of Fame basketball coach who won an NCAA championship and Olympic gold medal and later tutored some of the game’s greatest big men, died Monday. He was 93.

The University of California confirmed his death. Newell coached the Bears to a national title in 1959.

No details were available, but Newell had a serious lung operation in 2005.

Vindicator staff/wire reports