Auto Racing
Still in a coma, Schumacher upgraded to ‘stable’
FRANKFURT, Germany – Michael Schumacher remains in stable condition after a skiing accident left the 45-year-old former Formula One great with severe head injuries and in a coma since Dec. 29, his manager said Friday.
The statement from manager Sabine Kehm did not mention the word “critical” for the first time in describing the condition of the seven-time world champion.
Schumacher has been in an induced coma in a Grenoble hospital since the crash in the French Alps.
College Football
Vanderbilt turns to Stanford to fill its coaching vacancy
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt hired Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason as its new football coach, wrapping up the search in a week.
The university announced the hiring Friday in a statement; Mason will be introduced at a news conference Saturday.
Mason, 44, has spent the last four seasons at Stanford, where academic requirements and recruiting challenges are similar to Vanderbilt. He joined former head coach Jim Harbaugh’s staff in 2010 as a defensive backs coach after serving in the same position with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings from 2007 to 2009.
He was promoted to co-defensive coordinator and associate head coach when David Shaw took over in January 2011. He had complete control over the unit the last two years.
Mason replaces James Franklin, who left for Penn State on Jan. 11.
Horse Racing
D. Wayne Lukas is racing’s Eclipse Award champion
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – There isn’t much left for D. Wayne Lukas to win in thoroughbred racing: He’s saddled nearly 5,000 winners, his trainees have earned more than $250 million in purse money on tracks around the world, and no one in the sport’s history has won more Triple Crown races than his 14.
And on Saturday night, his peers across racing will take notice of his life’s work, once again. Lukas will receive the Eclipse Award of Merit – the game’s lifetime achievement award – at horse racing’s annual award ceremony, part of a show at Gulfstream Park where Horse of the Year and other top honors will be handed out.
MLB
Rockies avoid arbitration with Nicasio and Stubbs
DENVER – The Colorado Rockies agreed to one-year deals with right-handed pitcher Juan Nicasio and outfielder Drew Stubbs.
They each avoided arbitration by agreeing to contracts Friday.
Nicasio is coming off a season in which he went 9-9 with a 5.14 earned-run average in 31 starts. The wins and number of starts were career highs, along with innings pitched (157 2/3) and strikeouts (119).
Stubbs was picked up in a trade with Cleveland last month for left-hander Josh Outman. Stubbs hit .233 with 10 homers and stole 18 bases last season for the Indians. The 29-year-old will be in the mix for a potential starting job next season.
World Cup Ski Racing
Ligety wins super-combined, his 1st outside the GS
WENGEN, Switzerland – Ted Ligety owned Olympic and world championship gold medals in super-combined, but until Friday, he never had won the event on the World Cup circuit.
Then the American surpassed Alexis Pinturault of France, last year’s winner, in the decisive downhill run.
Ligety overturned a 1.22-second deficit from the slalom to beat Pinturault by 0.22. Natko Zrncic-Dim of Croatia was third, trailing 1.08 behind Ligety’s combined time of 2 minutes, 44.74 seconds.
Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway posted the fastest downhill time to finish fifth, enough to take the overall World Cup lead from Austrian rival Marcel Hirscher, who skips speed events.
Ligety’s 20th career World Cup victory was his first outside the giant slalom discipline.
Associated Press
