Torre, La Russa and Cox elected to Hall of Fame
Baseball: With a combined eight World Series titles and more than 7,500 wins, the managerial trio of Joe Torre, Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox has officially made it to Cooperstown in results announced Monday. Each was unanimously selected when the 16 voters on the expansion era committee met a day earlier.
All three exceeded the magic benchmark of 2,000 wins – only Connie Mack and John McGraw have won more.
Torre became the fifth manager to win four World Series championships, leading the Yankees to titles in 1996 and from 1998-2000 – beating Cox’s Braves twice. After making only one trip to the playoffs in 14 seasons with the New York Mets, St. Louis and Atlanta, Torre guided the Yankees to the postseason in all 12 of his years in New York.
Torre, the seventh Yankees manager to be elected to the Hall, finished his career by leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to two N.L. West titles in three seasons, retiring after 2010 with a record of 2,326-1,997. He’s the only manager to have more than 2,000 hits as a player – he was the 1971 N.L. MVP – and 2,000 wins in the dugout.
The savvy La Russa won World Series titles with Oakland in 1989 and with St. Louis in 2006 and ‘11, retiring days after beating the Texas Rangers in a seven-game thriller. Of the nine managers with three or more World Series titles, the other seven all have been inducted.
La Russa began his career with the Chicago White Sox in 1979 and finished with the third-most wins by a manager with a record of 2,728-2,365.
Cox’s managerial career began in 1978 with Atlanta, but he was fired after four seasons – only one above .500. Following a four-year run in Toronto that ended in 1985 with an A.L. East title, Ted Turner lured him back to the Braves as their GM. Cox returned to the dugout in 1990, and after one losing season he led the Braves to 14 straight division titles and a World Series championship in 1995.
He retired in 2010, fourth behind La Russa in career wins with a record of 2,504-2,001. Cox was ejected a major league record 159 times.
Candidates needed 12 votes for election. No one else on the 12-person ballot that included former players’ union head Marvin Miller and late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner got more than six votes.
Induction ceremonies will be July 27 in Cooperstown, N.Y.
• Mets finalize deal with Granderson: The New York Mets have completed a four-year, $60 million deal with outfielder Curtis Granderson.
Granderson hit .229 with seven homers and 15 RBIs this past season for the Yankees, when wrist and hand injuries limited him to 61 games.
Walker, Bobcats spoil Curry’s return home
NBA: Kemba Walker scored 27 of his 31 points in the second half, and the Bobcats ruined Stephen Curry’s homecoming with a wire-to-wire 115-111 win over the Golden State Warriors in Charlotte, N.C.
Curry, a Charlotte native who burst on the national scene while playing at nearby Davidson College, overcame a slow start to finish with a season-high 43 points, 32 of those coming in the second half.
• Nuggets edge Wizards: Wilson Chandler scored 17 points, Nate Robinson added 16, and Kenneth Faried had a key block and transition dunk with 33 seconds left to lift Denver past Washington, 75-74.
Robinson helped the Denver reserves outscore their depleted Washington counterparts 34-5. • Aldridge leads Portland past Utah: LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 points and Damian Lillard added 17 to propel the Portland Trail Blazers to a 105-94 victory over the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.
• Kings acquire Gay: The Raptors and Kings officially announced a seven-player deal, sending Rudy Gay to the Kings. Toronto received Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons and Chuck Hayes. The Kings also got Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy.
• Grizzlies’ Pondexter sidelined: Memphis Grizzlies guard/forward Quincy Pondexter has a stress fracture in his right foot that will keep him out indefinitely.
Senators net first SO win of season
NHL: Jason Spezza scored the winning goal in the shootout to lift the Senators over the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 in Ottawa, Ontario, for their first shootout win in five tries.
Clarke MacArthur had two regulation goals for the Senators, and Patrick Wiercioch and Kyle Turris also scored.
• Penguins hold off Blue Jackets: Evgeni Malkin scored in his return from a two-game absence due to a lower-body injury and Sidney Crosby added his 16th goal of the season as Pittsburgh beat the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 32 shots for the Penguins.
• Penguins place Orpik on IR; Neal suspended: The Penguins placed defenseman Brooks Orpik on injured reserve with a concussion.
Orpik was knocked unconscious by Boston’s Shawn Thornton in the first period of a Bruins’ win on Saturday night. Orpik left the ice on a stretcher after Thornton grabbed him from behind, threw him to the ice and punched him.
• Also, Pittsburgh forward James Neal was suspended five games for kneeing Boston forward Brad Marchand during Boston’s win on Saturday night.
Marchand had fallen to the ice in the second period while trying to pass when Neal skated toward Marchand.
Neal’s left knee connected with the side of Marchand’s head as Marchand tried to get up. Neal received a 2-minute penalty for kneeing, but was allowed to return to the game.
South Carolina’s Clowney issued ticket
Miscellany: Troopers say South Carolina star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was ticketed for going 110 mph in a 70 mph zone on a South Carolina interstate.
Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. David Jones said Clowney was pulled over in a Chrysler 300 around 7:30 p.m. Saturday northbound on Interstate 77 in Fairfield County, about 25 miles north of Columbia.
Jones says Clowney was issued the ticket and allowed to drive away. It carries a $355 fine and six points, which are half the points needed to suspend a driver’s license.
Clowney, a junior expected to enter the NFL draft, was also named to the Associated Press All-Southeastern Conference team on Monday.
• Odom pleads no contest to DUI: Former NBA player Lamar Odom has pleaded no contest to a drunken driving charge in Los Angeles and accepted a sentence of three years’ probation and three months of alcohol abuse treatment.
Los Angeles city attorney’s spokesman Frank Mateljan said Odom entered the plea to one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence, stemming from an Aug. 30 arrest. In a deal with prosecutors, he was also ordered to pay $1,814 in fines and penalties.
• McCarron wins Unitas award: Alabama’s AJ McCarron has won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given to the top senior quarterback in college football.
McCarron completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,676 yards and 26 touchdowns for the No. 4 Crimson Tide (11-1).
• Pitts’ Donald wins Nagurski award: Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald has won the Bronko Nagurski award given to the nation’s top college defensive player.
The ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Donald averaged 2.2 tackles for loss per game while ranking 10th in forced fumbles and 13th in sacks per game.
• UFC heavyweight dead at 30: Nearly two weeks after suffering a heart attack, UFC fighter Shane Del Rosario has died. Del Rosario, 30, had been hospitalized in Newport Beach, Calif., since Nov. 26.
Doctors believe he had a congenital heart disorder.