SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies knew they were taking to the practice field Tuesday to prepare for their matchup with the third-ranked LSU Tigers this weekend. Preparing for LSU, Huskies bring tiger to practice ADVERTISING SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies
Preparing for LSU, Huskies bring
tiger to practice
SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies knew they were taking to the practice field Tuesday to prepare for their matchup with the third-ranked LSU Tigers this weekend.
They didn’t expect to see a live tiger awaiting them.
Sheena, a 16-month-old Bengal tiger, was sitting in a cage right at the entrance to the Washington practice field as the players made their way in. Players had not been told beforehand about their furry guest.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Travis Feeney was one of many to be caught off guard by the giant cat.
“I had no idea,” he said. “It was pretty funny when I ran out … I was like ‘Oh! A tiger!’”
Washington contacted A Walk on the Wild Side, a private animal reserve in Canby, Ore., last week about the possibility of bringing the tiger in.
The idea was to help the Huskies prepare for LSU’s live mascot, Mike the Tiger VI.
“It’s cool,” center Drew Schaefer said. “The whole emphasis was just to get used to it now so that when we go down there, no one is surprised or caught off guard. Just eliminate distractions so then when we go down there we’re solely focused on the task at hand and coming out of there with a victory.”
Sheena weighs 300 pounds and is still not fully grown. The tiger watched portions of practice from her cage while playing with a pair of plastic buckets inside.
Reds activate Votto
off DL, not in lineup
CINCINNATI — The Reds activated first baseman Joey Votto off the disabled list on Tuesday, but will go easy with the first baseman until his left knee is back to normal.
Votto hadn’t played since July 15 because of damaged cartilage in the knee that required two operations. He had a rehab stint in Class A Dayton and Triple-A Louisville last week.
Votto wasn’t in the lineup for a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. The 2010 NL MVP said the knee is getting better, but he’s not ready to play every day.
“I think working me in slowly is the wise move,” Votto said. “It’s not 100 percent yet, but that will come in time.”
Manager Dusty Baker said Votto could start a day game Wednesday that concludes the series against Philadelphia. There was no hurry to get Votto back in the lineup — the Reds led the NL Central by 8½ games on Tuesday, the biggest lead in the majors.
Carpenter works simulated game
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter threw 50 pitches on Tuesday in a three-inning simulated game, taking another step in a bid to bolster the club’s NL wild card chances.
The 37-year-old right-hander underwent surgery in July to relieve nerve compression that resulted in numbness on much of the right side of his body in July, with the hope he could return for spring training. He upped the ante Tuesday, four days after working two innings in Washington.
“It was a good day,” Carpenter said. “Hopefully the next few days I’ll recover nicely and we’ll do it again.”
O’s Hammel expected to start Thursday
TORONTO — Baltimore Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel is expected to come off the 15-day disabled list Thursday to start the opener of an important four-game series against the New York Yankees.
Hammel had a successful bullpen session in Toronto on Tuesday. He hasn’t appeared in a major league game since July 13, when he left a start against Detroit with pain in his right knee. He underwent surgery the following week.
Hammel pitched five scoreless innings in a rehab start at Class-A Frederick last Saturday, his first live action following a pair of simulated games. The Orioles wanted to see how Hammel performed in his bullpen session before deciding whether to start him against the Yankees, who are tied with the Orioles atop the AL East standings entering today’s games.
Capital murder
charge in ex-Auburn players killing
OPELIKA, Ala. — A 22-year-old man has been indicted on capital murder charges in the killing of two former Auburn University football players and a third person at a pool party.
Court filings posted Tuesday also say a grand jury indicted Desmonte Leonard on one count of first-degree assault, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of second-degree assault. No trial date has been set.
Leonard is accused of opening fire with a .40-caliber pistol, killing the three and wounding three others at the party near the Auburn campus on June 9.
Former Auburn football players Edward Christian, who had quit the team because of a lingering back injury, and Ladarious Phillips were killed along with DeMario Pitts of Opelika. Wounded were current Auburn player Eric Mack and two Roanoke men, Xavier Moss and John Robertson.
Phillips was transferring to Jacksonville State. Mack did not play in Auburn’s season opening loss to Clemson last Saturday.
Ex-Griz RB Donaldson makes deal in rape case
MISSOULA, Mont. — Former University of Montana running back Beau Donaldson plans to plead guilty to sexual intercourse without consent after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors, his attorney said Tuesday.
Defense attorney Milt Datsopolous’ announcement followed a court hearing in which he and prosecutors confirmed the plea deal.
Prosecutors said Donaldson raped a female acquaintance while she slept on his couch after drinking alcohol at a party in September 2010. Court records say he acknowledged the assault during a monitored telephone conversation in December.
Donaldson was charged in January and had been scheduled to go on trial later this month. Datsopolous said Donaldson instead will plead guilty at a Sept. 11 court hearing.
The sexual intercourse without consent charge carries a penalty of two years to life in prison. Assistant County Attorney Shaun Donovan said he will seek prison time for Donaldson when he is sentenced in November.
Rivera optimistic
RB Stewart will
play in opener
CHARLOTTE, N.C. —Panthers coach Ron Rivera said he’s optimistic running back Jonathan Stewart will play Sunday in the season opener at Tampa Bay.
Stewart sprained his right ankle in the team’s third preseason game Aug, 26 and hasn’t practiced since.
Although he was held out of practice, Rivera said Stewart “moved around very nicely” during a private workout Monday. Rivera said that’s a “very encouraging sign” and he’s hopeful Stewart will return to practice Wednesday when the team continues this week’s game preparation in Bradenton, Fla.
The Panthers were scheduled to fly out of Charlotte Tuesday to avoid scheduling conflicts with the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.
Wide receiver Steve Smith (foot infection) and Jon Beason (hamstring) both participated in practice.
Penn State reports almost $17M in Sandusky costs
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Penn State’s costs for legal fees, consultants and public relations firms hired to help deal with the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal have reached nearly $17 million, the university said in an online report that it updates regularly.
The university said it has spent almost $16.8 million through June 30. Nearly $10 million of that went to seven firms for what Penn State calls internal investigation and crisis communications, including a report by former FBI director Louis Freeh, who led the school’s internal investigation in the scandal and said that former coach Joe Paterno and three former school officials concealed allegations against Sandusky. Those conclusions are firmly denied by the Paterno family and the officials.
Nearly $4 million went for university legal services and defense, plus $1.6 million for the legal defense of the three former officials, former university Athletic Director Timothy Curley, former university vice president Gary Schultz and former president Graham Spanier.
By wire sources
