No snow forces Sharon races to reschedule

No snow forces Sharon races to reschedule

HARTFORD

For the second consecutive week, Sharon Speedway has been forced to postpone the scheduled Saturday snowmobile races due to the lack of winter weather. The “Circle Track Showdown” Snowmobile Races I & II have now been rescheduled to Saturday, January 21 and Saturday, February 11. Both events will be presented by new marketing partner JohnnyK’s Powersports of Niles, Ohio, while Northstar Powersports will be an associate sponsor.

Admission is just $5 for an all-access facility pass.

Mike Stoops returning to Sooners

OKLAHOMA CITY

Oklahoma is bringing brothers Bob and Mike Stoops back together, hoping to rekindle the program’s defensive dominance of a decade ago.

Mike Stoops was the co-defensive coordinator for Oklahoma from 1999 to 2004 and helped the Sooners win the 2000 national championship before spending the past seven-plus seasons at Arizona.

Indians sign RHP Chris Ray

CLEVELAND

The Cleveland Indians have signed free agent reliever Chris Ray to a minor league contract.

The right-hander will be at training camp with the Indians, who have one opening in their bullpen. Ray, who turned 30 on Thursday, is 18-19 with a 4.10 ERA and 51 saves in 283 major league appearances. He has pitched for Baltimore, Texas, San Francisco and Seattle since 2005.

Ray spent last season with the Mariners, going 3-2 with a 4.68 ERA in 29 games.

Bud Selig receives extension

PARADISE VALLEY, ARIZ.

Major League Baseball owners voted 29-1 on Thursday to give Bud Selig a two-year contract extension through the 2014 season.

Selig has held the position since 1992, first as interim commissioner and then as commissioner since 1998. He will turn 80 in July 2014.

“I’ve often said, and I believe this, for me personally in my life there’s no higher honor than being the commissioner of baseball,” Selig said.

If he stays until September 2016, he would surpass Kenesaw Mountain Landis (1920-44) as the longest-serving baseball commissioner.

Florida’s Demps picks track over football

GAINESVILLE, Fla.

Florida running back Jeff Demps is giving up his football career to focus on track and the 2012 Olympics.

Demps wants to vie for a spot on the U.S. track and field team. So he won’t attend any college football all-star games or take part in any NFL draft workouts.

He is a four-time track national champion and the two-time defending NCAA Indoor 60-meter champion. He showed Olympic potential when he set a 100-meter junior world record (10.01 seconds) at the 2008 Olympic Trials.

Demps finished his football career with 2,470 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns

Three Tide players opt for NFL draft

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.

National champion Alabama will once again try to keep rolling after losing three underclassmen to the NFL draft.

All-Americans Trent Richardson, Dont’a Hightower and Dre Kirkpatrick said Thursday they’re leaving school to start pro careers, three days after helping the Crimson Tide to its second national title of their careers.

Richardson and Kirkpatrick are both projected as potential top 10 picks and Hightower is also regarded as a potential first-rounder.

Clemson DC Steele leaves team

COLUMBIA, SC.

Kevin Steele said Thursday he had left the Tigers after three seasons to pursue other coaching opportunities. Steele and the defense had come under heavy criticism after allowing a bowl-record 70 points in their embarrassing loss to West Virginia in the Orange Bowl last week.

Vindicator staff/wire reports