Newsmakers

Sentenced A few hours after he was arrested last December for an altercation with a Cincinnati cab driver, Mississippi basketball coach Andy Kennedy went on the offensive. He vehemently denied the “heinous accusations” that he punched and taunted the driver. He insisted he would be exonerated. He had a persuasive talk with the Ole Miss athletics director, who publicly took his side. Four months later, Kennedy is taking blame and apologizing. The 41-year-old coach avoided jail time on Monday by pleading guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct in Hamilton County Municipal Court. He was sentenced to 40 hours of community service and probation.

Writing Southern California football coach Pete Carroll will author a book called “Win Forever,” due out next spring. The book will include previously untold details and anecdotes about USC football, as well as Carroll’s advice for building teams that stick together and consistently outperform expectations. Carroll will donate a portion of the proceeds to A Better LA, a nonprofit organization that focuses on reducing gang violence in the city.

Named Coaches Phill Drobnick (men) and Wally Henry (women) will lead the U.S. curling teams at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The U.S. Olympic Committee’s board of directors must approve the nominations.

Signed The New York Mets signed outfielder Wily Mo Pena to a minor league contract. The 27-year-old will report to extended spring training in Port St. Luice, Fla., before joining Triple-A Buffalo. Pena is a career .253 hitter.