Longtime MLB great Alvin Dark dies at 92

Longtime MLB great Alvin Dark dies at 92

EASLEY, S.C.

Longtime manager and star shortstop Alvin Dark has died. He was 92.

The Robinson Funeral Home in Easley, South Carolina, said Dark died Thursday at his home.

Dark, the 1948 major league Rookie of the Year and a three-time All-Star, played and managed World Series champions.

In 1951, Dark began one of the greatest rallies in baseball history with a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth inning for the New York Giants in an NL pennant playoff against Brooklyn. Bobby Thomson capped that comeback with a home run that became known as “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World.”

Email shows PSU just missed death penalty

HARRISBURG, Pa.

A newly disclosed email from the NCAA’s top lawyer documents just how close Penn State came to having its football program shut down due to the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal.

It says the school’s “cooperation and transparency” saved the program.

The email from lawyer Donald Remy to a school attorney was attached to a court filing Thursday, as the NCAA battles with two Pennsylvania officials over penalties that were imposed on Penn State.

The email establishes that on July 17, 2012, six days before the Penn State sanctions were announced, a majority on the NCAA executive committee favored the “death penalty,” shutting down the football program.

The school was instead fined $60 million, banned from bowl games for four years, stripped of 112 wins and lost some football scholarships.

Silver calls to legalize, regulate sports betting

NEW YORK

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says it’s time for a new approach to betting on sports.

In an op-ed article for The New York Times published online on Thursday, Silver says fans should have a safe and legal way to gamble on professional games. He suggests a federal framework that allows states to legalize sports betting. He says new regulations would help prevent underage betting while educating those with a gambling problem about how to bet responsibly.

Sports leagues have long opposed gambling on games, claiming it creates incentives for game-fixing. It is currently only legal in Nevada; New Jersey is moving toward legalization — against the opposition of all four major pro sports leagues. Silver says new laws would have to protect the integrity of the sports.

AP source: Peterson hearing on Monday

NEW YORK

A person with knowledge of the hearing tells The Associated Press that Adrian Peterson will meet with the NFL on Monday about possible reinstatement with the Minnesota Vikings.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the hearing has not been announced. The hearing will be at 2 p.m. EST.

Peterson has been on the commissioner’s exempt list since Sept. 18 following his indictment for felony child abuse in Texas. The running back pleaded no contest last week to a lesser charge of misdemeanor reckless assault, freeing him from the court system provided he fulfills his probation terms.

Last week, the NFL players’ union demanded in a letter to the league that Peterson be allowed to rejoin the Vikings immediately until any discipline has been determined.

Reserved seating to be sold for Poland hoops

POLAND

The Poland High School Athletic Department will be selling reserved seats for boys basketball starting on Monday at 8 a.m. to all current season ticket holders.

Season tickets will be sold beginning on Monday, Dec. 1 at 8 a.m. Stop in the athletic office if you have any questions regarding season tickets.

Staff/Wire reports