Sports Briefs November 23, 2010
Football
Brad Childress is gone, one season after he famously picked up Brett Favre at the airport, got a contract extension and came within a field goal of reaching the Super Bowl.
The Vikings fired Childress on Monday, ending an eventful and often tumultuous run with the team marred recently by player unrest, livid fans and an angry boss over everything from his abrupt decisions to a 3-7 start.
• Former Montana State and Eastern Washington football coach Mike Kramer is making his third stop in the Big Sky Conference
Kramer was named the 25th head coach at Idaho State, athletic director Jeff Tingey announced.
Kramer takes over for John Zamberlin, who was fired last week after four seasons. ISU finished its 2010 season with a 1-10 mark. Its only win was over Montana Western, an NAIA team that also posted a 1-10 record.
• Titans coach Jeff Fisher said quarterback Vince Young will be placed on injured reserve and needs surgery on his throwing hand.
• Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz and linebacker Aaron Brown have been named Western Athletic Conference offensive and defensive players of the week following a 41-7 win over San Jose State.
Moniz threw for a school record 560 yards, breaking the previous record of 559 yards set by Colt Brennan in the 2006 Hawaii Bowl.
Brown intercepted two passes and made five tackles, including one for a loss. He returned the first interception 22 yards for a touchdown.
Baseball
Cincinnati's Joey Votto was the overwhelming choice as the National League's Most Valuable Player.
The Reds' first baseman received 31 first-place votes and 443 points in the voting.
• Terry Collins is a major league manager once again, hired by the New York Mets to help revitalize a franchise that has struggled on the field and at the gate.
Celtics 99, Hawks 76: Nate Robinson had 16 points and visiting Boston beat Atlanta.
Pacers 93, Heat 77: Danny Granger had 20 points and 11 rebounds and visiting Indiana beat Miami.
Thunder 117, Timberwolves 107: Kevin Durant scored 28 points to help host Oklahoma City over Minnesota.
Suns 123, Rockets 116: Steve Nash had 24 points to lift host Phoenix over Houston.
Spurs 106, Magic 97: Tony Parker had 24 points and host San Antonio beat Orlando.
Jazz 94, Kings 83: At Salt Lake City, C.J. Miles scored 20 points to help Utah beat Sacramento.
Clippers 99, Hornets 95: Eric Gordon scored 27 points to help host Los Angeles beat New Orleans.
Nuggets 106, Warriors 89: At Oakland, Calif., Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points and Denver beat Golden State.
Devils 5, Capitals 0: At Newark, N.J., Johan Hedberg made 30 saves and New Jersey shut out Washington.
Rangers 2, Flames 1: Martin Biron made 31 saves to lift host New York over Calgary.
Flyers 3, Canadiens 2: James van Riemsdyk scored to help Philadelphia past Montreal.
Maple Leafs 4, Stars 1: Nikolai Kulemin scored two goals and host Toronto beat Dallas.
Blue Jackets 2, Predators 0: Steve Mason made 27 saves and host Columbus blanked Nashville.
Senators 3, Kings 2: Alex Kovalev earned his 1,000th career point to send host Ottawa past Los Angeles.
Lightning 3, Bruins 1: Steven Stamkos scored to help host Tampa Bay top Boston.
Penguins 3, Panthers 2: At Sunrise, Fla., Chris Conner's goal helped Pittsburgh past Florida.
- The Associated Press