College Athletics
SEC Commissioner Slive will retire next summer
Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive will retire next summer after 13 years leading the league to unprecedented prosperity and success.
The 74-year-old Slive said his retirement will take effect July 31 and also announced he plans to begin treatment for a recurrence of prostate cancer.
Slive has become one of the most powerful figures in college sports. Under his leadership, the SEC became the nation’s most premier football conference, dug out from under a pile of NCAA compliance issues and won seven consecutive BCS titles. Overall, the SEC won 67 national championships in 15 of its 21 sponsored sports since he took over in 2002.
Cycling
Gilbert’s bird’s-eye view complete in Bird’s Nest
BEIJING – Former world champion Philippe Gilbert of Belgium won the Tour of Beijing by three seconds over Dan Martin of Ireland on Tuesday.
Gilbert held onto his overall lead after a 73-mile fifth and final stage from Tiananmen Square to the Bird’s Nest Piazza in Beijing.
Sacha Modolo of Italy won the stage in a bunch sprint ahead of Greg Henderson of New Zealand and Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway.
MLB
Dodgers hire Friedman; Rays promote Silverman
LOS ANGELES – Fresh off another early playoff exit, the Los Angeles Dodgers overhauled their front office Tuesday; they hired Andrew Friedman for their new position of president of baseball operations, while current general manger Ned Colletti will stay on in another new role as a senior adviser to chief executive officer and team president Stan Kasten.
Friedman comes from the Tampa Bay Rays, where he was executive vice president of baseball operations for nine years after being hired at age 28.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – One of baseball’s top young executives left Tuesday to become president of baseball operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers, so Tampa Bay Rays’ principal owner Stuart Sternberg promoted Matt Silverman to replace Andrew Friedman.
Silverman served as team president for the last nine years. Senior vice president of baseball operations Brian Auld moved into Silverman’s old job.
NFL
Los Angeles extends a deal to lure an NFL team
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles City Council gave developer AEG another six months to bring pro football back to the nation’s second-largest city.
The council Tuesday extended an agreement with Anschutz Entertainment Group to build a downtown stadium and lure an NFL team. The developer has had no luck under a 2012 deal that was set to expire this week. The new deadline is April.
L.A. hasn’t had an NFL franchise since losing the Raiders and Rams after the 1994 season.
Soccer
Another late goal forces Americans into a draw
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Jozy Altidore scored in his return to his hometown, and the United States wasted a late lead for the second time in five days in a 1-1 tie against Honduras on Tuesday night.
Altidore scored in the 10th minute for his 24th international goal, tying Joe-Max Moore for fifth place on the career list. Diskerud intercepted a pass, and Michael Bradley sent a long ball from midfield. Altidore chested it down, took two touches and sent a 15-yard, right-footed shot past goalkeeper Donis Escober.
Maynor Figueroa scored in the 86th minute.
On Friday, the Americans allowed an 88th-minute goal in a 1-1 draw against Ecuador.
Associated Press
