Wednesday's Sports in Brief
By The Associated Press
May 15, 2008 - 10:57:49 CDT
Here's a look at sport's in brief around the world.
TENNIS
LIMELETTE, Belgium (AP) — Justine Henin retired from tennis, an abrupt ending to a career in which she won seven Grand Slam singles titles and spent more than 100 weeks ranked No. 1.
She announced her decision at a news conference 1 1/2 weeks before the start of the French Open, where she has won the past three titles and four overall.
Put simply, she realized she was burned out, and became the first woman to quit the sport while atop the WTA rankings.
Surprising as her departure was to the rest of the world, it seemed somehow inevitable to her.
After reaching the final at each Grand Slam tournament in 2006, she won 10 tournaments in 2007, including two majors. But this season, she’s struggled.
She lost 6-4, 6-0 to Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open, then 6-2, 6-0 to Serena Williams at the Sony Ericsson Open in April — the worst loss for a top-ranked player in nine years.
At last week’s German Open, Henin lost 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 to Dinara Safina. Then she pulled out of this week’s Italian Open, citing fatigue.
PRO FOOTBALL
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter called for an independent investigation of the New England Patriots’ taping of opposing coaches’ signals, possibly similar to the high-profile Mitchell Report on performance enhancing drugs in baseball.
The Pennsylvania Republican was unforgiving of his criticism of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, saying that Goodell has made “ridiculous” assertions that wouldn’t fly “in kindergarten.” The Senator said Goodell was caught in an “apparent conflict of interest” because the NFL doesn’t want the public to lose confidence in the league’s integrity.
Goodell essentially declared an end to Spygate after a 3 1/2-hour meeting in New York on Tuesday morning with former New England video assistant Matt Walsh. Walsh supplied the league with videotapes of coaches’ signals made by the Patriots, but offered no new significant revelations about the cheating scandal that has threatened to taint the team’s three Super Bowl titles.
In an interview with HBO scheduled to air Friday night on “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel,” Walsh dismissed Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s attempts to minimize the impact of the taping. Walsh told HBO that his superiors coached him on how to evade NFL rules limiting the number of camera operators per team to two, and that team officials instructed him on ways to avoid detection.
MIAMI (AP) — Prosecutors charged a fifth person in the slaying of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor.
Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office spokesman Ed Griffith said 16-year-old Timothy Brown is charged with first-degree murder. He is also charged with armed burglary of an occupied dwelling.
Taylor died of massive blood loss after he was shot at his Miami-area home during a botched robbery in November. The 24-year-old safety had made the Pro Bowl in 2006 and 2007.
HORSE RACING
BALTIMORE (AP) — Big Brown was installed as the 1-2 early favorite for Saturday’s Preakness, and a victory could set up a Triple Crown try three weeks later in the Belmont Stakes.
A field of 13 3-year-olds was entered, with Big Brown drawing the No. 7 post for the 1 3-16th-mile race at Pimlico.
Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby from the No. 20 far outside post and he won the Florida Derby from the No. 12 post. Now, he’ll test himself under Kent Desormeaux from nearly the middle of the pack.
Big Brown is 4-0 in his career, having won by a combined total of more than 33 lengths. He arrived at Pimlico nearly three hours late Wednesday night from Louisville, Ky., where he has been stabled since his Derby win on May 3.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, kicked off LSU’s national championship team after repeated off-the-field problems, signed with Jacksonville State.
Perrilloux will be able to transfer and start immediately for the Gamecocks. The MVP of last season’s Southeastern Conference title game won’t have to sit out a year because Jacksonville State plays in the lower Football Championship Subdivision.
BASEBALL
CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Reds shortstop Jeff Keppinger will be sidelined for four to six weeks with a broken left kneecap.
Keppinger, batting .324, fouled a pitch off his knee during a 5-3 win over Florida on Tuesday night.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit will be sidelined at least a month after breaking his left thumb on a passed ball during Tuesday’s game.
Doumit was placed on the 15-day disabled list after an examination in Pittsburgh, confirmed the break.
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TENNIS
LIMELETTE, Belgium (AP) — Justine Henin retired from tennis, an abrupt ending to a career in which she won seven Grand Slam singles titles and spent more than 100 weeks ranked No. 1.
She announced her decision at a news conference 1 1/2 weeks before the start of the French Open, where she has won the past three titles and four overall.
Put simply, she realized she was burned out, and became the first woman to quit the sport while atop the WTA rankings.
Surprising as her departure was to the rest of the world, it seemed somehow inevitable to her.
After reaching the final at each Grand Slam tournament in 2006, she won 10 tournaments in 2007, including two majors. But this season, she’s struggled.
She lost 6-4, 6-0 to Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open, then 6-2, 6-0 to Serena Williams at the Sony Ericsson Open in April — the worst loss for a top-ranked player in nine years.
At last week’s German Open, Henin lost 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 to Dinara Safina. Then she pulled out of this week’s Italian Open, citing fatigue.
PRO FOOTBALL
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter called for an independent investigation of the New England Patriots’ taping of opposing coaches’ signals, possibly similar to the high-profile Mitchell Report on performance enhancing drugs in baseball.
The Pennsylvania Republican was unforgiving of his criticism of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, saying that Goodell has made “ridiculous” assertions that wouldn’t fly “in kindergarten.” The Senator said Goodell was caught in an “apparent conflict of interest” because the NFL doesn’t want the public to lose confidence in the league’s integrity.
Goodell essentially declared an end to Spygate after a 3 1/2-hour meeting in New York on Tuesday morning with former New England video assistant Matt Walsh. Walsh supplied the league with videotapes of coaches’ signals made by the Patriots, but offered no new significant revelations about the cheating scandal that has threatened to taint the team’s three Super Bowl titles.
In an interview with HBO scheduled to air Friday night on “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel,” Walsh dismissed Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s attempts to minimize the impact of the taping. Walsh told HBO that his superiors coached him on how to evade NFL rules limiting the number of camera operators per team to two, and that team officials instructed him on ways to avoid detection.
MIAMI (AP) — Prosecutors charged a fifth person in the slaying of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor.
Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office spokesman Ed Griffith said 16-year-old Timothy Brown is charged with first-degree murder. He is also charged with armed burglary of an occupied dwelling.
Taylor died of massive blood loss after he was shot at his Miami-area home during a botched robbery in November. The 24-year-old safety had made the Pro Bowl in 2006 and 2007.
HORSE RACING
BALTIMORE (AP) — Big Brown was installed as the 1-2 early favorite for Saturday’s Preakness, and a victory could set up a Triple Crown try three weeks later in the Belmont Stakes.
A field of 13 3-year-olds was entered, with Big Brown drawing the No. 7 post for the 1 3-16th-mile race at Pimlico.
Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby from the No. 20 far outside post and he won the Florida Derby from the No. 12 post. Now, he’ll test himself under Kent Desormeaux from nearly the middle of the pack.
Big Brown is 4-0 in his career, having won by a combined total of more than 33 lengths. He arrived at Pimlico nearly three hours late Wednesday night from Louisville, Ky., where he has been stabled since his Derby win on May 3.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, kicked off LSU’s national championship team after repeated off-the-field problems, signed with Jacksonville State.
Perrilloux will be able to transfer and start immediately for the Gamecocks. The MVP of last season’s Southeastern Conference title game won’t have to sit out a year because Jacksonville State plays in the lower Football Championship Subdivision.
BASEBALL
CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Reds shortstop Jeff Keppinger will be sidelined for four to six weeks with a broken left kneecap.
Keppinger, batting .324, fouled a pitch off his knee during a 5-3 win over Florida on Tuesday night.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit will be sidelined at least a month after breaking his left thumb on a passed ball during Tuesday’s game.
Doumit was placed on the 15-day disabled list after an examination in Pittsburgh, confirmed the break.