Miller, Nelson among hoops Hall inductees
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — She was the first person he called after he got the call. And Cheryl Miller will be on stage to present her brother, Reggie, when he is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
It’s an honor that can only go to a previous inductee.
Reggie Miller will be honored on Friday night along with longtime coach Don Nelson, Nike co-founder Phil Knight and nine others in the biggest induction class in more than 50 years. The former Indiana Pacers star joins big sister Cheryl, a 1995 inductee who is 20 months his elder, to form the first brother-sister pair in the Springfield shrine.
“If you were going to tell me you would have two Hall of Famers from the same family, I probably would have looked at you like you were crazy,” Reggie Miller said Thursday after a ceremony in which the inductees were presented with their Hall of Fame blazers.
A five-time All-Star and 1996 Olympic gold medalist, Reggie Miller retired as the leading 3-point shooter in NBA history and one of the most clutch players in the history of the league. Beloved in Indiana, where he spent his entire 18-year career, he is remembered in New York with equal parts respect and revulsion for scoring eight points in 8.9 seconds to beat the Knicks in a 1995 playoff game.
Also on stage receiving their Hall of Fame jackets on Thursday were Don Nelson, the winningest coach in
NBA history, and Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Ralph Sampson, the only three-time college player of the year, and Jamaal Wilkes, who won two NCAA titles at and four in the NBA, are also among the honorees.
Also to be inducted are seven-time NBA All-Star Chet Walker; the All American Redheads, known as the female Harlem Globetrotters; two-time Olympic gold medalist Katrina McClain; former Soviet women’s coach Lidia Alexeeva, who was undefeated in 17 years of international play; the late Don Barksdale, the first black player on the U.S. Olympic team and in the NBA All-Star game; two-time NBA MVP Mel Daniels, and longtime NCAA referee Hank Nichols.
Judge considers NFLPA collusion lawsuit vs. NFL
MINNEAPOLIS — The federal judge who oversaw NFL labor matters for almost two decades is considering a collusion lawsuit brought by the NFL Players Association that accuses the league of collusion.
The players claim the NFL conspired to hold down salaries in 2010 with a secret salary cap.
An attorney for each side argued before U.S. District Judge David Doty on Thursday. Doty took the case under advisement, without promising when he’d decide but acknowledging he’s not in a rush.
“We’re not going to stop any games from being played or anything like that,” Doty said.
Last year, Doty issued a key ruling for the players in a dispute over $4 billion in television revenue they contended the league held to survive a long lockout. The claim was ultimately resolved as part of the new collective bargaining agreement reached last July in time to play the 2011 season.
Until the lockout, the 83-year-old Doty presided over the Reggie White settlement from 1993 — that class action paved the way for the modern system of unrestricted free agency. The White settlement served as the backbone for the previous CBA.
Cardinals, Washington agree to six-year deal
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals and inside linebacker Daryl Washington have agreed on a six-year contract.
The Cardinals had targeted the third-year pro throughout training camp as the next player to get a new deal. A second-round draft pick —47th overall — out of TCU in 2010, Washington led the team in tackles last season with 111.
Terms weren’t disclosed but the deal contains guaranteed money, a pay raise over the next two seasons with a team option bonus in 2014.
Washington, known for his extreme speed at a critical position in Arizona’s 3-4 scheme, had 16 tackles for loss last season, the most by an Arizona player since 1995. He was one of five players in the NFL in 2011 with at least five sacks and two interceptions.
NASCAR puts limit on Hendrick development
RICHMOND, Va. — NASCAR has passed a rule that will curb the ability of teams to set their cars up in a way that gives the driver easier rear steer.
A technical bulletin was issued by NASCAR on Thursday and goes into effect next week at Chicago, when the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship begins.
Drivers have alleged Hendrick Motorsports has made gains in the rear housing this season that has given its cars an aerodynamic advantage. NASCAR has maintained through the complaints that the Hendrick teams weren’t breaking any rules.
Starting next week, a size of a piece of rubber called bushings that is located near the rear mounting points will have to meet a new maximum size.
The bushings were being manipulated to have more give and allow drivers more control of their steering as they went through the turns.
NHL labor negotiations could resume soon
NEW YORK — While the NHL and the players’ association stay away from the negotiating table, discussions have taken place behind the scenes in an effort to restart talks as a lockout deadline looms.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and NHLPA special counsel Steve Fehr have discussed procedural details that could soon lead to a continuation of negotiations that broke off last week — perhaps as early as this week.
The current collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association expires on Sept. 15, and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has said he will impose a lockout then if a new deal hasn’t been reached.
“From our perspective, there has been a sense of urgency all summer,” Daly said in an email to The Associated Press, “but, obviously, it becomes more real as we get closer to September 15 with no meaningful progress being made.”
The first NHL preseason games are scheduled to begin Sept. 19, with the regular season slated to open on Oct. 11 with four games.
Hingis, Stich, Sukova nominated for tennis hall
NEWPORT, R.I. — Five-time major champion Martina Hingis, 1991 Wimbledon winner Michael Stich and doubles star Helena Sukova are among the nominees for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Hingis, the youngest woman to be ranked No. 1, retired for the second time in 2007, when she was given a two-year suspension for testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon. Hingis denied taking the drug but did not
appeal the ruling.
Others nominees for the hall’s class of 2013 announced Thursday are Thelma Coyne Long, a Grand Slam champion in the 1930s to 1950s, and three nominees in the contributor category: ESPN broadcaster Cliff Drysdale, Charlie Pasarell and Ion Tiriac.
Voting for the hall’s class of 2013 will take place over the next several months. The induction ceremony is July 13.
Newman signs 1-year extension with Stewart-Haas
RICHMOND, Va. — Ryan Newman has signed a contract extension with Stewart-Haas Racing for next season.
Newman is in the final year of the deal he signed in 2009. The extension is a one-year agreement, and he said Thursday he took a paycut just like almost every driver has of late.
SHR is searching for heavy sponsorship for next year. The U.S. Army said earlier this summer it’s not returning to NASCAR next season, and Office Depot said Sunday it won’t be back as co-primary of Tony Stewart’s car.
Newman says he’s not aware of any signed sponsors for next season on his No. 39 Chevrolet.
Newman is one of many drivers on the bubble of making the Chase for Sprint Cup championship heading into Saturday night’s race at Richmond.
From wire sources
