Associated Press
CLEVELAND ó Cleveland has ended its championship drought.
Browns running back Peyton Hillis will grace the cover of Madden NFL ë12, the popular video game, after beating Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick in a vote by fans. Hillis received 66 percent of the one million votes cast to handily defeat Vick in the final.
Hillis rushed for 1,177 yards last season, his first with the Browns.
With his bulldozing running style, the 25-year-old Hillis became a cult hero in Cleveland, which hasnít celebrated a professional sports title since the Browns won an NFL title in 1964.
One of Hillisí first perks for winning will be to present the top 10 list on David Lettermanís late-night TV talk show.
NBA
NEW YORK ó The New York Knicks are bringing Chauncey Billups back for next season.
The Knicks announced Wednesday that they are keeping the veteran point guard, deciding his leadership outweighs the savings they would have earned by waiving him this week.
The Knicks would have been obligated to pay Billups only $3.7 million if they cut him within five days after the season. Instead, he will be on the books for $14.2 million next season, when he will run a team in its first full season with Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony together.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. ó The NBA left town Tuesday. There’s no guarantee it will be back.
Mayor Kevin Johnson, business leaders and fans have done all they could in the past few months to prevent the Sacramento Kings from relocating to Anaheim.
The final and perhaps most critical step came Tuesday, when the corporate community handed NBA representatives deposits on more than $10 million in sponsorship pledges for the Kings to stay at least another year.
“Today is another historic day in Sacramento,” Johnson said.
HOCKEY
NEW YORK ó Goalie Ray Emery of the Anaheim Ducks, forward Daymond Langkow of the Calgary Flames and forward Ian Laperriere of the Philadelphia Flyers are finalists for the Masterton Trophy. The award honors “perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”
NASCAR
RICHMOND, Va. ó Denny Hamlin is excited about his annual charity race becoming bigger than ever this year, even if he doesn’t like the reason that he had to find a new venue for it.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup star will host his Short Track Showdown at Richmond International Raceway for the first time tonight, moving from Southside Speedway after three years because the track in suburban Richmond where he cut his teeth in Late Model racing closed down.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
NEW ORLEANS ó To Bowl Championship Series officials, the Fiesta Bowl appears “dead serious” about reform. And the BCS is “miles away” from considering whether to replace the Arizona game with another bowl.
“The Fiesta Bowl issue happened, and yes, it was disturbing,” BCS executive director Bill Hancock said Wednesday. “But people in Phoenix are as disturbed as we are and … they want to do something about it.”
DINNER WITH OBAMA
NEW YORK ó Jets All-Pro Darrelle Revis was invited to attend a private dinner with President Barack Obama on Wednesday night.
The star cornerback spoke privately with Obama for about five minutes and was shocked to find out the President knows about Revis Island.
“The president said to me, ‘How is the island?’ I laughed and said, ‘It’s good and I’m keeping it covered,'” Revis said. “Deep down, I can’t believe it that the president of the United States would know about Revis Island. It was an incredible experience.”