sports in brief

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Apr 19, 2007

Local & state: KU's Kirkleads Kansas Relays decathlon

Kansas junior Josh Kirk scored 3,686 points Wednesday and leads the decathlon at the 80th anniversary Kansas Relays in Lawrence.

Kirk had a personal best in the high jump with a 6-foot, 5-inch performance. In the five events completed on day one, Kirk had the best long jump, placed second in the 400 meters to teammate Jacob Breth and set another personal best in the shot put (40-1).

Breth stands fifth in his first collegiate decathlon with 3,343 points.

KU's Chelsea Helm is eighth in the heptathlon with 2,282 points.

Emporia State's football season opens Sept. 1 at Western State of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in Gunnison, Colo. The Hornets, who will play their first season under new coach Garin Higgins, take on MIAA rival Washburn on Oct. 13 at Welch Stadium.

ESU's five home games will be highlighted by a visit from two- time NCAA Division II runner-up Northwest Missouri on Nov. 3. The Hornets first two games are on the road, at Western State and Sept. 8 at Central Oklahoma.

Warren Turner announced he will retire as baseball coach at Missouri Southern at the end of the season.

Turner has been the Lions' coach for 31 seasons and has won 849 games, ranking No. 12 on the NCAA Division II all-time list (No. 8 among active coaches). He is a member of the NAIA and Missouri sports hall of fames.

The deadline for the Topeka Golf Association 4-Man Best Ball is April 27. The tournament is May 5-6 at Western Hills Golf Course. Entry fee is $240 per team for the 36-hold event.

Football: Urlacher fined $100,000 for wearing unauthorized cap

Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was fined $100,000 by the NFL for wearing a cap during Super Bowl media day that promoted a sponsor not authorized by the league.

NFL rules prohibit gear that advertises any product but a designated sponsor, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said Wednesday.

Urlacher was fined for drinking vitaminwater and wearing a vitaminwater hat during the media session in Miami leading to the title game. Gatorade is the NFL's official drink.

The Kansas City Chiefs signed kicker Aaron Barret to a two-year contract Tuesday.

Barret played football at New Mexico and Hawaii and baseball at The Master's College, Saddleback College and Vanguard College. He appeared in three games for the Bakersfield Blitz of Arena Football League 2 last season.

Barret is expected to back up Lawrence Tynes.

Punter Todd Sauerbrun won his grievance against the Patriots on Wednesday and is now a free agent.

The 13-year veteran is expected to join the Denver Broncos. He agreed to a one-year deal with them earlier this month, but the Patriots matched it through a clause in his contract with New England.

Cornerback Tory James and the Patriots have agreed to a one-year deal.

The 33-year-old will compete for playing time in a deep Patriots secondary, his agent Mark Bartelstein said Wednesday. James has played 11 NFL seasons.

The Lions signed cornerbacks Tony Beckham and Ike Charlton and wide receiver Kevin Kasper to one-year contracts and released wide receiver Craphonso Thorpe on Wednesday.

The Dolphins have decided not to match the offer sheet punter Donnie Jones signed with the St. Louis Rams last week, instead choosing to accept another draft pick as compensation.

The NCAA has approved the same 32 bowl games for the 2007 football season as last year.

Golf: Ex-U.S. Open champs Strange, Green join Hall of Fame

It almost became a rite of spring for Curtis Strange and Hubert Green, two players with Hall of Fame credentials and blunt opinions who kept watching their peers get one of the highest honors in golf.

"I never really thought much about the Hall of Fame until Hubert would call me every year about this time and say, 'Did you get the call?' " Strange said. "And I would say, 'No. You?' "

The call finally arrived for both Wednesday.

Strange, the dominant American golfer of the 1980s whose career was defined by his consecutive U.S. Open victories, was elected through the PGA Tour ballot.

Green won 19 times and two majors, one at the 1977 U.S. Open at Southern Hills. He was selected through the veteran's category.

Newton's Sand Creek Station golf course has will host a professional-amateur event this summer.

The 2007 Wichita Open will host a pro-am tournament July 31 at the course that has been open for less than a year. The tournament will pair area amateurs with members of the PGA Nationwide Tour participating in the Wichita Open.

General: NCAA council OKsrecruit text message ban

Coaches have spent the last several years upgrading their gadgets and learning the new tricks of recruiting. Now it may be time to turn back the clock.

The NCAA Division I management council has recommended a ban on all electronically transmitted correspondence, including text messages, between coaches and recruits. E-mails and faxes would be exempt from the new rule but would be limited by current NCAA guidelines. There are no coach limits on text messaging.

The Board of Directors must still pass the legislation, and if approved next week, the ban would take effect in August.