Auto Racing
Power again holds the pole at Barber Motorsports Park
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Will Power won the pole position for the third time at Barber Motorsports Park.
The two-time Barber winner posted the time to beat fairly early Saturday in Fast Six qualifying for IndyCar’s Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.
James Hinchcliffe will start second after sitting out the final few minutes, followed by defending champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, Josef Newgarden, Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves.
Boxing
Klitschko knocks out Leapai to retain his four belts
OBERHAUSEN, Germany – Wladimir Klitschko toyed with Alex Leapai and knocked him out in the fifth round to retain his four heavyweight belts Saturday.
Klitschko, taller with a longer reach, controlled the fight at will, scoring with left jabs and straight rights with hardly any opposition from the Samoan-born Australian.
Leapai went down when he was hit with a left-right combination. He got up, but Klitschko put him away for good with 58 seconds left in the fifth.
Klitschko recorded his 53rd KO in 62 wins, with three defeats. Leapai dropped to 30-5, with three draws. In his 25th world championship fight, Klitschko retained his IBF and WBA heavyweight belts, plus the minor IBO and WBO versions.
NBA
NBA probing Clippers’ owner for alleged racist remarks
SAN FRANCISCO – Anger, calls for action and frustration echoed around the NBA on Saturday after an audio recording surfaced of a man identified as Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling telling his girlfriend not to bring black people to games.
Everybody except for the embattled Clippers owner, who has a decades-long history of discrimination and offensive behavior, seemed to have a response.
The league said it was investigating the recording posted on TMZ’s website, calling the comments “disturbing and offensive.”
Lakers Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, a target of Sterling’s remarks, said he wouldn’t attend Clippers’ games as long as Sterling was the owner.
Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers said players discussed boycotting Game 4 of their first-round playoff series at Golden State on Sunday during a 45-minute team meeting but decided against it.
Clippers’ President Andy Roeser said in a statement that the team did not know if the tape has been altered or is legitimate.
NHL
Capitals let McPhee walk, fire Oates after two years
WASHINGTON – General manager George McPhee and head coach Adam Oates lost their jobs with the Washington Capitals on Saturday after the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
McPhee’s contract was up, and the team announced it will not give him a new one after his 17 years as the GM.
Oates was fired with one season left on his three-year contract. A former star player for the Capitals, he was in his first job as an NHL head coach.
The Capitals went 65-48-17 under Oates in his two seasons.
Soccer
Dempsey boots two goals in a Sound(ers) 3-goal victory
SEATTLE – Clint Dempsey scored twice in a five-minute span early in the second half and set up Lamar Neagle’s first-half goal to help the Seattle Sounders beat the Colorado Rapids 4-1 on Saturday.
Dempsey leads MLS with eight goals. He has at least a goal or an assist in each of Seattle’s last six games. It is the second time in his career that Dempsey has had a six-game scoring streak in MLS, having done it previously in 2005 while with the New England Revolution.
Obafemi Martins added a 75th-minute goal for Seattle. The Sounders have won three in a row to improve to 5-2-1.
Dillon Serna scored in the 62nd minute for the Rapids (3-2-2).
Associated Press
