Fast Break
Baseball
M’s opening day goes to Bedard
Erik Bedard will be the Seattle Mariners’ opening day starter instead of Felix Hernandez.
Bedard doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about.
“I don’t know why everybody makes a big deal out of it,” the newly acquired left-handed ace said Wednesday.
Manager John McLaren told Hernandez Tuesday, and the 21-year-old was “great” with losing his top status, McLaren said.
“I just think (Bedard has) more experience,” McLaren said. “Basically, that’s the main reason why.”
College basketball
Sampson in more trouble with NCAA
Indiana basketball coach Kelvin Sampson could be fired if allegations of recent NCAA violations at the school are determined to be true.
The NCAA, quite simply, has branded Sampson a cheat and a liar. That’s essentially what the 14-page “Notice of Allegations” the organization has sent to the school means. More specifically, that notice claims he violated recruiting restrictions imposed on him for his previous involvement in violations at Oklahoma and then denied doing that. In all, it cites five major violations.
Athletic director Rick Greenspan indicated Sampson’s future is tenuous.
“I expect him to coach tonight. I expect him to coach for the foreseeable future,” he said before the Hoosiers hosted Wisconsin.
“I’ll let you editorialize as to what ‘foreseeable future’ means. But we have work to do, which is expected of us. We are not going to rush to judgment.”
Indiana has until May 8 to provide a written response to the report.
NFL
Zorn steals another Seahawk
Stump Mitchell followed Jim Zorn to the Washington Redskins, joining the team as running backs coach.
Mitchell, the Seattle Seahawks’ running back coach since 1999, will also have the title of assistant head coach with the Redskins. He and Zorn worked together on Seattle’s staff from 2001 through last season.
Seattle coach Mike Holmgren, who will finish his final season with the team in 2008, has lost Mitchell, quarterbacks coach Zorn, offensive line coach Bill Laveroni, offensive quality control coach Gary Reynolds and special assistant Ray Rhodes – all in the last month.