sports in brief

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Mar 26, 2008

Local & state: Bods win at UCM Classic

Washburn's John Robbins guided his team to the Central Missouri Heart of America Classic title by shooting a 71 Tuesday for a 140 total.

The Ichabods beat runner-up Central Missouri by three strokes (573 to 576). WU's Matt Lazzo was three shots back of Robbins, tying for third at 143. Matt Salome was sixth (144) and Matt Ewald ninth (146).

Washburn's baseball team downed Rockhurst, 3-2, Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo. Brian Gorges scored what proved to be the game-winner by hitting a triple in the eighth inning and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Mark Stoltz.

Wes Joy drove in two runs with a single in the fifth inning. After the Hawks scored one run on a sacrifice fly in the ninth, third baseman Joe Hosey, a former Seaman standout, threw out another runner as he tried to score from second base.

WU (6-9) will host Missouri Southern in an MIAA series starting at 5 p.m. Friday.

Jimmy Waters hit his first collegiate home run in the Kansas baseball team's 6-4 win against Chicago State on Tuesday at Hoglund Ballpark.

Ryne Price hit an RBI single in KU's four-run fifth, giving the Jayhawks (16-9) a 6-1 lead. Waters' homer came with two outs in the fifth to help clinch the win.

Aaron Crow, a former Washburn Rural pitcher now at Missouri, was named Big 12 pitcher of the week after shutting out No. 13 Baylor on Friday. Crow is 5-0 and has a Big 12-leading 51 strikouts in 35 innings.

Baseball: Ramirez double lifts BoSox in 10th

Boston, Japan, it doesn't matter: Manny Ramirez strikes a winning pose for the Boston Red Sox.

In the earliest major league opener, the Red Sox started their World Series title defense with a signature Manny moment.

Ramirez stood frozen in the batter's box, admiring his 10th- inning drive to center field off Huston Street, thinking it would be a three-run homer. Instead, the ball bounced off the wall for his second two-run double, good enough to lift the Red Sox over the Oakland Athletics 6-5 on Tuesday night in Tokyo.

Daisuke Matsuzaka excited fans at the start, and Ramirez at the finish.

Jose Canseco says in his new book that he introduced Alex Rodriguez to a steroids distributor and that A-Rod pursued Canseco's wife, according to the Web site of freelance writer Joe Lavin.

Lavin says on the Web site that he obtained the book, "Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and The Battle to Save Baseball," on Monday from a bookstore in Cambridge, Mass. The book will be out April 1.

Jim Leyritz is being sued in Broward County for wrongful death in connection with a fatal traffic accident in December.

The lawsuit asking for at least $15,000 in damages was filed Tuesday by the family of 30-year-old Fredia Ann Veitch. Leyritz, a former Yankee, has previously pleaded not guilty to DUI manslaughter charges stemming from the Dec. 28 accident.

Football: Broncos' WR could miss four months

Brandon Marshall could miss up to four months of offseason preparations after slicing his right forearm in a freak accident.

The Denver Broncos made their first public comments Tuesday on their star receiver's injury. After initially downplaying the injury that required surgery, Marshall has acknowledged it was the result of horseplay with family members and a misplaced fast-food bag. He said he slipped on the bag Saturday while wrestling with family members at a Florida resort.

In a statement, Broncos head athletic trainer Steve Antonopulos confirmed reports Marshall "sustained right forearm lacerations to one artery, one vein, one nerve, two tendons and three muscles."

South Carolina's StephenGarcia has been suspended from the team after being ticketed for underage drinking in his third run-in with police in about a year.

Athletic department spokesman Steve Fink says the Gamecocks' quarterback will not be allowed to practice or meet with the team until August 15.

NBA: Gooden scores season-high 31 for Bulls

Drew Gooden scored a season-high 31 points and matched a season best with 16 rebounds Tuesday night as the Chicago Bulls held on in the fourth quarter for a 103-94 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Commissioner David Stern and three NBA owners believe Oklahoma City should be the future home of the Seattle SuperSonics. To make his relocation request a reality, Sonics owner Clay Bennett now needs to win over at least 13 more of his peers.

After a tour of the Ford Center and a presentation from Oklahoma City and state officials, Stern said Tuesday a subcommittee of three NBA owners would suggest approval of the Sonics' move by the rest of the league.

Chris Webber is ending his comeback attempt with the Golden State Warriors and will retire after 15 NBA seasons.

Warriors spokesman Raymond Ridder says Webber will make the announcement at a news conference today. The news was first reported by ESPN.com.

From staff and wire reports