TENNIS Venus eliminated
Venus Williams couldn’t dig herself out of a hole this time and lost Thursday to Eugenie Bouchard 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-4 at the Family Circle Cup at Charleston, S.C. Williams, 33, had fought back in each of her first two matches to advance. Bouchard will next face second-seed Jelena Jankovic, the 2007 Family Circle champion who at No. 8 in world is the highest-ranked player remaining in the tournament. Jankovic defeated Croatia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 7-5, 6-1. Venus Williams’ loss ends a run of recent success for her family on these courts. Sister Serena Williams was the two-time defending tournament champion before losing Tuesday night. Others advancing included third-seed Sara Errani, who outlasted Peng Shuai, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5). Errani will play Swiss qualifier Belinda Bencic, who topped Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-1. Andrea Petkovic moved on by defeating her friend and German countryman Sabine Lisicki, the fourth seed, 6-1, 6-0.
BASEBALL Myers ill, scratched
Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Wil Myers was scratched from the starting lineup Thursday because of flu-like symptoms. Myers, the 2013 American League Rookie of the Year, had been listed as the No. 2 hitter for Thursday night’s game against Toronto. The team announced the move about 90 minutes before the first pitch.
The owners of the Chicago Cubs may sell minority shares in the team to help finance renovations at century-old Wrigley Field. Cubs spokesman Julian Green confirmed published reports Thursday that the Ricketts family is considering selling non-controlling shares to pay for a proposed $500 million upgrade of Wrigley and redevelopment of the surrounding area. The Ricketts own 95 percent of the Cubs, with the Tribune Co., which sold the team to the family, owning the rest. Forbes, in its recent valuation of major league teams, ranked the Cubs as the fourth-most valuable at $1.2 billion. The Ricketts reportedly bought the team for $845 million. Progress on renovating the ballpark has been stymied by opposition from surrounding rooftop owners. They believe changes to Wrigley may block views of the field.
BASKETBALL Price suspended
Missouri forward Zach Price has been indefinitely suspended from the team after being arrested on suspicion of assault. Police Sgt. Joe Bernhard said Price, 20, was arrested early Thursday after he punched a 23-year-old male roommate and a pushed a 23-year-old female to the ground during an argument. He was arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault and third-degree domestic assault. Price posted bail and was released from jail. Both victims suffered minor injuries. Coach Frank Haith said Price was immediately suspended while the case is being investigated. Price, a 6-10, 250-pound junior, sat out last season after transferring from Louisville.
FOOTBALL Sale of Bills in works
Mary Wilson is taking over as the Buffalo Bills’ controlling owner after the death last week of her husband, Ralph Wilson. Ralph Wilson was the founder and only owner of the franchise. He died March 25 at the age of 95. The team said “a process will be established at an appropriate time for the sale of the franchise.” The Bills also announced that CEO Russ Brandon, General Manager Doug Whaley and Coach Doug Marrone will remain in charge of football operations under the new ownership. Ralph Wilson founded the Bills when the American Football League began play in 1960 and was a major factor in the merger of the AFL and NFL that was completed in 1970.
Florida State University is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for possible Title IX violations in its response to sexual violence complaints. The investigation by the Office for Civil Rights stems from a complaint filed by the accuser in quarterback Jameis Winston’s sexual assault case. The Heisman trophy winner was accused of sexual assault stemming from an incident in December 2012. Tallahassee police decided not to press charges in December 2013. The OCR will investigate all sexual assault complaints at the university during the last three years.
HORSE RACING
Weekend features preps
Keeneland’s spring meet begins Friday with the weekend featuring the first of several preps for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks. Thirteen fillies are entered in Saturday’s $500,000 Central Bank Ashland for 3-year-olds awarding 170 points toward the May 2 Oaks at Churchill Downs. Testa Rossi is the 3-1 favorite in the Grade 1 feature that has served as a springboard to victory at the Oaks; 31 winners have come out of this race. In all, 16 stakes races worth $3.725 million will be run during the 15-day meet, highlighted by the $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass on April 12. The winner of Keeneland’s signature Grade I race earns 100 points in the Road to the Kentucky Derby standings, all but guaranteeing a spot in the starting gate on May 3.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL Houston hires ex-Oklahoma coach Sampson
HOUSTON - The University of Houston introduced Kelvin Sampson as its men’s basketball coach Thursday, confident that he can bring the once-proud program back to prominence and undeterred by his past improprieties with the NCAA.
Sampson committed numerous NCAA violations regarding impermissible calls to recruits at Oklahoma and Indiana, resulting in a five-year show cause order from the NCAA in 2008 which effectively barred him from coaching in college. That order expired last year.
Sampson, 58, vowed Thursday that NCAA compliance will be his staff’s highest priority and didn’t shy away from his checkered past when he was introduced as the successor to James Dickey, the former Arkansas Razorbacks assistant under Eddie Sutton who resigned last month citing family issues.
“Mistakes were made, lessons were learned,” Sampson said in his opening comments. “While I don’t agree with all the conclusions that the NCAA made, I respect their decision and respect the NCAA as an institution.”
Although Sampson touched on his past troubles Thursday, he wasn’t exactly thrilled at repeated questions about his NCAA violations.
“I’m excited about the future,” he said. “That stuff is in the past. All of it.”
Sampson, who has been an assistant with the Houston Rockets since 2011, coached Oklahoma from 1994-2006 and Indiana from 2006-08.
He made 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament during his tenure at Oklahoma, reaching the round of 16 in 1999, the Final Four in 2002 and the round of eight in 2003.
Sampson has a 500-270 record in 25 seasons as a head coach with stops at Washington State and Montana Tech in addition to Oklahoma and Indiana.
Sports, Pages 20 on 04/04/2014