BASKETBALL
Moser gets extension, raise
Loyola-Chicago and Porter Moser have come to an agreement on a multiyear contract extension, rewarding the Ramblers coach for the team's NCAA Tournament run that ended in the Final Four, according to the Chicago Tribune. It is believed Moser, a former head coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, received a hefty raise from his annual salary of $420,000. The new contract runs through 2026, a source said. Moser was hosting a recruit on campus Wednesday and was unavailable for comment. Loyola-Chicago Athletic Director Steve Watson and Moser reiterated their desire to get a deal done last Thursday at the team's postseason banquet. Moser's stock skyrocketed after a banner season for the Ramblers, who recorded a school-best 32 victories and advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 1963. Moser's previous contract ran through 2021-22. Financial terms of Moser's new contract were not released.
BASEBALL
Indians ink Cabrera
Veteran outfielder Melky Cabrera will report to extended spring training after signing a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians. Indians Manager Terry Francona said Wednesday that Cabrera, 33, will spend approximately seven to 10 days at the team's complex in Goodyear, Ariz., before joining a minor league team. The Indians are 13th in the AL in runs scored and Cabrera could give their struggling offense a boost. The switch-hitter batted .285 with 17 home runs and 85 RBI in 156 games last season for the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals. Lonnie Chisenhall, who began the season in right field, is expected to miss another month with a strained right calf. Cabrera would likely play in right if he joins the Indians. Cabrera, a 13-year veteran, has a .286 career average with 131 home runs and 768 RBI.
Thames hurts thumb
Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Eric Thames will be out at least a couple of months after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb during Tuesday night's victory in Kansas City. Thames had an MRI exam on Wednesday that revealed the torn ligament. He was placed on the disabled list and right-hander Brandon Woodruff was recalled from Class AAA Colorado Springs. Thames plans to undergo more tests before a decision is made on whether to have surgery. Thames was hitting .250 with 7 home runs and 13 RBI.
Bryant held out
Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was out of the lineup for a second consecutive game after being hit in the helmet by a pitch. Cubs Manager Joe Maddon made the decision to hold Bryant out of the series finale against the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night. The 2016 National League MVP didn't play in the Cubs' 10-3 victory Tuesday. Maddon said Bryant has been checked by doctors and could return tonight when the Cubs begin a four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. Bryant is batting .319 with 2 home runs and 11 RBI this season. He had a cut above his left eye after being hit Sunday by Colorado's German Marquez.
Oldest coach out
Wayne Graham, the oldest coach in Division I baseball, said Wednesday this will be his last season at Rice. Graham, 82, said Wednesday that Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard told him last week his contract, which expires after the season, wouldn't be renewed. The Owls are 16-23-2 with four weeks left in the regular season and in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 24 years. They haven't advanced past regionals since 2013 or played in the College World Series since 2008. They won the national championship in 2003. Graham said his health is good and that he hopes to land at another school, possibly as a pitching coach.
TRACK AND FIELD
Rules may exclude some
In an effort to address questions about fair play, track and field's world governing body will publish regulations today that could force some elite female athletes with naturally elevated testosterone levels to lower the hormone with medication, compete against men in certain Olympic events or effectively give up their international careers. The rules, scheduled to take effect in November, will initially be enforced in middle distance races of 400 meters to 1 mile. These distances, which synthesize the need for speed, power and endurance, are events in which raised testosterone levels can have the most profound influence on performances, the sport's top officials say. The regulations are certain to cause further controversy. Female track athletes with elevated levels of testosterone, a condition known as hyperandrogenism, will be required to lower the amount of the hormone circulating in their blood for six months before being allowed to compete from the quarter-mile to the mile in major international events like the Olympics and the world championships.
TENNIS
Report finds ‘integrity problem’ at lower levels
An independent review of corruption in tennis found that the sport “faces a serious integrity problem” at its lower levels — a “tsunami,” according to one person interviewed — but no widespread problem at ATP, WTA and Grand Slam tournaments.
The report released Wednesday showed no cover-up of improper betting or match-fixing by tennis’ governing bodies, although it did find there were “errors made and opportunities missed,” Adam Lewis, a member of the three-lawyer review panel, said at a news conference in London.
There were several recommendations made, such as putting an end to the International Tennis Federation’s sale of official live scoring data; increasing transparency by making public the tournament appearance fees paid to some players; and expanding the staffing and reach of the Tennis Integrity Unit, the anti-corruption group established in 2008 after a surge of suspicious betting activity in tennis.
“Fundamental reform is required,” Lewis said.
The panel called this an interim report and said a final version would be issued later this year.
The review was called for after the BBC and BuzzFeed News published reports in January 2016 alleging that tennis authorities ignored widespread evidence of match-fixing involving more than a dozen players.
The panel surveyed more than 3,200 tennis players and 200 others involved in the sport. While Lewis said the work discovered a “lamentably fertile breeding ground for breaches of integrity” at less-prominent Challenger and Futures events, there “appears to be much less of a problem at the tour and Grand Slam levels.”
A joint statement issued by the ITF, ATP, WTA and the four Grand Slam tournaments — the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open — acknowledged “that there are vulnerabilities, particularly at the lower levels of tennis” and pledged to “address these concerns through firm and decisive action.”
Those governing bodies said they agree “in principle” with reforms proposed by the review.
Sports on 04/26/2018