Basketball
Rodman finds his Americans for North Korean exhibition
Dennis Rodman named a team of former NBA players to participate in an exhibition basketball game in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Rodman leads a team that includes former NBA All-Stars Kenny Anderson, Vin Baker and Cliff Robinson. Doug Christie, Craig Hodges and Charles D. Smith are on the team, as well. They will play against a top North Korean Senior National team Jan. 8, marking Kim Jong Un’s birthday.
Rodman is the highest profile American to meet Kim since the leader inherited power from his father in late 2011.
Rodman calls the game his version of “basketball diplomacy.”
NFL
Titans fire Munchak after 31 years in the franchise
The Tennessee Titans fired Mike Munchak after three seasons as head coach and 31 years combined with this franchise as a coach and player.
The Titans confirmed the firing Saturday after holding meetings since they ended the season with a 7-9 record and a 16-10 win over Houston. Munchak had a season left on his contract and was 22-26 overall. He had been with this franchise since 1982 when the then-Houston Oilers made him a first-round draft pick, and he joined the coaching staff as an assistant the year after he retired.
College Football
Strong tells the Cardinals he’s off to Austin, Texas
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville said head coach Charlie Strong has informed Cardinals’ athletic director Tom Jurich he is leaving for Texas.
Strong, who was 37-15 with the Cardinals in four seasons, including 3-1 in bowl games, will replace Mack Brown.
The 53-year-old Strong met this week with new Texas athletic director Steve Patterson about the coaching vacancy, but he wanted to wait until speaking directly with Jurich to accept Texas’ offer. Jurich was on vacation in Colorado, and weather problems made traveling back to Louisville difficult.
Jurich gave Strong his first chance to be a head coach after a long successful career as a defensive coordinator.
SI.com reported Strong will receive a five-year contract that will pay him $5 million annually.
Tennis
Williams sisters split titles in Australia and New Zealand
BRISBANE, Australia – The top-ranked Serena Williams carried her winning momentum – and 22-match winning streak – into 2014, beating No. 2-ranked Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday to defend her title at the Brisbane International and set the tone for the Australian Open.
The Williams sisters were hoping to both win a WTA Tour event in the same week for the first time in 15 years, but Ana Ivanovic prevented that when she beat Venus Williams 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in the final of the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.
PERTH, Australia – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Alize Cornet gave France its first Hopman Cup title Saturday by winning the decisive mixed doubles match against Poland in the final.
The French duo routed Agnieszka Radwanska and Grzegorz Panfil 6-0, 6-2 at Perth Arena.
Tsonga had given France the lead by beating Panfil 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the opening match before Radwanska leveled the best-of-3 series by outlasting Cornet 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-2 to set up the decisive mixed doubles.
DOHA, Qatar – Rafael Nadal opened his 2014 campaign by winning his first title of the year in defeating Gael Monfils 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-2 at the Qatar Open on Saturday.
Nadal showed why he’s the top player in the world; although he wasn’t in top form in this first event of the season, he battled to win his 61st career title, one shy of Guillermo Vilas’ total, seventh on the all-time Open era list.
SHENZHEN, China – Top-seeded Li Na defended her Shenzhen Open title Saturday by defeating Peng Shuai 6-4, 7-5 in only the second all-Chinese final on the WTA Tour, the third-ranked Li’s eighth career WTA title.
Associated Press
