Fast Break
Baseball
Lewis-Clark State wins 16th Series
Brian Ward collected three hits and drove in two run and Kyle Greene and Sean Halton each contributed two hits and two RBIs as the Lewis-Clark State College Warriors defeated Lee University 8-3 Friday night to win their third consecutive NAIA World Series before 5,530 fans in Lewiston.
The title is the 16th for LCSC, all under coach Ed Cheff.
The Warriors (58-7), which lost to the Flames (63-10) earlier in the series, defeated them on consecutive nights to claim the title.
Greene, from Lewiston, was chosen as the NAIA Player of Year. Ward was the tournament MVP.
Olympics
More money for Russian winners
Russia’s 10 wealthiest tycoons have donated $12 million to a fund that pays bonuses to Russian athletes who win medals at the Beijing Olympics.
Gold, silver and bronze medalists already receive $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000, respectively, from the government. The additional amount each medalist will receive hasn’t been determined, Alexander Katushev of the Fund to Support Olympians said.
The tycoons participating include Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and Vagit Alekperov, owner of Lukoil, Russia’s second-largest oil producer.
The fund paid out about $5 million to Russian medalists during the 2006 Turin Olympics. It was established in 2005 to boost Russia’s performance in the Olympics and world championships.
NFL
Buccaneers keep Stevens
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed tight end Jerramy Stevens and released backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski.
Stevens, who signed with the Bucs in April 2007 after spending his first five NFL seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, had 18 receptions for 189 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games last season. The former University of Washington tight end has been arrested several times for reckless driving and driving while intoxicated.
Gradkowski was a sixth-round draft choice in 2006 out of Toledo. He started 11 games as a rookie after Chris Simms was lost to a season-ending spleen injury, throwing for 1,661 yards, nine TDs and nine interceptions.