Times wires
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Tennis
Roddick to open for U.S.
Andy Roddick, No. 8 in the world, was drawn to face No. 241 Nicolas Massu in the United States' first-round Davis Cup opener today in Santiago, Chile. No. 32 John Isner then faces No. 165 Paul Capdeville in the best-of-five to be played on clay. Bob and Mike Bryan face Massu and Jorge Aguilar on Saturday, and reverse singles is Sunday.
More Davis Cup: Rafael Nadal is set to represent Spain starting today in Belgium, playing for the first time since injuring his left thigh at the Australian Open.
Soccer
CONCACAF still at three
CONCACAF, the regional body for North and Central America and the Caribbean, was denied an extra berth for the 2014 World Cup. All six confederations will have the same number of guaranteed berths, including CONCACAF's three. But it could have an easier time earning a fourth. There will be a draw to determine playoff pairings instead of the prearranged matchups used for 2010. CONCACAF's fourth team could face South America's No. 5 team (like it did in 2010), Asia's No. 5 team or the Oceania champ.
Et cetera
Swimming: Michael Phelps posted the fastest times in the world in both of his events at the Indianapolis Grand Prix. The American won the 200-meter free in 1 minute, 46.27 seconds and 100 fly in 51.75 seconds.
Cycling: The sport's governing body said it won't rescind a ban on radio communications during races. Several teams protested last month, arguing ear pieces make races safer. But the governing body says radio communication distorts the nature of the sport.
Times wires
Horses
New York threatens to take license of Big Brown's trainer
NEW YORK — New York authorities deemed trainer Rick Dutrow, most noted for 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness wins by Big Brown, "obnoxious" and "unbecoming" and ordered him to show why he should not be suspended, lose his license and be kicked off state tracks.
Ed Martin, president of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, said since 1979, Dutrow has been sanctioned "at least 64 times … in nine different states at 15 racetracks." The two most recent suspensions, for a combined 90 days, came last month at New York's Aqueduct for hypodermic needles in his barn and a winning horse's positive test for a banned painkiller.
Dutrow's hearing before the state's Racing and Wagering Board is set for March 30-31.
The board's notice said Dutrow is a "person whose conduct at racetracks in New York and elsewhere has been improper, obnoxious, unbecoming and detrimental to the best interests of racing. (His) character and general fitness are such that your participation in parimutuel racing is inconsistent with the public interest."
In an e-mail to the Associated Press, Dutrow's lawyer, Gerard Romski, said there is no merit to the current allegations: "When all the facts are in and the witch hunt is over, we are confident that Mr. Dutrow will be totally vindicated."