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Sports Briefs: Big Brown's trainer fails to show at Congress
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Published: June 20, 2008
WASHINGTON -- Congress chided Big Brown's trainer, Rick Dutrow, for a lack of manners and the horse-racing industry for failing to do enough to regulate itself, then threatened to pass legislation that would make the sport safer.
Dutrow's no-show didn't sit well at yesterday's hearing on thoroughbred racing safety held by the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection. Dutrow told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he was too ill to attend, but he remained on the witness list because he apparently failed to tell those in charge.
"I'm disappointed by his absence," said Illinois Democrat Jan Schakowsky, who ran the hearing as vice chairwoman of the committee. "I'm disappointed that he did not feel the need to notify the subcommittee of his decision, given Mr. Dutrow's stature and reputation in the sport, I think he would have been a valuable addition to this public dialogue."
Dutrow did provide a statement to the committee in which he discussed his record, including his use of anabolic steroids on horses. "People have asked me why I do it," the statement said. "My observation is that it helps the horses eat better. Their coats brighten. They're more alert. It helps them train."
Dutrow added that "if steroids are banned in the United States, we'll stop using them."
The sentiment for a steroid ban was strong among those at the hearing, but there was less of a consensus as to how a sport without an authoritative governing body can enact other uniform standards. The hearing was called after Eight Belles broke down at the Kentucky Derby and was euthanized on the track.
Football
■ Notre Dame and NBC have reached agreement on a five-year contract extension that will keep the school's home football games on the network through 2015. The extension gives NBC rights to eight Notre Dame home games each year from 2011 through 2015. NBC will broadcast six Irish home games this year.
Basketball
■ Luol Deng, a former Duke basketball player, yesterday was named the recipient of the UN Refugee Agency's Humanitarian of the Year Award. Deng, now with the NBA's Chicago Bulls, will be recognized for his efforts with the UNHCR's ninemillion.org campaign to bring education and sports to millions of displaced children. He pledged $50 for every basket he scored with the Chicago Bulls this past season and finished with 429 field goals.
Hockey
■ The Carolina Hurricanes agreed to terms with defenseman Tim Gleason on a four-year, $11 million contract yesterday, keeping the 25-year-old with the franchise that gave up a touted prospect to acquire him in 2006. Carolina also acquired the rights to free agent winger Darcy Hordichuk from Nashville for a conditional fifth-round pick in next year's draft.
Gleason will make $2 million this season and receive increases of $500,000 in each of the following three seasons. The Hurricanes acquired him in a trade that sent touted defenseman prospect Jack Johnson -- picked third by Carolina in 2005 -- to Los Angeles. The four-year veteran, who was a restricted free agent, had three goals and a plus-five rating in a career-high 80 games last year.
Also, Jason Karmanos has rejoined the team after a sabbatical to be the executive director of hockey operations. Karmanos, the son of owner Peter Karmanos, is a former assistant general manager of the Hurricanes.
Olympics
■ Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat and Tayshaun Prince of the Detroit Pistons will play for the U.S. basketball team at the Beijing Olympics, sources speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Associated Press yesterday. The U.S. roster will be announced Monday, but several players already have said that they will be on the team, including Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks and Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets.
Also yesterday, the Arizona Republic reported that Amare Stoudamire of the Phoenix Suns has declined a chance to be on the team. Jerry Colangelo, the managing director for USA Basketball, told the paper that Stoudemire was concerned about pushing his body too hard after knee surgery in 2005 and 2006.
■ National champion David Sender withdrew from last night's competition at the U.S. Olympics Trials in gymnastics because of a sprained ankle suffered in a fluke training accident. He will submit a petition to the selection committee, but Coach Thom Glielmi said that Sender is still hoping to compete in Saturday's finals.
Sender was working on the high bar on Wednesday afternoon when he took a harmless fall. The bar continued to shake afterward, and he jumped up to steady it but rolled his right ankle when he landed.
■Coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs said that Manu Ginobili should "definitely not" play for Argentina in the Olympics if his injured left ankle doesn't improve.
Ginobili hurt his ankle early in the playoffs, and a recent MRI revealed that a ligament in his heel is about five times the size of the one in his other heel, Popovich said. Popovich said that Ginobili will have another MRI in three weeks and that "if it hasn't changed at all, I think he should definitely not play in the Olympics."
Soccer
■ The U.S. women's soccer team defeated Italy 2-0 yesterday on two goals by Abby Wambach and advanced to the championship game of the Peace Queen Cup in South Korea. The U.S. will face Canada for the title Saturday in a rematch of the 2006 title game, a 1-0 U.S. victory.
■ Germany defeated Portugal 3-2 yesterday to advance to the semifinals of the European Championship for the first time in 12 years. Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose and Michael Ballack scored as Germany won the opening quarterfinal in Basel, Switzerland.
■ Wake Forest will be the host for this year's NCAA Southeast Cross-Country Regional, Coach Annie Bennett of the Deacons announced yesterday. The races will be Nov. 15 at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, with the women's 6-kilometer race starting at 11 a.m. and the men's 10-kilometer race starting at noon.
■ Joe Breschi, a former All-America lacrosse player and assistant coach at North Carolina, is returning to UNC as the men's lacrosse coach. Breschi spent the past 11 seasons as the men's coach at Ohio State and before that was an assistant at UNC and Brown for a combined seven seasons. He played at UNC from 1987 through 1990, was a two-time All-ACC pick, a first-team All-America in 1990 and a member of two U.S. National teams.
■ Amanda Blumenherst of Duke (golf), Rachel Dawson of North Carolina (field hockey), Angela Tincher of Virginia Tech (softball), Candace Parker of Tennessee (basketball) and Jacquelyn Johnson of Arizona State (track and field) are the finalists for the Honda-Broderick Cup, an award presented annually to the collegiate woman athlete of the year. The winner, selected by the Women's Sports Foundation, will be announced Monday.
■ Dan Radakovich has signed a new five-year contract to remain Georgia Tech's athletics director through 2012. Radakovich will make a base salary of $300,000 each year, with total annual compensation of at least $560,000, the school announced yesterday. His base salary will be supplemented by payments for promotional work including radio, television and speaking engagements
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