National sports briefs: Kearse charged with DUI
Published 12:00 am Monday, June 23, 2008
Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ó Tennessee Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse has been arrested and charged with driving under the influence following a traffic stop near the Vanderbilt University campus.
Vanderbilt spokesman Jim Patterson said Kearse was stopped early Sunday morning after campus police reported seeing the SUV that Kearse was driving weaving across the road.
Patterson says Kearse took a field sobriety test, but refused a breathalyzer. He was arrested and charged with DUI and violation of Tennessee’s implied consent law for failing to take the breathalyzer test. Officials said Kearse was released later in the morning.
A call to the Titans was not immediately returned. A spokesman for Kearse’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said Kearse had no comment.
Kearse, the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1999 with the Titans, re-signed with the club in the offseason after spending the last four years with the Philadelphia Eagles.
PACMAN
FORT WORTH, Texas ó No more “Pacman”?
That would be the preference of Adam Jones, the suspended Dallas Cowboys cornerback who has been known by the nickname throughout his life. He’d like to be called by his given name and make “Pacman” a thing of the past.
“There’s really just a lot of negativity behind it,” Jones said. “It’s just time for a change, man. I’m doing everything to make sure that I’m all right as a person, mentally and emotionally.”
Jones missed all the 2007 season with the Tennessee Titans while serving his NFL suspension that has not been completed lifted. The Cowboys acquired Jones from the Titans for draft picks in April.
While he was on the practice field with the Cowboys the last three weeks, Jones might have to wait until the week before Dallas’ Sept. 7 opener to find out if commissioner Roger Goodell will let him play during the regular season.
After speaking to about 60 kids at a basketball camp hosted by Dallas Mavericks forward Brandon Bass on Saturday, Jones expressed his desire to drop his nickname.
The kids at the camp called out “Pacman Jones! Pacman Jones!” after he spoke to them. But he signed autographs with his given name, not the nickname given to him by his mother when he was an infant.
“My mom is going to call me ‘Pacman.’ That is what it is. I can’t change that,” Jones said. “I’m not saying that my teammates won’t call me ‘Pacman’ on the field. But for the most part, I want to be Adam or Mr. Jones.”
GOLF
ROCHESTER, N.Y. ó Eun-Hee Ji won the Wegmans LPGA for her first LPGA Tour title, rallying to beat Suzann Pettersen by two strokes.
– CONCORD, Mass. ó Jeff Sluman won the Bank of America Championship for his first Champions Tour title, finishing off an 8-under 64 with a 34-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole for a two-stroke victory over Loren Roberts.
– LAKE OCONEE, Ga. ó Scott Hebert won the PGA Professional National Championship at Reynolds Plantation, closing with a 4-under 68 at Great Waters for a one-stroke victory over Sonny Skinner.
IRL
NEWTON, Iowa ó Most people think of their 30th birthday as a milestone to forget. Dan Wheldon spent his in victory lane.Wheldon turned the big 3-0 in style Sunday, winning the Iowa Corn Indy 250 for his second victory of the season.
Wheldon plans to donate his winnings to the victims of Iowa’s recent floods and tornados.
“What a great day for Target Chip Ganassi Racing and a great birthday present for me,” Wheldon said.
SOCCER
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados ó The United States advanced to the regional semifinals of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup with a listless 1-0 victory over Barbados on Sunday.
Eddie Lewis scored in the 21st minute off a through ball from 19-year-old Freddy Adu, who started his first World Cup qualifier. Lewis took the pass and put the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Alvin Rouse for his 10th goal in 80 international appearances.
OLYMPICS
LONDON ó China should win one more medal than the United States at the Beijing Olympics ó 88 to 87 ó and top the overall table for the first time, according to a survey released Monday by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
China was third in overall medals at Athens 2004, behind first-place United States (102) and Russia (92). China was second in gold medals behind the U.S. in 2004 ó 32 to 36.
Hawksworth predicted Russia will drop to third place at Beijing with 79 medals overall, down 13, followed by Germany (43), Australia (41), Japan (34), France (30), Italy (29), Britain (28) and South Korea (27).
– PHILADELPHIA ó Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin are taking their rivalry to the Beijing Olympics, where it will have golden overtones.
Now the fun is seeing who will join them.
Johnson and Liukin earned guaranteed spots on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team Sunday night after finishing 1-2 at the Olympic trials ó the same places they had at the national championships two weeks ago. The remaining four members of the team and three alternates will be named after a July 20 selection camp at the Karolyi ranch in Houston.
– INDIANAPOLIS ó Laura Wilkinson earned her third trip to the Olympics, holding off 15-year-old Haley Ishimatsu on 10-meter platform at the U.S. diving trials.
Wilkinson botched her second dive badly, her legs flailing apart as she crashed into the water. But, as the 30-year-old is known for doing, she bounced back with a remarkable effort.
On a reverse 31/2 somersault tuck, Wilkinson barely made a splash on her entry into the pool.