Morning Briefing April 2, 2010
Basketball
The NCAA appears to be on the verge of expanding the men’s basketball tournament to 96 teams.
Insisting that nothing has been decided, NCAA vice president Greg Shaheen nonetheless outlined a detailed plan Thursday that included the logistics and timing of a 96-team tournament, how much time off the players would have and even revenue distribution.
Shaheen said the NCAA looked at keeping the current 65-team field and expanding to 68 or 80 teams, but decided the bigger bracket was best fit logistically and financially.
It would be played during the same time frame as the current three-week tournament and include first-round byes for 32 teams.
Although the plan still needs to be approved by the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee and passed on to the board of directors, most of the details already seem to be in place.
James Dickey was hired as Houston’s basketball coach, putting him in charge of a program for the first time since he was fired from Texas Tech in 2001.
Suzann Pettersen shot a bogey-free 5-under 67 on Thursday in the Kraft Nabisco Championship at Rancho Mirage, Calif., to take a one-stroke lead over former champion Lorena Ochoa, who missed birdie putts on her final two holes.
Ochoa, who teed off three hours after Pettersen in the opening round of the LPGA season’s first major, had chances to tie the Norwegian star but rolled a long putt just right of the hole on No. 17 and then missed a 10-footer on 18.
Kevin Stadler and Cameron Percy shot 5-under 67s to share the first-round lead in the PGA’s Houston Open at Humble, Texas.
Baseball
Scott Elarton pitched two scoreless innings in his first start since 2008 and a squad of Chicago White Sox minor leaguers roughed up Ian Snell in a 9-4 win over the Seattle Mariners at Peoria, Ariz.
Snell, the Mariners’ No. 2 starter, gave up six runs and 10 hits while striking out five.
The Mariners announced infielder Ryan Garko was claimed off waivers by Texas. They also optioned left-hander Garrett Olson to Triple-A Tacoma.
The Mariners’ announcements mean five-time All-Star and camp longshot Mike Sweeney has likely made the team as a pinch-hitter and backup first baseman.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a mild left oblique strain.
Blanton could be out three to six weeks. He suffered the injury while throwing a side session Wednesday.
Football
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill received 12 months of probation in Georgia after pleading guilty to a charge of marijuana possession stemming from a January 2009 traffic stop in suburban Atlanta.
Janissa Miller, a deputy clerk with the Georgia state court in Douglas County, confirmed that Hill had a hearing in which he agreed to complete an outpatient drug and alcohol abuse counseling program and 30 hours of community service.
Hill must also pay fines totaling $500. He is subject to random drug testing.
Cleveland Browns nose tackle Shaun Rogers was arrested at Hopkins International Airport for having a loaded gun in his carry-on luggage.
He was arrested at 12:15 p.m. “without incident,” transferred to a downtown processing center and booked for carrying a concealed weapon, a third-degree felony.
Rogers was still being held in the city’s jail Thursday night.
— The Associated Press