Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Sports Briefs: Blazers sign French guard Batum to contract
By The Associated Press
Thursday, July 24, 2008 | No comments posted.
PORTLAND — The Portland Trail Blazers have signed French guard-forward Nicolas Batum.
The 6-foot-8 19-year-old was the 25th overall pick in the draft by Houston, which traded his rights to Portland for picks Darrell Arthur (27th overall) and Joey Dorsey (33rd overall).
Batum played the last three seasons for MSB Le Mans of the French ProA League. He averaged 12.3 points, five rebounds and 3.6 assists last season.
Batum played for the Blazers during the NBA Summer League, averaging 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in five games.
The signing leaves the Blazers with one more open roster spot to reach the NBA limit of 15.
Donaghy’s classmates sentenced
NEW YORK — Two former classmates of disgraced referee Tim Donaghy will spend over a year in prison for their roles in the betting scandal that rocked the NBA.
James Battista, a professional gambler, was sentenced in New York today to 15 months in prison for making bets based on inside tips. His co-defendant, Thomas Martino, got a one-year sentence for paying the referee thousands of dollars for the tips.
The three men attended high school together in Springfield, Pa.
Donaghy, a resident of Bradenton, Fla., will be sentenced on July 29. He pleaded guilty last year to charges he conspired to engage in wire fraud and transmitted betting information through interstate commerce.
OLYMPICS
IOCrules Iraq can’t compete
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The International Olympic Committee says Iraq will not compete at Beijing because of Iraqi government interference.
The IOC suspended Iraq’s national Olympic committee in June after Baghdad dismissed elected officials and installed its own people who are not recognized by the IOC.
The IOC Charter forbids political interference in the Olympic movement.
Iraq missed a Wednesday deadline to submit a team for the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Games because of a stalemate between the two sides. Four Iraqi athletes were expected to compete in archery, judo, rowing and weightlifting.
The IOC says the Iraqi government did not accept an invitation to come to its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, to try to end the dispute.
Final Team USAroster set
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The U.S. Olympic Committee says it will send 596 athletes to the Beijing Games.
Swimmer Michael Phelps, gymnast Paul Hamm and sprinter Tyson Gay are among the 310 men on the team. Swimmer Dara Torres, gymnasts Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin and sprinter Allyson Felix are among the 286 women.
U.S. athletes will compete in 30 sports, including the newest disciplines — motocross, open water swimming and women’s steeplechase. The U.S. will send teams in women’s field hockey for the first time since 1996 and baseball for the first time since 2000. Baseball goes off the Olympic program after the Beijing Games.
FOOTBALL
Campbell won’t be able to join NFL until after active duty
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Caleb Campbell was a day away from practicing with the Detroit Lions and taking a step toward his dream of playing in the NFL.
“He was issued a helmet, ready to go,” said coach Rod Marinelli.
Now, Campbell is closer to joining his fellow West Point graduates in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The U.S. Army revised its interpretation of Department of Defense policy two weeks ago regarding soldiers playing professional sports, requiring cadets to complete two years of active duty before applying for a release. Campbell and the Lions didn’t officially receive notice of the change until the eve of training camp.
“It’s unfortunate, but it doesn’t mean Caleb Campbell’s dream is dead. It just means it will be delayed,” Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Anne Edgecomb told The Associated Press. “We want to take care of soldiers and dashing their hopes is not what we intend. But it is what it is.”
Edgecomb said minor league baseball players Nick Hill and Milan Dinga, former West Point standouts, will be allowed to finish their seasons before eventually joining their units.
TENNIS
Federer loses match in Toronto
TORONTO — Top-ranked Roger Federer was knocked out of the Rogers Cup with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss to France’s Gilles Simon in a second-round match.
Federer, who won the tournament in 2004 and ’06, was playing his first match since losing the Wimbeldon final in five sets to Spain’s Rafael Nadal.
“That’s just unbelievable for me to win against him,” Simon said.
Federer became the first top seed to lose in his first match here since Lleyton Hewitt in 2002. It was the biggest surprise of a soggy day at the tournament that saw play disrupted for nearly six hours by thunderstorms.
Second-seeded Rafael Nadal didn’t look stellar in his first match either, struggling early on before ousting Canadian qualifier Jesse Levine 6-4, 6-2.
The 6-foot-8 19-year-old was the 25th overall pick in the draft by Houston, which traded his rights to Portland for picks Darrell Arthur (27th overall) and Joey Dorsey (33rd overall).
Batum played the last three seasons for MSB Le Mans of the French ProA League. He averaged 12.3 points, five rebounds and 3.6 assists last season.
Batum played for the Blazers during the NBA Summer League, averaging 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in five games.
The signing leaves the Blazers with one more open roster spot to reach the NBA limit of 15.
Donaghy’s classmates sentenced
NEW YORK — Two former classmates of disgraced referee Tim Donaghy will spend over a year in prison for their roles in the betting scandal that rocked the NBA.
James Battista, a professional gambler, was sentenced in New York today to 15 months in prison for making bets based on inside tips. His co-defendant, Thomas Martino, got a one-year sentence for paying the referee thousands of dollars for the tips.
The three men attended high school together in Springfield, Pa.
Donaghy, a resident of Bradenton, Fla., will be sentenced on July 29. He pleaded guilty last year to charges he conspired to engage in wire fraud and transmitted betting information through interstate commerce.
OLYMPICS
IOCrules Iraq can’t compete
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The International Olympic Committee says Iraq will not compete at Beijing because of Iraqi government interference.
The IOC suspended Iraq’s national Olympic committee in June after Baghdad dismissed elected officials and installed its own people who are not recognized by the IOC.
The IOC Charter forbids political interference in the Olympic movement.
Iraq missed a Wednesday deadline to submit a team for the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Games because of a stalemate between the two sides. Four Iraqi athletes were expected to compete in archery, judo, rowing and weightlifting.
The IOC says the Iraqi government did not accept an invitation to come to its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, to try to end the dispute.
Final Team USAroster set
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The U.S. Olympic Committee says it will send 596 athletes to the Beijing Games.
Swimmer Michael Phelps, gymnast Paul Hamm and sprinter Tyson Gay are among the 310 men on the team. Swimmer Dara Torres, gymnasts Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin and sprinter Allyson Felix are among the 286 women.
U.S. athletes will compete in 30 sports, including the newest disciplines — motocross, open water swimming and women’s steeplechase. The U.S. will send teams in women’s field hockey for the first time since 1996 and baseball for the first time since 2000. Baseball goes off the Olympic program after the Beijing Games.
FOOTBALL
Campbell won’t be able to join NFL until after active duty
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Caleb Campbell was a day away from practicing with the Detroit Lions and taking a step toward his dream of playing in the NFL.
“He was issued a helmet, ready to go,” said coach Rod Marinelli.
Now, Campbell is closer to joining his fellow West Point graduates in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The U.S. Army revised its interpretation of Department of Defense policy two weeks ago regarding soldiers playing professional sports, requiring cadets to complete two years of active duty before applying for a release. Campbell and the Lions didn’t officially receive notice of the change until the eve of training camp.
“It’s unfortunate, but it doesn’t mean Caleb Campbell’s dream is dead. It just means it will be delayed,” Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Anne Edgecomb told The Associated Press. “We want to take care of soldiers and dashing their hopes is not what we intend. But it is what it is.”
Edgecomb said minor league baseball players Nick Hill and Milan Dinga, former West Point standouts, will be allowed to finish their seasons before eventually joining their units.
TENNIS
Federer loses match in Toronto
TORONTO — Top-ranked Roger Federer was knocked out of the Rogers Cup with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss to France’s Gilles Simon in a second-round match.
Federer, who won the tournament in 2004 and ’06, was playing his first match since losing the Wimbeldon final in five sets to Spain’s Rafael Nadal.
“That’s just unbelievable for me to win against him,” Simon said.
Federer became the first top seed to lose in his first match here since Lleyton Hewitt in 2002. It was the biggest surprise of a soggy day at the tournament that saw play disrupted for nearly six hours by thunderstorms.
Second-seeded Rafael Nadal didn’t look stellar in his first match either, struggling early on before ousting Canadian qualifier Jesse Levine 6-4, 6-2.
The comments below are from users of theworldlink.com and do not necessarily represent the views of The World or Lee Enterprises. Participation Guidelines
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Not already registered?
The World welcomes your comments about stories, and we encourage a robust dialogue on this site. All comments must meet reasonable standards of decency and civility.
Please follow these basic rules:
- No defamatory comments about individuals or businesses.
- No deliberately false information.
- No obscenity or racially offensive language.
- No harassment, verbal abuse, threats or personal attacks.
- No information that invades another person's privacy.
- No business solicitations or charitable solicitations.
Comments that violate these standards will not be posted. Users with repeated violations may be banned from future posting.Comments will be approved throughout the day during business hours. After hours and weekend comments may not appear until the following business day. It may take a couple of hours before comments are approved.
The World generally does not edit comments, but we reserve the right to edit any comment that does not meet our standards.
Close Guidelines