College Athletics
Air Force coaches asked to help ground assaults
AIR FORCE ACADEMY – Air Force Academy leaders are asking coaches to take a bigger role in preventing sexual assaults by talking with athletes about the issue.
Commanders also said Wednesday they expect an upcoming review of the athletic department to show whether it has a “negative culture,” a term the service often uses to describe an atmosphere conducive to sexual abuse.
The academy was responding to recent allegations that athletes got special treatment; officials denied the claims.
Officials said Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, the academy superintendent, ordered the school’s inspector general in July to review the athletic department, including its culture. Johnson said she met with coaches twice over the last year about her expectations. She said coaches hadn’t been fully involved in what she called the “broader conservation” about the school’s standards.
Golf
Not out of the Woods yet, Tiger’s season ends early
Tiger Woods removed himself from consideration for a United States’ Ryder Cup captain’s pick because of back problems.
Woods posted a statement on his website Wednesday, saying: “I’ve been told by my doctors and trainer that my back muscles need to be rehabilitated and healed. They’ve advised me not to play or practice now.”
Woods’ season ended last week when he missed the cut by five shots in the PGA Championship, his fourth event since having surgery to alleviate pain from a pinched nerve. The week before, he withdrew from the Bridgestone Invitational in the final round because of back pain that he said was unrelated to the microdiscectomy surgery in March.
U.S. captain Tom Watson has three picks for the Sept. 26-28 matches against Europe at Gleneagles in Scotland. The PGA Championship completed the points race for the nine automatic bids.
MLB
MLB owners meet to elect their next commissioner
BALTIMORE – Major League Baseball owners began two days of meetings that could lead to the election of Commissioner Bud Selig’s successor.
MLB Executive Vice President of Business Tim Brosnan, MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred and Boston Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner were picked by the seven-man succession committee as candidates and were slated to make presentations Wednesday to the delegations from the 30 teams.
Selig, 80, has ruled baseball since September 1992, first as chairman of baseball’s executive council and since July 1998 as commissioner. The former Milwaukee Brewers owner announced last fall he plans to retire in January 2015.
Balloting is planned for Thursday, and a three-quarters majority – 23 – is needed for election.
Owners have estimated Manfred has the support of 20-21 teams headed into the meetings, Werner of about six and Brosnan one. The Major League Constitution specifies the vote shall be by written ballot but doesn’t say whether each team’s vote remains secret.
Tennis
USTA hands out eight men’s wild cards for U.S. Open
NEW YORK – France’s Michael Llodra and Australia’s Bernard Tomic are among eight men receiving wild-card invitations for the U.S. Open’s main draw.
NCAA champion Marcos Giron, Ryan Harrison, Wayne Odesnik, Tim Smyczek and teenagers Jared Donaldson and Noah Rubin also were wild-card entries announced Wednesday by the U.S. Tennis Association.
Odesnik, who served a 12-month ban after getting caught with human growth hormone, earned his wild card based on results at USTA Pro Circuit events.
Francis Tiafoe, a 16-year-old from Maryland, was given a wild card for U.S. Open qualifying.
Llodra and Tomic got their spots via reciprocal agreements the USTA has with the Australian and French tennis federations.
Associated Press
