Auto racing : Yates team pulls Rudd out of retirement
Robert Yates is bringing Ricky Rudd out of retirement to keep his sinking race team afloat, signing him Thursday to drive the full Nextel Cup schedule in 2007.
Masterfoods USA will sponsor the car, with its Snickers brand as the primary paint scheme. The car number has yet to be determined.
Yates’ flagship No. 88 Ford is open, but Rudd spent three successful years with the team driving the No. 28 Ford – a number not currently in use. Rudd won three races and finished fourth in the 2001 standings while driving the No. 28.
Rudd left Yates on somewhat acrimonious terms after the 2002 season to drive for the Wood Brothers, and left racing altogether following the 2005 season. It ended his NASCAR record of 789 consecutive Cup starts.
Football
McCoy cleared to play
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was cleared to play in the Alamo Bowl.
McCoy’s status was in doubt after he severely pinched a nerve in his neck in the final minute of a 12-7 loss to Texas A&M on Nov. 24.
“Drew Weatherford will start at quarterback for Florida State against UCLA in the Emerald Bowl, coach Bobby Bowden said.
Skiing
Schild wins slalom
Austrian skier Marlies Schild won her third straight slalom in Val d’Isere, France, to take over the lead in the overall World Cup standings.
Schild won in 1 minute, 46.15 seconds on the Oreiller-Killy course. Annemarie Gerg of Germany was second in 1:46.36.
“Aksel Lund Svindal won a men’s giant slalom to reclaim the overall World Cup lead from Bode Miller in Hinterstoder, Austria. Svindal won in a combined time of 2 minutes, 25.63 seconds.
Miscellany
FBI investigates lawyer
A lawyer who worked for BALCO founder Victor Conte is being investigated by the FBI as the source of leaked federal grand jury testimony in the steroids case, according to a Yahoo.com report.
Private investigator Larry McCormack, who worked for Conte in the early stages of the BALCO case, told the FBI that defense lawyer Troy Ellerman gave the confidential information to a San Francisco Chronicle reporter in 2004, Yahoo.com reported.
“The father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams is liable but doesn’t have to pay damages in a lawsuit that claimed he reneged on a deal for his daughters to play in an exhibition match.
“California center DeVon Hardin will miss eight to 12 weeks with a stress fracture in his left foot, sidelining the Golden Bears’ best post player for most of the Pac-10 season.
“A pharmaceutical company in Jena, Germany, agreed to pay 184 athletes from the former East Germany compensation of $11,200 apiece for health problems caused by the state’s doping program.