(AP) – The Chronicle of Higher Education is reporting that the Big Ten is considering a plan to give its commissioner the power to fire coaches in the wake of the Penn State child sex-abuse scandal.
An 18-page plan being circulated among Big Ten leadership would include giving Commissioner Jim Delany the authority to levy sanctions including financial penalties, suspensions and termination of a school employee. The Chronicle said it had obtained a document laying out the details.
The Big Ten did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.
Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was recently convicted of sexually abusing 10 boys, sometimes on campus. A report commissioned by Penn State said school leaders, including the late coach Joe Paterno, ignored allegations more than a decade ago to avoid bad publicity, allowing Sandusky to prey on other boys for years.
Paterno’s family denies that he participated in any attempt at a cover-up.
LONDON (AP) – Britain’s top official in charge of the Olympics says 1,200 extra UK troops have been put on standby for the 2012 London Games.
In a statement released Thursday, Jeremy Hunt claimed there was “no current need to deploy any additional troops” but opened the door to a possible infusion of extra manpower to help protect the Olympics.
Olympic security is in crisis after private contractor G4S PLC failed to deliver on its promise to provide enough guards for the games, which begin July 27. Government officials have been forced to call in police and soldiers to make up for the shortfall.
There are already 17,000 troops helping to secure the games in various capacities.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Washington Nationals activated right-handed reliever Drew Storen from the disabled list and designated outfielder Rick Ankiel for assignment on Thursday.
Storen, who had 43 saves last season, had surgery in April to remove bone chips from his right elbow and hasn’t pitched this season.
Ankiel, who turned 33 on Thursday, batted .228 with five home runs and 15 RBIs.
Washington has eight pitchers in the bullpen and four position players on the bench after the moves.
The Nationals also placed catcher Jhonatan Solano on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique muscle and recalled catcher Sandy Leon from Double-A Harrisburg.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Philadelphia Flyers are going after one of the NHL’s premier defensemen.
General manager Paul Holmgren confirms that the Flyers have signed Nashville’s Shea Weber to an offer sheet. He would fill a void left by Chris Pronger, who has been battling concussion problems and missed most of last season.
A person with knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press that Weber’s deal is for 14 years and worth more than $100 million. Nashville has seven days to match the offer.
Weber’s departure would create a huge hole in the Predators’ defense. The team lost free-agent defenseman Ryan Suter to Minnesota earlier this summer.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland at Tampa Bay 11:10 p.m.
L.A. Angels at Detroit 12:05 p.m.
Baltimore at Minnesota 12:10 p.m.
Seattle at Kansas City 1:10 p.m.
Chi White Sox at Boston 6:10 p.m.
N-Y Yankees at Oakland 9:05 p.m.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
San Francisco at Atlanta 11:10 p.m.
Arizona at Cincinnati 11:35 p.m.
N-Y Mets at Washington 11:35 p.m.
Miami at Chi Cubs 1:20 p.m.
Houston at San Diego 9:05 p.m.
LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England (AP) – Adam Scott has tied a course record by shooting a 6-under 64 in the opening round of the British Open.
Taking advantage of perfect conditions at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, the Australian bounced back from a bogey at No. 3 with eight birdies over the next 13 holes. That put him in position to tie the record for lowest score in the Open or any other major (63), or even break the record with one more birdie.
Scott settled for par at the 17th, then took a bogey on the final hole after an errant tee shot into the thick rough. Still, he went to the clubhouse having tied the 64 that Tom Lehman shot at Lytham in 1996.
Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open champion, posted a 65.
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A person with direct knowledge of the decision says free agent forward Antawn Jamison will sign a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. The 36-year-old Jamison will be reunited with coach Mike Brown, who was in charge of the Cavaliers when Jamison was traded to Cleveland during the 2009-10 season.
NEW YORK (AP) – The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association met for more than two hours in an attempt to nail down a new collective bargaining agreement before the current one expires on Sept. 15. Neither side reported much progress and players union director Donald Fehr (feer) says he hasn’t decided whether to formally respond to the owners’ first offer, which reportedly called for major concessions from the players.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
N.Y. Yankees 6, Toronto 0, 7 innings
Oakland 4, Texas 3
Detroit 7, L.A. Angels 2
Boston 10, Chicago White Sox 1
Cleveland 10, Tampa Bay 6
Baltimore 2, Minnesota 1
Kansas City 8, Seattle 7
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee 4, St. Louis 3
L.A. Dodgers 5, Philadelphia 3, 12 innings
Pittsburgh 9, Colorado 6
San Diego 8, Houston 4
Washington 4, N.Y. Mets 3
Arizona 7, Cincinnati 1
San Francisco 9, Atlanta 4, 11 innings
Chicago Cubs 5, Miami 1, 8 innings
Three batters in to their half of the first inning, the Colorado Rockies had a three-run lead. But as has been the case far too many times this season, a large early lead disappeared. The Pittsburgh Pirates scored five times in the third inning and thrice more in the fifth on their way to a 9-6 win over the Rockies at Coors Field. Dexter Fowler and Carlos Gonzalez each homered in the first to spark the Rockies offense, but starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie suffered through another Coors-induced nightmare. Guthrie failed to make it out of the third inning in an outing that saw his ERA at home soar to 9.51. Former Husker Andrew Brown had three hits and drove in two runs for the Rockies in his first start for the team. The Rockies are off today before beginning a six-game road trip in San Diego Friday night.
(Shamus McKnight, Nebraska Media Relations) Quarterback Taylor Martinez was named one of 34 quarterbacks on the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Awardwatch list released Wednesday. Martinez has been one of the nation’s best two-way threats from the quarterback spot the past two seasons, accounting for 5,559 yards of total offense to rank third on Nebraska’s career list. It is the third straight year Martinez has earned a spot on an O’Brien Award list, as he was on the watch list prior to 2011 and was a semifinalist in 2010.
In 2011, he set a school record for total offense by a sophomore totaling 2,963 yards and accounting for 21 touchdowns to rank third in the Big Ten in total offense per game. He threw for 2,089 yards and 13 scores while completing 56 percent of his passes. He set career bests in completions (27) and attempts (38) while throwing for a season-best 289 yards against Northwestern. Martinez also rushed for 874 yards and nine touchdowns, including a trio of 100-yard efforts, to rank ninth in the league in rushing. He piloted an offense which was 15th nationally in rushing while going 9-4 and earning a bid to the Capital One Bowl.
As a freshman, he was the Big 12’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year, totaling 965 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground while throwing for 1,631 yards and 10 scores. That season, he was a freshman All-American from both Rivals.com and CollegeFootballNews.com and a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award.
The Foundation and the Davey O’Brien National Selection Committee will announce three finalists on Monday, Nov. 19. The 2012 Davey O’Brien Winner will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 6, in Orlando.
The Denver Broncos and left tackle Ryan Clady are unlikely to reach an agreement on a contract extension before the start of training camp next week. Clady is scheduled to make $3.5 million in the final season of his first contract. The two-time Pro Bowler has exchanged proposals for a multi-year deal with the team, but the parties are said to be far apart in their negotiations. The 25-year old Clady hasn’t missed a start in four seasons with the Broncos.
(Hilary Winter, Nebraska Media Relations) Lincoln, Neb. – Three-time track and field All-American Ashley Miller has been selected as a 2012 NCAA Woman of the Year nominee. She is one of 429 female student-athletes across NCAA Divisions I, II and III who were nominated for the 22nd annual NCAA Woman of the Year award.
Miller was a four-time conference champion for Coach Gary Pepin’s track and field squad, capturing three Big Ten titles in her senior season. She led the Husker women to their first Big Ten Indoor Championship in February, while helping NU to a second-place finish at the 2012 Big Ten Outdoor Championships. She has also been a part of three school record-breaking performances during her time at Nebraska. In addition to her accomplishments on the track, Miller has excelled in the classroom. She was a 2011 second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American as well as being named a first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District VII honoree in 2011 and a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-District VII honoree in 2012. She was selected as a Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient and the 2011-12 Nebraska Female Student-Athlete of the Year.
The award honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. Conferences select one or two women from the nominees to represent their conference and those names are then sent to the Woman of the Year selection committee, which chooses the top 10 honorees in each division. The top nine finalists will be announced in September, while members of the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will vote on the finalists to determine the 2012 Woman of the Year. The winner will be announced at the annual ceremony in Indianapolis on Oct. 14.
With bids for the US Olympic Trials and the Super Bowl already on the table, the Indiana Sports Corporation has said that they are not likely to bid on a college football playoff national championship game in the near future, which is disappointing news to Big Ten football fans who were hoping to have a Midwestern site as part of the bidding process. “it is highly unlikely that Indianapolis will pursue the BCS national championship in the near future,’’ said Susan Williams, president of the Indiana Sports Corporation. “And I underline, near future.” With Indianapolis out of the picture, Detroit and St. Louis might be the most logical Midwestern cities to throw their hats into the ring for the college football playoff that begins in 2014.
NEW YORK (AP) – The NFL’s on-field officials say the league planned to lock them out rather than negotiate a new contract.
Members of the NFL Referees Association were locked out June 3 after talks broke down. The league has been contacting replacement officials.
Scott Green, the NFLRA president, and past president Ed Hochuli, both current referees, say the NFL is jeopardizing the safety of the players, as well as the integrity of the game, by considering using officials they feel are unqualified.
The officials say their wage offer was for a smaller increase than they received in the collective bargaining agreement that expired in May. They also cite as issues higher wages for officials in the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball, and the loss of a pension system.
BOSTON (AP) – The Boston Celtics have signed free agent guard Jason Terry.
The deal was reported earlier this month during a signing moratorium, then held up while the Celtics tried to work out a sign-and-trade agreement with the Dallas Mavericks.
Instead, Boston will use its mid-level exemption to sign the 2009 NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 15.1 points per game for the Mavericks last year. He was second in the league with 138 made 3-pointers last season and is fourth in NBA history on the career list with 1,788.
Terry is seen as a replacement for Ray Allen, who signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat.
DETROIT (AP) – Baseball stadium Comerica Park is the latest Detroit landmark to be the subject of a bomb threat.
Police say an anonymous caller issued the threat in a 911 call around 8 p.m. Tuesday as the Tigers were hosting the Los Angeles Angels in front of 34,000 fans.
No announcement was made, nor was there a call for an evacuation as police searched the ballpark for an explosive device.
Detroit police Sgt. Eren Stephens says no device was found.
The threat followed two similar incidents in less than a week that shut down a tunnel and a bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, for hours.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto at N-Y Yankees 12:05 p.m.
Texas at Oakland 2:35 p.m.
L.A. Angels at Detroit 6:05 p.m.
Chi White Sox at Boston 6:10 p.m.
Cleveland at Tampa Bay 6:10 p.m.
Baltimore at Minnesota 7:10 p.m.
Seattle at Kansas City 7:10 p.m.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis at Milwaukee 1:10 p.m.
Philadelphia at L.A. Dodgers 2:10 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Colorado 2:10 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)
Houston at San Diego 2:35 p.m.
N-Y Mets at Washington 6:05 p.m.
Arizona at Cincinnati 6:10 p.m.
San Francisco at Atlanta 6:10 p.m.
Miami at Chi Cubs 7:05 p.m.
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) – The Washington Redskins have come to terms on a contract with Robert Griffin III. The quarterback out of Baylor was the second overall pick in this year’s draft. He signed a four-year contract with Washington worth about $21 million. His agent tells The Associated Press that the Heisman Trophy winner will be in Redskins rookie camp today.
HOUSTON (AP) – Jeremy Lin is leaving New York and taking Linsanity to Houston. The New York Knicks confirmed Tuesday night that they will not match the Houston Rocket’s three-year, $25 million offer for Lin, a restricted free-agent.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – Penn State says it will respond within days to the NCAA’s demand for information as the governing body decides whether the university should face penalties after the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. Penn State President Rodney Erickson says he doesn’t want to “jump to conclusions” about possible sanctions after the head of the NCAA declared no penalty was off the table, including a shutdown of the university’s football program.
NEW YORK (AP) – Labor talks are set to resume today between the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association. The biggest sticking point in the working out of a new deal is the league’s total revenue and how much each side will get. In short, the players like their share right now. The owners don’t.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
L.A. Angels 13, Detroit 0
N.Y. Yankees 6, Toronto 1
Chicago White Sox 7, Boston 5
Tampa Bay 4, Cleveland 2
Minnesota 6, Baltimore 4
Seattle 9, Kansas City 6
Texas 6, Oakland 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington 5, N.Y. Mets 4, 10 innings
Cincinnati 4, Arizona 0
San Francisco 9, Atlanta 0
Miami 9, Chicago Cubs 5
Milwaukee 3, St. Louis 2
Pittsburgh 6, Colorado 2
San Diego 8, Houston 2
Philadelphia 3, L.A. Dodgers 2
