Basketball
The 2014 Hall of Fame class will feature David Stern
NEW ORLEANS – David Stern is going from the NBA commissioner’s office to the Hall of Fame.
The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. 8 in Springfield, Mass.
Tim Hardaway, Spencer Haywood, Kevin Johnson, Alonzo Mourning and Mitch Richmond were chosen as finalists, with the full class to be unveiled April 7 during the men’s NCAA Tournament Final Four.
Stern retired Feb. 1 after exactly 30 years as commissioner, during which he brought the league to its greatest success.
MLB
71-year-old Jim Fregosi dies of an apparent stroke
ATLANTA – Jim Fregosi’s big league career got off to a real quiet start. His first three at-bats, as a teenager for the expansion Los Angeles Angels, he hit grounders back to perennial Gold Glove pitcher Jim Kaat.
Over the next half-century, Fregosi made a lot more noise in the majors.
Fregosi, a six-time All-Star shortstop who went to manage the Angels to their first playoff appearance and guide the rowdy 1993 Philadelphia Phillies into the World Series, died Friday after an apparent stroke. He was 71.
Popular on and off the field, full of opinions and an outsized personality, Fregosi could argue with the best of ’em. He also could laugh at himself and would poke fun at his part in one of baseball’s most-lopsided trades – the deal that sent him to the New York Mets for a young, wild pitcher named Nolan Ryan.
Fregosi ended more than 50 years in baseball as a special assistant to Braves general manager Frank Wren last year.
In 15 seasons as a manager, he posted a 1,028-1,094 record.
NFL
Goodell makes $44.2M, about $20M more than Selig
NEW YORK – NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made $44.2 million in 2012, according to tax returns the league has submitted.
Goodell earned $35.1 million in salary, bonus and pension compensation. Based on IRS reporting guidelines, his total 2012 compensation includes a $5-million incentive payment and a $4.1-million pension payment from the 2011 lockout year that was paid in 2012.
The league’s revenues have approached $10 billion, and its TV ratings dominate all other programming.
MLB Commissioner Bud Selig is believed to earn a salary in excess of $20 million.
NFL inquiry releases report on Incognito-Martin affair
An investigation into the racially charged Miami Dolphins bullying scandal detailed widespread harassment in the team’s locker room that extended beyond the two players at the center of the probe.
The NFL-ordered report stated there was a “pattern of harassment” committed by at least three players and extended to two lineman and an assistant trainer, all targets of vicious taunts and racist insults.
Lawyer Ted Wells released the report Friday, saying guard John Jerry and center Mike Pouncey followed Richie Incognito’s lead in harassing Jonathan Martin, who left the team in October.
The report mentioned another offensive lineman and an assistant trainer who also routinely came under attack from the trio. Neither was identified in the report.
Soccer
Fulham fires Meulensteen, hires ‘Torturer’ as manager
LONDON – Fulham fired manager Rene Meulensteen and hired Felix Magath on Friday, saying “action was required” in its bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Magath, who has won three Bundesliga titles as a coach, signed an 18-month contract, the London club said. The 60-year-old German has a reputation for brutal fitness methods and training. His nicknames include “Saddam” and “Torturer.”
Associated Press
