Associated PressNEW YORK ó Madison Square Garden derailed a $14 billion plan to renovate Penn Station and redevelop the drab neighborhood around it by backing out of negotiations to move the sports arena one block away to a landmark post office.
MSG said Thursday that it would move forward with plans announced years ago to renovate its existing arena, which sits over the nation’s busiest train station and is home to the New York Rangers and the New York Knicks.
The arena, on Manhattan’s West Side, had been negotiating for months with city, state and federal officials to move into the James A. Farley Post Office, allowing developers to tear down the arena and renovate the dark maze of tunnels and train tracks that run underground.
But the project stalled when enough funding never materialized; the state official overseeing the project, Patrick Foye, left his job this month after former Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned.
DAVIS CUP
WINSTON-SALEM ó The announcement of the U.S. Davis Cup team used to be filled with drama. Would Pete Sampras suit up? Could Jimmy Connors be coaxed into playing? Would frustrated John McEnroe call out the other stars who refused to sign on?
No more. Captain Patrick McEnroe on Thursday reeled off the same four names for a record 10th straight time. Andy Roddick and James Blake will play singles, and Bob and Mike Bryan doubles in next month’s quarterfinal with France in Winston-Salem
The U.S. has had the same Davis Cup roster since Andre Agassi played for the final time in March 2005. Roddick, Blake and the Bryan twins led the U.S. to its first Davis Cup title in 12 years in 2007. The foursome beat Austria 4-1 in the first round of this year’s competition in February.
GOLF
SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN, Ariz. ó Angela Stanford shot a career-best 10-under 62 on Thursday to break the Prospector Course record and take a three-stroke lead over defending champion Lorena Ochoa in the Safeway International.
RETIRING
JACKSON, Miss. ó Ron Polk, the Southeastern Conference’s winningest coach, has resigned, Mississippi State officials said.
Polk is in his 29th season as head coach at Mississippi State and his 35th overall as a head coach.
He ranks among the nation’s top 10 in career victories with 1,360 and has the fifth-most wins among active coaches.
DIVISION II
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. ó A.J. Bowman scored 18 points and Garret Siler added 17 as Augusta State defeated Alaska Anchorage 56-50 Thursday night to advance to the NCAA Division II men’s basketball championship game for the first time.
The Jaguars held Alaska Anchorage to 11 points in the first half, tying a 45-year-old tournament record for the lowest score in a half.
Augusta State (27-6), coached by Dip Metress, had to withstand a furious second-half 3-point flurry, but moved on to Saturday’s title game against Winona State, an 86-75 winner over Bentley in the second semifinal.