PAVLIK

PAVLIK

Fight tickets on sale today

YOUNGSTOWN — About 400 floor-level tickets, priced at $150 each, for the Feb. 21 Kelly Pavlik middleweight boxing title bout at the Chevrolet Centre will go on sale at 10 a.m. today.

The $150 tickets go on sale through ticketmaster.com; Ticketmaster’s locations including Giant Eagle and Macy’s; charge by telephone at (800) 754-3000; or at the center’s box office. There’s a limit of four tickets per purchase.

area

Boardman’s Avona chooses CSU

BOARDMAN — Boardman senior Jaime Avona will continue her soccer career at Cleveland State.

Avona, a three-year starter, was second team All-Ohio as a senior and third team as a junior. She was a first team all-district and all-Federal League selection the past two seasons as a midfielder.

Avona, who has a 3.9 grade point average, plans to major in speech and audiology.

Phantoms get Bussell

BOARDMAN — The Mahoning Valley Phantoms acquired Motor City forward Josh Bussell in exchange for first-year defenseman Dustin Hopfner.

In 33 games, Bussell has racked up 16 goals and 13 assists with the Machine and the Marquette Rangers—the team with which he started the season.

Bussell is a second-year player in the NAHL, playing in Marquette for his rookie season, 2007-2008. He was the Rangers’ second-leading scorer that year with 22 goals and 22 assists in 57 games.

state

Tribe gives Chulk minor league deal

CLEVELAND — Free agent reliever Vinnie Chulk agreed Tuesday to a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians and will report to the team’s major league spring training camp.

Chulk has a 7-14 career record with a 4.36 ERA in 244 games with Toronto and San Francisco from 2003-08. He was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 12th round in 2000.

The 30-year-old right-hander began last season on the 15-day disabled list with a shoulder injury. He went 0-3 in 27 appearances for the Giants and sent outright to Triple-A Fresno on July 1. Chulk went 0-1 with a 3.65 ERA and two saves in two starts and 20 relief appearances with the Grizzlies.

nation

WNBA All-Star game

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The WNBA’s All-Star game is returning to Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Arena, the second visit to the resort casino in four years.

League president Donna Orender says the arena, home of the Connecticut Sun, was chosen in large part because of the state’s dedicated women’s basketball fan base.

The top-ranked Connecticut Huskies play about 40 minutes away.

The game will be played July 25. The All-Star game also was played in Connecticut in 2005.

World Cup qualifier

CHICAGO — The United States will play its home World Cup qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago at Nashville, Tenn., on April 1.

The U.S. team, trying to qualify for its sixth straight World Cup, opens the final round of North and Central American and Caribbean region on Feb. 11 against Mexico at Columbus, Ohio.

It plays at El Salvador on March 28 before hosting the Soca Warriors.

Fujikawa pleads guilty

HONOLULU — The father of Hawaii teenage pro golfer Tadd Fujikawa has pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree drug trafficking.

Each count carries a minimum sentence of one year in prison. Circuit Court Judge Steven S. Alm set sentencing for April 6.

The judge says he’s inclined to set a sentence on the low end of what’s required because Derrick Fujikawa has no prior record.

Tadd Fujikawa and his mother accompanied his 45-year-old father.

Empire State Run-Up

NEW YORK — Thomas Dold of Germany and Suzy Walsham of Singapore have repeated as winners of the Empire State Building Run-Up in New York City.

In his fourth consecutive victory, the 24-year-old Dold raced up the 86 flights in 10 minutes, 7 seconds, beating his previous best by one second.

The course record is 9:33, set by Paul Crake in 2003.

The 35-year-old Walsham, a native of Australia, earned her third consecutive win.

She climbed the 1,576 steps in 13 minutes, 27 seconds, despite a fall before entering the stairwell.

world

Miller relishing low expectations at worlds

VAL D’ISERE, France — Bode Miller is winless this season and relishing the idea that expectations are low heading into the world championships.

Miller’s best results include three runner-up finishes since being hampered by a sore ankle from a crash in December in Beaver Creek, Colo. With a slalom win at worlds, Miller could become the first male skier to earn gold in all five individual events.

Vindicator staff/wire reports