Sports in brief: No place like home for AT&T leader Marino
Steve Marino used to consider it a treat the few times he played Congressional as a teenager. It was a thrill on Thursday to play bogey-free in the first round of the AT&T National and shoot 5-under-par 65 for a one-shot lead in Bethesda, Md.
Marino, who grew up a half-hour away in Fairfax, Va., birdied three of his opening four holes, never had a par putt longer than 5 feet and finished off his round with an 8-foot birdie to be in the lead after any round for only the second time in his career.
Hockey
In with Naslund, out with Jagr
It was ‘C’ you later time in the NHL from coast to coast.
On Day 3 of the league’s free agency season, two team captains jumped ship while another lost his job basically because of indecision.
Markus Naslund, the longtime captain of the Vancouver Canucks, left the Pacific Northwest club he’d spent 12 seasons with and agreed to terms with the New York Rangers on a two-year, $8 million deal.
In making the announcement of the big deal, Rangers general manager Glen Sather also revealed that captain Jaromir Jagr probably wouldn’t be back in New York. After waiting for serious negotiations to begin with Jagr’s side, Sather grew impatient and went in another direction and landed Naslund.
Rob Blake wrapped up his second stint with the Los Angeles Kings, turned in his ‘C’ and moved up the Pacific Coast to the San Jose Sharks – agreeing to a one-year-deal worth $5 million.
Olympics
Hamm cleared for gymnastics
Olympic gold medalist Paul Hamm tumbled on floor and did some work on pommel horse and high bar after an X-ray showed the broken bone in his right hand had healed enough to withstand doing gymnastics again. He has a little more than five weeks to get ready for the Beijing Games.
“Former Olympic champion triple jumper Tereza Marinova of Bulgaria retired weeks before the Beijing Games because of an Achilles tendon injury that worsened the past six months.
Miscellany
Montgomery pleads guilty
Former track star Tim Montgomery, once dubbed “the world’s fastest man,” pleaded guilty in Norfolk, Va., to distributing heroin, averting a trial set for next week. The Olympic gold medalist and former 100-meter world-record holder was arrested in April and has been held without bond after a judge declared him a flight risk and a danger to the community.
Montgomery, 33, was sentenced in May to nearly four years in prison for his role in a New York-based check-kiting conspiracy.
“Defensive tackle Kyle Williams signed a three-year contract extension with the Buffalo Bills on potentially worth $14.4 million.
“Southeast Missouri will not appeal NCAA sanctions calling for the forfeiture of 44 women’s basketball victories as well as placing the women’s and men’s programs on two years of probation.