The News and Observer from Raleigh, North Carolina • 30

TILE NEIS OIHRVER FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3 2006 Sports 3c BRIEFS Champion back in Cup car Sore-ribbed Stewart competes in 24-hour race then tests at Las -e A ri A l'A 1 1 101 a Nt -4 1 1 r''' ik NI i I'L''''N tj rogrfit 4 A pi -t A i '-'14 I lit 4 -2-P i 4 bsigg e- k4s4 1--- I A i 1 '4" '1' ot I 1 'CI 6 4402 DC United's Freddy Adu center tussles with Rochester Rhino Lenin Steenkamp during a July 11 exhibition in Cary STAFF FILE PHOTO BY ETHAN HYMAN (Seminoles) Central Michigan (Chippewas) and Utah (Utes) were allowed to keep their names and imagery because of support from local Native American tribes Though his ribs are still sore from a sprint car crash last month reigning NISCAR Nex-tel Cup champion Tony Stewart would still rather be in a race car than sitting and fretting over his aching right side Stewart drove several long stints this past weekend during the Rolex 24 sports car endurance race in Daytona Beach Fla Really the only time I didn't think about the pain from the ribs was when I was in the race car" he said Wednesday "That's pretty much the best time for me when I'm in a race car" Stewart's No 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet was one of more than 40 Cup cars driven in the three-day preseason test session that ended Wednesday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Each car was allowed to participate in two of the three days of testing on the 15-mile track Asked about what kind of treatment he is getting for the sore ribs Stewart shrugged and said "It's nothing but watching the days go by on the calendar" Stewart who also won the Cup title in 2002 said he is confident he'll feel just fine by the time practice for the season-opening Daytona 500 opens on Feb 10 IMPORTANT TEST: With new rules severely limiting testing by the Cup teams at tracks on which they will race this week's test session at Las Vegas was a key test particularly for the races at the 2-mile California Speedway on Feb 26 and at Las Vegas on March 12 That is apparently why so many teams participated "For the racing aspect of the test it's very vital" said 2004 Cup champion Kurt Busch who moved from Roush Racing to Penske Racing South during the winter "There's no more important test than Vegas The next test the teams have at a track we race on will be in May and that's Only when he is behind the wheel do his injured ribs stop hurting Tony Stewart says GETTY IMAGES PHOTO BY RUSTY JARRETT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Duke tennis team in indoor quarterfinal The 13th-ranked Duke women's tennis team delivered a 5-2 upset of No 8 Baylor on Thursday in the first round of the USTA-ITA National Women's Tennis Team Indoor Championship hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison The Blue Devils took four of the six singles matches to three sets in the six-and-a-half hour contest and improved to 3-0 this season and 14-3 in first-round matches at the team indoor championships Duke will face Cal at 4 pm in today's quarterfinals FROM DUKE NEWS RELEASE Martin will run seven races this season in the No 6 Ford F-150 sharing the seat with David Ragan FROM TEAM NEWS RELEASE DRIVERS MEETINGS AT EAST CAROLINA: Drivers and car owners can discuss race divisions and rules with East Carolina Motor Speedway track officials at a set of meetings Saturday at the Robersonville facility Two people per car will be allowed in the meeting room The meeting for the Late Model Sportsman Division runs am Stock Look-Alike Modified Street Super Stock Four-Cylinder 1 pm Pure Stock Four-Cylinder UCAR Limited Late Model No significant changes have been made to division rules said track co-owner Dick Spruill said FROM TRACK NEWS RELEASE He also is charged with repeatedly raping a girl now 15 he met on the Internet when she was 11 A former publicist for NASCAR's top-level Winston Cup Series Williams now runs his own public relations firm Williams Company of America Inc based in Mooresville THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MARTIN TO DRIVE TRUCK AT DAYTONA: Mark Martin will kick off his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule in the series' season-opening Daytona 250 on Feb 17 Roush Racing said in a news release on Monday Martin who plans to run a limited schedule in the truck and Busch series will compete in four races over Daytona Speedweeks: the Budweiser Shootout the IROC season opener the Craftsman Truck opener and the Feb 18 Daytona 500 very far down the line "We've got a ton of races until that test at Richmond We've got quite a bit of guessing to get through the next part of the season and that's why this test is very important" BOND INCREASED FOR FORMER NASCAR PUBLICIST: Bond for a former NASCAR publicist charged with raping a child and soliciting a minor for sex over the Internet has been raised to $2 million Richard "Chip" Williams 48 had his bond increased following a first appearance in a Greensboro court on Wednesday He answered a judge's questions from a jail cell Williams was arrested Tuesday morning in the parking lot of a Guilford County church where authorities said he had arranged over the Internet to meet a person who he believed was a 14-year-old girl for sex Adu won't play with US national team Freddy Adu was released from the US national team training camp and will join DC United when it starts preseason training next week The 16-year-old forward made his national debut as a late substitution in a scoreless tie against Canada on Jan 22 then didn't play in Sunday's 5-0 win over Norway Midfielder Steve Ralston who has a strained right quadriceps also was dropped from the training camp roster US team spokesman Michael Kammarman said Thursday As players returned after three days off forward Eddie Johnson resumed training for the first time since bruising his right calf against Canada He is hoping to be ready for the team's next game against Japan on Feb 10 at San Francisco US KEEPER GETS ONE-YEAR EXTENSION WITH SUNDER TEAM: American goalkeeper Kasey Keller and the German Bundesliga team Borussia Moenchengladbach agreed to a one-year contract extension through June 2007 The 36-year-old is expected to start for the United States at this year's World Cup His play has been a major reason in Moenchengladbach's rise to seventh place this season Cubs Pierre agree to $575 million deal Speedy center fielder will give Chicago the leadoff hitter it had been seeking 4 f' 1 '7 Damon enjoys chat with 'Boss: Pierre had 13 triples in 2005 the 1930s and '40s died at his home in the Carteret County town of Wildwood at age 93 his family said Thursday Nicknamed "Whistling Jack" Wade died late Wednesday He had a stroke about four years ago grandson Charles Wallace said Wade had a 2740 career record and a 500 ERA during eight major league seasons with the Tigers the St Louis Browns the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox before winding up with the Washington Senators and the New York Yankees in 1946 BRIEFLY: Craig Monroe the last Detroit player in salary arbitration agreed Thursday to a $28 million one-year contract The 28-year-old outfielder earned $400000 last season when he hit 277 with 20 home runs and a team-high 89 RBIs The Colorado Rockies defeated Sunny Kim on Thursday in the first salary arbitration case of the year The pitcher will earn $600000 rather than the $800000 he had requested LOPEZ REDS AGREE: All-Star shortstop Felipe Lopez agreed to a $27 million contract Thursday with the Cincinnati Reds avoiding an arbitration hearing Lopez made $415000 last season when he hit 291 and made his first All-Star team He asked for $3 million in arbitration and the Reds offered $215 million SCOOTER MEMORABILIA: Former New York Yankees shortstop and longtime broadcaster Phil Rizzuto announced Thursday that he is selling much of his memorabilia at an auction scheduled for this summer Among the items are several World Series rings a Christmas card from Mickey Mantle and a 56-year-old Yankees cap that is worn dusty and has a piece of gum still stuck to the top Rizzuto 88 is downsizing in preparation for a move from the family's longtime house in Hillside NJ to a smaller home WADE DIES: Jake Wade who broke into the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers and played for five other teams in THE ASSOCIATED PRESS New center fielder Juan Pierre agreed Thursday to a $575 million one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs who also settled on a $610000 deal with left-handed reliever Will Ohman Pierre obtained in a trade with the Florida Marlins in December made $37 million last year He asked for $65 million and the Cubs offered $5 million making the settlement at the midpoint Ohman made $320000 last season and was looking for a bump to $775000 while the team countered with an offer of $500000 Both players had filed for arbitration Pierre a former Carolina Mud-cats star batted 276 with 19 doubles 13 triples and 47 RBIs in 162 games for the Marlins last year He gives the Cubs the leadoff hitter-they had been seeking Ohman was 2-2 with a 291 ERA in 69 appearances last season DAMON BOSS MEET: New York owner George Steinbrenner and Badgers' RB kicked off football team Wisconsin running back Booker Stanley was kicked off the team Thursday less than two months after being suspended following his arrest on charges of sexual assault battery and bail jumping Stanley suspended since police were called to his apartment on Dec 21 is expected to face a preliminary hearing later this month on the charges Stanley 22 is free on bond A Dane County (Wis) court commissioner scheduled the hearing for Feb 21 before Judge David Flanagan Stanley's public defender Dennis Burke said Monday Stanley faces one count of second-degree sexual assault one count of second-degree recklessly endangering safety four misdemeanor counts of battery one count of felony bail-jumping and two counts of misdemeanor bail-jumping CAL HIRES OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: The University of California's football team hired Northwestern offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar on Thursday to fill the same position on coach Jeff Tedford's staff new Yankees center fielder Johnny Damon talked in person Thursday for the first time since the former Boston Red Sox star agreed to a $52 million four-year contract in December Damon spent an hour at Legends Field in Tampa Fla which is the Yankees' spring training home and where Steinbrenner has an office He toured the facility and also had a "great time" talking with the Boss "It's the one thing in my offseason I was really looking forward to" Damon said "We've talked before but to see him as a Yankee it means a lot to me" Sharapova roils at Pan Pacific Open Top-seeded Maria Sharapova cruised past American Lisa Raymond 6-4 6-4 Thursday to join Martina Hingis in the Pan Pacific Open quarterfinals in Tokyo Sharapova who opened her title defense after a first-round bye will next face Samantha Stosur of Australia who defeated sixth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova 7-6 (5) 6-2 Also advancing is fourth-seeded Anastasia Mysldna of Russia who defeated the Czech Republic's Klara Koukalova 6-4 6-4 Hingis will next face Russian Maria Kirilenko who defeated eighth-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia-Montenegro 6-4 6-4 LJUBICIC ADVANCES TO QUARTERFINALS AT ZAGREB INDOORS: Top-seeded Ivan Ljubicic defeated Kenneth Carlsen 7-6 (5) 6-4 Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Zagreb Indoors tournament in Zagreb Croatia Ljubicic is 11-1 this year after winning in Chennai India and reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open Ljubicic will face Russia's Mikhail Youzhny in the quarterfinals Youzhny rallied to beat sixth-seeded Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 2-6 7-6 (3) 7-6 (0) HAAS MOVES ON AT DELRAY INTERNATIONAL: Fourth-seeded Tommy Haas of Germany beat Romania's Andrei Pavel 6-7 (1-7) 6-1 7-5 on Thursday to move into the quarterfinals of the International Tennis Championships in Delray Beach Fla The 30th-ranked Haas will take on seventh-seeded Gilles Muller of Luxembourg today In the other quarterfinal matches top-seeded Andre Agassi will face Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain third-seeded Xavier Malisse of Belgium will play sixth-seeded Florian Mayer of Germany and eighth-seeded Vincent Spadea of the United States will take on Hyung-Taik Lee of Korea BULGARIAN TENNIS PLAYER APPEALS DOPING BAN TO CAS: Bulgarian tennis player Sesil Karatantcheva appealed her two-year doping ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne Switzerland The International Tennis Federation suspended the 16-year-old Karatantcheva on Jan 11 after she twice tested positive for the steroid nandrolone Karatantcheva contends she tested positive because she was pregmt at the time and had been taking food supplements CAS said Nationals sign Clayton -tWCODCRAFT' WC(DDCRAFT Helping Wmt Make Wood Wcwkf Reliant- Toil Make Wood Wcwitt SUPER ONE DAY ONLY SALE! ummirr AAA LTA R-RFORMK we don't see improvement from Guzman" The signing of Clayton headlined an active day for the Nationals who also finalized a one-year $600000 deal with right-handed reliever Felix Rodriguez added to their sizable collection of outfielders by signing George Lombard to a minor league deal and outrighted injured right-hander Francis Beltran to Triple-A New Orleans Rodriguez 33 was once considered one of the top setup men in the game going 34-19 with a 290 IRA from 2000-04 mostly with the San Francisco Giants However a knee injury last season limited him to 34 appearances with the New York Yankees and his ERA rose to 501 BY DAVE SHEININ THE WASHINGTON POST WASVIGTON The Washington Nationals on Thursday signed 15-year veteran shortstop Royce Clayton to a minor league contract and told him he would have an opportunity to compete for the team's starting job this spring a clear signal to incumbent Cristian Guzman that big contract or not his place in the starting lineup is not guaranteed "We're not going to sit back and watch Cristian Guzman have another year like he did last year" general manager Jim Bowden said referring to Guzman's 219 batting average and 31 RBIs in 2005 "This signing gives us a viable option to go to in the event pcsi PCTITEI Lie-Nielsen (Sakl-4 POWat TOOLS 1001i 'ORKS owtyozw cmir 444 44 r-----1 tgyfi 4: I 4 Brand says NCAA mascot ban 'firm' NCAA president Myles Brand said the ban of American Indian mascots and images in postseason competition will remain firm despite resistance from schools that would be affected Brand said part of the NCAA's mission is to protect values "One of the values we hold dear is respect for everyone" Brand said Thursday "Some of the mascots names costumes and other acting out about Native Americans is very hostile and uncomfortable" The University of Illinois this week filed its second appeal of an NCAA decision that would require the schc 11 to drop its Chief Illiniwek mascot and logo before it could host any post-season competition The school is allowed to keep its Illini and Fighting Illini nicknames Three schools Florida State Saturday February 4th 2006 10 Off Everything! 10 Ott regular prices only! rscludes FESTOOL Leigh ig ''IS111AT (Cedar Roof Restoration Repair 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