MLB
Rodriguez suing MLB, players’ union over his suspension
NEW YORK – Alex Rodriguez sued Major League Baseball and its players’ union Monday, seeking to overturn a season-long suspension imposed by an arbitrator who ruled there was “clear and convincing evidence” he used three banned substances and twice tried to obstruct the sport’s drug investigation.
As part of the lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan, the New York Yankees third baseman made public Saturday’s 33-page decision by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz, who shortened a penalty originally set at 211 games last August by baseball Commissioner Bud Selig for violations of the sport’s drug agreement and labor contract.
Horowitz trimmed the penalty to 162 games plus all postseason games in 2014.
NFL
Tennessee hires Whisenhunt as its next head coach
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Titans wrapped up their coaching search by hiring San Diego offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt as their new head coach and 17th in franchise history.
Titans president and CEO Tommy Smith called the hiring a big day in announcing the hiring Monday.
Whisenhunt will be introduced at a news conference Tuesday.
The Titans flew to San Diego on Friday and interviewed Whisenhunt, who started his coaching career in Nashville at Vanderbilt. He was the fourth person interviewed by the Titans, who fired Mike Munchak on Jan. 4.
But the Titans had competition for Whisenhunt, who also interviewed with Detroit and Cleveland last week. The Tennessean reported the Titans interviewed Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer for a second time Monday in Houston before hiring Whisenhunt.
college basketball
Buffaloes’ Dinwiddie out for year with an ACL injury
BOULDER – No. 21 Colorado has lost leading scorer Spencer Dinwiddie for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
The school said Monday the junior guard had an anterior cruciate ligament injury and will require surgery once the swelling in the knee goes down. Dinwiddie was hurt in a noncontact play during the first half of a 71-54 loss at Washington on Sunday.
Dinwiddie was averaging 14.7 points and 3.1 rebounds for Colorado, which dropped six spots in the latest AP poll.
The Buffaloes (14-3, 3-1 Pac-12) are off to one of their best starts in school history as they try to make the NCAA tournament for a third consecutive season.
Soccer
Ronaldo ends Messi’s 4-year reign as FIFA’s top player
ZURICH – Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA Ballon d’Or award for 2013, ending Lionel Messi’s four-year run as the world’s best player.
Ronaldo scored 69 goals for Real Madrid and Portugal last year, and his stunning hat trick against Sweden in a decisive World Cup playoff was perhaps the defining individual performance.
He beat out Barcelona’s Messi and France winger Franck Ribery, who helped Bayern Munich to a sweep of major titles.
College Sports
Emmert: Providing athlete stipends now less threatening
INDIANAPOLIS – NCAA President Mark Emmert said Monday that providing a stipend to student-athletes seems less threatening to the schools that earlier knocked down a proposal to increase the value of a scholarship to cover the full cost of attendance.
Emmert spoke at the American Football Coaches Association luncheon just ahead of the NCAA convention, which begins this week in San Diego. Members plan to discuss changes in the way legislation is passed, including giving the five most powerful conferences the ability to create their own rules. At the top of the list for the wealthiest conferences is freedom to provide a stipend to all athletes.
Associated Press
