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Sports Log

Taurasi cited for drunken driving

July 4, 2009
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WNBA
Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi said that she’s embarrassed after being cited for drunken driving in Phoenix a few hours after she helped lead her team to victory over the Seattle Storm. An officer stopped Taurasi early Thursday for speeding, police spokesman Luis Samudio said. The officer smelled alcohol and gave the player several field sobriety tests, according to a police statement. Taurasi, the WNBA’s leading fan vote-getter for the July 25 All-Star game, was then driven to a mobile DUI van, where she gave a blood sample, then was cited and released. After yesterday’s practice, Taurasi told reporters that her DUI citation was “just something that’s embarrassing and unfortunate for my family and the organization.’’ Taurasi said she couldn’t comment on the specifics “but personally, I’m going to have to do some things to make it straight.’’ The former Connecticut star said she plans on playing in the Mercury’s game tomorrow night in Los Angeles . . . Candace Parker, who gave birth to a daughter May 13, will return for Los Angeles tomorrow against Phoenix. Parker, last season’s MVP and rookie of the year, was cleared by doctors to begin practicing Tuesday . . . Sophia Young had 19 points and eight rebounds in leading host San Antonio to an 85-72 win over Chicago . . . Chamique Holdsclaw scored 18 points and Sancho Lyttle added 16, helping host Atlanta snap a two-game losing streak with a 72-65 victory over Washington.

NHL
Blue Jackets lock up Nash long term
Rick Nash and the Columbus Blue Jackets reached agreement on an eight-year contract extension through the 2017-18 season. Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson confirmed the signing, and the Canadian Press reported the deal is worth $62.4 million. Nash will make $7 million in 2009-10. Nash, 25, would have been an unrestricted free agent after next season . . . Forward Ruslan Fedotenko accepted a $700,000 pay cut by signing a $1.8 million, one-year contract that keeps him with the Penguins . . . Forward Mikael Samuelsson signed a $7.5 million, three-year contract with the Canucks . . . The Kings acquired left wing Ryan Smyth from the Avalanche for defensemen Kyle Quincey and Tom Preissing and a fifth-round draft pick next year . . . Ducks forward Teemu Selanne says next season will be his last. Selanne celebrated his 39th birthday yesterday.

BASEBALL
Cuban prospect AWOL in Netherlands
Aroldis Chapman, 21, a Cuban pitcher considered by many baseball scouts to be the No. 1 lefthanded prospect in the world, failed to show up for Cuba’s first game in Rotterdam yesterday. The head of the Cuban delegation, Luis Carton, said, “We are waiting for information. We do not know anything. No one knows anything about what happened, if he is sick, died, or left.’’ Chapman, a player with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball, was seen walking through the lobby of his hotel and climbing into a waiting car within an hour of the team’s arrival Wednesday.

CREW
Yale women’s eights advance at Henley
Yale defeated Clyde/Edinburgh University’s composite crew by 2 1/2 lengths in the quarterfinals of the Remenham Cup for international women’s eights at the Henley Royal Regatta and faces a British squad crew - racing as Thames - in the semifinals. In the Ladies’ Plate for intermediate eights, Brown University defeated MIT to set up a semifinal encounter with local club Leander. In the Prince Albert Cup for student coxed fours, Yale beat Imperial College, London, to set up a semifinal with Reading University of England. Belmont Hill lost its quarterfinal in the Princess Elizabeth Cup for schoolboy eights to Abingdon School, England. In the Temple Cup for student eights, Kent School lost by 2 lengths to Melbourne University. Melbourne goes up against Brown in the semifinals.

MISCELLANY
NASCAR defends its drug policy
NASCAR chairman Brian France defended its drug-testing policy as the toughest in pro sports, despite a federal judge’s ruling that overturned driver Jeremy Mayfield’s suspension. But France said the sport needs a tough system that bans impaired drivers from competition . . . In MLS action, San Jose kicked in an own-goal in second-half injury time, allowing Salt Lake to tie the Earthquakes, 1-1 . . . Anna Kournikova of the St. Louis Aces will miss the rest of the World TeamTennis season with a wrist injury. The injury has not responded to therapy or a series of cortisone shots . . . Ashton Gibbs scored 18 points to help the United States beat Egypt, 112-55, in Auckland, New Zealand, completing a sweep of pool games at the FIBA under-19 world basketball championships . . . UConn senior Tina Charles had a game-high 17 points to lead the United States to an 84-50 win over host Serbia in the World University Games. Team USA will begin second-round play today versus Poland.

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