MOTOR SPORTS
NASCAR owner Donlavey dead at 90
Former NASCAR car owner Junie Donlavey has died at the age of 90. Richmond International Raceway spokesman Aimee Turner said Donlavey died Monday night. According to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame website, the Richmond native fielded his No. 90 cars for drivers including Joe Weatherly, Tiny Lund and Dick Brooks. Bill Dennis, Jody Ridley and Ken Schrader won NASCAR Cup series rookie of the year honors for Donlavey. Ridley recorded Donlavey's only Cup victory in a 1981 race in Dover, Delaware. Sixty different drivers drove for Donlavey before he closed his shop in 2005. He had more than 860 starts as a car owner during his 50-plus years in the sport.
BASEBALL
Machado suspended 5 games
Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado has been suspended for five games and fined for intentionally throwing his bat on the field during Sunday's game against Oakland. Machado said Tuesday he will appeal the suspension. He was in the starting lineup batting second against visiting Boston. It was uncertain when the appeal would be heard. But the Orioles play in New York next week, and appeals are often heard there. Machado let his bat fly in the direction of third base after swinging at a pitch from Oakland's Fernando Abad in the eighth inning. The bat-toss came during a plate appearance in which Abad threw a tight pitch to Machado. After the bat went soaring, both benches emptied. Machado and Abad were ejected.
• Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez had a small tumor removed from his left index finger Tuesday during a procedure at the Cleveland Clinic. Gonzalez underwent exploratory surgery with Dr. Thomas Graham and a growth was found beneath the sheath around the muscle. Gonzalez had his left arm in a sling after the surgery. He is expected to return to Denver today. Gonzalez has been experienced soreness and swelling in the finger for a while. He was examined by Graham on May 29 in Cleveland. He continued to play but was placed on the 15-day disabled list June 4 and is expected to miss a few weeks.
FOOTBALL
Conviction in Taylor's death
A Florida jury has convicted a man prosecutors called the ringleader of a botched 2007 Miami-area burglary that ended with the fatal shooting of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor. The 12-person jury deliberated nearly four hours Tuesday before finding 25-year-old Jason Mitchell guilty of first-degree felony murder and armed burglary. Trial testimony indicated that Mitchell hatched the plot for five Fort Myers-area men to burglarize Taylor's home near Miami after previously seeing large amounts of cash there. The judge immediately imposed the mandatory life sentence for murder, plus 40 more years for the burglary conviction. The man who authorities say fired the fatal shot, Eric Rivera Jr., was convicted last fall of second-degree murder and sentenced to 57 years behind bars. Two other men await trial. A third has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and burglary.
• Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith was cited for driving under the influence and careless driving after an officer witnessed him lose control and strike a light pole early Monday. According to a copy of the police report, Smith was attempting to make a turn in Kansas City's Power & Light entertainment district when he struck the light pole around 12:30 a.m. The officer reported that Smith "appeared confused and began mumbling statements that I did not understand." Smith declined medical attention. Along with citations for driving under the influence, he was also cited for failure to provide insurance.
• Atlanta Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon has ruptured his Achilles tendon and will miss the 2014 season. Weatherspoon suffered the injury on Tuesday while running under the supervision of the team's medical staff. Weatherspoon had been held out of the organized team activities as he was continuing his recovery from a foot injury that limited him to only seven games in 2013. The loss of Weatherspoon, the team's first-round pick from Missouri in 2010, is a blow to the Falcons, whose 2013 season was marked by a string of injuries. Weatherspoon has eight sacks and two interceptions in his first four seasons. Coach Mike Smith said in a statement released by the team on Tuesday night that Weatherspoon will have surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.
• The Minnesota Vikings have signed draft pick Jerick McKinnon to a contract. The Vikings signed McKinnon, a third-round running back from Georgia Southern, on Tuesday. He was the last player unsigned from the Vikings' 2014 class. McKinnon started 31 of his 47 games at college, lining up at quarterback, wide receiver, running back and cornerback. He rushed for more than 100 yards in 17 games, finishing his career at Georgia Southern with 3,899 yards rushing and 42 touchdowns rushing.
TENNIS
Cilic upset at Queen's Club
Former champion Marin Cilic was upset by Marinko Matosevic of Australia in the opening round at the Queen's Club on Tuesday. The Croatian won the grass-court title in 2012 and finished as runner-up to Andy Murray in 2013, but was beaten 6-4, 6-4, with a single break of serve in each set deciding the outcome. Matosevic, who reached the final of a grass event in Nottingham last week, saved a break point in each set on his way to victory. In second-round matches, second-seeded Tomas Berdych struggled to a 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-4 victory over Australian qualifier James Duckworth, and fourth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria defeated British wild card James Ward 7-5, 6-3. Jarkko Nieminen of Finland saved three match points before defeating Benoit Paire of France 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (1), surrendering the first four games of the final set and then saving two match points in the ninth game, and another in the 12th to force the tiebreaker. He next faces Russian Dmitry Tursunov, who defeated Dutchman Igor Sijsling 6-3, 6-4.
Cy Young-winner Bob Welch, 57, dies
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Bob Welch, the 1990 AL Cy Young Award winner of the Oakland Athletics and the last major leaguer to win at least 25 games in a season, has died. He was 57.
Welch died Monday night at his home in Seal Beach, Calif., the team said Tuesday. Police said officers responded to a call for medical aid and found Welch dead in the bathroom area when they arrived. An autopsy was conducted and the cause of death is pending.
"He was a legendary pitcher who enjoyed many of his best seasons with the Oakland A's," A's President Michael Crowley said in a statement. "He will always be a significant part of our franchise's history."
Welch was an admitted alcoholic early in his career and spent time in rehabilitation. He later co-authored a book in 1981 with George Vecsey about his addiction titled Five O'Clock Comes Early: A Ballplayer's Battle With Alcoholism.
Welch played on five teams that reached the World Series (1978, 1981, 1988, 1989 and 1990) and won two titles, one in 1981 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and another in 1989 with the A's.
Welch will be remembered most in Oakland, where he was a prominent member of the A's teams that won three consecutive AL championships from 1988-90, including the club that swept the San Francisco Giants in the earthquake-interrupted World Series.
Welch finished 211-146 with 3.47 ERA in 17 seasons with the Dodgers (1978-87) and Athletics (1988-94). He also was the pitching coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks when they won the 2001 World Series and has served as a special instructor for the A's in recent years.
Welch was drafted in the first round by the Dodgers in 1977 out of Eastern Michigan. His most memorable moment for Los Angeles might have been in the 1978 World Series, when the 21-year-old rookie struck out A's slugger Reggie Jackson to end Game 2.
"He was one of the greatest competitors to wear the Dodger uniform," Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten said.
Welch won the AL Cy Young Award after going 27-6 with a 2.95 ERA in 1990. His 27 wins tied him with Steve Carlton in 1972 for the most in a single season since Denny McClain's 31 victories in 1968.
The A's said Welch is survived by his sons Dylan, 25, and Riley, 23; daughter Kelly, 18; and former wife, Mary Ellen.
Sports on 06/11/2014