Sports briefs

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), May 1, 2008

AST Dew Tour announces schedule

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Free Flow Tour, the AST Dew Tour's official amateur series, will open May 17 in Rye, N.H., and conclude with the finals Sept. 11-14 in Salt Lake City at the professional circuit's Toyota Challenge.

The Free Flow Tour will include 29 skate competitions (five skate vert and 16 skate park) and 20 BMX competitions (four BMX vert and 16 BMX park) at 28 parks across the United States. The top skate and BMX finishers at each of the 49 competitions will compete in the finals in Salt Lake City.

The two overall skate and BMX park champions and the two overall skate and BMX vert champions will earn wild-card spots to compete against the pros at the Dew Tour's season-ending PlayStation Pro on Oct. 16-19 in Orlando, Fla.

Each competition is open to male and female amateurs 18 and under for skate and 21 and under for BMX.

Catcher suspended for failing drug test

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- San Francisco Giants minor league catcher Eliezer Alfonzo was suspended 50 games Wednesday for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, the first player penalized this year under Major League Baseball's drug program.

Alfonzo is on San Francisco's 40-man roster so he falls under the major league program even though he has played all season at Triple- A Fresno.

"I made a mistake, and I want to apologize to my family, my teammates, the fans and the Giants organization," Alfonzo said in a statement released by the team. "I know what I did was wrong, and now I will pay the penalty. As a father, I now have to look my children in the eye and explain to them that I have made a big mistake, one, unfortunately, that they are also going to have to deal with, as well as me."

The 29-year-old Venezuelan was optioned to Fresno just before opening day and is batting .306 with three homers and 14 RBIs in 16 games. The suspension will start Thursday, and Alfonzo will be eligible to return to play June 27, assuming there are no postponements.

He played 113 games with the Giants in the 2006 and 2007 seasons, batting .263 with 13 homers and 45 RBIs.

Omaha, NCAA reach CWS deal

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- The College World Series will be played in Omaha at least through 2030, under an agreement the city and NCAA reached Wednesday.

A long-term contract has been in the works for months, with much of the discussion centered on the construction of a new downtown ballpark to replace 60-year-old Rosenblatt Stadium.

Plans for a stadium adjacent to the Qwest Center have been moving forward for weeks, and Wednesday's "memorandum of understanding" promises a commitment of at least 20 years once the current contract expires in 2010.

"It's a huge day," Mayor Mike Fahey said. "We've been working very hard to get to this day."

The Division I baseball championship has been held in Omaha every year since 1950. Omaha's strong support for the event is a point of civic pride.

The CWS also is good for business, injecting an estimated $41 million into Omaha's economy during last year's 10-day run. The early summer tradition also gives the city national exposure on ESPN, which advertises its coverage as the "Road to Omaha" in the weeks leading to the CWS.

Outfielder Wilkerson cut by Mariners

SEATTLE (AP) -- Right fielder Brad Wilkerson and pinch-hitter Greg Norton were cut Wednesday by the Seattle Mariners, who promoted catching prospect Jeff Clement and power-hitting outfielder Wladimir Balentien from Triple-A Tacoma.

Following Tuesday night's 7-2 win over Cleveland, Mariners manager John McLaren suggested changes were imminent.

"It was time," he said before Wednesday night's game. "We haven't had much going. We felt it was time to bring new blood in. I'm anxious to see these kids play."

Wilkerson signed a $3 million, one-year contract and was batting .232 with five RBIs in 19 games. He had been sidelined by a hamstring injury, but started in right field Tuesday, going 3-for-3 with a walk.

"We had already made our decision," McLaren said when asked if Wilkerson's hot night created any second thoughts about the move.

Norton, who made $550,000, was 7-for-16 (.438) in six games. The team has 10 days to trade Wilkerson and Norton, release them or assign them outright to the minor leagues.

The 23-year-old Balentien hit three home runs Monday night for Tacoma, his second game back after missing more than a week with a bruised left knee.

Finalists announced for NHL's Adams Award

TORONTO (AP) -- Bruce Boudreau, who took over in November and led the Washington Capitals to a division title, was selected one of the finalists for the Jack Adams Award, given to NHL's coach of the year.

Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings and Guy Carbonneau of the Montreal Canadiens were the other finalists Wednesday.

Boudreau took over for the fired Glen Hanlon on Nov. 22 when the Capitals were last in the Eastern Conference with a 6-14-1 record. The Capitals, who were 37-17-7 under Boudreau, closed the season with seven straight victories to win Southeast Division.

Carbonneau, in his second season, led the Canadiens to their first 45-win and 100-point season in 15 years, first division title in 17 years, first Eastern Conference title in 19 years and best road record (25-12-4) in 29 years.