<h4>Rolling off his back </h4>

Manchester United's Patrice Evra (top) has the ball behind him as he wins it from Manchester City's Elano Blumer during their English Premier League soccer match on Sunday.

LOS ANGELES – Manny Ramirez apologized to Dodgers owner Frank McCourt during a meeting to discuss his 50-game suspension for using a banned drug.

Next, the slugger might face his teammates in the next few days.

McCourt said Ramirez called him and the two met Saturday, two days after the 12-time All-Star began serving a penalty imposed by Major League Baseball.

“I wanted to meet him face to face,” McCourt said. “He started off the meeting by apologizing and acknowledging the disappointment that he’s created – not only for me but for others.

“He’s in the process right now of doing what anybody else would do if they made a mistake, in terms of making amends here and communicating with the people he knows he has to communicate with and then going about repairing his relationships.

“And of course, his is magnified many times because he’s a public figure and a very popular one.”

McCourt also said he thinks Ramirez should speak to his teammates about the suspension.

“If Manny takes the steps that I’m hopeful he will, I think this will be something that won’t damage this franchise at all,” McCourt said Sunday.

“We all make mistakes, and it’s how we deal with those mistakes that really differentiates one from the other. And if Manny does with others what he did with me (Saturday), I think we’ll be on the road to full recovery.”

Ramirez has also spoken with manager Joe Torre and general manager Ned Colletti by phone. But the outfielder was absent from Dodger Stadium again Sunday as his teammates wrapped up an 11-game homestand against San Francisco.

“He’s still beat up by this thing,” Torre said. “Again, it’s not that he feels it’s unfair, but he’s embarrassed and he still has to clear his head before he basically feels good enough to come out. Hopefully it’s in the near future, but we didn’t nail him down for a (specific) day.”

Before Sunday’s game, Colletti confirmed a report in the Los Angeles Times that he and McCourt had spoken to Ramirez, whose bat practically carried the Dodgers into last year’s playoffs and helped the club get off to a 21-8 start before the suspension.

CBS’ Feherty apologizes

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – CBS Sports golf analyst David Feherty apologized Sunday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for a morbid joke that went bad in a Dallas magazine.

Feherty, one of the most popular golf analysts for his sharp wit and self-deprecating humor, was among five Dallas residents who wrote for “D Magazine” on former President George W. Bush moving to Dallas.

“From my own experience visiting the troops in the Middle East, I can tell you this though,” Feherty wrote toward the end of his column.

“Despite how the conflict has been portrayed by our glorious media, if you gave any U.S. soldier a gun with two bullets in it, and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Osama bin Laden, there’s a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get shot twice, and Harry Reid and bin Laden would be strangled to death.”

Feherty, a former Ryder Cup player who grew up in Northern Ireland, has gone to Iraq over Thanksgiving the past two years to visit with U.S. troops, and he created a foundation to help wounded soldiers.

“This passage was a metaphor meant to describe how American troops felt about our 43rd president,” Feherty said in a statement. “In retrospect, it was inappropriate and unacceptable, and has clearly insulted Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid, and for that, I apologize.

“As for our troops, they know I will continue to do as much as I can for them both at home and abroad.”

HS hoops may use replay

INDIANAPOLIS – Instant replay has been approved starting next season for last-second shots in high school basketball championship games.

The rule change by the National Federation of State High School Associations allows replay for review of a shot attempt at the end of the fourth quarter or overtime, and only when the last-second shot would affect the outcome of the game.

The rule is not mandatory and leaves the decision whether to use it to each state association.

“When available, technology should be used to assist game officials and administrators in making the correct call when the outcome of the game hangs in the balance and a team has no further opportunity to overcome a critical error,” said Mary Struckhoff, NFHS assistant director and liaison to the basketball rules committee. “This change provides state associations that opportunity.”

The change would let officials determine whether the ball had left the shooter’s hand before time expired or whether the shot was a 2- or 3-pointer.

Approved by the federation at a recent meeting, the change was prompted by controversial finishes in 2008 championship games in South Carolina, Ohio and Michigan.

Another new rule will allow the use of a red light behind the backboard to signal the end of a quarter or overtime. If no red light is present, the audible timer’s signal will continue to be used.

The NFHS is the governing body for almost 19,000 high schools in the United States.

NUMBER OF THE DAY

.428

Career on-base percentage by Todd Helton, the highest among current MLB players. Other leaders:

Albert Pujols .425

Manny Ramirez .412

Lance Berkman .411

Chipper Jones .408

Jason Giambi .407

Jim Thome .405

Bobby Abreu .404

Brian Giles .401

QUOTABLE

'The only guy who made a mistake on the last play was me.'

STAN VAN GUNDY,

Orlando coach, after Boston hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer in Sunday's NBA playoff game.

———

ON THIS DATE

1923: Setting several Pacific Coast League records, Pete Schneider of Vernon hits five homers and a double to drive in 14 runs in a 35-11 romp over Salt Lake City.

1992: Portland wins the highest-scoring playoff game in NBA history, 153-151 in double overtime against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals.

1994: The Phoenix Suns, down 20 points with 10 minutes to play, stage the biggest late-game comeback in NBA playoff history, beating the Houston Rockets 124-117 in overtime in the Western Conference semifinals.

———

UA vs. ASU HOOPS RECRUITING

Who got the better of the basketball recruiting battle between UA and ASU this year? The Wildcats got three ranked in the top 100, but ASU added five to their class.

Despite getting a late start, new UA coach Sean Miller landed three top-tier high school seniors for the 2009-10 recruiting class:

• Solomon Hill, F, 6-6, Los Angeles Fairfax High (27th-ranked player overall by Rivals.com; 61st by Scout.com)

• Kyryl Natyazhko, C, 6-10, Ukraine, IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (41st overall by Scout; 81st by Rivals)

• Kevin Parrom, G-F, 6-5, Bronx, N.Y., South Kent, Conn., High (74th by Scout; 122nd by Rivals)

ASU’s 2009 class probably turned out better than people expected. Rivals ranks Trent Lockett, Victor Rudd and Demetrius Walker among its Top 150. All three could contribute next season.

• Trent Lockett, G, 6-4, Minnetonka, Minn., Hopkins High (80th by Rivals)

• Ruslan Pateev, C, 6-11, Montverde (Fla.) Academy

• Victor Rudd, F, 6-7, Henderson, Nev., Findlay Prep (114th by Rivals)

• Brandon Thompson. G, 6-2, San Antonio, John Paul Stevens High

• Demetrius Walker, G, 6-4, Phoenix St. Mary’s High (115th by Rivals, 74th by ESPNU)

The Arizona Republic

<h4>Rear ender: </h4>

Philadelphia's Jayson Werth is hit with a pitch thrown by Atlanta's Jeff Bennett in the eighth inning Friday. The Phillies won 10-6.

MINNEAPOLIS – Is Brett Favre healthy and hungry enough to end his retirement again? And how badly do the Minnesota Vikings want him?

The questions and confusion continued Friday.

ESPN, again citing unnamed sources, reported X-rays of Favre’s injured right shoulder have been sent to the Vikings for evaluation.

The network said Favre will play for Minnesota if it’s determined he doesn’t need major surgery. If he does, according to the source, he’ll stay retired.

But Favre’s agent, Bus Cook, told a different ESPN reporter he was unaware of any X-rays being sent to the team. Cook reiterated that the famously fickle quarterback has not told him he wants to come back for a 19th NFL season.

“Brett would have to be mentally ready to go play, physically ready to go play, and want to go play,” Cook told the network, “and I’m not sure all three of those things are there right now.”

Cook is the only central figure in the story who has actually spoken on the record this week. He did not return phone calls Friday from The Associated Press.

Vikings officials were unavailable for comment and have yet to address the drama since head coach Brad Childress acknowledged last week it was likely the team would assess its interest in signing the man who owns most of the league’s major passing records.

Favre became a free agent last month when, upon his request, he was formally released from the reserve-retired list by the Jets.

Favre declared his playing days over in February after one season with New York.

Charles lands ASU job

Former Santa Rita High wrestler Shawn Charles, a four-time All-American and two-time national runner-up at Arizona State, has been hired as the sixth head coach in the 47-year history of ASU’s program.

Charles, a native of Tucson, spent the past two seasons as assistant coach at Missouri. Previous career stops include one season as head coach at Fresno State, which disbanded its program, and assistant coaching stints at Brown, Nebraska, Central Michigan, Oklahoma and Iowa State.

He also served on the U.S. Olympic coaching staff in 2004 and 2008 and on the 2009 University World Team staff.

“I am excited to be back at my alma mater and to be the guy to put it all together and make Arizona State successful once again,” Charles said.

“One of my goals is to get the community involved with our program. I really believe that wrestling is a viable form of entertainment and I would really like to see the communities around Arizona get involved in supporting this form of entertainment.”

The Arizona Republic

Qualifier to be held Monday

Tucson’s best golfers will compete Monday in the U.S. Open Regional Qualifier at Tucson Country Club.

The cast includes the Nationwide Tour’s Rich Barcelo, Tucson Golf School’s Glen Griffith, local amateur kingpin David McDaniel and the Gateway Tour’s Brian Prouty.

The 18-hole tournament will send qualifiers to sectional play, the last step for the U.S. Open, June 18-21 at Farmingdale, N.Y.

The Gateway Tour’s Ben Kern will compete in the Queen Creek Regional on June 18 at the Ecanterra Club.

Citizen Staff Report

Youth Golf Club

Four levels of play will highlight the Southwest Section PGA Youth Golf Club program.

The eight-week program, for kids 14 and under, contains group instruction with skills testing and on-course supervised play.

Call 480-443-9002 or go to www.southwestpga.com for information and sessions schedule.

Citizen Staff Report

Holes-in-one

Blake Cannon, 214-yard No. 16 at Silverbell, 7-iron. Witnesses: Michelle Cannon, Dale Kelly.

Charlie Wolff, 157-yard No. 12 at Rio Rico, 9-iron. Witnesses: Dale LaVal, Ted Pedersen, John Mahoney, Dave Dobson, Jim Marquis, Bob Bruce.

Ev Pantrell, 103-yard No. 13 at El Rio, 9-iron. Witnesses: Bill Kennedy, James Fleck, Jerry Kinnee.

John Kling, 178-yard No. 9 at Silverbell, 5-iron. Witnesses: Tom Roper, Bill Gordon.

Bill Thobe, 120-yard No. 6 at Randolph North, gap wedge. Witnesses: Jerry Apadaca, Mark Piper, Al Kovarik.

David Stoner, 135-yard No. 16 at del Lago, 8-iron. Witnesses: Robert Fry, Charles P. Laefer, Carl Roberson.

Citizen Staff Report

Upcoming local golf

Pueblo Warriors Football 2009 Golf Classic – Dell Urich Golf Course, June 27, 7 a.m. Shotgun start. Cost: $75. For more information, call 444-1924.

Citizen Staff Report

QUOTABLE:

'I have (the rest of my career) to make a difference, to become a better baseball player and a better person. I think I have time to have a happy ending.'

ALEX RODRIGUEZ, Yankees third baseman, after homering in his season debut Friday

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

They’re Hinch’s players, so fire him, fans say

Re: D’backs replace manager Bob Melvin with A.J. Hinch

• You are certainly firing the wrong person. Bob Melvin has been handed a bunch of losers and he is expected to make a good team from them? The ones needing “replacing” are the honchos who traded our best guys for these dimwits! 4152

• Unfortunately managers always pay for the failures of the players or the front office. In this case both are to blame. As they say, it’s easier to fire one guy than 25. RJW52

• Actually, if Hinch is in charge of player development, isn’t he the one that should get the ax? I can’t think of a single mistake Melvin made considering what he had to work with.

I haven’t liked the way the D’backs have treated their players, Gonzo. Randy J, O. Dog (Orlando Hudson). It tears me up to see all the young talent we had going (playing well for other teams). APACHECAT

———

ON THIS DATE

1930: Gallant Fox, ridden by Earl Sande, wins the Preakness Stakes by three-quarters of a length over Crack Brigade. Gallant Fox becomes the only Triple Crown winner to win the Preakness a week before the Kentucky Derby.

1932: Burgoo King, ridden by Eugene James, withstands a strong drive by Tick On to win the Preakness Stakes by a head.

1942: Alsab, ridden by Basil James, wins the Preakness Stakes by one length over Requested.

1961: Jim Gentile of the Baltimore Orioles hits consecutive grand slams in the first and second innings of a 13-5 rout of Minnesota.

1987: Baltimore’s Eddie Murray becomes the first major leaguer to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in consecutive games as the Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox 15-6 at Comiskey Park.

1993: The Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-104 in overtime to become the first NBA team to lose two playoff games at home and come back to win three straight.

The Associated Press

Play opens May 21

<h4>Unmanly comment </h4>

Boston Red Sox fans hold up a sign referring to former Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez during Boston's game against the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park in Boston on Thursday. Ramirez was suspended for 50 games for using a banned substance, reportedly a female fertility drug sometimes used to mitigate side effects when ending a cycle of steroid use.

Concern about the swine flu has caused a Golden Baseball League team from Mexico to cancel its season, forcing the new Tucson Toros to try to fill six home dates and six road games.

The Tijuana Potros, also an expansion team in the independent league, were scheduled to visit Hi Corbett Field on June 23-25 and July 7-9. The Toros were set to visit Tijuana on May 26-28 and June 5-7.

Toros owner Jay Zucker said he would look for other opportunities to fill the lost dates, such as exhibitions or fantasy camps.

Mexican soccer teams have banned fans from attending recent games because of the flu epidemic, which has killed 44 people in the country and two in the United States.

As a result, the Tijuana team couldn’t risk launching its season with uncertainty about sponsors, ticket sales and stadium availability.

“We weren’t worried about our players being infected,” Zucker said. “The league just felt it couldn’t wait any longer” for the concerns to subside with the season only two weeks away.

The Toros, who now have 38 home games set, begin their season May 21 against the Chico Outlaws at Hi Corbett.

With Tijuana out, the league is down to nine teams.

Tucson will be in the South Division with Yuma, St. George (Utah) and Orange County (Calif.).

The North Division will feature Edmonton, Calgary and Victoria from Canada and Chico and Long Beach from California.

Tijuana plans to return to the league next season, team president Jose Manuel Peña said in a statement.

“We know this will pass and the Potros will be ready for next year,” he said, “but realize the timing of this natural disaster has left us with no other choice.”

Ex-Sun Devil suing NCAA

Former Arizona State and Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller is suing the NCAA and its video-game partner, EA Sports, claiming they’ve gone too far in using the likenesses of college players who are prohibited from sharing in the games’ profits.

The class-action suit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in California, claims the games make illegal use of football and basketball players’ names – through the download of team rosters – and unidentified but scarcely hidden likenesses and that the NCAA condones the practice in violation of its own rules.

EA Sports, the NCAA and Collegiate Licensing Co., the Georgia-based marketing firm that represents the NCAA, “deliberately and systematically misappropriate players’ likenesses to increase revenues and royalties at the expense of student athletes,” says the suit, filed on behalf of every football and basketball player on an opening-game roster whose jersey number appeared in an EA game.

It asks for a jury trial. No damages are specified.

BoSox titles tainted?

BOSTON – Manny Ramirez hit cleanup on the Red Sox’s two championship teams this decade. Some of his teammates on those clubs say his suspension for using a banned substance won’t tarnish those titles.

“Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but I don’t feel like our ’07 season was tainted,” Mike Lowell said Thursday night. “This is still a 25-man team.”

Ramirez was MVP of Boston’s World Series sweep of St. Louis that gave the Red Sox their first championship in 86 years in 2004. He also had one of his best seasons that year, hitting .308 with 43 homers and 130 RBIs.

“It’s not like we wouldn’t be the world champions if, whatever this is that’s going on,” 2008 AL MVP Dustin Pedroia said. “I don’t think it tarnishes any of that stuff.”

Thursday, Ramirez was suspended for 50 games for violating baseball’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

Several Red Sox players said they didn’t know if he used such substances when he played for Boston from 2001 until he was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trading deadline last July.

“I have no idea,” said Lowell, the MVP of the 2007 World Series against Colorado.

“He’s a phenomenal hitter and I never saw anything, so I defer to asking Manny that question.”

The Associated Press

Dophins renaming stadium

MIAMI – The Miami Dolphins are renaming their home Landshark Stadium as part of a partnership with singer Jimmy Buffett.

The name change from Dolphin Stadium is the fifth since the stadium opened in 1987. Buffett’s Margaritaville enterprise includes Landshark Lager, brewed by Anheuser-Busch.

Buffett and new Dolphins owner Stephen Ross are friends. They plan to unveil a new logo for the stadium at a private event Friday, where Buffett will perform a song inspired by the Dolphins.

The Associated Press

Bike race coming to Colo.?

DENVER – Lance Armstrong wants to bring bicycle racing back to Colorado, Gov. Bill Ritter said Thursday.

Ritter said Armstrong, who has a home in Aspen and has trained in the area, called him to discuss the proposal.

“He has this idea and he’s working on it from his end. There is some possibility we could bring it back,” Ritter said.

Armstrong is in Italy for the Giro d’Italia race.

A posting on his Twitter page on Wednesday said, “Had a great conversation with Governor Ritter from Colorado. Working on something. Stay tuned . . .”

Colorado had a stage race in the 1970s and ’80s known first as the Red Zinger Classic and later the Coors Classic, which grew to include two weeks of racing in California, Nevada and Colorado – with stages some years in Hawaii and Wyoming – and was considered one of the biggest stage races in the world.

It last ran in 1988.

The Associated Press

NUMBER OF THE DAY

105

Runs scored by the Diamondbacks, the No. 31 mark of 32 teams this year. How Arizona ranks in other offensive categories.

Batting average .222 (32)

Hits .207 (32)

RBIs 97 (31)

Doubles 54 (11)

Home runs 30 (12)

On base percentage .297 (32)

Slugging percentage .385 (27)

QUOTABLE

'You can't have arguably the greatest pitcher of our era, arguably the two greatest players of our era and now another very, very good player be under this cloud of suspicion and not feel like it has ruined it for everybody.'

CHIPPER JONES,

Atlanta Braves third baseman, referring to pitcher Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez being linked to steroids or drugs

———

TOROS OPENER

> Chico (Calif.) at Tucson, 7 p.m. May 21, Hi Corbett Field

> Tickets: 325-1010

———

ON THIS DATE

1968: Jim “Catfish” Hunter of the Oakland A’s pitches a perfect game, beating the Minnesota Twins 4-0. It is the first perfect game in the American League regular season in 46 seasons.

1970: Walt Frazier scores 36 points to lead the New York Knicks to a 113-99 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA championship in seven games.

1984: On the day the Olympic torch relay begins, the Soviet Union announces it will not take part in the 1984 Summer Olympics.

The Associated Press

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Ramirez couldn’t dodge drug test

Re: Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez suspended

• Major League Baseball was once a great sport. In recent years it has become a sad shadow of the past. OCOTILLOSUNSET

• Whatever happened to sports for the sake of the game? This is why people are not into sports anymore. The players are spoiled doper brats that play for the paycheck and not for the fans and just the pureness of having fun playing a game. JETMECH

• It’s high time, these “pretty boys” and pseudo “hip-hoppers” step up and really pay attention to any substance they take or are given, and play the game as it is a true sport of ability and ethics. Cheating sucks and those who engage in it are suckers! POPS

• As a Dodger fan this is not good, but . . . Manny is not the smartest person out there but he should have checked it out with a team doctor. DJQ32

By USA Today, Mike Chesnick

For the second year in a row, the University of Arizona football team showed improvement in the NCAA’s annual Academic Progress Rate report.

The Wildcats fell one point below the NCAA’s minimum score of 925, or a 50 percent graduation rate – and were ninth in the Pac-10, only ahead of Washington State (918). But because UA showed significant improvement from last year (902), the Cats were not penalized.

In 2007 and 2006, UA lost a total of six football scholarships because of poor APR reports.

All the other Arizona teams performed higher than 925 – including the men’s indoor track program (938), which lost one scholarship this season because of a score of 921 last year.

No Pac-10 teams were penalized this season.

The scores are calculated based on data from the fall semester in 2004 through the spring semester in 2008. Each athlete receives one point per semester for remaining academically eligible and another point each semester for remaining at that school or graduating.

A mathematical formula is used to correlate a final team score, with 1,000 points being perfect. Teams that fall below 925 annually can be subjected to immediate penalties.

Across the nation, the overall four-year Division I APR increased three points to 964. And the overall scores in baseball, football and men’s basketball all showed improvement over the 2003-04 numbers.

Centenary’s men’s basketball team and Tennessee-Chattanooga’s football squad, however, didn’t make the grade with the NCAA and it cost them a chance to compete for a national championship next season.

Those teams became the first to be banned from postseason play because of poor APR scores. Jacksonville State’s football team, which is appealing a postseason ban, could join them. A decision is expected within six weeks.

NCAA president Myles Brand said Wednesday’s announcement sends a message to the nation’s college teams: Repeatedly failing to make grades comes at a heavy cost.

“I think it is a watershed because it shows the depth and severity of the penalties for schools that cannot come into compliance with academic performance,” Brand said during a conference call. “Think back as a mode of comparison to when we have recruiting infractions, and we withhold them from postseason play, that’s a big deal.”

Next year, schools with four straight years of poor scores could face the NCAA’s most severe penalty – restricted Division I membership for the entire athletic department.

Ten schools were cited in both football and men’s basketball but only two – Alabama-Birmingham and New Mexico State – play in college football’s top level. UAB was the only school in major football to receive a reduction in practice times in both sports.

The SEC led the six biggest conferences with five teams penalized. Mississippi and Minnesota were the only BCS schools sanctioned in football.

McNeese State led all schools with eight teams sanctioned, while Nicholls State was next with six.

———

LATEST UA ACADEMIC PROGRESS REPORT SCORES

———

(925 is minimum)

Men’s sports

Baseball 930

Basketball 949

Cross country 1,000

Football 924

Golf 957

Swimming 951

Tennis 945

Track (indoor) 938

Track (outdoor) 939

Women’s sports

Basketball 946

Cross country 965

Golf 975

Gymnastics 987

Soccer 992

Softball 945

Swimming 974

Tennis 965

Track (indoor) 953

Track (outdoor) 949

———

HOW UA COMPARES

Football Men’s hoops

Stanford 984 968

California 970 944

USC 956 906

Washington 954 956

UCLA 948 968

ASU 945 930

Oregon 935 975

Oregon State 930 936

Arizona 924 949

Washington St. 918 946

By Citizen Staff Report, Wire Report

<h4>Not her day </h4>

Serena Williams reacts to losing a point to Patty Schnyder at the Italian Rome Masters tennis tournament on Tuesday. Williams lost the match.

TORONTO – BlackBerry boss Jim Balsillie is looking to buy the cash-strapped Phoenix Coyotes and move them to Ontario.

The co-CEO of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion said that his $212.5 million offer is conditional on the Coyotes relocating to Canada, where they existed as the Winnipeg Jets before moving to Phoenix for the 1996-97 season.

The team filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday.

The filing included the proposed sale of the franchise to PSE Sports & Entertainment, LP, a Delaware limited partnership, which would move the franchise to southern Ontario.

“Extensive efforts have been undertaken to sell the team, or attract additional investors, who would keep the team in Glendale,” Jerry Moyes, the Coyotes chief executive officer, said in a statement announcing the Chapter 11 filing.

“Creating a process under the supervision of a judge assures that anyone wishing to purchase the team will have the opportunity to bid.

“Likewise, the City of Glendale, which has been very cooperative with efforts to keep the team in Glendale, will be able to provide potential buyers assurances of the city’s willingness to offer incentives to keep the team as a tenant in the Jobing.com arena, the lease for which is subject to rejection in bankruptcy.

“The process assures that the identities of the new owner and the team’s location will be known by June 30, 2009, thus enabling the NHL to include the team in its 2009-10 schedule.”

Coyle earns Pac-10 honors

Arizona sophomore Bobby Coyle was named Pac-10 baseball player of the week after hitting .462 with nine RBIs in a three-game sweep over California.

Coyle, an outfielder-designated hitter, went 6 for 13 with a triple in each game. He was 5 for 7 with runners in scoring position, including two bases-loaded triples.

He leads the Pac-10 with six triples on the season.

Citizen Staff Report

No fans for soccer games

MEXICO CITY – All pro soccer games in Mexico this weekend will again be played without fans because of swine flu. The decision comes even though other parts of the country are returning to normal following a shutdown to contain the virus.

Mexico’s 176 league games – from the first to third division – were shuttered last weekend and three games around the capital were closed to fans the week before.

The Mexican soccer federation said Tuesday the games would remain closed because the government had not lifted all preventive measures.

“The decision was made in full awareness of the emergency health situation that confronts the country,” the federation said in a statement.

Regular-season play ends this weekend, and officials have not announced postseason plans.

The Associated Press

Phelps getting ready

BALTIMORE – When Michael Phelps was at his lowest, unsure if he wanted to return to swimming, he sat down with a pen and a piece of paper.

“I wrote out the pros and cons of swimming,” he said, “and quitting.”

In the end, swimming won out. Phelps returned to what he does best. Now, he’s finished serving a three-month suspension doled out by USA Swimming after a picture surfaced in a British tabloid showing him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

Tuesday was the final day of his suspension. Phelps marked it like any other day: He woke up late and headed to the pool.

Phelps will return to competition next week at a meet in Charlotte, N.C. It will be his first time swimming competitively since winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.

“I’m happy to be back in the water and be back in semi-shape,” said Phelps, who’s lost almost 20 pounds in the last two months. “I’m sort of getting back into racing shape and getting ready to race my first race since Beijing. We’ll see how it goes.

The Associated Press

A-Rod homers twice

TAMPA, Fla. – New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez homered twice and played seven innings in the field for the second straight day in an extended spring training game on Tuesday.

Sidelined since undergoing right hip surgery on March 9, the third baseman could rejoin the Yankees for Friday night’s game at Baltimore.

A-Rod said a return date has not been finalized.

“I have no idea about Friday,” said Rodriguez, who will play in another extended spring training game Wednesday. “I’m feeling good.”

Rodriguez went 3 for 6 with two homers to center – including one that cleared a 40-foot high batter’s eye. He had two plays at third, fielding a grounder and making a spin move to throw out Philadelphia minor leaguer at first.

“He had a great day, actually,” New York manager Joe Girardi said at Yankee Stadium as his team got ready to play Boston. “Ran hard to first, no issues.”

The Yankees could use Rodriguez’s bat as soon as possible – especially with All-Star catcher Jorge Posada going on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday because of a strained hamstring.

The Associated Press

QUOTABLE

'Last year we kind of had a cakewalk to the NBA finals. It feels good to be tested a little bit,'

KOBE BRYANT,

Lakers guard, on Los Angeles losing to Houston in Game 1 of their series in the second round of the NBA playoffs

———

ON THIS DATE

1917: Bob Groom of the Browns duplicates teammate Ernie Koob’s feat of the previous day by pitching a 3-0 no-hit victory against the Chicago White Sox in the second game of a doubleheader in St. Louis.

1973: The New England Whalers beat the Winnipeg Jets 9-6 to win the first World Hockey Association championship.

1976: Philadelphia’s Reggie Leach ties an NHL playoff record, scoring five goals in the Flyers’ 6-3 win over the Boston Bruins. Maurice Richard and Darryl Sittler also accomplished the feat.

1978: Affirmed, ridden by Steve Cauthen, holds off Alydar’s late charge for a 1 1/2-length victory in the Kentucky Derby. This is Affirmed’s easiest race against Alydar en route to the Triple Crown.

1988: Rick Stiner is 6-for-8 with 11 RBIs and three home runs and Matt Hyde is 6-for-9 with two homers and seven RBIs as Grand Canyon College sets a college scoring record with a 45-15 victory over Denver.

1994: Lennox Lewis stops Phil Jackson in the eighth round to retain his WBC heavyweight championship in Atlantic City, N.J.

1996: The Seattle SuperSonics make a playoff-record 20 3-pointers, including 13 in a row, to beat the Houston Rockets 105-101.

1998: Rookie Kerry Wood ties the major league record with 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game, pitching a one-hitter to lead the Chicago Cubs over the Houston Astros 2-0.

2005: Chicago, with a 94-91 loss to Washington, becomes the ninth NBA team to lose a best-of-seven playoff series after winning the first two games.

2006: Barbaro storms into the lead at the top of the stretch and wins the Kentucky Derby convincingly. Barbaro, ridden by Edgar Prado, wins his sixth consecutive race, 6 1/2 lengths ahead of Bluegrass Cat and is the sixth undefeated winner of the Derby.

2006: Phoenix is the eighth team in NBA history to win a series after trailing 3-1 with a 121-90 victory over Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of its Western Conference opening-round series.

<h4>Jump if you just scored </h4>

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (right) jumps into the arms of teammate Sergei Fedorov after notching his third goal of the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday in Washington.

&gt; Go to <a href="http://www.tucsoncitizen.com">www.tucsoncitizen.com</a> for more sports photo galleries.

AKRON, Ohio – On one of the biggest days of his life, LeBron James took the long way home.

Once inside his hometown’s city limits, James pulled his high-powered Ferrari off Interstate 77 and drove the back roads to St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, his alma mater.

Turning on Maple Street, he went past his first house on Hickory. Then, it was past the one on Silver Street, where his mother, Gloria, began raising him by herself.

James visited The Boondocks, where he and his friends first dribbled on the playgrounds.

James retraced the steps on Monday. His path to NBA superstardom.

An unstoppable offensive force who became an elite defender this season, James claimed the league MVP, receiving the award in the gym where he first became a star.

“This is a place where all my dreams started and where I thought they could become real,” James said. “There’s really not a better place.”

An MVP vote some expected to be close was another slam dunk by James. He received 109 of a possible 121 first-place votes to easily outdistance Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. James totaled 1,172 points in balloting by media members in the U.S. and Canada.

Bryant, last year’s winner, got two first-place votes and finished with 698 points. Miami guard Dwyane Wade was third with 680 points and was named first on seven ballots. Orlando center Dwight Howard (328) was fourth followed by New Orleans guard Chris Paul (192).

The race was never in doubt. It was James all along.

“I’m 24 years old and I’m receiving this award. I never thought it would happen this fast,” he said, standing under three state title banners he helped win for the Fighting Irish.

James is the first Cavaliers player to win the award. He averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists this season, his sixth as a pro.

Obama to greet Heels

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – North Carolina made President Obama’s bracket a winner with its romp through the NCAA Tournament.

Now Obama will get the chance to thank the Tar Heels for making him look good.

The president will honor the national champions at the White House next Monday.

Obama – who played a pickup game with the team last spring – picked the Tar Heels to win the title before the tournament.

Joba’s mom in trouble

LINCOLN, Neb. – The mother of New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain has been arrested on charges of selling methamphetamine to an undercover police officer in February.

Jacqueline Standley was arrested at her apartment Saturday night, Lincoln Police Capt. David Beggs said Monday.

Beggs said she sold 1 gram of a substance believed to be meth to an officer for $110 on Feb. 11. The substance was confirmed as meth at the state laboratory.

The 44-year-old Standley was charged Monday with delivery of an exceptionally hazardous drug, a felony. Her bail was set at $5,000 and she was assigned a public defender, whose name was not on her jail record.

Last month, Chamberlain pleaded guilty to drunken driving and was given nine months probation and a $400 fine for his October arrest.

Structure collapse probed

IRVING, Texas – Government investigators began sorting through the Dallas Cowboys’ flattened practice facility Monday, trying to figure out why fierce winds sent the tentlike structure crashing down during a rookie workout session.

Twelve people were hurt, including Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis, who underwent surgery Monday to stabilize a fractured vertebrae in his neck.

The most seriously injured was Rich Behm, the team’s 33-year-old scouting assistant who was permanently paralyzed from the waist down after his spine was severed. Assistant athletic trainer Greg Gaither, 35, had surgery on his fractured right leg. Both DeCamillis and Gaither are expected to get out of the hospital this week.

Inspectors were at the collapse site Monday, said Elizabeth Todd, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA, which investigates workplace accidents, has six months to make a report, she said.

Records obtained by The Associated Press show the city of Irving granted the Cowboys’ request to replace the fabric roof last year, five years after the structure was built.

The team listed itself as the contractor for the roof replacement, but Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple said the team would not comment about the work.

A-Rod getting closer

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Alex Rodriguez hit a long homer, played seven innings in the field and drew a walk off Philadelphia’s J.C. Romero on Monday in his latest extended spring training game.

The Yankees third baseman did not take questions after the game, which was played on the same day a book, “A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez,” was scheduled for release. As he was leaving, a smiling and upbeat Rodriguez said he “feels good.”

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said it was possible Rodriguez could rejoin the team Friday, when New York starts a trip at Baltimore.

“Is Friday the day? I can’t tell you,” Girardi said in New York. “So much of it just depends on how he feels and when he believes that he’s ready to go. I have not really put a date on it, because I want to see how he bounces back on Wednesday or even (Tuesday).”

Pima women’s tennis

Pima Community College is in 15th place after two rounds of the NJCAA National Tournament at the Randolph Tennis Center.

Ali Brackey is the only Aztec player still alive in a championship bracket. She will face the No. 2 seed in Flight 3 Tuesday.

Citizen Staff Report

NUMBER OF THE DAY

1,172

Total points by Cleveland’s LeBron James in the NBA’s MVP voting Monday. Other leaders:

Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 698

Dwyane Wade, Miami 680

Dwight Howard, Orlando 328

Chris Paul, New Orleans 192

Chauncey Billups, Denver 33

Paul Pierce, Boston 21

Tony Parker, San Antonio 9

Brandon Roy, Portland 7

———

ON THIS DATE

1904: Cy Young of the Red Sox pitches a perfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics, beating Rube Waddell 3-0.

1966: The Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 to win the Stanley Cup in six games.

1969: The Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-102 in the seventh game to win the NBA championship for the 10th time in 11 years. Player-coach Bill Russell retires as a player.

1973: Secretariat, ridden by Ron Turcotte, wins the Kentucky Derby with a record time of 1:59.2.

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

‘Nice grab’ by new basketball coach

Re: UA hoops lands recruit Kevin Parrom

• Wow, I cannot believe what Miller is able to do so quick. I realize that they are mostly Xavier recruits, which aren’t quite what Lute would get, but it is 100 times better than what we were looking at just a few months ago. Way to go, Miller.

YOUSTRUELY

• Another stud finds his way from the East Coast. Great recruit as this kid can play the game. Nice touch on the ball and a great first step. Next year’s team is really taking shape. . . . Can’t wait for the fun to begin. It’s Miller Time!

TW

• Nice grab. With or without Stephenson, this is a nice late recruiting bonanza by Miller. . . . With the guys we have on the roster, I’m sensing a four-guard offense next year.

TRODELPOST

<h4>Final-stage exuberance </h4>
Fly V Australia's Philip Zajicek celebrates as he wins the final stage of the Tour of the Gila on Sunday in Pinos Altos, N.M. Mellow Johnny's Levi Leipheimer won the tour, with teammate Lance Armstrong taking second and Zajicek third.

PINOS ALTOS, N.M. – The last big test for Lance Armstrong before the Giro d’Italia was more than 105 miles of steep roads and windy descents in the mountains of southwestern New Mexico.

It was the hardest stage of the Tour of the Gila, but Armstrong and his teammates Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner passed the test.

The Astana riders, who entered the five-day event as independents, used the tour as a tune up for the upcoming race in Italy.

Armstrong said he feels good enough to be a contender for some stage wins in Italy but that Leipheimer has the best chance for an overall win.

“The first priority is to protect him and make sure that he fulfills his potential there,” the seven-time Tour de France winner said. “It would be an amazing thing for an American to win the tour of Italy again. I’d be pleased to be there and help.”

Leipheimer won the Tour of the Gila on Sunday after finishing first in two of the early stages and coming in third behind Armstrong in the last stage, dubbed the Gila Monster.

Armstrong moved up in the overall classification from fourth to second after Sunday’s stage.

Nadal wins on clay again

ROME – Rafael Nadal is looking unstoppable on clay for a fifth consecutive year.

The top-ranked Spaniard won his record fourth Rome Masters on Sunday, beating defending champion Novak Djokovic 7-6 (2), 6-2 for his third clay-court title in three weeks, adding to his victories at the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open.

Having dropped only one set over the three-week stretch, it’s tough to imagine someone taking three sets from Nadal at the French Open, which begins in three weeks.

The Spaniard will be aiming for a record fifth consecutive title at Roland Garros, which would break a tie with Bjorn Borg, who won six French Opens overall.

“Every tournament is completely different,” said Nadal, who will play in the Madrid Masters before heading to Paris. “In Roland Garros we will see. Important thing is (to) play well. If I am playing well, I’m going to have a lot of chances to have good results in both tournaments. But you never know what can happen. Tennis is always like this.”

Djokovic is the only player to take a set from Nadal on clay this year, in the Monte Carlo final two weeks ago.

Pima sports roundup

The Pima Community College men’s golf team captured the Region I title Sunday in Phoenix, beating runner-up Scottsdale by 13 strokes.

Eric Briggs (Sahuarita High) finished first among individuals with a 294 total. Teammate Tom Callahan (Sierra Vista Buena) was second with a 296.

The Aztecs will compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association National Tournament the Huntsville, Ala., from May 17-22.

• The Pima softball team lost to Yavapai 11-4 in the Region I Tournament title game Saturday in Prescott. The Aztecs won 2-1 earlier Saturday to force a second contest.

Pima finishes the season 52-17; Yavapai advances to the NJCAA National Tournament.

• The Pima women’s tennis team is tied for fourth after one day of the NJCAA National Tournament at Randolph Tennis Center.

Kelly Ponzio, Ali Brackey, Lori Cinnamond and Eunice Sanchez all won in singles play Sunday for the Aztecs.

Billups meets idol

DENVER – Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups was introduced Sunday before Denver’s win over Dallas by one of his childhood heroes, Hall of Famer John Elway.

Elway, who led the Denver Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl championships before retiring a decade ago, donned a Billups’ No. 7 jersey when he walked to halfcourt and introduced the floor leader born and raised in Denver.

“There’s only ever going to be one No. 7 in this town, and that’s John Elway,” Billups said after the game. “That was awesome. I’ll remember that forever, just because of my admiration for John. “There will only be one No. 7 in this town.”

Derby brought surprises

NBC’s three-hour coverage of a two-minute race Saturday mostly went according to script.

But there were surprises. The biggest: NBC race caller Tom Durkin, who has called more than 60,000 races, seemed to be caught flatfooted by 50-1 long shot Mine That Bird’s stretch run.

Durkin didn’t call the eventual winner’s inside charge – which, on replays, showed the value of NBC’s overhead cameras – and made only his second mention of the horse when Mine That Bird had a three-length lead. He always mentions each horse early in the race.

NBC’s early coverage was fluffy and generally served a promotional role for NBC corporate cousins, like the TV chefs from NBC-owned Bravo kissing each other after their cooking contest. Nancy O’Dell, from NBC-owned “Access Hollywood,” found red-carpet interviews with New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning a chance to mention the Giants – on NBC! – playing the first game at the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium.

QUOTABLE

'We're supposed to win at home. This is our field.'

CHAD BILLINGSLEY,

Dodgers pitcher, after Los Angeles improved to 10-0 at home this season with a win over San Diego on Sunday

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

UA does well in landing recruit

Re: UA hoops gets oral commitment from Kevin Parrom

• This was a great grab, especially so late.

Need 1-2 more . . . maybe Lance Stephenson and either a hard-nosed 4, or a backup point. The hot new point is in the 2010 class.

It’s so nice to reload. 3829

• Time will indeed tell. In the meantime, the main guard is the “old guard” . . . Nic the Quick. BLKOJO

Welcome to Cat country, Look forward to watching you lead this team. JUST A FAN

RE: Lawmakers push for college football playoff

• It comes as no great surprise a Texan is bleating over this.

Throw in fan pressure from USC, Florida, Florida State, LSU and other powerhouses, and what you WILL end up with are 10-15 programs who land the very best recruits every year. Before long those schools will achieve complete dominance over berths in the so-called “playoffs.”

Is that what you really want? Just look at the Pac-10 . . . USC football basically owns the conference, and has for years now.

In similar manner the so-called playoffs will become an annual feed-fest for the few, and for the sports media who are also pushing as hard as they can.

Be careful what you wish for, people. This playoff hoo-hah may become your very worst nightmare. JOSE S.

———

ON THIS DATE

1935: Omaha, ridden by Willis Saunders, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths over Roman Soldier. Omaha goes on to win the Triple Crown.

1940: Gallahadion, a 35-1 long shot ridden by Carroll Bierman, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths over favorite Bimelech.

1946: Assault, ridden by Warren Mehrtens, wins the Kentucky Derby by eight lengths over Spy Song. Assault goes on to win the Triple Crown.

1957: Iron Liege, ridden by Bill Hartack, wins the Kentucky Derby by a nose when jockey Willie Shoemaker, on top of Gallant Man, takes the lead but misjudges the finish line. Shoemaker stands up in the saddle before the finish, which allows Iron Liege to win.

1968: Dancer’s Image, ridden by Bob Ussery, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths over Forward Pass. Three days later, Dancer’s Image is disqualified when traces of a painkiller are found in tests; Forward Pass, ridden by Ismael Valenzuela, is declared the winner.

1969: The Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup with a four-game sweep as they beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1.

1993: Dale Hunter of the Washington Capitals receives a record 21-game suspension without pay from the NHL for a blindside check on the New York Islanders’ Pierre Turgeon in a playoff game April 28.

1994: Charles Barkley scores 56 points, including a playoff record 38 in the first half, to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 140-133 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

1999: The New Jersey Devils become the first top-seeded team to lose in the first round of the playoffs in consecutive years when they lose 4-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7.

2002: War Emblem, a 20-1 shot, scores a wire-to-wire, four-length victory over Proud Citizen in the Kentucky Derby.

2003: Detroit becomes the seventh team in NBA history to advance after falling behind 3-1 in a series, beating Orlando 108-93.

2006: Kobe Bryant scores 50 points for Los Angeles, but the Lakers lose to Phoenix 126-118 in overtime, forcing a Game 7 in their first-round series.

<h4>Peppers a no-show </h4>

Five-year-old John Michael Salamone wears his Julius Peppers jersey as he watches the Carolina Panthers during their minicamp on Friday in Charlotte, N.C. Peppers is not participating in the camp.

WASHINGTON – Tackling an issue sure to rouse sports fans, lawmakers pressed college football officials Friday to switch the Bowl Championship Series to a playoff, with one Texas Republican calling the current system as unworkable as communism and joking it should be labeled “BS,” not “BCS.”

John Swofford, the coordinator of the BCS, rejected the idea of switching to a playoff, telling a House panel that it would threaten the existence of celebrated bowl games.

Sponsorships and TV revenue that now go to bowl games would instead be spent on playoff games, “meaning that it will be very difficult for any bowl, including the current BCS bowls, which are among the oldest and most established in the game’s history, to survive,” Swofford said.

Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, who has introduced legislation that would prevent the NCAA from calling a game a national championship unless it’s the outcome of a playoff, bluntly warned Swofford: “If we don’t see some action in the next two months, on a voluntary switch to a playoff system, then you will see this bill move.”

After the hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s, trade and consumer protection subcommittee, Swofford told reporters: “Any time Congress speaks, you take it seriously.”

Yet it is unclear whether lawmakers will try to legislate how college football picks its No. 1 before the first kickoff of the fall season. Congress is grappling with a crowded agenda of budgets, overhaul of health care and climate change, and though President Obama favors a playoff, he hasn’t made it a legislative priority.

Britton must back up words

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ex-Arizona Wildcat Eben Britton’s bold, draft-day comments followed him to Jacksonville.

Britton, the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Arizona standout who said he planned to become one of the greatest offensive tackles in NFL history, got razzed by teammates for his words during the team’s first day of minicamp.

“They’ve been messing with me a little bit, but it’s all in good fun,” Britton said Friday. “I just have to go out there and make sure I earn their respect on the field.”

Britton certainly will get the chance. The Jaguars lined him up at tackle and guard to start minicamp, trying to give him every opportunity to win a starting job on an aging line that was ravaged by injuries last season.

Jacksonville lost center Brad Meester, backup tackle Richard Collier and their top three guards – Vince Manuwai, Maurice Williams and Chris Naeole – for parts of last season. Coach Jack Del Rio said age had a lot to do with those injuries and vowed to upgrade the line in the offseason.

The Jags signed three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tra Thomas, veteran Jordan Black and then drafted Virginia star Eugene Monroe and Britton with their first two picks on April 25. All those moves made the group one of the most competitive heading into minicamp and summer workouts.

Britton welcomed the challenge and didn’t back down from his recent remarks.

“I don’t regret saying any of it,” Britton said. “But at the same time, there’s been some repercussions.”

Britton said he was ripped on some Internet sites for suggesting he could be one of the best in league history. A few people even told him he disrespected players such as Jonathan Ogden, Anthony Muñoz, Orlando Pace and Walter Jones by implying he could be as good.

But Britton said that was never his intention.

“Those kinds of guys were my idols growing up and I would never disrespect any of those players,” said Britton, who recorded 289 knockdowns and was penalized just four times in 2,461 career snaps at Arizona.

“I hold those guys in the highest regard. What kid doesn’t want to come in and work hard and be recognized in even the same sentence with guys like that? That’s more what I was trying to get at. I would like to be considered as one of those guys (someday).”

The Associated Press

Pacquiao favored in title bout

LAS VEGAS – The last time Manny Pacquiao displayed his many talents he stopped Oscar De La Hoya in a fight no one thought he could win.

The beating he administered that night not only sent De La Hoya into retirement, but cemented Pacquiao’s status as boxing’s newest star.

Pacquiao returns to the ring Saturday night much the same fighter he was five months ago, taking on Ricky Hatton in a lucrative 140-pound fight matching two guys who love to brawl. The big difference now, though, is that everybody expects him to win.

One big fight can create a lot of expectations, and the biggest task for Pacquiao may be managing those expectations in the ring.

His trainer isn’t worried. Pacquiao, says Freddie Roach, is more focused than ever.

“The win over Oscar just gave him more confidence,” Roach said. “So many people said he couldn’t do it, but he did. Oscar could still beat a lot of guys, but he didn’t win a second of that fight.”

Once again, Pacquiao will be facing a fighter who is bigger than him as he fights for only the third time above 130 pounds. Pacquiao weighed in at 138 pounds Friday while Hatton was at the class limit of 140 pounds.

But oddsmakers who saw him dismantle an even bigger De La Hoya make him a 2-1 favorite to beat the once-beaten Hatton and win a title in his sixth weight class since turning pro.

Coming off a rugged training camp that Pacquiao believes was his best ever, he’s not about to argue the point.

“I believe that I am improving and everybody knows and can see that by my last few performances,” Pacquiao said.

The Associated Press

Rosen makes cut

Former St. Gregory College Prep star Matt Rosen shot a 6-under-par 66 Friday to finish in a tie for 14th place in the final round of a Gateway Tour event.

Rosen ended with a 9-under 207 for three rounds. Tucsonans Jacob Rogers and Brian Kontak each ended with a 3-under 213 to tie for 37th.

Citizen Staff Report

Cooper to coach USC

LOS ANGELES – Michael Cooper will leave the Los Angeles Sparks to coach Southern California’s women’s basketball team. Athletic director Mike Garrett announced Cooper’s hiring Friday.

Cooper will leave the Sparks, who begin play on June 6, after their WNBA season ends in late September or early October.

The Associated Press

The Bounce: Congressmen push for college football playoff

QUOTABLE

'Everybody is getting their money's worth.'

PAUL PIERCE,

Boston forward, on the Celtics-Bulls series. Game 7 is Saturday in Boston.

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Fans like idea of Parrom joining UA hoops

Re: Recruit Kevin Parrom visiting UA

• Hopefully Parrom decides to come to Arizona. I wish Wise would come back, but it just doesn’t make any sense to come back next year to play on another tournament bubble team. ZONA2SANDIEGO

• I’m confident Kevin will be our next Wildcat and we’ll be grateful for his commitment. PA

Re: Chuck Cecil inducted into College Football Hall of Fame

• I am 66 years old, an ex-coach, and have seen over 1,000 football games. I was fortunate to be in Arizona Stadium for the 106-yard return. The single greatest football moment of my life. Thanks Chuck, and congratulations. Well deserved. OLDBOB

Re: UA coach Mike Stoops to get $1 million a year

• Well rewarded. Stoops took over a program that was in the toilet from Mackovic. He’ll lead the program in the right direction both football- and academic-wise. 3202

———

ON THIS DATE

1917: Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds and James “Hippo” Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs pitch a double no-hitter for nine innings, but the Reds win 1-0 with two hits in the 10th.

1939: Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees does not play against the Detroit Tigers at Briggs Stadium, ending his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played.

1967: The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 to win the Stanley Cup in six games.

1995: Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers becomes the first Japanese native to play in the majors in three decades. Nomo pitches five scoreless innings of one-hit ball, but the Dodgers blow a 3-0 lead and lose to San Francisco 4-3.

2001: James Hylton, a 28-year-old construction worker from Keizer, Ore., bowls the fifth perfect 900 series in the 106-year history of the sport.

2002: Mike Cameron hits four homers and comes close to a record-setting fifth in leading the Seattle Mariners to a 15-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

The Associated Press

Cyclist Lance Armstrong placed third during stage 3 of the Tour of the Gila, a 16-mile individual time trial, on Friday near Tyrone, N.M. The race is Armstrong's first since breaking his collarbone in a race in Spain.

SILVER CITY, N.M. – Lance Armstrong draws a crowd anywhere he goes, and Tour of the Gila organizers couldn’t be happier about it.

Returning from a broken collarbone, Armstrong has provided a major publicity boost for the New Mexico race, now in its 23rd year. Armstrong, meanwhile, has enjoyed the event’s laid-back, low-key feel.

“It’s good for the first race back,” he said. “To not have to handle the logistics and things like that, it makes it easier. The early stages make for long days. You get back home just past noon. Then you almost sit around and wonder what to do.”

Armstrong placed third Friday in the Gila’s third stage, a time trial that started and finished in the mining village of Tyrone. He covered the hilly 16-mile course in 34 minutes, 22 seconds.”I felt good,” Armstrong said. “Classical old-style, old-school American time trial. Out and back. Hot dog turn in the middle. Pretty cool.”

Armstrong’s teammate, Levi Leipheimer, won in 31:32.59 and remained the Tour of the Gila’s overall leader.

The Astana team riders are using the Gila race to prepare for next week’s Giro d’Italia.Looking ahead to Saturday’s criterium, it will be the first time since a 2005 event in Ojai, Calif., that Armstrong will participate in the speedy – and dangerous – race where cyclists zip around a 1-mile downtown course.

Armstrong said the criterium “makes me the most nervous with the injury” because such races are characterized by aggressive riders.

“Fortunately, we’re in the lead,” he said. “You can ride up front and people will give you a little space hopefully. It’s also got some hills in it, which should thin it out.”

Federer, Nadal win

ROME – Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic posted straight-set wins Friday to set up a semifinal meeting in the Rome Masters, and three-time champion Rafael Nadal advanced in the other half of the draw.

Nadal cruised past eighth-seeded Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-3, improving to 8-0 against his fellow Spaniard. He will play 12th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez, who struggled past Argentine qualifier Juan Monaco 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Federer overcame net-charging German qualifier Mischa Zverev, advancing 7-6 (3), 6-2. Djokovic stayed on course to defend his title in this clay-court warmup for the French Open with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over fifth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro.

The fast clay at the Foro Italico suits both Federer and Djokovic.

“I think both of us like it, so it’s going to be interesting,” Djokovic said. “I feel quite confident playing here. Each match I play, I feel more comfortable moving on the court and just playing my style of the game.”

<h4>Watching a high floater </h4>

Wang Yue Gu of Singapore keeps her eyes on the ball during a match in the first round of the women's singles World Table Tennis championships in Yokohama, Japan, on Thursday.

Three foes had to be subdued by golfer Glen Griffith on Wednesday: himself, Andrew Cochran and the unforgiving desert of The Stone Canyon Club.

He did just that in his 3-and-1 PGA club pro match play title victory.

“I had to stop and tell myself to relax,” said Griffith, the Tucson Golf Schools founder and director, referring to the crucial 15th hole. “I wasn’t doing what I always do. It was scary.

“I think playing in (PGA) Q School (in 2007) prepares me now. I can stay calm.”

Griffith was in the midst of seeing a 4-stroke lead fade during the Southwest Section Southern Chapter final.

“It’s like losing a 15-point lead in basketball in the last three minutes,” tournament director Rick Price said.

Griffith’s 15th-hole shot from the rocks found the fairway, and Cochran, a Stone Canyon assistant, three-putted.

A pair of bogeys all but sealed Cochran’s fate. It ended with Cochran misfiring off the tee on No. 17.

Cochran struggled and bulldogged his way to almost-ville, first going 20 holes Tuesday in the quarterfinals, then almost blowing a five-shot lead in Wednesday’s semifinals against Rich Elias.

Cochran won the semifinal on the 18th hole.

“Too many short putts,” Cochran summed up his foibles. “I missed a few.”

Three alone in the championship match that might well have made things different on a day when each golfer did not exactly light things up.

But that’s match play.

“You have to play smart,” said Griffith, who finished as the runner-up in the same tournament twice. “There’s no explanation for what happens. You don’t necessarily play conservatively because it’s the desert. You have to judge each situation.”

Griffith had to wait out semifinal foe Chris Dompier’s four straight birdies in the early going, 18 in two days. Dompier fell victim to the desert on the second nine of play.

When it’s mano a mano, Griffith is in his glory. He couldn’t care less if it’s not pretty, so long as he stays at least one ahead of the foe. “I love match play,” he said. “I was having fun.”

UA men’s golf finishes 9th

The Wildcats finished ninth at the Pac-10 Championships in Seattle on Wednesday.

UA shot a 43-over 1,483 total for four rounds. Washington (-16) won. Oregon (+2) was second.

UA’s Tarquin MacManus finished sixth among individuals with a 3-under 285. Washington’s Darren Wallace was first at -11.

Citizen Staff Report

MLB attendance down

Major League Baseball recognizes it will probably spend the year “behind in the count” but is pleased April attendance has declined by only 4.4 percent, compared with the same number of home games at each park a year ago.

“The first three weeks have been encouraging,” said Commissioner Bud Selig, who warned teams during the offseason of the impact of the global economic crisis. “I think clubs, overall, have been extremely sensitive to the economic environment in this country, and I’m proud of the way they have reacted.”

Nineteen teams have suffered a decline in attendance through Tuesday, according to Baseball-Reference.com, led by the Nationals at 30.4 percent.

The New York Mets and New York Yankees, each with a new stadium this year, have also had significant attendance drops. The Mets’ attendance is down 23.9 percent and the Yankees’ is down 12.2 percent.

The Mets’ average is skewed because their seating capacity has dipped to 42,000 from 55,601. They are at 91 percent capacity through 11 games at Citi Field compared with 87 percent at Shea Stadium last year.

The Associated Press

Alarm slows N.Y.-Det. game

DETROIT – The New York Yankees-Detroit Tigers game was delayed briefly by a false alarm.

Strobe lights flashed and fans were told to leave their seats Wednesday night during the bottom of the eighth inning.

“Attention, attention, attention,” a voice said over Comerica Park’s speakers. “An emergency has been reported.”

Fans were told to walk to the nearest stairway and to avoid the elevator.

Players on the field held their positions while the umpiring crew figured out it was just a false alarm and fans were later updated with a message on the video board.

The Associated Press

Spirit back in the mix

ATLANTA – ‘Spirit the Hawk’ was back for Game 5. This time, though, the real-life mascot was firmly attached to a trainer’s arm.

The hawk, who got loose during the Game 2 introductions and wound up causing a brief delay, was introduced along with the Atlanta players but wasn’t allowed to take flight.

The fierce-looking bird has become a bit of a celebrity since its April 23 fly-around, getting lots of national TV play and even its own site on Twitter. (We’ll have to assume someone is ghostwriting the animal’s thoughts in 140 characters or less.)

NBA commissioner David Stern even weighed in on the famous bird of prey, which spends most of its time on display at Zoo Atlanta.

“If you live long enough, you’ll see just about anything,” said Stern, who was in Atlanta Wednesday as part of his tour of playoff cities. “I really feel badly for the bird. He was probably frightened. I’m not excited about the Hawks having a bird that’s not well behaved.”

But Spirit looked in good form for this one, even if he was a bit confined.

He was brought out on his trainer’s arm and flapped out around at center court while the starting lineup was introduced. A secure tether ensured he didn’t get loose this time.

During the introduction before Game 2, Spirit was released from the rafters so he could fly to his trainer on the court. But apparently spooked by something, he settled on top of the scoreboard for a few minutes, then flew around the arena while the game went on below him.

The Associated Press

NUMBER OF THE DAY

5,110

Career total bases by Ken Griffey Jr., the most among active players. Other leaders:

Gary Sheffield 4,627

Manny Ramirez 4,560

Alex Rodriguez 4,543

Jim Thome 4,141

Ivan Rodriguez 4,138

Chipper Jones 4,049

QUOTABLE

'We were very insulted by it.'

DWYANE WADE,

Miami Heat player, after the Atlanta Hawks tried a bunch of highlight-reel dunks at the end of their win over Miami on Wednesday

———

ON THIS DATE

1961: Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants hits four home runs in a 14-4 victory over the Braves in Milwaukee.

1976: Muhammad Ali wins a unanimous 15-round decision over Jimmy Young in Landover, Md., to retain his world heavyweight title.

1992: The Red Wings and Canucks become the ninth and 10th teams in NHL history to rebound from 3-1 deficits to win playoff series. Detroit beats Minnesota 5-2, while Vancouver defeats Winnipeg 5-0.

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Ex-UA hoopster Johnson, Lady Cats praised

Re: Zane Johnson leaving UA basketball team

Good guy. I wish him all the luck. This opens a slot of someone else.

3829

Re: UA softball team

These gals continue to be the best in Wildcat athletics to be found . . . exciting to watch. Determined to win. Even in an off year for pitchers, they are truly exciting to watch. Candrea is the best Wildcat coach in any sport . . . a teacher, and a leader who prepares them to win. Candrea will guide them into a winner’s bracket, despite their pitching. The Pac-10 may be the toughest it has ever been. One of these teams will be national champion this year.

867

Armstrong

MOGOLLON, N.M. – Lance Armstrong felt the jitters at the start Wednesday, when he saddled up for his first race since breaking a collarbone during a crash in Spain last month.

He left satisfied after the opening stage of the five-day Tour of the Gila. He came to New Mexico, he said, to regain a feel for the peleton, work at racing pace and boost his conditioning for the Giro d’Italia, which begins May 9.

“You definitely feel stiff or blocked a little bit,” Armstrong said after his eighth-place finish. “That’s to be expected. You can train those intense intervals but it doesn’t replicate a race.”

Armstrong only spent about 20 miles during the 94-mile race from Silver City to Mogollon in the lead group. His tactical mission was helping teammate and stage winner Levi Leipheimer on a big finishing climb.

“Getting the rhythm, the speed, getting some accelerations in a peleton,” said Armstrong’s boss, Astana general manager Johan Bruyneel. “Also, we’re looking at how he feels. Today, he felt good. He did some work for Levi until Levi could launch his attack.”

Leipheimer won in an unofficial time of 4 hours, 41.02 seconds. Armstrong was clocked unofficially at 4:42.43.

Afterward, the seven-time Tour de France champion reported no concerns with the collarbone and said it hasn’t bothered him for weeks. Asked to calculate where his recovery stands, he said that was difficult.

“Better than I thought I would be,” he replied. “I feel strong. I feel like the recovery has been good. Those are the things you need. Getting lighter is another thing you need. It’s working out so far.”

Steelers’ receiver faces pot charge

PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh Steelers receiver and Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes was arraigned Wednesday on a misdemeanor marijuana charge stemming from a traffic stop.

Holmes’ attorney, Robert DelGreco Jr., appeared at the brief hearing where charges were formally presented. Holmes did not appear, nor was he required to.

DelGreco said he planned to challenge the constitutionality of the stop, but did not elaborate.

“I will be filing a suppression motion. That will be a public record and we’ll go from there,” he said.

Pittsburgh police said they found three marijuana-filled cigars in Holmes’ car when he was pulled over Oct. 23. Holmes was stopped because his car was similar to one they were looking for in a drug sting.

Murray upset by Monaco

ROME – Fourth-ranked Andy Murray lost for only the fourth time this year, upset by Argentine qualifier Juan Monaco 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Wednesday in his opener at the Rome Masters.

Murray easily won the first set before missing several first serves and committing unforced errors, while the 58th-ranked Monaco won several points with an effective drop shot.

“To be fair, he started playing a lot better,” Murray said. “It wasn’t my best match, but I was still very close to winning.”

Monaco will next face 15th-seeded Marin Cilic after the 6-foot-6 Croatian beat Christophe Rochus of Belgium 6-0, 5-7, 6-2.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer both advanced in straight sets. Nadal took the crowd out of play with a methodical 6-2, 6-3 win over Andreas Seppi, the top-ranked Italian at No. 37, while Federer beat big-serving Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 6-4.

<h4>One that got away </h4>

The Florida Marlins' Cody Ross fails to catch a ball off the center field wall during Monday's game against the Mets in New York. David Wright stretched the hit into a triple.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Despite injuries to fans from flying debris, NASCAR is satisfied with its safety standards, saying the fence at Talladega Superspeedway did what it was supposed to do – keep Carl Edwards’ car out of the grandstands.

In a spectacular last-lap accident, Edwards’ car sailed upside-down into the frontstretch fence, which bowed but held, before the battered vehicle returned to the track. Blake Bobbitt, one of seven injured by the debris, remained hospitalized Monday with a broken jaw.

“One of our primary goals over the years is to build a retaining fence that keeps the cars and parts and pieces out of the spectator areas. Nothing is bullet- proof,” NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said Monday. “The retaining fence did what it’s supposed to do. There was some debris that went into the grandstand that fortunately did not (cause) serious injury. If there is something we come up with as we analyze this accident . . . we’ll make it as safe as we humanly can.”

Bonds welcomed in S.F.

SAN FRANCISCO – Barry Bonds received a warm welcome from San Francisco Giants fans in his first appearance at AT&T Park this season.

Bonds sat between team CEO William Neukom and president Larry Baer in the front row next to the Giants’ dugout during Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Baseball’s career home run king with 762, Bonds appeared relaxed as he smiled and waved during a standing ovation following the first inning.

The team showed a compilation of his home runs on the scoreboard as a tribute. The longtime Giants slugger also popped into the team’s broadcast booth and provided some in-game commentary.

Bonds was at the ballpark on Aug. 9 last season when the Giants celebrated the 50th anniversary of their move from New York to San Francisco – also with the Dodgers in town.

Bonds hasn’t played in the majors since 2007. His perjury trial has been delayed at least through July and likely beyond, as an appeal filed by prosecutors over key evidence for the trial winds through the legal system.

The seven-time NL MVP has pleaded not guilty to lying to a grand jury in 2003 when he testified that he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs.

James’ stay over in Az?

The Cardinals drafted two running backs over the weekend, which is expected to lead to the release of running back Edgerrin James.

The Cardinals were holding on to James to make sure they were covered at running back. With selection of Chris “Beanie” Wells in the first round and LaRod Stephens-Howling in the seventh, the club now has five backs on the roster, excluding James.

James could be released before the team’s mandatory minicamp this weekend.

Stafford hits the big time

NEW YORK – Detroit Lions top pick Matthew Stafford appeared on Monday night’s “Late Show with David Letterman,” reading the Top Ten list.

The quarterback, who starred for three years at Georgia, was taken with the first pick by the Lions in the NFL draft Saturday. Stafford will try and help the Lions overcome the first 0-16 season in NFL history.

“If the Lions win one game this year, I’m a hero,” Stafford joked on the show.

Detroit desperately needed a quarterback to help turn around a team which has had the worst eight-year stretch in the league since World War II.

Rodman must pay $225,000

LAS VEGAS – A federal judge in Las Vegas has ordered former NBA star Dennis Rodman to pay a former casino employee $225,000 for grabbing and humiliating her at work in March 2006.

A lawyer for 28-year-old Sara Ure says Rodman never responded to the civil lawsuit filed against him in November 2007.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert C. Jones entered a default judgment against Rodman on Monday.

Armstrong to miss event

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Lance Armstrong is going to miss this week’s Tour of the Gila cycling race in New Mexico. Organizers blame what they say is a rarely enforced International Cycling Federation rule.

Race director Jack Brennan says the UCI plans to enforce a rule that prohibits top-level professional teams from competing in national-level events such as the 23rd Tour of the Gila.

The decision means Armstrong, who had planned to enter, won’t participate. The race runs Wednesday through Sunday in Silver City.

China lands WGC event

SHANGHAI, China – The HSBC Champions in China has been elevated to a World Golf Championship this year with a new qualifying criteria and a $7 million purse, the highest ever for a golf tournament in Asia.

Tiger Woods already has said he will play, along with defending champion Sergio Garcia. The HSBC Champions began in 2005 and had been sanctioned by every major golf tour except the PGA Tour.

That changes with its designation as the fourth World Golf Championship, and the only one not staged in the United States.

Woods was runner-up his first two times playing the HSBC Champions, and will return for the Nov. 5-8 event.

“It is an event that symbolizes the amazing progress of golf in Asia, and its new World Golf Championships status underlines how firmly China has established its place on the global golf calendar,” Woods said. “I enjoy playing around the world when possible, and having a WGC event in China is very important to the global growth of the game.”

The world’s No. 1 player has won every WGC event at least once since the series began in 1999.

The HSBC Champions again will be played at Sheshan International Golf Club. It will not count as official money in the United States.

Cops subdue ex-NBA star

NEW YORK – Former NBA star Jayson Williams was zapped with a stun gun by police in his swank hotel suite Monday after the reportedly suicidal athlete resisted attempts by officers to take him to a hospital.

Police were called to the hotel in lower Manhattan’s Battery Park City neighborhood around 4 a.m. when a female friend reported the former New Jersey Nets player was acting suicidal.

When officers arrived, the 6-foot-10, 325-pound Williams appeared drunk and agitated, police said. There were empty bottles of prescription drugs strewn around his disheveled hotel suite and suicide notes.

The Bounce

QUOTABLE

'I don't think I've ever had a team play defense like that. Defensively, when you play this well, offense just happens.'

GEORGE KARL,

Denver coach, after Denver beat New Orleans 121-63 in an NBA playoff game Monday night

———

NUMBER OF THE DAY

58

Margin of victory for Denver Monday in the Nuggets’ 121-63 win over New Orleans in an NBA playoff game. It tied the mark for the widest margin in the postseason. Others:

58: Minneapolis 133, vs. St. Louis 75, March 19, 1956

56: L.A. Lakers 126, at Golden State 70, April 21, 1973

50: Milwaukee 136, vs. San Francisco 86, April 4, 1971

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Praise for UA’s Roth, not so much for Britton

Re: UA softball player Laine Roth

• Congratulations on your four great years at Arizona and . . . for winning two national championships and counting. Keep your spirits up. CLAUDIA44

Re: Ex-Wildcat Eben Britton picked by Jacksonville

• Boo hoo. Enjoy your contract, you’ll get between $3-$5 million or so, better than everyone else that’s not a whiny, pampered athlete. TRODELPOST

Re: Britton says he’ll lead Jaguars to Super Bowl

• I guess just like he led Arizona to the Rose Bowl. ROBBOBOSO

———

ON THIS DATE

1987: The NBA awards expansion franchises to Charlotte, N.C., and Miami for 1988, and Minneapolis and Orlando, Fla., for 1989.

1995: Michael Jordan, in his first playoff game since his return from retirement, scores 48 points and Chicago beats the Charlotte Hornets 108-100.

2007: JaMarcus Russell, the big-play quarterback from LSU, is the first pick by the Oakland Raiders in the NFL draft.

<h4>Bowled over </h4>
Milwaukee's Mike Cameron knocks over Houston catcher Humberto Quintero while trying to score from second base in the fourth inning Friday. Cameron was out on the play and Quintero left the game.

DALLAS – Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry is the best off the bench.

Terry, an ex-Arizona Wildcat who was mostly a full-time starter before taking on a different role the past two seasons, was presented Friday with the NBA sixth man award that goes to the league’s top reserve.

“The ability to do it, but also the willingness to embrace it, is something that’s got to be a part of it,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “That’s who he is. He wants to win and he wants to part of something that’s bigger than himself, and that’s really what this is all about.”

While starting only 11 of his 74 games in the regular season, Terry averaged 19.6 points and 3.4 assists while playing about 34 minutes a game.

Only Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd played more minutes for the Mavericks, though Terry usually comes off the bench shooting.

“No doubt, I’m a guy playing with my energy,” Terry said. “Instant offense, there are no warm-up shots. Jumping into the fire, that’s a special skill set.”

Terry got 111 of 121 first-place votes in the balloting and was the clear winner with 576 points. Denver’s J.R. Smith finished second with 155 points and three first-place votes, and New York’s Nate Robinson was third with 113 points.

Nowitzki, Kidd and other teammates attended the news conference in which Terry, who is known as JET, was presented the trophy.

It came on the day between Games 3 and 4 of the Mavericks’ first-round Western Conference playoff series against San Antonio. They lead 2-1.

“He’s been a big part of this team,” said Nowitzki, the NBA’s MVP two seasons ago. “He’s a great guy in the locker room, he’s one of our emotional leaders, always firing up the crowd. He’s one of the best clutch players I’ve ever seen.”

The only time Terry had a higher scoring average was 2000-01, his second NBA season, when he averaged 19.7 points for Atlanta.

Will Boldin stay?

NEW YORK – Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald believes disgruntled teammate Anquan Boldin would like to stay with Arizona.

“I don’t think he really wants to go,” Fitzgerald said Friday. “He’s been out there six years. His family is comfortable; his son is in school. There’s a lot of things that I think will be conducive for him to stay.

“But this is a business. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Boldin seemed to soften his stance last week after previously requesting to be traded. This weekend’s NFL draft is sure to be rife with rumors of potential deals for the wide receiver.

Boldin voiced his displeasure in last season’s training camp, accusing Cardinals management of failing to follow through on a promise of a new contract and vowing never to re-sign with Arizona.

Still, he went on to have his third Pro Bowl season as the Cardinals advanced to the Super Bowl.

“He was a big part of what we were able to do last year,” said Fitzgerald, who was participating in an event promoting the “Madden NFL” video game. “He’s helped me out tremendously. I hope he’s with us for the rest of his career.”

Fitzgerald reiterated his vow to restructure his four-year, $40 million contract if needed.

“Whatever it takes,” he said.

Fitzgerald to share cover

WASHINGTON – For the first time in its storied (some say cursed) history, the cover of EA Sports’ “Madden NFL” video game will feature two athletes: Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

“Being on the cover of ‘Madden’ is a real honor,” Fitzgerald said Friday after Electronic Arts made the announcement. “And sharing it with a talent like Troy is really special.”

The shared cover of “Madden NFL 10,” which arrives in stores Aug. 14, has something for everyone: Polamalu is a defensive AFC player and Fitzgerald an offensive NFC player.

EA Sports senior product manager Anthony Stevenson called the two Pro Bowlers “exemplary examples of the epic battle between offense and defense in the NFL.”

Both played in last season’s Super Bowl, which the Steelers won 27-23. Both athletes are known for their long, helmet-defying hair. Steel City football fans should be particularly happy, since Fitzgerald played college ball at the University of Pittsburgh. (He was also on the cover of EA’s “NCAA Football 2005.”)

UW-WSU deal dead

SPOKANE, Wash. – A proposal to play the annual Apple Cup football game at Qwest Field in Seattle for the next six years is dead.

The cross-state rivalry of the Apple Cup pits the University of Washington against Washington State University and the games have traditionally alternated between the schools’ Seattle and Pullman home stadiums.

The two programs could not reach an agreement on how to divide up the tickets at Qwest, the 67,000-seat home of the Seattle Seahawks, officials said.

Washington wanted enough tickets for its entire season ticket base, which typically numbers more than 40,000, while Washington State insisted on an even distribution, officials said.

Super Bowl in mid-February?

NEW YORK – NFL commissioner Roger Goodell can envision a Super Bowl played in mid-February if the league expands its regular-season schedule to 17 or 18 games.

Team owners are expected to get a proposal, perhaps as soon as next month, that would eliminate two preseason games and add one or two to the regular schedule.

Goodell said Friday at a meeting with Associated Press Sports Editors such a format could push the Super Bowl back to President’s weekend.

“The idea has merit, I think,” he said Friday, referring to more regular-season games. “You are taking the quality and improving it, taking two meaningless games and making them meaningful within the 20-game framework.”

A Super Bowl that late in February could conflict with such other events as the Daytona 500, the NBA All-Star game and, every four years, the Winter Olympics. Then again, there is no bigger sporting event in America than the NFL’s title game.

Goodell outlined a scenario that would have two preseason games in August, followed by a dark week on Labor Day weekend, followed by the opening week.

QUOTABLE

'We have never looked at London or Mexico City as a site.'

ROGER GOODELL,

NFL commissioner, on reports that the league was talking with London as a possible site for a Super Bowl

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Happy to see ex-Cat Terry honored

Re: Ex-Wildcat Jason Terry wins sixth man award

• Between Jason Terry and Mike Bibby, they are by far my favorite Wildcats. I am so happy that he has done so well and stayed out of trouble. He’s awesome. TUCSONBUTTERFLY

• And none of us are surprised. His engaging and positive personality make him the perfect one to spark his teammates. MPOMEROY

Re: UA men’s basketball

• I’m not a Livengood “hater” but I don’t have much use for him. I’m glad he was able to land coach Miller but feel the Floyd fiasco was totally unnecessary and allowed Floyd to use UA for his own purposes. I had no respect for Livengood before and have no more now even though he managed to stumble around and finally land a quality coach. RJW52

———

ON THIS DATE

1950: Charles Cooper, an All-American from Duquesne playing with the Harlem Globetrotters, becomes the first black to be picked in the NBA draft when he’s taken by the Boston Celtics.

1965: The Boston Celtics score 42 points on a record 21 field goals in the final quarter of Game 5 to post a 129-96 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers and win their seventh consecutive NBA championship.

1993: Pittsburgh’s NHL-record 14-game playoff winning streak and its overall 21-game unbeaten string are snapped as the New Jersey Devils beat the Penguins 4-1.

The Associated Press

<h4>Up, and over </h4>

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal leaps over the Houston Astros' Miguel Tejada while throwing to first base to complete a double play during Thursday's game in Houston.

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Hawks’ real-life mascot has been grounded.

“Spirit,” the hawk who delayed the team’s playoff loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night by flying around Philips Arena instead of returning to his handler, won’t take flight when the playoff series returns to Atlanta next week.

The Hawks said Thursday night the mascot will “be involved in our game night activities” but team spokesman Arthur Triche said the bird will no longer be allowed to fly around the arena.

Players watched as the bird was perched atop the scoreboard at tip-off, refusing to go to his handler.

The bird then swooped around the arena, finally causing play to be halted until he returned to his handler.

Frank Robinson promoted

NEW YORK – Frank Robinson was appointed special assistant to the commissioner Thursday, a new role for the Hall of Famer who’s spent more than a half-century in baseball.

The 73-year-old Robinson is the only player to win Most Valuable Player awards in both leagues.

The former outfielder also has been a major league manager and assistant general manager and an executive in the commissioner’s office.

“Besides being one of the greatest players to ever play the game, Frank has served the game admirably in many different capacities,” commissioner Bud Selig said.

“He has an incredible wealth of experience and knowledge that I will put to use on a regular basis and on a myriad of baseball issues.”

Robinson was the special adviser to the executive vice president of baseball operations over the past two years. He was in charge of disciplinary cases from 2000-02.

Robinson is seventh on the career home run list with 586. He won the Triple Crown with Baltimore in 1966, and also played for Cincinnati, the Dodgers, Angels and Cleveland.

He managed Cleveland, San Francisco, Baltimore and Montreal, and guided the Expos’ franchise when it moved to Washington.

The Associated Press

Obama welcomes Gators

WASHINGTON – President Obama welcomed the Florida Gators to the White House and congratulated them on winning a second national championship in football in three years.

Obama on Thursday joked with the 115 players crammed on risers in the East Room while praising them and their coaches. Being a champion doesn’t end when the clock runs out, the president said, noting that that the team volunteers 400 hours each year.

Obama said strong leadership formed a team that plays hard and works in the community.

“I want to congratulate everybody who makes this program run – from the assistants to the trainers, from the students to the ticket takers,” he said. “All of you should be very, very proud.”

In a moment of levity, Obama said he still supports a national playoff system instead of the bowl system. But the president also said he’s confident the Gators could have defeated any team out there.

The top-ranked Gators beat the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners, 24-14, in the BCS title game in January.

The Associated Press

Russell is No. 1 seed

Mike Russell of La Paloma Country Club and Brandon Smith of Ventana Canyon are seeded first and second in the annual Southwest Section Southern Chapter pro match play tournament, which will be held Tuesday and Wednesday at The Stone Canyon Club.

Russell will play No. 16 Tom Tatum (Randolph) on the first day and Smith will vie with No. 15 Jim Kirwan (Saddlebrooke). Rounds will be 18 holes each day.

Other pairings: Josh Wilks (3), The Gallery, vs. Brent Newcomb (14), Stone Canyon; Dean Vomacka (4), Stone Canyon, vs. Don Littrell (13), Skyline; Chris Dompier (5), Skyline, vs. Preston Otte, Heritage Highlands, (12); Brian Coltrin (6), Heritage Highlands vs. Rich Elias, Torres Blancas, (11), Dave Simm, Ventana Canyon, (7) vs. Andrew Cochran (10) Golf Club at Vistoso; and Glen Griffith (8), Tucson Golf Schools, vs. Steve Hughes (9), Sun City Vistoso.

Citizen Staff Report

QUOTABLE

'Have some mercy will ya? It's bad enough I had to watch this. Now you're going to make me look at the stat sheet?'

GREGG POPOVICH,

Spurs coach, joking as someone offered him the stats sheet after the team's Game 3 loss to Dallas on Thursday night.

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Trainer’s lifesaving actions praised

Re: Trainer saves football player’s life

• What an encouraging story when, as of late, so many stories have been about the unfortunate deaths of high school student athletes resulting from inadequate care or the absence of a certified athletic trainer.

KDETWILER

• Very heartwarming story. Deana, your quick response saved this kid’s life. Wow! Way to go.

NICKI69

• Add me to the list of people who were impressed by this great story, impressed not only by the content but the excellent writing.

XFLBRET

Re: UA basketball

• It looks like the ingredients are coming together for a winning season and another visit to the NCAA Tournament.

Soon it will be up to the coaches to combine all the talent into a team. Looks like Livengood picked the right man to lead the coaching. I was sure wrong about that move but I admit it and hope for a great season.

COLETOY48

• Having this coach is so much better than the drama Pitino would have brought. Good start, coach Miller.

CRITICALTHINKER

The University of Arizona snagged two academic awards Wednesday.

• Craig Sheedy, a senior on the Wildcats’ diving team, was the men’s winner of the NCAA’s Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship, given for outstanding academic accomplishment and superior citizenship. Sheedy will receive a $24,000 scholarship.

Sheedy has a 4.0 grade point average in biochemistry and molecular biophysics, plus a second major in physiology and a minor in Spanish. The Byers award was established in 1988. Sheedy is Arizona’s first recipient. He and USC women’s soccer player Ann Massey were chosen from among six finalists.

• The UA men’s cross country team was among almost 800 teams across the nation recognized for top academic performance as part of the NCAA academic reform program. Based on its most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rates, the UA squad earned an NCAA Public Recognition Award, given each year to teams scoring in the top 10 percent in each sport with their overall APRs.