area

area

Curbstone hall

YOUNGSTOWN — There will be fifteen members enshrined into the Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame at a banquet to be held May 3 at Mr. Anthony’s.

The class includes Dick Angle (football), Dana Balash (sports media award), Mark Calcagni (football), Jim Dodge (bowling), Dr. John F. Geletka (contribution to sports), Bob Krizancic (basketball), Jack Loew (boxing), John Mang (special award), Helen Kravec Mays (bowling), Robert McClaren (contribution to sports), Harry Meshel (contribution to sports), Jerry Olsavsky (football), George Repasky (baseball), Robert Tinkey (baseball) and Denny Barrett (posthumous selection, sports media).

For ticket information, call (330) 726-9829.

Pavlik autographs

BOARDMAN — Boxer Kelly Pavlik will sign autographs on his “Affliction” clothes line at Dillards inside Southern Park Mall from 1 p.m. to 4 today.

Canfield blanked

BOARDMAN — In a high school hockey match Friday, Bay Village defeated Canfield, 5-0.

Luke Heberle scored twice while Dan Pailes, Buddy Martin and Matt Mclaughlin each had one goal for Bay (24-3-2, 8-0-1 GCHSL Blue South).

Canfield is 9-12, 3-5.

nation

Celtics cut mascot

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics have cut their acrobatic, high-flying leprechaun mascot, Lucky.

The defending NBA champions and Damon Lee Blust, who plays Lucky, announced in separate statements Thursday they were parting ways immediately.

The team said the sides had “mutually agreed to relieve Damon from his contract.” The Celtics did not say if Blust would be replaced.

Lilly of Paradise

NEW YORK — Lilly of Paradise rallied to beat She’s Prime by three quarters of a length Friday in the $44,000 allowance feature for 3-year-old New York bred fillies at Aqueduct.

Jorge Chavez rode for trainer Dominick Schettino as Lilly of Paradise improved to 2-for-8 with a second straight win. The time was 1:41.99 for the mile on the fast track.

Lilly of Paradise paid $18, $6.50 and $3.90. She’s Prime, the 7-5 favorite, returned $3.10 and $2.40. Kiss and Fly paid $3.40 to show.

PGA tour sues resort

The PGA Tour has sued Ginn Resorts, citing breach of contract after the real estate company dropped sponsorship of the Champions Tour Ginn Championship.

PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw says in a statement Friday that the tour regrets taking legal action but feels it has no other recourse. The tour adds that it wants to try to recover what it says had been guaranteed its members through agreements with Ginn.

The lawsuit was filed in Florida and was first reported by the Florida Times-Union.

world

No joint soccer bid

ASUNCION, Paraguay — The president of soccer’s governing body ruled out joint bids to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said FIFA’s executive committee decided that as long as there is a viable individual bid, “double candidacies will not be accepted.”

The U.S. Soccer Federation said Thursday it plans simultaneous bids for both years. Four bids from Europe had been expected to be submitted by Monday’s deadline: England, Spain/Portugal, Netherlands/Belgium/Luxembourg and Russia.

Loeb leads rally

SLIGO, Ireland — Defending champion Sebastien Loeb took a 44.4-second lead Friday over Citroen teammate Dani Sordo after the first day of the World Rally Championship.

Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen was third — 20 seconds behind Sordo — heading into today’s stages around Sloughan Glen and Ballinamallard in the season-opener.

Loeb, pursuing a sixth World Rally Championship title, recovered after problems with the tires and brakes.

Vancouver organizers check finances

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The organizing committee for the 2010 Winter Olympics increased its budget and cut spending to address rising costs in the faltering economy.

Organizers say the $1.63 billion budget released Friday, which is up $104 million from the original budget developed two years ago, reflects a better sense of costs in the current economy.

To cover some of the higher costs, the organizing committee (VANOC), had tapped about half of its $81 million contingency fund.

Sochi Games a go

SOCHI, Russia — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin assured the International Olympic Committee on Friday that Russia’s economic troubles will not jeopardize state funding for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The liquidity crisis that has hit Russia amid the global meltdown has caused concern about its ability to pay for the games in the Black Sea resort city where most of the facilities must be built from scratch.

Vindicator staff/wire reports