SPORTS digest

Earnie Shavers to visit Warren Rotary Club

Former heavyweight boxer Earnie Shavers, who grew up in the Warren area, will be the guest speaker at a Warren Rotary Club club luncheon at noon Wednesday, Dec. 9 at Enzo’s Restaurant & Lounge, 2918 Elm Road, Warren.

The public is invited. Luncheon cost is $10.

Lightning give coach Jon Cooper extension

TAMPA, FLA.

Coach Jon Cooper has agreed to a multiyear contract extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning after reaching the Stanley Cup final.

The defending Eastern Conference champions announced the deal Friday. Terms were not released.

Cooper has a .602 winning percentage since being hired in March 2013. He led the Lightning to the playoffs each of his first two full seasons behind the bench.

Tampa Bay won a franchise-record 50 games, set a club mark for points and led the NHL in scoring last season. The Lightning lost the Stanley Cup final to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.

The team is off to a 12-11-3 start this season, sixth in the Atlantic Division.

49ers’ Dial fined for hit on Cardinals’ Palmer

NEW YORK

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Quinton Dial has been fined $17,363 by the NFL for his hit on Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer last weekend.

Dial was called for a debated roughing the passer penalty on Arizona’s winning drive. While the 49ers thought it was clean, Palmer said Dial “hit me right in the face with the crown of his helmet.” The league apparently agreed, fining Dial on Friday.

Denver linebacker Von Miller was docked $8,681 by the league for his hit on New England quarterback Tom Brady last Sunday night. Miller was penalized 15 yards for roughing the passer in the third quarter when he jumped over Vance Walker, who grabbed Brady’s legs, and hit the quarterback.

NFL to hold regional combines in five cities

NEW YORK

The NFL will hold regional combines in five cities starting in February.

The league announced Friday the combines at NFL facilities will begin Feb. 13 in Houston at the Texans Methodist Training Center.

Other combines will be held Feb. 20 at the Cardinals training facility in Tempe, Arizona; Feb. 27 at the Under Armour Performance Center in Baltimore; March 5 at Winter Park in Eden Prairie, Minnesota; and March 12 at the Saints training complex in Metairie, Louisiana.

The regional combines allow draft-eligible players to display their skills before NFL evaluators. The combines are for position players who played college football in the 2015 season.

Pitt RB James Conner diagnosed with cancer

PITTSBURGH

Pittsburgh running back James Conner spent the last three months weighing whether to return next fall or head to the NFL after a torn knee ligament ended his junior season before it really began.

A stunning diagnosis made the decision for him.

The 2014 ACC Player of the Year announced Friday he is dealing with Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma and will begin treatment next week.

“When I heard those words — you have cancer — I admit I was scared,” Conner said. “But after thinking about it for a bit, I realized that fear is a choice. I choose to not fear cancer. I choose to fight it and I will win.”

The 20-year-old from Erie, Pennsylvania, was in the midst of a rigorous rehab — a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee sustained during a season-opening win over Youngstown State — when he started experiencing symptoms. His face would get puffy while working out and he became short of breath.

Tests revealed tumors in Conner’s head and chest. He received the diagnosis on Thanksgiving.

Associated Press