BASKETBALL Fisher re-signs with Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder re-signed guard Derek Fisher on Wednesday. The 38-year-old Fisher (Little Rock Parkview, UALR) has spent parts of the past two seasons with the Thunder, averaging 4.5 points in 44 regular-season games. He has also averaged 7.1 points in 31 playoff games for Oklahoma City. The five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers has appeared in 240 postseason games. Thunder General Manager Sam Presti said in a statement that “Fisher has proven to be a valuable member of our team and we are excited to have him back.”
The Dallas Mavericks have signed second-round draft pick Ricky Ledo, who sat out his only college season at Providence for academic reasons. Ledo averaged 7.3 points per game on 36 percent shooting in six summer league games in Las Vegas. He is expected to battle for playing time behind Monta Ellis at shooting guard. The Mavericks got Ledo with the 43rd pick in last month’s draft in a deal that also involved Milwaukee and Philadelphia. Dallas sent the 76ers a second-round pick in next year’s draft that was originally part of a deal involving Boston. The 6-7 Ledo averaged 23.4 points and 6.2 rebounds as a senior at South Kent High School in Connecticut.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant and Minnesota Timberwolves center Kevin Love said Wednesday they will be returning to play for Team USA. The two NBA stars were on hand for the national team’s minicamp practice, and made the announcement in an impromptu news conference alongside team managing director Jerry Colangelo and Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Durant said he made the commitment to Krzyzewski late Tuesday night, while Love officially made his announcement during the news conference.
Mike Miller is going back to a former home, agreeing to a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. Miller confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on Wednesday, about a week after the Miami Heat designated him as their amnesty player after three seasons with the team. Miller will still collect more than $12 million in salary from the Heat over the next two seasons, but will not count against their salary cap or luxury tax. The Grizzlies have not yet formally announced the deal. Miller spent parts of six seasons with the Grizzlies from 2003 through 2008. He helped the Heat win the past two NBA titles, and has averaged 12.3 points while shooting 41 percent from three point range in his 13 NBA seasons.
SOCCER U.S. in Gold Cup final
Landon Donovan scored two goals and set up another, and the United States beat Honduras 3-1 on Wednesday night in Arlington, Texas, to advance to the CONCACAF Gold Cup final. The U.S. struck first when Donovan found Eddie Johnson running through the middle of the Honduran defense. Johnson took a dribble and powered a shot past goalkeeper Donis Escober, giving the U.S. a lead 11 minutes into the game. In the 27th minute, Johnson started another scoring sequence with a pass to midfielder Alejandro Bedoya. Donovan received Bedoya’s short chip off his chest in the middle of the goal box and poked a shot past Escober. Nery Medina of Honduras made it a one-goal game in the 52nd minute, heading in a cross from Marvin Chavez. Donovan countered a minute later. The Americans will play the winner of the Panama-Mexico match on Sunday in Chicago. The U.S. has won a team-record 10 consecutive games. Donovan has five goals in the tournament, tying him with teammate Chris Wondolowski for most in the Gold Cup. Although assists aren’t an official statistic in the Gold Cup, Donovan has set up seven goals, including four in the past two games. Entering the game, he was the only U.S. player to play every minute of the tournament. He finally was subbed out in the 72nd minute, having earned a rest.
HOCKEY Red Wings arena OK’d
A Michigan state board Wednesday unanimously gave the go-ahead for a new Detroit Red Wings hockey arena in downtown Detroit to be paid for in part with tax dollars as the broke city works through bankruptcy proceedings. Gov. Rick Snyder and others defended against potential criticism that the $650 million project should be entirely financed with private money because the city can’t provide basic services and its retirees are facing cuts in their pensions. The arena is designed to be a catalyst for more development and to link downtown with underutilized nearby areas, officials said. The Michigan Strategic Fund Board approved the Detroit Downtown Development Authority’s request to use economic development taxes for the project. The board also took a preliminary step toward issuing $450 million in bonds to build the arena. Fifty-six percent of the overall project cost is private and 44 percent public. No new taxes or funds from the cash strapped city are needed, though some Democrats last year criticized legislation clearing the way for the project as stealing from public schools.
The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a one-year contract with forward Brad Winchester. Winchester has 37 goals and 31 assists over 390 NHL games with Edmonton, Dallas, St. Louis, Anaheim and San Jose. He had nine goals and 18 assists last season with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League, a Nashville Predators affiliate.
BASEBALL Wrigley’s $500 million renovation approved
CHICAGO - Chicago’s City Council gave final approval Wednesday to a $500 million renovation of historic Wrigley Field that includes its first massive Jumbotron, improved facilities for the players in the bowels of the 99-year-old ballpark and a hotel across the street.
Under the plan, the Chicago Cubs would erect a 5,700-squarefoot electronic Jumbotron in left field above the ivy-covered outfield walls that is roughly three times as large as the iconic manual scoreboard in center field, as well as another large advertising sign in right field.
The Cubs, who waited decades to install lights at Wrigley, have been pushing for renovations since the Ricketts family bought the team in 2009. After an effort to get public help for the project failed, the Cubs said the team would fund the entire renovation, but it needed the signs and the advertising revenue they would generate to help pay for it.
The City Council’s voice vote in favor of the plan came a day after the council’s zoning committee signed off on the deal with the blessing of the alderman whose ward includes the ballpark. Alderman Tom Tunney’s support was considered crucial to the project that Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants approved. Tunney initially said the signs would harm the quality of life in the neighborhood around Wrigley, but he signed off on the deal after winning concessions from the Cubs. Among them was an agreement not to erect any outfield signs in addition to the Jumbotron and right field sign and to indefinitely postpone a proposed bridge over the adjoining Clark Street.
Still looming is whether the Jumbotron and right field sign will disrupt the views of the rooftops that surround two sides of the ballpark. The owners of the rooftops, who have a contract with the Cubs to share a chunk of their revenue with the team, have said repeatedly they might file suit if the Cubs put up anything that cuts into their views.
The signs have easily been the most contentious part of the project because erecting them could trigger lawsuits from the rooftop owners and change the look of the ballpark that has become beloved as a link to baseball’s history.
Sports, Pages 18 on 07/25/2013