Associated Press
GLADESVILLE, Tenn. ó NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Michael Annett says he had been dreading his sentencing date for driving while impaired since his original arrest.
Annett entered his plea Friday in North Carolina District Court in Mooresville, N.C. He was given a suspended jail sentence of 120 days and sentenced to two years unsupervised probation.
He also was sentenced to 48 hours of community service and fined $200. He must forfeit his driverís license for one year. His sentencing was first reported by Scene Daily.
Annett then flew to the Nashville Superspeedway for the next race, but he hadnít had a chance to talk to his boss, Rusty Wallace, when he talked to reporters Friday afternoon.
ěHe was in the air at the same time I was, and we got here and got our heads on for practice,î Annett said. ěIt hasnít affected us. Everyone knew the punishment. Itís nothing new for the race team at all. He sees it the same way I do. Itís just the first step in getting all this behind us.î
NCAA FOOTBALL
CHAPEL HILL ó North Carolina has promoted offensive line coach Sam Pittman to associate head coach.
Coach Butch Davis made the announcement Friday.
Pittman has been on the Tar Heelsí staff since Davisí first season in 2007. Davis says Pittman is ěa man of great integrity and is a tremendous representativeî for the school.
BLAKENEY SUSPENDED
DURHAM ó Duke redshirt freshman Issac Blakeney has been suspended from school for academic reasons and will miss the upcoming season.
Coach David Cutcliffe said Thursday that Blakeney was suspended for failing to meet continuing academic requirements. The coach says he looks forward to Blakeney becoming eligible again in January.
NFL
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. ó The NFL canceled its Hall of Fame game between St. Louis and Chicago on Thursday despite owners voting in favor of a tentative deal to end the lockout, pending player approval.
The Rams and Bears originally were scheduled to open their training camps this weekend and play in the game to open the preseason schedule on Aug. 7 in Canton, Ohio. But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the game had to be dropped because the Rams and Bears wouldnít have ample time to prepare.
LOCKOUT CONTINUES
WASHINGTON ó Sorry, football fans.
The NFL is stuck in a holding pattern, with work still to be done to end the lockout. Heck, the players havenít even scheduled a vote.
People from both sides of the labor dispute planned to talk through the weekend ó although not face-to-face ó to try to resolve the differences that are preventing players from accepting the owner-approved proposal that would put the league back in business.
GOLF
WALTON ON THE HILL, England ó Mark Calcavecchia and Lee Rinker headed an American charge in the second round of the Senior British Open on Friday.
Calcavecchia ó one of three overnight leaders ó made six birdies in his 3-under 69. He was joined on 7 under by Rinker and Canadaís Rod Spittle, who each shot 67 at Walton Heath.
Tom Watson had a bogey-free 68 to move into contention. Americans filled six of the top nine places, improving the likelihood of an eighth American winner in nine years.
Defending champion Bernhard Langer faded with a 76, nine shots off the pace.
Fowler, a two-time winner on the Senior European Tour this season, holed a pitch shot for birdie on No. 16. Englandís Kevin Spurgeon had the low round with eight birdies for a 66.
Bob Tway (70) and 2010 runner-up Corey Pavin (72) were tied at 3 under with Englandís Barry Lane (70).
1:Canadian Open
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) ó Michael Thompson followed up his even-par opening round with a 4-under 66 to move into a tie with fellow American Chad Campbell after the second round of the RBC Canadian Open.
Campbell shot 67 in cloudy morning conditions, and Thompson bettered it on a sunny afternoon, finishing with a birdie on the tough 472-yard, par-4 18th.
Paul Goydos (69) and Lee Janzen (68) had a share of the lead before bogeys on their final hole dropped them to 137 after another tough day in the thick rough along the tight, tree-lined Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club.
Masters champion Charl Schwartzel (67), Geoff Ogilvy (68), Rickie Fowler (69), Jerry Kelly (67), Canadians David Hearn (68) and Adam Hadwin (66), and first-round leader Kris Blanks (71) were at 2 under.
1:European Tour
STOCKHOLM (AP) ó Swedenís Alexander Noren shot a 6-under 66 to take a three-stroke lead after the second round of the Nordea Masters.
He had shared the overnight lead with amateur Robert Karlsson and Jaco Van Zyl of South Africa. Noren left them behind with a round that featured six birdies and no bogeys on the 7,603-yard Bro Hof Slott course. He finished at 11-under 133.
Indiaís Shiv Kapur also shot a 66 and trails by three shots, his eight birdies offset with two bogeys.
American Bubba Watson (67) and Van Zyl (71) were five strokes behind Noren.
The 22-year-old Karlsson had a 75 to drop back after a 67 on Thursday.
1:Evian Masters
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) ó Miki Saiki of Japan took a one-stroke lead at the Evian Masters, shooting a 5-under 67 in the second round to move 9 under as the drenched course started to dry out.
Saiki heads into the third round Saturday with former Evian champion Ai Miyazato of Japan, Kraft Nabisco winner Stacy Lewis and co-overnight leader Maria Hjorth of Sweden all poised to launch a challenge at 8 under.
Angela Stanford of the United States and South Koreaís Ahn Shin-ae, are also one shot behind Saiki.
Stanfordís 6-under 66 included seven birdies.
Lewis picked up her form after crumbling at the end of her rain-soaked first round Thursday. Starting the day at 3 under, the American made seven birdies in her round of 67.