Wednesday, Jun. 11, 2008

Big Brown trainer still blames jockey for Belmont flop

NEW YORK -- Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. still blames Kent Desormeaux for Big Brown's stunning last-place finish in the Belmont Stakes, but wouldn't object to the jockey riding the horse in his next race.

The decision of whether to change jockeys is up to co-owner Michael Iavarone, Dutrow said.

"I don't want to hurt anyone, especially Kent," Dutrow said Tuesday morning in his barn at Aqueduct. "But I still don't understand what happened. I don't see the horse with a problem, so I have to direct my attention toward the ride. That's all I can come up with."

With Big Brown trying to become the first Triple Crown champion in 30 years, Desormeaux eased up the unbeaten colt with a quarter-mile remaining in the Belmont on Saturday.

"I had no horse. He was empty," Desormeaux said after the race.

NHL

Ron Wilson was introduced as the new coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, less than a month after he was fired by San Jose after the Sharks lost to Dallas in the second round of the playoffs. He signed a four-year deal. ... Marc Crawford was fired as coach of the Los Angeles Kings.

Motor Sports

A former racing official is suing NASCAR, alleging racial and sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination. Mauricia Grant worked as a technical inspector responsible for certifying cars in NASCAR's second-tier Busch Series (now known as Nationwide) from January 2005 until she was fired last October. Grant, who is black, alleges she was referred to as "Nappy Headed Mo" and "Queen Sheba," by white co-workers. She also claims she often was told she worked on "colored people time," and was frightened by one official who routinely made references to the Ku Klux Klan. The lawsuit, which seeks $250 million, was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Basketball

UCLA's Josh Shipp withdrew from the NBA draft and will return to the Bruins for his senior season. The guard averaged 12.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in UCLA's run to its third consecutive Final Four. ... Lindsay Whalen had 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists in helping Connecticut beat host Minnesota 75-66 in WNBA play. Whalen led the University of Minnesota to its first Final Four appearance in 2004.

Media

Sporting News said it will begin a free digital daily sports newspaper July 23 called Sporting News Today. On Sept. 1, the company's core publication, Sporting News Magazine, will be redesigned and published every other week instead of weekly.

Cycling

High Road rider George Hincapie won the second stage of the Dauphine Libere race in Vienne, France, grabbing the victory in a sprint finish.

Olympics

Sheila Taormina's Olympic bid has been officially accepted by U.S. modern pentathlon officials, making her the first woman to qualify in three different sports. Taormina won gold in 1996 as part of a swim relay and competed in the triathlon in 2000 and 2004. ... The U.S. will pick its 12-man Olympics men's basketball team before they report to Las Vegas later this month. Originally, the team was to have potentially 16 players in camp and cut down to 12.