October 12, 2008
Newman to leave Penske at end of season
Ryan Newman, projected as a possible teammate for Tony Stewart on the two-time NASCAR champion's new team, will leave Penske Racing at the end of this season.
The Penske team announced Newman's impending departure in a release yesterday.
In a statement, Newman, 30, gave no indication where he will be racing in 2009. He has been with the Penske team since making his Sprint Cup debut in 2000. He got a full-time Cup ride in 2002 and has notched 13 victories, including this year's Daytona 500.
Stewart said he will leave Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of 2008 to become driver and part-owner of the team that will be known as Stewart-Haas.
• NBAFormer referee Tim Donaghy made more than 100 phone calls to a fellow official during the time he was providing information to gamblers, Fox News reported. Citing court documents and phone records it obtained, the cable network reported that Donaghy placed 134 calls to referee Scott Foster between October 2006 and April 2007, the period during which he has confessed to betting on games or passing on game information to gamblers. It's not known what information was exchanged during the calls. Donaghy is awaiting sentencing this month in federal court. The NBA dismissed the report. Foster declined to comment. ... The Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose, the No.1 pick in last month's draft, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving more than 40 mph over the speed limit on an Illinois highway in April. He was fined $1,000 and ordered to attend traffic school.
•OlympicsJavelin thrower Breaux Greer, an eight-time U.S. champion who didn't qualify at the trials, made the U.S. track and field team. USA Track & Field placed him on the team, citing a rule that allows an injured athlete who did not reach the finals at the trials to join the team as long as another athlete is not displaced. Greer hurt his shoulder at last year's world championships and hadn't thrown in competition until the Olympic trials. ... USA Boxing's judicial committee upheld the organization's decision to ban light flyweight and two-time U.S. champion Luis Yanez from the Olympic team. He is expected to appeal.
• NHL Ted Nolan's return to coaching ended after two years when he split with the New York Islanders over "philosophical differences" with general manager Garth Snow. After reaching the playoffs under Nolan in 2007, the Islanders finished 35-38-9 last season. ... The Dallas Stars rewarded coach Dave Tippett for a trip to the Western Conference finals by adding two years to his deal, keeping him under contract through the 2010-11 season.
•Horse racingThe Kentucky Horse Racing Commission voted to limit the length of toe grabs on horses' front hooves, a move experts say could save horses from injury. ... Luke Kruytbosch, track announcer for the Kentucky Derby for the past 10 years, was found dead at his home in southern Indiana. He was 47.
•VarsityBernie Walter has retired as athletic director and teacher at Arundel, but he said he hopes to remain as baseball coach. He holds the state public school records for career wins (597) and state titles (10) in 35 seasons. He started teaching at Arundel in 1971 and became AD in 1981.
Copyright © 2008, The Baltimore Sun
