Off the wire

MOTOR SPORTS

Swan Racing makes moves

Troubled NASCAR team Swan Racing has found a home for driver Cole Whitt, while keeping Parker Kligerman under contract. The two-car team faced an uncertain future because of difficulty securing corporate sponsorship. Swan Racing minority owner Anthony Marlowe merged his ownership of the No. 26 team in BK Racing. Whitt will remain behind the wheel of the 26 in the Sprint Cup series. The No. 30 team was sold Wednesday to John Cohen of XxxTreme Motorsports. The team hired veteran driver J.J. Yeley and named Stephen Lane crew chief. The No. 30 team will be joined by several other former Swan Racing crew members. Swan Racing will continue to look for options for Kligerman that will keep the rookie driver on the track. “I am very relieved to know that the Nos. 26 and 30 teams will be in good hands and will continue to compete the remainder of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season,” Swan Racing owner Brandon Davis said. “Most importantly, most of the team members have the opportunity to continue their employment in the sport and to support their families. This was critically important to me.”

BASEBALL

Marrero, 102, dies in Cuba

Conrado Marrero, the diminutive Cuban right-hander who pitched for the Washington Senators in the 1950s and in 2011 became the oldest living former major league baseball player, died in Havana on Wednesday. He was 102, just two days short of his 103rd birthday. Marrero’s grandson said he died in the early afternoon. “Connie” Marrero, as he was known in the U.S., was renowned for his control and for his presence on the mound despite standing 5-5 and weighing 158 pounds. What Marrero lacked in heat he made up for with a tricky repertoire of breaking balls, knucklers and other off-speed pitches. He also had a quirky windup that Felipe Alou once likened to “a cross between a windmill gone berserk and a mallard duck trying to fly backwards.”

San Diego Padres starter Josh Johnson is scheduled to undergo elbow ligament-replacement surgery for the second time and will miss the entire season. The right hander, signed in November to an $8 million, one-year contract, was placed on the disabled list before the season began. He strained his elbow during spring training and the Padres initially thought he would be out about one month. Johnson, 30, was a two-time All-Star with the Marlins. He was 2-8 with a 6.20 ERA last season with Toronto.

Kansas City Royals first base coach Rusty Kuntz had surgery on his broken left arm, an injury he sustained when he was hit by a line drive during pregame batting practice. Kuntz had a plate and eight screws inserted during the operation Wednesday at the Cleveland Clinic, Royals Manager Ned Yost said. The 59-year-old Kuntz will spend the night in the hospital, but is expected to travel with team today to Baltimore. The Royals open a three-game series with the Orioles on Friday.

FOOTBALL Bears, Draughn agree to deal

The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with running back Shaun Draughn. Draughn has appeared in 20 games over three seasons with Kansas City (2011-12) and Baltimore (2013), rushing for 235 yards and two touchdowns. He has 158 yards receiving to go with 590 yards on 25 kickoff returns. He also spent part of the 2013 season with Indianapolis but did not appear in a game for the Colts.

The Seattle Seahawks have signed former cornerback Marcus Trufant, who is expected to announce his retirement from football. Seattle announced the signing Wednesday and said Trufant was expected to announce his intentions during a news conference today. Trufant spent nearly his entire NFL career with his hometown team. The native of Tacoma, Wash., and former Washington State star was a first-round pick by the Seahawks in 2003. He went on to spend 10 seasons in Seattle, starting 125 of his 136 career games. He was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2007, but was slowed by injuries later in his career and went unsigned by Seattle after the 2012 season.

TENNIS Ivanovic ousts Lisicki

Ana Ivanovic defeated Sabine Lisicki 6-1, 6-3 to send the Wimbledon finalist out in the first round of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. Ivanovic, the world No. 12 and former French Open winner, needed just an hour to beat the 24-year-old Berliner. Italy’s Flavia Pennetta later fired 10 aces to none in her 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 victory over wild card Andrea Petkovic. It left four of the six home players out of the most important German women’s competition at the first hurdle. Pennetta will face the fifth-seeded Jelena Jankovic in the second round.

Top-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia beat last year’s runner-up Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain 7-5, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Grand Prix SAR in Marrakesh, Morocco. Hantuchova won five consecutive games to take the first set and lead 2-0 in the second.

BASKETBALL Vols lose two signess

Tennessee has granted guards Larry Austin Jr. and Jordan Cornish releases from their letters of intent, cutting the Volunteers’ incoming freshman class in half. Tennessee athletic department spokesman Tom Satkowiak said Wednesday that both players requested releases that were granted by new coach Donnie Tyndall. Their releases come one day after Tyndall’s hiring. Austin and Cornish both signed with Tennessee in November, when Cuonzo Martin was still coaching the team. Martin announced April 15 he was leaving to take over California’s program. The 247Sports Composite, which measures rankings of all the major recruiting services, rates Austin as the nation’s 129th prospect and Cornish as No. 181 in the 2014 class. The other recruits to sign with Tennessee in November were 6-foot-8 forwards Phil Cofer and CJ Turman.

After becoming the only LSU player other than Shaquille O’Neal to block 100 shots in a season, Jordan Mickey has decided to remain with the Tigers at least one more year. Mickey made his announcement alongside LSU Coach Johnny Jones on Wednesday. He said the feedback he’s received from the NBA is that he needs “to get bigger, stronger and faster” before turning pro. The 6-8, 220-pound Mickey was a second-team All-SEC selection as a freshman, when he averaged 12.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and a league-leading 3.1 blocks. He finished with 106 blocks.

Kentucky’s front court will bring back size and experience next season after freshman center Dakari Johnson and sophomore forward Alex Poythress announced they would return. The 7-foot Johnson started 18 of Kentucky’s final 20 games and shot 62 percent during the NCAA Tournament. Poythress averaged 5.9 points and 4.5 rebounds and showed more flashes of his talent during the Wildcats’ run to the national title game.

NCAA

D-III school on probation

The NCAA placed Wisconsin-River Falls on probation for one year Wednesday, saying the Division III school failed to monitor the scholarship process and allowed a former head football coach to be involved in arranging financial aid packages. The violations were unintentional and the result of a misunderstanding of NCAA policies, school spokesman Blake Fry said. A Division III infractions committee concluded athletic ability was improperly used as a criteria for financial aid between the 2007-2008 through 2011-2012 academic years. That allowed five former or current athletes to receive a total of $4,090 in impermissible aid, a lengthy NCAA report said. “A further major violation occurred when the institution allowed the head football coach to be involved in arranging financial aid packages for approximately four years,” the NCAA said. The probation period began immediately and expires April 22, 2015. An NCAA news release did not refer to the coach by name, and it was not immediately clear if the coach was identified in the NCAA report.

Sports, Pages 18 on 04/24/2014

Upcoming Events