PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers and coach Mike Tomlin have agreed to a new five-year contract that will keep him with the franchise through 2016.

Financial details of the deal, signed Tuesday, were not disclosed. Tomlin’s previous contract ran through the 2013 season.

Team president Art Rooney II called Tomlin one of the best coaches in the NFL. The 40-year-old Tomlin is 55-25 in five seasons in Pittsburgh, winning three AFC North titles, two AFC championships and the 2009 Super Bowl.

The team made Tomlin a surprise selection to replace Bill Cowher following the 2006 season. Under Tomlin’s guidance the Steelers have consistently been among the best teams in the league. The Steelers have ranked first in defense three times during his tenure and averaged 7 Pro Bowl selections a year.

LONDON (AP) – World Anti-Doping Agency President John Fahey says more than 100 athletes have been kept out of the London Olympics because of doping. Fahey says that through mid-June at least 107 athletes drew doping bans, ruling them out of the games. Fahey adds that not all would have qualified to compete in London.

He says: “I am pleased to say that they are not with us.”

Fahey tells IOC members that intelligence was shared by WADA, sports federations and London organizers to target athletes under suspicion.
Fahey says athletes who dope should know that “their chances of avoiding detection are the smallest they have ever been.”

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Anyone going out to the Omaha Storm Chasers ball game on Aug. 1 won’t be able to buy peanuts or, for that matter, Cracker Jack.

The Pacific Coast League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals will take anything containing peanuts off its concessions menu for the game against the Reno Aces. The Storm Chasers and an Omaha allergy clinic are holding Peanut Free Night to bring awareness to people who have peanut allergies.

Several minor-league baseball teams have held peanut-free games for years, and major-league teams occasionally reserve sections of their stadiums for people who have peanut allergies.

About 3 million Americans are allergic to peanuts or foods containing peanuts.

BASEBALL
American League
Detroit at Cleveland, 6:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Baltimore, 6:05 p.m.
Oakland at Toronto, 6:07 p.m.
Boston at Texas, 7:05 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago White Sox, 7:10 p.m.
Kansas City at L.A. Angels, 9:05 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees at Seattle, 9:10 p.m.
National League
Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m.
Milwaukee at Philadelphia, 6:05 p.m.
Atlanta at Miami, 6:10 p.m.
Washington at N.Y. Mets, 6:10 p.m.
Cincinnati at Houston,7:05 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers at St. Louis, 7:15 p.m.
Colorado at Arizona, 8:40 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)
San Diego at San Francisco, 9:15 p.m.

SEATTLE (AP)- The New York Yankees added some veteran presence and speed to their lineup by acquiring 38-year-old Ichiro Suzuki for two pitchers and cash yesterday. Batting eighth in the Yankee order last night after getting a standing ovation and bowing to the Seattle crowd, Ichiro singled in his first at-bat while wearing pinstripes and went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in the Yankees’ 4-1 win over the Mariners.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – All the big prizes Penn State usually plays for – the conference championships, the marquee bowl games – are off the table for the next four seasons. The Nittany Lions got walloped by NCAA sanctions yesterday that included a $60 million fine, five years of probation and a four-year bowl ban as a result of the school looking the other way while former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky brought boys onto campus and molested them.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)- The NCAA also erased 14 years of victories, wiping out 111 of Joe Paterno’s wins and stripping him of his standing as the most successful coach in the history of big-time college football. That moved former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden atop the all-time college football victory list, although Bowden says there are no winners in this case.

MILTON, Ontario (AP) – The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association are set for another round of negotiations starting with three days of talks today in Toronto. Both sides are working on establishing a new collective bargaining agreement before the current one expires on Sept. 15.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)- Minnesota basketball coach Tubby Smith has signed a new deal which will keep him with the Gophers through the 2016-17 season.  Smith, whose record is 103-68 in five seasons with the Gophers, has yet to win an NCAA tournament game with Minnesota but he did guide the team to the NIT final last season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland 3, Baltimore 1
Texas 9, Boston 1
Chicago White Sox 7, Minnesota 4
L.A. Angels 6, Kansas City 3
N.Y. Yankees 4, Seattle 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Chicago Cubs 2, Pittsburgh 0
Philadelphia 7, Milwaukee 6
Miami 2, Atlanta 1
Washington 8, N.Y. Mets 2, 10 innings
Cincinnati 8, Houston 3
L.A. Dodgers 5, St. Louis 3
Arizona 6, Colorado 3
San Francisco 7, San Diego 1

The North Platte First Nationals juniors fell short of the championship game in the A-7 district tournament. They lost to Kearney 6-2 last night at Bill Wood Field, ending their season. The game was tied at 1-1 in the fourth when Kearney rallied for three runs to take the lead for good. The visitors would tack on two more runs in the fifth to extend the lead, and the First Nationals could only muster a single run in response the rest of the way. Kearney’s victory sets them up for a championship showdown with Hastings this afternoon at Bill Wood Field. The game gets underway at 3 PM. If Hastings wins, they’re the champs, but if Kearney wins, the two teams play again immediately following the conclusion of the first game to determine a champion. The First Nationals juniors season ends with a record of 23-26.

Jonathan Sanchez’s Rockies debut went as smoothly as could have been expected – which is to say, not at all. Sanchez was torched for five runs in four innings as the Rockies fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-3 in Arizona last night. The big blow off the Rockies’ newest pitching acquisition was a two-out three-run triple by D-Backs hurler Ian Kennedy in the fourth inning. Sanchez, who came to the Rockies in a trade with Kansas City for fellow disappointment Jeremy Guthrie last week, allowed six hits and walked four batters. The Rockies’ big highlight came in the fifth inning when Josh Rutledge hit his first career home run, a solo blast off Kennedy. The Rockies and Diamondbacks play game two of their three-game series tonight at Chase Field. ESPN Radio 1410 has all the action, with pregame coverage at 8:05 and first pitch at 8:40.

Lincoln – Nebraska second baseman Pat Kelly was recently named a second-team freshman All-American by Perfect Game, the fourth freshman All-America honor that Kelly has received for his success during the 2012 season. The Red Wing, Minn., native was previously named a freshman All-American by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Kelly is the first Husker freshmen to be named to four All-America teams following their first season at Nebraska. Previously, Matt Hopper collected the most awards following a freshman season with three in 2000, when he was honored by Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America and Baseball Weekly.

Overall, the Huskers have picked up six national honors following the 2012 season, as freshman pitcher Kyle Kubat was also named a freshmen All-American by Collegiate Baseball and designated hitter Michael Prichard was a named a third-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Kelly made a quick transition to college pitching and was one of the Huskers’ top offensive threats with a .313 average, eight home runs and 37 RBI’s in 41 starts. He was twice named Big Ten Freshman of the Week and was a third-team All-Big Ten selection.

Kelly was third on the team with a .521 slugging percentage and his eight home runs were the most homers by a freshman at Nebraska who played at Haymarket Park. They were also the most homers by a Husker freshman since 2000, when Hopper hit 21 at Buck Beltzer Stadium. Kelly hit throughout the Husker lineup and produced 16 extra-base hits, including six doubles and two triples in addition to his eight home runs.

Kelly came up with clutch hits all season for NU, as he hit .367 with runners on base and .364 with runners in scoring position. He had 11 multi-hit games on the year, including a pair of four-hit games. He drove in at least two runs 11 times, including a career-high five RBI’s against Penn State at the Big Ten Tournament in a 12-3 win over the Nittany Lions.

This summer Kelly is playing for the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters in the Northwoods League and leads the team with a .333 batter average and 29 RBI. He was recently named to the Northwoods League All-Star Game along with fellow Husker and Eau Claire Express third baseman Josh Scheffert.

–Jeremy Foote, Nebraska Sports Information

Nebraska baseball players Pat Kelly and Josh Scheffert will both represent the South Division in the Northwoods League All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 24 at Warner Park in Madison, Wis, with first pitch scheduled for 7:35 p.m. (CT). Nebraska is one of eight programs that will be represented by two players in the game, joining Long Beach State, Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Florida, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Florida Gulf Coast.

Tabbed as a Freshman All-American by multiple publications following the 2012 season, Kelly has been one of the top hitters for the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. The Red Wing, Minn., native ranks in the top 20 in the league in batting average (.333), while producing 64 hits, including nine doubles, two triples and two home runs.

Scheffert has led the Eau Claire Express in hits entering the all-star game with 58 on the year, including 10 doubles, two triples and four home runs. The Lincoln native has 16-multi hit games in his third year with the Express.

— Jeremy Foote, Nebraska Sports Information

Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors Statement on Penn State

 

We must begin first and foremost, by again expressing our great sorrow for all of those whose lives have been so grievously harmed by the series of failures at Penn State University, particularly the lives of the young victims and their families.

 

Since November 2011, when the underlying indictments were first announced, the Big Ten Conference Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COPC) committed to a prudent, thoughtful and patient review of the various investigative and adjudicatory processes associated with allegations at Penn State University involving Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz and Graham Spanier.  In December 2011, Big Ten legal counsel, along with NCAA counsel, engaged in the independent investigation undertaken by Louis Freeh and his law firm, Freeh, Sporkin, & Sullivan, LLP.  At that time, the COPC reserved the right to impose sanctions, corrective or other disciplinary measures in this matter in the event that adverse findings were made in the areas of institutional control, ethical conduct and/or other Conference related matters.  The COPC also directed the Conference, at that time, to initiate an immediate review of the fundamental issues and systems affecting intercollegiate athletics, including those related to institutional control.

 

Today, we have read the NCAA release on Penn State University.  We note in the release, and have independently confirmed, that Penn State has accepted the factual findings in the July 12, 2012 Report of the Special Investigative Counsel prepared by Louis Freeh and his firm (the Freeh Report).  Based on the findings, as accepted by Penn State, we fully support the actions taken by the NCAA.  Further, following a thorough review of the Freeh Report, the COPC has voted to impose the following additional sanctions on Penn State, effective immediately:

 

1.       Censure:  The accepted findings support the conclusion that our colleagues at Penn State, individuals that we have known and with whom we have worked for many years, have egregiously failed on many levels—morally, ethically and potentially criminally.  They have failed their great university, their faculty and staff, their students and alumni, their community and state—and they have failed their fellow member institutions in the Big Ten Conference.  For these failures, committed at the highest level of the institution, we hereby condemn this conduct and officially censure Penn State.

 

2.       Probation:  The Big Ten Conference will be a party to the Athletic Integrity Agreement referenced in the NCAA release, and will work closely with the NCAA and Penn State to ensure complete compliance with its provisions over the 5 year term of the Agreement.

 

3.       Ineligibility:  As referenced in the NCAA release, Penn State’s football team will be ineligible for postseason bowl games.  It will also be ineligible for Big Ten Conference Championship Games for four years, a period of time that runs concurrently with the NCAA postseason bowl ban imposed this morning.

 

4.       Fine:  Because Penn State will be ineligible for bowl games for the next four years, it will therefore be ineligible to receive its share of Big Ten Conference bowl revenues over those same four years.  That money, estimated to be approximately $13 million, will be donated to established charitable organizations in Big Ten communities dedicated to the protection of children.

 

Penn State University is a great institution and has been a valued member of the Big Ten Conference for more than 20 years.  Since early November 2011, it has been working very hard to right a terrible wrong.   There is more to be done.  The intent of the sanctions imposed today is not to destroy a great university, but rather to seek justice and constructively assist a member institution with its efforts to reform.  From this day forward, as Penn State continues to make amends, the Big Ten conference and its member institutions will continue to engage with them in every aspect of conference membership.

 

As a result of the Conference review of issues and systems affecting intercollegiate athletics initiated in December 2011, we recognize that what occurred at Penn State University is a consequence of the concentration of power that can result from a successful athletic program and the failure of institutional leadership to maintain institutional control.  We further recognize our own responsibility to insure, within the context of our own institutions, sufficient control and responsibility over our athletic programs.  Our review has led to a document entitledStandards and Procedures for Safeguarding Institutional Control of Intercollegiate Athletics that is not yet final, but on schedule to be adopted by the COPC and implemented in the 2012/13 academic year under the auspices and oversight of the COPC.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The family of Hall of Fame football coach Joe Paterno says the NCAA’s sanctions defame his legacy and are a panicked response to the scandal that led to them.

The statement was released Monday by Paterno’s family. It says President Rodney Erickson, acting Athletic Director David Joyner and the entire Board of Trustees failed by not seeking a full hearing before the NCAA’s infractions committee.

The family also says that punishing “past, present and future” students because of former assistant Jerry Sandusky’s crimes did not serve justice.

The family calls the move a “panicked response to the public’s understandable revulsion” at Sandusky’s sexual abuse of 10 boys over a period of 15 years.

STATEMENT FROM NCAA – By perpetuating a “football first” culture that ultimately enabled serial child sexual abuse to occur, The Pennsylvania State University leadership failed to value and uphold institutional integrity, resulting in a breach of the NCAA constitution and rules. The NCAA Division I Board of Directors and NCAA Executive Committee directed Association President Mark Emmert to examine the circumstances and determine appropriate action in consultation with these presidential bodies.

“As we evaluated the situation, the victims affected by Jerry Sandusky and the efforts by many to conceal his crimes informed our actions,” said Emmert. “At our core, we are educators. Penn State leadership lost sight of that.”

According to the NCAA conclusions and sanctions, the Freeh Report “presents an unprecedented failure of institutional integrity leading to a culture in which a football program was held in higher esteem than the values of the institution, the values of the NCAA, the values of higher education, and most disturbingly the values of human decency.”

As a result, the NCAA imposed a $60 million sanction on the university, which is equivalent to the average gross annual revenue of the football program. These funds must be paid into an endowment for external programs preventing child sexual abuse or assisting victims and may not be used to fund such programs at the university.

The sanctions also include a four-year football postseason ban and a vacation of all wins from 1998 through 2011. The career record of former head football coach Joe Paterno will reflect these vacated records. Penn State must also reduce 10 initial and 20 total scholarships each year for a four-year period. In addition, the NCAA reserves the right to impose additional sanctions on involved individuals at the conclusion of any criminal proceedings.

The NCAA recognizes that student-athletes are not responsible for these events and worked to minimize the impact of its sanctions on current and incoming football student-athletes. Any entering or returning student-athlete will be allowed to immediately transfer and compete at another school. Further, any football student-athletes who remain at the university may retain their scholarships, regardless of whether they compete on the team.

To further integrate the athletics department into the university, Penn State will be required to enter into an “Athletics Integrity Agreement” with the NCAA. It also must adopt all Freeh Report recommendations and appoint an independent, NCAA-selected Athletics Integrity Monitor, who will oversee compliance with the agreement.

Effective immediately, the university faces five years of probation. Specifically, the university is subject to more severe penalties if it does not adhere to these requirements or violates NCAA rules in any sport during this time period.

“There has been much speculation on whether or not the NCAA has the authority to impose any type of penalty related to Penn State,” said Ed Ray, Executive Committee chair and Oregon State president. “This egregious behavior not only goes against our rules and constitution, but also against our values.”

Because Penn State accepted the Freeh Report factual findings, which the university itself commissioned, the NCAA determined traditional investigative proceedings would be redundant and unnecessary.

“We cannot look to NCAA history to determine how to handle circumstances so disturbing, shocking and disappointing,” said Emmert. “As the individuals charged with governing college sports, we have a responsibility to act. These events should serve as a call to every single school and athletics department to take an honest look at its campus environment and eradicate the ‘sports are king’ mindset that can so dramatically cloud the judgment of educators.”

Penn State fully cooperated with the NCAA on this examination of the issues and took decisive action in removing individuals in leadership who were culpable.

“The actions already taken by the new Penn State Board of Trustees chair Karen Peetz and Penn State President Rodney Erickson have demonstrated a strong desire and determination to take the steps necessary for Penn State to right these severe wrongs,” said Emmert.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore at Cleveland 6:05 p.m.
Boston at Texas 7:05 p.m.
Minnesota at Chi White Sox 7:10 p.m.
Kansas City at L.A. Angels 9:05 p.m.
N-Y Yankees at Seattle 9:10 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Chi Cubs at Pittsburgh 6:05 p.m.
Milwaukee at Philadelphia 6:05 p.m.
Atlanta at Miami 6:10 p.m.
Washington at N-Y Mets 6:10 p.m.
Cincinnati at Houston 7:05 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers at St. Louis 7:15 p.m.
Colorado at Arizona 8:40 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)
San Diego at San Francisco 9:15 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The NCAA has slammed Penn State with an unprecedented series of penalties, including a $60 million fine and the loss of all coach Joe Paterno’s victories from 1998-2011, in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

Other sanctions include a four-year ban on bowl games, and the loss of 20 scholarships per year over four years.

NCAA President Mark Emmert announced the staggering sanctions Monday at a news conference in Indianapolis. Though the NCAA stopped short of imposing the “death penalty” – shutting down the Nittany Lions’ program completely – the punishment is still crippling for a team that is trying to start over with a new coach and a new outlook.

Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator, was found guilty in June of sexually abusing young boys, sometimes on campus.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – New Penn State coach Bill O’Brien says he’s committed to the school despite the harsh sanctions imposed Monday by the NCAA, including a four-year postseason ban and a big loss in scholarships.

In a statement released by the school, O’Brien said, “I knew when I accepted the position that there would be tough times ahead. But I am committed for the long term to Penn State and our student athletes.”

School President Rodney Erickson says Penn State accepts the penalties. He says the NCAA sanctions will help the school “define our course.”

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 6, Chicago White Sox 4
Toronto 15, Boston 7
Seattle 2, Tampa Bay 1
Minnesota 7, Kansas City 5
Baltimore 4, Cleveland 3
Oakland 5, N.Y. Yankees 4, 12 innings

NATIONAL LEAGUE
L.A. Dodgers 8, N.Y. Mets 3, 12 innings
Cincinnati 2, Milwaukee 1
Washington 9, Atlanta 2
Pittsburgh 3, Miami 0
Philadelphia 4, San Francisco 3, 12 innings
St. Louis 7, Chicago Cubs 0
San Diego 3, Colorado 2
Arizona 8, Houston 2

The North Platte First Nationals juniors lost 5-4 to Hastings last night in the A-7 district tournament at Bill Wood Field. It was North Platte’s first setback of the tournament, as they had beaten Lexington on Friday and Twin Cities Saturday to advance in the winners bracket. The loss drops the First Nationals juniors into an elimination game tonight against Kearney. If North Platte wins, they’ll move into Tuesday’s title game. First pitch tonight at Bill Wood Field is set for 5 PM. The First Nationals seniors saw their season come to an end over the weekend, as they went 0-2 at their district tournament in Hastings. On Friday night the seniors fell to Twin Cities 5-4, with the winning run coming in the bottom of the ninth. On Saturday, the seniors were eliminated by Hastings 5-1. The North Platte seniors finished with a record of 24-24.