Auto Racing
Ragan and Gilliland take the front seat at Front Row
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Front Row Motorsports will bring back drivers David Gilliland and David Ragan in 2014.
Gilliland will be back for a fifth season with Front Row and will drive the No. 38. Ragan will be returning for his third year and will drive the No. 34.
Ragan (26th) and Gilliland (29th) had their best Sprint Cup finishes since Front Row became a full-time member five years ago.
College Football
The panel behind the playoffs chosen for 2014 season
IRVING, Texas – Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne and Hall of Fame quarterback Archie Manning are among the 13 people who will be part of the College Football Playoff selection committee in 2014.
The selection committee officially was unveiled Wednesday, though the names of the members were reported last week by The Associated Press and other media outlets. Earlier this week, Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long was announced as the chairman of the first committee for the new playoff system that will start next year.
The committee also includes five current athletic directors, including Long, former Notre Dame, Stanford and Washington coach Tyrone Willingham and former Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese.
Golf
Scott’s record round wins the PGA Grand Slam of Golf
SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda – Masters champion Adam Scott had a record round at Port Royal to win the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
Starting the final day of the 36-hole exhibition three shots behind, Scott set the course record with a 7-under 64 on Wednesday to beat U.S. Open champion Justin Rose by two shots.
The PGA Grand Slam is for the four major champions this year.
PGA champion Jason Dufner was third, followed by three-time major champion Padraig Harrington, the alternate who filled in for British Open champion Phil Mickelson.
NHL
Sakic inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
TORONTO – Former NHL star Joe Sakic was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday night.
Sakic helped the Colorado Avalanche win two Stanley Cup titles and now is the team’s executive vice president of hockey operations. He also won titles at the Winter Olympics, world hockey championship, World Cup of Hockey and world juniors.
“To play for your country, I got a chance to play with Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, and I wouldn’t have had that happen on my regular team,” Sakic said. “Any time you put the Canadian jersey on, you just felt something more and something special. The game just seemed to mean a little bit more. We never took that for granted.”
Soccer
Thursday’s rankings to reveal World Cup’s top seeds
GENEVA – Brazil vs. Italy: Twice a World Cup final, it could be the opening match of the World Cup. And the second match the next day could be a 2010 final repeat: Spain vs. the Netherlands.
The tournament’s top eight teams will be separated so they can’t meet until the knockout stage of the soccer tournament. Those teams will be chosen based on the FIFA rankings that come out Thursday.
Host Brazil will be the top seed in Group A, and the next seven will be taken from the top of the rankings. That means less prestigious teams such as Switzerland, Belgium and Colombia likely are to be considered the “top” teams in their groups, while 2006 champion Italy and 2010 runner-up Netherlands will not.
Other likely seeds include Spain, Germany and Argentina, plus Uruguay if the 2010 semifinalists can qualify by beating Jordan in a playoff.
Associated Press
