Body pulled from river may be Nelson’s father

Authorities pulled a body from the Delaware River on Saturday and there is a “strong likelihood” it is the missing father of Orlando Magic star Jameer Nelson, police said.

Floyd “Pete” Nelson, 57, an employee at a tugboat company, was last seen Thursday working in a dry dock area in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester, Pa. Divers and trained dogs searched the river all day Friday but the search was suspended around 4 p.m.

Police in Delaware said a boater called 911 on Saturday after spotting the body of a black male floating in the river near Fox Point Park in Wilmington. The body was recovered around 2 p.m.

There was a “strong likelihood” that the body was Floyd Nelson’s, but police were unable to confirm it, said Delaware State Police spokesman Sgt. Joshua A. Bushweller.

Floyd Nelson’s lunch and car keys were found in the tug’s kitchen area, and his car was nearby, according to Chester police. Nelson, a welder, has worked for the tub boat company for about a decade.

Jameer Nelson was a basketball standout at Chester High School and Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He was a first-round draft pick in the 2004 NBA draft and is the starting point guard for the Magic.

Baseball

Ducks turn to Horton

Oregon announced that it has hired former Cal State Fullerton coach George Horton to restart its varsity baseball program.

Horton has coached the Titans for the past 11 seasons, and has taken the team to the College World Series six times.

His team won the national title in 2004, and he twice has been named national coach of the year.

“To see what he has built and accomplished at Cal State Fullerton is incredible,” Oregon athletic director Pat Kilkenny said.

Oregon has not fielded a team in 26 years and is the only Pac-10 school without one. The school announced two months ago that it would revive baseball, drop wrestling and add competitive cheer.

Gymnastics

China takes early lead

With Catalina Ponor leading the way, Romania proved itself a contender after the first day of qualifying at the women’s gymnastics world championships in Stuttgart, Germany.

The defending Olympic gold medalists finished only 1.3 points behind China, which led with 241.175 points after the first day of qualifying. The United States and Russia each compete today.

Romania was trailing badly heading into its closing event on beam. While other countries hold their breath to get through it, the Romanians attack. They had three of the day’s four top scores on that event, and Ponor’s execution mark of 9.45 was unrivaled.

Miscellany

Fernandes wins title

Vanessa Fernandes of Portugal won her first triathlon world title in Hamburg, Germany, establishing herself as the favorite for next year’s Beijing Olympics.

Fernandes, who already has won 17 World Cups, finished in 1 hour, 53 minutes, 27 seconds. Defending champion Emma Snowsill of Australia was second in 1:54:31, followed by Laura Bennett of the United States in 1:54:37.

•Lawyer Ron pulled away in the stretch and won the $500,000 Woodward Stakes by 8 1/4 lengths at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., moving to the top of the handicap division.

“I think he’s arguably one of the top older horses in training,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said.

Lawyer Ron added the Grade 1 Woodward to his win in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap on July 28, a race in which the 4-year-old colt earned an automatic spot in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Monmouth Park on Oct. 27.