Newsmakers

Apologized Atlanta pitching coach Roger McDowell issued an apology on Wednesday in response to a fan’s complaint that McDowell spewed homophobic comments, made crude sexual gestures and threatened to knock out his teeth with a bat before the Braves played San Francisco over the weekend.

Wounded Denver Broncos defensive end Jason Hunter was stabbed in Detroit and taken to a local hospital for treatment. His agent said the wound wasn’t life-threatening. Detroit Officer Dan Donakowski confirmed the 27-year-old Hunter was stabbed, but police didn’t have any additional information, including where the incident took place, who was responsible and Hunter’s condition.

Fired The Golden State Warriors parted ways with coach Keith Smart, the first major fallout this NBA offseason from a new ownership group that has promised sweeping changes to the perennial underachieving franchise. The Warriors went 36-46 under Smart, a 10-game improvement from the previous season but clearly not enough to appease owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber.

Retained The New York Knicks are bringing Chauncey Billups back for next season. The Knicks announced that they are keeping the veteran point guard, deciding his leadership outweighs the savings they would have earned by waiving him this week.

Dropped Louisville’s Rick Pitino will not coach Puerto Rico’s national team, citing scheduling conflicts in announcing his change of plans. He had agreed in December to coach Puerto Rico in a pre-Olympic qualifying tournament.

Named Monmouth and Gulfstream Park announcer Larry Collmus is the new voice of racing’s Triple Crown. Collmus will call the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes for NBC. He replaces Tom Durkin, who opted not to re-sign with the network, citing health concerns.