• Kaua‘i’s Brun, Laymon triumph • Pedro on the move • Bowden to lead new baseball team • Bonds extends another record • NHL players meet for lockout update • San Antonio’s Parker signs extension • Greek sprinters wait for
• Kaua‘i’s Brun, Laymon triumph
• Pedro on the move
• Bowden to lead new baseball team
• Bonds extends another record
• NHL players meet for lockout update
• San Antonio’s Parker signs extension
• Greek sprinters wait for decision
• Rusty Wallace fined $10,000
• Seattle Pacific players in trouble
Kaua‘i’s Brun, Laymon triumph
By Duane Shimogawa Jr. – The Garden Island
The Kaua‘i team of Randy Brun (Kalaheo) and Marcus Laymon (Kapa‘a) earned the top spot in the 2004 United States Team Roping Championships (USTRC) on October 24 in the #6 Prelimiary Average division in Oklahoma.
The Kaua‘i cowboys blew away the field with a 31.64 on 4 and cashed in on $15,900.
The next closest team was Woody Richins (New Mexico) and Kenny Calloway (Arizona), who finished with a 36.38 on 4.
Pedro on the move
BOSTON — Red Sox star pitcher Pedro Martinez filed for free agency, a week after his Game 3 victory helped Boston win its first World Series title since 1918.
Martinez just completed a $90 million, seven-year contract. The Red Sox have exclusive negotiating rights with him until Nov. 11, the day before other teams can discuss money with the three-time Cy Young Award winner.
Martinez joins more than a dozen members of the World Series champions headed for the free-agent market, including pitcher Derek Lowe, catcher Jason Varitek and shortstop Orlando Cabrera.
Bowden to lead new baseball team
WASHINGTON — Former Cincinnati Reds general manager Jim Bowden was hired as general manager of the Washington-bound Montreal Expos, taking a job that might last only a few months while the team is being sold.
Bowden will take a leave of absence from his job as an ESPN commentator.
The length of Bowden’s stay depends on how long it takes to sell the team, which is owned by the 29 other major league clubs. At least two dozen potential buyers have shown interest, and the sale might not be completed until late in the offseason or early in the next regular season. Bowden expressed no interest in remaining with the team once an owner is chosen.
Bonds extends another record
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds extended his own record by winning his 12th Silver Slugger award, given to the top offensive players at their positions in each league.
For the first time since the awards began in 1980, there was a tie at one position, with Detroit’s Ivan Rodriguez and Cleveland’s Victor Martinez sharing the honor as the top-hitting AL catcher. It was the seventh award for Rodriguez, the first for Martinez.
Winners were picked by major league managers and coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own players. The awards are given by Hillerich & Bradsby Co., the maker of Louisville Slugger bats.
NHL players meet for lockout update
TORONTO — Seventy-five NHL players met with union leaders to get an update on a lockout that shows no sign of ending. The meeting at an airport hotel was billed as a routine update on the labor dispute so player representatives could brief their teammates.
The players met for about four hours, after having dinner together on Monday night. The meeting included player representatives from all 30 clubs and other players who wanted to attend.
NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow said there was no “crack or divisiveness” in the union. He said no new proposals would be made to the league as a result of the meeting. He’s waiting for the league to make a new proposal.
Bill Daly, the NHL’s chief legal officer, said no new proposal would be forthcoming from the league. He said the union’s latest offer wasn’t that different from a proposal they rejected 15 months prior.
San Antonio’s Parker signs extension
SAN ANTONIO — Point guard Tony Parker signed a six-year contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs.
The deal was finalized late Monday night, within a few hours of the league’s signing deadline. Had an agreement not been reached, Parker would have become a restricted free agent at the end of this season.
For San Antonio, the signing locks up the team’s top three players — Parker, two-time MVP Tim Duncan and Argentine guard Manu Ginobili — for the rest of the decade.
Greek sprinters wait for decision
ATHENS, Greece — A prosecutor postponed a decision on whether to charge the two Greek sprinters who missed a doping test and withdrew from the Athens Olympics.
Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou also were involved in a suspicious motorcycle accident on the eve of the Aug. 13-29 games. Both runners and coach Christos Tsekos have said they did not stage the accident.
Chief Athens Prosecutor Dimitris Papangelopoulos was supposed to have decided on the charges last week, but postponed an announcement. He did not explain the reasons for the initial postponement.
This time, he wanted to ask the chief appellate court prosecutor to see if charges should be pressed against some of the doctors. The review could take two weeks or more.
Rusty Wallace fined $10,000
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR fined Nextel Cup driver Rusty Wallace $10,000 for intentionally hitting Ryan Newman’s car as the field returned to pit lane after the Oct. 24 race at Martinsville Speedway.
Wallace was angry with his Penske Racing South teammate after a run-in late in the race and bumped Newman’s Dodge to show his disapproval.
Three others were also issued penalties for equipment infractions at Martinsville by NASCAR. Gil Martin, crew chief for Robby Gordon’s’ No. 31 Chevrolet, and co-crew chief Chris Andrews will share in a $10,000 fine for using improperly attached weights.
Mario Gosselin, driver of the No. 80 Ford, was fined $500 for having an expired manufacturer’s date on his driver’s head-and-neck restraint device.
Seattle Pacific players in trouble
SEATTLE — Four Washington players will miss the season opener against Seattle Pacific after being suspended for playing in unsanctioned summer games — a secondary NCAA rules violation. Guards Will Conroy and Tre Simmons and forwards Bobby Jones and Jamaal Williams won’t play in the Nov. 19 opener.
Simmons, who played in two unsanctioned games, also will sit out Washington’s Nov. 25 game against Utah in the Great Alaska Shootout.
NCAA rules prohibit players from participating in outside competition during the academic year. The rules define such competition as any games that include a scorebook and game officials.
