Refs getting leeway in calling elbows to head
It appears the penalty for accidentally elbowing an opponent above the shoulders in college basketball won’t be as costly next season.
The NCAA committees for men’s and women’s basketball rules want to give referees leeway in how they deal with those situations.
Pending approval by the Playing Rules Oversight Committee next month, referees who call an elbow to the head will be allowed to use a video monitor to determine the severity of the blow. If deemed inadvertent, the referee could call a player-control foul or even nothing.
Previously, a referee was required to call a flagrant-1 or flagrant-2. A flagrant-1 results in two free throws and possession for the offended team. A flagrant-2 adds an ejection of the offending player.
The rule was implemented in 2011-12 to protect players from head injuries.
Orioles place Gonzalez on DL, recall Burnett
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles placed Miguel Gonzalez on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a right thumb blister.
Gonzalez is 2-2 with a 4.58 ERA in six starts this season. The right-hander left his last start May 3 against the Angels after six innings because of a blister.
The Orioles pushed Gonzalez back from his scheduled start Thursday, hoping he would be ready Saturday. But the blister hasn’t healed enough to allow him to pitch.
The move is retroactive to May 3 and Orioles have off days Monday and Thursday, so Gonzalez will miss only one or two starts if he can come off the DL on May 19 to face Tampa Bay.
To fill out the 25-man roster, Baltimore recalled right-hander Alex Burnett from Triple-A Norfolk. Burnett was claimed by the Orioles on waivers from Toronto on April 12.
Burnett went 1-0 with a 0.96 ERA in six relief appearances with Norfolk. He was 4-4 out of the bullpen last year with Minnesota.
Ex-Saints CB Randall Gay arrested
BATON ROUGE, La. — Former New Orleans Saints cornerback Randall J. Gay was arrested early Thursday after he allegedly pushed two employees at a Baton Rouge bar and refused to leave the premises.
Baton Rouge Police Lt. Don Kelly said officers were called to The Bulldog at 1:45 a.m. to investigate a report of someone refusing to leave after being asked to do so.
Police had to escort Gay, 31, of Brusly, out of the bar and he resisted arrest, Kelly said.
Gay was booked with entering/remaining on premises after being forbidden, two counts of simple battery, resisting an officer and disturbing the peace by public intoxication. He was released from Parish Prison shortly before 7:15 a.m. after posting bail, according to The Advocate.
It was not immediately known whether Gay has an attorney.
Gay is a former LSU defensive back who played for New England and New Orleans, including the Saints’ 2009-10 Super Bowl championship team. The Saints released him in July 2011.
Predators goalie Rinne has hip surgery
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Predators goalie Pekka Rinne has had arthroscopic surgery on his left hip and will need approximately four months to recover.
General manager David Poile said Thursday that Rinne had surgery Wednesday to correct a situation team officials were aware of last year resulting from the wear and tear from playing goaltender.
Rinne tied for second in the NHL with 43 appearances in the lockout-shortened season, tied for fourth with 42 starts and ranked sixth in minutes played (2,443:46). The 6-foot-5, 204-pound Finn tied for the NHL-lead with five shutouts.
Poile says they hope Rinne is ready by training camp. The general manager says Tim Thomas had the operation and won the Vezina Trophy with the Bruins taking the Stanley Cup the following year.
Hofstra’s Galati ties mark with fifth perfecto
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Hofstra’s Olivia Galati tied an NCAA Division I record by pitching her fifth career perfect game, and the Pride beat James Madison 8-0 Thursday to advance to the Colonial Athletic Association championship.
Galati (36-10) struck out 10 and threw just 62 pitches in game shortened to six innings because of rain.
A senior from West Babylon, N.Y., she tied Fordham’s Jen Mineau (2009-12) for the Division I perfect game record. Galati also threw perfect games against George Mason in 2011, North Carolina-Wilmington in 2012, and Towson and James Madison earlier this year.
A right-hander who turns 22 next month, Galati leads the NCAA with 20 shutouts and 370 strikeouts this season.
From wire sources
