John Ault begins term on OHSAA Board

John Ault begins term on OHSAA Board

COLUMBUS

John Ault, Athletic Administrator at West Branch High School, began his term on the Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors when the board met in Columbus to being the 2010-11 school year.

It is his first term on the OHSAA Board of Directors.

The OHSAA is the governing body of the high school sports in Ohio. It is a voluntary, non-profit organization which governs over 830 high schools and 800 middle schools, which amounts to over 350,000 students.

Ault graduated from Louisville High School before serving two years in the United States Army, including nine months in Vietnam where he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal. After his service, Ault earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Kent State University.

West Virginia Derby

CHESTER, W.Va.

Concord Point is the morning-line favorite for Saturday’s $750,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort.

Race officials said Tuesday nine horses are entered for the Grade 2 Derby, led by the Bob Baffert-trained Concord Point at 8-5 odds.

Martin Garcia, who rode Lookin at Lucky to wins in the Preakness and Haskell Invitational, will be aboard Concord Point.

Next is Exhi at 7-2 odds. Exhi won races at Turfway Park in March and the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland in April.

Jurich: Pitino remains ’grand ambassador’

LOUISVILLE, Ky.

Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich knows the lurid details that came to light during the trial of a woman who tried to extort milllions from Rick Pitino could affect some people’s perception of the highly successful coach.

Jurich isn’t one of them.

He reiterated his support for Pitino on Thursday after a jury found Karen Cunagin Sypher guilty of three counts of extortion, two counts of lying to the FBI and one count of retaliating against a witness.

Pitino acknowledged during six hours of testimony that he had a sexual encounter with Sypher at a Louisville restaurant in July 2003. She demanded millions in exchange for her silence, leading Pitino to eventually tell authorities about the plot.

Suns lure Blanks from Cleveland to be GM

PHOENIX

Lon Babby’s first priority after being named president of basketball operations for the Phoenix Suns was to find a top-level talent assessor.

The former big-name sports agent knows the business side of the NBA and wanted someone who could complement his ledger skills by finding the right players to put on the court.

Babby got the man he wanted on Thursday, hiring Lance Blanks as general manager.

Considered one of the league’s top up-and-coming executives, Blanks joins the Suns after consecutive five-year runs with two highly successful NBA teams and a short playing career.

Mayweather sued, business booted

LAS VEGAS

Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is being sued for unpaid rent and breach of contract after his promotions company was evicted from a Las Vegas office.

Mayweather lawyer Jeff Morse on Thursday downplayed the July 27 eviction of Mayweather Promotions LLC from what he said was a substandard building.

Mayweather earned more than $20 million in May from his fight in Las Vegas against “Sugar” Shane Mosley.

Contador plans to race two majors next year

MADRID

Tour de France champion Alberto Contador wants to compete in two of cycling’s three major races in 2011, and says winning all three in one year is “not impossible.”

Contador will join Saxo Bank next year and says he still hasn’t decided which races he will compete in. The Tour is sandwiched between the Giro d’Italia and Spanish Vuelta.

Vindicator staff/wire reports