Auto Racing
NASCAR drivers clock record speeds at Indy tire test
INDIANAPOLIS – A new environmentally friendly tire and cool morning temperatures had NASCAR drivers clocking speeds they weren’t even sure were possible Tuesday.
On the first day of a closed tire test on Indianapolis’ historic 2.5-mile oval, Mark Martin wrote on Twitter that he hit 212 mph in the morning. When Jeff Gordon saw the post, he asked his own team how fast he reached and said he was told 214. Drivers attributed the speed to almost perfect conditions – good grip and a cool track.
Cycling
Operation Puerto doctor gets 1-year prison sentence
MADRID – The doctor at the heart of cycling’s Operation Puerto doping scandal has been convicted, but the key evidence that could implicate more athletes is set to be destroyed, preventing sport agencies from uncovering other cheaters.
Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes was found guilty Tuesday of endangering public health and given a one-year suspended jail sentence in the Operation Puerto case. Fuentes also was barred from medical practice in sports for four years and ordered to pay a $6,000 fine.
Judge Julia Santamaria said more than 100 blood bags seized seven years ago when police raided Fuentes’ clinics in Madrid should be destroyed. That would rule out any possible investigations by officials of the World Anti-Doping Agency and Spain’s national anti-doping body, who have said they want to examine the bags to identify all the athletes involved. Santamaria said Spain’s privacy laws prevented the availability of the blood bags.
Golf
Mercedes goes all in as a Masters’ global sponsor
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Mercedes-Benz upgraded its corporate involvement at the Masters by becoming one of three global sponsors, allowing the German-based automaker to air television advertisements during the limited commercial space in domestic telecasts.
Mercedes-Benz will join AT&T and IBM as the tournament’s three main sponsors.
Mercedes replaces ExxonMobil, which had been a global sponsor since 2005.
The Masters kept its total sponsorship to five companies – three global sponsors and two international partners. Mercedes had been a partner since 2008 until elevating its sponsorship status. UPS signed on as the other partner, joining Rolex.
NBA
For the second year in a row, Kidd is most sportsmanlike
NEW YORK – New York Knicks guard Jason Kidd became the first player to win back-to-back NBA sportsmanship awards.
Kidd received 91 first-place votes from league players and 2,474 total points Tuesday to claim the Joe Dumars Trophy in his first season in New York.
The NBA will make a $10,000 donation on behalf of Kidd to The Jason Kidd Foundation, which is dedicated to improving education for youth.
College Basketball
Alford and the Lobos are feuding over the buyout
ALBUQUERQUE – A University of New Mexico official said former Lobos basketball coach Steve Alford is willing to pay a $200,000 buyout for leaving the Albuquerque school to take a job at UCLA, but he won’t pay the $1 million payment that New Mexico wants.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, an email written by a university lawyer said Alford is offering to comply with terms of his previous contract with New Mexico. Alford signed a term sheet March 18 agreeing to a new 10-year contract with New Mexico that included a $1-million buyout. It was to take effect April 1, two days after Alford announced his resignation.
New Mexico contends it’s owed the $1 million buyout because the previous contract required a 30-day notice of termination.
Associated Press
