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AP - Reggie Bush declined to go into any detail Wednesday on what he knows about the status of his 2005 Heisman Trophy. |
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AP - When Armando Galarraga steps onto the mound to face Baltimore on Friday night, the Tigers pitcher will see a familiar face behind home plate in umpire Jim Joyce. |
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AP - A defamation lawsuit against Roger Clemens should be thrown out because the seven-time Cy Young Award winner was merely trying to defend himself against his former personal trainer's doping allegations, Clemens' lawyers argued Wednesday. |
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AFP - England manager Fabio Capello has ruled out the possibility that he will continue in the job after the Euro 2012 tournament, killing off speculation that recent good performances could prolong his stay. |
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AP - Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram has not returned to practice for No. 1 Alabama and while Nick Saban said the injured running back is unlikely to play against No. 18 Penn State on Saturday, the coach isn't necessarily counting his star out. |
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AP - The Saints' first Super Bowl title was so big in New Orleans that Mardi Gras, a revered local institution dating back well more than a century, became popularly known as, "Lombardi Gras." |
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• Higgins cleared of most serious charge by tribunal• Manager Pat Mooney banned from snooker for lifeSnooker's world No1 John Higgins has been banned for six months and fined £75,000 for breaching rules around betting – but has been cleared of the most serious charge of match-fixing.Higgins was suspended in May after the News of the World alleged he and his manager Pat Mooney had agreed at a meeting in Kiev to lose frames in four matches in return for £261,000.The World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn immediately suspended Higgins and vowed to clean up the sport when the story was published. However, Mooney and Higgins vigorously protested their innocence, claiming they felt intimidated and would have gone along with anything at the meeting to get home.At the hearing, Higgins admitted "intentionally giving the impression to others that they were agreeing to act in breach of the betting rules" and failing to report the matter to World Snooker.However, the more serious charges of "agreeing or offering" to accept bribes and "agreeing to engage in corrupt or fraudulent conduct" were withdrawn by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association following the two-day hearing in London.Higgins, who will also pay £10,000 towards the hearing's costs, had his six-month ban backdated to May, when his original suspension began.Mooney, ruled to have placed Higgins in "a highly invidious position" by being "entirely responsible for Mr Higgins' presence |
in Kiev", has been banned from further involvement in snooker for life.After the hearing, Higgins said in a statement: "I welcome today's judgment by Sport Resolutions and endorsed by the WPBSA following their exhaustive inquiry into the allegations against me by a tabloid newspaper."I am pleased that Sport Resolutions and WPBSA have concluded, after a thorough and fair investigation, that I was not guilty of any dishonesty and had no intention to fix a match and no intention to do anything corrupt."He pledged to return to snooker a "stronger person" and added: "I accept the decision to suspend me for six months and impose a fine of £75,000."Those who run WPBSA have made it plain that if the sport is to advance it must be above reproach and those of us playing and involved in snooker must be cleaner than clean."Those who know me will appreciate that I have tried to encourage and advance snooker. I have tried to be an ambassador for the sport."He described the past few months as "traumatic" and said: "It has been made all the more hurtful by the knowledge that I never have, and never would, fix a snooker match. I have been sustained by the love and support of my wife, family and friends."John HigginsSnookerguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds |
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England were impressively ruthless but the pitiful crowd and lack of atmosphere offered a telling verdict on a protracted scheduleTim Bresnan, man of one of the drabbest international matches of the century, summed it all up, albeit unwittingly. He was asked, mischievously, why he had not tweeted much recently – given the pitfalls demonstrated by Kevin Pietersen and Dimitri Mascarenhas. "Nothing interesting has happened really," said Bresnan.Nothing much interesting happened in Cardiff last night and there were not many people to watch the lack of action. Afterwards Paul Collingwood duly acknowledged "the special achievement" of seven consecutive wins, matched only by South Africa and Pakistan, and praised his bowlers: "They fit so well together; the fact that we have Jimmy Anderson on the bench shows how well they are bowling".He was most animated, though, when asked about the crowd at the Swalec Stadium – about 5,500 – and whether England play too much international cricket. "I've been saying that for 10 years," he said with a shrug of the shoulders. "We had to create our own atmosphere out there." And they succeeded. It was a highly professional England performance, no matter that Pakistan's batting was as limp as an old stick of celery.Shahid Afridi, in his second language, put it differently but succinctly when asked to explain his side's batting: "It was very bad, inexperienced and immature. I know morale is down, but if we can find one victory it will be high again. I will not be letting the team down, not in the one‑dayers." So we assume no sudden resignation as was the case after the Lord's Test against Australia. He explained how he had made his plans for the one day-matches with Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif in his team but "everything has changed".Stuart Broad set the pattern with his aggressive short-pitched bowling. Bresnan followed suit. Michael Yardy was allowed to do |
his Derek Underwood impressions and Graeme Swann, although driven for two sixes, soon hoodwinked Umar Akmal with a beautifully disguised slower ball. Otherwise there was nothing to lift thespirits.The crowd huddled near the floodlights as much for warmth as light. Floodlit cricket in England in September requires a strong constitution and a high quality anorak. It also requires a fair amount of money. The cheapest ticket at Cardiff was £30; some cost £55. Perhaps that might seem value for money once in a week but not twice. It was a pitiful turn-out for an international match. It seems the punters have just had enough. There were better things to watch: a football match, perhaps; table football in a warm pub.It may be just as bad at Lord's next week when what was once a grand finale to the season comes to town. The one-day final between the counties was once quite an occasion. It is now a 40-over affair and this time it is debatable whether Lord's will attract a crowd of five figures. This year the final, even though it takes place on a Saturday, will be played under floodlights for the first time. For this the England and Wales Cricket Board owes the diehard county supporter an apology. If Yorkshire and Somerset are the finalists there will be no trains back home. The game finishes too late. Many supporters will decide that it is not worth the effort.It is almost impossible to understand why the ECB has taken this decision unless it has something to do with the fact that Sky might like the idea of a floodlit final. But a floodlit match without any spectators? It's not much fun as we discovered in Cardiff last night.England v Pakistan 2010England cricket teamPakistan cricket teamTwenty20CricketVic Marksguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds |
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