Headlines from Around the World in Sports
College basketball
NCAA clears UCLA’s Anderson to play this season
LOS ANGELES – UCLA freshman Kyle Anderson has been cleared by the NCAA to play basketball this season.
Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said the school was told yesterday that Anderson can play after the NCAA “found no evidence to substantiate claims of violations in his case.”
Anderson was being investigated for potential recruiting violations. The forward from Jersey City, N.J., was among the nation’s top recruits last spring.
Baseball
Source: McClendon interviews for Marlins job
MIAMI – A person familiar with the Miami Marlins’ managerial search says former Pittsburgh Pirates Manager Lloyd McClendon is at least the fourth candidate to interview for the job.
The person confirmed the discussions on condition of anonymity because the Marlins aren’t commenting on the search.
McClendon managed the Pirates from 2001-05 and went 336-446. He’s currently the Detroit Tigers’ hitting coach and has been with them since 2006, twice helping them reach the World Series, including this year.
Former major league manager Larry Bowa, ex-big league catcher Mike Redmond and Cincinnati Reds pitching coach Bryan Price also interviewed to replace Ozzie Guillen, who was fired after one season. Price later withdrew from consideration.
Baseball
Pirates hire Bell as hitting coach
PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Pirates hired longtime major league infielder Jay Bell as the new hitting coach.
Bell replaces Gregg Ritchie, who left the team to become the coach at George Washington University.
The 46-year-old Bell spent 18 seasons in the majors, including eight years with the Pirates from 1989-96. Bell was a two-time All-Star and hit .265 with 195 home runs and 860 RBI in 2,063 career games. He retired after the 2003 season.
Bell spent the 2012 season as hitting coach for the Mobile BayBears, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Double-A affiliate.
The Pirates hired Rick Sofield as first base coach and Dave Jauss as major league coach. Former first base coach Luis Silverio will serve as a senior adviser to minor league operations.
NBA
Warriors, Curry agree to $44M, 4-year extension
OAKLAND, Calif. – Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry signed a $44 million, four-year contract extension that will keep him with the club through the 2016-17 season.
The team announced a multiyear deal with Curry before last night’s season opener at the Phoenix Suns. It was the final day Golden State could sign Curry to an extension or he would become a restricted free agent next summer.
Curry missed 40 of 66 games last season and sprained his twice-surgically repaired right ankle again in the preseason. New Warriors General Manager Bob Myers and owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber felt the point guard was still worth the risk given his production when healthy.
NBA
Thunder bring back Orton after Harden trade
OKLAHOMA CITY – Center Daniel Orton rejoined the Oklahoma City Thunder, four days after being cut by the team following training camp.
General Manager Sam Presti announced yesterday that Orton signed with the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA development league and was subsequently called up by the Thunder. Oklahoma City was in need of a third center after trading away Cole Aldrich as part of the deal that sent James Harden to the Houston Rockets on Saturday, hours after Orton had been cut.
Starter Kendrick Perkins and free-agent acquisition Hasheem Thabeet were the only two centers left on the Thunder roster.
Orton is an Oklahoma City native who played one season at Kentucky before being a first-round pick in the 2010 draft. He has played in 16 games in two NBA seasons.
NBA
New chairman says Grizzlies in Memphis to stay
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The chairman of the new Grizzlies’ ownership group says the NBA team is here to stay in Memphis.
The Grizzlies announced yesterday that the reportedly $377 million sale by Michael Heisley had been finalized to a group led by Robert J. Pera, a former Apple engineer who founded the communications technology company Ubiquiti Networks.
The group includes local businessmen, entertainer Justin Timberlake, Memphis native and former NBA player Penny Hardaway, a former U.S. congressman and Ashley Manning, wife of four-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning.
Tennis
Petrova, Kirilenko win opening matches in Sofia
SOFIA, Bulgaria – Caroline Wozniacki defeated Roberta Vinci of Italy, 6-3, 6-1, yesterday to advance to the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions.
It was the second win for the top-seeded Dane in the group-stage format after her victory over Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan the previous day.
Russian duo Nadia Petrova and Maria Kirilenko earned straight-set victories in their first group matches.
The second-seeded Petrova defeated No. 6 Zheng Jie, 6-3, 6-3, handing her Chinese opponent a second loss in two days which will likely leave her without a chance of reaching the semifinals.
In the other match in the group, the third-seeded Kirilenko beat Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-1, 6-4. Pironkova broke for a 2-0 lead in the second set but Kirilenko then won the next four games to take firm control of the match.
Tennis
Querrey upsets Djokovic at Paris Masters
PARIS – Sam Querrey of the United States upset top-ranked Novak Djokovic, 0-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, in the second round of the Paris Masters yesterday.
It was the first time since the Miami Masters in March 2010 that Djokovic was eliminated so early in a tournament.
Djokovic entered the court wearing a Darth Vader mask on Halloween and put on a show by winning the first set in just 21 minutes. But Djokovic started to waver under the relentless accuracy of Querrey’s serve and made too many unforced errors the rest of the way.
Querrey had 18 aces and converted his second match point when Djokovic’s return sailed long.
NFL
Redskins’ Garcon, Meriweather likely out this week
ASHBURN, Va. – Washington Redskins receiver Pierre Garcon and safety Brandon Meriweather are unlikely to play again this week, postponing their return until after the bye.
Garcon did not practice yesterday. He has missed five of the last seven games with a torn toe ligament in his right foot.
Meriweather was limited in practice with sprained ligaments in his knee and has yet to play this season. Coach Mike Shanahan said the safety is a “long shot” to play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
College football
Boston College, Ohio State to meet in 2020, e_SSRq21
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State and Boston College have scheduled a home-and-home football series for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
The games are scheduled to be played Sept. 19, 2020, in Columbus, and Sept. 18, 2021, in Chestnut Hill. Each year Ohio State plays Oregon a week earlier.
The Buckeyes have won all three previous meetings with Boston College: 34-29 in 1989 at Ohio Stadium; 31-10 in 1990 at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill; and 38-6 in the 1995 Kickoff Classic in East Rutherford, N.J.
You must be registered to comment on stories. Click here to register.