Off the wire

MOTOR SPORTS

Crew, car chiefs suspended

NASCAR suspended Denny Hamlin's crew chief and car chief Tuesday for six races because the Joe Gibbs Racing entry failed inspection following his third-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Darian Grubb and Wesley Sherrill were suspended through the Sept. 6 race at Richmond. Grubb, the crew chief, also was fined $125,000. It strips Hamlin of two vital crew members during the stretch of the season he would be putting the finishing touches on preparations for NASCAR's title-deciding, 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Grubb and Sherrill, who also received six months' probation, are not eligible to return until the Chase opener, Sept. 14 at Chicago. JGR said in a statement it will appeal the penalty, but Grubb and Sherrill will begin serving their suspensions immediately. Under NASCAR rules, suspended competitors can compete until the appeal process is complete, but delaying sitting out would extend the suspensions into the Chase should JGR not get portions of the penalty overturned. Hamlin and team owner Joe Gibbs were docked 75 points apiece in the driver and owner standings. It dropped Hamlin from 11th to 21st in the Sprint Cup standings. But, as a race winner already this season, Hamlin is likely guaranteed a spot in the 16-driver Chase field. Hamlin's car failed postrace inspection Sunday because NASCAR said it found issues with several of the covers in the rear firewall of the driver compartment. Loose or missing covers could vent the driver compartment and create more downforce for the car.

• NASCAR will not allow championship-eligible drivers to participate in a Goodyear tire test at Homestead-Miami Speedway. But, to ensure fairness, NASCAR will allow all organizations represented in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship to participate in the Aug. 26 test because Homestead is the site of the title-deciding season finale. Teams will have to send a driver not qualified for the Chase to the tire test. The restrictions create a dilemma for Team Penske, which has Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano already qualified for the Chase. The two-car team does not have another Sprint Cup driver on its roster. Hendrick Motorsports also has three of its four drivers qualified. Should Kasey Kahne qualify for the Chase, Hendrick would have to look outside its immediate organization for a substitute.

TENNIS

Mladenovic advances

Top-seeded Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic lost to France's Kristina Mladenovic in the first round of the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Mladenovic rallied for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory against the Wimbledon semifinalist. She will face American qualifier Taylor Townsend in the second round. No. 2 seed Ekaterina Makarova of Russia cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 victory against two-time defending champion Magadalena Rybarikova of Slovakia. Rybarikova had won her past 10 matches in the tournament. No. 5 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova moved into the second round with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over France's Virginie Razzano. Pavlyuchenkova next faces Japanese qualifier Hiroko Kuwata. On the men's side, Americans Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson each advanced with straight-set victories. Querrey beat countryman Michael Russell 6-4, 6-3, and Johnson eliminated Australia's James Duckworth with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory.

• No. 5 seed Ana Ivanovic won her first-round match in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford, Calif., defeating Sabine Lisicki 7-6 (2), 6-1 on Tuesday. The former world No. 1 lost to Lisicki in three sets in their previous meeting at Wimbledon. Ivanovic has won three WTA Tour titles this season after failing to win a tournament in 2013. She owns 14 career titles. The Serbian next faces qualifier Carol Zhao, a sophomore at Stanford who was leading Yanina Wickmayer 6-2, 1-0 when the Belgian retired because of a viral infection. In other matches, Monica Puig beat seventh-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-3, 7-5, and Garbine Muguruza eliminated defending tournament champion Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.

BASKETBALL

Wah Wah Jones dies

Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones, a multi-sport star who helped Kentucky win the first two of its eight national titles and is considered the school's greatest all-around athlete, has died. He was 88. Jones, an All-American, was the last surviving member of the Wildcats' "Fabulous Five" that won the 1948 national championship and went on to claim Olympic gold that year with the U.S. team. He returned with three teammates under Hall of Fame coach Adolph Rupp to repeat as titlists in 1949. That wasn't Jones' only talent. Jones played football from 1945-48, including three seasons for legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and earned All-SEC honors in 1946 and 1948. Tall and chiseled, he also played baseball for the Wildcats. Jones is the only Wildcat to have his jerseys retired in basketball and football. As good as the Harlan, Ky., native was in football, he is best remembered for basketball skills that helped Kentucky begin its run of championships in the late 1940s. Two years after the 6-4 Jones teamed with Ralph Beard to lead the Wildcats to the 1946 NIT championship -- then considered equal in stature to an NCAA title -- those two joined Alex Groza, Kenny Rollins and Cliff Barker to form the "Fabulous Five" that went 36-3 and beat Baylor 58-42 for Kentucky's first national title. The entire starting quintet was named to the U.S. Olympic team that routed France 64-21 for the gold medal in London. Anderson, Laws and Jones funeral home in Harlan confirmed that Jones died Sunday. His funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington.

BASEBALL

Catcher wins award

A lawyer says a Connecticut minor league baseball player hit by former major-leaguer Jose Offerman in a 2007 baseball bat attack has won nearly $1 million in a lawsuit. A jury Tuesday awarded $940,000 to Bridgeport Bluefish catcher Johnathan Nathans, who wanted $4.8 million. Nathans' lawyer Josh Koskoff said he's still affected by a head injury he suffered in the attack. Offerman's lawyer Frank Riccio II said the jury found Offerman committed an assault but not battery. He said he may challenge the award. Offerman testified he didn't swing his bat at Nathans and another player during the game in Bridgeport. He was playing for the Long Island Ducks in a major-league comeback bid. Offerman played for the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and other teams during a 15-year career that ended in 2005.

FOOTBALL

ESPN suspends Smith

ESPN suspended Stephen A. Smith for a week Tuesday for comments that suggested women should avoid provoking men into assaulting them. Smith raised the subject of provocation last Friday during a discussion on First Take, on ESPN2 while talking about the two-game suspension received by Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice from the NFL over allegations that he beat his fiancee, now his wife, in a casino elevator. Smith's remarks led to a rebuke on Twitter from another ESPN host, Michelle Beadle. In a recorded apology Monday, Smith said that he had failed to properly articulate his view and that he had not intended to say that sexual violence was a woman's fault. Smith will return to First Take, and to his afternoon ESPN Radio show in New York, next Wednesday. In a statement to employees, John Skipper, ESPN's president, said that Smith's remarks "did not reflect our company's view, or our values. They certainly don't reflect my personal beliefs." He added: "We've been engaged in thoughtful discussion about appropriate next steps. Those conversations have involved a diverse group of women and men in our company." Smith's weeklong suspension is less severe than the 30 days imposed on Max Bretos, an ESPN anchor who used the term "chink in the armor" in reference to Jeremy Lin, who is of Chinese ancestry, in 2012. In 2010, Tony Kornheiser was suspended two weeks for comments he made on radio about an outfit worn by Hannah Storm, a SportsCenter anchor.

HORSE RACING

Blasi back in fold with Asmussen

Steve Asmussen, the accomplished trainer under investigation for cruelty to his horses, has rehired Scott Blasi, the assistant trainer at the center of the accusations who was caught on videotape speaking profanely and cavalierly about the stable's injured horses.

Blasi was back at the Asmussen barn Tuesday in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He had been fired in March within days of the release of the videotapes, which were secretly recorded in an undercover investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Asmussen, the second-winningest trainer in North America, and Blasi are under investigation by racing officials for cruel and injurious treatments to their horses, administering drugs to them for nontherapeutic purposes and having one of their jockeys use an electrical device to shock horses into running faster.

In its investigation, PETA used a hidden camera to record seven hours of video that showed mistreatment of the horses to be widespread. The group produced a 285-page report about Asmussen's operations that consisted of the investigator's notes, medical documents and reports from veterinarians who reviewed the videotape.

On the recordings, Blasi was often heard bemoaning the lame horses in his barn, cursing owners and bragging about how he could get sore horses past veterinarians.

Blasi had been with Asmussen for 18 years before Asmussen fired him after the recordings were made public. The two were close, and Asmussen had credited Blasi for his work with Curlin, a two-time horse of the year, and Rachel Alexandra, another horse of the year.

When Asmussen was suspended in 2006, after a filly he trained tested 750 times over the legal limit for a local anesthetic, he turned his horses over to Blasi, who went on to win 198 races. The stable finished the year with more than $14 million in earnings.

When asked by The Daily Racing Form why he rehired Blasi, Asmussen said, "We're better with him."

Neither Asmussen nor Blasi responded to several messages seeking comment.

Sports on 07/30/2014

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