MORNING BRIEFING April 27, 2012
Football
Weber State selected Jody Sears as its interim football coach to replace John L. Smith.
Smith left Monday to take the Arkansas job following that school’s firing of Bobby Petrino.
The 44-year-old Sears joined the Wildcats staff this spring and has been working as the team’s defensive coordinator. He will continue in that role as well.
Sears spent the previous three seasons at Washington State, where he was co-defensive coordinator. He also is no stranger to the Big Sky Conference as he spent five seasons as defensive coordinator at Eastern Washington.
He began his collegiate coaching career at Iowa State in 1994.
Sears was a two-year letter-winner at Washington State after walking on as a wide receiver.
Have NFL fans seen the last of the Pro Bowl?
The game could be suspended next year, two people familiar with discussions said Thursday.
Commissioner Roger Goodell, among others, expressed concerns about the quality of play after January’s game, and the league has been holding talks with the players’ union about the future of the all-star game. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were not being publicized.
Responding to an ESPN report that Goodell is “strongly considering” suspending the game in 2013, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said: “No determination has been made yet.”
Basketball
Former Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine has a new job.
The 66-year-old Fine was hired as a consultant by the Maccabi “Bazan” Haifa franchise of the Israeli Basketball Super League.
Fine will be based in the U.S. and will consult on player personnel decisions and help in the search for a new coach.
Fine has strong ties to Israeli basketball. He coached the U.S. Maccabiah team to a silver medal at the 1993 World Maccabiah Games.
Fine, who coached at Syracuse under Jim Boeheim for just over 35 years, was fired in November after two former team ball boys accused him of sexually abusing them more than 20 years ago.
Golf
Ken Duke and Cameron Tringale topped the PGA Zurich Classic leaderboard at 7-under 65, leaving defending champion Bubba Watson six strokes back at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., in his first tournament since winning the Masters.
Jennifer Rosales birdied five of the first seven holes on the back nine and finished with a 5-under 67 in the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic for a share of the first-round lead with Katie Futcher, Lindsey Wright and Caroline Hedwall at Mobile, Ala.
Baseball
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Rays 4, Angels 3: At St. Petersburg, Fla., Brandon Allen hit a two-run homer in the ninth and Tampa Bay beat Los Angeles.
Royals 4, Indians 2: Luis Mendoza pitched into the sixth and Kansas City’s bullpen made a lead stand up, helping the Royals win at Cleveland.
Orioles 5, Blue Jays 2: Adam Jones led off the eighth with a tiebreaking homer and Baltimore beat visiting Toronto.
Red Sox 10, White Sox 3: Kevin Youkilis hit a grand slam and Boston roughed up Philip Humber in a victory at Chicago.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Mets 3, Marlins 2: Kirk Niewenhuis hit an RBI single in the ninth, lifting New York past visiting Miami.
Giants 6, Reds 5: Angel Pagan hit a three-run homer in the ninth, lifting San Francisco at Cincinnati.
Padres 2, Nationals 1: Mark Kotsay’s two-run double in the eighth lifted San Diego past visiting Washington.
— The Associated Press