Paul Finebaum, one of the nation’s leading radio voices on college football, is heading to ESPN.

“It would be the understatement of my life to say I wasn’t thrilled,” Finebaum told the Wall Street Journal. “It is incredibly exciting to be part of a new adventure, particularly one that involves the premiere brand in sports along with the pre-eminent conference in sports.”

Finebaum had been the host of a four-hour radio show in Birmingham, Ala,. where much of the show revolved around SEC football.

He has been off the air for four months.

It was on the Finebaum show where an Alabama fan called to brag about poisoning the trees at Toomer’s Corner at Auburn. “They will die,” he said and ended the call with “Roll Tide.”

In March, Harvey Updyke Jr., who admitted to calling the radio show, was sentenced to three years in prison for his act.

The Journal reports that besides a radio show on ESPN, the network also plans a 100 TV appearances a year and a simulcast of the radio show on the new SEC Network that starts next August.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Police say the Maryland home of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was burglarized over the weekend, and $2,000 and two guns were stolen.

Baltimore County police spokeswoman Cpl. Cathleen Batton said Monday that the burglary happened between 8:30 p.m. Friday and 12:50 a.m. Saturday at the home in Reisterstown.

Batton said Rice was out of town for the weekend, but a friend was staying at the home and reported the burglary to police.

“My family and I are fine, which is the most important thing,” Rice said in a team-issued statement to USA TODAY Sports. “This is an unfortunate incident that I am dealing with through the proper channels.”

Batton said the burglar apparently forced his way in through a rear window and ransacked portions of the home. Batton said surveillance video shows the burglar.

USA TODAY Sports’ Jim Corbett and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Dropped out: No. 23 Pittsburgh, No. 24 South Alabama, No. 25 UC-Irvine.

Others receiving votes: South Alabama (40-16) 43; New Mexico (35-18) 36; Austin Peay (42-13) 22; Pittsburgh (40-15) 21; Troy (39-16) 20; Seton Hall (36-17) 18; Virginia Tech (35-19) 14; Gonzaga (32-18) 12; Georgia Tech (33-23) 11; Miami (Fla.) (35-21) 11; Arizona (31-21) 8; Florida Gulf Coast (37-18) 7; Sam Houston State (36-18) 7; UC-Irvine (31-20) 7; Stanford (29-21) 6; UNLV (36-18) 6; Bryant (40-15) 5; Coastal Carolina (35-19) 3; Louisiana-Lafayette (38-17) 3; Illinois State (36-18) 2; North Carolina-Wilmington (37-19) 2; Western Carolina (38-18) 2.

The USA TODAY Sports Board of Coaches is made up of 31 coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the American Baseball Coaches Association. The board for the 2013 season: John Anderson, Minnesota; Ed Blankmeyer, St. John’s; Rob Cooper, Wright State; Barry Davis, Rider; Greg DiCenzo, Holy Cross; Pete Dunn, Stetson; Nino Giarrantano, San Francisco; Gary Gilmore, Coastal Carolina; Danny Hall, Georgia Tech; Carlton Hardy, Savannah State; Rodney Hennon, Georgia Southern; Loren Hibbs, Charlotte; Charlie Hickey, Central Connecticut State; George Horton, Oregon; Steve Jaksa, Central Michigan; Omar Johnson, Jackson State; Rick Jones, Tulane; Rob McDonald, Murray State; Eric Madsen, Utah Valley; John Musachio, Oakland (Mich.); Bobby Pierce, Troy; David Pierce, Sam Houston State; Gary Powers, Nevada; Mark Scalf, UNC-Wilmington; Matt Senk, Stony Brook; Dave Serrano, Tennessee; Ed Servais, Creighton; Doug Smith, UC-Riverside; Steve Smith, Baylor; Rocky Ward, New Mexico State; Bob Whalen, Dartmouth.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Veteran turf writer Jennie Rees of The (Louisville) Courier-Journal looks at the nine-horse Preakness field for Saturday’s race, in order of post position:

Orb

Saddlecloth: No. 1. Odds: Even.

Record, earnings: 8: 5-0-1 ($2,335,850)

Last start: Won Kentucky Derby, May 4

Best Beyer speed figure: 104

Sire: Malibu Moon

Dam: Lady Liberty (Unbridled)

Jockey: Joel Rosario

Trainer: Shug McGaughey

Owners-breeders: Stuart Janney III

LLC & Phipps Stable

Why he can win: As his five-race winning streak indicates, Orb is simply the best horse, bred for these classic distances and continuing to improve. He came very wide to win the Derby and won’t have as many horses to go around this time.

Why he can’t: Since Bally Ache in 1960, only Tabasco Cat in 1994 has won from the rail. His being measurably better than the competition is an illusion. Other Derby horses might have hated the Churchill Downs mud and pull a surprise here.

Goldencents

Saddlecloth: No. 2. Odds: 8-1.

Record, earnings: 7: 4-1-0 ($1,250,000)

Last start: 17th, Kentucky Derby, May 4

Best Beyer: 105

Sire: Into Mischief

Dam: Golden Works (Into Gold)

Jockey: Kevin Krigger

Trainer: Doug O’Neill

Owners: W. C. Racing, Dave Kenney and RAP Racing

Breeders: Rosecrest Farm & Karyn Pirrello

Why he can win: He had never run a poor race until encountering a surface he hated when 17th in the Derby, and he’s never lost two in a row. His 105 Beyer speed figure in the Santa Anita Derby is the fastest of this group. They’ll have to catch him from the No. 2 post. Louis Quatorze won the Preakness after finishing 16th in the 1996 Kentucky Derby — and did it wire-to-wire.

Why he can’t: No horse has come from 17th in the Derby to win the Preakness. (Fairness note: No other 17th-place Derby finishers ran in the Preakness. But there’s a reason for that.)

Notable: Goldencents is partly owned by Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino. He won’t be at Pimlico, but his son, new Minnesota hoops coach Richard Pitino, will represent Dad.

Titletown Five

Saddlecloth: No. 3. Odds: 30-1.

Record, earnings: 7: 1-2-1 ($87,398)

Last start: 4th, Derby Trial, April 27

Best Beyer: 98

Sire: Tiznow

Dam: D’Wildcat Speed (Forest Wildcat)

Jockey: Julien Leparoux

Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas

Owner: Group that includes Paul Hornung, Willie Davis and Lukas

Breeder: Stonestreet LLC

Why he can win: If anyone knows about winning championships, it’s five-time Preakness winner Lukas and the owner partnership that includes former Green Bay Packers and Pro Football Hall of Famers Hornung and Davis.

Why he can’t: He’s a very nice horse who doesn’t want to run that far. He’s the only horse in the field with only one win.

Departing

Saddlecloth: No. 4. Odds: 6-1.

Record, earnings: 5: 4-0-1 ($628,000)

Last start: Won Illinois Derby, April 20

Best Beyer: 97

Sire: War Front

Dam: Leave (Pulpit)

Jockey: Brian Hernandez

Trainer: Al Stall

Owner-breeder: Claiborne Farm

Why he can win: The Illinois Derby victor is an improving horse, with four wins and a third (in the Louisiana Derby) in five starts. The Louisiana Derby was the most underrated prep of the season. The racing gods want to jerk Churchill Downs’ chain for leaving the Illinois Derby out of its new points system.

Why he can’t: He hasn’t improved as much as Orb. There’s a reason Churchill Downs left the Illinois Derby out of its points system.

Mylute

Saddlecloth: No. 5. Odds: 5-1.

Record, earnings: 10: 2-3-2 ( $477,695)

Last start: Fifth, Kentucky Derby, May 4

Best Beyer: 93

Sire: Midnight Lute

Dam: Stage Stop (Valid Expectations)

Jockey: Rosie Napravnik

Trainer: Tom Amoss

Owners: GoldMark Farm & Whisper Hills Farm

Breeder: Mike G. Rutherford

Why he can win: He is thriving at the right time and was just a neck out of finishing third in the Derby. He’ll be flying at the end, and the shorter distance will help. The racing gods would love for Napravnik to be the first female jockey to win the Preakness.

Why he can’t: He had basically the same trip as Orb in the Derby and finished fifth.

Notable: Napravnik started her career at Pimlico and got her first win there.

Oxbow

Saddlecloth: No. 6. Odds: 15-1.

Record, earnings:10: 2-1-1 ($383,500)

Last start: 6th, Kentucky Derby, May 4

Best Beyer: 95

Sire: Awesome Again

Dam: Tizamazing (Cee’s Tizzy)

Jockey: Gary Stevens

Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas

Owner: Calumet Farm

Breeder: Colts Neck Stables LLC

Why he can win: He was the only horse up close to the pace early who was competitive into the final furlong of the Derby. A different pace scenario and shorter distance let him get the job done.

Why he can’t: He’s not as fast as others in this field.

Will Take Charge

Saddlecloth: No. 7. Odds:12-1.

Record, earnings: 8: 3-1-0 ($545,371)

Last start: 8th, Kentucky Derby, May 4

Best Beyer: 95

Sire: Unbridled’s Song

Dam: Take Charge Lady (Dehere)

Jockey: Mike Smith

Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas

Owner: Willis D. Horton

Breeder: Eaton

Why he can win: He was moving with Orb when he was forced to a halt as Verrazano stopped and swerved in front of him in the Derby. With a clean trip, he’ll make things interesting at a price.

Why he can’t: He doesn’t want to run that far.

Govenor Charlie

Saddlecloth: No. 8. Odds: 12-1.

Record, earnings: 3: 2-1-0 ($444,800)

Last start: Won Sunland Derby, March 24

Best Beyer: 95

Sire: Midnight Lute

Dam: Silverbulletway (Storm Cat)

Jockey: Martin Garcia

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Owner-breeder: Mike E. Pegram

Why he can win: Like Lukas, Baffert is a five-time Preakness winner who knows how to win this race. His outside post is perfect for his up-close but stalking style. He has raced three times and has improved by leaps and bounds each time, with form similar to another unraced 2-year-old who won the 2006 Preakness in his fourth start: Bernardini.

Why he can’t: There’s a reason few horses win the Preakness without first running in the Kentucky Derby (Bernardini being an exception). That’s because the best 3-year-olds, at least in the spring at classic distances, are in the Derby.

Itsmyluckyday

Saddlecloth: No. 9. Odds:10-1.

Record, earnings: 11: 5-2-1 ($625,600)

Last start: 15th, Kentucky Derby, May 4

Best Beyer: 104

Sire: Lawyer Ron

Dam: Viva La Slew (Doneraile Court)

Jockey: John Velazquez

Trainer: Eddie Plesa Jr.

Owners: Trilogy Stable and Laurie Plesa

Breeders: Liberation Farm and Brandywine Farm

Why he can win: He hated the Derby slop. He looked too good and trained too well to run that poorly for a horse who finished second (as the favorite) off a layoff in the Florida Derby to Orb. He picks up Velazquez as rider.

Why he can’t: Same as the Derby: He doesn’t want to run that far.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

The latest controversy on the PGA Tour has become a case of he said/they said between Tiger Woods and the marshals working the second hole on Saturday at The Players Championship.

Might seem like an unfair fight. Marshals are among the hundreds of unpaid men and women — OK, they might get a free meal or two — who volunteer their time to help out the tournament.

And Tiger Woods is, well, Tiger Woods.

The case in question: On the second hole Saturday, Sergio Garcia blasted his second shot well right of his target and later explained that as he was swinging, Woods grabbed a club — 3-wood or 5-wood — from his bag, causing the crowd to stir and causing a distraction.

Woods countered that the marshals had given him the go-ahead.

The marshals in question, however, told Sports Illustrated‘s Michael Bamberger they had done no such thing.

One of them, Gary Anderson, told SI on Sunday, “He didn’t ask us nothing, and we didn’t say nothing. We’re told not to talk to the players.” Anderson’s boss, John North, was the chief marshal for the first three holes…. “Nothing was said to us and we certainly said nothing to him,” North said. “I was disappointed to hear him make those remarks. We’re there to help the players and enhance the experience of the fans. He was saying what was good for him. It lacked character.”

If the marshals had talked to Woods, they would have been stepping outside the boundaries of their duties.

Following are the guidelines from the PGA Tour:

No group can do more to help produce a successful tournament than the gallery marshals. In their keeping are these three main objectives:

1. For the players — to help assure fair play, and maintenance of the time schedule by keeping play moving.

2. For the spectators — to promote physical safety and enjoyment of play. Human life is in our hands.

3. Locate and protect bad shots.

And then, from the section on relations with players:

Players concentrate so keenly they generally prefer not to talk to unknown persons while working. Additionally, be as inconspicuous as reasonable during play. Your best position is close to the gallery ropes. You should take a prominent position only when necessary to give directions or in performing other duties. You should avoid standing directly behind a player when he prepares to hit, and you should remain absolutely still when he hits.

In any case, do not volunteer Rulings or advice to players. Rulings may be given only by PGA TOUR officials. Also, do not ask players for autographs while on duty.

It’s safe to say, based on what these marshals told SI, they won’t be asking for Woods’ autograph.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

CAMDEN, N.J. — A family feud between basketball star Kobe Bryant and his mom has intensified,with his mother claiming the Los Angeles Lakers guard has lied to block her planned sale of his memorabilia.

The athlete’s father and grandmother have entered the fight, siding with Bryant’s mother. Bryant’s sister has supported him, suggesting their mother repeatedly discussed the potential value of the superstar’s belongings.

Family members are trading allegations in opposing lawsuits over a planned June auction of more than 100 collectibles from Kobe Bryant’s past at a New Jersey auction house.

Pamela Bryant insists her son gave her the items, which include jerseys, trophies and rings from his high school and professional career. Kobe Bryant denies that, saying he wants to give the items to his children.

In a court filing Monday, Pamela Bryant said sworn statements from her son and daughter-in-law contained “many false statements.”

She rejected Kobe Bryant’s account of a May 2 phone conversation in which she allegedly agreed he never had told her she could have his belongings.

“This conversation never occurred, and I never made that statement,” Pamela Bryant said.

She also said her son “never demanded the return of any of the items, nor were they in any way improperly taken from him without his permission.”

The athlete’s father, Joseph Bryant, and his grandmother, Mildred Cox, supported the mother’s claim that Kobe Bryant had declined an opportunity to take the collectibles from his parents’ home in suburban Philadelphia.

They said the athlete and his wife had visited the home in 2005 when the Lakers were in town to play the Philadelphia 76ers. Bryant’s father and grandmother said Pamela Bryant took Kobe and Vanessa Bryant upstairs to see the sports memorabilia and that the mother returned to say they had no interest in the items.

“My son gave my wife these items over the years, stating, ‘Here Mom, these are for you,’ ” said Joseph Bryant, a former NBA player himself. Their son entered the NBA from Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa., playing for the Lakers since 1996.

He said he suggested to his son “on several occasions that it would be nice for him to take some of the memorabilia he had given to his mother and set up a room in his California house to display the items. He declined to do so,” Joseph Bryant said of his son.

Pamela Bryant contends that the collectibles have been in her possession for at least 15 years. According to Monday’s filing, she paid about $90,000 to store the items during the past five years at Sinclair Moving in West Berlin, N.J.

The parents also challenged Kobe Bryant’s claim that two items on the auction list, a Teen Choice Award surfboard and a trophy, had disappeared from his California home. They said they moved to their son’s Pacific Palisades, Calif., home in 1996 but were asked to leave after Kobe Bryant met his future wife.

“The moving company Kobe hired delivered all our belongings, including the memorabilia, to our house in Pennsylvania,” Joseph Bryant said. “These items were given to my wife by Kobe.” Kobe Bryant later moved from Pacific Palisades.

The family fight erupted after Goldin Auctions of West Berlin announced plans April 30 to sell the collectibles on consignment from Pamela Bryant.

After Kobe Bryant sent a cease-and-desist order, Goldin Auctions sued May 2 in a bid for court approval. The firm noted that it has paid a $450,000 advance to Pamela Bryant, who used it to buy a house in Las Vegas.

Kobe Bryant filed his own lawsuit May 7 in California, seeking to block the sale. Bryant’s sister, Sharia Washington of Las Vegas, supported her brother in a filing Saturday in the West Coast case.

“I have frequently heard my mother talk about how the family can make money on items associated with Kobe,” she said.

Washington said that she once stored memorabilia from her brother’s short-lived music career in her garage but that she returned the items to her brother “because my mother has access to my garage and I feared that she would try to sell that memorabilia.”

Washington said she had no knowledge of any talks between Pamela and Kobe Bryant over ownership of his collectibles.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, the unanimous selection for the 2012-13 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, headlines the 2012-13 NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Lillard was a unanimous First Team selection with 29 first team votes and 58 points. Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal and New Orleans Hornets’ Anthony Davis totaled 57 points each, including 28 first team votes.

Dion Waiters of the Cleveland Cavaliers (50 points, 21 First Team) and Harrison Barnes of the Golden State Warriors (47 points, 18 First Team) were also on the first team.

The voting panel consisted of the NBA’s 30 head coaches, who were asked to select five players for the first team and five players for the second team, regardless of position. Coaches were not permitted to vote for players on their own team. Two points were awarded for first team votes and one for second team votes.

The NBA All-Rookie second team consists of the Detroit Pistons’ Andre Drummond (35 points, 10 First Team), the Toronto Raptors’ Jonas Valanciunas (31 points, six First Team), the Charlotte Bobcats’ Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (29 points, three First Team), the Detroit Pistons’ Kyle Singler (17 points, one First Team), and the Cavaliers’ Tyler Zeller (15 points, three First Team).

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Chuck Muncie, a three-time Pro Bowl running back and a first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints whose career was shortened by drug abuse, died Tuesday of a heart attack at the age of 60, the Saints announced.

Muncie, who played for the Saints from 1976-80 and for the San Diego Chargers from 1980-84, rushed for 6,702 yards and 71 touchdowns, but his career ended in 1984, when Commissioner Pete Rozelle suspended Muncie for the remainder of the season when he tested positive for cocaine after the first regular-season game.

Muncie tried a comeback with the Minnesota Vikings in 1985, but eventually walked away from the game, saying he had personal issues he needed to address.

In 1989, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for selling cocaine, but he turned his life around after his release, working with children and adult addicts, while also counseling gang members to get out of the life.

The Chuck Muncie Youth Foundation, a nonprofit established in 1997, counseled youngsters and offered alternatives to gangs. It also paid for a tattoo-removal program for gang members. Muncie also mentored athletes at the University of California, his alma mater.

“Whenever we call, he makes himself available,” Dr. Bill Coysh, director of sports medicine for the Cal athletic department, told the Los Angeles Times in 2002. “That’s what’s incredible about him. This is not a paid position. He does it because that’s how he is.”

After a stellar career at Cal, Muncie began his NFL career in New Orleans, but spent most of the four years trying to get traded. When he was dealt to the Chargers, he provided a powerful running attack to an already potent passing offense. In 1981, he led the NFL with 19 touchdowns.

Muncie rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown in one of the most memorable games in NFL history — the Chargers’ 31-28 postseason victory over the Miami Dolphins in 1981.

Little-known stats: Muncie completed four passes in his career — all for touchdowns, and he finished with a 141.4 passer rating. Three of the scoring passes went to receiver Wes Chandler.

Muncie told this story to Football Digest in 2002, when describing the intense rivalry between the Chargers and Raiders:

“The Raiders got a report that I had an injured ankle. It was the left one, but they got their report mixed up and thought it was my right one. So I got tackled, and on the bottom of the pile, Lyle Alzado had my right ankle and was grinding it and everything. I got up and pretended to limp. I looked back at him and said, ‘Hey, wrong ankle, (bleep)hole!’ “

In the 2008 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Muncie looked back on his checkered past, admitting his drug use began in college.

“Back in the ’70s,” he said, “everything was about experimentation, and Berkeley was a different place than it is now. It was a different time, and we didn’t have the education we have now on drug abuse, so it’s kind of hard to compare. It’s apples and oranges.”

But he added: “Everything I did and everything I went through in my life has allowed me to do the things I’m doing now. I’ve been able to tell these guys, ‘Been there, done that, and if you keep doing these things, this is what’s going to happen.’ “

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Copyright © 2013 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.