In brief: De La Hoya announces he’ll no longer fight
Oscar De La Hoya stopped battling himself Tuesday, deciding after much internal turmoil to retire and end a career in which he won 10 world titles in six divisions and became boxing’s most popular fighter.
He made his announcement at an outdoor plaza across the street from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where a 7-foot bronze statue of the 36-year-old Golden Boy stands.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s over,” the East Los Angeles native said.
De La Hoya retired four months after he was thoroughly beaten by Manny Pacquiao, his fourth loss in his last seven fights. He has not defeated a formidable opponent since Fernando Vargas in 2002. Age and diminished skills led to losses in recent years to Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
He won his last title in May 2006, beating Ricardo Mayorga in six rounds for the WBC 154-pound belt. He finished with a record of 39-6 and 30 knockouts.
NFL
Seahawks snubbed
After one losing season, the Seahawks are suddenly not-ready-for-prime-time players.
The NFL schedule announced has Seattle opening the season at home for only the third time since 2000 – against St. Louis. It has the Seahawks on the road for three consecutive games for the third time in team history. And it has them without a game scheduled for prime-time, national television for the first time in 26 years.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys will open their new $1.1 billion stadium in a nationally televised Sunday night game against the New York Giants on Sept. 20.
The always-popular Cowboys lead all teams with six scheduled nationally televised games.
•Plea deal for Henry: Former NFL player Travis Henry has signed a plea deal with prosecutors in Billings, Mont., in which he admits to a single cocaine conspiracy charge in exchange for two other charges being dropped.
Under a plea deal, the 30-year-old Henry will admit to conspiracy to possess at least 11 pounds of cocaine with intent to distribute. He faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, $4 million fine and at least five years of supervised release.
NBA
Lakers whip Jazz
Andrew Bynum scored 22 points and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 125-112 to close the regular season with their sixth straight win at home.
The Lakers tied the 1986-87 team with their 65th win, making them the third-winningest team in franchise history, trailing only the 1971-72 team (69) and 1999-00 team (67).
•Pierce lifts Celtics: The 76ers might be in big trouble in a playoff series with Boston if Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are back.
Paul Pierce hit the winning jumper, scored 31 points and hindered Philadelphia’s shot at the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed in Boston’s 100-98 win over the Sixers in Philadelphia.
Garnett missed the game to rest his strained knee and Allen served a one-game suspension for elbowing Cavs forward Anderson Varejao in the groin.
•Hawks edge Heat: Flip Murray scored 17 points to lead the Atlanta Hawks reserves past the Miami Heat scrubs 81-79 in Atlanta in a playoff preview that was more like a preseason game.
With both teams locked into their postseason position – they’ll play Game 1 in Atlanta this weekend – there was little incentive for either to give significant minutes to top players. They didn’t.
NHL
Islanders win lottery
The New York Islanders have won the NHL draft lottery and will have the first overall pick. The Islanders finished 30th overall this season and had the best odds of landing the No. 1 pick. Their choice this year will likely be between two highly touted prospects: North American center John Tavares and Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman.
•Draper sidelined: Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock says forward Kris Draper will miss Games 1 and 2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Draper, who has an upper-body injury, did not play in the last two games of the regular season.
Miscellany
France will step down
Jim France, son of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., will step down June 1 as head of the largest operator of NASCAR tracks.
Lesa France Kennedy, granddaughter of NASCAR’s founder and older sister to current NASCAR chairman Brian France, will move from president to chief executive officer of International Speedway Corp.
•Castroneves’ jury has questions: Federal jurors in the Miami tax evasion trial of Brazilian race car driver Helio Castroneves have asked more questions about the laws at the heart of the case.
Jurors are grappling with whether Castroneves owned or stood to benefit from a shell corporation in Panama. They are trying to determine if he avoided possible tax liability when his lawyer asked Penske Racing to indefinitely postpone paying his $5 million licensing contract in 1999.
•Missouri erred: University of Missouri officials failed to follow policies for medical emergencies when freshman linebacker Aaron O’Neal collapsed and later died during a 2005 summer workout, according to legal documents.
The university agreed in March to pay $2 million to O’Neal’s parents to settle a lawsuit.
•Erving watches daughter: Julius Erving watched his daughter Alexandra Stevenson play tennis for the first time in a 6-2, 6-4 first-round loss to Uzbekistan’s Akul Amanmuradova at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C.
It’s been a decade since the 28-year-old Stevenson learned that Erving was her father. “We were never in a bad place, I just didn’t know him,” Stevenson said.
•Evidence against Montero lacking: The King County prosecutor’s office said there is insufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Seattle Sounders FC star Fredy Montero. A woman had accused him of raping her twice.