Sunday, March 22, 2009
local
Gymnast Thompson named All-Big 12
AMES, Iowa — Iowa State senior gymnast Jasmine Thompson from McDonald High has been named to the All-Big 12 Conference women’s gymnastics team for the first time ever in the floor exercise event.
Thompson had a regional qualifying score of 9.880 in the floor exercise, to rank among the top four gymnasts who qualify for the regional in each event.
She tied for the No. 4 spot in floor exercise for the regional, and also is ranked No. 20 in the nation in the event.
Thompson’s highest floor exercise score this season was 9,900 which she achieved four times.
Zunic aids Hiram softball in split
CINCINNATI — Hiram College’s softball team split a pair of games against the College of Mount St. Joseph Saturday in Cincinnati.
The Terriers lost the first game, 8-1 in six innings, but won the nightcap, 6-0. In game one, Hiram tied the game in the second with a RBI single by senior two-time All-NCAC shortstop Stephanie Zunic (Canfield).
Zunic finished two-of-four at the plate with a RBI. Five other Terriers each recorded a hit despite the loss.
In the second game, Hiram took the lead with a run in the third on a RBI single by Zunic. At the plate, Hiram was again led by Zunic who finished three-of-four with two runs scored and a RBI.
Curbstoners
BOARDMAN — Former state senator Harry Meshel will be the guest speaker when the Curbstone Coaches Association meets for its noon luncheon Monday at the Blue Wolf Catering Center on Lockwood Blvd.
Meshel is also currently serving as a Youngstown State University trustee.
nation
Shaq ready to ‘tweet’ at game’s halftime
PHOENIX — Halftime “tweets” seem to be the latest NBA fad.
Suns center Shaquille O’Neal posted a note on his Twitter feed before a game against Washington on Saturday night, suggesting he plans to post to the popular social networking Web site during halftime.
Last Sunday, Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva became an overnight Web celebrity after he posted a note, called a “tweet,” to his Twitter feed during halftime of his game against Boston.
Villanueva wrote that he had to step it up in the second half. He did, and the Bucks won. But coach Scott Skiles was outraged, saying it gave the impression that Villanueva wasn’t focused.
Audi takes command at 12 hours of Sebring
SEBRING, Fla. — A new Audi R15 prototype co-driven by Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Rinaldo Capello was in control after nine hours in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
With Kristensen, an eight-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, at the wheel, the diesel-powered car held a lead of just over one full lap on the 3.7-mile, 17-turn Sebring International Raceway circuit over a second Audi shared by Mike Rockenfeller, Marco Werner and Lucas Luhr.
What had been shaping up as a great battle with one of the two diesel-powered Peugeot 908 prototypes, faded during the eighth hour as the lead French entry, co-driven by Sebastien Bourdais, Franck Montagny and Stephane Sarrazine, fell off the lead lap and dropped to third, 46 seconds behind the second Audi.
Iowa wrestlers take another title
ST. LOUIS — Top-ranked Iowa relied on a deep roster to take its second straight NCAA wrestling title Saturday night, sewing up its 22nd championship without winning a weight class and losing a point to penalty.
The pre-meet favorites did just enough scoring away from the spotlight to win even though 149-pound Brent Metcalf, the Hawkeyes’ lone finalist, had his 69-bout winning streak ended. Iowa became the first school to win the team title without an individual titlist since Minnesota in 2001.
Union files grievance over contributions
NEW YORK — The baseball players’ association filed a grievance against the major league clubs after the Los Angeles Dodgers said charitable donations will be required in future player contracts.
Manny Ramirez agreed to make a $1 million donation to the Dodgers Dream Foundation when he accepted a $45 million, two-year deal from Los Angeles on March 4.
“Every future Dodger will be asked to fill in a blank line,” Los Angeles owner Frank McCourt said Thursday. “They’re making a lot of money, these players. We won’t tell them how much to contribute, that wouldn’t be right.”
Not so fast, said the Major League Baseball Players Association. The grievance was filed Friday and, unless settled, will be decided by arbitrator Shyam Das.
Rob Manfred, baseball’s executive vice president of labor relations, said the provisions are allowed.
Michael Phelps happy to be back in the pool
CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Michael Phelps woke up four Sundays ago and decided he wanted to keep swimming.
He still had the desire — although he said 2012 will be his last Olympics — and all the scrutiny over the photo of him inhaling from a marijuana pipe hadn’t taken away his motivation.
Phelps and several other Americans are in the middle of a two-week training camp for this summer’s national and world championships. They’re in the pool twice a day, at 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., and spent part of one day training with U.S. Navy SEALs.
Bristol offers renewed hope for Earnhardt Jr.
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Almost 30 years ago, on April 1, 1979, Dale Earnhardt got his first Cup victory in the Southeastern 500 at Bristol.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 4, so that is not his most vivid memory of his father’s career at this .533-mile track.
Nor is the last of Earnhardt’s nine wins there, the Aug. 28, 1999 race when he beat Terry Labonte when Earnhardt “rattled his cage.”
“The Earnhardt moment for me here was when he ran like 450 laps and won the race and had no power steering,” Earnhardt Jr. said of the race April 6, 1985.
There could be another “Earnhardt moment” today.
Former NHL player Walt Poddubny dies
THUNDER BAY, Ontario — Former NHL player Walt Poddubny died Saturday after collapsing at his sister’s house. He was 49. The cause of death wasn’t known.
Drafted 90th overall by Edmonton in 1980, Poddubny played 11 NHL seasons for the Oilers, Toronto, the New York Rangers, Quebec and New Jersey. He had 184 goals and 238 assists in 468 games and topped the 30-goal mark three times.
Hold Me Back wins Lane’s End Stakes
FLORENCE, Ky. — Hold Me Back roared to the lead in the stretch and won the $500,000 Lane’s End Stakes on Saturday at Turfway Park, but even the trainer of the long shot winner was not sure what his next step would be.
Co-favorites Bittel Road and West Side Bernie did not hit the board in a race that has produced numerous Kentucky Derby contenders.
world
Klitschko retains belt, stops Gomez in ninth
STUTTGART, Germany — Vitali Klitschko stopped Juan Carlos Gomez in the ninth round Saturday night, easily retaining his WBC heavyweight title.
The 37-year-old champion twice put down the Germany-based Cuban defector, in the seventh and ninth rounds, before the referee Daniel Van de Wiele stopped the fight with 1 minute, 11 seconds remaining in the round.
Klitschko (37-2, 36 KOs) was making the first defense of the title he reclaimed by stopping Samuel Peter in dominating fashion last October. The Ukrainian, whose brother Wladimir holds two other versions of the title, hasn’t lost since getting knocked out by Lennox Lewis in 2003.
At 6-foot-7, Klitschko had a size advantage of more than 3 inches and 19 pounds against his southpaw opponent.
Staff/wire reports