Sports

January 12, 2008

Marion Jones gets six months in prison

WHITE PLAINS, New York (Reuters) - Disgraced U.S. sprinter Marion Jones was sentenced to six months in prison on Friday for lying to federal prosecutors about her steroid use, a stunning downfall for the five-time Olympic medalist.

U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Karas imposed the sentence after Jones, 32, pleaded guilty to two charges last October, when she retired from athletics and tearfully confessed to betraying the trust of her fans after years of denying she used performance-enhancing drugs.

"Your honor, I absolutely realize the gravity of these offenses and I am deeply sorry," Jones told the judge, crying as she begged not to be separated from her two young sons.

"I pray that you be as merciful as a human being can be."

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Reuters | Saturday, January 12, 2008

 

November 15, 2007

Baseball star Barry Bonds indicted of perjury

A federal grand jury has indicted baseball home-run king Barry Bonds on charges of lying and obstructing justice in an investigation into allegations of steroid use.

The all-time Major League Baseball home run king has long been the focus of a federal probe over suspicion that he lied to an earlier grand jury when he told them he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs.

The seven-time Most Valuable Player surged late in his career to break what had long been one of the greatest records in American sports. Although many fans wondered aloud about the source of his power, Bonds has long denied any link to steroids.

Bonds' criminal lawyer did not immediately return a telephone call for comment.

"Bonds is charged with knowingly and willfully making false material statements, regarding his use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances, while under oath during his testimony before the federal grand jury that was conducting the investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative ("Balco"), and with obstructing justice in the same investigation," the Justice Department said in a statement.

Bonds passed Hank Aaron to become the American home run king this summer, but his San Francisco Giants chose not to negotiate another year on his contract.

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Reuters | Thursday, November 15, 2007

 

October 11, 2007

Germany suspends Iranian-born player who refused to travel with national team to Israel

Ashkan Dejagah, the Iranian-born German soccer player who sparked an international controversy for his refusal to play in Israel, has been permanently suspended from the German Under-21 team, Theo Zwanziger, the president of the German Football Association (DFB) announced on Thursday.

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Jerusalem Post | Thursday, October 11, 2007

 

October 4, 2007

Odom Wants to Finish with the Lakers

Lamar Odom's name was spit-balled around the Lakers' office, and many others in the league, in trade talks throughout the off-season. Maybe he was on his way to Indiana in a four-team deal that would deliver Kevin Garnett to Los Angeles. Maybe he was heading to the Pacers for Jermaine O'Neal. More recently, perhaps he was going to Phoenix for Shawn Marion.

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Los Angeles Times | Thursday, October 4, 2007

 

September 5, 2007

Shaquille O'Neal Files for Divorce

Shaquille O'Neal has filed to divorce his wife after nearly five years of marriage, his attorney said Tuesday night.

Attorney Ira Elegant said the petition was filed on behalf of the Miami Heat center in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear who is representing Shaunie O'Neal in the case.

The Heat did not have an immediate comment, and Shaquille O'Neal did not respond to a request for comment made through the team.

According to the filing, which was first reported by The Miami Herald on its Web site Tuesday night, Shaquille O'Neal is asking Shaunie O'Neal to provide a "correct accounting of all money, funds, stocks, bonds, and other securities" that she had access to or obtained during the marriage.

They are the parents of six children; Shaquille and Shaunie O'Neal had four together, and each had one other before their Dec. 26, 2002, wedding.

Shaquille O'Neal makes $20 million annually in his contract with the Heat, plus endorsement deals that are estimated to be worth several million more each year. The couple has also listed their home on Miami Beach's posh Star Island for about $32 million, or roughly $13 million more than they paid for it after O'Neal was traded to the Heat by the Los Angeles Lakers before the 2004-05 season.

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Associated Press | Wednesday, September 5, 2007

 

August 19, 2007

'I hate' the U.S., Maradona tells Venezuelan President Chavez

Former Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona on Sunday said he hates the United States "with all my strength" during an appearance on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's weekly television show. The leftist soccer legend, like the fiercely anti-U.S. Chavez, is a close ally of Cuba's Fidel Castro.

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Reuters | Sunday, August 19, 2007

 

August 16, 2007

Pro Wrestlers' Grim Cycle: Pain, Drugs And Doom

Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit, best friends through thin times and thickening bodies, strutted in shared triumph around the ring in Madison Square Garden. Guerrero had just successfully defended his World Wrestling Entertainment title; Benoit had defeated two opponents to wear the belt as world heavyweight champion.

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Paul Farhi - Washington Post | Thursday, August 16, 2007

 

August 7, 2007

Bonds Makes History With 756th Home Run

Barry Bonds hit No. 756 to the deepest part of the ballpark Tuesday night, and hammered home the point: Like him or not, legitimate or not, he is baseball's new home run king.

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Janie McCauley - Washington Post | Tuesday, August 7, 2007

 

July 29, 2007

Spaniard Contador Wins Tour de France

Alberto Contador, a 24-year-old Spanish rider with the Discovery Channel team who three years ago looked to be finished with cycling when he underwent emergency brain surgery to remove a blood clot, won the 94th Tour de France yesterday, maintaining his hold on the final yellow jersey on the Champs-Elysees.

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Edward Wyatt | Sunday, July 29, 2007

 

July 21, 2007

Wrestling with Bryant, who's tough to pin down

Team USA is meeting here, and when practice concludes, the media talks to the players. I join the mob surrounding Kobe Bryant, taking valuable time away from the wave pool, and someone asks, "What does it mean to put on that jersey?"

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T.J. Simmers | Saturday, July 21, 2007