Off the wire
Posted on Saturday, June 28, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/229912/
BASKETBALL Ref ’central’ to scandal NBA referee Tim Donaghy has exaggerated his cooperation in a gambling investigation in hopes of lessening his prison term and avoiding paying hefty restitution, prosecutors said in court papers filed Friday. He also has minimized his own role in the scheme, according to the filing in Brooklyn, N. Y., federal court. Prosecutors rebuffed defense arguments that Donaghy should get a break on his sentence for voluntarily coming forward and giving prosecutors inside dirt about alleged game-fixing and other misconduct by other referees and league officials. In the court papers, prosecutors said that by the time Donaghy decided to cooperate last year, “the government had a clear understanding of the criminal conspiracy and who was involved.” Though he deserves credit for giving investigators information on his two co-defendants, his claims of other internal NBA corruption “did not lead to evidence of prosecutable federal offenses,” the papers added. Defense attorney John Lauro declined comment Friday. The 41-year-old Donaghy pleaded guilty last year to felony charges of taking cash payoffs from gamblers in the 2006-07 season. He faces up to 33 months in prison at sentencing, set for July 14.
HORSE RACING Asmussen faces drug suspension Trainer Steve Asmussen faces what could be a long suspension after being notified that one of his winning horses tested positive for an illegal raceday drug. Timber Tick, who won the third race at Lone Star Park in Austin, Texas, on May 10, tested positive for lidocaine, the Texas Racing Commission said. Lidocaine is a local anesthetic with a high potential to enhance performance because it deadens pain in a horses’ legs. Asmussen, who trains 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin and was the leading trainer at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs the past two meetings, has exercised his right to have a split specimen tested at a commission-approved laboratory. Asmussen leads the nation’s trainers in wins (320 ) and earnings ($ 15. 2 million ). The commission scheduled a July 18 hearing. For such a violation, Asmussen faces a suspension of six months to a year, fines ranging from $ 1, 500 to $ 2, 500 and the loss of purse money. Asmussen served a six-month suspension in 2006 through Jan. 10, 2007, for two separate drug infractions. Heatseeker, the 7-5 morning line favorite for the $ 750, 000 Hollywood Gold Cup, is out of the race today because of a left ankle injury. Heatseeker, winner of the Santa Anita Handicap and The Californian, was assigned high weight
1 of 123 pounds for the 1 / 4-mile race at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif. That leaves a field of nine for the race, including Oaklawn Handicap winner Tiago, Pacific Classic winner Student Council, and Go Between, second to Heatseeker in the Santa Anita Handicap. Go Between was installed as the 5-2 favorite on a revised morning line. The colt shipped in from the East Coast earlier this year to win the Sunshine Millions Classic. Tiago is the second choice at 3-1. Tiago is a half-brother of 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo, both trained by John Shirreffs. Tiago will carry 121 pounds and start from the fourth spot. FOOTBALL Spicer gets contract extension Defensive end Paul Spicer, who will turn 33 this summer, signed a two-year, $ 8 million contract extension with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Friday, giving him a chance to end his career with the team. Spicer, who led 1 the Jaguars with 7 / 2 sacks last season, skipped Jacksonville’s first eight voluntary workouts last month in hopes of getting a new deal. He was in the final year of a contract that would have paid him about $ 2. 5 million this season. Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch had his driver’s license revoked in traffic court Friday after saying he didn’t know he hit someone while driving on a Buffalo, N. Y., street last month. Administrative Law Judge Thomas Gagola found Lynch’s behavior May 31 “constituted a reckless disregard of human life or property.” He also imposed the maximum $ 100 fine and $ 50 surcharge after Lynch pleaded guilty to failure to exercise due care toward a pedestrian. Lynch, the Bills’ first-round draft pick in 2007 out of California, was driving his 2008 Porsche Cayenne sport utility vehicle in the city’s bar district at 3: 30 a. m. when he struck a 27-yearold Ontario woman and kept going. Police officer Allan Kasprzak said the woman Lynch struck, Kimberly Shpeley, bruised a hip and required seven stitches for a cut on her thigh.
HOCKEY Ducks to buy out Bertuzzi The Anaheim Ducks placed Todd Bertuzzi on unconditional waivers Friday and intend to buy out the final year of his contract. The forward was due to earn $ 4 million in the second and last year of his contract. The Ducks will buy out that final season for $ 2. 6 million. The 33-year-old signed with Anaheim last summer and had 40 points in 68 games. The Philadelphia Flyers and Jeff Carter agreed to a multiyear contract Friday, only days before the center was set to become a restricted free agent. The 23-year-old Carter was taken 11 th overall by the Flyers in the 2003 draft and he has 66 goals and 132 points in 225 career games. Carter played in all 82 games last season and had 29 goals and 53 points. He scored six more goals in the playoffs and helped the Flyers reach the Eastern Conference final.
The Dallas Stars signed forward Loui Eriksson on Friday to a twoyear contract extension worth $ 3. 2 million. The Stars said Eriksson will earn $ 1. 5 million next season and $ 1. 7 million the season after. The 22-yearold Swede had career highs of 14 goals and 17 assists in 69 games last season. He also scored 4 goals with 4 assists in 18 playoff games this past spring. In 128 career NHL games, the 6-1, 183-pound forward has 20 goals and 30 assists.
ROWING Volpenhein among Olympians Bryan Volpenhein, who stroked the men’s eight to its first Olympic gold medal in 40 years at the 2000 Games in Athens, Greece, is pointed toward the Olympics for the third time. So is Paul Teti. And Anna Cummins should be busy in Beijing — she’s the only rower competing in two events: the women’s pair and eight. They are all part of the 45-person roster selected to the U. S. Olympic rowing team Friday. The roster includes 10 former Olympians who have combined for six medals, and 13 crews will represent the United States in Beijing. SWIMMING Severe storm damages arena A severe storm damaged the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb., and forced swimmers practicing for the U. S. Olympic trials to evacuate the pools Friday. Officials at the 7-year-old arena closed the building for the rest of the night after the storm blew through to check for damage. Superstar Michael Phelps and hundreds of other swimmers were herded into the hallways of the arena after a tornado warning was issued. The eight-day meet to decide the U. S. Olympic swimming team opens Sunday.
BASKETBALL Humphrey kicked off Georgia team after arrest
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia Coach Dennis Felton dismissed starting guard Billy Humphrey from the team Friday following Humphrey’s third arrest in less than a year, his second on alcohol-related charges.
The 20-year-old Humphrey was charged with driving under the influence, failure to maintain his lane and the underage purchase of alcohol and taken to the Gwinnett County Jail early Tuesday.
Humphrey, who will be a senior, was the team’s second-leading scorer last season. The 6-2 guard from Dacula, Ga., played in 30 games last season, including 28 starts, and averaged 12. 2 points. He helped lead Georgia to the SEC Tournament championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
“I am disappointed in Billy,” Felton said. “We’ve worked really hard with him in the past to see that he succeeds, but I feel that it’s now best for our program to move forward without him.”
Police found a half-filled bottle of rum in Humphrey’s car when he was stopped on Georgia 316. According to the officer’s incident report, Humphrey’s eyes were “bloodshot and very watery.”
According to the report, Humphrey tested for a. 082 blood alcohol content during the traffic stop, followed by a. 129 at the Gwinnett County Jail.