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Sports Briefs: Obama tossing All-Star pitch
By The Associated Press
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 | No comments posted.
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama plans to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the All-Star game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on July 14.
The White House said that Major League Baseball’s focus on community service matches with Obama’s service initiative this summer, known as United We Serve.
Obama, a White Sox fan, will be the fourth president to throw out the first pitch at an All-Star game, following John F. Kennedy (1962 in Washington), Richard Nixon (1970 in Cincinnati) and Gerald Ford (1976 in Philadelphia).
Halladay returning
TORONTO — Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, out since June 12 with a mild groin strain, threw a bullpen session Tuesday and is scheduled to return to the rotation on Monday against Tampa Bay.
Halladay (10-1) is tied with Minnesota’s Kevin Slowey for the major league lead in victories and has won seven straight decisions. His ERA of 2.53 is third lowest in the AL.
Halladay left his start on June 12 against Florida in the fourth inning with a sore groin, the only time in 14 starts this season he has not worked at least seven innings. He felt discomfort after throwing again in Philadelphia last Wednesday and was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 13.
BASKETBALL
Spurs add Jefferson
SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs acquired scoring swingman Richard Jefferson from Milwaukee in a four-player deal, giving San Antonio the extra offensive punch the aging former champions sorely needed.
The Spurs sent veterans Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto to the Bucks in exchange for the 29-year-old Jefferson, who averaged 19.6 points in his one season with the Bucks.
Milwaukee then dealt Oberto to the Pistons for forward Amir Johnson. The trades give the Bucks more financial flexibility, the Spurs a proven scorer and the Pistons a veteran big man at a lower cost than Johnson.
T-Wolves trade for pick
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to trade guards Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards for the fifth overall draft pick and three players, leaving Minnesota with four first-round choices in Thursday’s NBA draft.
Two NBA officials with knowledge of the deal confirmed that the trade had been agreed upon. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been completed.
The deal would give Minnesota the fifth and sixth overall selections, as well as forwards Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov.
Yahoo! Sports first reported the trade.
Former Trojan won’t face carjacking charges
LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors have declined to file charges against a former Southern California basketball player who was arrested Sunday on suspicion of carjacking.
The district attorney’s office filed a document Tuesday that said investigators had insufficient evidence to charge 35-year-old Stais Boseman.
Deputy District Attorney James Prudhomme said police were unable to contact the alleged victim and her boyfriend, who gave police bogus phone numbers.
Prudhomme says the alleged victim was in the car with her boyfriend when Boseman allegedly jumped into the vehicle and drove off. Prosecutors say Boseman agreed to drop the boyfriend’s $20 debt to him if he used the car.
Boseman played briefly for the Houston Rockets.
TENNIS
Wimbledon has record day
WIMBLEDON, England — While the rest of Britain — and much of the world — grapples with the global financial downturn, Wimbledon sold more tickets than ever on its opening day.
Monday’s attendance reached 42,811, an increase of nearly 3,500 from the previous opening day record from 2001. More than 14,000 lined up in the ticket queue Monday — up by about 1,600 from last year.
Organizers will not release figures for pre-tournament ticket requests, but say they received about 20 percent more than last year.
CYCLING
Spaniard skipping Tour
PARIS — Top-ranked cyclist Alejandro Valverde’s team says the Spanish rider will not compete in the Tour de France because of a doping ban in Italy.
The Caisse d’Epargne team said that Valverde met with his lawyers and was told he would have no recourse against the ban before the three-week Tour starts in Monaco on July 4. The race dips into Italy on July 21.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport has agreed to hear Valverde’s appeal to overturn the Italian ban. Any decision won’t come early enough for him to start the Tour, the team said in a statement.
Valverde is challenging a two-year ban imposed last month by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) that prevents him from riding in Italy.
The White House said that Major League Baseball’s focus on community service matches with Obama’s service initiative this summer, known as United We Serve.
Obama, a White Sox fan, will be the fourth president to throw out the first pitch at an All-Star game, following John F. Kennedy (1962 in Washington), Richard Nixon (1970 in Cincinnati) and Gerald Ford (1976 in Philadelphia).
Halladay returning
TORONTO — Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, out since June 12 with a mild groin strain, threw a bullpen session Tuesday and is scheduled to return to the rotation on Monday against Tampa Bay.
Halladay (10-1) is tied with Minnesota’s Kevin Slowey for the major league lead in victories and has won seven straight decisions. His ERA of 2.53 is third lowest in the AL.
Halladay left his start on June 12 against Florida in the fourth inning with a sore groin, the only time in 14 starts this season he has not worked at least seven innings. He felt discomfort after throwing again in Philadelphia last Wednesday and was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 13.
BASKETBALL
Spurs add Jefferson
SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs acquired scoring swingman Richard Jefferson from Milwaukee in a four-player deal, giving San Antonio the extra offensive punch the aging former champions sorely needed.
The Spurs sent veterans Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto to the Bucks in exchange for the 29-year-old Jefferson, who averaged 19.6 points in his one season with the Bucks.
Milwaukee then dealt Oberto to the Pistons for forward Amir Johnson. The trades give the Bucks more financial flexibility, the Spurs a proven scorer and the Pistons a veteran big man at a lower cost than Johnson.
T-Wolves trade for pick
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to trade guards Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards for the fifth overall draft pick and three players, leaving Minnesota with four first-round choices in Thursday’s NBA draft.
Two NBA officials with knowledge of the deal confirmed that the trade had been agreed upon. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been completed.
The deal would give Minnesota the fifth and sixth overall selections, as well as forwards Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov.
Yahoo! Sports first reported the trade.
Former Trojan won’t face carjacking charges
LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors have declined to file charges against a former Southern California basketball player who was arrested Sunday on suspicion of carjacking.
The district attorney’s office filed a document Tuesday that said investigators had insufficient evidence to charge 35-year-old Stais Boseman.
Deputy District Attorney James Prudhomme said police were unable to contact the alleged victim and her boyfriend, who gave police bogus phone numbers.
Prudhomme says the alleged victim was in the car with her boyfriend when Boseman allegedly jumped into the vehicle and drove off. Prosecutors say Boseman agreed to drop the boyfriend’s $20 debt to him if he used the car.
Boseman played briefly for the Houston Rockets.
TENNIS
Wimbledon has record day
WIMBLEDON, England — While the rest of Britain — and much of the world — grapples with the global financial downturn, Wimbledon sold more tickets than ever on its opening day.
Monday’s attendance reached 42,811, an increase of nearly 3,500 from the previous opening day record from 2001. More than 14,000 lined up in the ticket queue Monday — up by about 1,600 from last year.
Organizers will not release figures for pre-tournament ticket requests, but say they received about 20 percent more than last year.
CYCLING
Spaniard skipping Tour
PARIS — Top-ranked cyclist Alejandro Valverde’s team says the Spanish rider will not compete in the Tour de France because of a doping ban in Italy.
The Caisse d’Epargne team said that Valverde met with his lawyers and was told he would have no recourse against the ban before the three-week Tour starts in Monaco on July 4. The race dips into Italy on July 21.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport has agreed to hear Valverde’s appeal to overturn the Italian ban. Any decision won’t come early enough for him to start the Tour, the team said in a statement.
Valverde is challenging a two-year ban imposed last month by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) that prevents him from riding in Italy.
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