Associated Press
NORMAN, Okla. ó Oklahoma finally made an offer that Lon Kruger couldnít refuse.
After turning down athletic director Joe Castiglione several times, Kruger agreed Friday to leave the job heís held at UNLV for seven seasons and start another rebuilding project as the Soonersí head coach.
ěI have lived in a lot of places, but I was raised in middle America and that has always been home for me,î Kruger said.
Kruger told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he accepted a seven-year deal that will double his pay to about $2.2 million annually.
The 58-year-old Kruger has made a career of turning around struggling college programs and taking them to the postseason.
He was 161-71 in seven seasons with the Runniní Rebels, taking them to the NCAA tournament four of the past five years.
Kruger told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he accepted a seven-year deal that will double his pay to about $2.2 million annually.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. ó Larry Finch, who starred for Memphis’ college basketball team when it lost to the Bill Walton-led UCLA Bruins in the 1973 NCAA title game and who went on to coach his alma mater for 11 years, died Saturday at age 60
The Memphis legend was the Tigers’ all-time leading scorer and still ranks fourth with 1,869 points. He also helped lead his Tigers to the Final Four and then became Memphis’ all-time winningest coach as he compiled a 220-130 record between 1986 and 1997.
BATON ROUGE, La. ó Southern University has fired men’s basketball coach Rob Spivery.
Southern was 4-26 last season.
BASEBALL
NEW YORK ó Major League Baseball ticket prices have increased only slightly for the second straight year.
Team Marketing Reportís annual survey finds the average ticket increasing by 1.2 percent to $26.91 from last season. The increase is the smallest since the survey began in 1991.
The increase was 1.5 percent from 2009 to 2010.
The Boston Red Sox have the most expensive average ticket at $53.38. The New York Yankees are second at $51.83 and the Cubs third at $46.90. The Pittsburgh Pirates have the cheapest average at $15.30.
ST. LOUIS ó Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday had an appendectomy and the team was unsure how long he will be out.
BOSTON ó Former Boston Red Sox general manager Lou Gorman, the architect of the team that came within one strike of winning the 1986 World Series, died of congestive heart failure. He was 82.
RODMAN VOTED IN
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. ó Dennis Rodman has been voted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Rodman said he was informed Thursday to be in Houston for Mondayís announcement before the championship game of the NCAA tournament.
The five-time NBA champion and two-time defensive player of the year was honored by the Detroit Pistons, who retired his No. 10 jersey during halftime of their game against the Chicago Bulls.
VOL FOOTBALL
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ó Tennessee coach Derek Dooley says the Volunteers have a long way to go after their first spring football scrimmage.
The Vols defense dominated early on Saturday, but the offense improved later in the scrimmage.
Rajion Neal led the offense with a 63-yard touchdown run. He finished with 14 rushes for 152 yards and two other touchdowns.
Tyler Bray completed 11 of 27 passes for 172 yards and had three touchdown passes.
FAVRE LAWSUIT
NEW YORK ó Two massage therapists who say the New York Jets blacklisted them for objecting to randy text messages from former quarterback Brett Favre are overplaying their ties to the team, the Jets say in court documents.
Shannon O’Toole and Christina Scavo worked for the team on a combined total of five days over two years, team officials say. The team wasn’t told about the women’s concerns and simply took its massage business elsewhere when its training facility moved in 2008.
“The relationship (with the team) they seek to portray could not be further from the truth,” Jets lawyer Gary H. Glaser wrote in response to a lawsuit filed by the massage therapists.
NASCAR
CHARLOTTE ó Rumors that Kimi Raikkonen was headed to NASCAR became reality Saturday when the former Formula One world champion signed with Kyle Busch Motorsports.
The Finn will make his NASCAR debut May 20 driving a KBM Toyota Tundra in the Trucks Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Raikkonen spent nine years in Formula One, driving for Sauber, McLaren and Ferrari. He was teammates with current NASCAR star Juan Pablo Montoya at McLaren.
TENNIS
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla.ó Swapping shrieks along with their shots, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka made rallies sound like a car alarm.
Sharapova was the soprano, Azarenka the alto, and their alternating arias could be heard on the beach across the street from the Sony Ericsson Open.
But Sharapova was flat and her opponent sharp. Azarenka swept nine consecutive games to take charge Saturday and won the tournament for the second time, beating Sharapova, 6-1, 6-4.
While the women’s tournament was full of surprises, the men’s draw is down to the game’s top-ranked players. No. 1 Rafael Nadal will play for the championship today against No. 2 Novak Djokovic, who is 23-0 this year.
GOLF
HUMBLE, Texas ó Phil Mickelson is tied for the lead in the Houston Open as he prepares for next week’s Masters.
He doesn’t see why he can’t win ’em both.
Mickelson shot his lowest round in two years on Saturday, tying the course record with a 9-under 63 to join Scott Verplank atop the leaderboard through three rounds on the Tournament Course at Redstone.
Verplank, coping with soreness in his left wrist, shot his second straight 65 to catch Mickelson at 13-under par. Aaron Baddeley (66) and second-round leader Chris Kirk (69) were one stroke back, and defending champion Anthony Kim and David Hearn (66) were two behind.