Mitchell denies leaking Byrd allegation

October 23, 2007

Baseball investigator George Mitchell, also a director for the Red Sox, yesterday denied providing information for a story that Cleveland Indians pitcher Paul Byrd used human growth hormone. Before Game 7 Sunday, Byrd acknowledged using HGH after the San Francisco Chronicle reported he spent nearly $25,000 on the drug and syringes from 2002-05 - before HGH was banned by Major League Baseball. Mitchell said his office was contacted by people accusing him of leaking information on Byrd to the media. The former Senate Majority Leader released a statement from his New York office to "correct that mistaken impression," the statement said. "Neither I nor any member of my investigative staff had anything whatsoever to do with the publication of the allegations about Mr. Byrd. We had no prior knowledge of those allegations, and we first learned of them, along with the rest of the public, through news accounts. Any information obtained in my investigation will not be made public until the report is released in the near future." Mitchell has spent 1 1/2 years investigating the use of performance-enhancing drugs like HGH in baseball.

The Yankees began the managerial interview process yesterday, with former Florida Marlins manager Joe Girardi becoming the first person to interview as a potential replacement for Joe Torre. Girardi spent about five hours with the Yankees' baseball operations staff, and an hour with owner George Steinbrenner, sons Hank and Hal, son-in-law Felix Lopez, and team president Randy Levine. Yankees bench coach Don Mattingly is due in today and New York first base coach Tony Pena tomorrow. Hank Steinbrenner said four or five people will be interviewed, but said former Mets manager Bobby Valentine wasn't on the list . . . Free agent closer Mariano Rivera said in an interview with Sirius Satellite Radio that the Yankees' choice of a new manager would have no bearing on whether he re-signs with the club . . . As expected, Tony La Russa agreed to a two-year contract to remain manager of the St. Louis Cardinals . . . Cardinals executive Bruce Manno was named assistant general manager of the Atlanta Braves.

The University of Massachusetts (6-1) received four first-place votes and held down the No. 4 spot in the Sports Network Bowl Championship Subdivision football poll. UMass defeated Northeastern, 24-7, Saturday, it's 11th straight home win. UNH (5-2) climbed from 11th to eighth after Saturday's 40-3 victory over previously unbeaten Hofstra . . . Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese called Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich Sunday to apologize, saying the referees erred during a disputed punt return for a touchdown by UConn in the third quarter of the Huskies' 21-17 victory over the Cardinals . . . After nearly a month on the bench, Drew Weatherford will return as Florida State's starting quarterback for this Saturday's home game against Duke. Weatherford will take over for Xavier Lee, who replaced Weatherford Sept. 29 . . . Georgia Tech tailback Tashard Choice will have surgery today to determine the severity of the knee injury he suffered Saturday against Army . . . Brigham Young basketball coach Dave Rose has agreed to a contract extension that runs through the 2010-11 season . . . Each team in college basketball's NIT Season Tip-Off will play four games next year under a new format that includes third- and fourth-round games at campus sites, the tournament announced.

Boston College (1-1-2) slipped from fourth to fifth in the USCHO.com/CSTV Division 1 men's hockey poll after tying No. 1 North Dakota and Vermont over the weekend, while the University of New Hampshire (1-0) advanced from eighth to seventh, receiving one first-place vote. The Fighting Sioux (2-0-1) remained in the top spot, earning 42 of 50 first-place votes, while Miami (4-0) received seven votes to stay in the No. 2 spot. Maine climbed from 17th to 13th and UMass advanced from 20th to 16th. North Dakota and Miami also are 1-2 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, while BC is fifth, UNH sixth, and Maine 13th.

Kimi Raikkonen will keep the Formula One drivers' title - for now. The McLaren team confirmed that it will appeal FIA's decision not to penalize four drivers investigated for fuel irregularities following the Brazilian Grand Prix won by Raikkonen. The ruling by the sport's governing body meant that Lewis Hamilton remained the seventh-place finisher Sunday, two spots lower than he needed to win the title in the season-ending race . . . Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti will make his Busch Series debut Saturday at Memphis Motorsports Park. Franchitti, the reigning IndyCar Series champion, is moving to NASCAR full-time next season . . . . . . Flyers forward Jesse Boulerice was ruled ineligible to play in the American Hockey League until Dec. 16 after the NHL suspended him 25 games earlier this month. Boulerice was suspended 25 games by the NHL Oct. 12 for striking Vancouver's Ryan Kesler across the face with his stick . . . Veteran forward Darcy Tucker will be out of the Toronto Maple Leafs' lineup indefinitely with ligament damage in his right knee . . . Jeremy Mayfield will take over a new Nextel Cup ride four races early, replacing Jeff Green in the No. 66 Haas CNC Racing entry for the rest of the season . . . Arron Oberholser pulled out of the World Cup with a recurring hand injury that will require surgery, and PGA Tour officials were searching for a replacement for the US team. Oberholser was the highest-ranked American to accept a spot in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, to be played Nov. 22-25 in China . . . Thomas Johansson was upset by Ernests Gulbis, 6-2, 6-1, in the first round of the St. Petersburg Open in Russia. Fifth-seeded Dmitry Tursunov also advanced, beating Jurgen Melzer, 7-6 (7-6), 7-6 (7-0) . . . Marc Gicquel upset second-seeded Tommy Robredo, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), in the opening round of the Lyon Grand Prix in France . . . Kara Lawson scored 20 points to lead the United States Select Team to a 93-49 win over the Canberra Capitals of Australia in their opening game at the FIBA World League Tournament in Ekaterinburg, Russia.