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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Newsmakers

Died Former National League batting champion Matty Alou, the middle brother in one of baseball’s greatest playing families, died Thursday in the Dominican Republic. He was 72. His former team in the Dominican, Leones del Escogido, said he died of complications from diabetes. A speedy 5-foot-9, 160-pound center fielder, Alou was a lifetime .307 hitter who had 1,777 hits over 15 seasons with six teams.

Suspended Buffalo Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta was suspended four games by the NHL for a head-butt. League disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan ruled Kaleta’s hit to be illegal after holding a hearing with the player and reviewing the hit, which occurred 5 minutes into a 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night. Kaleta was battling for the puck along the boards in the Sabres zone, when he lunged head-first into a crowd of players with the crown of his helmet striking Philadelphia’s Jakub Voracek in the chest and face.

Signed The Nashville Predators signed goaltender Pekka Rinne to a seven-year, $49 million contract, and now they are turning their attention to his defense. The Predators are trying to keep defensemen Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, who along with Rinne would form the core of the team.

Chosen The Chicago Fire picked Frank Klopas as head coach, five months after he got the job on an interim basis when the Major League Soccer club got off to a bad start. Klopas, the 45-year-old team technical director, added on-field responsibilities in late May after a 1-4-6 start led to the firing of coach Carlos de los Cobos.

Injured Super-G world champion Christof Innerhofer of Italy has crashed during training and injured his head and left knee. The Italian winter sports federation says scans showed cranial trauma but no further head damage, and that Innerhofer did not lose consciousness. His knee was bruised and twisted.

Sentenced A British judge sent three Pakistan cricketers and an agent to prison for their involvement in one of the biggest fixing scandals to tarnish the sport. Former captain Salman Butt received 21/2 years, the longest term of the three players. Mohammad Asif was sentenced to 1 year, while 19-year-old Mohammad Amir will serve six months.