Weekend Sports In Brief
By The Associated Press
Nov 09, 2009 - 10:11:13 CST
Here's a look at weekend sports in brief around the world.
PRO FOOTBALL
NEW YORK (AP) — Tony Dungy says Michael Vick could potentially wind up in Buffalo, which he says previously discussed signing the quarterback.
Dungy has served as an adviser to Vick since the Super Bowl-winning coach retired from the Colts after last season. Now a commentator for NBC, Dungy confirmed during the pregame show Sunday night before Philadelphia hosted Dallas that the Bills and Vick “talked originally” when Vick was searching for a team after serving 18 months in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring.
The Eagles signed Vick to a $1.6 million contract for 2009, with a team option for the second year at $5.2 million. But he has played sparingly.
GOLF
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Tiger Woods arrived in Australia days ahead of his first appearance in an Australian tournament in 11 years.
Woods will receive $3 million in appearance fees to play in the Australian Masters, which starts Thursday at Melbourne’s Kingston Heath.
The most recent of Woods’ three previous tournament appearances in Australia was as a 21-year-old member of the U.S. team that lost the 1998 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.
Woods tied for sixth on Sunday at the HSBC Champions, a World Golf Championship event in Shanghai.
PRO BASKETBALL
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Chris Douglas-Roberts has tested positive for swine flu, another blow to a New Jersey Nets team that is losing players as quickly as games.
Douglas-Roberts had started every game for the winless Nets until missing a loss at Philadelphia on Friday with flu-like symptoms. Nets president Rod Thorn confirmed on Saturday that Douglas-Roberts tested positive for the H1N1 virus.
Thorn said the player has been treated and the Nets are following all precautionary measures called for by the NBA.
TENNIS
REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy (AP) — Top-ranked Serena Williams will most likely receive a “significant” fine but no suspension for her U.S. Open tirade, the president of the International Tennis Federation said.
Grand Slam administrator Bill Babcock is expected to give his recommendation to the Grand Slam committee, which probably will announce the sanction Monday or Tuesday.
Williams was fined $10,000 after her profanity-laced outburst at a lineswoman during her semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters in September. A fine from the ITF could be much greater.
By winning the season-ending tour championship last weekend, Williams set the record for single-season prize money in women’s tennis by topping $6.5 million in 2009. Her career prize money is a record $28.5 million.
REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy (AP) — Italy clinched its second Fed Cup title in four years on Sunday after Flavia Pennetta beat U.S. Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin 7-5, 6-2. Pennetta’s victory gave the experienced Italians an insurmountable 3-0 lead over a young United States team in the best-of-five series on an outdoor clay court at the Rocco Polimeni club.
Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone also scored straight-set singles victories Saturday.
The U.S. was without Serena and Venus Williams, who opted not to play after meeting in the season-ending WTA Tour championships final last weekend.
The U.S. has won a record 17 Fed Cups, but last won the title in 2000.
OLYMPICS
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Anyone hoping to grab some of the last remaining tickets for the 2010 Winter Games will have to wait until next Saturday.
Technical problems hit the ticket Web site and prevented the sale of any of the 100,000 tickets that were to be available at 1 p.m. EST Saturday, said Renee Smith-Valade, vice president of communications for the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee.
The committee hopes to have the technical issues ironed out so the ticket sale can begin next week. The tickets are for all events in the Vancouver area, including gold-medal hockey and the opening and closing ceremonies.
BOXING
NUREMBERG, Germany (AP) — David Haye backed up weeks worth of boasting, winning the WBA heavyweight title with a majority decision over Nikolai Valuev on Saturday night.
The brash British boxer used his superior quickness over the huge Russian, who still has never been knocked down but was close in the final round.
Haye won his third fight since moving up from cruiserweight. He fought Valuev, the tallest and heaviest champion in history, after antagonizing the other heavyweight titleholders, brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko.
Haye (23-1, 21 KOs) probably won’t fight either one of them next. His first defense of the WBA belt is supposed to come against John Ruiz, who stopped German Adnan Serin in the seventh round earlier in the night.
Valuev’s record dropped to 50-2 with 34 KOs.
HORSE RACING
ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Julien Leparoux rode three winners during the Breeders’ Cup world championships, earning the Bill Shoemaker award as the outstanding jockey of the two-day event.
The 26-year-old jockey was the only one with more than one victory.
Leparoux won the Juvenile Fillies with She Be Wild and the Filly & Mare Sprint aboard Informed Decision on Friday. He added the Dirt Mile with long shot Furthest Land on Saturday, giving him five career BC wins.
Garrett Gomez rode in 10 of the 14 BC races, highlighted by his win aboard Life Is Sweet in the Ladies’ Classic on Friday. He had four second-place finishes, and his mounts earned $2,829,000, of which Gomez receives 10 percent.
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PRO FOOTBALL
NEW YORK (AP) — Tony Dungy says Michael Vick could potentially wind up in Buffalo, which he says previously discussed signing the quarterback.
Dungy has served as an adviser to Vick since the Super Bowl-winning coach retired from the Colts after last season. Now a commentator for NBC, Dungy confirmed during the pregame show Sunday night before Philadelphia hosted Dallas that the Bills and Vick “talked originally” when Vick was searching for a team after serving 18 months in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring.
The Eagles signed Vick to a $1.6 million contract for 2009, with a team option for the second year at $5.2 million. But he has played sparingly.
GOLF
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Tiger Woods arrived in Australia days ahead of his first appearance in an Australian tournament in 11 years.
Woods will receive $3 million in appearance fees to play in the Australian Masters, which starts Thursday at Melbourne’s Kingston Heath.
The most recent of Woods’ three previous tournament appearances in Australia was as a 21-year-old member of the U.S. team that lost the 1998 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.
Woods tied for sixth on Sunday at the HSBC Champions, a World Golf Championship event in Shanghai.
PRO BASKETBALL
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Chris Douglas-Roberts has tested positive for swine flu, another blow to a New Jersey Nets team that is losing players as quickly as games.
Douglas-Roberts had started every game for the winless Nets until missing a loss at Philadelphia on Friday with flu-like symptoms. Nets president Rod Thorn confirmed on Saturday that Douglas-Roberts tested positive for the H1N1 virus.
Thorn said the player has been treated and the Nets are following all precautionary measures called for by the NBA.
TENNIS
REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy (AP) — Top-ranked Serena Williams will most likely receive a “significant” fine but no suspension for her U.S. Open tirade, the president of the International Tennis Federation said.
Grand Slam administrator Bill Babcock is expected to give his recommendation to the Grand Slam committee, which probably will announce the sanction Monday or Tuesday.
Williams was fined $10,000 after her profanity-laced outburst at a lineswoman during her semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters in September. A fine from the ITF could be much greater.
By winning the season-ending tour championship last weekend, Williams set the record for single-season prize money in women’s tennis by topping $6.5 million in 2009. Her career prize money is a record $28.5 million.
REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy (AP) — Italy clinched its second Fed Cup title in four years on Sunday after Flavia Pennetta beat U.S. Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin 7-5, 6-2. Pennetta’s victory gave the experienced Italians an insurmountable 3-0 lead over a young United States team in the best-of-five series on an outdoor clay court at the Rocco Polimeni club.
Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone also scored straight-set singles victories Saturday.
The U.S. was without Serena and Venus Williams, who opted not to play after meeting in the season-ending WTA Tour championships final last weekend.
The U.S. has won a record 17 Fed Cups, but last won the title in 2000.
OLYMPICS
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Anyone hoping to grab some of the last remaining tickets for the 2010 Winter Games will have to wait until next Saturday.
Technical problems hit the ticket Web site and prevented the sale of any of the 100,000 tickets that were to be available at 1 p.m. EST Saturday, said Renee Smith-Valade, vice president of communications for the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee.
The committee hopes to have the technical issues ironed out so the ticket sale can begin next week. The tickets are for all events in the Vancouver area, including gold-medal hockey and the opening and closing ceremonies.
BOXING
NUREMBERG, Germany (AP) — David Haye backed up weeks worth of boasting, winning the WBA heavyweight title with a majority decision over Nikolai Valuev on Saturday night.
The brash British boxer used his superior quickness over the huge Russian, who still has never been knocked down but was close in the final round.
Haye won his third fight since moving up from cruiserweight. He fought Valuev, the tallest and heaviest champion in history, after antagonizing the other heavyweight titleholders, brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko.
Haye (23-1, 21 KOs) probably won’t fight either one of them next. His first defense of the WBA belt is supposed to come against John Ruiz, who stopped German Adnan Serin in the seventh round earlier in the night.
Valuev’s record dropped to 50-2 with 34 KOs.
HORSE RACING
ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Julien Leparoux rode three winners during the Breeders’ Cup world championships, earning the Bill Shoemaker award as the outstanding jockey of the two-day event.
The 26-year-old jockey was the only one with more than one victory.
Leparoux won the Juvenile Fillies with She Be Wild and the Filly & Mare Sprint aboard Informed Decision on Friday. He added the Dirt Mile with long shot Furthest Land on Saturday, giving him five career BC wins.
Garrett Gomez rode in 10 of the 14 BC races, highlighted by his win aboard Life Is Sweet in the Ladies’ Classic on Friday. He had four second-place finishes, and his mounts earned $2,829,000, of which Gomez receives 10 percent.