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Newsmakers

Fired Texas A&M fired Mike Sherman as football coach after the Aggies finished the regular season 6-6. Athletic Director Bill Byrne announced the move in a statement Thursday. Sherman was 25-25 in four seasons. He was hired at the end of the 2007 season, three days after Dennis Franchione resigned. Sherman’s only winning season came last year when the Aggies finished 9-4.

• Colorado State University President Tony Frank fired athletic director Paul Kowalczyk and replaced him with former Rams quarterback John C. “Jack” Graham.

Approved Moscow native Alex Bogomolov Jr. will play for Russia instead of the United States after the International Tennis Federation approved the switch – a decision the U.S. Tennis Association found disappointing. Bogomolov has represented the U.S. since turning professional in 2002 but has never played at senior level in the Davis Cup.

Revealed Driver Kurt Busch, fined $50,000 last week by NASCAR for verbally abusing a reporter, said he’s seeing a sports psychologist to address what he described as “personal issues.” Busch’s temper has long been documented, and his explosions on his in-car radio are notorious in NASCAR. He’s had other incidents with media members this season, and NASCAR cited a pattern of behavior in fining him last week.

Selected At NASCAR’s year-end luncheon in Las Vegas, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was named the circuit’s most popular driver for the ninth consecutive year. Earnhardt’s string of most-popular-driver awards is one shy of Bill Elliott’s record 10 straight titles.

Leaving One of the biggest names in IndyCar racing is leaving the series next season. Newman-Haas Racing, the team started by late actor Paul Newman, decided it will not compete in 2012. It’s the first time since 1982 Newman-Haas will not field an open-car team.

Retired Forward Mike Grier is retiring after a 14-season NHL career that featured stints with four teams, including two stops with the Buffalo Sabres. Selected by St. Louis in the ninth round of the 1993 draft, Grier broke into the NHL with Edmonton three years later.