Auto Racing
Andrettis’ return-trip home to Pocono as easy as 1-2-3
LONG POND, Pa. – Make it a 1-2-3 start for Andretti Autosport at Pocono Raceway.
Marco Andretti hit a two-lap average speed of 221.273 mph to take the top spot Saturday for the first IndyCar Series race at Pocono since 1989. He set a new track record that had been held by Emerson Fittipaldi’s two-lap average speed of 221.273 in 1989.
Ryan Hunter-Reay will start second, James Hinchcliffe third, Will Power fourth and Tony Kanaan fifth.
Kanaan, the Indianapolis 500 winner, needs wins at Pocono and Fontana, Calif., to win the Triple Crown and a $1-million payout.
Hamilton edges Vettel to win the Formula 1 pole position
NUERBURGRING, Germany – Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes earned the pole position for Sunday’s German Grand Prix, edging Red Bull’s three-time defending Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel to earn his second consecutive pole and third of the season.
Hamilton set the fastest qualifying time Saturday of 1 minute, 29.398 seconds. Vettel dominated the last two practice sessions but ended up .103 seconds behind Hamilton, who gained his 29th career pole.
Marc Webber, in the second Red Bull car, was third, with the Lotus pair of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean next.
Mixed MArtial Arts
‘Spider’ caught in own web: Weidman knocks out Silva
LAS VEGAS – Chris Weidman stopped Anderson Silva in the second round of their UFC middleweight title fight on Saturday night, ending the champion’s long stay on top of the division.
Weidman landed a short left hook that sent Silva to the canvas, then pounced on the ultimate fighting star, landing a few more shots before referee Herb Dean stopped the bout at 1:18.
Weidman ended Silva’s 17-fight win streak and nearly seven-year reign as champion while improving to 10-0. Silva dropped to 33-5.
In the co-main event in front of a capacity crowd at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar outwrestled and outstruck Charles Oliveira to get the win by unanimous decision.
College Basketball
Butler keeps it in the family to replace Stevens at coach
INDIANAPOLIS – Butler found its next basketball coach the same place it usually does – inside the family.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs announced they were promoting recently hired assistant coach Brandon Miller as Brad Stevens’ replacement. The decision came three days after Stevens surprised everyone by taking the head job with the Boston Celtics.
But like Stevens and his predecessors Todd Lickliter and Thad Matta, the Bulldogs didn’t have to look far to find the next coach.
Only two candidates’ names were bandied about – Miller, a former Butler star who was just rehired by Stevens as an assistant coach in April, and Michigan assistant LaVall Jordan, another Butler alum and former Bulldog assistant.
Miller finished his career with 1,121 points, 189 3-pointers and 305 assists, earning all-league honors and all-league defensive honors.
WNBA
Into the Mystic(s), Thibault sets WNBA wins record
WASHINGTON – Crystal Langhorne scored 12 points, and the Washington Mystics beat the Seattle Storm 62-59 on Saturday, giving coach Mike Thibault a WNBA-record 212 career victories.
Thibault coached 10 seasons for the Connecticut Sun before coming to Washington, where he already has guided the Mystics (6-6) to more victories than they had last season. Washington had just 11 wins the last two years combined.
Thibault owns a career coaching record of 212-140, one more win than Van Chancellor, who won the league’s first four championships during 10 seasons leading the Houston Comets. Thibault’s Connecticut teams made the playoffs eight out of 10 seasons and lost twice in the WNBA Finals.
Associated Press
