Iran beats US in Grand Central exhibition

NEW YORK (AP) — Iran's wrestling team visited the United States for the first time in a decade and found a virtual home meet.

The fans waving Iranian flags and stomping on the temporary bleachers were treated to a show of dominance by the wrestling power Wednesday in the exhibition at Grand Central Terminal. Iran beat the Americans 6-1.

"It's typical Iranian. Wherever we go, they do the same thing," two-time world champion Mehdi Taghavi Kermani said through a translator after winning his match at 145½ pounds.

The fans' chanting and horn-blowing echoed off the intricate patterns on the ceiling high above and through the curtains separating Vanderbilt Hall from the commuters rushing home to the suburbs. The event dubbed "The Rumble on the Rails" marked the fourth straight year a New York City landmark was transformed into a wrestling meet to raise money for charity, with the last two in Times Square.

But this one took on added significance beyond supporting wrestling nonprofit Beat the Streets. In February, the International Olympic Committee recommended that the sport be dropped starting with the 2020 Games.

So there were the United States, Iran and Russia all together Wednesday, hoping the IOC takes to heart the symbolism of the three nations peacefully sharing a wrestling mat. The Americans swept five freestyle matches from the Russians later in the day.

Iran also will face the U.S. in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Wrestling is now one of eight sports seeking to fill one spot in the 2020 Olympics. The IOC board will meet May 29 in Russia to recommend a short list, with the final decision in September.

"This is what we're trying to do right now," said 22-year-old Kyle Dake, who could be an American star of the 2020 Olympics. "This is how we're going to save Olympic wrestling."

The youngster was the lone bright spot for the U.S. against Iran. At 163 pounds, he beat veteran Hassan Tahmasebi, who's almost 10 years older, in his first major senior-level international match.

In March, Dake became the first wrestler to win NCAA titles in four weight classes. College wrestling uses folkstyle, and Dake hadn't competed in freestyle in more than a year before Wednesday. Both his periods were scoreless and went to a leg clinch, and he won the first despite losing the ball draw.

"It was really loud in there. Feels like we were in Tehran," he joked. "What's going on? Where's our USA folks?"

They got going chanting "U-S-A U-S-A!!" during the Americans' second meet of the day. Some of the top U.S. wrestlers, including Olympic champ Jordan Burroughs, took the mat against Russia, which did not send its best lineup. Burroughs remained undefeated, though he needed three periods to beat Saba Khubetzhty at 163 pounds and cracked a molar in a headlock.

"I had a filling in this tooth, and it's somewhere out there on the mat," he said with a laugh.

View the original article here

OJ Simpson testifies in bid for new Vegas trial

LAS VEGAS (AP) — More than four years after the world last heard from O.J. Simpson in court, one of the nation's most famous prisoners spoke again Wednesday in a bid to win freedom from a sentence that could keep him behind bars until he dies.

Simpson took the stand to testify about his legal representation by attorney Yale Galanter in the case involving a strange hotel room confrontation with sports memorabilia dealers that led to a robbery-kidnap conviction.

Under questioning by his co-counsel, Patricia Palm, Simpson began discussing his background with Galanter.

"Yale had a good relationship with the media," Simpson said.

"I was in the media a lot. He was able to refute many of the tabloid stories," Simpson said with a laugh. "He sort of liked doing it; he told me he did."

The 65-year-old former football star and actor, now with short graying hair, receding hairline and dressed in drab prison blue scrubs, spoke clearly and confidently as he also recounted events leading up to the confrontation in a hotel room where the dealers had Simpson footballs and family photos.

He became a bit emotional as he talked about the items.

In 2008, he was near tears as he told a judge: "I didn't mean to steal anything from anybody. ... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of it."

There is no jury in the hearing and his fate will be determined by Clark County District Judge Linda Marie Bell.

Unlike previous days of the hearing, the courtroom was full, with Tracy Baker, daughter of Simpson sister Shirley Baker, Charles Durio, husband of Simpson's deceased sister, Carmelita, in the second row. Also on hand was Tom Scotto, a Simpson friend from Miami whose wedding brought Simpson to Las Vegas.

A marshal turned people away, sending more than 15 people to an overflow room where video was streamed live.

When he went to trial in 2008, Simpson did not testify — a decision that one of his lawyers said was pushed upon him by Galanter.

With 19 points raised to support reversal in the writ of habeas corpus, Simpson was expected to answer many questions from his lawyers and then undergo cross-examination by an attorney for the state who wants to keep him in prison.

Simpson is serving nine to 33 years in prison for his conviction on armed robbery, kidnapping and other charges. Simpson has said, and was likely to repeat, that he never saw any guns.

Earlier, attorney Gabriel Grasso was Simpson's star witness, the Las Vegas lawyer who joined the case when his old friend, Galanter, called and said, "Hey, Gabe, want to be famous?"

He said he soon realized he would be doing most of the behind-the-scenes work while Galanter made the decisions.

"I could advise O.J. all day long, and he was very respectful of me," Grasso told the court. "But if I advised him of something different from what Yale said, he would do what Yale said."

It was Galanter's decision not to have Simpson testify, Grasso said.

Under questioning from H. Leon Simon, attorney for the state, Grasso acknowledged the trial judge, Jackie Glass, specifically asked Simpson if he wanted to testify and he said no.

"Mr. Galanter told him, 'This is the way it's going to be,'" Grasso said, adding he would have put him on the stand.

He said Simpson's confidence in Galanter was born of the acquittal he gained for Simpson in a road rage case in Florida five years after his 1995 acquittal on murder charges in the stabbing deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

Galanter is now the focus of Simpson's motion claiming ineffective assistance of counsel and conflict of interest. He has declined to comment until he takes the stand Friday.

There are questions of money, too. Grasso accused Galanter of lining his own pockets while telling him they were "operating on a shoestring" and couldn't afford to hire expert witnesses. Simpson's business attorney, Leroy "Skip" Taft, testified by phone Tuesday that he kept getting big bills from Galanter but no explanation of what costs were eating up hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Witness after witness spoke of a proposed plea bargain that Galanter turned down on Simpson's behalf but no one was sure the defendant knew about it.

There were rumors that Galanter gave his blessings to Simpson's plan to show up at the hotel room and reclaim his memorabilia, which two dealers were trying to peddle.

Retired Clark County District Attorney David Roger, who prosecuted Simpson, was asked whether investigators determined if Galanter helped Simpson plan the hotel room confrontation.

"He said he did not advise Mr. Simpson to commit armed robbery," Roger said.

"And he said he wasn't there?" asked Simpson attorney Ozzie Fumo.

"Yes," Roger replied.

Others have testified that Galanter was in Las Vegas and had dinner with Simpson the night before.

The other prosecutor, Chris Owens, testified about discovering phone calls between the two but hiding that fact from the judge. He identified at least 10 calls in the days preceding and on Sept. 13, 2007.

Both prosecutors described an agreement with the Simpson defense that was read to the jury saying there were no calls.

"So you stipulated to events that weren't true?" Fumo asked Owens.

"It was in the form of a legal construct," Owens replied and said the judge encouraged it because she didn't want to confuse the jury with another issue.

This is Simpson's last chance under state law to prove that he was wrongly convicted. A federal court appeal is still possible.

___

Find Ken Ritter on Twitter: http://twitter.com/krttr

View the original article here

NBA play-offs 2nd round results

May 15 (Infostrada Sports) - Results from the NBA Play-offs 2nd Round games on Tuesday (home team in CAPS)

1 2 3 4 T

INDIANA 23 25 19 26 93

NY Knicks 16 18 22 26 82

(Indiana lead the best-of-seven series by 3-1)

1 2 3 4 T

SAN ANTONIO 37 17 29 26 109

Golden State 28 23 21 19 91

(San Antonio lead the best-of-seven series by 3-2)

View the original article here

Scandal-hit Rutgers names first female athletic director

By David Jones

NEWARK, New Jersey (Reuters) - Rutgers University picked a woman to head its athletic programs on Wednesday, as New Jersey's largest public college looks to move on from a scandal that saw several top sports officials resign.

Julie Hermann, 49, who was a senior executive atheletic director at the University of Louisville, will be the first woman to hold the post of athletic director at Rutgers.

Her predecessor, Tim Pernetti, resigned in early April after ESPN aired video showing the school's then-head men's basketball coach abusing players and berating them with homophobic slurs. The coach, Mike Rice, was fired.

Rutgers President Robert Barchi, who had faced down calls for his own resignation during the uproar after the videos were aired, called Hermann "simply a remarkable leader."

Hermann, who starts a five-year contract on June 17, acknowledged the school's sports programs will have a way to go to regain the trust of fans, alumni and students.

"I'm well aware that many people that support this institution were deeply hurt by what took place," she said.

The scandal put a spotlight on the high-pressure world of college sports, where millions of dollars of television revenue are at stake, coaches can command six-figure salaries but players are unpaid.

Rutgers will pay Hermann a $450,000 annual base salary, with a $50,000 bonus target.

At Louisville, Hermann oversaw a nationally ranked athletic program that won the NCAA men's basketball championship earlier this year.

(Editing by Scott Malone and Leslie Gevirtz)

View the original article here

Boxer Floyd Mayweather tops highest-paid U.S. athletes' list

NEW YORK, May 15 (Reuters) - Undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the highest-paid professional athlete in the United States with expected earnings of at least $90 million this year from just two bouts, according to Sports Illustrated magazine.

The 36-year-old welterweight - considered the best defensive boxer of his generation - topped the magazine's Fortunate 50 list, issued on Wednesday. Mayweather also took the top spot last year, earning an estimated $85 million, again from just two fights, the magazine reported.

Miami Heat basketball star LeBron James, 28, a four-time National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player, came in this year in the number two slot, earning a total of $56.5 million.

The list is calculated by combining estimated salary, winnings and endorsements. Mayweather's total earnings are even more impressive considering he received no endorsement money either this year or last.

James' $56.5 million income combines a $17.5 million salary with an additional $39 million in endorsements.

Golfer Tiger Woods, the highest paid U.S. athlete from 2004, when the list was first published, through 2011, dropped to the No. 5 slot on this year's list, earning $40.8 million.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano came in as the 50th highest-paid U.S. athlete with an estimated $18.2 million.

Candidates for the list must be U.S. citizens and compete in a U.S.-based league.

Internationally, soccer great David Beckham is estimated to earn more than $48 million, landing him the top spot on the magazine's annual list of highest-paid athletes worldwide, The International 20. (Reporting by Chris Francescani; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Tim Dobbyn)

View the original article here

NBA owners reject Sacramento Kings move to Seattle

DALLAS (AP) — NBA owners voted Wednesday to reject the Sacramento Kings' proposed move to Seattle, the latest in a long line of cities that have tried to land the franchise.

The vote followed a recommendation made last month by the NBA's relocation committee and may have finally brought an end to an emotional saga that has dragged on for nearly three years.

A group led by investor Chris Hansen has a deal to buy the team. Hansen hoped to move the franchise to Seattle and rename it the SuperSonics. The original Sonics were moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 and were renamed the Thunder.

Commissioner David Stern said the league will spend the next 24 to 48 hours talking to the Maloofs, the team's owners, about working out a deal with a competing ownership group in Sacramento.

The Maloofs reached an agreement in January to sell a 65 percent controlling interest in the team to Hansen's group at a total franchise valuation of $525 million, topping the NBA-record $450 million for Joe Lacob and Peter Guber to buy the Warriors in 2010. Then Hansen increased his offer to $550 million, which implies buying the 65 percent stake for about $357 million.

Following the relocation committee's unanimous recommendation on April 29 to deny the move to Seattle, Hansen and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer dug deeper into their pockets in a final attempt to sway the NBA Board of Governors. They raised the valuation of the Kings to $625 million, or $406 million for the Maloofs' interest in the franchise, and offered a $115 million relocation fee, nearly four times what Clay Bennett paid to move the Sonics.

Hansen's group also guaranteed owners that the franchise would pay into the league's revenue-sharing system in Seattle and not collect money as it has in Sacramento.

They were aggressive and bold public statements that had been lacking from the Seattle group through much of the process while Sacramento openly made its case in the public eye.

As a backup, the Seattle group negotiated a plan to buy a minority stake in the Kings with the Maloofs retaining majority ownership and keeping the team in Sacramento.

It's the second time since 2011 that the Maloof brothers have made plans that would have ended in relocation for the Kings. The first target was Anaheim, Calif., but Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a former All-Star guard, convinced the NBA to give the city another chance to finance a new arena.

Johnson delivered on a promise for a plan for a new downtown arena with help from Stern, but the Maloofs backed out, saying it didn't make financial sense.

The Maloofs had another surprise when they announced a deal with Hansen's group, which includes Ballmer and members of the Nordstrom department store family.

Johnson fought back again, this time lining up an ownership group led by TIBCO software chairman Vivek Ranadive and getting the Sacramento City Council to approve a non-binding financing plan for a $447 million arena with a $258 million public subsidy.

The potential Sacramento ownership group also includes 24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov, former Facebook senior executive Chris Kelly and the Jacobs family that owns communications giant Qualcomm.

Seattle has been without an NBA franchise since the SuperSonics moved. Led by star Kevin Durant, the Thunder have made the playoffs four straight seasons, reached the Western Conference finals in 2011 and lost to Miami in last year's NBA finals.

The NBA's relocation committee, coincidentally headed by Bennett, voted unanimously last month to reject the bid to move the Kings.

In a letter sent to the relocation and finance committees during its April 17 meeting, the Maloofs said they preferred to sell to the Seattle group and expressed discontent with Sacramento's latest bid, saying it falls "significantly short."

Stern has said the offers are in "the same ballpark," and has reiterated his long-held stance that expansion is unlikely right now.

Hansen spent nearly two years working to get an arena plan approved by the city and county governments and spent more than $65 million buying land in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood where the arena would be built. Hansen has a five-year memorandum of understanding with the city and county on the arena plan.

View the original article here

Baseball-Yankees setting pace with patchwork crew

By Larry Fine

NEW YORK, May 15 (Reuters) - The New York Yankees were aiming to stay close with a patchwork lineup assembled to buy them time until the likes of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson returned from injury.

Instead, their collection of cast-offs and rookies have helped set the pace in the American League East with a 25-14 mark and with some of the celebrated veterans on the road to recovery, the Bronx Bombers may be on their way to a big season.

Making up for the loss of firepower from the missing quartet, who have 32 All Star Game appearances between them, outfielder Vernon Wells has nine home runs and first baseman Lyle Overbay has six homers and 24 runs batted in (RBI).

Rookies who have taken up some of the slack include pitchers Vidal Nuno and Adam Warren, and catcher Austin Romine.

"We don't even think about making excuses or saying let's just tread water until they get back," Overbay told Reuters in the locker room before Wednesday's home game against the Seattle Mariners.

"We're capable and still got some good guys in this clubhouse and when those guys get back we'll be clicking on all cylinders."

Granderson, who led the Yankees last year with 43 home runs, was the first of the big names to return, rejoining the team on Tuesday after breaking his forearm during spring training.

Teixeira has just begun batting practice at the team's Florida training headquarters after hurting his wrist, while Jeter, recovering from a broken ankle, and Rodriguez, rehabbing from hip surgery, are expected back after the All-Star break.

Overbay, a 13-year veteran who played on four other major league teams, was picked up by the Yankees during spring training and has proven to be a clutch bat in the lineup.

"We're just in a holding pattern until these guys get back," said Overbay. "We all came in knowing what each other could do and I think that's why we've gelled so well together. We're not trying to do too much."

CLUBHOUSE CHEMISTRY

The foundation of the Yankees' success this season has been their pitching with starters CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte leading the way, and a bullpen spearheaded by Mariano Rivera, a perfect 16-for-16 in save situations.

Overbay said he casually knew many of the Yankees from informal chats at first base during games in past Major League Baseball seasons, but had a newfound respect for the quality of the clubhouse chemistry.

"It's a great clubhouse," said Overbay. "When you're on the other side you kind of wonder how this is. Now you know why, because they have such good guys.

"You got Jeter running the show and Robbie (Cano), he's running it now while Jeter is gone, and Mariano taking care of the pitching staff, and CC and Andy, all those guys are great team mates.

"Now I know why these guys are so successful. Because they've got each other's back. When times go bad, that's all you have."

The Yankees, who have relied heavily on free agents over the decades, are getting solid help from rookies as well.

In a win in Cleveland on Monday, starting pitcher Nuno earned his first career win, Warren picked up his first career save, second baseman Corban Joseph registered his first major league hit and catcher Romine collected his first RBI.

Manager Joe Girardi said he enjoyed working with rookies.

"There were hurdles you know that young players have to overcome that you don't worry about with older players," he said. "One, believing that you do belong. Two, not always looking over your shoulder if I have a bad day today.

"The thing is that all players make mistakes. Older players learn how to turn the page usually fairly quickly. Younger players beat themselves up. And that's the one thing that I think as a manager you have to assist them in."

Girardi said giving young players a chance to succeed with the major league team, provided a trickle down benefit.

"It's a great thing that you see your buddy do it who has basically been running alongside you for three or four years and saying, 'I put up some of the same numbers that this guy did. I can go up and do it.'

"It gives them confidence." (Editing by Frank Pingue)

View the original article here